Psalm 31:3
Yes, You are my Rock and my Fortress; therefore for Your name’s sake lead me and guide me.
God is where I hide. I know that's a strange thing to say but God is my hiding place. He is the safest place I've ever known and I go there often. I go to Him all the time. One of the greatest lessons I ever learned was that you can't tell God what you think. You have to let Him inform you. I recently had an exercise in this. The Lord woke me in the middle of the night and told me not to do something. Something I'd already said I would do. My response "Give me a dream that clearly tells me not to do this and I will do your will." Check this out....He did. He had me dream a dream I hadn't ever thought of or imagined and it was clear as day that I was not to do this thing. I still have no idea what it was but I know that there was a reason. Part of being guided is listening and following direction. Its not always easy, but its worth it.
Psalm 31:5
Into Your hands I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth and faithfulness.
A synonym for commit is bind. Lord I want my spirit to be bound to you. You have made me acceptable in your sight by your own sacrifice because you wanted a relationship with me so badly. You, God, extended the ultimate invitation for relationship and I can stand humbly before you grateful to have even seen the passing shadow of your glory because the veil was torn. You have never led me astray and you're always you.
Psalm 31:18
Let the lying lips be silenced, which speak insolently against the [consistently] righteous with pride and contempt.
Many will say things that aren't right against the righteous. Though I'm not claiming to be righteous, many people do and then they speak with venom that isn't found in your Word but they say they are coming on your behalf. I pray Oh, God that they be silenced as in this verse for the lie of a good, gracious, and forgiving God who is the very definition of love.
Psalm 32:5
I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord [continually unfolding the past till all is told]—then You [instantly] forgave me the guilt and iniquity of my sin.
My confession unto God is so vital to my relationship with Him. Nothing separates me from the Lord like avoiding confession. I know when I'm wrong. I knew I was wrong before I did it, when I was doing it, and after I'd done it. Its rare that I'm convicted of something I didn't know was wrong before I did it. The thing that keeps my relationship with Him so close is that I always go back. There's a song called "I'll Take You Back" and this is so true of Jesus. God is always willing to take you back. I am His beloved. He wants me to do right and He helps me each and every time I stumble to make that mistake less and less. The forgiveness He extends me is so critical to our relationship. I know that there's grace. Grace abounds for my human frailty and failings. God is so merciful to me and to everyone. Try Him.
Psalm 33:1
Rejoice in the Lord, O you [uncompromisingly] righteous [you upright in right standing with God]; for praise is becoming and appropriate for those who are upright [in heart]
My my my. The Lord is working with me on this RIGHT NOW! I had an opportunity recently to do the right thing in a situation where I didn't have to and OH did I want to be less than upright. There a huge difference between not being wrong and being upright. I can let stuff slide and it not be wrong. Being upright means nothing slides. It means everything is examined. It means I can't let myself give less than a perfect effort. I had to call an accountability partner and check in on my uprightness but ultimately the God in me prevailed. And did I rejoice because the Lord showed me two things: 1. There's freedom in being upright and 2. Choosing to be upright will cause you less pain in the long run. God has a rhythm and a reason for everything. Trust is the whole game though. You've got to trust Him.
Psalm 33:4-5
For the word of the Lord is right; and all His work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the loving-kindness of the Lord.
One of the things that the Lord has given me is a keen sense of his majesty through nature. I love worshiping God by just taking in how much He loves me based on this beautiful land that's He's given humanity. Look around. That sunset was just for you. That bird that sang so sweetly, that was for you. The sweet honeysuckle was a gift from above. Those mountains tell you how much bigger your God is to have simply molded them in His hand. The very earth is an example of His love for us. Go out and enjoy it! I am!
Psalm 33:8-9
Let all the earth fear the Lord [revere and worship Him]; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
Sometimes its good to just meditate on who God is. Have you ever just sat back and considered exactly who God is? The nature of God? There is a gap in the lexicon for describing God accurately. We try and try but there just isn't anything better for me than God is and sometimes God is love. That's all I've got.
Psalm 33: 21-22
For in Him does our heart rejoice, because we have trusted (relied on and been confident) in His holy name.
Let Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, be upon us, in proportion to our waitingand hoping for You.
Lord knows the trusting is hard but its a muscle. The more you work it the stronger it becomes. Trust Him for some thing that's audacious. Something only He could do and watch! Nothing brings me greater joy than being able to say "God did that!" The very first acknowledgment slide of my dissertation was a picture of Jesus on the Cross. Its the stained glassed window from 16th St. Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL because Jesus is the only reason I made it though a PhD. Alpha and Omega. That's the whole story. Trusting Him through that and through so many other things has been such an exercise of my faith. I'm believing for a whole host of things right now that I can't is even working out but God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above and I've got just enough faith to pray a big FAT prayer to my God.
I've always believed in praying until you see something shift. Praying until you see change. And I honestly believe there is something to be said for the waiting. The waiting purifies the mind. Its the waiting that builds character. Its in the waiting that you really rely on God. The waiting...... Somebody say its in the waiting that your faith is proven. Just wait on Him. He'll be clearer than water. There's something in the waiting y'all.
Psalm 34:18
The Lord is close to those who are of a broken heart and saves such as are crushed with sorrow for sin and are humbly and thoroughly penitent.
In seasons of brokenheartedness, I've clung ever so closely to God. Last year when I didn't get into medical school and I thought I might actually be loosing my mind: Gospel music. Gospel music telling me who God is and what God thinks about me and the scarifies He's made of me and what He's calling me to are the only reason I'm typing on this computer today. When I tell you I was kept by Jesus?!?!?! I mean if it had NOT been for the Lord, I would be worshiping in Heaven and not on earth. Do you need that clearer? Had my faith not anchored me to truth, the lies I was believing about my value and worth would have cost me my life. But God. Closer than a brother and with a few beautiful and powerful assists from ML, Shannon, and LP made sure I got to this moment. The moment where I have sent off my deposits to hold my seat at Howard University College of Medicine. This moment right here is sponsored by those people and God and I believe God working through those people.
Psalm 35:28
And my tongue shall talk of Your righteousness, rightness, and justice, and of [my reasons for] Your praise all the day long.
You see I've got a testimony about my God. I've got to tell it! God has been so good to me despite my shortcomings and my mediocrity. When I didn't give a perfect effort, God gave perfect love and that was enough to wash away anything I'd every done. I stand in the light because God thinks I'm worthy to be there. And I worship, because I know there's nothing I've ever done to earn this light but its mine. By grace and faith its mine.
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