I am bound by my sin to the silence Christ found ...

Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. Ps 119:49

The Psalmist does not fear a failure in the Lord's memory, but turns to the promise and speaks of his need according to His promise.

The Psalmist doesn’t plead for the Lord to remember in his words, but that the Lord remember His own words. 

I like the psalmist, am under the bondage of sin have no word, no promise of my own. 

For I am bound by my sin to the silence Christ found Himself in the midst of my sin before the wrath of God. 

The only word, the only promise that I have is that which is given to me of the Lord. 

Even as in creation, so now in the living as a creature, He must speak His word before I or anything in all creation can respond.

While my hope arises from my Lord’s promise, my hope is fulfilled in my Lord’s remembrance of His promise to me. 

For when He remembers His promise to me, He will participate in me and with me according to the word of promise. 

This plea to remember is no mere request that the Lord “think about me.”

No, it is a request for the Lord to participate in and with me according to what He has said He will do. 

Inasmuch as Jesus Christ is the Word of God,

the promise of God, incarnate,

He is the Lord’s living and participating remembrance of His promise to me and to all of fallen creation. 

Jesus being the Lord’s remembrance of His promises to me is set boldly down in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians,

“For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” 2 Cor. 1:20-22.

My hope therefore is not that the Lord “thinks about me”, but that He remembers, He participates in me and with me according to His Word.

Jesus Christ came to remember me, my words, my actions, my thoughts. 

He came to remember me, to participate in all that was, that is, and that will yet be me in this fallen world. 

No matter how painful or how absolute Hell it became for Him in His remembrance of me on the Cross, He never stopped participating in my sin, my penalty or me. 

Even when the Father forgot Him, stopped participating in Christ because of His remembrance of me, Jesus never backed away from remembering me, never backed away from fully participating in me. 

In the blessed sacrament of the Lord’s Body and Blood, I have received His command, “Do this in remembrance of me.”  Surely this is no mere mental recollection, but a participation in His Body and His Blood, and by that communion the receiving of all His Body and Blood had participated in to secure my salvation. 

To remember Christ in the Sacrament is to participate in His participation in the promises of God’s Law and His Gospel so that I might have, I might receive the forgiveness of our sins and participation in eternal life.  

The Lord’s remembrance of me began in my baptism as He participated in my life by uniting to the crucified, dead, buried and risen Jesus Christ – through His Word. 

In His remembrance of me in baptism He participates in me by the work of His Holy Spirit who fills and works in me the grace of my Lord Jesus Christ.

Surely I understand the words of Jesus – apart from me – you can do nothing.

- pmwl

born to afflict what is righteous (Ga 5:17)

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. Ps 34:19 (ESV)

In a world bound under sin,

bound under the dominion Adam and Eve gave to Satan,

there is no one who is righteous, no one (Rm 3:9).

Being conceived in iniquity and brought forth in sin, no one enters this world righteous (Ps 51:5).

In fact, we are born hostile to all that is righteous, born to afflict what is righteous (Ga 5:17).

So what is righteous and righteousness,

must come from outside this world, outside us.

To us in our need,

God sent His only Son into the world to be the propitiation for our sins (1 Jn 4:9-10).

God sent His Son into our world,

into our bondage to sin,

into the dominion of Satan,

and into verdict of God’s Law against us,

To be the payment that bought us out of our bondage to sin

and bought us the eternal favor of God the Father.

As our Savior, He has come to be for us,

as He was named,

“The Lord our righteousness” (Jr 23:6, 33:16).

United to the Son of God in our baptism,

The great exchange takes place by the grace of God through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Our unrighteousness is so united to Christ that we are set free from it.

Christ righteousness is so united to us that we are born again totally in His righteousness.

And now we live a new life in His righteousness.

Being united to Christ and receiving His righteousness,

We have also received the hostility and hatred of Satan, the unrighteous and our own sinful nature.

Many and often will be our afflictions as the righteous,

they shall not cease until our Lord calls us from the battlefield.

The glorious promise given to us

even though our afflictions and troubles be infinite in number, peculiar in nature, and heavy in weight,

the Lord shall deliver us out of them all.

For in all these things, we have been more than conquerors  through Christ who loves us (Rm 8:36).

