Tag: Psalm 51

Our Walking through our Valley, Our Walking through the Fires; Finishing our struggle, Surrendering unto God. Psalm 51:10-17

Psalm 51:10-17 Common English Bible

10 Create a clean heart for me, God;
    put a new, faithful spirit deep inside me!
11 Please don’t throw me out of your presence;
    please don’t take your holy spirit away from me.
12 Return the joy of your salvation to me
    and sustain me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach wrongdoers your ways,
    and sinners will come back to you.

14 Deliver me from violence, God, God of my salvation,
    so that my tongue can sing of your righteousness.
15 Lord, open my lips,
    and my mouth will proclaim your praise.
16 You don’t want sacrifices.
    If I gave an entirely burned offering,
    you wouldn’t be pleased.
17 A broken spirit is my sacrifice, God.[a]
    You won’t despise a heart, God, that is broken and crushed.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Our Continually Struggling to Surrender to God

Psalm 51 was written by King David after he committed the sin of adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband killed to cover his sin (2 Samuel 11).

It has been said of David that he sinned big, but repented bigger.

But only after he was ‘publicly’ caught by Nathan in David’s throne room. One has to wonder how this scripture would read if Nathan never confronts David.

But God, who sees everything no matter how hard or deep we try to hide our actions, was not blind to David’s severest of transgression – his Capital Crime.

God sent Nathan to David’s throne room and fortunately so – lest the wrath of God be meted out without any scriptural announcements – a bolt of lightning strikes David on his throne with no witnesses to testify or witness the event.

David is consigned to a violent death and we probably do not have a lineage that would have been steadfastly honorable, or noteworthy to proclaim as Psalm 51.

Let us shout “Thanks Be to God” for sending Nathan with God’s message of life!

Because now generations of men, women and children are blessed by Psalm 51.

David became for us an inspiring, empowering model to us of what real heart felt repentance looks like. He mightily struggled with his sin, so much so that he took off his crown and regal regalia, and surrendered his throne which God granted to him and walked sullenly to the tabernacle to take a lonely seat before God His Judge for his righteous Judgment – keep the throne or be publicly tried.

He had no promises that God would permit his return to the throne, he might well have done the same as he first did to Saul, to remove His Spirit from Him, essentially permanently remove His support, from which Saul never recovered.

David understood the gravity of his crime against God and understood that God could do the same to his as Saul, and nothing short of absolute surrender would be acceptable sacrifice. Psalm 51 is David’s agonized cry to God for forgiveness.

Psalm 51:17 says, “My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”

The meaning of this is connected with Verse 16 says, “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.”

David is stating that there is nothing we can offer God to appease Him when we have sinned. When we have strived more mightily to stay in control. More not superficial but well intentioned animal sacrifices were not what God was going to be looking for nor even .00001% accept as our God desires true repentance.

Many people miss this truth. Rather than repent, they try to rush in with their superficial “clean up their act,” give more, pray more, or busy themselves in other religious activity in hopes God will finally “get over” being mad at them.

In Psalm 51, David is saying he knows that God wants none of that. External religious activity cannot replace internal, heartfelt contrition (1 Samuel 16:7).

Psalm 51:17 points out the one and only thing God desires more than any other: brokenness over our own sin. When we agree with God about how bad our sin is, we take the first baby steps toward a sincere heartfelt reconciliation with Him.

As long as we try to “pseudo-surrender” justify, excuse, or rationalize the evil of our own sin bent hearts, we will never find our way back into God’s presence.

Something Jesus Himself made a point of declaring at the start of His Ministry;

Mark 1:14-15 Amplified Bible

Jesus Preaches in Galilee

14 Now after John [the Baptist] was arrested and [a]taken into custody, Jesus went to Galilee, preaching the good news of [the kingdom of] God, 15 and saying, “The  [appointed period of] time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life] and believe [with a deep, abiding trust] in the good news [regarding salvation].”

Nothing less than 100% surrender and repentance is our doorway to freedom.

Satan knows this better than us, does everything he can to detract us from it.

He suggests things that our selfish nature likes to hear:

“Your sin wasn’t that bad.” “Compared to others, you’re okay.” “God has forgotten it already. No need to confess it.”

