Faith and life meet in a story
But I am poor and needy; Yet the Lord thinks upon me. Psalm 40:17
That’s a testimony to His greatness, not mine.
He has a universe to rule.
An eternity to oversee.
A divine plan to bring to fruition.
I have nothing to offer, to contribute, to add.
But He chooses to think about me.
I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways. Psalm 119:15
What does it mean to “meditate” and “contemplate”?
The dictionary mentions things like sustained focus or reflecting on.
But God didn’t intend for His word to simply prompt us to some mental exercise.
He means for it to transform us.
I will commit not to give Your word just a cursory reading.
I will give it the attention it is due.
I will take it in.
I will work to understand it.
I will incorporate Your principles into my daily life.
I will follow Your example.
I will commit to taking Your word seriously.
David made that commitment. Now it’s my turn.
You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin. Selah Psalm 85:2
Covered ALL their sin.
ALL.
Not like cheap paint.
Not like an immodest swimsuit.
Not like a short blanket.
Not like an insurance policy with way too much fine print.
Not like a bad comb-over.
Not like a terrible professor in the final review lecture.
Not like a maxed-out credit card left with the restaurant check.
Not like a lazy sales rep in his territory.
Not like discount store make-up.
We’ve seen the frustration, the embarrassment when something that is supposed to be covered … isn’t.
God’s coverage of our sins is not like that.
It is thorough.
It is complete.
It is final.
Thank you, Jesus.
Even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. Psalm 139:12
I asked my Sunday school kids what people were most afraid of, what THEY were afraid and I was surprised at how many of them said the dark. Whether it was the woods outside, or the basement or their bedroom, they did not like the dark. Even the kid who works in my office at the college is afraid of the dark. He is a big hulking kid, built like Hagrid’s little brother, but one trip through the darkened theater, down the back hallway to deliver something to the dressing rooms was enough to give him the shivers for the rest of the afternoon.
I admitted to my Sunday school kids that I was afraid of “wild” dark, but not the tame dark, like at my house. I’m not afraid of my living room or my attic, or even my basement. I asked them why that was so. We decided it was because I knew what was there, and I knew where the light switches were. In a couple of seconds, I can make the dark light. “But something could be hiding!” one of them added.
And that’s what makes the difference. What is hiding in the dark?
In David’s masterful psalm, he transitions from a discussion of God’s imperviousness to the dark to an examination of his innermost self. I don’t think that’s an accident. When David says in verse 1, “O LORD, you have searched me and known me!” that includes even the darkest corners of his heart and mind. Unlike most of us– who shy away from solitude, who shrink from deep confession, who avoid transparency– God is not hesitant to go there.
Why not? Because He knows what is hiding there.
That is the amazing, wondrous, awesome thing about the God we worship and serve. He knows all of those things about us, the secret sins, the hidden thoughts and He brings light to them. With His great grace and boundless love, He further ensures that we longer have to be afraid of what’s in the dark or of His discovery of it. He has already seen, already searched and inventoried and already chosen to love us. To love you. To love me.
Because He has seen and known and loved, the darkness is “tame” now. He knows what’s there and He can make the darkness light instantaneously. By the end of the psalm, David invites God in to deal with the darkness.
No one can tell you not to be afraid of the dark. That is something you have to reckon with on your own. In the same way, it does no good to tell you that you don’t have to be afraid of what’s hiding in the darkness of your innermost self, or that God can deal with all of it in love and grace. That is something you have to reckon with on your own.
But I hope you do.
I’ve gotten some great responses to the survey, – one question, no math – but I’m closing it down Friday (aka tomorrow Feb 2), tabulating the responses and drawing for the Starbucks cards.
The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. Psalm 145:18
Prayer is not releasing a message in a bottle.
It is not rubbing a lamp.
It is not a shot in the dark.
It is not a recitation.
It is not a laundry list of complaints.
It is not a news report or a gossip column.
It is not shouting to hear your own echo.
Prayer is an audience with the King of Kings.
It is a consultation with the Great Physician.
It is strategy planning with Lord of Hosts.
It is a confession before our Judge.
It is a request for intercession before our Great High Priest.
It is an intimate encounter with Immanuel.
It is seeking redress before our Advocate.
It is receiving wisdom from our Counselor.
It is offering thanks to our Redeemer.
It is committing ourselves to our Savior.
It is connecting to the True Vine.
It is honoring the Almighty.
It is availing ourselves of the blood of the Lamb of God.
It is resorting to our Refuge and our Rock.
It is walking in the Light.
It is worshipping the Holy One.
So why don’t we take it more seriously?
Could you take a minute to answer one question for me? Thanks so much!
For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You. Psalm 86:5
Good –
In a moral sense, the opposite of evil.
In actions, proper and becoming.
In demeanor, kind and benevolent.
Ready to forgive –
With respect to resources, everything is in place.
With regard to inclination, willingly disposed.
With reference to display, immediate.
Abundant in mercy –
A storehouse that cannot be emptied.
A supply that cannot be interrupted.
A resource that cannot be depleted.
God is all of those things and manifests them to all of us who call on Him.
We live and thrive because of His goodness, His readiness to forgive and His abundant mercy.
However …
He calls us to be like Him.
Are we
Good?
Ready to forgive?
Abundant in mercy?
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