Purpose

This blog focuses on the quest to know and please God in a constantly increasing way. The upward journey never ends. My prayer is that this blog will reflect a heart that seeks God and that it will encourage others who share the same heart desire.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Psalm 119 - Resh

The words of prayer in this stanza reveal a heart of maturity. The psalmist has developed a deep relationship with God and a strong bond with His Word. He makes some bold statements to reveal this relationship. "I do not forget Your law" (v. 153). "I do not turn aside from Your testimonies" (v. 157). "Consider how I love Your precepts" (v. 159). He also claims to "loathe [the treacherous] because they do not keep" God's Word (v. 158).

These statements are a far cry from the longings expressed in the opening stanza of the psalm. In the beginning the psalmist saw other believers living that way, and he desired it for himself. The first stanza conveys almost a sense of wonder: Could this ever be true of me? Now it is. The psalmist isn't just saying words here in this stanza. He isn't trying to convince himself of his spirituality or impress others with his maturity. He is speaking directly to God, someone that he knows he cannot fool. He is able to declare these statements without shame or fear because God Himself knows they are true of him.

The psalmist makes these statements with a purpose. His prayer shares a request and a reason for making the request. "Look upon my affliction and rescue me, for [because] I do not forget Your law" (v. 153). What is it about this man's relationship with the Word that gives him the boldness to make such a request? How can he feel so free to ask what he does from God?

In part, it is because maturity has taught him what to expect from God. As he has learned what the Word teaches, he has seen God's character revealed. Three times in this stanza, the psalmist asks for revival. In each case he asks for it based on what God's Word says about His character and what He will do. "Revive me," he prays, "according to Your word" (v. 154), "according to Your ordinances" (v. 156), "according to Your lovingkindness" (v. 159). From his knowledge of the Word and of God revealed in the Word, he knows that revival of the righteous is to be expected. He also knows the same response is not expected for the wicked. He knows that "salvation is far from the wicked" (v. 155) because they don't seek God.

Along with knowing what to expect from God, the psalmist is also bold to ask for help because of the relationship he has with God. This is not a man whom God sees as a stranger or a casual acquaintance. He is not a "Sunday morning" Christian or someone who gives lip service only. This is a man who is devoted to God and His Word. Verses already mentioned recount his remembrance of, obedience to, and love for the Word. He esteems God and His Word highly, stating, "Great are Your mercies" (v. 156), and "The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting" (v. 160).

The psalmist is not afraid to give the reasons why God should work on his behalf, nor is he afraid to ask God to act. His prayer may provoke the question, "Does God  intervene in a greater way for faithful and mature Christians than He does for others?" The answer is too complex for human minds to fully comprehend, but the answer seems to be that at least sometimes He does. The answer is not strange when examined from a human comparison; people are more likely to do something significant for their families or close friends than for total strangers. God is not limited to human responses, and He sometimes does amazing things even for those who don't "deserve" them. There does seem to be support, however, for asserting that God does special things for those who have shown themselves to be His friends in a special way.

The emphasis is on the relationship. A mature Christian doesn't earn or deserve God's blessings because of what he does. Christian groups have routinely conducted studies and surveys to find out what makes a successful Christian or some similar goal. This can lead to artificial Christianity, as people will then pray or read or attend or dress or talk to a specified criteria, expecting their actions to automatically produce the desired result. They fail to realize that it is a devoted heart that leads to the desired goal; the actions and behaviors are reflections of that heart rather than checklists of effective steps for reaching that goal.

That devoted heart is what allows the psalmist to pray as he does. He is bold enough to ask what he does because he has the spiritual maturity, based on his knowledge of God's Word, that lets him know what is reasonable to expect from God. He is also bold to ask because he has the intimate relationship with God that gives him a basis for this kind of conversation. He mentions his maturity, and he asks for revival, but he does not require God's response; anything other than a completely submissive spirit would belie the devoted relationship he claims to have.

"Consider how I love Your precepts; revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness." Psalm 119:159 (NASB)

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