Just reminded again today of the amazing grace of God! I am stunned that He would use someone like me in any way at all. He is so kind. It is an immense expression of His grace that I get to have any role in the sharing of His precious Word with this church family – but in His providence He gives me that chance.

I want to remind you that any and all benefit you get from the preached Word is owning completely to the grace of God as He uses what He has taught other men to impact my heart and I simply get to be the editor and messenger to you. If you get help, give God all the glory. Pray for me that every time I open up God’s Word I will only share with you the truths that God has internalized in my own heart as I study and read and pray.

I have been helped immensely (and indirectly I hope you have) in this brief study on prayer through the Psalms by the ministry of Tim Keller. His book “The Songs of Jesus – Daily Devotions in the Psalms” has been immensely helpful and I have leaned on it a lot. I have also been helped greatly by Derek Kidner’s commentary on the Psalms and Spurgeon’s “The Treasury of David”.

I don’t always reference who I am paraphrasing and receiving help from in my messages as I preach – not because I don’t want you to be thankful for these men – and certainly not that you would think all these thoughts are somehow original with me – but simply in hopes of communicating as clearly as possible what God has taught me through the Scriptures and what He has taught me very often through His Spirit’s work in other men as they have studied the Scriptures and what I believe He wants us to hear.

If you ever want to know more about where I might have learned some truth or what might be a clearer and more scholarly treatment of a passage I will always be glad to direct you to the sources I am using – and give those sources their proper credit. I am glad the Holy Spirit has spoken through His Word to many faithful men and I don’t come week by week to stand on my own in what I believe we need to hear from a passage. He is the Great Shepherd and Bishop of our souls.

So all that to say – to God be all the glory. Praise God for His faithful work in wise, godly, spiritual men in the past and praise God for His using of donkeys and men who are nothing more than vessels who tremble at His Word.

Looking forward to worship again tomorrow. I am praying that He will speak to us again! Hope you are praying too that He will.

Pastor Joe