Let us praise the Lord.

We thank You, Lord, that Jesus has risen from the dead (Luke 24:6). Death could not hold Him (Acts 2:24). He has triumphed over death – “Where, O death, is your victory? … Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

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When we read the Word of God, we learn about God – and we learn about ourselves.

We learn that we were created by God – and we learn that we have fallen away from God (see Genesis 1-3).

We learn that we are sinners – and we learn that we have a Saviour (see Romans 1-3).

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Sometimes, Lord, we wonder, “Is there any light at the end of the tunnel?” Help us to hear Your answer – Yes. There is: “I will be with you. I will never leave you” (Joshua 1:5). Strengthened by Your wonderful promises, help us to rise up and face the future with the confidence that comes from knowing that You are leading us on into Your glorious future: “eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

“Whoever doesn’t lose his faith in Me is indeed blessed” (Luke 7:23).

Throughout life, there is a battle for faith. Who is it that keeps us in the faith? Is it ourselves? or Is it the Lord? In one sense, we are called to hold on to our faith. In a deeper sense, it is the Lord who holds on to us.

“those who are dear to You” (Psalm 60:5).

This is wonderful. We are dear to the Lord. Why are we dear to the Lord? Is it because there’s something special about us? No! It’s because God chooses to love us. He sees our many sins. He could have given up on us – but He hasn’t. He keeps on loving us. He loves us with the best love, the greatest love of all, the love that will not let us go.

“Be glad and find joy in the Lord, you righteous people” (Psalm 32:11). “Joyfully sing to the Lord, you righteous people” (Psalm 33:1).

Our joy is in the Lord. It is from Him that our “joyous songs of salvation” come (Psalm 32:7). It is “in Him” that “our hearts find joy” (Psalm 33:21). We “look to Him”, and we are “radiant” (Psalm 34:5). Even thought there are many obstacles to our spiritual growth, we are able to face all who oppose us in our walk with God. We are able to say, with confidence in the God who helps us to be strong in Him and victorious through His power, “My soul will find joy in the Lord and be joyful about His salvation” (Psalm 35:9).

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Here’s a hymn that will help us to keep on praising the Lord: “O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise.”

What are we to do when everything seems to be hopeless? – We turn to You, Lord. You are the God of hope. Our hope is in You. You can turn things around. Your love changes everything. Your love changes us. Thank You, Lord, for Your love. It’s Your love that gives us hope for the future. We look to the future – and we look to You. We say, “I know not what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.”

We thank You, Lord, for the love of Jesus. There is no love like the love He has for each and every one of us. Before we ever thought of loving Him, He loved us. Before we were even born, He gave Himself, in death, for us. What a wonderful love! It’s the greatest love of all.

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Here’s another great hymn of praise to the Lord: “Love divine, all loves excelling.”

Lord, we see the Psalmist ‘down in the dumps.’ He feels like he is ‘in the depths of the pit.” He feels like he is ‘in the darkest depths’(Psalm 88:6). This is the way he feels, but he has not stopped praying – ‘O Lord, the God who saves me, day and night I cry out before You… I call to You, O Lord, every day… I cry to You for help, O Lord; in the morning my prayer comes before You’(Psalm 88:1,9,13). Lord, we read his prayer – and it doesn’t make pleasant reading: ‘My soul is full of trouble… I am like a man without strength… Your wrath lies heavily upon me… the darkness is my closest friend’(Psalm 88:3-4,7,18). How can we be helped when we feel like this? We thank You, Lord, that we can be helped by Jesus. He knows what it feels like. For us, He has entered the ‘darkness’ – ‘My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?’ For us, He has triumphed – ‘risen from the dead’(Matthew 27:45-46; Matthew 28:5-7). Thank You, Lord, for Jesus, our great Saviour.

Where, Lord, will we find peace – when our emotions are tearing us apart? We feel like we’re being pulled this way and that way. Sometimes, we feel like we’re all over the place. We don’t know whether we’re coming or going. Lord, give us Your peace. Give us Your Son, Jesus. He is our Saviour. He is our Peace.

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“In the garden” — “I come to the garden alone … and He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own, and the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known… .”

Mark 13:1-13

In today’s world, there’s plenty of bad news – but there’s also Good News (Mark 13:10). The end and the beginning (Mark 13:7-8) – The end of sin and the beginning of salvation. The final outcome is certain, but there is still “the great tribulation” (Mark 13:19). Beyond that, there is the coming of our Saviour (Mark 13:24-27). Jesus speaks about our enduring to the end (Mark 13:143) and our being “God’s elect” (Mark 13:20,27).

“Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord … Glory, glory, hallelujah!” Where does such faith come from?  Does it come from ourselves? No! It comes from the Lord. It is given to us by the Lord. What are we to do with the faith that He gives to us? – We are to keep on believing. We are to keep on walking with the Lord in the way of faith. We do not do this in our own strength. We are kept by the power of God.

“You must watch” (Mark 13:23) – This is the call to continue in the way of faith. “I have told you everything in advance” – This is the Word of truth that keeps us walking with the Lord on the pathway to His heavenly and eternal glory.

Good News – “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15); “God showed His love for us in this – While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

“Friend of sinners” (Matthew 11:19) – what a great description of Jesus, our Saviour! He comes to us in love. He says to us, ‘I want to be your friend.’ There are times when we feel alone. Jesus says to us, “You’ve got a friend.” He says to us, ‘I am you friend.’ The friendship of Jesus is not something that we deserve. It’s something that’s given to us. In love, Jesus reaches out to us. In love. He draws us to Himself. In love. He embraces us. He assures us that we are loved.

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“Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One is here … .”

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Keep on praying for our troubled world – and don’t forget to give thanks to God for answers to prayer.

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Here’s an Easter version of Leonard Cohen’s song, “Hallelujah.”

You may, also, be interested in a Christmas version of “Hallelujah.”

Hallelujah!

We thank You, Lord, for Jesus Christ, our great Saviour. He died for us. He was raised from the dead for us. He is coming again for us. We think of all that He has done for us and all that He will do for us, and we say, “Hallelujah! What a Saviour!”

May the Lord bless all of you.

Charlie