July 25, 2014
If you study the things of God and observe His people, both in the lives of those around you and in the pages of Scripture, you realize quickly there is a dividing line. There are some men and women to whom God is peripheral. Others to whom He is central and all-consuming. The former experience the Divine Presence occasionally; the latter, consistently and deeply.
Those who find Him are the ones who move us as we read their stories and hear their prayers. This is why David, the Sweet Psalmist of Israel, left a legacy that blesses millions. To read His Psalms is to hear the heart of a man who is consumed with God. Always hungry. Always turning in God's direction. Always crying out. And always finding and experiencing the depths of God. This is why we read Mueller and Spurgeon; Amy Carmichael and Corrie Ten Boom; Brainerd and Jonathan Edwards; Tozer…and more of Tozer! Their familiarity with God ignites something deep in our souls.
Take one simple Psalm of David. Psalm 143 is only 12 verses, but as you dissect it, you discover all of the things that David is DOING that indicate His longing for God. And most of all, all the things He is ASKING God to do.
HIS HONEST CONFESSION
David evaluates his situation well and lays it out before God. He doesn't try to ""pull himself up by his own bootstraps"" or manage the problems of his life by himself. He doesn't stuff them or ignore them. He honestly admits his situation and spreads it out before the only One who can help.
What will he do with his crushing burdens and sagging spirit? What will you do?
HIS HUMBLE RESPONSE
David is not passive. He is looking, remembering, stretching out, trusting, turning to God. His is not a thought of ""nobody can help me"" or, ""there's nothing I can do."" He pursues God with vigorous passion because He believes God is the answer. Notice the verbs of his passion.
And he takes the posture of a faith-filled servant.
He does not wallow in self-pity, nor rise in self-works. He turns and pursues the great Shepherd and Guardian of his soul with intensity.
HIS HEARTFELT CRY
And with the confidence of a child who believes in His faithful Father, He cries out. He assumes God will answer because of the perfection of His character. He appeals to God's faithfulness, righteousness, and lovingkindness. He pleads for a reviving of His soul so that God’s name will be more greatly honored. His cry is specific and intense…almost demanding.
The most beautiful thing? David was heard. God did answer—over and over again. And He experienced depths of God that most of us never know.
I once heard Adrian Rogers say, “How much of God do you have? I know this…you have as much as you want.” God is not capricious. He waits to do the same for any hungry heart. Why would you not, right now, pursue Him with honesty, humility, and heartfelt intercession?
The place on Jesus’ breast is still vacant, and open to any who are willing to pay the price of deepening intimacy. We are now, and we will be in the future, only as intimate with God as we really choose to be.”[1]
[1] J. Oswald Sanders, “Enjoying Intimacy with God,” (Moody Press, Chicago, 1980), pg. 20
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