Provocations & Pantings

A panting on Jesus’ opposition in Matthew 2-4.

King of kings and Lord of lords,

You came to us as the Prince of peace,
but your entrance was declaration of war
against all principalities and powers.
Indeed, you are our peace,
who breaks down the wall of hostility
through your death on the cross.
And yet, such peace was troubling to your kinsmen
and a threat to your rulers.

The kings of the earth, yea Herod,
sought to destroy you by putting you to death,
yet even the king’s decree cannot overcome the promises of God,
for out of Egypt you have been called God’s Son.
You are the true King of the Jews.

The religious rulers, yea Pharisees and Saducees,
sought to accuse you as a lawbreaker and blasphemer,
yet you came to full the law in perfect righteousness
as determined by the purposes of God,
for with your righteousness we stand clothed and clean.
You are the true great High Priest.

The god of this world, Satan himself,
sought to do unto you as he did with the first Adam,
leading you away through temptation.
Yet by the Spirit of God and the Word of God,
you overcame the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life
as the second Adam, Son of God and Son of Man.
You are the true prophet of God.

Lord Jesus,
Herod intended to kill you,
religious leaders wanted to destroy you,
and Satan came to dethrone you.
Indeed, your life on this earth is no small thing.
I praise you who is faithful to the promises of God
and true to the purposes of God,
entering history as prophet, priest, and king.

You are Lord of heaven and earth,
ruler of all nations,
enthroned as king of the earth.
Help me to feel the weight of your majesty
as my humble and yet conquering king,
to rest in your trustworthiness as righteous in all your ways,
to glory in Your greatness with gospel exultation.
May I be useful to rescue many from the evil one,
that they may rejoice with me as your kingdom comes.

- TNB

This entry was posted on February 5, 2008 at 3:45 am and is filed under Panting. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.

Tags: Encouragement, Matthew 2-4, Pantings, Prayer