My friend David Gagel is refreshing my love for the psalms. Each morning he sends me a verse or two to contemplate, and with which to start my day, and I’ve decided that God’s songbook is the best one on the market. In fact, last time I checked, you could enjoy everything in it for free!
Today I’m thinking about Psalms 51, 52, and 53. Psalm 51 is my go-to when I’ve sinned. Psalm 52 is my wake-up call – among many others – when I’m afraid of my enemies, or when I’ve been overcome by own pride and confusion. (God’s Word can cut both ways like that. Some days I relate to the “green olive tree in the house of God,” but other days I know all too well that the antagonist in the story is none other than me.) And Psalm 53 puts me in my place when I’ve become caught up in my own religious pride. I’d love to be able to tell you that I never need any of those psalms, but the truth is that I need all three of them far more often than I consult any one of them. I suppose you could say that I can be a slow learner.
David, Israel’s king, pours out his heart in all three songs. They’re like the best love songs in the entire universe! I like the thought of pouring out my own heart before the Lord, but sometimes I’m really good at making excuses … “I don’t have time for that” … “I really don’t need to repent of that” … “If I get real with God about all the junk in my heart right now, there’s no telling what He’s doing to make me deal with in there!” I repeat: I can be a slow learner.
But, if you’re interested, here are some things that I’m finding to be true of God – and they’re right out of His own hymnal. Beloved friend, I hope they encourage your heart today …
God doesn’t have to be impressed with how well I’m doing. The achievements of Pastor Charles, meh. But the achievements of Jesus, now we’re talking! (And I’m clothed with Him.) So I don’t need to impress God. On the cross, Christ provided all the validation that I will ever need. Despite my best efforts, or my worst days, I am loved. I. Am. Loved.
God wants to redeem the most broken pieces of my soul. “He restores my soul,” if I may borrow from another psalm. Will this restoration always be a fun journey? Well, certainly not every step. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. That’s a hard moment of surrender for me, but it’s also my lifeline – and Christ’s tender mercy in disguise.
God longs to hang out with the real me, even when the real me doesn’t have his act together (at all). “Adam – I mean Charles – where are you?” Where. Are. YOU. (And it’s not like He’s seeking any new information for Himself.) You and I are the wayward rebels, but our gracious God is the relentless pursuer. He is the hound of heaven!
God already knows that I’m worse than I think I am. He knows that I judge others more strictly than I judge myself. He knows how severely my tongue can bite, and my heart betray. Only He can usher me into the presence of the godly … but that is the door that Jesus has opened wide for me. I can come right on in, and meet with my Father, anytime. His door is open and His light is on.
God doesn’t fool around with lying or with liars. I can be either or both. Just put me in the right (wrong?) circumstances. I can flipflop like the flipflopper of all flipfloppers! I am human to the core. I am flawed to the bone. I am a restless idolater. I need a Savior.
God will set the record straight. He doesn’t even need my help. I keep forgetting this one, but the songbook keeps singing me gentle reminders. I can rest. Even now, I can rest.
God knows what’s going on when no one else has a clue. (He never has to Google a thing.) He’s the Master. He’s the Potter. He’s the Alpha and Omega.
God isn’t depending on any one of us in order to accomplish His sovereign purposes. His kingdom isn’t propped up by my goodness. Were the kingdom of Christ dependent upon my own faithfulness, it would be in perpetual peril. No! The kingdom of God rests upon a firm foundation, and “It is finished.”
God wants to show me the connections between my faith struggles and my favorite sins. Ouch. Do I want to know the truth? No! No. Well, maybe. Yes. Yes! Yes! Yes! I need His living water. Maybe you do too.
I wish I could show you, by means of my own life, a pastor who always has his act together – a spiritual hero or a theological giant – but I simply can’t. I’m a wayward traveler. Your fellow struggler. A beggar who’s found some bread. But I can show you a real Hero who’s recorded some awesome songs. He used David. He used Moses. He used Solomon. He used the family of Korah. But, make no mistake about it, these songs are God’s living and life-giving songs. And as we sing His songs along our journey, He writes the song of our lives.
Shall we sing?
Pastor Charles
So Good, Pastor Charles, Amen!