Being real

 Psalm 145:1–21 (ESV):  

1  I will extol you, my God and King, 

and bless your name forever and ever. 

 2  Every day I will bless you 

and praise your name forever and ever. 

 3  Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, 

and his greatness is unsearchable. 

 4  One generation shall commend your works to another, 

and shall declare your mighty acts. 

 5  On the glorious splendour of your majesty, 

and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. 

 6  They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, 

and I will declare your greatness. 

 7  They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness 

and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. 

 8  The Lord is gracious and merciful, 

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 

 9  The Lord is good to all, 

and his mercy is over all that he has made. 

 10  All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, 

and all your saints shall bless you! 

 11  They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom 

and tell of your power, 

 12  to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, 

and the glorious splendour of your kingdom. 

 13  Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, 

and your dominion endures throughout all generations. 

  [The Lord is faithful in all his words 

and kind in all his works.] 

 14  The Lord upholds all who are falling 

and raises up all who are bowed down. 

 15  The eyes of all look to you, 

and you give them their food in due season. 

 16  You open your hand; 

you satisfy the desire of every living thing. 

 17  The Lord is righteous in all his ways 

and kind in all his works. 

 18  The Lord is near to all who call on him, 

to all who call on him in truth. 

 19  He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; 

he also hears their cry and saves them. 

 20  The Lord preserves all who love him, 

but all the wicked he will destroy. 

 21  My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, 

and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever. 

This psalm tells us that God; is your King, He is great, deserves praise, He is unsearchable, has done great things, He is known from generation to generation for His great deeds. He is glorious and splendid, righteous, gracious and merciful, He is slow to anger and His love is enduring and never-ending. What a Father in Heaven we have! Verse 10 then simply states, ‘All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you’. Everything God has made and done somehow thanks God for His goodness, Jesus declares that 'the very stones would cry out' If his disciples did not rejoice in and praise God (Luke 19:40), isn't that an interesting thought. I wonder what the praise of rocks would be like, or the worship of trees and the songs of the weather. If God's people do not glorify God, then all of God's works will praise Him somehow. So, are you giving thanks to God and blessing Him, or are you leaving it to the stones? 

I know life gets you down at times, and you may struggle to see the positive, but God hasn’t changed. He is still King, He is is still glorious, mighty, merciful, gracious and never-ending in His love for you. You have a duty as His child to show your gratitude, and to, ‘make known to the children of man’ His mighty deeds. Are you? What do others see and hear about God in your life? If you are busy moaning about how tough life is, what are they going to think about God? You can change the way you speak about such times through being grateful that God is sustaining you, and that you have an everlasting hope because of Jesus. Consider what you are sharing with others, it is great to be real about what is going on for you, but what is your overarching story? Is it that God is in control, glorious and powerful, or is it something else? Also, how honest are you with people about your life? Do you really share about what is going on for you, the highs and lows? People need to see that you experience both otherwise they will think a life with God is unreal and unachievable for them. When life is hard, through living your life transparently amongst others you can show that ‘The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down’. If you pretend all is well all of the time, what are they going to think about you and about God? 

You have a duty to demonstrate God's love and power in your life to others - to believers and not-yet-believers. That means being real about the struggles you face and the joys, demonstrating that you have One you are hoping in who is dependable, loving, generous and trustworthy. It is then that others will see the beautiful reality that God is real, relevant and interested in the lives of everyday people. When you lack resources, but are sustained, are you sharing that with others so that they see that God is the one that opens His hands to you and satisfies you? When you get brilliant news, do you share that with others letting them know that God is the source of that blessing? Your life and the way you talk about it should inspire people to believe in Him as you do, to trust Him and make Him their Lord and saviour as you have. So, what do people see of God from the way you live, and the way you talk about your faith in Him? 

Are you blessed?

 Psalm 144:1–15 (ESV):  

1  Blessed be the Lord, my rock, 

who trains my hands for war, 

and my fingers for battle; 

 2  he is my steadfast love and my fortress, 

my stronghold and my deliverer, 

  my shield and he in whom I take refuge, 

who subdues peoples under me. 

