I have been reading through the Psalms and thought I might share some things that God has shown me. How appropriate for this blog that I begin with Psalm 17 since that was the springboard that started the blog in the first place.
The entire Psalm is such a bold song/prayer. It shows the confidence of David before God. The first two verses say:
Psalm 17:1-2
Hear a just cause, O Lord,
Attend to my cry;
Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips.
Let my vindication come from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright.
First thing that grabs my attention is the term 'just cause'. Old Testament believers were very familiar with the idea of justice. I believe they had a much better understanding of God's justice than most New Covenant believers. They were not afraid to stand before God and plead for justice. In the New Covenant church, we have a tendency to believe that we shouldn't ask for justice, but nothing could be further from the truth. David understood the importance of justice in one's own heart, of justice in the world, and the importance of justice to God. I don't want to take to much time on the issue today, but scripture shows the importance of justice to God:
Psalm 89:14 - Righteousness and justice are the foundations of God's throne.
Psalm 33:5 - The Lord loves justice.
Isaiah 1:17, 5:7 - The Lord looks for justice in his people and on the earth.
The word 'justice' appears 130 times in the NKJV of the bible. All that said, we in the New Covenant church need to realize that we can stand with confidence and ask for justice from our God just like David did. If David, who did not have the greater covenant, could approach with such boldness how much more so should those who now have the blood of the Lamb?
I believe David came with boldness because he had tapped into a power that is available for all believers: the power of a pure conscience (Heb 10:22)! Oh, what victory lies in the heart of those who know they are right before God! There is confidence and a blessed assurance that fills us when we know that our hearts are pure. Truly, this is one of the greatest treasures we will receive in this life. Purity and victory go hand in hand. It's amazing to think how COMPLETE is our salvation that we would have such confidence before an Almighty God! But this is how he wants us to see ourselves: able to come to him like David did and say, 'I have a just cause, God. I am clean before you. I expect vindication.' It is simply amazing.
Notice, where a lot of David's confidence comes from as you read these 2 verses and the rest of the chapter. He says, 'my mouth is not deceitful (vs 1) so therefore I come with boldness.' Ah, the issue of our speech! He mentions the power of words in verses 1, 3, 4, 6, and 10. It's a major issue for him. You can read my other blogs that talk about this truth in depth! But let's look at verse 1 again with this in mind: 'Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips.' I'm sure David was talking about his life in general...not lying or speaking falsehood. But, think of it from another angle, too. Think of it as David saying, 'God...I'm being honest with You today. I'm holding nothing back.' Honesty. Truthfulness before God in our prayer life. It reminds me of what Jesus said in John's gospel:
John 4:23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
God is looking for people to come to him in TRUTH. There is a power that comes on our prayer life when we just get honest with God. Some people may be uncomfortable being so open with God...showing him their anger and frustration, depression and pain....but He sees it all anyway. Let me share with you something God told me recently in two of my journaling sessions:
Child, you are made to be wholly open with me. Do not think that hiding your emotions makes you somehow stronger. Yes, give me your mess! Share with me your anger and frustration. This is what I’ve been trying to tell you. When you are angry…talk to ME about it…not to anyone else. And do not sit on it, like Rebbecca did on her idol. Do not cover it up when the Father comes to see it. Get it out in the open before me. I am not angry at you. Never have been, child.
And what about this one...when I was angry at someone. God told me plainly here (lol!):
I have told you before when you are frustrated with a man…bring it to ME. I am the source of wisdom and direction...You play scenarios in your head and want things to change apart from me! Apart from bringing it to me! Child, I alone can keep you from becoming frustrated with your brother and sister. Yes, even their gifts can annoy you if you do not see them rightly as I do. Their short comings and weaknesses can trip you up in your attitude if you do not bring them to me.
So, let us come before God in openness and honesty. Let's bring our cause before Him. He knows it all anyway. He has invited us to cry out for justice, to approach him with confidence, and to be open and transparent before him. I can't think of a better invitation!
