Lent: Day 4

Reading: Psalm 101: A Psalm of David (I will walk with integrity)


Reflections:
Yahweh, how I craved Your awful presence—a terrifying and holy place—a place in which I should be consumed!

My flesh cries out—don’t consume me, O awesome and terrifying God—my sin is so terrible, I can’t stand Your presence!

My soul finds rest in the fact that Jesus carried my sin on the cross so that I will not be consumed by the angry justice of God. Because of His death and His cleansing blood I boldly enter the terrifying and glorious presence of the Most High God!! As a result, I am perfectly safe in His presence!

How great Your love for us
How great our love for You!
--that Grace would cover us
How great Your love…for us![1]

My spirit cries out:

Holy, holy, holy!
Is the Lord God Almighty
The whole earth is full of His glory![2]

Stir it up in our hearts, Lord
A passion for Your Name
A passion for Jesus![3]

Consume me Holy fire
That nothing of me would remain!
Consume my stinking flesh!

For Yahweh is a consuming fire—a jealous God (Deut. 4:24, Hebrews 12:29)

Oh, Consuming Fire
Burn away my stinking sinful flesh
Purify my life from the vestiges of this world.

My flesh quivers and my mind screams out against such a though and what it means—I’ve been through this before!

My spirit still cries out “consume me that I would be more like You!
To be completely surrendered to You!
To let You flow freely and unhindered through me!”

I’ll set You as a seal upon my heart
As a seal upon my arm!

My heart and my soul vacillate between my flesh & my spirit.
The world and the armies of evil are allied with my flesh and arrayed against my spirit and work against this cry for Your consuming fire!

For these is a love that is as strong as death
Jealousy as demanding as the grave
And many waters cannot quench this love.

Yet, my spirit cries:

Come be the fire inside of me
Come be the flame upon my heart!
Come be the fire inside of me
Until You and I are one!

Then I remember—though the powers of this world and evil are arrayed against me, the Community of Faith and the Spirit of the Almighty are allied with my spirit!

You won’t relent until You have it all!
My heart is Yours![4]

Purify my life and help me live for You!

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living it according to Your Word (Psalm 119:9)

Yahweh God, I pray that I would:

• be conversant in Your ways and commandments that I find in Your Word;
• behave myself in a way that is consistent with Your ways, actions and teachings;
• have the center of my mind, intellect will; the way I view myself; the center of my very vitality be baptized and washed thoroughly with Your Word and processed according to Your ways, style and wishes.

[1] How Great by David Crowder
[2] a bunch of seraphim in heaven and saints gathered around the Throne
[3] Consuming Fire by Tim Hughes
[4] You Won’t Relent by Misty Edwards