My Morning Meal

If you had one wish, what would you wish for? I’m guessing that at some point in everyone’s life that question has been asked in one manner or another. The most trite of answers sounds something like, “If I had just one wish, I’d wish for endless wishes” . . . ha, ha, ha. But the most thoughtful answers have a way of revealing something of what makes a person tick . . . gives some insights as to their priorities . . . reveals something of their greatest desires. This morning I’m grabbed afresh by the one thing David would ask for . . .

One thing have I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to inquire in His temple. (Psalm 27:4 ESV)

For David it was less about what he could have . . . and all about where he wanted to be . . . to dwell in the house of the LORD. His desire was to pitch his tent where the glory of God dwelt . . . His passion was to remain in the place where God’s presence would be found . . . His “home run” in life would be to abide in the place where God abides. It was top on his prayer list . . . it was top on his priority list.

It was the one thing that he consistently sought after . . . his persistent request . . . his over-arching desire.

To abide in the house of the LORD . . . to know nearness to the holy of holies . . . to draw close to the prevailing glory of God, was to gaze upon His beauty. It was the place where the eye of faith could behold of the God of heaven. A place to inquire, or literally, to plough, something of the depths of God’s high and holy character. To be where God was, invited the opportunity to find delight in His Name . . . to be overwhelmed with a fresh sense of awe concerning His majesty . . . to appreciate afresh the depths of His steadfast love.

It was David’s “one thing”. That it might be mine, as well.

What privilege belongs to the believer to not just DWELL in the house, but to BE the house. Individually, as the Spirit of God has taken up residence in all those who, by faith, have received the gift of eternal life available through the blood of Christ and the power of His resurrection. Corporately, as believers come together as living stones, joined together to grow into a holy temple in the Lord . . . a dwelling place for God by the Spirit (Eph. 2:2-22). Literally, all the days of our lives, and for time in eternity, we have the privilege of abiding in the presence of God’s holiness and glory. And in that “place” we have the opportunity to gaze upon His beauty . . . to plough the depths of His magnificent being . . . to grow in depth of understanding of His amazing grace and His wondrous love . . . and to “offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the LORD” (27:6).

It’s not just some fairytale wish . . . it’s the believer’s reality. O’, that by the grace of God, I would know more of that reality . . . that the beauty of His face would be seen . . . that depths of His Name would be known . . . for my joy . . . and for His glory. Amen?

There’s something about gathering with the people of God and lifting our voices in praising God that invites the presence of God. A bit of our experience yesterday at LTCC. There are no formulas which make some Sundays a little more special than other . . . it’s not about “do this . . . and you’ll get that” . . . but Psalm 26 does seem to indicate that there is a relationship between walk and worship.

Three times in Psalm 26 David refers to his walk. “I have walked in my integrity (v.1) . . . I walk in Your faithfulness (v.3) . . . I shall walk in my integrity (v.11).” David’s desire was that he might be authentic . . . that he would order his life after truth . . . that, as much as lied within him, his pattern of life would line up with his profession of faith. David was serious about it, inviting the God who “looks on the heart” (1Sam. 16:7) to prove him, and try him, and test his heart and mind (v.2). Not that David believed that God would find a man perfect in action and deed . . . but that God might find a man pure in desire and intention.

David ordered his life during the week such that it would not hinder his worship on the weekend. He would not “sit with men of falsehood” . . . he wouldn’t partner with them in their hypocrisy . . . he wouldn’t bind himself to their values (v.4-5). Rather, it seems he knew that clean hands were consistent with genuine thanksgiving . . . that proclaiming the wondrous deeds of God came out of the wondrous experience of being sustained by the grace of God amidst an evil world (v. 6-7)

David’s feet were established on “level ground” . . . the solid foundation of God’s grace and promises . . . the even place of integrity and singleness of purpose. And from knowing that place throughout the week, he was prepared to bless the Lord when he came together in the great assembly for worship (v.12).

There seems to be a relationship between walk and worship. Authentic walk prepares the way for authentic worship. Conversely, a desire for authentic worship of the living God will have a regulating impact on how I do life when I’m not “in church.” Such was David’s desire . . .

