Psalm 143:1-6
As David prays here, notice that he doesn’t come to God touting his own righteousness, but rather God’s righteousness. He appeals to God from a place of humility, recalling God’s faithfulness and placing his hope in His merciful nature.
We must understand that God owes us nothing, yet He has graciously given us everything. There is a difference.
If we feel like God owes us something, we tend to approach Him arrogantly, with a demanding posture, and often become upset with Him when He does not deliver in the ways we think He should. How many people do we know who are angry at God for not answering their prayers—for a loved one, perhaps—or for allowing something difficult to happen in their lives, as though He were responsible? We forget we have an enemy, and it isn’t God.
Then there are those who come to God understanding his gracious and loving nature, knowing they do not deserve His goodness based on their own merit. Instead, they come to Him in gratefulness for His generous character. He does not help us because we are good—He helps us because He is good.
Consider these words from Jesus:
““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
Matthew 5:43-48 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/mat.5.43-48.NKJV
This is a tall order from Jesus, yet He is not asking us to do anything He has not already done for us.
“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”
Romans 5:6-11 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/rom.5.6-11.NKJV
Once again, God does not owe us anything and yet He has given us everything, granting us right standing with Himself through Jesus. Our posture should always be one of humility, gratefulness, and thankfulness. To come to Him in any other manner is to operate out of pride.
Consider the Apostle Peter’s words:
“In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.”
1 Peter 5:5-10 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1pe.5.5-10.NLT
This sort of covers all the bases we talked about this morning: Stay humble; give your cares to God; stay alert to the schemes of the enemy; remember everyone goes through stuff (it’s not just you); and trust that God is faithful and will restore, support, and strengthen us, bringing us safely through in Christ.
Amen!
We must understand that God owes us nothing, yet He has graciously given us everything. There is a difference.
If we feel like God owes us something, we tend to approach Him arrogantly, with a demanding posture, and often become upset with Him when He does not deliver in the ways we think He should. How many people do we know who are angry at God for not answering their prayers—for a loved one, perhaps—or for allowing something difficult to happen in their lives, as though He were responsible? We forget we have an enemy, and it isn’t God.
Then there are those who come to God understanding his gracious and loving nature, knowing they do not deserve His goodness based on their own merit. Instead, they come to Him in gratefulness for His generous character. He does not help us because we are good—He helps us because He is good.
Consider these words from Jesus:
““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
Matthew 5:43-48 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/mat.5.43-48.NKJV
This is a tall order from Jesus, yet He is not asking us to do anything He has not already done for us.
“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”
Romans 5:6-11 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/rom.5.6-11.NKJV
Once again, God does not owe us anything and yet He has given us everything, granting us right standing with Himself through Jesus. Our posture should always be one of humility, gratefulness, and thankfulness. To come to Him in any other manner is to operate out of pride.
Consider the Apostle Peter’s words:
“In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.”
1 Peter 5:5-10 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1pe.5.5-10.NLT
This sort of covers all the bases we talked about this morning: Stay humble; give your cares to God; stay alert to the schemes of the enemy; remember everyone goes through stuff (it’s not just you); and trust that God is faithful and will restore, support, and strengthen us, bringing us safely through in Christ.
Amen!
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