Gedanken zum Vers des Tages
Ich mag die Bitte eines guten Freundes, die er regelmäßig an den Herrn richtet: „Demütige mich, Vater, aber bitte sanft.“ Veränderung ist harte Arbeit und verlangt sogar mehr Geduld von Gott als von uns. Wir danken Gott für seine Gnade, die das Bekenntnis unserer Sünde und zugleich den Zugang zu seiner heiligen und wunderbaren Gegenwart erlaubt. Gott sei Dank dafür, dass er uns nicht so behandelt, wie wir es verdienen, sondern so, wie wir es brauchen (cf. Psalm 103).
Thoughts on Today's Verse...
Jeremiah frequently struggled with the hard message the Lord gave him to communicate to God's people. He often wept over and complained to God about what he was given to communicate. While he knew he was wrong to complain, he begged the Lord to correct him with justice and mercy, not anger and punishment. This request reminds me of a similar request a good friend regularly makes of the Lord when he prays, recognizing his own weaknesses and failings: "Humble me gently, Father," he often prays. Our transformation, which requires correction and grace, is hard work and requires even more patience on God's part than on our part. So we thank God for his grace, which lets us admit our sin and yet still come into his holy and awesome presence, knowing he will be both just and merciful, righteous and gracious. Thankfully, the Lord doesn't treat us as we deserve but as we need (Psalm 103:1-22). We, too, can pray, "Correct me, Lord, but only with justice — not in your anger, lest you reduce me to nothing."
Mein Gebet
Lieber Gott, ich sündige. Ich mag nicht, dass ich das tue, aber ich erlebe immer wieder, wie ich manch anhaltender Schwachheit erliege. Bitte korrigiere mich und leite mich auf den Pfad der Gerechtigkeit. Noch mehr als dir zu gefallen, möchte ich dich ehren - darum säubere bitte sanft und kontinuierlich mein Herz von Heuchelei, Betrug und geistlicher Schwachheit. Verändere mich, um Christus ähnlicher zu sein. In Jesu Namen. Amen.
My Prayer...
Dear God, I sin. I don't like it when I sin, but I still find myself succumbing to some of my long-standing weaknesses. Please correct me and put me on the path of righteousness, dear Father, but please humble me gently, not correcting me in your anger but in transforming me by your discipline and grace. Even more than wanting to please you, dear Father, I want to honor you even more. So please, gently and consistently rid my heart of duplicity, deceit, and spiritual weakness. Nurture me in holiness. In Jesus' name. Amen.