O LORD, I love the habitation of Your house and the place where Your glory dwells.   (Psalm 26:8 ESV)

David was jazzed by being where God’s glory was found. Where God’s presence rested, David wanted his praise to resound. If the temple was where the glory dwelt than David wanted nothing to hinder him when he lifted his voice to have God’s glory tell’t.

It’s Monday morning . . . a lot of week ahead. The “high” of yesterday morning will fade quickly. But if I’m picking up what David’s laying down it’s not too early to start preparing for worship this weekend. Today I can determine, by God’s grace, to walk such that my worship will not be hindered. To keep short accounts, repenting of those skirmishes I’ll yield to the flesh, knowing that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” . . . that “the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1John 1:7,9). To ask His Spirit to check my thoughts and actions . . . willing to submit to His leading and correction . . . desiring to walk in a manner worthy of the calling I have in Christ.

And . . . to anticipate that time when I will again enter the house of His habitation, the gathering of the people of God. Expecting again to know the reality of being, with the saints, a living temple — a place where His glory dwells. Desiring again to lift my heart, and my voice, in declaration of His wondrous and His magnificent Name.

O’ that I might be aware of my walk, that it might prepare me for worship. By His grace . . . for His glory . . .

Reading Psalm 22 invariably takes you to the cross. It is the experience of Jesus’ last hours foretold centuries earlier by David. Most often, I read the psalm and find myself entering into the suffering of Messiah as I read David’s dirge concerning One forsaken of God (22:1) . . . despised by men (22:6) . . . poured out like water (22:!4) . . . encircled by a company of evildoers (22:16) . . . pierced for our transgressions (22:16, Isa. 53:5).

But this morning, beyond again imagining all that the Savior endured on my behalf, I was struck also by the second half of the psalm. And while there is greater application to the suffering Savior, I was struck that it is an encouragement to all who find themselves in that place where they are going through the ringer . . . where they feel they are forsaken. And encouragement that God is a rescuer . . . that He who might be “far off” for a season will draw near . . . and that, when He does, pain gives way to praise.

A brother shared his testimony at our last men’s monthly breakfast. While many of us knew this guy . . . had sat around the Word with this guy . . . and been blessed by this guy’s love for the Lord and warmth toward the brethren . . . none of us were prepared for what he was to share. The early chapters of his life were heart-breaking . . . the chapters that followed were marked with significant tragedy . . . but the story he was living now was proclamation and praise. Proclamation of God’s faithfulness . . . praise for God’s sustaining grace.

I will tell of Your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise You: You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him, all you offspring of Israel! For He has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and He has not hidden His face from him, but has heard, when he cried to Him.   (Psalm 22:22-24 ESV)

There is a depth of worship that results only from the reality of rescue. When, in Him, we find the balm for our pain . . . when, by Him, we are sustained in the storm . . . when, because of Him, we believe that all things work together for good according to His purpose. It is the worship of those who have been through the trial . . . who have endured the fire . . . and have, by God’s grace, emerged a little more refined. It is the worship of those who have experienced the promise . . .

The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek Him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever!   (Psalm 22:26 ESV)

And, as I read these words in Psalm 22 this morning, it’s as if Jesus stands in the midst of this congregation of one and reminds me, whom He would call brother, of the wondrous Name of our saving and sustaining God. And so, God the Son . . . declares the praise of God the Father . . . through God the Spirit . . . and urges me to do likewise.

Praise Him! . . . you who fear the LORD. Glorify Him! . . . you who are born of the promise to the patriarchs. Stand in awe of Him . . . you who are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1Peter 2:9).

The degrees vary . . . that stories differ . . . but, that pain is part of the process, is evident. That the pain might result in praise . . . that deliverance might produce declaration of the God who will never leave us nor forsake us . . . that the struggle might bear the fruit of exalting worship of our God.

For His glory . . .

Sometimes, instead of just one of my readings grabbing my attention, it is the combination of readings that causes me sit back and reflect . . . and wonder . . . and worship. That’s how it was this morning . . . that’s why I’m thinking about chariots and horses.