Having delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us into His kingdom (Co. 1:13),

The Son of God gives this twofold promise  to those whom He has saved through faith,

To those whom He daily purifies from all unrighteousness,

In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”  Jn 16:33 (ESV)

pmwl

to find that there are too many breaks, too much brokenness ...

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.   Ps 34:18 (ESV)

Who is there who’s heart is not broken?

So there are those who know their heart is broken and those who do not know this.

Those who do not know that their hearts are broken,

constantly experience the brokenness of their hearts.

Yet, blinded by sin's breakage within themselves, they only have eyes to see the brokenness in others,

And seeing their own brokenness only in others, they accuse, blame and attack others for the brokenness they experience in themselves.

They are the children of Adam, saying to the Lord, “It is the broken woman, man, child, friends … you gave me.”

Not so the brokenhearted!

These are they that know their brokenness.

These are they that have tried to fix, to repair, to heal and even to hide their brokenness,

Only to find that there is yet more broken within them,

Only to find that there are too many breaks, too much brokenness,

Only to find that even their ability to fix, to repair, to make whole – was also broken.

These are they that know in the midst of all their brokenness,

what it is to be crushed.

These are they that know their sinfulness, that know and confess themselves to be poor miserable sinners.

These are the broken that the Lord knows and is ever near to.

The Lord, the Lord, He alone can save the brokenhearted,

For He came so near to the broken, as to suffer the brokenness of us all –

In faithfulness broken by betrayal;

In friendship broken by denial;

In truth broken by lies;

In justice broken by politics;

In mercy broken by cruelty;

In holiness broken by sin;

In innocence broken by guilt;

In family broken by forsakenness;

In life broken by death.

Having received us, our brokenness and breakage,

He repairs no heart, He fixes no breach or breakage,

He gives to the brokenhearted a new heart, a clean heart.

Having given a new heart amidst the yet broken in us,

He gives and daily renews a right spirit within us (Ps 51:10).

These are they whom the Lord saves.

The Lord is near to these because they acknowledged their brokenness, acknowledge their sin before the Lord.

The Lord saves such as these because He forgives the iniquity of their sin, the brokenness of their hearts and ways.

The Lord is near to these for they believe and fully accept that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, save the brokenhearted, of whom they are the worst (1 Tm 1:15).

Lord have mercy on those whose hearts are broken, and yet do not know it.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.  Psalms 147:3 (ESV)

- pmwl

the sour taste of my best efforts thwarted by my worst desires

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Ps 34:8 (ESV)

Many are the things that I taste each day.

The bitter taste of my sweetest intentions tainted by my twinges of jealousy.

The sour taste of my best efforts thwarted by my worst desires.

The burned taste of my greatest offerings torched by flames of my own glory.

The vinegary taste of my own pride and vanity.

The tart taste of my trials and troubles.

The curdled taste of cruel and unkind things done to me.

To taste of the Lord – is to taste of Him who tasted all my sin, so that I might forever taste of His forgiveness.

To taste of the Lord – is to taste of Him who tasted all my guilt, that I might forever taste of His innocence.

To taste of the Lord – is to taste of Him who tasted the total wrath of God against me, that I might forever taste the total righteousness of God.

To taste of the Lord – is to taste of Him who tasted my death, that I might taste of His eternal life.

To taste of the Lord – is to taste of Him who tasted my grave, that I might taste of His resurrection.

To taste, is to receive to yourself,

Nay, it is to receive in yourself.

To taste, to receive the Lord is to believe in Him,

To take, to receive to yourself the Lord, and with Him, everything He offers.

When you taste of the Lord, you do more than merely taste that He is good.

For it is in tasting of the Lord, that Lord makes the taster – good.

So taste daily, hourly, never fail to taste, to receive to yourself – the Lord, and in Him, what is good – for you.

Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.   Jn 6:54-56 (ESV)

-pmwl

He has by my wounding Him on the Cross - hidden me in His wounds.

You are a hiding place for me… Ps 32:7 (ESV)

This is my claim upon the Lord, O my soul,

For He is the Rock that was cleft for me.

In His wounds, I am safely hidden.

He who has engraved my name upon the palm of His hand,

He has by my wounding Him on the Cross - hidden me in His wounds.

