A CASE OF THE RUNS

No, I’m not talking about Montezuma’s Revenge, the Hershey Squirts, or any such thing—I’m talking about our choice to either run to God or from Him.

In asking for forgiveness and cleansing, confessing his guilt, and ultimately praying for God to restore him and his soul, David is doing everything he knows to do in Psalm 51 to achieve the peace that he once had and now lacks, due to his adultery and murder involvement.

It’s perfectly natural—part of our Adamic nature—to want to run from one in authority instead of to such a person.  It’s built-in to our personalities from birth.  If you don’t believe that, watch the next time you catch your young child or grandchild in the act of having done something wrong and confront them about it.  They’ll look down, deny, and then walk or run away.  The more mature path—the one that generates peace—is to run to the other, and to do so with contriteness of heart—knowing that the other knows as well as you do that humans are a fallen group, and that we only walk on water when it’s frozen.

When you goof up, admit it to another (James 5:16--Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much—KJV).

Like David, ask God to restore you—to cast your sin into the sea of forgetfulness—and if you don’t go into its waters yourself, make that an opportunity to better yourself for the future, that you don’t repeat the indiscretion you once did—the one that you remember, and He doesn’t.

b(Les)sings

Psalm 51

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
 ²Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
 ³For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
 ⁴Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
 ⁵Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
 ⁶Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
 ⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
 ⁸Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
 ⁹Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
 ¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
 ¹¹Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
 ¹²Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
 ¹³Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
 ¹⁴Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
 ¹⁵O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
 ¹⁶For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
 ¹⁷The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
 ¹⁸Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
 ¹⁹Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

TWO WORDS

If you’re a guy and married, there are two words spoken in rapid succession that will help turn you on more than any aide invented or manual written.  The words?  “You’re right!”  Spoken by a wife to her husband, there are no words sweeter to the male ear. 

In our household, we have a calendar that hangs on the kitchen wall.  It’s peppered throughout the various dates with, “Les was right,” and serves as a hanging museum that I go to visit when I’m feeling low.  It tells me, “You’re not wrong—you’re right.”  That is peace.

David often asks God to check him out—to see that he is right—that is to say, righteous.

I remember seeing a story on television once, where they interviewed a beautiful, aspiring young actress.  Her job (and later, business) was to follow the husbands of wives suspecting their mates of cheating, or at least being apt to cheat.  Once she made her flirtatious moves, she would report to the client whether the man passed the test or not.

Proverbs 5:19 tells men to rejoice with their true love—to be regularly enthralled in intimacy with her, rather than enjoy amorous ways with someone other than their spouse.  If your wife knows you wouldn’t stray—by virtue of your attention to her—she has peace, and when she has it, you have it too.

It is said that when a man elects to have an affair with another, he has fallen.  David frequently asks the Lord to help keep him upright as he walks down life’s road.  Though separated by centuries, he wasn’t all that different from the Apostle Paul who (by way of paraphrase) exclaims in Romans 7, “That which I would do I don’t, and that which I wouldn’t, I do.”  Paul, the Pharisee’s Pharisee recognizes his own wickedness and realizes (wretch that he is) that Christ Jesus rescues him (and us) from that condition.  That is peace.

God protects us from ourselves, which ensures peace.  He also protects us from others, too. 

When I was a kid, I played a lot of tag, and spent a lot of time on, “ghoul”.  You were always safe there—it was a welcomed respite where you could catch your breath.  God is like that—a very present help in time of trouble—therefore we don’t fear (Psalm 125)—and that is peace.

When we take all these things into account, we have the peace that comes from the confidence that God loves and cares for and about those that love Him, and seeing the peace provided in our collective past fills us with confidence of a peaceful eternity.

b(Les)sings

Psalm 17

New King James Version (NKJV)

A Prayer of David.

 ¹ Hear a just cause, O LORD,
         Attend to my cry;
         Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips.
 ² Let my vindication come from Your presence;
         Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright.
    
 ³ You have tested my heart;
         You have visited me in the night;
         You have tried me and have found nothing;
         I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.
 ⁴ Concerning the works of men,
         By the word of Your lips,
         I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer.
 ⁵ Uphold my steps in Your paths,
         That my footsteps may not slip.
    
 ⁶ I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God;
         Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.
 ⁷ Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand,
         O You who save those who trust in You
         From those who rise up against them.
 ⁸ Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
         Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,
 ⁹ From the wicked who oppress me,
         From my deadly enemies who surround me.
    
 ¹⁰ They have closed up their fat hearts;
         With their mouths they speak proudly.
 ¹¹ They have now surrounded us in our steps;
         They have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth,
 ¹² As a lion is eager to tear his prey,
         And like a young lion lurking in secret places.
    
 ¹³ Arise, O LORD,
         Confront him, cast him down;
         Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword,
 ¹⁴ With Your hand from men, O LORD,
         From men of the world who have their portion in this life,
         And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure.
         They are satisfied with children,
         And leave the rest of their possession for their babes.
    
 ¹⁵ As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness;
         I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.

MORNING VOICE

When we focus on ourselves, rather than God, we grieve.  It’s not that we intend to do that—quite the opposite—it’s just that seating ourselves on the throne of our lives (rather than God) creates stress. 

When your sovereign leader is the universe’s Creator, you can have confidence that someone that created the world (and all that is therein) can hear you call unto Him—and that when He hears, He will respond.  Reflecting on Him in the less busy times of the day will help you to hear Him better, because you are not as preoccupied with other things. 

Those that are wicked please themselves, but the One that can give pleasure to another refrains from doing so for those that hold Him in contempt.  God is the ultimate polygraph.

You experience the mercies of God when you spend time with Him.  We walk within a fallen world, yet He will “right” us.  We live amongst hypocrites.  They say nice things and then act despicably.  God will judge them in due time.  He will not interfere with the reaping of the sowing they have incurred.  Conversely, God visits those He loves—those that love Him—with favor.

b(Les)sings