September 7, 2017 - - Psalm 30:2-3a

O LORD my God, I cried out to You,
And You healed me.
O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave;
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.
Psalm 30:2-3a, 11 NKJV

There was a big moment in our household yesterday: Carolyn got a cellphone! Now, in order to reach her you need to know the exact area code and the exact sequence of the seven numbers. Of course that sounds silly to spell out. We are so used to this. One wrong number in the sequence and you'll contact someone entirely different. Your message will go off to who knows where and you'll reach who knows whom.

The glory of our text this morning is this: we cry out to God. He hears us. There is no need for a correct number sequence. There is no need to have a 2-year contract. Jesus Christ has taken away the shame of our sins and by His blood opened up the glory of heaven. The Spirit of God takes the sighs, the tears, and hopes of our heart and brings these to our Father in heaven.

Spend time with God. Read the Bible. Pray. Sing praise songs. Know that Creator of Heaven and Earth, the Victor over death and hell, and the One Who makes order out of chaos, the One, Triune God, hears you. Get to know Him better each day.

Thank You, God of mercy, that You know us, each of us, intimately. You invite us to daily conversation. As our tender Father You welcome our joys and our tears. Thank You that the way into Your presence has been opened up in Jesus Christ. Thank You that Your Spirit always keeps the line of communication open. Forgive the times we stubbornly refuse to speak. Forgive the times we get busy with ourselves and our schedules rather than acknowledge, our days and nights and the all the activities therein belong to You. You never leave us or abandon us. Blessed be Your Name. Amen.