ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
CONSIDER THE WRATH OF GOD
God’s moral Character leads Him to judgment and punishment of unrighteousness.
Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
Quote from Knowing God by J.I. Packer – “God’s wrath in the Bible is never the capricious, self-indulgent, irritable, morally ignoble thing that human anger so often is. It is, instead, a right and necessary reaction to objective moral evil”
PRAISE GOD FOR HIS WRATH
Praise God because he is just. Praise Him because He does not overlook evil and sin. Praise Him because he executes justice in his righteous wrath. Praise God because he never carries out his wrath on a whim.
CONFESSION: Confess your sins to God and receive his continued mercy.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
THANKSGIVING: Giving thanks to God for his specific blessings in our lives.
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100
SUPPLICATION: Bringing our requests to God.
- Bring your personal prayer requests to God.
- Pray for Jason and Lisa. Ask God to protect them, encourage them, and use them as they serve overseas.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Job 42:1-6
Then Job replied to the Lord:
2 “I know that you can do all things;
no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.’
5 My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
6 Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.”
Mark 15:42-47
The Burial of Jesus
42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.
Mark 16:1-7
Jesus Has Risen
16 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”
Hebrews 6:19
19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
The Bible gives various motifs to aid in our understanding of why we suffer. These include; growth, God’s glory, attacks of the enemy, consequences of sin, mystery, and the gospel. The final and best answer is not a defense of God’s goodness in the face of human suffering, but a display of God’s goodness in the suffering of Jesus. It doesn’t answer every question we might have, but it does demonstrate God’s great love. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” At the tomb of Lazarus Jesus wept. God does not stand apart, unmoved by human suffering. He is not unmoved by your suffering. He is a present, not an absent God. He is available to you now, waiting for you to reach out to him.