Pastor Mary Haley

Psalm 121:5-8 (NLT)
God Protects Us
5 
The Lord himself watches over you!
    The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
6 
The sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon at night.
7 
The Lord keeps you from all harm
    and watches over your life.
8 
The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.

Pause in his presence

Lenten Reflection: God provides for us by being our protective shade; he overshadows our weakness and covers our spiritual immaturity. The Lord never promises a cushy life; he does promise a well-armed life, because he is all-powerful. We need God’s power to keep our souls from the dominion of sin. Notice, God’s promise to protect us is comprehensive: in our coming and our going…in everything and at all times.

Prayer: Lord, I want to stay in the shadow of the Almighty, so arm my life, set your angels around me, and protect my soul from sin. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 121:1-4 (NLT)

God Protects Us

1 

I look up to the mountains—

    does my help come from there?

2 

My help comes from the Lord,

    who made heaven and earth!

3 

He will not let you stumble;

    the one who watches over you will not slumber.

4 

Indeed, he who watches over Israel

    never slumbers or sleeps.

Pause in his presence

Lenten Reflection:  God protects us because he loves us.  As the psalmist reminds us today, we do not need to be in Jerusalem or in the Temple in order to be protected by God.  This worshiper knew his help did not come from either of those external locations.  Rather, his help would come from Almighty God who chose him.  The Lord continually watches over his own and protects us as we stand in Christ.  We stand in faith, grace, courage, strength, liberty, unity, and the gospel because we stand in the Lord.

Prayer:  Lord, thank you for the constant protection you provide me. You watch over me and help me to stand in your power.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Psalm 32: 8-9
8–9 
I hear the Lord saying, “I will stay close to you, instructing and guiding you along the pathway for your life. I will advise you along the way and lead you forth with my eyes as your guide. So don’t make it difficult; don’t be stubborn when I take you where you’ve not been before. Don’t make me tug you and pull you along. Just come with me!”

Pause in his presence

Lenten Reflection: Responsiveness to God’s guidance is essential if we are going to enjoy all God has in store for us. He wants to take us where we would not go on our own.

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
    and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
    for those who love him.” (1 Cor. 2:9)

Our stubbornness can get in the way of the gentle guidance God desires to exercise over our wills. He has perfect vision and knows who he created us to be. If we resist the guidance of God, we find ourselves facing times of testing and trials. Not because God does not want to share his goodness and fellowship with us, but because we are resistant to the direction he desires to guide our lives. It is painful to pull away from God’s love and care.

Prayer: Lord, I want to be responsive to your voice; to be guided into your will for my life. So, please help me grow. I am pressing in to learn from you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 32:6-7
6 
This is what I’ve learned through it all:
All believers should confess their sins to God;
do it every time God has uncovered you
in the time of exposing. For if you do this, when sudden storms of life overwhelm, you’ll be kept safe.
7 
Lord, you are my secret hiding place,
protecting me from these troubles,
surrounding me with songs of gladness!
Your joyous shouts of rescue release my breakthrough.

Pause in his presence

Lenten Reflection: God’s beautiful mercy and forgiveness boosts our confidence when approaching him for fellowship. He is our safe place; he rescues us from evil. When we commune or fellowship with God, we find ourselves in his protective care; in the shelter of the Almighty. We were created to enjoy perfect security with God. If we lack a sense of security, it is because we have forsaken God’s offer for intimate fellowship, by pridefully living outside his holy boundaries. To think God will bring the resources of heaven and join us in sinful living is deception and a lack of respect for his holiness.

Prayer: Lord, in your presence is fullness of joy, so I confidently run to your throne of grace today in order to receive mercy. I desire to be surrounded by your goodness and the gladness you alone can impart. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 32: 5
5 
Then I finally admitted to you all my sins,
refusing to hide them any longer.
I said, “My life-giving God,
I will openly acknowledge my evil actions.”
And you forgave me!
All at once the guilt of my sin washed away
and all my pain disappeared!

Pause in his presence

Lenten Reflection: Restoration is God’s perfect work. He awaits those moments when we come before him and stop hiding what he already knows about us. In fact, God does not hold back blessings from us. We hold ourselves back from God’s blessings by our failure to be genuinely repentant and trusting of his instruction and care. When we repent, we are not simply praying, “I’m sorry, Lord…” Repentance is a spiritually deep and sincere prayer, “I acknowledge my sin against you and your gracious love, Lord, and want to turn from sin so I cease to grieve and dishonor your name.”

Prayer: Lord, you are my life-giving God; I hunger for the abundant life only you can give me. Therefore, every day I need forgiveness that I have not earned, but by grace can receive. I know this is true, because I have experienced and felt your grace bring restoration to my life many times. Continue to take me to the deep places of your heart. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 32:1-4 TPT)
1 
How happy and fulfilled are those
whose rebellion has been forgiven,
those whose sins are covered by blood.
2 
How blessed and relieved are those
who have confessed their corruption to God!
For he wipes their slates clean
and removes hypocrisy from their hearts.
3 
Before I confessed my sins, I kept it all inside; my dishonesty devastated my inner life, causing my life to be filled with frustration, irrepressible anguish, and misery.
4 
The pain never let up, for your hand of conviction was heavy on my heart.
My strength was sapped, my inner life dried up like a spiritual drought within my soul.