Even as the Lord hid Moses in the cleft of the rock so to save Moses as His glory passed by,

So the Lord has hidden me in the cleft of my Rock and Redeemer so to save me as His wrath passed by.

Even as the glory of God burned hot on the rock, Moses dwelled safely in the place the Lord had hidden Him.

So has the wrath of God burned hot on my Rock and Redeemer, I dwell safely in the place the Lord has hidden me.

I have been baptized into Christ, O my soul,

He shall hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble (Ps 27:5).

He shall hide me from the wicked who do me violence and from my deadly enemies who surround me (Ps 17:8-9).

In the shadow of His hand He has hidden me (Is 49:2).

Be at peace, O my soul,

For the Lord is my hiding place,

He shall preserve me from trouble,

And He, even now, surrounds me with shouts of deliverance before me, behind me, beside me, beneath me and above me. Ps 32:7

You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.  Ps 119:114 (ESV)

- pmwl  

I brought upon myself such wasting away

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.  I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.   Ps 32:3-5 (ESV)

Be not silent O my soul,

For by your silence in the hour of my temptation,

I have brought upon myself such wasting away within me, such groaning in my guilt.

Be not silent O my soul,

For heavy is the hand of God upon me.

So weighty is His Law upon me for my sin,

That my spirit is broken, my hope is crushed.

Be not silent O my soul,

For hot is His wrath against me for my sin.

Such is the heat that my black guilt draws to me,

That my strength has disappeared as the dew in the summer sun.

Acknowledge my sin, O my soul,

For the Lord shall remember my sin no more (Jr 31:34).

Uncover all my iniquities, O my soul,

For the Lord shall forgive my iniquities (Jr 31:34).

Confess my sins to the Lord, O my soul,

For the Lord is faithful and just (1Jn 1:9),

He shall forgive me of my sin and cleanse me of all my unrighteousness (1Jn 1:9).

Rejoice, O my soul,

For I had made myself 

single in my sin, 

isolated in my iniquities 

and garrisoned by my  guilt.

I confessed my sin to the LORD,

And He gave me the companionship of Christ.

I uncovered my iniquities to the LORD,

And He gave me Immanuel.

I acknowledge my guilt to the LORD,

And He gave me His guarding grace.

Waste away no more my bones!

Be silent my groaning!

For I having confessed my sins,

And the Lord has forgiven my the iniquity of my sin.

His hand that was heavy upon me,

Now holds me with my name engraved upon it (Is 49:16).

In the summer heat of my sins,

He gives me living water that wells up in me with the strength of eternal life (Jn 4:14).

Be not silent, O my soul,

For I praise the Lord!

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,

In the company of the upright,

in the congregation (Ps 111:1).

Be not silent, O my soul!

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.  Ps 32:1 (ESV)

- pmwl

there the Lord shall count against me all that I have kept back from the truth.

Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. Ps 32:2 

Not just blessed, O my soul, but here find multitudes of blessings from the Lord where there is no deceit in me.

No mountain of my iniquities, no extreme levels of my unevenness, no infinite number of my inequities - shall the Lord put to me for payment where I have been honest with myself and with Him.

No deceit, no sly, no spin O my soul, for where less than the truth about me is confessed to the Lord – there the Lord shall count against me all that I have kept back from the truth.

Walk in the Light, O my soul, as He is in the Light, and confess, confess, confess all my iniquities to Him and the blood of Jesus His Son shall cleanse me of all my iniquities (1 Jn 1:7-8).

When the Lord says of me, as He says of all:

The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. Ps 14:2-3 (ESV)

Answer honestly, O my soul: “Yea, Lord, surely this is me.”

When the Lord says of my heart, as He says of all hearts:

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? Jr 17:9 (ESV)

Answer honestly, O my soul: “Yea, Lord, surely this is my heart.”

When the Lord says of me, with my sins and my iniquities, as He says of all:

... you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities. Is 43:24 (ESV)

Answer honestly, O my soul: “Yea, Lord, surely I have burdened You, surely I have wearied You.”

When the Lord says of me, O my soul:

O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted … Is 54:11 (ESV)

Answer honestly,O my soul: “Yea, Lord, surely I am afflicted, storm-tossed and not comforted.”