During the first part of the year, when Psalms are a part of the reading plan, I order the readings such that my last reading is in Psalms . . . saving the songs for last. Psalm 20 is a prayer for the king . . . a prayer that God will be his support in times of trouble . . . that God will honor the king’s faithfulness by giving the king his heart’s desire . . . that God will hear the king’s prayers and answer from “His holy heaven” and, with His mighty right hand, save the king from those who rise up against him. And then David pens what could be, for me, the chorus of the song . . . or an oft repeated bridge that builds into a crescendo of worship. It’s a line that became the summary of all I read this morning . . .

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. (Psalm 20:7 ESV)

It could have been the chorus song by Joseph, second in command over all of Egypt, as he revealed himself to his brother (Gen. 44-45). There they stood, unable to speak as they grappled with the reality that the one they had sold into Egyptian slavery . . . the one they had, for all intents and purposes, killed off and removed from their father’s line of heirs . . . that this one not only stood before them very much alive . . but was also very much in control of Egypt. And Joseph seeks to quell their fears, “Do not be dismayed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here” (45:5). Though you sold me into slavery, I became the head of Potiphar’s house . . . though his wife entrapped me and I was thrown into prison, I became head of the prison . . . though my buddies forgot me when I revealed their dreams, I was eventually summoned before Pharaoh . . . and revealed his dream . . . and was given charge over Egypt. How?

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

It would have also been a fitting praise song for the church to have sung after their prayer meeting that night when they had gathered to cry out to God on Peter’s behalf (Acts 12). Crazy Herod had received such a boost in the polls after running the apostle James through with a sword, that he grabbed Peter and threw him in prison, intending to stage a second episode of his budding reality TV show, “Herod Makes Martyrs.” And so the church met to pray on the eve of Peter’s execution . . . and heaven was moved . . . and an angel came down . . . and Peter was unchained . . .and the prison was unlocked . . . and Rhoda looked through the peep-hole of the door to the prayer meeting and, seeing Peter standing there, cried, “Unreal!” “You’re crazy, girl,” might have been the response from those inside praying for Peter’s release, “Peter’s in prison, we’re praying for His rescue, he can’t be at the door.” But he was . . . and they were amazed . . . and the band starts to play . . . and the bridge starts to build . . .

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

And who was singing it that night when Jesus, with but the sound of His voice . . . and the authority of His name . . . commanded the storm to cease (Matt. 8:23-27)? The winds and the sea were raging . . . the disciples in the boat thought they were perishing . . . the Savior in the boat, self constrained by the human body He had taken, was resting. “Save us LORD” was the cry in the boat . . . “Peace, be still” was the Master’s response (both to the seas and to the seamen). The seas go calm . . . the disciples go awestruck . . . and I wonder if an angelic host in the heaven couldn’t have gone nuts . . . “Yes!” . . .

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

I’m no king . . . ain’t an apostle . . . don’t care much for fishin’. But have I faced opposition? . . . have I found myself in a tough spot with no idea as to how I’m going to get out? . . . have I encountered storms along the ways? Yeah, kinda’. O, that this would be my song . . . that this would be the tune running through my head . . .

By His grace . . . for His glory. Amen?

It’s the stuff that comedy routines are made of . . . talking wife, tuned-out husband . . . she’s sitting at the breakfast table conversing, his nose is in the paper (or his ipad) concentrating on the previous days’ sports scores . . . she’s sitting on the couch relating how her day went, he’s comatose in the lazy-boy watching the tube . . . she’s saying, “Honey, I need to talk to you”, he’s hearing, “Blah, blah, blah!” You know the routines I’m talking about . . . they can be kind of funny because they can be so reflective of a reality we’ve at least seen . . . if not reflective of a reality we’ve personally been part of.

But this morning, as I’m reading Psalm 19, it kind of hits home. Not that this song of David is an ode to talking wives and inattentive husbands . . . but that it is a reminder of how often God’s “laying it down” and I’m just not “picking it up” . . .

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their measuring line goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4a ESV)

Day in, day out the heavens declare the glory of God. Night by night by night, knowledge of the Creator is dished up on a platter for those with eyes to see and ears to hear through His abiding handiwork. It’s not conveyed with words, but a voice that goes all through the earth. It’s not an audible voice but the words are served up to the end of the world. But how often does the Father want to “talk to me” of His glory, and I’m tuned to another station? Probably more often than I care to admit.

