who is like the lord - Paul Wilbur

BLESS THE NAME YESHUA

Messianic Worship - Adonai my Protector

Psalm 35

Psalm 35

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 35

Of David. ¹ Contend, LORD, with those who contend with me;
   fight against those who fight against me.
² Take up shield and armor;
   arise and come to my aid.
³ Brandish spear and javelin^[a]
   against those who pursue me.
Say to me,
   “I am your salvation.”
 ⁴ May those who seek my life
   be disgraced and put to shame;
may those who plot my ruin
   be turned back in dismay.
⁵ May they be like chaff before the wind,
   with the angel of the LORD driving them away;
⁶ may their path be dark and slippery,
   with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.
 ⁷ Since they hid their net for me without cause
   and without cause dug a pit for me,
⁸ may ruin overtake them by surprise—
   may the net they hid entangle them,
   may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.
⁹ Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD
   and delight in his salvation.
¹⁰ My whole being will exclaim,
   “Who is like you, LORD?
You rescue the poor from those too strong for them,
   the poor and needy from those who rob them.”
 ¹¹ Ruthless witnesses come forward;
   they question me on things I know nothing about.
¹² They repay me evil for good
   and leave me like one bereaved.
¹³ Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth
   and humbled myself with fasting.
When my prayers returned to me unanswered,
 ¹⁴ I went about mourning
   as though for my friend or brother.
I bowed my head in grief
   as though weeping for my mother.
¹⁵ But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee;
   assailants gathered against me without my knowledge.
   They slandered me without ceasing.
¹⁶ Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked;^[b]
   they gnashed their teeth at me.
 ¹⁷ How long, Lord, will you look on?
   Rescue me from their ravages,
   my precious life from these lions.
¹⁸ I will give you thanks in the great assembly;
   among the throngs I will praise you.
¹⁹ Do not let those gloat over me
   who are my enemies without cause;
do not let those who hate me without reason
   maliciously wink the eye.
²⁰ They do not speak peaceably,
   but devise false accusations
   against those who live quietly in the land.
²¹ They sneer at me and say, “Aha! Aha!
   With our own eyes we have seen it.”
 ²² LORD, you have seen this; do not be silent.
   Do not be far from me, Lord.
²³ Awake, and rise to my defense!
   Contend for me, my God and Lord.
²⁴ Vindicate me in your righteousness, LORD my God;
   do not let them gloat over me.
²⁵ Do not let them think, “Aha, just what we wanted!”
   or say, “We have swallowed him up.”
 ²⁶ May all who gloat over my distress
   be put to shame and confusion;
may all who exalt themselves over me
   be clothed with shame and disgrace.
²⁷ May those who delight in my vindication
   shout for joy and gladness;
may they always say, “The LORD be exalted,
   who delights in the well-being of his servant.”
 ²⁸ My tongue will proclaim your righteousness,
   your praises all day long.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 35:3 Or and block the way
2. Psalm 35:16 Septuagint; Hebrew may mean Like an ungodly circle of mockers,

John 11 (with text - press on more info.)

John 11 (New International Version)

John 11

The Death of Lazarus

1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick."
4 When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea."

8 "But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?"

9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world's light. 10 It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light."

11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."

12 His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

14 So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."

16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."

Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus

17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles[b] from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21 "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

24 Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

27 "Yes, Lord," she replied, "I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you." 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied.

35 Jesus wept.

36 Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"

37 But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"

Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 "Take away the stone," he said.
"But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."

40 Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."

43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go." 

Today We Join With Operation World in Praying for

Poland

Republic of Poland

Europe

See Prayer Information

Geography

Area: 312,683 sq km
Central European plain with Baltic coastline.
Population: 38,038,094    Annual Growth: -0.08%
Capital: Warsaw
Urbanites: 61.2%
HDI Rank: 41 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)

Peoples

Peoples: 24 (13% unreached) All peoples
Unreached Peoples Prayer Card

Official language: Polish    Languages: 20 All languages

Religion

Largest Religion: Christian

Religion		Pop %	Ann Gr
Christians	34,093,544	89.63	-0.4
Evangelicals	95,416	0.3	1.5

Challenges for Prayer

The materialist dream of wealth post-independence proves elusive and hollow for most. Violence, immorality and the loss of a moral compass haunt the younger generation in particular, and much of the rural population remains mired in unemployment and poverty. Praise God for the stability, progress and freedom that allow the good news to be preached. Pray that the Polish quest for material advancement might be subordinated to their search for God.
The Catholic Church was long the guardian of Polish culture and nationalism in the face of Russian imperialism and Soviet communism. It performed this role admirably, to the point where it is difficult to separate Catholic identity from Polish statehood. Poland is one of the most religious states in Europe.
a) The Catholic Church’s popularity decreaseswith every attempt to control or influence Polish politics and society. Also, the ties Poles feel to Catholicism decrease each passing year since the death of the Polish Pope John Paul II. Regular mass attendance dropped from 58% in 1989 to 28% in 2008. Despite increasing disillusionment with organized Catholicism and decreasing influence of faith in their daily lives, the vast majority of Poles consider themselves Catholic, most still committed to their faith.
b) Polish Catholicism is particularly noted for its devotion to Mary. Polish Catholics believe Mary to be the spiritual queen of Poland, co-redemptrix and intercessor between humanity and Jesus. The shrine of the Black Madonna in Czestochowa is the most important of the more than 500 shrines in Poland. Pray for appropriate honouring, but against the undue worship, of Mary. Pray that biblical teachings and values might be retained and enhanced, and Jesus rightly placed at the heart of the Catholic Church.
c) Renewal in the Catholic Church has a significant legacy, both among leaders and laity. Poland is rare in that applications for the priesthood are rising; it currently has about 6,000 priests serving in other countries. Movements such as Oasis/Light of Life had much influence in the 1980s when many came to personal faith in Christ as a result of Bible study groups. Pray for all Catholics to find spiritual vitality and new life in the person of Jesus.
     For an additional 6 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.

Proverbs 4 (with text - press on more info.)