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Today’s readings come from Psalm 119:73-80, 1 Timothy 6:3-21, Jeremiah 46 and 47

Psalm 142:1-2

I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble.

This psalm was written by David as he reflected on the experience of hiding from his enemies in a cave. This happened on two occasions. Firstly in Adullam, and secondly in En-gedi. On both occasions he was being threatened by King Saul, who was eager to kill him. There’s no way of knowing which occasion he was thinking about when he wrote this psalm, but it doesn’t matter. What is clear is that he was under extreme pressure and needed help. In his despair he cried out to the Lord, knowing that He knew the whole story.

We are often inclined to bottle up our complaints. But it is good and right that we should pour out our concerns to the Lord, and God’s people have done so through the centuries. When St Francis of Assisi died on 3 October 1226, he had this particular psalm on his lips.

At times we might find it difficult to imagine that the God of the universe could possibly be concerned with our personal problems. But He is! The God of the Bible consistently reveals His intimate knowledge and complete love of us. If you have nothing to complain about, you must rejoice. But if you do complain, you can be sure that the Lord is ready to listen to you.

Questions

Have you ever complained to God? If you have, what did you say, and if you haven’t, why not?

Prayer

Loving God, thank You that You are always willing to listen to us, even when we have lots of problems and complaints. Amen

1) What is the difference between the terms "ransom," "propitiation," "reconciliation," and "substitution"?2) Is it wrong to ask forgiveness for our sins?3) What do you mean by knowing Christ intimately?4) Is Romans 12:1-2 for all Christians?5) Does Acts 8:12-17 teach that baptism is necessary for salvation?6) Could the Hebrew word often translated as "jealous" be translated as "zealous"?7) Could you clarify your position on the pre-Tribulation Rapture in light of Revelation 20:4-5?

The apostle Paul faced daunting obstacles throughout his ministry, including beatings, shipwreck, and imprisonment. How did he keep praying and preaching in the midst of such trials? Discover the key to his perseverance on Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.

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Today’s readings come from Psalm 119:65-72, 1 Timothy 5:1-6:2, Jeremiah 43, 44 and 45

Psalm 141:5

Let a righteous man strike me – that is a kindness; let him rebuke me – that is oil on my head.

This verse reminds us of the teaching of Proverbs where it says: “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses” (Proverbs 27:5-6). These words are no doubt wise, but that doesn’t mean it is easy when somebody tells us that we have gone wrong. It might prove to be soothing medicine in the end but, at the time, it can really hurt.

In Ephesians 4, Paul reflected on the fact that we all need to become more mature. He was eager that his readers shouldn’t be blown around by every wind of new teaching. He was constantly aware of the dangers that came from false teachers whose clever lies sounded like the truth. The antidote to this was for the Church to be a community within which people spoke the truth in love. That sounds so simple, but it is often very hard work and extremely demanding. Truth often has sharp edges and we are inclined to shrink from sharing it. We would rather take refuge in pleasantries and superficial talk. But if we really love one another, we will want to share that truth, and we will do it in a way that is gracious, sensitive and wise.

Speaking the truth in love will demand the best of us. It will require much prayer and careful thought, and we will never manage to do it without the power of God’s Spirit.

Question

When have you experienced the soothing medicine of other people’s strong words?

Prayer

Lord God, teach me more about what it means to speak the truth in love. Amen