Psalm 65:2:
2O You Who hear prayer, to You shall all flesh come.
Why will all flesh come to Him? Because HE is the ONE Who answers prayer! Remember when Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal? They called on their "god" all day long and got no answer whatsoever! Why? Because there is NO OTHER GOD! They worshiped a "god" who didn't exist! Something represented by a statue or other fixture made by the hands of man! Only the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible can hear and answer prayer! The call to any other god gets no answer! It's like calling a dead phone line! No one can ever pick up!
What is it that gets the attention of the lost in this world and causes them to call out to Him? The goodness of God that is demonstrated in our lives! Remember Romans 2:4:
4Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
It is His goodness in our lives and their need. What should they be seeing in us? Our needs met according to His riches! Philippians 4:19:
19And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
That's what Psalm 65:9-13 (World English Bible) reveals:
9 You visit the earth, and water it.
You greatly enrich it.
The river of God is full of water.
You provide them grain, for so you have ordained it.
10 You drench its furrows.
You level its ridges.
You soften it with showers.
You bless it with a crop.
11 You crown the year with your bounty.
Your carts overflow with abundance.
12 The wilderness grasslands overflow.
The hills are clothed with gladness.
13 The pastures are covered with flocks.
The valleys also are clothed with grain.
They shout for joy!
They also sing.
Now THAT will get someone's attention!
In Mark 15 we see Pilate trying to set Jesus free by the will of the people. Verses 8-11:
8And the throng came up and began asking Pilate to do as he usually did for them. 9And he replied to them, Do you wish me to set free for you the King of the Jews? 10For he was aware that it was [because they were prompted] by envy that the chief priests had delivered Him up. 11But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to get him to release for them Barabbas instead.
How could this crowd be so easily stirred up by the religious leaders? Remember the other day when we looked at the fact that those who welcomed Jesus into the city with "Hosannas" were those who were familiar with His ministry. Now Jerusalem is filled to overflowing with people who had come from everywhere around to celebrate Passover there. Some of these people may have never even heard of Jesus yet. Many of them would do whatever the religious leaders told them to do. All of that being said, aren't you forever grateful that Jesus DID go through with it all? Without that we would have no hope! Thank You, Jesus, for Your tremendous gift to us! Hallelujah!
The things we spoke about above concerning Psalm 65 are borne out in Isaiah 43-44! Look at Isaiah 43:10-11:
10You are My witnesses, says the Lord, and My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know Me, believe Me and remain steadfast to Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me. 11I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no Savior.
And 44:6:
6Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.
And then 44:13-17:
13The carpenter stretches out a line, he marks it out with a pencil or red ocher; he fashions [an idol] with planes and marks it out with the compasses; and he shapes it to have the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, that it may dwell in a house. 14He hews for himself cedars, and takes the holm tree and the oak and lets them grow strong for himself among the trees of the forest; he plants a fir tree or an ash, and the rain nourishes it. 15Then it becomes fuel for a man to burn; a part of it he takes and warms himself, yes, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. [Then out of the remainder, the leavings] he also makes a god and worships it! He [with his own hands] makes it into a graven image and falls down and worships it! 16He burns part of the wood in the fire; with part of it he [cooks and] eats flesh, he roasts meat and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire! 17And from what is left [of the log] he makes a god, his graven idol. He falls down to it, he worships it and prays to it and says, Deliver me, for you are my god!
No, THIS is OUR GOD in verses 23-26:
23Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it; shout, you depths of the earth; break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and He glorifies Himself in Israel. 24Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and He Who formed you from the womb: I am the Lord, Who made all things, Who alone stretched out the heavens, Who spread out the earth by Myself [who was with Me]?-- 25[I am the Lord] Who frustrates the signs and confounds the omens [upon which the false prophets' forecasts of the future are based] of the [boasting] liars and makes fools of diviners, Who turns the wise backward and makes their knowledge foolishness, 26[The Lord] Who confirms the word of His servant and performs the counsel of His messengers, Who says of Jerusalem, She shall [again] be inhabited, and of the cities of Judah, They shall [again] be built, and I will raise up their ruins,
AMEN!
Shalom in Him!
