You have kept count of my tossings;

put my tears in your bottle.

Are they not in your book?

Then my enemies will turn back

in the day when I call.

This I know, that God is for me.

In God, whose word I praise,

in the LORD, whose word I praise,

in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

– Psalm 56:8-11 (ESV)

Matthew Henry said of this passage, “God has a bottle and a book for his people’s tears, both the tears for their sins, and those for their afflictions. He observes them with tender concern.”

If the tears are flowing freely these days for you, I pray that you know that God counts them, every one, with tender concern. If you are his child, he is for you. In all your fears and trouble, there is hope. And that is real hope, not pablum, not Hallmark Card hope. It is hope that will not disappoint.

I read Psalm 18 this morning. It is the Psalm of the joyful and delivered warrior-king.

I am impacted by the description of how zealous God is for His children. This is the pre-Bathsheba, pre-Psalm 51 David; I wonder if David yet realized how much the Lord would still fight for him when David was in sin as He did when David was righteous. David wrote this Psalm with a young strong hand. In the weakness of old age and the fading of his kingdom David would still be able to praise the God of his salvation.

God battles for us. We can’t see it, necessarily, but I believe it to be true. Because it is His nature, and because He loves us, and because He will be glorified in us. And though His enemies (and our enemies) may deign to stand in the day of His wrath, they will lose. Completely. Because who on earth, or under the earth, or in the heavens, be they a king, a principality or power, can stand against Him?

Take a moment to meditate on the greatness of our Warrior Savior:

I love you, O Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,

and I am saved from my enemies.

The cords of death encompassed me;

the torrents of destruction assailed me;

the cords of Sheol entangled me;

the snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called upon the Lord;

to my God I cried for help.

From his temple he heard my voice,

and my cry to him reached his ears.

Then the earth reeled and rocked;

the foundations also of the mountains trembled

and quaked, because he was angry.

Smoke went up from his nostrils,

and devouring fire from his mouth;

glowing coals flamed forth from him.

He bowed the heavens and came down;

thick darkness was under his feet.

He rode on a cherub and flew;

he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.

He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,

thick clouds dark with water.

Out of the brightness before him

hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

The Lord also thundered in the heavens,

and the Most High uttered his voice,

hailstones and coals of fire.

And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;

he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.

Then the channels of the sea were seen,

and the foundations of the world were laid bare

at your rebuke, O Lord,

at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

He sent from on high, he took me;

he drew me out of many waters.

He rescued me from my strong enemy

and from those who hated me,

for they were too mighty for me.

They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

but the Lord was my support.

He brought me out into a broad place;

he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;

according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.

For I have kept the ways of the Lord,

and have not wickedly departed from my God.

For all his rules were before me,

and his statutes I did not put away from me.

I was blameless before him,

and I kept myself from my guilt.

So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

With the merciful you show yourself merciful;

with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;

with the purified you show yourself pure;

and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.

For you save a humble people,

but the haughty eyes you bring down.

For it is you who light my lamp;

the Lord my God lightens my darkness.

For by you I can run against a troop,

and by my God I can leap over a wall.

This God–his way is perfect;

the word of the Lord proves true;

he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

For who is God, but the Lord?

And who is a rock, except our God?–

the God who equipped me with strength

and made my way blameless.

He made my feet like the feet of a deer

and set me secure on the heights.

He trains my hands for war,

so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

You have given me the shield of your salvation,

and your right hand supported me,

and your gentleness made me great.

You gave a wide place for my steps under me,

and my feet did not slip.

I pursued my enemies and overtook them,

and did not turn back till they were consumed.

I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;

they fell under my feet.

For you equipped me with strength for the battle;

you made those who rise against me sink under me.

You made my enemies turn their backs to me,

and those who hated me I destroyed.

They cried for help, but there was none to save;

they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.

I beat them fine as dust before the wind;

I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

You delivered me from strife with the people;

you made me the head of the nations;

people whom I had not known served me.

As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;

foreigners came cringing to me.

Foreigners lost heart

and came trembling out of their fortresses.

The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,

and exalted be the God of my salvation–

the God who gave me vengeance

and subdued peoples under me,

who delivered me from my enemies;

yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;

you rescued me from the man of violence.

For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,

and sing to your name.

Great salvation he brings to his king,

and shows steadfast love to his anointed,

to David and his offspring forever.

– Psalm 18 (ESV)

When it comes to prayer I feel like such a beginner . . . even after all these years. But one wonderful thing about prayer is that it is something I can do anytime, so there are no time boundaries to prayer. And Romans 8 tells us that the Holy Spirit prays for us. So in that way prayer is something in which Christians have a “built-in” expertise, because the Holy Spirit is right there, indwelling us and groaning with words that can’t be uttered. And at the right hand of the Throne is our Lord Jesus, interceding to the Father for us.

For these reasons and many others, there is great power in prayer! I’m only just learning this, because perhaps in the past I have misdefined “power”. I believe prayer unleashes what God has already planned to unleash, it answers the call that God has already put forth, it is a lifting up to him what he has already given to us. It is the bold entrance, emboldened through his great rescue. And it is so much more that I still can’t comprehend.

Prayer is an amazing way for us to love others. There are people that I never see anymore but I still can love them – and not just in my memories but in reality and in a way that affects them contemporaneously – by praying for them.

I’ve been thinking through these things because I’m learning more and more to treasure those moments of prayer and intercession that I am afforded, and to find those moments in the most unlikely places. Basically, anytime there’s a quiet moment. Anywhere.

“There is nothing that makes us love a man so much as praying for him.”

– William Law

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!

O Lord, hear my voice!

