Tuesday, December 23, 2014

His Compassion Doesn’t Fail.

'oH  ghaH  vo'  joH'a'  muSHa'taH kindnesses  vetlh  maH  'oH  ghobe'  Soppu', because  Daj compassion  ta'be' fail.

 It is of the LORD's loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion 
doesn’t fail.   Lamentations 3:22




Matthew Henry notes:

The prophet relates the more gloomy and discouraging part of his experience, and how he found support and relief. In the time of his trial the Lord had become terrible to him. It was an affliction that was misery itself; for sin makes the cup of affliction a bitter cup. The struggle between unbelief and faith is often very severe. But the weakest believer is wrong, if he thinks that his strength and hope are perished from the Lord.
Having stated his distress and temptation, the prophet shows how he was raised above it. Bad as things are, it is owing to the mercy of God that they are not worse. 

In the worst moment, when we realize this, that "Bad as things are, it is owing to the mercy of God that they are not worse" we may begin to have hope. On that, I reflect on Viktor Frankl's words:

Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation. You cannot control what happens to you in life, but you can always control what you will feel and do about what happens to you.  (Man's Search for Meaning)

Tuesday, December 09, 2014

God works in you.

vaD  'oH  ghaH  joH'a'  'Iv  vum  Daq  SoH both  Daq  DIchDaq  je  Daq  vum,  vaD  Daj  QaQ pleasure.
For it is God who works in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)

God works. 

God works in you.

Matthew Henry puts it well:

It is the grace of God which inclines the will to that which is good: and then enables us to perform it, and to act according to our principles. Thou hast wrought all our works in us,Isa. xxvi. 12. Of his good pleasure. As there is no strength in us, so there is no merit in us. As we cannot act without God's grace, so we cannot claim it, nor pretend to deserve it. God's good will to us is the cause of his good work in us; and he is under no engagements to his creatures, but those of his gracious promise.