Retain Your Hope In Him.

 If thou, Lord , shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? – Psa. 130:3 KJV

Retain Your Hope In Him_04022021

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There is no doubt that sin plays a significant part in most prayers to the Almighty God not being answered. This is because the slightest of sin is sufficient to create a distance between the sinner and the righteous God – Hab. 1:13. There is no doubt that being born again does not isolate the Christian from sins as either in thoughts, or words or deeds, the Christian is unable to avoid sin – Rom. 7:14-25. Even the so called acts of righteousness is regarded as filthy rags before Him (Is. 64:6) but that should not be a major reason why personal requests will not be granted for the remorseful and repentant sinner – 1Jn. 1:9.

Many Christians there are today who after accepting Christ as Lord and Savior, and have genuinely confessed all sins, knowingly and unknowingly committed, still go about attributing their inability to receive positive response to their prayer request  made to the Lord  to their sinful state thus projecting the Lord as a liar. This is because the bible reveals that when we honestly confess our sins, he is sufficiently faithful and truthful to forgive and wash us from all those sins – 1Jn. 1:9; Rom. 8:1. They may be willing to follow that path but the writer of Psalm 130 which is the scripture for today’s devotion is not accepting any of that.

In that psalm which is clearly a psalm requesting for help, he indicates that he is making a call from the depths – Psa. 130:1. Although the particular depth is not identified, what is clear is that the requests is being made from a profound position. The depth may be emotional, physical or social state but it remains clear that in such state, all hopes are lost and the Lord Almighty becomes the last of all hopes. It is like a last ditch attempt to reach out for help possibly after several failed attempts to get same from the Lord. The author of that psalm appeals to the Almighty God to allow for his prayers to get to Him – Psa. 130:2. It is more like a plea to the Lord to give attention to his long time request adding that the Lord should let His merciful ears give attention to his pleas. The writer of the psalm pushes his argument further that the delay or non-hearing of his plea cannot be because of his sins adding in the scripture that is the foundation text of today’s devotion that if the Lord was to use sin as the pre-requisite for answering prayers, then no one will qualify, after all the scriptures note that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of the Lord – Rom. 3:23. What a very true argument that is probably the product of the desperate level that the writer of that psalm has found himself. He is that sure that sin cannot be the reason for his not been heard in prayer because he is equally aware that the god to whom he is sending his prayers is a merciful God, after all He it is that made it known that he has nothing to gain in the death of sinner (Eze. 18:23; 33:14-15) just as the scriptures also reminded Him that only the living and not the dead can praise Him – Isa. 38:19. In a statement that seems like an attempt to curry the favour of the Lord, the writer of that Psalm 130 lets the Almighty God realise that part of the reason why he is respected is because of His willingness to always forgive – Psa. 130:4.

With all the above in his mind, the writer of this psalm intends to continue to wait on the Lord as he will continue to meditate on His Words – Psa. 130:5. This indeed is a stubborn customer and just like Jesus Christ said of the widow who approached the king for justice, even if the king did not intend to grant the wish of the woman, he will be left with no choice if only to avoid the discomfort that the widow’s insistence is causing Him – Lk. 18:1-8. Same must have been the reaction of the Almighty God to the prayer of the writer of this Psalm as he made it clear that he will continue to wait on the Lord and meditate on his Words – Psa. 130:5-6. Definitely, for a god who rates His Words higher than His name, He must have been left with no choice than to grant that request – Psa. 138:2.

The writer of this Psalm leaves a message for the Christian today which is that they should never stop hoping on the Lord as He will surely deliver them from conditions that may have come on them due to sin, because mercy and redemption remain with Him – Psa. 130:7-8. This is an advice that any Christian who intends to get anything from the Lord must take and apply to his/her life. Just that such does not have to wait to allow things get to this desperate stage before making it clear to the Lord that he/she is not willing to let go until the presented request is granted.

Do not accept the defeatist argument or discouraging comments of the devil and its agents that He will not grant your request. The truth remains that yours will not be the first request of that type that has been sent to Him and He granted them. The recipients of that granted requests can not claim to be sin-free just as they cannot argue that their level of sin is lower than yours – Jms. 2:10. Before the Lord, sin is sin. Remain persistent in your request and feel justified to receive a positive answer to your request, not because of anything that you have done or not done but because of what He has said (Jn. 3:16) and what His son has done on the cross at Calvary – 1Pet. 2:24; Isa. 53:5. It was not for nothing that he made that sacrifice and that blood never stopped flowing. Your obstacle to receiving is not sin, but your inability to be persistent and hold the Almighty God down to His Word. He is a god with credibility and He will not deny Himself – Isa. 38:7. Never stop pushing for a favourable answer to your request made as one who has genuinely accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, hold Him down to His Words, persevere in your actions which is a product of faith in His ability to do it and very soon, something will break in your favour and you will offer thanks for miraculous breakthroughs  experienced. That will be your testimony very soon in Jesus name. Amen.