 3  O Lord, what is man that you regard him, 

or the son of man that you think of him? 

 4  Man is like a breath; 

his days are like a passing shadow. 

 5  Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down! 

Touch the mountains so that they smoke! 

 6  Flash forth the lightning and scatter them; 

send out your arrows and rout them! 

 7  Stretch out your hand from on high; 

rescue me and deliver me from the many waters, 

from the hand of foreigners, 

 8  whose mouths speak lies 

and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood. 

 9  I will sing a new song to you, O God; 

upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you, 

 10  who gives victory to kings, 

who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword. 

 11  Rescue me and deliver me 

from the hand of foreigners, 

  whose mouths speak lies 

and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood. 

 12  May our sons in their youth 

be like plants full grown, 

  our daughters like corner pillars 

cut for the structure of a palace; 

 13  may our granaries be full, 

providing all kinds of produce; 

  may our sheep bring forth thousands 

and ten thousands in our fields; 

 14  may our cattle be heavy with young, 

suffering no mishap or failure in bearing; 

  may there be no cry of distress in our streets! 

 15  Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall! 

Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord! 

Overall, most of us want a peaceful, blessed life. One where we are loved, protected and spared suffering. Saved from being conned or hounded by lying and dangerous people, and having our families blessed so that our children can grow strong and fruitful. Then to add to that, one where we have enough or even an abundance of resources, so that we do not suffer and can bless others and let them know that God has poured favour upon us. This is the kind of life that everyone would probably desire, and see as a blessed life. It would include; protection from harm and wicked people, good health, lack of discomfort, having more than enough provisions, plus a fruitful and strong family. If you enjoyed such a life, it would be easy to see the blessings of God, right? The psalmist, i feel, challenges that thought in the last line, ‘Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!’ We can perceive that having all of these things are indicators of God’s favour, but you are blessed to even be called one of His people - have you ever thought of that?! Simply having God in your life, the One who you can talk to about the trials, inconveniences, successes, suffering, difficulties and breakthroughs of life, is a blessing. Knowing that you are in relationship with God is a blessing, for it means that you really can expect Him to come through in miraculous ways, like the psalmist requests in verses 5-7. You can ask God for miracles, for unbelievable and seemingly impossible things to occur, because you have the ear of God, and that is a blessing!

Your life may not be perfect, that is ok. The blessing of God does not mean that you will have a simple or perfect life. It does not mean that your life will be easy or that you’ll be saved trouble. Having God in your life means that you’ve got someone powerful, majestic and just to run to as a refuge when life does get tough. You have someone reliable, faithful and honest to speak into situations, to help you through it, to train you for battle and soothe your heart and mind when lies are thrown at you. You have One who can and will rescue you, who does regard you, and will even perform miracles! Even when it makes no sense, you have a wise, mighty and impressive God looking at and caring about your life (v 3-4). 

'O Lord, what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him? 4 Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.' You, in the eyes of the World are small and insignificant, and should be in the eyes of God too, but to God you are worth training, investing in and fighting for because you are one of His people. That is why you can run to Him, expecting Him to be your stronghold and salvation. God loves you and will see you through because you are His. You may be small and as delicate as a breath, but when you have Almighty God with you, you have power and strength that no-one else can match.

The reality is that you are blessed when you acknowledge that God is The Lord of your life. There is no greater or superior blessing that you can receive than that. Yet God is so generous that He pours out His favour to you in other ways too, you will see breakthrough, salvation and fruitfulness but remember that these are just extras on top of the blessing of knowing God. Other people consider being blessed to look like; having a successful job, coming into money, having children that are strong and fruitful, being free from harm, healed and lacking suffering. Yet that is not true. These things are bonuses, and when you experience them do appreciate them and choose to see them as an addition to the greatest blessing you already enjoy. For 'Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!' You are blessed because you are considered one of God’s own. That is the greatest and most secure blessing you could know. Other things and people come and go, so do not rely on them to know you are blessed of God, you are already living in favour as you have the heart of God with you. 

