Trusting God

Zeal for God’s Name

April 30, 2021 By LMW

If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
    Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
They speak of you with evil intent;
    your adversaries misuse your name.
Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
    and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
I have nothing but hatred for them;
    I count them my enemies.
Psalm 139:19-22 NIV

David suddenly turned his attention from the Lords wonderful work in our lives to the wickedness in the world. He was keenly aware of evil people whose activities opposed Gods purposes. Indeed, wicked men had tried repeatedly to thwart God’s plan for his own life. David prayed passionately for God to judge the wicked, and he ordered these violent men to stay away from him.

David called on God to remove the wicked from the world so that His righteousness and love could flow freely. He prayed specifically against the bloodthirsty men who opposed God’s people and opposed the purpose and plans God had for them. They hated God’s people so viciously because they themselves hated God.

David declared his unwavering loyalty to God, stating plainly that he hated those who hated the Lord. Besides that, he grieved or was disgusted by their opposition to God. David’s hatred of the wicked was motivated by his zeal for the Lord. He despised the wicked so strongly because he loved the Lord so passionately. He viewed God’s enemies as his own enemies.

When Christ came, He gave us, His followers, a new command to follow with regard to our enemies: we are to love and pray for our enemies. Why? Because God desires for all people to repent and be saved (2 Peter 3:9). At the same time, we are commanded to stand against all evil and wickedness. While we are on a mission to win every lost person to Christ, we are also warned about friendship with the world. Ultimately, we should remember that our enemies are not flesh and blood but are instead powers and rulers of darkness.

As followers of Christ, we need to constantly seek the balance that Jesus spoke about: to be in the world, but not of the world. That is, we are to be a part of the world so we can reach people for Christ and uphold righteousness, but we must not let the evil of the world pull us away from obedience to God.

This balance is also stated in the saying, “Hate the sin but love the sinner.” We are to stand strongly against everything that is opposed to God and His truth. But while doing so, we are to show the love of Christ to all who are a part of those things. We are to do everything possible to reach them with the life-saving gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 NIV

The God Who Sees Us

April 29, 2021 By LMW

You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.
Psalm 139:1-6 NIV

Living with constant awareness of God’s omniscience is a key element to the Christian walk. The fact that the Lord knows everything about us—down to the smallest detail—should both comfort us and motivate us to live pure and righteous lives. It should also convict us greatly. Before we speak an untruth, dwell on an impure thought, or commit a sinful act, our awareness that God knows about it may deter us from sin.

Do not be deceived into thinking you can sin and get away with it. Even when no other human being is watching, God is. His all-seeing eye catches everything we do, and we are fully accountable to Him. Remember Achan (Joshua 7), who thought no one would know when he disobeyed God by taking a portion of Jericho’s spoil. No human eyes witnessed his treacherous deed, but the Lord saw him, and Achan paid for his sin with his life.

On the other hand, God’s omniscience should serve as a great source of comfort. Nothing that happens to us escapes God’s attention. He is fully aware of every trouble, trial, and threat we face. He is constantly watching over us, guarding and protecting us at all times. We can rest peacefully and walk fearlessly through life knowing that His loving, careful eye is always on us.

Search Me

April 29, 2021 By LMW

You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.
Psalm 139:1-6 NIV

Every day, multitudes of people around the world hear the news that they have cancer or some other disease that puts their lives at risk. In many cases, no symptoms presented themselves to warn the people that something was wrong. In the majority of cases, though, specific symptoms led the doctors to their diagnoses. Still, other individuals who are obviously sick go undiagnosed for years despite a battery of tests.

While x-rays, scans, and other marvels of modern technology reveal much of what is underneath our skin, doctors still find it necessary sometimes to perform exploratory surgery. In exploratory surgery, a doctor opens a person up for the purpose of seeing clearly what cannot be seen otherwise. This is the only way to get to the root of the problem.

Psalm 139 is an exploratory journey of sorts. In it, David celebrates the omniscience and omnipresence of God. He proceeds to discuss how wonderfully and carefully we are made by our Creator who loves us deeply and forms us according to His glorious plan for our lives. Then, suddenly, David jumps to a different subject: his hatred for his wicked enemies. Having established that God knows everything about us, David closes with a strange request: he asks God to explore him within to reveal if he has any hidden sins, any secret sins he may not be aware of. In essence, David asked God to perform spiritual exploratory surgery on him, to probe him deeply and painfully to reveal any spiritual cancers or disease within him.

Scripture states a frightening truth: we cannot fully know the wickedness and deceit that lie within our sinful hearts. We are totally capable of thinking we are right when we are actually wrong. We do not always recognize the sin in our own lives. Furthermore, we may think we have suppressed and even defeated certain feelings and desires when they are destroying us without our being aware of them.

For all these reasons and more, we need to follow David’s example and open ourselves up to God, earnestly desiring that He search us within.