Scripture:
Psalm 19:14
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Observation:
The psalmist declares the glory of God in creation, specifically in the heavens, the sky and the sun. As he meditates on the enormity and glory of God, he sees his own issues, problems, inconsistencies. Yet instead of feeling insignificant compared to the glory of creation, he asks the God of creation to fix him. To address his secret sins and to make him clean and pure. You see his desire clearly in verse 14 in which he prays that both the words of his mouth and the meditations of his heart would be pleasing to God.
Application:
When I recognize the all encompassing power and presence of God, I also realize He knows all. He holds the whole universe in His hands, yet He also knows me, my behavior, and even my deepest thoughts. Instead of being overwhelmed in shame, I should be overwhelmed with thankfulness. Not only can He see it all, he can also fix it all. Through His grace and glory He can adjust and transform the deepest parts of depravity in my heart and mind. How? The cross and resurrection. What the psalmist did not know fully, is fully known to me through the Spirit. The answer to the psalmist’s prayer is my hope today. Through the victorious Christ, not only my behavior, but my darkest meditations are showered with grace and transformed into His likeness. The chains and shackles that held my heart and mind captive wIthin, even when my self imposed behavior modification seemed to manage the outside has now been both revealed and forgiven. It is through this that I am free. As I seek to continue to walk and grow in faith, I ask The Father to not only keep my behavior above reproach, but also my thoughts, plans and dreams.
A few things…
-If God has the power to transform the inside and outside, I must not hinder either changes in my life. May I never be satisfied with only outside adjustments that impact my reputation, but also inside adjustments that impact my character.
-May I lead ministry that addresses both. May I never lead people to see the cross and resurrection as behavior modification therapy. May I help them see the deeper work as well.
-As I see the enormity of the Glory of God, May I not forget today that He knows and loves me too. He is equally incredibly enormous yet also interested in the seemingly insignificant.
Prayer:
Thank you for the gospel that both works on me and within me everyday. Chisel the parts of my actions and meditations that are not pleasing to you. May I bring you Glory even though the heavens speak loud enough. Thanks for letting me be part of the story of your Glory. I am humbled.