“And now, LORD, What do I wait for? My hope is in You. Deliver me from all my transgressions; do not make me the reproach of the foolish. I was mute, I did not open my mouth, because it was You who did it. Remove Your plague from me; I am consumed by the blow of Your hand. When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity, You make his beauty melt away like a moth; surely every man is vapor. Selah Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; do not be silent at my tears; for I am a stranger with You, a sojourner as all my fathers were. Remove Your gaze from me that I may regain strength, before I go away and am no more…” Psalm 39: 7-13, NKJV.
Dear God, we are attempting to enter a new level in our relationship with You; please teach us how! In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Today we are going to begin to look at some of the psalms that we very rarely look at. Hopefully, in looking at them, we will gain some insight into the realness of a relationship with God!
How is it that David was able to communicate with God with such frankness, and we are afraid to do so? Is David’s God, and our God, different? Or, do we perceive God differently to the way David did? Do we believe that God will love us less? Or, that others will think differently of us; that we are not such good Christians after all?
Whatever the reason, let me be as honest as I can get with you. Personally, I believe that many of us would be happier Christians if we were open and honest with our feelings, period! But I can understand why many of us are reserved with the way we express our feelings to others. Nevertheless, I truly believe, that with God, we should be able to express our feelings with the greatest of sincerity.
I remember the first time I heard a minister of the gospel, preaching a sermon on the tribulations of Job say something to this effect: God is not offended when we say to Him, “Ouch God, that hurts!” God knows just how much we are able to endure, and we do not impress Him with a piety that we do not really possess, or offend Him with the rawness of our pain! Healing does not take place by covering an open wound with a Band-Aid; unless the wound has been properly cleansed, and the appropriate medicine applied. In the same way, internal healing will only begin to take place, when we talk openly to God about our wound and allow Him to cleanse it from bitterness, and bind it with His mercy!
What about those prayers that we have been praying for a long time without receiving an answer? Are we honest enough to tell God that we are disappointed? Do we feel free to tell Him that we do not understand why it is taking so long when He has the power to do anything He chooses to do? Can we admit to others our spiritual frustrations? Or do we come up with all kinds of pitiful explanations to “make God look good?” Just remember friends, God is God; and He can defend Himself. In fact, that is an undertaking for God, and God alone!
Would we be able to say like Mary and Martha, “If You had been here my brother would not have died” (John 11: 21, 32)? In other words, Lord, where were You when this tragedy was taking place? I believe that God will weep with us as He did with Mary and Martha; whether His tears are due to our lack of faith, or, because of our pain, or both! I believe such openness would draw you closer to Him as you see in Him a God who is in the painful experience with you; for the glory of the Father, and for your consolation. You will discover that He does not love you any less!