When the Lord says of me and my feeble faith, O my soul:

O you of little faith. Mt 8:26 (ESV)

Answer honestly, O my soul: “Yea, Lord, yet a multitude of blessings are mine through this faith, ever so feeble.

For I have confessed my sins with no deceit, and You are faithful, not counting them against me.

Surely You, who have begun this good work in me, will bring it and me to perfect completion as the coming of my Lord Jesus Christ (Ph 1:6.

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.  Ps 42:5-6 (ESV)

- pmwl

…the blessings of the Lord are not for the keepers of the Law

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.   Ps 32:1

Behold the means of blessedness, O my soul.

Take comfort, O my soul,

for no matter how poor, how sick, how sorrowful I have been in my sin,

I am forgiven for the sake of Christ,

and the Lord shall bless me.

Be at peace, O my soul,

for no matter how great, how many, how awful my sins,

they are all covered over by the blood of Christ,

and the Lord shall bless me in all things.

Rejoice! Again I say rejoice, O my soul,

for the blessings of the Lord are not for the keepers of the Law,

but for me the sinner, me the Lawbreaker –

whom He has forgiven of all my iniquities,

redeemed my life from the pit

and now crowns me with His steadfast love and mercy (Ps 103:3-4).

Because the Lord shall bless me.

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

for His full, instantaneous, irreversible and never yielding forgiveness

that turns the hell I have earned by my sin

into the heaven He has earned for me by His sinlessness.

And the Lord shall bless me.

Give thanks to the Lord, O my soul,

for the blood of His Son has so covered my sinfulness, covered my sin, covered my wretchedness

that these are all so hidden now from the sight of God

that He shall forever bless me.

How good and gracious is the Lord, O my soul,

for He who has forgiven my sin and covered all my iniquities,

does not leave me to wonder if these gracious works are worked for me,

but sends forth servants of His Word to announce the forgiveness of my sins,

nay to give me God’s forgiveness of my sins and the covering of my iniquities

in His name: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

And I am forever blessed in the Lord. Amen.

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me,

bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,

who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Ps 103:1-5 (ESV)

- pmwl

…and there is Your hand.

My times are in your hand … Ps 31:15

There are my times and there is Your hand.

I have days, hours and moments and still there is Your hand.

I have days, hours and moments long past, some remembered, many forgotten and still there is Your hand.

I have days now, each filled with hours of joy and hours of pain, moments of merriment and moments of mourning and still there is Your hand.

I have days yet to be for me, each filled with hours and moments wholly unknown to me and still there is Your hand.

From the time my mother conceived me, each moment, every hour and all my days have been, as I was conceived – sinful (Ps 51:5) and still there is Your hand.

In my day of my judgment, the hour of my trial, and the moment of my condemnation there was Your hand.

Having entered in time, You have entered to my times.

You have met me in the moment of my sinful conception with Your hand.

You have grasped each of my sinful hours by Your hand.

You have taken the damnation for all my days into Your hand.

And now the day of my judgment, the hour of my guilt and the moment of my death are in Your hand.

Early on the third day, at the hour of sunrise and there is the moment of my resurrection because my times were in Your resurrected hand.

Now my times are filled with forgiveness and new life because I am in Your hand.

Now the days, the hours and the moments of my life are no longer lived in vain –

because no day, no hour, not a single moment of Your time has Your hand held me and my times in vain.

Because there is Your hand, I pray –

“Take my life and let it be

consecrated Lord to Thee;

Take my moments and my days;

let them flow in ceaseless praise,

let them flow in ceaseless praise.” LSB 784 v. 1

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.   Ps 62:8 (ESV)

- pmwl

can I put my spirit’s finger and surely find …

Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. Ps 31:5

From Your hand came my spirit and in my hand it has become corrupt, twisted and rebel.

Only in Your hand, Your pierced hand, can I be redeemed from my pierced and perverted spirit.

Only in Your hand, Your pierced hand, will I have my spirit righted and renewed.

Only in Your hand, Your pierced hand, will my spirit be revived when it is crushed.

Only in Your hand, Your pierced hand, can I find my name written and my spirit rescued.

Only in Your hand, Your pierced hand, can I put my spirit’s finger and surely find my Lord and my God – ever faithful to me.

You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.  Is 62:3 (ESV)

- pmwl