Skip to main content

One Year Bible: Day 346 - Esther 2:19-5:14; Revelation 3:7-22; Psalm 141:1-10

There are doors which can only be opened by God - "See, I  have placed before you an open door that no-one can shut" (Revelation 3:8). There are doors which must be opened by man - "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20). This is illustrated in the story of Esther. She became the Queen of Persia according to the sovereign purpose of God. God opened the door. Nevertheless, there were doors which had to be opened by Esther. As the Queen of Persia, she had to act in a wise and courageous way in order to carry out the purpose of God. In everything, we must say, with the Psalmist, "My eyes are fixed on You, O Sovereign Lord" (Psalm 141:8). This is not, however, to be the kind of heavenly-mindedness which makes us oblivious to what is going on around us. We must keep a close eye on events. We must direct our prayers towards the fulfilment of God's purpose through the particular course of events which are taking place here-and-now. This is precisely what the Psalmist does. He sees what is happening, and he prays, "Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil" (Psalm 141:4). His "prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers" (Psalm 141:5-6). This, again, is a combination of God opening and closing doors - "What He opens no-one can shut and what He shuts no-one can open" (Revelation 3:7) - and ourselves opening and closing doors as, looking at what is going on around us, we choose God's way rather than the world's way. Concerning this opening and closing of doors, we say, "O Lord, keep watch over the door of my lips" (Psalm 141:3).
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Conversion

" ... Will you ... come and stand before Me in this house, which bears My Name, and say, We are safe" - safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears My Name become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord" (Jeremiah 7:8-11). “God demands a conversion of the mind and heart as the basis of peace and security (cf. Is 26:3), not the superstitious veneration of a stone building or a traditionally sacred site” ( R K Harrison , Jeremiah ).
Post a Comment
Read more

"In the beginning, God" (Genesis 1:1).

"In the beginning, God" (Genesis 1:1). Here, we are taken back to eternity, back to the eternal God. There is nothing beyond this. There is nothing beyond Him. "God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). He is the Lord of heaven and earth. The mention of heaven and earth in the Bible's opening verse sends our minds on from the beginning to the middle and the end of God's great Story of salvation. At the heart of this wonderful Story, there is Jesus Christ who came from heaven to earth for us. The Story moves on to the marvellous fulfilment of God's plan of salvation. The Lord Jesus will come to take us from earth to heaven to share with Him in the glory of eternal life.
Post a Comment
Read more

Lord, we worship You in the place of worship ...

Psalm 48:1-14 Lord, we worship You in the place of worship – “Within Your Temple, we meditate on Your unfailing love.” Help us to go out from there, and play our part in seeing that Your praise “reaches to the ends of the earth” (Psalm 48:: 9-11). How will other people know of Your love, if we don’t tell them? How will they find their way to Your House, if we don’t invite them? When we share Your Word with others, help us to remember Your promise: “My Word … will not return to Me empty, but will … achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).
Post a Comment
Read more