Yes, I was born in guilt, in sin, from the moment my mother conceived me. And yes, you want truth in the most hidden places; you teach me wisdom in the most secret places. Purify me with hyssop and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow.
In these three verses, the psalmist gives us a model prayer for dealing with relationships that resist healing.
If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
Sooner or later, we each encounter relationships that seem to pack more pain than pleasure. We may endure repeated conflicts with an adult child who lives a troubling lifestyle or with a critical parent who never lets up.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I came across a beautiful prayer by author D.A. Carson in his book, Praying with Paul.* Here are words from his prayer that I encourage you to take deep into your heart for further meditation and prayer as we move forward into the New Year.
“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'”
Just as David, the youngest of Jesse’s sons, was the least likely to be chosen as king of Israel, so was tiny Bethlehem the least likely birthplace to be chosen for the Son of God. And just as God’s favor fell on Mary, a humble teenaged girl, and her faithful but barren elderly cousin Elizabeth, granting them both motherhood most unexpectedly, so does God choose and favor his children today in ways that can seem to us strange and unlikely. In our most unwelcome and hurtful circumstances, we may very well fail to recognize God’s steadfast goodness and favor to us.