Are you righteous?

 Psalm 143:1–12 (ESV):  

1  Hear my prayer, O Lord; 

give ear to my pleas for mercy! 

In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness! 

 2  Enter not into judgment with your servant, 

for no one living is righteous before you. 

 3  For the enemy has pursued my soul; 

he has crushed my life to the ground; 

he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead. 

 4  Therefore my spirit faints within me; 

my heart within me is appalled. 

 5  I remember the days of old; 

I meditate on all that you have done; 

I ponder the work of your hands. 

 6  I stretch out my hands to you; 

my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah 

 7  Answer me quickly, O Lord! 

My spirit fails! 

  Hide not your face from me, 

lest I be like those who go down to the pit. 

 8  Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, 

for in you I trust. 

  Make me know the way I should go, 

for to you I lift up my soul. 

 9  Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord! 

I have fled to you for refuge. 

 10  Teach me to do your will, 

for you are my God! 

  Let your good Spirit lead me 

on level ground! 

 11  For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life! 

In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble! 

 12  And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies, 

and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul, 

for I am your servant. 

‘in your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness! Enter not into judgement with your servant for no one living is righteous before you’. No-one is good, righteous or perfect when compared to God. Even the best, most just, kind, loving, well behaved person you know is; wicked, corrupt and flawed when compared to God. Even if you try to be good, follow the rules, you are never going to be good enough to reach the standard of being pure and holy. If your actions don’t let you down, your inactions, words or thoughts will. You are not perfect and you will never be completely righteous. Only one person that ever lived was, and his name is Jesus. 

The standard of righteousness that God has is impossible for you to reach, without accepting the love and sacrifice that Jesus made for you. He did live a perfect, holy life. Even though tempted, he never sinned. He too underwent peer pressure, had family expectations, encountered difficulties, had desires, wanted to do his own thing, but not once did he sin. The only way that you can be made righteous, like Jesus, is to accept that because he lived a perfect life and died a sinners death, all of your unrighteousness died with him. 

Unlike the writer of this psalm, David, you can know that you are made righteous. You are not going to be judged by God for all your sin, because when you accept Jesus life, death and resurrection and choose to live your life in submission to him, God sees only His perfect son, Jesus. He attributes to you the perfect ways, decisions, words and actions that Jesus did. If you accept that your life is in him, then you are pure, holy and righteous as Jesus is. You can know freedom from feeling less than good. You do not have to fear the final judgement when you have put your life into God’s hands through Jesus. Jesus put to death sin and judgement, so that you do not have to live in guilt and shame any more. Have you accepted this freedom? 

For ‘no one living is righteous’. In your own will and power you cannot reach the standards of goodness and purity that the Law of God requires. There is only one way. That is through dying to yourself and letting Jesus take charge of your life by accepting his sacrifice for you, and choosing to put God first for the rest of your life. Then, when God looks at you, He does not see that you are corrupt, evil or wicked. Thankfully, He sees the perfectly holy and good reflection of His son, Jesus! You cannot attain that standard by yourself no matter how hard you try.

David who wrote this psalm lived in the time before Jesus came, so he did not know that he could be made righteous, he knew that he tried but could never reach the standard of perfection required. He pleaded for mercy, he felt crushed and concerned about the weight of ungodliness in him and around him. He says, 'my spirit faints within me’ and ‘In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble’. You now live in a time when you can be free from that! Are you? Have you accepted that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus has made you holy? Are you living with your life dead to self and dedicated to following him? Jesus has done the work that David longed for. David pleads, ‘bring my soul out of trouble!’ God has done that through Jesus. Your soul no longer needs to be conflicted or in despair, you can have hope and joy again when you give your life to God because of all Jesus has done and modelled. You can be made new, given new life, hope and righteousness. Have you accepted it?

You have God

 Psalm 142:1–7 (ESV):  

1  With my voice I cry out to the Lord; 

with my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord. 

 2  I pour out my complaint before him; 

I tell my trouble before him. 

