I call out to you; save me
and I will keep your statutes.
I rise before dawn and cry for help
I have put my hope in Your word.
My eyes stay open through all the watches of the night,
that I may meditate on your promises.
Hear my voice in accordance with your love;
preserve my life, Lord, according to your laws.
Those who devise wicked schemes are near,
but they are far from your law.
Yet you are near, Lord,
and all your commands are true.
Long ago I learned from Your statutes
that you established them to last forever-
Psalm 119 145-152
Even from a young age, I have always been an early bird. Early to bed, early to rise. Although that has not changed, the manor in which I wake up has. When I was a kid and had no worries except for which kind of Poptarts I would have for breakfast, the spirit that I woke with was one of joy and laughter, with the excitement that a new day brings. Now that I am older and life has had a few turns at bat against me, I find it harder to get a decent night's rest without being awake with all of life's troubles. But here, the psalmist is saying that he, too, is up before the dawn, but not in worry or fear. When he awakes, he is reminded of all the promises God has spoken and declared over his life. He is reminded that even when the current problem of the day is, sometimes, quite literally at his doorstep, it doesn't change the fact that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. When we fully trust in the Lord, the enemy can only get so far before hightails away from the presence of the Lord and heads for the hills. King David lived a life full of fear and worry, but he is still regarded as a man after God's own heart, because despite the current situation he is in, God's decrees and statutes still hold true. God has never once failed King David, and he doesn't plan to start with us. In fact, we ae assured from Paul's letter to the church in Philippi that if God has started a work in your, a good work, He is faithful and able to carry it to completion. When can rest, or be awoken by the fact that if God has spoken a promise over your life, his track record proves himself worthy of completing it.
The Hebrew letter this section of the psalm is the letter Qoph. In it's most simple explanation, we find that it means "Set apart for a sacred purpose"- God blessed the 7th day and called it Holy (Qadash), Gen 2:3. What I believe the psalmist is trying to convey in this stanza of the psalms is that when we cry out to God, from a heart is is soft and pliable, not a heart that has let the world affect us, God will be reminded of the promises on your life and continue to make a way through the mess. Now, don't misinterpret what I'm saying here. God doesn't need reminding, but he wants His children to come to the throne willing and unafraid to remind ourselves that He is who He says He is. The world chases after evil, and therefore have decided to run away from God and his commands. I want to run towards the Father, jump into his loving, open arms and speak the truth He has so graciously placed inside me.
I have said this before and I will continue to say it. God wants our whole heart, not just on Sunday Mornings. Not just in the 5 minutes we set aside in the day on our prayer-to-do-list. A life of prayer should be continuous and integrated into every aspect of our lives. David lived this out everyday, because he knew God would come through for him without any doubt or tribulation that came his way. God's will would prevail, no matter the outcome, but he only had this assurance because he spent his life in prayer. Through every season, every valley and mountaintop, God was always at the forefront of David's mind, so there was no room for anything else to try and take its place. This was possible, because David made sure that prayer was a lifestyle, not a checkmark on a list. He could rest in the presence of his enemies, because he knew God was already superseding on his behalf. Makes it super easy to sleep at night knowing God is already fighting our battles, doesn't it. I choose to rest in the Lord and trust that when my heart is open, He knows how to get in and how to bring peace and comfort to my anxious soul.
Rest well, my friends. The battle is already won.
Adam Semple- A Young Man on a Journey through the Psalms
No comments:
Post a Comment