Thursday, April 7, 2016
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He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep
waters. He rescued me from my powerful
enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me. They attacked me at a moment when I was in
distress, but the Lord supported me. Psalm 18:16-18(NLT)
In this
particular Psalm, David utters great praise to God for being preserved from fierce
adversaries over the course of his life.
Seventeenth century preacher and pastor Matthew Henry said of this
Psalm: The poetry is very fine, the images are
bold, the expressions lofty, and every word is proper and significant; but the
piety far exceeds the poetry.[2] This is
David’s expression of devotion to the God who was his rock and shield
throughout a lifetime of war, political enemies, and even David’s own failure. It is a testament of how God never lets down
those who bow before the king of glory.
I have to
admit that when I was much younger I would read verses like these and interpret
them according to what I wanted, rather than seek God’s face, or his will. It’s called “eisegesis”, or reading-into
Scripture what you want to be there, rather than what’s really there.
In earlier
days (and, to be honest, sometimes even now), when going through a rough patch,
my prayer life turns into a shopping-list of wanting what I want; God’s will (at
times) is lost in the shuffle; well, HE certainly isn’t lost, but
I’m looking in the wrong direction.
After all, as it has been observed, it’s
hard to remember you’ve been sent to drain the swamp when you’re up to your
neck in alligators! My prayers
sometimes turn into: God,
I need this, that, and don’t forget the other… and You’ve promised….
Whenever I
look back on such times, I’m amazed how I was able to read a Bible passage about
how God dealt with someone else, and then act as if it was written just for me,
so I can get my prayers answered my way – so I can tell God what I want, proving
I deserve it with Scripture, and then just about demand that God live up to his
end of the bargain.
In haste to
fulfill our own agenda, laced with personal desires and gains, we instruct the
Lord, misapplying Scripture after Scripture, until our prayer sounds like it is
lifted right out of Holy writ, when it’s really only been lifted out of its
original context!
Zero humility;
off-the-chart arrogance!
And at times
such as this, just like the Prodigal son, I wake up in the hog pen with the cold-water
reality of my incredible foolishness smacking me in the face.
And I repent.
And I
remember – God’s deliverance isn’t always from the bad guy or
the mountain that wants to fall on me; often his saving me is a matter of
saving me…from me!
For You Today
Have you ever
prayed against God’s will, and tried to use His holy Word to
prove you’re right?
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road today…and have a blessed day!
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