 3  When my spirit faints within me, 

you know my way! 

  In the path where I walk 

they have hidden a trap for me. 

 4  Look to the right and see: 

there is none who takes notice of me; 

  no refuge remains to me; 

no one cares for my soul. 

 5  I cry to you, O Lord; 

I say, “You are my refuge, 

my portion in the land of the living.” 

 6  Attend to my cry, 

for I am brought very low! 

  Deliver me from my persecutors, 

for they are too strong for me! 

 7  Bring me out of prison, 

that I may give thanks to your name! 

  The righteous will surround me, 

for you will deal bountifully with me. 

You can turn to God when you have nowhere left to turn. When no-one will listen to you, you have God. When no-one else will help, you have God. When there is no place of safety left, you have God. This was David’s reflection when he was terrified, confused, and in hiding because he was being persecuted. So scared and alone was he that he had taken to hiding in a cave, he didn’t know where else to go, everywhere he looked he could only see traps and danger. So in the darkness of the cave, David calls out to God for help for, ‘there is none who takes notice of me’ and 'no one cares for my soul’. All alone, no support, unnoticed, uncared for. 

As David realises that human help is non-existent, no one wants to be associated with him or acknowledge him, he turns to the One that never leaves or forsakes him. He acknowledges to God that, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living’. David is confident that God can provide all that he needs. God is his safety, provider, companion and supporter even when it seems as if the whole world is against him. David knows that he lives only because God wills it, and he has faith that God wants him to keep living. Although he is desperate, concerned for his physical safety and is ‘brought very low’, he knows that he is only breathing and surviving because God is providing life and refuge. Therefore David asks God for a miracle, ‘Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me’. His conclusion is that because there are enemies all around that haven’t yet found or harmed him, and that he still breathes, God has a purpose and a rescue mission in mind for him. Yet David knows he cannot come through this situation alone, he is not strong enough, and there is literally no other person to help, only God. That is all he needs, so he asks God for help. David is not strong enough, he cannot keep safe by himself and he cannot even breathe without God, so who else can he rely on?!

Have you ever got to that point of desperation or loneliness? Maybe you try to keep going, thinking that you can work things out or handle the persecution and difficulty. Yet there comes a point when you have to admit, ‘they are too strong for me’. You do not need to keep battling alone, God can be your refuge just like he was David’s. If you are a believer in God, you have Him on your side. You are not strong enough to deliver yourself, to change the hearts and minds of the enemies pursuing you, and you are not clever enough to outsmart them, but do you know who is? God. He wants to be your refuge, deliverer, strength and guide, are you inviting Him to be? God will bring you out of situations that feel like caves and prisons when you call out to Him. You too can be assured that ‘you will deal bountifully with me’. This was David’s recognition once he had poured out his fears. He remembered that he was not really alone, that he had a fierce protector, a great comforter, a wise guide, and the most powerful King in the universe on his side! Therefore he did not need to trust in the cave, or his own ideas, but he could trust in the One who would deal bountifully with him, and who is keeping him alive and safe right now. 

What is your realisation about God when things are tough in your life? What truth do you hold onto? 

Remember that in all circumstances of life, you have God, When you feel most desperate and alone, you have God, when you need safety and reassurance, you have God. Speak to Him. Trust Him. Listen to Him. For, ‘It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed”’ (Deuteronomy 31:8).

Reverence of Prayer

 Psalm 141:1–10 (ESV):  

1  O Lord, I call upon you; hasten to me! 

Give ear to my voice when I call to you! 

 2  Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, 

and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice! 

 3  Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; 

keep watch over the door of my lips! 

 4  Do not let my heart incline to any evil, 

to busy myself with wicked deeds 

  in company with men who work iniquity, 

and let me not eat of their delicacies! 

 5  Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; 

let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; 

let my head not refuse it. 

  Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds. 

 6  When their judges are thrown over the cliff, 

then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant. 

 7  As when one plows and breaks up the earth, 

so shall our bones be scattered at the mouth of Sheol. 

 8  But my eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord; 

in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenceless! 