But the heavens and the skies are just the “trailer.” His glory and His handiwork revealed in the sun coming up every morning and the stars displayed every night, are an invitation to put down the paper (or the ipad) . . . to turn off the tube . . . to tune into His voice . . . and to “listen” further through His Word. Beyond the “general revelation” of God’s magnificent character and awesome power through creation, there is the “specific revelation” of His written Word. The Word of God which revives the soul . . . makes the simple wise . . . causes the heart to rejoice . . . and brings light to the eyes. It is a forever Word . . it is a true and righteous Word . . . it is a Word which speaks to those who desire to listen (19:7-9).

The heavens declare His glory and power . . . the Word reveals His grace and purposes . . . the sky proclaims His handiwork . . . the Scriptures shows us God’s heart. O’ that I would be more like the psalmist and less like the deaf guy at the breakfast table . . . that my heart would receive the unspoken words of creation . . . that my soul would thirst and hunger to know His voice through His Word . . . that it would be my delight . . .

More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. (Psalm 19:10 ESV)

And then, might I enter into the conversation. Having heard His voice, might I respond. Having recognized afresh His glory, might I praise Him. Having been fed anew by His Word, might I worship Him. Having “picked up” something of what He’s “laying down” might I engage with the glorious God of the heavens and offer Him my own words of thanksgiving . . . might I accept the invitation to interact with Him and speak words of adoration within His holy presence. Not that my words are anything, but that He deserves everything . . .

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14 ESV)

Let the conversation begin . . .

At first, it comes across as kind of arrogant . . . kind of “holier-than-thou” like . . . kind of delusional, actually. It says that David wrote Psalm 18 as a song to the Lord “on the day when the LORD rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.” And in the course of David’s declaration of his love for the Lord (v.1) . . . as part of his account of God’s mighty hand displayed on David’s behalf . . . in the midst of this declaration of God’s majesty and might . . . David seems to turn the limelight on himself and do a bit of self-promotion with a double declaration of “my righteousness” . . .

The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He rewarded me. . . . So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.   (Psalm 18:20, 24 ESV)

So I read this and realize that I know some things David may not have had clearly on his radar . . . that there has been some additional revelation since the time of Israel’s shepherd king. I’m reminded that there is “none righteous, no not one” (Rom. 3:10) . . . that, before a holy God, man’s best and most “righteous deeds are like a polluted garment” (Isa. 64:6). So, though David might be considering the integrity of his own track record as the basis for God’s favor . . . there must be something more than simply what David has done, or not done, which compels the God of heaven to delight in him (18:19b).

No doubt David sought to be a righteous man . . . in the matter of not raising his hand against God’s anointed, Saul, his hands were clean . . . that he kept the ways of the LORD and determined not to depart from God even when the going got tough is clear (18:21). David was a lover of the Word . . . a seeker of the Way . . . fearing God and determined to keep himself blameless before Him (18:22). But if David’s righteousness before the Lord was a result of the good stuff he had done . . . what happens when he falls into the bad stuff . . . can anyone say, “Bathsheba?”

No doubt, the LORD delighted in David . . . even knowing that the king of God’s choosing would become an adulterer and a murderer. So what’s the real claim of righteousness that David had? What’s the true foundation for righteousness that any man or woman has? It’s the claim of Abraham . . .

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”   (Romans 4:3 ESV)

That’s how David, the less than perfect man, the king who would crash and burn, could appeal to his righteousness as the basis for God’s favor. Though David may or may not have fully understood it, his righteousness was an imputed righteousness . . . it was the righteousness of Another credited to his account . . . not on the basis of his lack of failure, but on the basis of his abiding faith. Though King David could not have imagined it, this imputed righteousness was the righteousness of another King . . . the Heir of David’s throne . . . He who came first as a spotless and sacrificial Lamb . . . come to take away the sin of the world . . . come to impart His righteousness and nature to those who would receive Him by faith.

That was David’s righteousness. Praise God, that’s my righteousness!

By the grace of God . . . for the glory of God.