To Press on Toward Your Goal for Me--April 10, 2017

[From March 21, 2005 archive]

O God, there are those I love who are languishing,

whose bones are shaking with terror. 

Comfort them, heal them. 

When I think of them,

my soul also is struck with terror,

while you, O God—how long?

 

You ask in return,

if I have raced with foot-runners

and they have wearied me,

how will I compete with horses? 

And if in a safe land I fall down,

how will I fare in the thickets

of the Jordan?  I have no reply,

 for if Lazarus was in danger

because of what you did for him,

can we expect to fare differently? 

I marvel at Paul’s words,

“I want to know Christ

and the power of his resurrection

and the sharing of his sufferings

by becoming like him in his death,

if some how I may attain

the resurrection from the dead.” 

Make me your own,

and give me some measure

of Paul’s faith, that I may press on

toward your goal for me.

Lectionary Readings

Ps. 119:73-80; 145; 121; 6

Jer. 11:18-20; 12:1-17

Phil. 3:1-14

John 12:9-19

       

Selected Verses

Ps. 6:2

Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing;

            O LORD, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror.

My soul also is struck with terror,

            while you, O LORD—how long?

Jer. 12:5

If you have raced with foot-runners and they have wearied you,

            how will you compete with horses?

And if in a safe land you fall down,

            how will you fare in the thickets of the Jordan?

Phil. 3:10-12

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.  Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

John 12:10-11

So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.