When we listen to the devil’s cunning oily words, we will veer away from the doorway to freedom and remain in bondage. We may feel remorse or regret, but neither is sufficient substitute for true repentance (Genesis 3, Hebrews 12:15-17).

Hebrews 12:15-17 Amplified Bible

15 See to it that no one falls short of God’s grace; that no root of resentment springs up and causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; 16 and [see to it] that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single  meal. 17 For you know that later on, when he wanted [to regain title to] his inheritance of the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no opportunity for repentance [there was no way to repair what he had done, no chance to recall the choice he had made], even though he sought for it with [bitter] tears.

David reminds us in Psalm 51 that the only path to forgiveness is a broken heart and a humble spirit (cf. Matthew 5:3).

When we throw ourselves on the mercy of God, He delights to lift us up (Luke 18:13-14). When we openly acknowledge our sin against God, turn from it, and cry out for cleansing, God promises that He will hear us and forgive (1 John 1:9).

It is interesting to note that, although David sinned against Bathsheba and her murdered husband, Uriah, David surrenders this stunning confession to God:

“Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight” (Psalm 51:4).

David gets straight to the heart of why God so hates sin. It is an abomination, a hardcore heart hardened willful malicious pre-meditated violation of His very nature. We are each created in that image, but our sin mars it (Genesis 3), like a giant smudge of blackest tar on a mirror. Our broken spirit, our contrite heart, invite God to clean that smudge and restore us to right relationship with Him.

Now, Ponder long and hard the 100% authentic state of your “contrite” heart!

Now, Ponder long and hard the words “utter surrender.” then “Before God!”

Then … “prepare ye, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make your paths straight.”

OMG … Stand still, Quit striving against Him, “What will God wrought now?”

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 139:23-24 Amplified Bible

23 
Search me [thoroughly], O God, (investigate my life) and know my heart;
Test me and know my anxious thoughts;
24 
And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.

Psalm 19 Amplified Bible

The Works and the Word of God.

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

19 The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And the expanse [of heaven] is declaring the work of His hands.
2 
Day after day pours forth speech,
And night after night reveals knowledge.
3 
There is no speech, nor are there [spoken] words [from the stars];
Their voice is not heard.
4 
Yet their voice [in quiet evidence] has gone out through all the earth,
Their words to the end of the world.
In them and in the heavens He has made a tent for the sun,
5 
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber;
It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.
6 
The sun’s rising is from one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the other end of them;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7 
The law of the Lord is perfect (flawless), restoring and refreshing the soul;
The statutes of the Lord are reliable and trustworthy, making wise the simple.
8 
The precepts of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true, they are righteous altogether.
10 
They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
11 
Moreover, by them Your servant is warned [reminded, illuminated, and instructed];
In keeping them there is great reward.
12 
Who can understand his errors or omissions? Acquit me of hidden (unconscious, unintended) faults.
13 
Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous (deliberate, willful) sins;
Let them not rule and have control over me.
Then I will be blameless (complete),
And I shall be acquitted of great transgression.
14 
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable and pleasing in Your sight,
O Lord, my [firm, immovable] rock and my Redeemer.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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It is always easier to hold off or hang back in fear than to move forward in faith, in trust, easier but never better. Judges 7:10-11

Judges 7:9-11 Complete Jewish Bible

9 That night Adonai said to him, “Get up and attack the camp, because I have handed it over to you. 10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down with your servant Purah; 11  and after you hear what they are saying, you will have the courage to attack the camp.” So with his servant Purah he went down to the outposts of the camp.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

The Slow Walk to Fear or Spirit-Filled Boldness

Gideon knew a lot about fear and the hesitation it birthed.

He hesitated when God’s angel called him to lead Israel (Judges 6:13, 15).

He hesitated when Israel’s enemies gathered to oppose him (v 36-40).

And, it seems, he hesitated again the night before the battle in which God had promised victory (7:9-10).

And into this fear and hesitancy, God spoke.

Notice God’s grace and patience with Gideon as He says, “But if you are afraid…” and encourages him to take his servant down to the camp with him.

