When Is The Right Time?

Have mercy on me, O God,
    because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
    blot out the stain of my sins.

Psalm 51:1 

 

Let me ask you to think about something...suppose you were standing in your yard and you happened to see a rather large rattlesnake slithering toward you...when would be the time to take action?  Would you stand still and study this critter with a "Oh Look! It's a snake"? Would you attempt to pick it up?  Or would you move quickly to get out of its way, get your firearm, and change the beast into multiple tiny, very messy bits?

 

Now....we aren't finished thinking yet, so please bear with me.  When you realize that you're are being tempted...when is the time to take action?  Would you entertain the temptation believing you can resist it on your own?  Say someone made a derogatory comment about you and you are tempted to get angry AND seek revenge...would you hang on to that and make a plan?  The best course of action, according to Martin Luther, is to IMMEDIATELY pray: "At precisely the moment when you feel the strongest temptation and are least prepared to pray, go to a place where you can be along and pray for defense against the temptations of the enemy."

 

Let's face it, sin is something we can do without even thinking about it.  Sometimes we don't think our prayers are heard because we are unworthy of God's love, but that's a lie the enemy wants us to believe.  The enemy will throw up every single sin you have ever committed in order to render us prayerfully catatonic!  But the whole purpose of Jesus' death and resurrection was so we could go to God through Him.  

 

"The time when you feel your sins the most is EXACTLY the time when you most need to pray." - Martin Luther.