For you,
Lord,
have delivered me
from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling, that I may walk
before the Lord
in the land of the living.
Psalm 116:7-9 NIV
The last part of these verses gives us a "purpose statement" a "so that".
Why does He pull me back from death, wipe my tears and hold me up?
So that I can walk with God. Echoes of Genesis and walking in the garden.
But doesn't God just dwell in the tabernacle in the Holy of Holies?
The psalmist knows the relationship with God is way closer than that, centuries before Jesus.
Walking before God is literally about his face.
Living before the face of God (when no one could)
And not out in the future sometime (heaven) but now, in the land of the living.
Living before the face of God.
Coram Deo.
His strong hand pulls us back from death
His gentle touch wipes our tears
He is the shoulder we can lean on
So that we can live before, stand facing the living God, and live our lives before Him.
This points us in one direction...to Jesus.
He pulled be back
Wipes my tears
Holds me up
And his love (sacrifice) allows me to stand and see God's face...
#psalms
#psalm116
#Jesusatthecentre
...four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn't bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus... Mark 2:3-4 NLT Great account of inventiveness and determination to get their friend to see Jesus. Love this. Do you wonder about the back story? Are these the same 4 people who bring this man food? Take him to the toilet every day. Clean him up. Does he live with one of them? Are they family? Are there whole families or groups of people in the background who have supported and cared for this man? A group of children who grew up seeing their parents love in action? Probably. Healing Help Hope These things are found in community. These 4 guys are the heroes here. The upfront people. One day it will be interesting to see who the background heroes are. #loveinaction #community #inthistogether #walkingeachotherhome #gospelofmark
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