The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"The Prayer of the Upright"
Part 2 - Sorrow and Delight
"The dual realization - Christ's sorrow on the cross, which made possible God's delight in our fellowship - will go far in motivating a more faithful life of prayer."
God's delight in the prayers of believers would not be possible were it not for the sorrow experienced by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.
"The prayer of the upright is His delight" (Proverbs 15:8).
"He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (II Corinthians 5:21).
Whether concerning the Old Testament saints redeemed by looking ahead to God's promised Redeemer, or New Testament saints who believe in Christ's accomplished grace of salvation, the Lord Jesus has been and is God's way of making human hearts acceptable in His sight. Even more, we are personally joyful to Him as we walk by faith and in devoted relationship. We can please God because for our salvation, "it pleased the Lord to bruise" His beloved Son, and to "put Him to grief" (Isaiah 53:10).
Of course, Isaiah does not prophesy that God would find personal pleasure in administering His Son's bruising and grieving as He poured out His wrath upon Him while "made… to be sin for us." The prophet rather refers to the joy God would find in that which Christ purchased by His suffering, namely, our redeemed hearts made suitable for His presence and relationship with Him as sons and daughters. We exist for this "hope of glory," wherein our Lord births our hearts as His home. "Ye are the temple of the living God" (Colossians 1:27; I Corinthians 3:16). To the degree the Lord Jesus suffered in dying for our sins, God's heart can be pleased by His living and abiding presence within born again believers. This includes the prayers we pray through the leading and enabling of the Holy Spirit. "Let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice" (Song of Solomon 2:14).
We will not always consciously think of the pain and sorrow that makes possible our prayerful supplications. We do well, however, to deeply establish within our convictions the truth that our Savior's sacrifice makes possible our Heavenly Father's joy in us and our communication with Him. Humble, trusting, and sincere prayer brings literal delight to the heart of God. The dual realization - Christ's sorrow on the cross, which made possible God's delight in our fellowship - will go far in motivating a more faithful life of prayer. A far greater sincerity will ensue, resulting in our own joy in communion with God, and in the remembrance of the grace whereby God receives us as He receives His Son…
"For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father."
(Ephesians 2:18)
Monday: His Voice, Our Voice
Weekly Memory Verse
Know ye that the LORD He is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
(Psalm 100:3)
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