 9  Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me 

and from the snares of evildoers! 

 10  Let the wicked fall into their own nets, 

while I pass by safely. 

‘Let my prayer be counted as incense before you’. 

In Old Testament times, there was an altar of incense in the temple between the Holy place and the Holy of Holies. The Holy of Holies being where the presence of God rested between the cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant (Leviticus 16:2), and the High Priest was only allowed to enter that place once a year. The place where this altar rests therefore is holy. reverent, and represents proximity to God. Yet He is still separate. His presence is behind the veil within the Holy of Holies, the place unreachable for most people all of the time. The burning of the incense right outside God’s dwelling place is significant as it acts as a bridge between the people and The Lord God. As the High Priest lit the incense both morning and twilight, the fragrance would emanate into the Holy of Holies, through The Holy Place and the Outer Court. So the aroma could be smelt by the priests, High Priest, everyday people and God. It was a reminder to God’s people of God’s holy presence, right there in their midst, and the connection they have with Him. They would of recognised the great privilege of being so close to God’s presence, yet still aware that they are separate. The fragrance of the incense connected both God and man. So, as this psalmist requests that his prayers are like incense, he is asking that they are an enjoyable aroma to The Almighty, that the words he speaks may be be holy, pure and pleasing to God, and he is remembering the great gift of connection he has to The Holy One. No wonder he later asks that God sets a guard over his mouth and watches over his lips! He realises that his prayers, using his words could either be a pleasant, perfumed fragrance, or become a stench to God, and he is concerned about that - how can he, a mere man, approach a holy awesome God?! The psalmists clearly considers with reverence the One he is approaching when he prays. He understands the value, privilege and power of being connected to God through prayer, and wants to honour the privilege that he has in approaching The Awesome and Almighty, Pure and Holy God. How do you approach prayer? Do you realise the privilege of the connection you have with God?

The psalmists also asks that his prayers are like ‘the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!’ 

The evening sacrifice was the second of the daily sacrificial offerings (the first being in the morning), and displays the constant need we as people have for forgiveness and atonement. At the start of the day we can ask for forgiveness, yet by the end of the day we need atonement again! These temple sacrifices required a spotless lamb, a year old. Nothing short of perfect innocence could be suitable to cleanse the nation of sin. This sacrificial system reminds us that we are dependent on God to absolve our sin multiple times a day, and that sin deserves death. This altar was located at the entrance, so completely different to the altar of incense. It is a stark reminder as you enter the temple that you are sinful, that sin deserves death, and nothing but a perfect sacrificial lamb can atone for sin. You would have to walk past this as you went in, you would smell the burning flesh and see the splattered blood before you entered the court where you were allowed to go. You could worship or glorify God before you first face up to your sin and God's great forgiveness. This altar was right as you enter, no getting away with it, no sneaking past, to be anywhere near God, you need to face the fact that sin has been dealt with, by and advocate - someone else acting on yuor behalf, because you'd only mess up again. How kind of God, thaty He always had prepared a method for people to be forgiven and have an opportunity to get closer to Him. For in reality, not one of us deserves to be anywhere near God’s presence. We cannot lift holy hands to Him as we all have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Without atonement, you cannot praise God, approach Him in prayer, let alone enjoy His presence. Sin must be dealt with first. Thank God, that He knew this and catered for this even when the temple and tent of meeting were being designed! 

Today as we approach God, we do so because the ultimate, perfect, spotless lamb has been sacrificed through the death of God’s own son, The Lamb of God, Jesus. No longer are morning and evening sacrifices required, because Jesus died once and for all. You now have the right and permission to enter God’s presence by accepting that your sins have been atoned for through Jesus. Once you confess  your sins, and your faith in him, you are forgiven. Then you can enter the presence of God, you can worship, talk to Him, and sit with Him wherever and whenever you want! What an incredible gift to us is the sacrifice of Jesus! 

You now get to enjoy the wonderful promise of God, when He gave instructions for this altar to be built that, “I will meet with you, to speak to you there” (Exodus 29:37-39). You now have the privilege of meeting God and hearing from Him when you accept that your sins have been forgiven through Jesus. You do not have to undergo sanctification, give a perfect lamb as sacrifice, or be one particular man allowed once a year into God’s presence. God promises that He will meet you and speak with you! All because Jesus has atoned for you, so you can now meet with God and speak with Him! What a great privilege! You can enter into God’s presence, and have a relationship with Him because God has always been making a way for His people to get close to Him. So when you next pray and ask God about something, think about how you are approaching Him, what you say, and what God has done to allow you to be in His presence. 

Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked

 Psalm 140:1–13 (ESV):  

1  Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; 

preserve me from violent men, 

 2  who plan evil things in their heart 

and stir up wars continually. 

 3  They make their tongue sharp as a serpent’s, 

and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah 

 4  Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; 

preserve me from violent men, 

who have planned to trip up my feet. 

 5  The arrogant have hidden a trap for me, 

and with cords they have spread a net; 

beside the way they have set snares for me. Selah 

 6  I say to the Lord, You are my God; 

give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord! 

 7  O Lord, my Lord, the strength of my salvation, 

you have covered my head in the day of battle. 

 8  Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; 

do not further their evil plot, or they will be exalted! Selah 

 9  As for the head of those who surround me, 

let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them! 

 10  Let burning coals fall upon them! 

Let them be cast into fire, 

into miry pits, no more to rise! 

 11  Let not the slanderer be established in the land; 

let evil hunt down the violent man speedily! 

 12  I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, 

and will execute justice for the needy. 

 13  Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; 

the upright shall dwell in your presence. 

Evil people plan your demise. They may not seem wicked, in fact they may be friends walking right next to you, planning to trip you up, hiding traps, snares and nets for you to get entangled in. For how can someone you don’t know be so well acquainted with your paths and ways? Some of the people you are living life with may turn out to be arrogant, violent and wicked. Yet do not concern yourself, or get worried or overwhelmed by this. For you have The Lord your God on your side. Look at David, Isaiah, Elijah, John the Baptist, Jesus and Stephen as examples - they were well known for being men of God. Through their lives they suffered and were persecuted, often by people they knew. Yet that did not stop them! Instead of giving into fear and turning away from what God had called them to, they turned to God in their discomfort and desperation. 

In this psalm David recounts his concerns about the ways the wicked are trying to get him. He calls out to God saying, ‘You are my God….my Lord, the strength of my salvation….Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked’. When you see wickedness, when you hear of the plots of evil and see unholiness, recognise it for what it is, do not be afraid to name it and appeal to God to stop it. Righteousness and wickedness hate each other. This means men and women will battle against the will of God, even unknowingly, because it causes them discomfort in their wicked ways, and so they seek to end it. When you see this, do as David did and implore God to not let evil prevail. Then remember that He is ‘the strength of my salvation’. You can depend upon God to bring salvation to His people, to end evil and to be your strength. You will suffer, yet, you can also be assured that God has a purpose and salvation in mind through what is happening.

Followed by David’s outpouring of fury and pain, he concludes his prayer in confidence saying ‘Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name’ because God ‘will execute justice’. When you know who God is and what His character is like, you can rest in confidence even when surrounded by enemies, persecuted, trapped and hunted. In the end, God’s people will have reason to worship as God ‘will execute justice’. There will be nothing anyone can do about it, God will not be held back, He WILL have His way. So you can be confident that anything and anyone that comes against Him will be dealt with. So, bring your concerns and fears to God, your emotional response to whatever is going on, and remember just who God is. learn to depend upon His mercy, strength and judgement. Be sure to acknowledge that God is in charge even when wickedness seems to be winning. God is your salvation, your hope, the bringer of justice, He will ‘maintain the cause of the afflicted’, and He will prove, once again, that He is worthy of praise. The day will come when the suffering stops, evil exists no more, and wickedness wanes. You can guarantee that because God reigns. 

Search me O God

Psalm 139:1–24 (ESV):  

1  O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 

 2  You know when I sit down and when I rise up; 

you discern my thoughts from afar. 

