PRAYER WHEN OVERWHELMED

“From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I" (Psalm 62:1 NKJV).

Here in this verse, we observe the Psalmist turning to prayer in time of trouble. Thus we want to note - the place of prayer, the passion in prayer, the problem for prayer, and the petition in prayer.

Place of prayer - “From the end of the earth.” The “end of the earth” speaks of those places far from normal help. This is telling us that we do not need to be in a church or other special place to pray. No matter where we are on earth, we can seek God’s help in prayer because He is omnipresent.

Passion in prayer - “I cry to You.” This shows the earnestness of the Psalmist in his praying to God. We too need to be earnest in our praying. If we are not earnest in praying, we cannot expect God to be earnest in answering our prayers.

Problem for prayer - “When my heart is overwhelmed.” The Psalmist is experiencing some very deep troubles; we know this because he said “my heart is overwhelmed.” He is ready to give up. However, God is able to help no matter how great our troubles. God is not limited by big problems only by small prayers. And the prayer here is big in faith. In spite of his dire situation, the Psalmist still clings to God in faith and pleads his case.

Petition in prayer - “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” In Scripture, the Lord Jesus is sometimes spoken of as a rock. Like a rock, He provide safety and sight. One way the rock provides safety is to give shade to the weary traveler in the hot wilderness. But the rock has to be “higher than I” to do it. Spiritually Christ provides protection for us from the heat of God’s judgment because He is higher than us. The rock also provides sight. Being on a rock “higher than I” gives better sight than being on ground level. Christ and His Word give us better sight about life and eternity than the world.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“When it seems hardest to pray, we should pray the hardest!”

Word Study

Dispute (hostility)

In Heb. 12:3 we read, “For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls” (NKJV).

Dispute (hostility) is the is the Greek word antilogia (ἀντιλογία = an-tee-log-ee'-ah). It is made up of two words: “anti” which means against and “logia” which means a word. Thus the word means quarrel, contradiction, rebellion, contention. Literally, antilogia means a word spoken against and so talking back, in opposition against. Antilogia describes contradiction or controversy with the added sense that strife is involved. Strife means bitter sometimes violent conflict or dissension.

In Classical Greek antilogia was used to refer to opposing arguments or answering speeches. In the Septuagint (LXX), antilogia speaks of defiance against authority. It also carried the legal sense of a court dispute, an argument, and has strong implications of opposition to what is right. In the New Testament, antilogia means an argument or opposition. Here in Heb. 12:3 it is used of the opposition or hostility that the Lord Jesus endured. The Christian Jews were encouraged to consider the opposition (hostility) that Lord Jesus faced as a means of comfort during their times of persecution

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – When folks see the Messiah on the cross, they would ridicule Him and “shoot out the lip, they shake the head” (Psalm 22:7)

New Testament Fulfillment – Matt. 27:39

Bible Facts

God’s Word says that the Earth would wear out – “In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded” (Psalm 102:25-26).

Bible Quiz

“All is vanity” is a phrase often repeated in what book in the Old Testament?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: Who asked Jesus, “Are you greater than our father Jacob?” The woman of Samaria (John 4:7)

That’s in the Bible

"Wearisome to the flesh”

"And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh” (Ecc. 12:12 NKJV).

“Wearisome to the flesh” - The expression “wearisome to the flesh” refers to something that tires you greatly. Solomon issues a strong warning to all of us: the time spent pouring over the ideas and opinions of men can be exhausting. We need to beware of seeking answers beyond those God has given in His Word. Further, what people write, even in commentaries is fallible. The wise person will faithfully study and obey God’s Word, and in so doing, will be blessed.

Did You Know – Christian History

John Gossner was a young Catholic priest in the late 1790s. He was educated at the University of Dillingen, Germany. Longing for a Christianity that would make him alive, he began studying the words of John Michael Sailer and Martin Boos. Sailer’s evangelicalism pointed him toward the spiritual understanding he had craved. Eventually he wrote that ‘one cannot inherit salvation by birth in a Christian family or a Christian education. Faith must come from God. The natural birth is a natural birth. A new birth is needed, a life from above.’ He then began to teach others what he had learned.

By 1802, his teaching that people could have new spiritual life directly from God rather than through the agency of priests and the church, landed him in hot water with his denomination. The Jesuits brought him into a church court. Still unsure of how to reconcile evangelical thought with traditional Catholic teaching, John agreed to toe his church’s line.

In spite of this, Grossner’s gift of speaking was packing assembly halls with listeners. His reputation led to an invitation to pastor the Germans in Russia. And while pastoring, he was preaching evangelical sermons after each mass in St. Petersburg. Hundreds of listeners packed the church every time. He then invited sincere seekers to his apartment and when that could not hold everyone, he rented assembly halls.

Further, because the Dominicans distrusted him, Grossner provided private teaching outside of the church building. This proved so successful that Russia’s Orthodox leaders pleaded for John’s expulsion from the country. Too late, the evangelical seed had been sown. It spread into neighboring Estonia and Finland, and was strong in St. Petersburg two generations later.

When Grossner returned to Germany, the Catholic Church expelled him. He became a Lutheran and pastured Berlin’s Bethlehem church. There he continued his successful work, leading large numbers of people to seek a deeper Christian life. He created kindergarten schools, founded a hospital, and started the mission organization which bears his name.

John Gossner died in Berlin on March 20, 1858. His mission work lives on, having converted hundreds of thousands to Christ in India.

A Little Humor

A little boy was saying his go-to-bed prayers in a very low voice. “I can’t hear you, dear,” his mothered whispered. “Wasn’t talking to you,” said the boy firmly.

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Money will never buy repentance!”