2-12-2019

Good Morning All,

  Psalm 142:6; “Pay attention to my cry for help because I am very weak.  Rescue me from those who pursue me because they are too strong for me.”

    Do you remember the Fugitive?  Dr. Kimball was found guilty of a crime he didn’t commit while being hauled to his execution he escaped and was chased through the rest of the TV series.  He was pursued by the police who would usually come in one side of town while he left out the other.  Do you remember The Incredible Hulk?  Dr. Banner was chased because of an experiment which changed him into the hulk and they wanted to find out why and how.  Do you remember Airwolf?  A super helicopter is hidden in a hollowed-out cave in the Valley of the Gods to hide it from some government agencies which want to use it for some less than good things. 

    All these shows, and some others, involve someone being chased or pursued.  We are often fascinated with the pursuit of someone; whether it is a television series or the real-life pursuit of someone like the Unibomber, Son of Sam, the Zodiac killer or Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden.  We like to watch someone else being chased but what about when we are being pursued?  We are often being pursued.  It is usually something of our own doing.

     We are often pursued by past sins which we do not let go off or maybe by past sins which we have not really repented of.  When we don’t let go of the past sins, when we think that they are just too much or too horrible to confess; the devil uses them to hound or pursue us with guilt and shame.  We are also pursued by the guilt and shame we feel for sins which we do not completely repent of.  Remember the story of the tax collector who, when he repented, paid back four times what he extorted when he collected taxes?  Sometimes that should be us. Sometimes we are pursued by the guilt and shame of a sin against our neighbor that we don’t fully come clean to.  Perhaps we confess to God but not to our neighbor.  Maybe we said some unkind things about someone else; perhaps we heard some unkind things said and we didn’t speak up.  Maybe something happened and we let someone else take the blame for our mistakes.  These are things which will pursue us.  Sins, that go unconfessed, always pursue us.

    Fortunately, God, through his mercy because of Christ’s atonement, forgives our sins.  Now all we have to do is let this comforting fact lead us to finish our confession or repentance to remove the guilt.  It takes courage; to admit to our shortcomings but God’s love and forgiveness should give us the courage to take that step.  If God is for us, who can be against us?  And if they are against us, so what?  God is for us, offering us His forgiveness and the promise of eternal life; we find refuge in Him from all our pursuers.

  God of mercy, give us strength to combat all our pursuers as we find refuge in you.  Comfort us and sustain us in Your peace.  Defend all who suffer from fear and despair.  Give them your Spirit of peace.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray.  Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret