Knowing God defines who you are

 Psalm 8:1–9 (ESV):  

1  O Lord, our Lord, 

how majestic is your name in all the earth! 

You have set your glory above the heavens. 

2  Out of the mouth of babies and infants, 

you have established strength because of your foes, 

to still the enemy and the avenger. 

3  When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, 

the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 

4  what is man that you are mindful of him, 

and the son of man that you care for him? 

5  Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings 

and crowned him with glory and honour. 

6  You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; 

you have put all things under his feet, 

7  all sheep and oxen, 

and also the beasts of the field, 

8  the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, 

whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 

9  O Lord, our Lord, 

how majestic is your name in all the earth! 

Did you know that because of who God is, you can know who you are?

Through this psalm we see something of the majesty of God and the reality of humanity revealed by David. He firstly begins by extolling God reminding himself that God is; majestic, all-powerful, in charge, magnificent and glorious. So much so that every living thing testifies of God’s goodness, no matter if they can even speak or not! God’s creativity is strong and beautiful, nothing can compare with it. Is this who you know God to be? 

It is good to remind yourself of the nature of God, because no matter what is going on around you or who you think you are, God still remains. He will always have these awesome characteristics, He will never change, He will be the same for all eternity, and He has seen and created all things. Therefore you can trust what He says about humanity. and what He says about you. 

David from beholding God, wonders about man. Considering God’s character, he ponders why does God even care for people? Why does humanity get so much of God’s attention and care? Why does a majestic, powerful, glorious, peaceful creator even bother with mankind?

These are good questions to ask - What is mankind’s significance? Why does God take time to consider and care for you? When you consider who God is, do you ever wonder why he bothers with humanity or even just yourself? David ponders these things and is blown away by the realisation that not only does God think about mankind and look after us, but he has given us authority and power too! Not only is God your creator and sustainer, but He also enables you to have the life you should have. He has given you responsibility, purpose and worth. Do you realise that? Are you living in the truth of that? You have been crowned ‘with glory and honour’ and you have a purpose and responsibility here on Earth (v5-6).

God values you. Yes, you! The almighty, powerful, glorious God likes, loves and looks after you and He has a job for you to do. He has given you glory, honour, power and authority - are you using it?

God has given you a position here on this planet on purpose. Do you think such a consistent, capable and creative God would make a mistake? As undeserving and as incapable as you may feel, you have been ‘crowned’ by the King of Heaven to take responsibility on this Earth. God has given you:

Position ’a little lower than the heavenly beings’, 

Purpose, ‘dominion over the works of your hands’,

Authority, ‘all things under his feet’. 

The question is - what are you doing with what the Lord has given you?

If you are reading this and feel unworthy, then you are absolutely right! You do not deserve the consideration and position that God has given you. Yet He has given it to you all the same. He expects you to use the gifts, talents, skills and position that He has given you to take care of His creation. So, how are you doing that? How are you living up to the reality of who you are in light of who God is? This glorious, majestic, powerful, mighty, creator God has a plan and purpose for your life, are you seeking Him to find it? God has given you a task to do that you are capable of, after all you are only, ‘a little lower than the heavenly beings’! You have a position, purpose and authority and you have a duty to find out what that is and how you can use it to honour God and all He has made. Can you imagine the beauty of the world and mankind if everyone knew and lived their God-given roles and responsibilities? Not everyone may do so or come to know what they are made for, but you can. You can bring positive influence and care into this Earth by stepping up and stepping into what God has got for you. So, like David, take time to appreciate who it is whom has formed you and then go and show His majesty and power through being who He has created you to be!

‘O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!’ God, help us each to remember you and find out what it is you will have us do today. Amen

God is judge

 Psalm 7:1–17 (ESV): 

O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge; 

save me from all my pursuers and deliver me, 

2  lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, 

rending it in pieces, with none to deliver. 

3  O Lord my God, if I have done this, 

if there is wrong in my hands, 

4  if I have repaid my friend with evil 

or plundered my enemy without cause, 

5  let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, 

and let him trample my life to the ground 

and lay my glory in the dust. Selah 

6  Arise, O Lord, in your anger; 

lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; 

awake for me; you have appointed a judgment. 

7  Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you; 

over it return on high. 

8  The Lord judges the peoples; 

judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness 

and according to the integrity that is in me. 

9  Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, 

and may you establish the righteous— 

you who test the minds and hearts, 

O righteous God! 

10  My shield is with God, 

who saves the upright in heart. 

11  God is a righteous judge, 

and a God who feels indignation every day. 

12  If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; 

he has bent and readied his bow; 

13  he has prepared for him his deadly weapons, 

making his arrows fiery shafts. 

14  Behold, the wicked man conceives evil 

and is pregnant with mischief 

and gives birth to lies. 

15  He makes a pit, digging it out, 

and falls into the hole that he has made. 

16  His mischief returns upon his own head, 

and on his own skull his violence descends. 

17  I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, 

and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High. 

In this psalm, David is reflecting on the consequences for those who follow God, and those who don’t. David knows, accepts, and even welcomes God’s judgement. He knows that God, ‘tests the minds and hearts’ of us all, and he even invites God to, ‘judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me’. Do you have the confidence in how you are living to ask God to judge you?! David does. He has such confidence in the fact that he is living life right before God that he invites God to consider his actions to see if he has gone wrong. David is so convinced of his right standing with God and man that he asks for punishment if he has gone awry (v3-5). Do you have confidence to do the same? Are you sure that you are living right before God? 

I am amazed at and admire the conviction David has of his own righteousness. If I thought about God judging me, I would become acutely aware of my faults and sin. I would certainly feel uncomfortable challenging God to judge me and punish me if I am at fault as I know that there are areas where I am. No-one is perfect, so we all have areas in our lives where we falter and fail at times, and David was no different. So, I do not think that David is claiming to be perfect in this psalm, but instead that he is speaking of a particular situation where he is suffering. We can tell from this psalm that this is a situation where people have come against him and he has evaluated his dealings with them. Then he has come to the conclusion that he has not been at fault. David can see that the accusations and treatment he is receiving is unwarranted. Therefore he asks God to judge him in this situation, he is convinced of his innocence, yet he is open to God showing him if there is something he has done wrong. What a humble heart David has! Even when he is convinced of his innocence on a matter, he is prepared for God to speak and to show him what is going on. David is also prepared to suffer the consequences if God does find error in his ways - are you willing to do the same? When you feel unfairly treated, do you invite God to test you and show you if you're at fault so you can put it right, even if it seems small and trivial in comparison to your suffering? Do you call on God to judge? 

Like David, you can call on God to help, to intervene, to show, ‘if there is wrong in my hands’. David had dealt well with these people who had turned on him and become his enemies. Sometimes this can happen to you. If you are someone that seeks to love and follow God, it can happen that those who were once close become estranged, those whom could be trusted will become enemies. People that are not following God do not have an affinity with those who are, and that can cause tension, jealousy and hatred. The encouragement from this psalm is to treat all people well - that is your responsibility. Fighting back and judgement is not in your hands, it is in God's. 

God is a fair judge, he judges all people - those that follow Him and those that do not. If you know that some of your responses are not suitable for someone who is following God, then as much as it may pain you, change them. You may feel your reactions are justified and that people would understand as these people have mistreated you. People may understand, but God tests your heart and mind. So who are you trying to impress with your behaviour? Are you responding from a place of knowing you are a child of God or from a place of pain? Be assured that if others are; pursuing you, being unkind, persecuting you and generally making life difficult, God sees. He saw what was going on with David. 

God can and will intervene when it is right. David sought God’s intervention and was confident in the way he had handled those who had turned against him. Ensure that you handle difficulties with integrity. Ensure that your words and behaviour do not do you discredit, because then God can come and judge and fight for you. People that turn away from God and come against God’s people are in trouble. They go their own way and end up becoming, ‘pregnant with mischief’, they end up falling into a pit of their own making (v15), and ‘his mischief returns upon his own head’. They do not realise it, but the evil and harm they plan for others harms themselves. God knows and sees their deeds, just as He sees yours. So today, do not worry if you are treated unfairly, that there are people out to get you. Instead, make sure you're living right and be assured that the judgement of God comes to all. You do not need to deal out punishment and aggravation, you need to focus on your right-standing both before God and man. Ensure that you can rightfully come to God as David did and concentrate your efforts on honouring God and others. God will be your judge, and He will also be theirs.

Lord, rebuke me not in your anger

 Psalm 6

1  O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, 

nor discipline me in your wrath. 

2  Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; 

heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. 

3  My soul also is greatly troubled. 

But you, O Lord—how long? 

4  Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; 

save me for the sake of your steadfast love. 

5  For in death there is no remembrance of you; 

in Sheol who will give you praise? 

