Friday, June 27, 2014

Psalm 95:7-9


... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Psalm 95:7-9[1]

Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your heart, as in the provocation, as the day of temptation in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My work.[2]



[1] God called out to Adam, to be a Father to Adam and a friend; but Adam didn’t listen very well, so Adam was driven out of the garden of Eden.
God called out to Cain, to be a Father to Cain and a friend; but Cain didn’t listen very well, so Cain condemned himself by killing his brother Abel.  Seth was a better listener, so Seth was chosen.
God called out to all the world’s people, to be a Father to the people and a friend; but the people didn’t listen very well, so the people condemned themselves.  Noah and his family were better listeners, so Noah and his family were chosen, and the world’s population was reduced to eight people, because the people condemned themselves by not listening.
Noah’s family settled in the plains around Ur of the Chaldees and multiplied to become a great people.  God called out to all the people of Ur, to be a Father to the people and a friend; but the people of Ur didn’t listen very well, so the people of Ur condemned themselves.  Abraham and his family were better listeners, so Abraham and his family were chosen, and Abraham and his family wandered in one wilderness after another as aliens and pilgrims in a foreign land, because the people of Ur condemned themselves by not listening.
In a time of overwhelming famine Abraham’s descendants settled in the land of Egypt and multiplied to become a great people.  God called out to all the people of Egypt, to be a Father to the people and a friend; but the people of Egypt didn’t listen very well, when Israel might have become a priest of the living God to them, so the people of Egypt condemned themselves.  Abraham’s descendants, the Israelites were better listeners, so the Israelites were chosen, and the Israelites were brought out of Egypt with a mixed multitude to form a new nation, because the people of Egypt condemned themselves by not listening.
The Israelites didn’t listen very well, and condemned themselves to wander in the wilderness for forty years.  The people during the Judges didn’t listen very well either, nor did Saul, nor the Northern Kingdom, nor the Southern Kingdom….  Finally, God sent His Son, because He knew that His Son would listen on behalf of all the people; and God could at last be a Father and a friend to all people.
The Chosen People are called the Chosen People because they listen to the Father.  Because they listen, they also obey.  How can they possible do this, when all people have failed so obviously and repeatedly?  For Jesus sake, the Father freely gives His Holy Ghost to all who ask.  All who ask, the Holy Ghost joins to Jesus in such a way that they become mysteriously like Jesus, and like Jesus, by faith, they are now empowered to obey.  God receives all who listen, so that He can be their Father and their friend….
Do you listen?  Do you listen very well?
Know this.  God is patient, and God is kind.  He has an intense love for those who will only listen.  The humblest listener is His treasured child.  So we must concern ourselves with praying through our Bibles, listening to see the world from God's perspective.  It matters not that we live or die, but that we will live again.  Are you listening?
Blessed are You, O Lord; teach us Your commandments.
Blessed are You, O Lord; teach us Your statutes.
Blessed are You, O Lord; show us how to love You.
Blessed are You, O Lord; help us love our neighbors.
Blessed are You, O Lord; provide us with Your manna.
Blessed are You, O Lord; crush the deception of the nations.
Blessed are You, O Lord; set your people free.
 
[2] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish.
These meditations are not controlled by Creative Commons or other licenses, such as: copyright, CC, BY, SA, NC, or ND.  They are designed and intended for your free participation.  They were freely received, and are freely given.  No other permission is required for their use.

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