In verse 25, the psalmist says that he feels lifeless and dry. His soul is weary and exhausted. Such times are not unusual in the spiritual life. They can be caused by different reasons. Sometimes, they happen because of the personal choices of the believer; at other times, the causes can be outside of them. So he prays to the Lord for restoration.
In verse 26, he records that he had received an answer from the Lord: ‘When I told of my ways, you answered me.’ He discovered that spending time with God produces great benefits. Whatever was causing his spiritual decline was dealt with by his gracious God. The psalmist once again found himself in the place of religious liberty. The benefit of being open and frank with God is spiritual recovery.
What does a person who has been restored want? He wants to know more about the ways that please the Lord. He asks his Restorer to become his Instructor. The psalmist’s response is not finished with his petition for instruction. In verse 27, he expresses what he will do once he has been taught by the Lord. When he has been enlightened, he will meditate on God’s wondrous works.
In verses 28-30, the psalmist describes a situation of spiritual danger that he had faced. He does not say what the precise problem was, although it was connected to what he calls false ways. Yet, as was the case in the previous problem described in verses 25-27, which the Lord had resolved, the psalmist turns again to God and asks to be strengthened according to his word.
The best way to prevent accepting what is false is by knowing what is true. This goes for beliefs and practices. We can see that there is a link between the prayer in verse 29 and the determination of the psalmist in verse 30: ‘I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me.’ Clearly, there must be resolve and deliberate choice to walk in God’s ways.
The psalmist was determined to be devoted to God’s requirements (v. 31). He affirmed that he could not bear to let any of God’s instructions fall out of his heart. He regarded them all as very precious and he valued them all very highly. His love for God’s ways revealed that he loved the God who gave them.
We can see that the psalmist was aware of the possibility of somehow being put to shame. There are two ways by which this could happen. One is that the shame could happen if he was publicly slandered because of his commitment to God’s ways. That is always a possibility for God’s people, that they will face ridicule for practicing God’s requirements. When that happens, it is not easy to bear. It is right to pray to God to prevent that kind of situation arising.
The other way is when they will be ashamed because they have not followed God’s ways and will be found out. For example, a believer might tell a lie in order to avoid a difficulty. He gets found out, and he is ashamed. Peter is an example for us to avoid when he denied that he knew his Master in the high priest’s house.
The psalmist desired to pursue obedience to the Lord. For that to happen he would need an enlarged heart (v. 32). The Lord would give him increased spiritual capacity for such an experience. Here are some examples of an enlarged heart.
In Psalm 4:7, David describes an experience he had when he says to God, ‘You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.’ That was a heart enlarged by God. Paul reminds the Romans in Romans 8:5: ‘hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.’ That is an enlarged heart.
Paul prayed for the Ephesians: ‘that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God’ (Eph. 3:17-19). That was an enlarged heart.
How do we know if we are running a good race? The answer is straightforward – we will be living lives of eager obedience to God.
No comments:
Post a Comment