Blessed is the One who Comes

4 April 09
Saturday of the Fifth Week in Lent

Blessed is the One who Comes
Psalm 118:1-2; 19-19

Why do humans find it hard to comprehend God’s faithfulness; to believe that His love for us is so strong that it is unconditional? Many think that God’s faithfulness means life should never have problems and pain, and that it should always be comfortable and serene. May our meditation on Psalm 118 help us to truly know God, and in every discovery of His goodness and faithfulness, be provoked to trust and praise Him!

Psalm 118 is a celebration of a victory worthy of a great king. It expresses the king’s personal experience in relation to the faithfulness of God. He was rejected by his country men, experienced many ordeals and struggles, and was discarded like one of those stones that builders deemed unfit for the building. But God heard his cry for help, answered him, rescued and restored him, and gave him a position of prominence. In the name of the Lord, the king routed all his adversaries, and rose to the throne. And now, the Psalmist describes, in the first person, his burst of praise as he enters the temple to fulfill his vows, “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His steadfast love endures forever! You h salvation….Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

The New Testament identifies Jesus Christ as “the One who comes in the name of the Lord.” The eternal purpose of God for Israel and for us finds its fulfillment in the single-handed work of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. In His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus is “the rejected stone that has become the chief cornerstone.”

Some stumbled over Christ because they reject Him or refused to believe that He is who He says He is ----- the royal, the victorious, the almighty Saviour in whose hands our souls are safe! Concerning this rejection, there is nothing in His character, nothing about Him that would give men cause for doubt and anger, except that Jesus unmasks the pride of the heart, and exposes the hypocrisy and sins of human beings. But for those who accept Him as He is, “to them He gave the right to become the children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”

This exalted Christ, this precious Cornerstone is present in the world, binding God and people together in eternity. His Gospel triumphs over all opposition! Let use then renew our confession of faith that “The Lord is God”. Let us open our eyes to see that all of life bears the imprint of God’s wisdom and His marvelous love towards the human race. Let us with joyful hearts, sing and confidently cry out to Him, “Save all those who are around us! Save them al! Save them now!”

(Ms How Kim Chin,
Parish Worker,
St John’s ---- St Margaret’s Church)

Commitment:
I surrender the darkness of life threatens to engulg the light. Speak Lord, for your servant heareth.

Prayer:
Forgive us O Lord, for our faltering steps at times. Show us more clearly the Way. Shine anew the light of your presence into our lives so strongly that a new love for your will be kindled. Speak Lord, for your servants. Amen.