Monday, March 17, 2014

Measuring Up and Falling Short

Psalm 86
English Standard Version (ESV)

 (A)A Prayer of David.                    
86 (B)Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
    for I am (C)poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am (D)godly;
    save your servant, who (E)trusts in you—you are my God.
(F)Be gracious to me, O Lord,
    for to you do I cry all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
    for (G)to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
For you, O Lord, are good and (H)forgiving,
    (I)abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
(J)Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
    listen to my plea for grace.
In (K)the day of my trouble I call upon you,
    (L)for you answer me.
There is (M)none like you among the gods, O Lord,
    (N)nor are there any works like yours.
(O)All the nations you have made shall come
    and worship before you, O Lord,
    and shall glorify your name.
10 For (P)you are great and (Q)do wondrous things;
    (R)you alone are God.
11 (S)Teach me your way, O Lord,
    that I may (T)walk in your truth;
    (U)unite my heart to fear your name.
12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
    and I will glorify your name forever.
13 (V)For great is your steadfast love toward me;
    you have (W)delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
14 O God, insolent men have (X)risen up against me;
    a band of ruthless men seeks my life,
    and they do not set you before them.
15 But you, O Lord, are a God (Y)merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
16 (Z)Turn to me and be gracious to me;
    give your strength to (AA)your servant,
    and save (AB)the son of your maidservant.
17 (AC)Show me a sign of your (AD)favor,
    that those who hate me may see and be put to shame
    because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

I believe that this psalm exemplifies why David was a man after God’s own heart.  He recognizes who God is and He asks God for His help.  David knows that it is not by his own strength that he is in the place that he is in.  David also knows that it is only God who can save him from his enemies. 

David was a man after God’s own heart, let’s see why:

1.       David was humble. (vs. 2)
2.       David trusted whole heartedly in God.  He proclaimed the One True God as His. (vs. 2) 
3.      He prays to God continually. (vs. 3)
4.      He recognizes where his joy comes from as he asked God to gladden his soul. (vs.4)
5.      He lifted his whole being up to God.  (vs. 4)
6.      He knows that the only place to get an answer is to call upon the Lord. (vs.5)
7.      He recognizes that there is none other like God. (vs. 6)
8.      He knows that no other can do the things that God has and will, our creator the creator of everything. (vs. 8, 9,10)
9.      He recognizes that he needs instruction and wants it from God not man. (vs. 11)
10.  He is thankful. (vs. 12,13)
11.  He cries to God in trouble because he knows that it is only by the grace of God that God finds favor with him. (vs. 14, 15)
12.  He recognizes where his strength comes from and he asked God for some of His strength. (vs. 16)
13.  He asked for a sign from God where his enemies will be put to shame.  Yet I see that he also recognizes that it is God who will be glorified not David because he recognizes where his help and comfort come from.  In the end David gives praise to God and God alone. (vs. 17)

My desire on this earth is to be a woman after God’s own heart.  I fail miserably at times to trust God and God alone.  I think I trust Him but then I worry, get upset, complain, and the list goes on.  David complained, got upset, and even worried but when he did, he called upon the Lord not man.  I don’t remember a passage in the Bible that talks about how David complained to others, rather he called out to God.  I kind of do both L.  I’m not sure why because it is God who can actually fix things, fix me! 

As I read through this I had to stop and think about where I fall short of giving God all the glory, honor, and praise.  I found areas that I need to work on.  What about you?  Take a look at this list and pick out some areas that you may need to work on and ask God to give you the strength to do so.  Trust Him, Obey Him, and Seek Him with all your heart.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila


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