 3  You search out my path and my lying down 

and are acquainted with all my ways. 

 4  Even before a word is on my tongue, 

behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. 

 5  You hem me in, behind and before, 

and lay your hand upon me. 

 6  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; 

it is high; I cannot attain it. 

 7  Where shall I go from your Spirit? 

Or where shall I flee from your presence? 

 8  If I ascend to heaven, you are there! 

If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 

 9  If I take the wings of the morning 

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 

 10  even there your hand shall lead me, 

and your right hand shall hold me. 

 11  If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, 

and the light about me be night,” 

 12  even the darkness is not dark to you; 

the night is bright as the day, 

for darkness is as light with you. 

 13  For you formed my inward parts; 

you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 

 14  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. 

  Wonderful are your works; 

my soul knows it very well. 

 15  My frame was not hidden from you, 

  when I was being made in secret, 

intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 

 16  Your eyes saw my unformed substance; 

  in your book were written, every one of them, 

the days that were formed for me, 

when as yet there was none of them. 

 17  How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! 

How vast is the sum of them! 

 18  If I would count them, they are more than the sand. 

I awake, and I am still with you. 

 19  Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! 

O men of blood, depart from me! 

 20  They speak against you with malicious intent; 

your enemies take your name in vain. 

 21  Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? 

And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? 

 22  I hate them with complete hatred; 

I count them my enemies. 

 23  Search me, O God, and know my heart! 

Try me and know my thoughts! 

 24  And see if there be any grievous way in me, 

and lead me in the way everlasting! 

Have you ever asked God to ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!’? Or does that idea terrify you? David must have been completely confident in his righteousness as he wrote this psalm. He asked God to search him, and he was prepared to act on anything that God would highlight as ‘grievous’ - What faith! David clearly had confidence to approach God like this, and totally trusted in the goodness, righteousness and mercy of the One he spoke to. He understood that God is holy and pure, and so who better to search and know him, and point out any wrongdoing than someone who is purely good. This demonstrates David’s deep desire to live a life in line with God’s ways and precepts. He is prepared to allow God to pinpoint where he is going wrong, because he knows it is better for him. Plus it will benefit those he loves and leads as he becomes a better follower of God. So he completely trusts and even asks God to have a critical look at his whole life. This would mean his; actions, inactions, thought processes and decisions. David knows that God can ‘discern my thoughts from afar…. and are acquainted with all my ways’. David knows he can trust God and invites Him to show him what He sees. Often we are not very good at judging ourselves, either being too critical or too lenient in our self-assessments, so much better to ask Father God who intimately knows and loves you, He will give you a real and just appraisal!

David knows that because God really knows him; his design, thoughts, speech, heart, desires, ways, patterns of work and rest, God can truly judge. God knows all of these things, and still loves David. The same is true for you. David knows that God sees where he goes whether near or far, in the open or hidden, in darkness or daytime - God knows all of it! The same is true for you. Nothing is hidden or unknown to Him. God knows, loves and understands you better than you even know yourself. So who better to ask to search and know you? Who better to ask what you should do, say, or if you are thinking right? 

When you find things confusing or are unsure whether you should have said or done something, go to God. Ask Him about it. Ask Him to, 'Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts'. For He will tell you the truth. God is good and pure, and He knows and loves you. His response will be upright and just, He will lead and guide you, admonish and uplift you so that you can learn to follow Him better. Other people can give you ideas, opinions, correction and affirmation, but there is only One who knows you well enough to really understand and see beyond the surface. It should not be a scary thing to go to God asking Him to search you, know your heart, and your thoughts. He loves you and has invited you to live for eternity with Him. So you can confidently ask Him to reveal things in you because He will do it with kindness and love. He does not seek to hurt or harm you - look at all the times He has protected and fought for you. Instead God will listen, speak to you, and give you good direction. He will heal your heart and your mind if you ask Him to, and will lead you into ‘the way everlasting’. Is that where you want to go? Are you willing for God to search your heart and mind so that you can live as a better follower?