Puritan Prayer

“…I rejoice to think that all things are at thy disposal, and it delights me to leave them there.

Then prayer turns wholly into praise, and all I can do is to adore and bless thee.

What shall I give thee for all thy benefits? I am in a strait betwixt two, knowing not what to do; I long to make some return, but have nothing to offer, and can only rejoice that thou doest all, that none in heaven or on earth shares thy honour; I can of myself do nothing to glorify thy blessed name, but I can through grace cheerfully surrender soul and body to thee, I know that thou art the author and finisher of faith, that the whole work of redemption is thine alone, that every good work or thought found in me is the effect of thy power and grace, that thy sole motive in working in me to will and to do is for thy good pleasure.

O God, it is amazing that men can talk so much about man’s creaturely power and goodness, when, if thou didst not hold us back every moment, we should be devils incarnate…” (taken from a Puritan prayer titled, “God the All” in The Valley of Vision)

This prayer is not my heart, but I would like to say it is. I recognize the truths of this prayer and believe them, but I do not celebrate them like the Puritan. I believe a lie; I believe in pride, but not an arrogant pride, a pitiful pride. I have been bated by the lie of pity, believing myself to be much more akin to a “devil incarnate” than a new creation. This pride (pitiful pride) is just as damning and insufferable as the arrogant brand, in that it keeps my worship at bay.

Lord, you love me in spite of me. May this be my portion and cause my heart to worship.

The Judge and the Bread

Why is God a righteous judge?

“Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.” Deut. 16:19 (NIV)

(1) Because He is holy and perfect

(2) (After #1 there doesn’t need to be a #2, but…) He cannot be bribed! He owns everything and therefore cannot be corrupted.

Why do we eat unleavened bread?

“Don’t eat yeast bread with it; for seven days eat it with unraised bread, hard-times bread, because you left Egypt in a hurry-that bread will keep the memory fresh of how you left Egypt for as long as you live.” Deut. 16:3 (The Message)

The Israelites did not have time to bake bread with yeast the night of their deliverance from Egypt. The flight from Egypt was fierce, and this “hard-times bread” is only one example. However, He chooses this example to have His people replicate, to remember His name and power and how He rescued them from their former lives of slavery.

That is why the bread is unleavened. It is now broken because Christ too was broken for our deliverance.