This is a sensitive way to address Gideon’s fear. It recognizes that, humanly speaking, there was great reason to be afraid! He was about to go into battle against an opponent whose soldiers outnumbered his by tens of thousands.

God didn’t rebuke him for his fear; instead, He gave him a valid reason to be bold and confident.

Like Gideon, we need such kind words from our Lord.

We are often slow to remember that we can cast all our cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7). We can boldly approach lay down all of our burdens and fears at His feet.

The veil is torn.

We’re permitted to come to Him and say that we don’t know what to do.

And His response is always filled with grace and sensitivity towards us.

What makes this story even more beautiful is Gideon’s response to God’s gentle suggestion.

During his discreet visit to the enemy camp, he overhears two men discussing a dream, which one soldier interprets as meaning that they will fall under “the sword of Gideon” because “God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp” (Judges 7:14).

When Gideon hears that and realizes that God has indeed gone before him to do what is impossible for him to do alone, what does he do? “He worshiped” (v 15).

There’s such wealth of gratitude and wisdom contained in that response.

Facing impossible odds but assured of God’s promise, this fearful, fragile, unlikely leader poured out his heart in worship and praise, and prayer and then utilized his new found God-given gift of steady courage to rally his troops. His boldness came from a private, secret moment between him and the Lord God.

There’s a difference between personality-driven schemes for manipulating people and genuine, Spirit-filled boldness.

One is produced on a purely human plane and is apt to crumble; the other can be discovered only as we humble ourselves before God, we freely acknowledge our inadequacy, and turn to His Word, remember His infinitely greater sufficiency.

That is a firm place on which to take our stand.

The antidote to fear isn’t more fear or more folly to think more highly of yourself, as so many claim. It’s to think more highly, reverently, of God.

It’s to trust in God’s enablement, over our own, which can grant you a holy, humble boldness beyond compare.

What are you fearful of right now?

Why are you delaying?

Why are you procrastinating?

Why are you hanging around, lingering, malingering, in all those shadows?

Why are you, like Jonah, looking for the fastest and most discrete ship to sail far in the opposite direction, to the furthest possible point away from the action?

What are you making what are obviously the world’s worst excuses against?

What responsibility are you really trying your hardcore hardest to avoid doing?

What lie or truth are you really trying your hardcore hardest to avoid learning?

Did Nathan visit your throne room? Is there a Psalm 51 thing you are avoiding?

Is there a truth you are trying your hardcore hardest to keep the deepest secret?

In what way are you tempted to hang back even though God is calling you to walk forward in obedience? Bring your fears to God. Ask Him to show you His ability to do what you cannot. Then trust Him, worship Him, and obey Him.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 32 Complete Jewish Bible

32 (0) By David. A maskil:

(1) How blessed are those whose offense is forgiven,
those whose sin is covered!
2 How blessed those to whom Adonai imputes no guilt,
in whose spirit is no deceit!

3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away
because of my groaning all day long;
4 day and night your hand was heavy on me;
the sap in me dried up as in a summer drought. (Selah)

5 When I acknowledged my sin to you,
when I stopped concealing my guilt,
and said, “I will confess my offenses to Adonai”;
then you, you forgave the guilt of my sin. (Selah)

6 This is what everyone faithful should pray
at a time when you can be found.
Then, when the floodwaters are raging,
they will not reach to him.

7 You are a hiding-place for me,
you will keep me from distress;
you will surround me
with songs of deliverance. (Selah)

8 “I will instruct and teach you
in this way that you are to go;
I will give you counsel;
my eyes will be watching you.”

9 Don’t be like a horse or mule
that has no understanding,
that has to be curbed with bit and bridle,
or else it won’t come near you.

10 Many are the torments of the wicked,
but grace surrounds those who trust in Adonai.
11 Be glad in Adonai; rejoice, you righteous!
Shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Seeking Authentic Transformation: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51

Psalm 51 New American Standard Bible 1995

A Contrite Sinner’s Prayer for Pardon.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David, when [a]Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

51 Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;
According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity
And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For [b]I know my transgressions,
And my sin is ever before me.
4 Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is evil in Your sight,
So that You [c]are justified [d]when You speak
And [e]blameless when You judge.

