September 30, 2012 (Psalm 4:1)
September 30, 2012
‘Give me relief from my distress’ (Ps. 4:1); ‘In my troubles, You make a way.’ (NAB)
David is in distress. He does not ask for God to remove His distress but rather to make a way for him to bear it. Today we would be wise to experience the distress of our corporate sexual immorality. The New York Times recently mocked Rick Santorum in an editorial by flouting the ‘new normal’: well over half of today’s Americans declare as morally acceptable: having a baby outside of marriage, government-funded contraception, as well as gay and premarital sex. Those advocating ‘gay marriage’ straddle 50%. (Charles Blow, March 3rd, 2012)
That distresses me. If the statistics are accurate, most Americans are at odds with their Maker due to sexual immorality. Is it any wonder we have little authority to uphold marriage? I urge you to not turn away from that truth. Rather, ask God to help you bear the truth with His help. Only through Him can we bear the unbearable.
‘I never sat in the company of revelers…I sat alone, because Your hand was on me, and You had filled me with indignation.’ (Jer. 15: 17)
‘Father, our corporate shame is ever before us. We have turned away from You and done what seemed right to us. Forgive us for shirking the weight of that shame. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we confess our sins of cowardice and compromise. We have violated Your holy commands in regards to what we have done to our bodies and to other bodies. And in our compromise we have become cowards, unwilling to stand for what we know to be true for the dignity of all. We ask that You might have mercy on Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington; uphold marriage in these states, and in our nation, as the Supreme Court prepares to rule on ‘gay marriage.’
.jpg)