Through the Bible - Jeremiah 8-9, 1 Timothy 3
Good morning,
Jeff Henderson gave the message at Northpoint Church in Atlanta last weekend and I jotted down the following quote. "The longer someone follows Jesus, the less desperate they become for him." That was a sobering statement. I think that we must admit that there at least are times or seasons in our lives when this is true.
I looked up the word "desperate" in my concordance for The Message translation and one of the passages that it brought up was Psalm 107 where we'll go for today's verse.
Ps 107:13-15 Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;
he got you out in the nick of time.
He led you out of your dark, dark cell,
broke open the jail and led you out.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
for his miracle mercy to the children he loves;
(from THE MESSAGE: )
Or from the NKJV
Ps 107:13 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And broke their chains in pieces. NKJV
The phrase "you called out to God in your desperate condition" is repeated four times in the psalm. in verses 7-8 so that we may have a dwelling place, 13 and 14 to break the chains, 19 and 20 healed them and delivered them, and in 28-29 He calms the storms.
Look back in your life. When was the last time that you were desperate for God and cried out to Him? When has He given you a dwelling place, broken chains of sin, healed and delivered you, or calmed your storms? Praise Him for those times.
Are you desperate for Him today?
Desperate for You - by Michael W. Smith
This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me
This is my daily bread
This is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me
And I I'm desperate for you
And I I'm I'm lost without you
This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me
This is my daily bread
this is my daily bread
your very word spoken to me
And I'm, I'm desperate for you
And I'm, I'm lost without you
In Christ,
Mike
Ps 107:6-33
Then, in your desperate condition, you called out to God.He got you out in the nick of time; He put your feet on a wonderful roadthat took you straight to a good place to live. So thank God for his marvelous love,for his miracle mercy to the children he loves. He poured great draughts of water down parched throats;the starved and hungry got plenty to eat.
Some of you were locked in a dark cell,cruelly confined behind bars, Punished for defying God's Word,for turning your back on the High God's counsel — A hard sentence, and your hearts so heavy,and not a soul in sight to help. Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;he got you out in the nick of time. He led you out of your dark, dark cell,broke open the jail and led you out. So thank God for his marvelous love,for his miracle mercy to the children he loves; He shattered the heavy jailhouse doors,he snapped the prison bars like matchsticks!
Some of you were sick because you'd lived a bad life,your bodies feeling the effects of your sin; You couldn't stand the sight of food,so miserable you thought you'd be better off dead. Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;he got you out in the nick of time. He spoke the word that healed you,that pulled you back from the brink of death. So thank God for his marvelous love,for his miracle mercy to the children he loves; Offer thanksgiving sacrifices,tell the world what he's done — sing it out!
Some of you set sail in big ships;you put to sea to do business in faraway ports. Out at sea you saw God in action,saw his breathtaking ways with the ocean: With a word he called up the wind — an ocean storm, towering waves! You shot high in the sky, then the bottom dropped out;your hearts were stuck in your throats. You were spun like a top, you reeled like a drunk,you didn't know which end was up. Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;he got you out in the nick of time. He quieted the wind down to a whisper,put a muzzle on all the big waves. And you were so glad when the storm died down,and he led you safely back to harbor. So thank God for his marvelous love,for his miracle mercy to the children he loves. Lift high your praises when the people assemble,shout Hallelujah when the elders meet!
(from THE MESSAGE)
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