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the [f]innermost being,
And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.
7 [g]Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
[h]Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 [i]Make me to hear joy and gladness,
Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins
And blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create [j]in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew [k]a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
And sustain me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners will [l]be converted to You.

14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation;
Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, [m]open my lips,
That my mouth may declare Your praise.
16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;
You are not pleased with burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

18 By Your favor do good to Zion;
[n]Build the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then You will delight in [o]righteous sacrifices,
In burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then [p]young bulls will be offered on Your altar.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Our devotional verses today comes from David’s song of confession and prayer after his multiple, grievous sins against Uriah, Bathsheba, and God are placed before him by Nathan – David had tried to be so clever but God misses nothing.

His sins were especially heinous because God had blessed David with an eternal deliverance, and given him the very highest responsibility as Israel’s new King. 

We serve a God of powerful transformations.

All throughout Scripture God takes those whom the world deemed the lowest, the hopeless, and the helpless and uses them to change the world.

You are not beyond transformation.

God longs to break off that which inhibits you from experiencing fullness of life.

He longs to heal you, deliver you, and set you free.

As humans burdened and suffering from both our sins and the fallen nature of the world around us, we are in desperate need of relational transformation.

We are in desperate need of help from a God who has the power to not just clean us up on the outside but to transform us at the core of who we are.

But this God doesn’t force transformation on us.

He works when we make space for him to do so.

If we are going to authentically experience the freedom, joy, and purpose that can only come from the inner working of the Holy Spirit, we must be those who seek transformation in our relationship with God, with all our fellow neighbors.

Psalm 51:10-12 says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” 

Here in Psalm 51 David exemplifies the heart of one who seeks transformation.

He models for us a posture of humility that will lead to powerful encounters with God’s transformative love. He doesn’t sit back and merely live with that which plagues him but goes to God with his problems that he might be changed.

David begins as we all should in asking for God to do a mighty work in his heart.

And in this contrite act of asking God to create in him a clean heart, David opens himself up, leaves his throne so to receive the powerful work of the Holy Spirit.

To receive transformation from God we have to come before him humbly and honestly that he might have all time, space, to do the impossible in our lives.

Often we spend a majority of our efforts trying to convince others and ourselves that we don’t need help.

We work tirelessly to build up a façade that we always have it all together.

We do everything we can to maintain a sense of control in our lives—even in regard to our spirituality. But in doing so we place appearances above reality.

We allow that which is destroying us from the inside to persist simply because we are unwilling to acknowledge that we have need.

It’s as if we deliberately tried to cover up an external wound with our jewelry expecting the surface-level beauty of something to contain the power to heal what’s underneath. We don’t need that which covers up. We need the healing that only comes from going with an honest, open heart to the one true Healer.

God’s heart for you and me today is that we would put down our guards, take an honest look at our hearts, and recognize our need for the truest transformation.

He longs for us to take a moment and call out that which is robbing us of the abundant life he so willingly died to give us.

Your God is willing and able to transform you.

That which has plagued you for so long will be healed and broken off your life if you will continually seek transformation from your merciful heavenly Father.

As we come to relive those momentous moments in the Upper Room, in the Garden of Gethsemane, moments of hardcore betrayal, witness the long and brutal march to Golgotha, watch as he is nailed, listen as he tries to speak his final words above the din of laughing mocking witnesses, may you experience some powerful transformation today as you enter into a time of guided prayer.

When we listen to the false witnesses, see Pilate wash his hands, may our life be forever changed as we spend time discovering God’s heart for transformation.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the importance of seeking transformation. 

Allow Psalm 51:10-12 to be your model.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” Psalm 51:10-12

2. Take an honest look at your heart. 

Psalm 139:23-24 New American Standard Bible 1995

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
24 And see if there be any [a]hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.

Where do you need transformation?

What lie, habitual sin, perspective, or fear is robbing you of abundant life? What’s chaining you to the backward ways, cares, and burdens of the world?

3. Declare your need for transformation in that area to God. 

Psalm 25:1-7 New American Standard Bible 1995

Prayer for Protection, Guidance and Pardon.

A Psalm of David.

25 To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in You I trust,
Do not let me be ashamed;
Do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed;
[a]Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.

