Verse of the Day 10/22

Psalm 145:18-19 The Lord is near to all who call on him,

    to all who call on him in truth.
¹⁹ He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
    he also hears their cry and saves them.   English Standard Version (ESV)

As I read the verses below from Psalm 145 this morning the word "all", which is repeated several times through the verses, caught my attention.  Verse 17 starts the the Lord is righteous or as The Message puts it "does it right" in all He does, to all who truthfully call on Him.  Truthfully, from the heart, they may be well thought out words or a cry of desperation, but they are honestly what are on the heart and mind.  God fulfills, He hears and saves them when they cry to Him in truth.

Verse 20 shows the contrast between those who call in trust and those that ignore God.  He does what's best for those who trust Him, "He sticks by all who love Him" (The Message) but "it's all over for those who don't".  The psalmist praises God from his heart with thanksgiving.

We're a couple of months from Christmas when we celebrate God's great gift to us in the form of His only begotten Son, Jesus, but as I read this psalm the last stanza to the Christmas hymn came to mind.

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray;
Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care,
And fit us for Heaven to live with Thee there.

The cry of David, the man after God's own heart, is for God to be near him and stay near him all his days.  May we draw close to Him as He fits us for  heaven, to live with Him, praising Him through endless days.  What is the cry of your heart today?  May we "pray and mean it" (The Message).    1--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Psalm 145:17-21The Message (MSG)

¹⁷ Everything God does is right—
    the trademark on all his works is love.

¹⁸ God's there, listening for all who pray,
    for all who pray and mean it.

¹⁹ He does what's best for those who fear him—
    hears them call out, and saves them.

²⁰ God sticks by all who love him,
    but it's all over for those who don't.

²¹ My mouth is filled with God's praise.
    Let everything living bless him,
    bless his holy name from now to eternity!