The entire Psalm is such a bold song/prayer. It shows the confidence of David before God. The first two verses say:
Psalm 17:1-2
Hear a just cause, O Lord,
Attend to my cry;
Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips.
Let my vindication come from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright.
First thing that grabs my attention is the term 'just cause'. Old Testament believers were very familiar with the idea of justice. I believe they had a much better understanding of God's justice than most New Covenant believers. They were not afraid to stand before God and plead for justice. In the New Covenant church, we have a tendency to believe that we shouldn't ask for justice, but nothing could be further from the truth. David understood the importance of justice in one's own heart, of justice in the world, and the importance of justice to God. I don't want to take to much time on the issue today, but scripture shows the importance of justice to God:
Psalm 89:14 - Righteousness and justice are the foundations of God's throne.
Psalm 33:5 - The Lord loves justice.
Isaiah 1:17, 5:7 - The Lord looks for justice in his people and on the earth.
The word 'justice' appears 130 times in the NKJV of the bible. All that said, we in the New Covenant church need to realize that we can stand with confidence and ask for justice from our God just like David did. If David, who did not have the greater covenant, could approach with such boldness how much more so should those who now have the blood of the Lamb?
I believe David came with boldness because he had tapped into a power that is available for all believers: the power of a pure conscience (Heb 10:22)! Oh, what victory lies in the heart of those who know they are right before God! There is confidence and a blessed assurance that fills us when we know that our hearts are pure. Truly, this is one of the greatest treasures we will receive in this life. Purity and victory go hand in hand. It's amazing to think how COMPLETE is our salvation that we would have such confidence before an Almighty God! But this is how he wants us to see ourselves: able to come to him like David did and say, 'I have a just cause, God. I am clean before you. I expect vindication.' It is simply amazing.
Notice, where a lot of David's confidence comes from as you read these 2 verses and the rest of the chapter. He says, 'my mouth is not deceitful (vs 1) so therefore I come with boldness.' Ah, the issue of our speech! He mentions the power of words in verses 1, 3, 4, 6, and 10. It's a major issue for him. You can read my other blogs that talk about this truth in depth! But let's look at verse 1 again with this in mind: 'Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips.' I'm sure David was talking about his life in general...not lying or speaking falsehood. But, think of it from another angle, too. Think of it as David saying, 'God...I'm being honest with You today. I'm holding nothing back.' Honesty. Truthfulness before God in our prayer life. It reminds me of what Jesus said in John's gospel:
John 4:23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
God is looking for people to come to him in TRUTH. There is a power that comes on our prayer life when we just get honest with God. Some people may be uncomfortable being so open with God...showing him their anger and frustration, depression and pain....but He sees it all anyway. Let me share with you something God told me recently in two of my journaling sessions:
Child, you are made to be wholly open with me. Do not think that hiding your emotions makes you somehow stronger. Yes, give me your mess! Share with me your anger and frustration. This is what I’ve been trying to tell you. When you are angry…talk to ME about it…not to anyone else. And do not sit on it, like Rebbecca did on her idol. Do not cover it up when the Father comes to see it. Get it out in the open before me. I am not angry at you. Never have been, child.
And what about this one...when I was angry at someone. God told me plainly here (lol!):
I have told you before when you are frustrated with a man…bring it to ME. I am the source of wisdom and direction...You play scenarios in your head and want things to change apart from me! Apart from bringing it to me! Child, I alone can keep you from becoming frustrated with your brother and sister. Yes, even their gifts can annoy you if you do not see them rightly as I do. Their short comings and weaknesses can trip you up in your attitude if you do not bring them to me.
So, let us come before God in openness and honesty. Let's bring our cause before Him. He knows it all anyway. He has invited us to cry out for justice, to approach him with confidence, and to be open and transparent before him. I can't think of a better invitation!
Comments
Post a Comment