Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him

Psalm 37

As I continue with my study regarding small groups, I am reading up on prayer and this is an area of "unbalance" for me as it is framed in the workbook.  I need to grow in the area of prayer, particularly in the discipline of being silent and in the exercise of repeating certain prayers over and over again to allow them truly reach my heart.

I feel like I lead a hectic life and whether I do not does not mean I can pause to be with God because for goodness sake, He IS God and He wants to be with me and who would NOT want to be with Him?

My Prayer: Lord, You ARE all things and You are truth, the ONLY truth.  Forgive me when I make truth out of other people or other earthly things as you command us NOT to do!  Thank you for how you protect me and how you forgive me Lord.  Purify me if my idols and my sin and help me pause in life to be with you so I can grow to be more like you.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and did not cover up my iniquity...And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Psalm 32

³ When I kept silent,
   my bones wasted away
   through my groaning all day long.
⁴ For day and night
   your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
   as in the heat of summer.

...

Then I acknowledged my sin to you
   and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
   my transgressions to the LORD.”
And you forgave
   the guilt of my sin. 

 Last sermon at church, Pastor Scott spoke about how we often think about our sin as private and personal, but it is neither.  It is not personal in the respect that sin has ripple effects in our own lives and in the lives of others (i.e. family).   It is not private in that God knows.  And as David reminds us here there is emotional pain in thinking we can keep it private.  God may be disappointed that we sin but He is MORE disappointed with us when we think we can hide by not acknowledging our sin and by not seeking forgiveness.

My Prayer: Lord, that You forgive me for all of my sin is amazing.  I am indeed a sinful person.  My righteousness with others is something where I need your forgiveness and your help Lord.  Please help me.  Please help me always seek You out.  Help me seek You out daily and never hold anything back.

19 How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you,

Psalm 31

 19 How abundant are the good things  that you have stored up for those who fear you...

The questions I ask myself today in light of this Psalm include:

• do I feel like I am living the good life (according to this Psalm)
• do I act outwardly like I am living the good life?
• if yes to the previous two questions, am I drawing others to the Lord because of my actions and do I have greater opportunities to spread the word?

I definitely feel like I am living the good life - with my Lord and my Savior Jesus Christ I definitely feel blessed.  Recently I have also felt a much softer heart to those things that would otherwise have me act NOT as if living the good life...for this I see heart and life transformation at work - thank you God!  Yet on the final questions, I am not so sure - although I DO feel something stirring...

My Prayer: Lord, I continue to see heart and life transformation in my life through You and for this I amazed at how You work and how You answer prayer - You are awesome!  This is no other truth except You Lord Jesus!  Yet in the same breath I can see my own shortcomings - whether they be anger or criticism towards others, or other sin.  For this of course Lord I ask your forgiveness, and I ask that purify, refine, and transform me.  Please help me draw others to you and help me be bold in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.

Ps 30:5 - For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime;

Psalm 30

I have often ready scripture and found how God blesses us.  Yet I rarely come across the word "favor":

For his anger lasts only a moment,
   but his favor lasts a lifetime;

The dictionary defines favor  as something you don't ordinarily get...one definition defines favor as " a special privilege or right granted or conceded".  I then ask myself, do I actually ACT in my daily life like I have something that others might want?

Most of the time my answer is NO...and for me that it is disappointing.

My Prayer: Lord, Your favor is clear in my life and I am so thankful for the blessings you provide as I am undeserving.  Please forgive me for not acting in my daily life as if you have bestowed favor on me.  Please purify me of my sin and transform my heart and my life Lord.  Help me life my life so others know I have favor from You and that others should want what I have which of course is YOU Jesus!

Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.

Psalm 27

Many of the psalms speak of protection from evil and how David takes refuge through his faith in God.  I do believe that God can, does, and will protect us from evil yet the one verse that strikes me tonight is verse 10:

Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. 

For me the use of father and mother by David in this verse exemplify how the "earthly" realm is no place for anyone to seek any god of any kind.  Lots of things we know cannot be gods but our earthly mother and father shouldn't forsake us as other people do....yet they do relative to God as human beings cannot be perfect.  If the most important primary relationships in our lives are not worthy of idol worship, then nothing or anyone else in the earthly realm can match Yahweh or God as the one true God who can, does and will receive us.

I know God has already received me, and he will continue to receive me both here on earth and when I die.

My Prayer: Lord, like nothing else and like no one else, YOU are the one and only true God and I am in awe that You love me and You want me to be in your kingdom.  Awesome!  Yet for all of this I feel unworthy and desperately need you to forgive me for my anger and bad behavior.  You see it all.  Please forgive me.  Rid me of my anger and purify me.  Transform my heart and my life and help me receive You so that I can more and more like You.

Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths.

Psalm 25

This is a great psalm because for me it goes to the core of what I am currently doing - I am reading God's word out of a hunger to know Him, to follow Him, and for Him to show me His ways and and His path for me!

Show me your ways, LORD,
   teach me your paths (verse 4)

...

[The Lord] guides the humble in what is right
   and teaches them his way (verse 9)

Right now I feel a greater sense of urgency in my life more so than I have ever felt as a believer  (since 1997).  I DO want God to show me His ways and His path for me.  I want to remain humble and I am ready to be humbled if I am not.

My Prayer: Lord, I KNOW I sin, yet you love me anyway and you are ready at any point to teach me everything and to spend time with me to coach me ANYTIME I want!  How awesome is that!  Forgive me Lord when you coach me and I don't do what you say.  Help me implement your teachings in my life and help me live a life that glorifies you Lord.