Lenten Reflection: In Hebrew, the word “forgiven” is translated “lifted out.” The burden of sin has to be lifted off from our souls or it weighs us down, restricts our freedom, and diminishes our spiritual power. Only our merciful God can do the lifting we need through the blood of Jesus. Sin can take the form of rebellion, failures from selfish living, and acts of twisting God’s righteous standards (corruption). Our confession removes the penalty and pain we experience when we live in hypocrisy. Pause in his presence.

Prayer: Lord, you extend mercy to those who are honest. So, as I pause in your presence today, please help me to be honest with you about every aspect of my life and any sin you shine light upon. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 51:12-1
David’s Consecration
12 
Let my passion for life be restored,
tasting joy in every breakthrough you bring to me. Hold me close to you with a willing spirit that obeys whatever you say.
13 
Then I can show to other guilty ones
how loving and merciful you are.
They will find their way back home to you,
knowing that you will forgive them.
14 
O God, my saving God, deliver me fully from every sin, even the sin that brought bloodguilt. Then my heart will once again be thrilled to sing the passionate songs of joy and deliverance!
15 
Lord God, unlock my heart, unlock my lips,
and I will overcome with my joyous praise!
16 
For the source of your pleasure is not in my performance or the sacrifices I might offer to you.
17 
The fountain of your pleasure is found
in the sacrifice of my shattered heart before you. You will not despise my tenderness
as I humbly bow down at your feet.

Lenten Reflection: God wants to speak truth into every area of our lives; no sin hiding under hardened or stoney wills and no rebellious or selfish motive left standing against the holiness of God. Our journey is about rising up to obey the Word of the Lord. Joy will invade our tender hearts and songs of praise will fill our mouths.

Prayer: Lord, I pray for my heart to grow in tenderness toward you and toward others. Unlock my heart and my lips, so I may passionately share with others about your amazing goodness that awaits them, too. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 51:7-11 (TPT)
David’s Cleansing
7 
Purify my conscience! Make this leper clean again! Wash me in your love until I am pure in heart.
8 
Satisfy me in your sweetness, and my song of joy will return. The places within me you have crushed will rejoice in your healing touch.
9 
Hide my sins from your face;
erase all my guilt by your saving grace.
10 
Create a new, clean heart within me.
Fill me with pure thoughts and holy desires, ready to please you.
11 
May you never reject me!
May you never take from me your sacred Spirit!

Lenten Reflection: God never created his children to live with guilty consciences. We were meant to live free in the pure love of God. Therefore, may God heal our brokenness and satisfy our sacred longings. May our desires please God and may we embrace a loyalty to him that cannot be diminished or robbed.

Prayer: Lord, cleans me from spiritual leprosy—selfishness and pride that tries to grow to destroy our relationship. I need you to bring an awareness—sensation—to when I try to live selfishly instead of in your glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 51: 1-6 (TPT)
Pardon and Purity: David’s Confession
1–2 
God, give me mercy from your fountain of forgiveness! I know your abundant love is enough to wash away my guilt. Because your compassion is so great, take away this shameful guilt of sin. Forgive the full extent of my rebellious ways, and erase this deep stain on my conscience.
3–4 
For I’m so ashamed. I feel such pain and anguish within me. I can’t get away from the sting of my sin against you, Lord!
Everything I did, I did right in front of you, for you saw it all. Against you, and you above all, have I sinned. Everything you say to me is infallibly true and your judgment conquers me.
5 
Lord, I have been a sinner from birth,
from the moment my mother conceived me.
6 
I know that you delight to set your truth deep in my spirit. So come into the hidden places of my heart and teach me wisdom.

Lenten Reflection: If we want to experience spiritual renewal and restoration, we must call for grace—God’s favor—ask for mercy and invite the Light of Truth to reveal our inward needs. This is the work of wisdom—our Messiah.

Prayer: Lord, any sin in my life reveals my rebellion against you. Please forgive me and cleanse me. Bring me into wholeness as I surrender to your love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Joel 2:12-13 (NLT)

A Call to Repentance

12 

That is why the Lord says,

    “Turn to me now, while there is time.

Give me your hearts.

    Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.

13 

Don’t tear your clothing in your grief,

    but tear your hearts instead.”

Return to the Lord your God,

    for he is merciful and compassionate,

slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

    He is eager to relent and not punish.

Lenten Reflection:  If we humbly and honestly look at our lives, we know we are in desperate need of the mercy and compassion of God. So, if we are wise, we will constantly put our lives before God and confess our need for the work of transforming grace.   In Hebrew, the heart is the center of thought, faith, and will; the core of one’s being.  God is not just interested in our external signs of repentance; he is looking for a change in our attitudes, growth in our faith, and obedience to his will.

Prayer:  Lord, over the next 40 Days help me to read your Word, meditate on it, invite the Spirit to reveal Truth as it relates to my life, and draw me closer to you. Help me fast from the things that are hindering my walk with you. Your presence is worth the sacrifice of my will. In Jesus’ name.  Amen.