Let your ears be attentive

to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,

O Lord, who could stand?

But with you there is forgiveness,

that you may be feared.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

and in his word I hope;

my soul waits for the Lord

more than watchmen for the morning,

more than watchmen for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the Lord!

For with the Lord there is steadfast love,

and with him is plentiful redemption.

And he will redeem Israel

from all his iniquities.

– Psalm 130 (ESV)

I love this Psalm.

It got me thinking. We are all, truly, waiting for the morning, aren’t we? I’ve experienced what I consider some bright mornings here on earth. But I don’t know – maybe I don’t really know what “bright” is.

There is a part of my soul that is waiting. Waiting for the Lord’s bright dawn, with more expectancy and longing than a watchman waits for the morning. Because the Lord is really the only One we can truly hope in, with every assurance that our hope will not disappoint.

That’s why the Psalmist exhorts Israel to wait for the Lord. In him alone is steadfast love, and plentiful, bountiful redemption.

I love redemption!

And deep down I know that all the brightest mornings I can ever experience here will seem dull and shabby compared to the bright Morning that is to come.

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

– Psalm 30:11-12 (ESV)

As someone with very few dancing skills, I’ve often looked at the act of dancing from the sidelines, wondering just what it is that posesses humans to engage in the behavior. Jill and I were at Gruene Hall in Gruene, Texas last week (oldest dancehall in Texas, reportedly) listening to Two Tons of Steel and watching the patrons cut some major rugs. It was amazing how good some of them were, spinning and whirling each other around the floor. We ourselves danced a simple two step, which was neat as I always love dancing with my wife.

But dancing is not something that comes natural for me. Yet Psalm 30 talks about the transformation that God can bring in our lives, turning our mourning into dancing. Can you believe it? In the midst of grief, as the long forgotten sun rises on a new morning that you could not fortell, you can be dancing for joy. And it is a joy made deeper, fuller, and sparkling with a thankfulness and wisdom that would be impossible without the grief. Joy is the redemption of grief. And it makes us dance! Because, you know, we say it often enough but let this sink in: He loves us!

When one of his creations wakes up to joy after a dark night of the soul and begins dancing for joy, I believe the Lord beams. He laughs, he himself rejoices and exults over his beloved. You see, this is what he does, and this is why he died and rose again. It was for his glory and our joy.

Only he can do this. I know some who are passing through their own dark nights; people for whom the morning is a long-forgotten fable. I pray that soon they will be dancing for joy at their beautiful and timely redemption from God’s hand. I pray that when I too face the darkness I’ll remember.

Sackcloth is not our permanent garment.

Mourning will not last. It will be transformed to joyful laughter.

Darkness is only for a season. It cannot abide the Light, and melts away in the Presence of the Holy One.

If you’re a child of God, gladness and joy is your destiny.

I noticed this lyric for the first time yesterday; it’s from one of Barlow Girl’s latest songs:

Now that’s an amazing thought. And though this song falls squarely into the intimate worship genre – not in everyone’s comfort zone, I know – I still believe these words are both true and heartfelt.

He is the God who has all things. Why does he trouble with me? It would certainly be less trouble for him to disregard my ramshackle soul, no?

Yet he wants me. And he means to have me, to glorify him and enjoy him forever. And he can do anything, and his arm is not too short to save nor is there anywhere I can hide from his presence. So I believe this is a done deal.

If he means to have you, trust me, you’re had. Done deal. He is amazing, and he loves beyond our furthest understanding and saves to the uttermost. See what kind of love the Father has given to us!

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.

– 1 John 3:1a (ESV)

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

– James 5:16 (ESV)

I did a little bit of research on the word translated “righteous” in James 5:16b. The word is “dikaiou” (δικαίου) and it is an adjective. I found out that it means . . . righteous.

It also is sometimes translated “just”, meaning “without prejudice or partiality”.

Digression question: have I spent a waking moment of my lifetime without prejudice or partiality?

Selah

But, bottom line, it means what it says. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

I feel like I’ve been praying with more fervency lately – but still not nearly enough as I need to. I’m not sure I’m praying well; vain repetition is my wont. Yet there are so many people, starting with my family, that come to mind and my prayers multiple times a day these days.

Prayer, frankly, is a scary thing. We don’t know what is unleashed when we pray. James 5:16 says that the prayer of a righteous person has great power. And yet tonight my mind finds itself set on earthly things and my internal motivations seem laid bare. I wonder where I stand in the righteousness spectrum; in the scarlet darkness of false righteousness or in the dazzling, clear light of Jesus. Somewhere closer to the former is my guess. And my shame.

But I am commanded to pray. The context in James 5:16 holds the promise of healing when we pray, and of resulting righteousness, and resulting power. God is so good! I believe that heaven moves at times when we pray, and that mountains are flung into the sea and that powers and principalities and people and things are bound and loosed. And so I will pray, as my day goes and I move about in this world. And may God restore and revive and hold safe these precious ones on my heart, and may we all one day see the hand of God moving and energizing our prayers; may we see the grace that was endowed on others as we lifted them up, and – humbling and blessed sight! – may we someday, when we’re home, see the prayers of those dear souls, best of friends even if unknown to us, who lifted us up to God. And may we see the resulting flood of grace that covered us.

The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

– James 5:16b (ESV)

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

– James 5:16b (NIV)

The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

– James 5:16b (NASB)

πολὺ ἰσχÏ?ει δέησις δικαίου á¼?νεÏ?γουμένη

– James 5:16b (New Testament Greek)

I’d like to understand this verse better. I hope to study it and write on it over the next few days.

I also hope to practice it better.