4 Make me know Your ways, O Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day.
6 Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they have been [b]from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
According to Your lovingkindness remember me,
For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.

Tell him you need his help.

Ask him to come and do a mighty work in your heart.

Listen to whatever he would speak over you, and trust that he will transform you if you continually seek his help.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

We all have areas in which we need transformation.

We all are in need of God’s help.

Not one of us is perfect.

Proverbs 3:5-8 New American Standard Bible 1995

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your [a]body
And refreshment to your bones.

Rather than spending all our energy trying to keep up appearances with others, yourself, with God, devote yourself completely to living honestly and humbly.

Stop exhausting yourself doing that which is of no value and seek help.

If you will commit to seeking continual transformation, your efforts will produce life and peace rather than more burden.

May your heart be filled with hope as the Holy Spirit works in your life today.

Psalm 32 New American Standard Bible 1995

Blessedness of Forgiveness and of Trust in God.

A Psalm of David. A [a]Maskil.

32 How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered!
2 How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit!

3 When I kept silent about my sin, my [b]body wasted away
Through my [c]groaning all day long.
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My [d]vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. [e]Selah.
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I did not hide;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”;
And You forgave the [f]guilt of my sin. Selah.
6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [g]in a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him.
7 You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble;
You surround me with [h]songs of deliverance. Selah.

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you with My eye upon you.
9 Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding,
Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,
Otherwise they will not come near to you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones;
And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9VCyWKZLoA

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Are We So Confident in God that We Will Sing the Goodness of God in An Exuberant Earth, in Our Lifetimes? Psalm 27:13-14

God is good all the time.

It’s easy to see God’s goodness when life is tastes like an Ice cold glass of lemonade on the hottest days of Summer.

When our hearts are happy our eyes are open to His glorious presence, His plan for our lives, and the beauty of His creation all around us.

But sometimes life is just so hard.

Life is just too bitter.

Life is just too disappointing.

Life seems to be so completely empty of anything which might be even loosely, so minimally defined, as being “good” and being “worthy.”

It’s in these times we must hold fast to this simple truth: “God is good” “God is GOOD all the time.”

But can we, will we, could we, should we, sing of it, actually “mean it?”

Psalm 27 The Message

27 Light, space, zest—
    that’s God!
So, with him on my side I’m fearless,
    afraid of no one and nothing.

2 When vandal hordes ride down
    ready to eat me alive,
Those bullies and toughs
    fall flat on their faces.

3 When besieged,
    I’m calm as a baby.
When all hell breaks loose,
    I’m collected and cool.

4 I’m asking God for one thing,
    only one thing:
To live with him in his house
    my whole life long.
I’ll contemplate his beauty;
    I’ll study at his feet.

5 That’s the only quiet, secure place
    in a noisy world,
The perfect getaway,
    far from the buzz of traffic.

6 God holds me head and shoulders
    above all who try to pull me down.
I’m headed for his place to offer anthems
    that will raise the roof!
Already I’m singing God-songs;
    I’m making music to God.

7-9 Listen, God, I’m calling at the top of my lungs:
    “Be good to me! Answer me!”
When my heart whispered, “Seek God,”
    my whole being replied,
“I’m seeking him!”
    Don’t hide from me now!

9-10 You’ve always been right there for me;
    don’t turn your back on me now.
Don’t throw me out, don’t abandon me;
    you’ve always kept the door open.
My father and mother walked out and left me,
    but God took me in.

11-12 Point me down your highway, God;
    direct me along a well-lighted street;
    show my enemies whose side you’re on.
Don’t throw me to the dogs,
    those liars who are out to get me,
    filling the air with their threats.

13-14 I’m sure now I’ll see God’s goodness
    in the exuberant earth.
Stay with God!
    Take heart. Don’t quit.
I’ll say it again:
    Stay with God.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

Freedom and Confidence “In the Land of the Living”

Psalm 27:13-14Amplified Bible

13 
I would have despaired had I not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
14 
Wait for and confidently expect the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for and confidently expect the Lord.

In a culture, in any society that prizes self-confidence and on a positive self-image, we are most surely and certainly tempted to think, if not wholeheartedly believe, that any relationship we claim to have with God should make a priority of focusing exclusively on ourselves, our own needs, our sense of self-worth.

