Psalm 40 - J. Evans - August 21, 2016 by Immanuel Anglican Church

The Lord sets the prisoners free;

the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.

The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;

the Lord loves the righteous.

The Lord watches over the sojourners;

he upholds the widow and the fatherless,

but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;

my eyes are not raised too high;

I do not occupy myself with things

too great and too marvelous for me.

But I have calmed and quieted my soul,

like a weaned child with its mother;

like a weaned child is my soul within me.

O Israel, hope in the Lord

from this time forth and forevermore.

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

Sometimes our suffering catches us by surprise. Sometimes we cling so tightly to false ideas of what God has really promised us. The true reward of security in the Father is much greater than our earthly comfort. The resurrection shows us that those who walk in the shadow of Jesus are given the assurance of God's presence and redemption.

Tragedy comes without invitation. We pray: "How long, O Lord?" We ask: "Why again?" While stunned and helpless in the face of violence and sorrow, we scramble for answers. In this sermon from Psalm 86, Andy Bilhorn exhorts us to be loved by a good God even as we are vexed by a bad world.

Where is hope when we thirst? And when we seem to thirst - alone?

The writer of Psalm 42 knew deeply the paradox of doubt and trust, the agony of thirst when God seems far. He cries "God, why have you forgotten me?" even as he soothes his soul with the words "Hope in God, for I shall again praise him."

What do music, sunshine, and the law of God have in common? Psalm 19 suggests that the answer may have something to do with joy. . .

The Groom Takes His Bride: Christ and His Church

"What is man that You are mindful of him?" When we participate in the life of Christ, we become rightly oriented and are able to see our lowliness as God sees it. Only then can we live out Christ's life into the world as God intended.