6  I am weary with my moaning; 

every night I flood my bed with tears; 

I drench my couch with my weeping. 

7  My eye wastes away because of grief; 

it grows weak because of all my foes. 

8  Depart from me, all you workers of evil, 

for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. 

9  The Lord has heard my plea; 

the Lord accepts my prayer. 

10  All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; 

they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment

At the opening of this Psalm, David accepts that he has done things wrong as he says, ‘O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.’ This is an admission that he deserves correction and punishment. He acknowledges that the season of suffering he is going through is warranted, it is his own fault as he has gone his own way, done his own thing. How brave and honest David is to admit that!

Do you do the same? Do you accept that sometimes you suffer, experience pain and hardship due to your own wrongdoing? Do you admit that actually, sometimes, you deserve the difficult times that have come upon you because you have messed up and not done things the way God wants you to?

David acknowledges his faults and pleads with God not to, ‘discipline me in your wrath’. Instead of asking God to wipe away all the difficulty and release him from suffering and punishment, David recognises that he has earned this correction, but he asks for leniency. David knows the awesome capability of God, so he humbly asks God to not pour out punishment in His anger. 

There’s a difference between discipline and angry discipline isn’t there? You see it when a parent corrects a child. If the parent is in a calm frame of mind the discipline will focus on repentance, making amends and some considered consequences, yet if the wrongdoing is dealt with from a position of anger - that child is going to really suffer and the punishment is going to be harsh. This is what David is afraid of and seeking to avoid. He knows what he has done wrong, he is sorry for it and accepts that there are consequences for his actions, but he does not want an angry outpouring from God, who does?! David has seen and read about how God deals with those He is angry with both through the scriptures and his own personal experience, so he was rightly afraid of having so displeased God that he would have to suffer like that. 

David knew he could approach God and ask for mercy because he was a man of faith who desired to honour God with his life. Although sometimes he made mistakes and sinned, he was quick to recognise, repent and mourn when he had gone awry. Are you quick to do the same? Do you quickly acknowledge, apologise and try to rectify what you have done wrong? Or do you ignore your faults and try to explain away your actions attempting to make them sound less bad or inconsequential? 

When you have done something wrong in your life, and you know it, are you aware that God may well correct you and that can look like suffering, confusion, illness and pain? Being corrected and punished by God is not something that we often like to consider. Those in David’s time would have been quick to acknowledge and consider suffering as a result of sin, in fact, that would probably be their first thought in times of difficulty. Nowadays, we are so aware of the grace, forgiveness and mercy of God that I do not think we really consider that we still deserve discipline. We are privileged to live in a time where we can believe and trust in the powerful work of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. His defeat of death and sin that were pinned to the cross as he died means that you and I no longer have to live with the guilt, shame or power of sin as Jesus has taken it all on. The reality is though that we do not always walk in that freedom. We still sin and displease God by our actions or inactions. No matter how hard you try, you will get it wrong sometimes, you will sin. When you do, are you quick to go to God about it and seek restoration? Do you realise that when you sin God may well rebuke you and discipline you?

You can know the forgiveness of God when you turn away from wrong and seek it, but be aware that sometimes a period of suffering is required. You can, as David did, ask for God to be merciful, to be lenient in His correction. If you know that you have disobeyed God, like David did, you may well have a season of feeling, ‘greatly troubled’. David tells us that both his body felt like it was breaking and dying, and his soul was distraught and David came to realise that it was due to his wrongdoing. Do you ever pause to consider that sometimes what you are suffering is due to sin? God still gets angry at sin and He may allow you to you get ill or have troubled times because you are not living your life in obedience to Him. 

You may not think this sounds like a very positive message, but a good, loving parent is one who disciplines their child. If you see that you are living in the consequences of sin and disobedience, then know that what you are going through shows that God loves and cares for you. You are His child, and so He will discipline you. You won’t like it, but you can speak to Him about it, you can repent, be forgiven, and you can ask, as David did, for God to show you mercy. 

Please note:

Not all suffering is a result of disobedience and sin (consider Job). Sometimes suffering occurs because of the reality of living in a broken and decaying world, or because of others’ sinfulness. So please do not think that all suffering is a punishment from God, but i think in general our society is too quick to absolve themselves from any responsibility, so it is good to ask ourselves, 'Lord, is there any wicked way in me'?

Praying like David

 Psalm 5 (ESV): A Psalm of David. 

1  Give ear to my words, O Lord; 

consider my groaning. 