The Lord Is My Shepherd, I Lack Nothing

Psalm 23

I am thankful for the spacious place where the Lord has led me.  Work has been difficult recently, yet here I am in a place of peace and free of stress.  My reading tonight strikes a chord because I really believe it is true:

¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 

Indeed.  In the words of Ned McGreevey...nuf ced!

My Prayer: Lord, You HAVE led me to spacious place and I am in awe of how You protect me and care for me.  Forgive me for my sin Lord and purify my heart and transform my life Lord. Take me and use me Lord!

Sins of Omission, Commission, and Hidden Sin

Psalm 19

I have often heard sin described as being of omission (by NOT doing something I should do such as loving the Lord my God with all of my heart), or of commission (by doing something I should NOT be doing such as lying).  Here David describes another sin where we need protection.

The decrees of the LORD are firm,
   and all of them are righteous.

...

But who can discern their own errors?
   Forgive my hidden faults.
¹³ Keep your servant also from willful sins;
   may they not rule over me.

The only way we can be "free" of sin in terms of it being a chronic issue for us is to seek oneness and forgiveness with Christ and to seek purification and both life and heart transformation as only Christ can provide.  Christ can not only purify us of our sin that we can see but also the sin we can't see or our blind spots.

My Prayer: Lord, You are great as David proclaims here in this Psalm and You know everything about me and use all that I am good and bad - I marvel at how great You are and perfect Your will is.  Forgive me for my abrupt nature and how this impacts people as I know it is not your desire as you desire me to love all as you love me.  Purify me and transform my heart and my life.

God Rescues Us and Puts Us In The Zone

Psalm 18

David is full of superlatives here as he praises God for his protection and for the power God provides David (and all of us!).  One passage in particular strikes a nerve:

He brought me out into a spacious place;
   he rescued me because he delighted in me

This spacious place is a place I liken to "The Zone" which in sports psychology, is the place you want to be for maximum performance.

I'd like to be in "The Zone" with Christ of course and I know it is possible.  It's of course not the same kind of "performance" as I would seek in sports.  It's certainly not defined in that way.  It is a measure of my heart condition and the degree to which I am experiencing life change or life transformation through my heart condition.

As I go to God in prayer and with my reading, I often pray that God will purify me of my sin and transform my heart and my life.  This is indeed my desire.

My Prayer: You are my rock and my refuge.  I am surrounded on all sides by worldly temptations and by a world that seeks to tear me down.  Even with my own thoughts I face evil.  But You alone protect me and for that I am grateful.  Thank you Lord!  Please DO transform my heart and my life Lord.  Guide me and use me for I seek to love, serve and glorify You Lord Christ!

I Need Protection From Evil Every Day

Psalm 17

I don't often reflect on how evil exists during my daily life.  Yet, for starters I need to remind myself that my own nature is sinful - if one could only understand my thoughts.  We are fallen - all of us human.  On top of that, I am surrounded by those every day that either have not accepted Jesus as their savior or they don't live as if they do (sometimes I have to counted as part of this sample).

Therefore I need protection more often than not.

⁸ Keep me as the apple of your eye;
   hide me in the shadow of your wings
⁹ from the wicked who are out to destroy me,
   from my mortal enemies who surround me. 

Just as David writes above, I seek refuge from God.

My Prayer: Lord, You are all powerful and You love me.  How great is that!  Forgive me for my sin, whether it is sinful thought or sinful acts. Protect me from my sinful nature and purify me of your sin. 

I Must Remember That Joy Rests Solely In Love of Lord

Psalm 16

I am constantly either genuinely struggling with some aspect of my life or "saying that I am struggling.  However, my struggles pale in comparison with those who are truly struggling.   God reveals this to me through this Psalm.

⁵ LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup;
   you make my lot secure.
⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
   surely I have a delightful inheritance.
⁷ I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
   even at night my heart instructs me.
⁸ I keep my eyes always on the LORD.
   With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
   my body also will rest secure, ¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
   nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
¹¹ You make known to me the path of life;
   you will fill me with joy in your presence,
   with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

The key for me is how I need to more frequently - day by day and moment by moment - be reminded of these words from God to me.  My "struggles" will wither away if I can be present to these words and these truths.

My Prayer: Lord, you alone truly are my portion and my cup.  In this moment my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices.  You do make known to me the path of life and you do fill me with joy in your presence with eternal pleasures at your right hand.  Forgive me for my harshness towards others, particularly in my own family.  Lord please help me be mindful daily and moment by moment of how my heart is glad.  Purify me of my harshness and help me bless others as you bless me.

I Want To See His Face

Psalm11

David indicates here that the righteous will see the Lord's face:

For the LORD is righteous,
   he loves justice;
   the upright will see his face.

Indeed, I DO want to see His face.  I also want to hear His voice.  For this of course to happen, I must be righteous.  Righteousness, as defined in the dictionary, is "to act in accord, with the law" of course as defined by the Lord.  To this end, I seek to repent from my sin and I seek to be purified by my sin - this is first and foremost.  I must also seek Him - to delight in His word and His ways.  All of this is tied together.


My Prayer: Lord, Your blessings in my life are unmistakable.  Yet I am broken and I don't deserve such blessings.  Forgive me for my critical nature of others and purify me of this sin.  Help me also have wisdom for new career opportunities and help me glorify you with you I go about this process.  Help me seek you out and to delight in Your word and Your ways.  Help me love and serve You with all of my heart.