Old Testament reading: Psalm 36-38
Everyone is going somewhere, but from whom do you receive your marching orders? David reminds us that “the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” (37:23). The New King James Version follows this with, “And He delights in his way.” The capital H in “He” indicates the translators believe this is a reference to God. I am inclined to believe the first “he” is the good man and the second is God. From this perspective, the good man delights in the way of God (cf Ps 1:2). At no time does the good man fall never to recover himself, for the Lord upholds him with His hand. I picture here a young father holding on to the hand of his child as he is just learning to walk. The father leads, guides and protects his child as the little lad takes his first unsteady steps. Though the child eventually grows and matures, no longer needing to hold his father’s hand, the child of God never turns loose of his Father’s hand. To so do is to invite disaster! Hold on to your heavenly Father’s hand!
New Testament reading: Luke 17-19
Be persistent in prayer! In the parable of the unjust judge (Luke 18:1-8), we see the difference in repeatedly praying for a specific thing and issuing vain repetitions. Jesus prayed repeatedly in the garden for His Father to “take this cup away from Me” (Luke 22:42). Paul besought the Lord three times to remove his thorn in the flesh (2 Cor 12:7-9). Neither was guilty of vain repetition; neither received the answer he desired, but both were heard and attended to by God! The woman in this parable had no reason to think the judge would be sympathetic to hear her pleas. Conversely, God’s children have every reason to expect their Father, the righteous and compassionate Judge of all the world, to hear their cries and respond accordingly. The point of the parable is expressed in the opening line, “that men ought always to pray and not lose heart.”
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