But now, please consider what happens when self-assured people pray to God.

People who believe their relationship with God, not God’s relationship based on them, is based in their own merit and interests, will find prayer an empty ritual.

They will almost certainly tend to see little need for prayer, take little time for actual prayer and they don’t and probably will not see the results “they” expect.

Prayers offered in our own strength rise no higher than the roof over our heads.

Fervent and sincere Prayers “offered up to God” in our own confidence of our being “blessed by the goodness of God” being answered by God in our own way will invariably be the source of the “bitterness of our own disappointments.”

the “bitterness of our disappointments” will become our “bitterness’s in our God.”

Bitterness in anything translates to the severe diminishment in our confidence in whatever or why ever or whoever it is we have become badly embittered by.

The Word of God for His Children reveals what happens to the embittered heart:

Genesis 27:33-34 Amplified Bible

33 Then Isaac trembled violently, and he said, “Then who was the one [who was just here] who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I blessed him. Yes, and he [in fact] shall be (shall remain) blessed.” 34 When Esau had heard the words of his father, he cried out with a great and extremely bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!”

Our Bitterness in the Goodness of Man or Confidence in the Goodness of our God in the Land of the Living?

“I am 100% confident that all of mankind is inherently bad and bitter.”

What emotion(s) does that global statement stir up inside of your soul?

“I am 100% confident in saying that God is good, all the time, God is good.”

What emotion(s) does that statement of affirmation and faith stir up in you?

I know for some one statement stirs up much anger and resentment in all that is associated with all of the actions and activities of mankind upon this earth.

I know that for some the other phrase stirs up within them unspeakable joy, while others of us seem to be overly immune to any one emotion in our lives.

I believe the issue for many of us is that the repetition of phrase “God is good” is so frequently said, so frequently exhorted and so infrequently experienced.

For many of us we are just told that God is always good from a young age, but we are seldom given the chance to experience any negativity in that goodness.

Negativity is something God has always meant to be experienced by mankind.

Disappointment in mankind, disappointment in God were always meant by God to be experienced by mankind that the experiences of all our disappointments might be utilized by God, should be transformed by God into a stronger faith.

Job 1:20-21 Amplified Bible

20 Then Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head [in mourning for the children], and he fell to the ground and worshiped [God]. 21 He said,

“Naked (without possessions) I came [into this world] from my mother’s womb,
And naked I will return there.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Bitterness is something we were always meant to experience and mature from.

Disappointment is something we were always meant by God to experience – not to be protected nor to be shielded from by the highest of parental castle walls.

Perhaps mankind is too embittered, too disappointed by the fact that it is 100% impossible for them to build and fortify their walls enough to prevent the bad, to prevent the bad and the ugly from being seen and then “max” experienced.

Ecclesiastes 3:11-15 Amplified Bible
God Set Eternity in the Heart of Man

11 He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot ever hope to find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end.

12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good as long as they live; 13 and also that every man should eat and drink and see and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God. 14 I know that whatever God does, it endures forever; nothing can be added to it nor can anything be taken from it, for God does it so that men will fear and worship Him [with awe-filled reverence, knowing that He is God]. 15 That which is has already been, and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by [so that history repeats itself].

Everyone always want the better side of living life for the coming generations.

But this too is the worst expression of vanity mankind can have confidence in.

We all need the fullness of both in our and our children’s lives to know we will always need the fullness of something far greater than all our bitterness in life, that being the absolute fullness of Goodness which only comes from our God.

Goodness is something which was meant by God, always meant by God, to be, by measures and degrees experienced, then believed, not the other way around.

From Psalm 27 verse 13 David said that he had the highest confidence he would look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

He could in highest confidence say such a thing, possess such a high level of “blessed assurance in God” because he had also known the greatest bitterness.

In his great personal failures as a father – with his relationship with Absalom.

In his relationship with his wife and his adultery with Bathsheba, his personal relationship and deep personal confidence, friendship with Uriah the Hittite, the husband of Bathsheba, Uriah the Hittite whom David conspired to murder.