2  Give attention to the sound of my cry, 

my King and my God, 

for to you do I pray. 

3  O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; 

in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. 

4  For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; 

evil may not dwell with you. 

5  The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; 

you hate all evildoers. 

6  You destroy those who speak lies; 

the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. 

7  But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, 

will enter your house. 

I will bow down toward your holy temple 

in the fear of you. 

8  Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness 

because of my enemies; 

make your way straight before me. 

9  For there is no truth in their mouth; 

their inmost self is destruction; 

their throat is an open grave; 

they flatter with their tongue. 

10  Make them bear their guilt, O God; 

let them fall by their own counsels; 

because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, 

for they have rebelled against you. 

11  But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; 

let them ever sing for joy, 

and spread your protection over them, 

that those who love your name may exult in you. 

12  For you bless the righteous, O Lord; 

you cover him with favour as with a shield. 

We can tell from this psalm, and others that he has written, that there is a pattern to David’s daily life. He has an established routine that consists of praying and giving sacrifices to God. Even as a ruler of a nation David finds time to talk to and honour God. This is how he begins each day. This time with God allows him to get all of the annoying things off of his chest, rant about the problems, remember who God is, and seek guidance. It helps David refocus and ready himself for the day. Do you do the same - is God included in your preparations for the day? No matter how busy you are, your responsibilities or expectations, do you allow yourself the privilege of spending time with God so that your burdens, concerns and desires can be put in His hands rather than your own? 

As part of this daily exchange David has with God, he shows us that he; speaks (v2), sacrifices and waits (v3), rants (4-6), extols God (v7, 8, 12), asks God to help (v8) and reminds himself of God’s promises (v12). Part of prayer and growing a relationship with God should involve all of these things. It is being real about life and knowing and accepting who really is in charge. 

Did you know that being sacrificial should be involved in your time with God? It could be obeying Him in some way that is really difficult for you or giving things away. Being willing to give God your best may look like giving something up or taking something on that you don't want to. It will hurt and cause discomfort otherwise it is not a sacrifice! A sacrifice looks like surrendering and giving up and it is required in order to truly worship God. If you want to invest in a relationship with God you will find that it is not easy and it demands something from you. Not because you have to pay or persuade God that you'll be a good friend, but in any relationship there is a sense of surrender and sacrifice because it comes from a position of love. Maybe consider it this way; without the sacrificial element to a faith-filled life - what is it that you are putting into the relationship with God? Some talking, requests and offloading? Is that a relationship? Relationships are two-way, so ensure that you are worshipping, sacrificing and waiting when you spend time with God. Let Him reveal His ideas, plans, purposes and commands to you and carefully consider how you are going to follow and honour God each day. Ask God what He wants from you, then trust Him. Even if it is really hard and hurts (sacrifices do) it will do you good, it demonstrates that you are an invested follower of God, and reminds you that your life is not your own.  

David prepares a sacrifice for God and then watches (v3). In his time with God, David through prayer; worships, gives of himself and waits. Does your prayer routine look like that? David doesn’t do all the talking. He does some, he puts himself aside and puts God first through his words and actions (extolling God and making sacrifices) and then he prepares himself for God to respond. David whilst he is waiting for God’s reply reminds himself who God is and who He isn’t (v4-6), and then gains confidence in the fact that God is on his side as a man who follows Him. So, no matter what, David knows that he will be blessed and protected (v12). When you pray, do you remember exactly who it is you are talking to?! Do you spend time remembering what you know to be true of Him. Sometimes our requests are answered in what we already know if we take time to recall the truth. David shows this as when he wrote this psalm he clearly needed assurance of God’s love, protection, mercy and righteousness, and the more he prayed and considered who God is, the more he realised that he already what he needs, he remembered that God blesses, protects and pours out favour on His children and so he realises that he needs to keep going the way God wants him to (v8). Sometimes we need the same, a reminder, a reassurance that God is really who He is. As you pray, remember who God is and what He wills from you as well as what He expects of you. I can guarantee that what He wants from you is far less than what He will give and already has given you. 

As you pray today, try to include the same things David did. God considered David, ‘a man after his own heart’ (1 Samuel 13:14) after all, so he is clearly a good example to follow if you want to be considered the same. Can you learnt o pray like David;

Speak honestly and from the heart

Make sacrifices

Wait

Tell God what is wrong 

Remember who God is

Ask God for His help and guidance

Remind yourself of His promises