Ultimately confronted by Nathan with the indescribable scope of his failures, of his crimes against his family and friends, David recognized the greater and far more to be prioritized, valued, and be treasured, Goodness of God (Psalm 32)

From within his own greatest bitterness, his greatest disappointments, He had already seen God’s goodness in his life and believed that he would see it again.

READ, STUDY AND PRAY INTO THE DEPTHS OF DAVID’S HEART: PSALM 51

He also knew for a fact that ultimately he was missing the mark in life but God was always on target, always good, ergo, he sought to experience goodness.

It’s that same heart that the Sons of Korah had in the famous Psalm 84, singing, 

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God . . . For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Psalm 84:1-2,10).

It sounds like the worship of a good God, a goodness that is to be experienced.

Intersecting the Facts of Life with our Faith in God.

When was the last time you experienced the goodness of God? 

Psalm 33:5 says, “The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.” 

God’s goodness is always here, and always just waiting to be experienced. 

James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” 

God is always good, every good and perfect gift you’ve received is from God!

He demonstrates his goodness to us in innumerable ways, all the time.

How is it then that we don’t recognize it?

How is it then we are always quicker to recognize bitterness, disappointment?

How is it that we can be surrounded by God’s goodness and not experience it?

God has repeatedly proven throughout Scripture that God works in our midst, continuously, perpetually, demonstrating His goodness, but we have to cast off our bitterness so as to take time to listen and respond to these demonstrations.

In Psalm 27 verse 4 God says to David, “Seek my face,” and David responds, “All the days of my life My heart (confidently) says to you, your face, Lord, do I seek.” 

When God says “seek” He uses a Hebrew word that is meant for more than one person.

God calls all of us, God’s Children, to “set bitterness aside” “confidently seek my face.” then in our natural response we are to say, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”

Take time to consider the depths of your bitterness and disappointments.

Take time today to prayerfully respond to God’s invitation of His Goodness.

Seek to look upon his face and to experience his goodness.

He has laid a banquet table before us in the presence of our enemies named “bitterness and disappointment.”

And God is simply asking, inviting, us to come forward and dine with Him.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 27 The Message

27 Light, space, zest—
    that’s God!
So, with him on my side I’m fearless,
    afraid of no one and nothing.

2 When vandal hordes ride down
    ready to eat me alive,
Those bullies and toughs
    fall flat on their faces.

3 When besieged,
    I’m calm as a baby.
When all hell breaks loose,
    I’m collected and cool.

4 I’m asking God for one thing,
    only one thing:
To live with him in his house
    my whole life long.
I’ll contemplate his beauty;
    I’ll study at his feet.

5 That’s the only quiet, secure place
    in a noisy world,
The perfect getaway,
    far from the buzz of traffic.

6 God holds me head and shoulders
    above all who try to pull me down.
I’m headed for his place to offer anthems
    that will raise the roof!
Already I’m singing God-songs;
    I’m making music to God.

7-9 Listen, God, I’m calling at the top of my lungs:
    “Be good to me! Answer me!”
When my heart whispered, “Seek God,”
    my whole being replied,
“I’m seeking him!”
    Don’t hide from me now!

9-10 You’ve always been right there for me;
    don’t turn your back on me now.
Don’t throw me out, don’t abandon me;
    you’ve always kept the door open.
My father and mother walked out and left me,
    but God took me in.

11-12 Point me down your highway, God;
    direct me along a well-lighted street;
    show my enemies whose side you’re on.
Don’t throw me to the dogs,
    those liars who are out to get me,
    filling the air with their threats.

13-14 I’m sure now I’ll see God’s goodness
    in the exuberant earth.
Stay with God!
    Take heart. Don’t quit.
I’ll say it again:
    Stay with God.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

Guided Prayer:

1. Take time to quiet yourself and receive God’s presence. Meditate on this verse:

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11

2. Respond to his goodness by telling the Lord:

“My heart says to you, Your face, Lord, do I seek.” Psalm 27:8

3. Make David’s prayer yours today:

“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.” Psalm 27:4

Take time to make that prayer your own throughout your day today.

Memorize it.

Write it on your heart so you can experience the goodness of God throughout your day.

It only takes a moment to receive his presence and have the joy and the perfect peace, the SHALOM, SHALOM, that can only be found in our Savior Christ Jesus.