It Has Always Been About His Mercy
BRD REFLECTIONS:
2 Samuel 2; 3:1-5 and Psalm 66: 13-20 (NIV)
(Audie Lim, D&N Facilitator)
READ:
Psalm 66: 13-20 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
Psalm 66 is a testimonial song of deliverance and thanksgiving. Verses 13-20 trace the journey and celebrate the life changing deliverance of an individual whose prayers God answered. These verses could well be the song of my life. But for all of its parallels, verse 18 is staring hard at me.
APPLY:
Verse 18 says “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” I wonder if that was truly the state of my heart when I cried out for my prayers to be answered.
I’d like to think that I do not cherish iniquity in my heart. I have no desire for it. And often I dream of glorification where I shall be saved from the presence of sin’s dread sway. But in the present, here it still is. Do I then, really not cherish iniquity in my heart? How do I explain that it never goes away? How fitting it is that Paul says in Romans 7:15: “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”
It is in this struggle that I better understand what I am, who God is and His surpassing grace and mercy. Yes, I do not cherish iniquity but every now and then, I lose the battle. My attitude is suspect. But here, the psalmist tells of a man conscious of his sin and right in heart. His prayer availed, not because he was sinless, but because he was repentant – as James would say of a righteous man. I hope to be like him. But then in verse 20, the man concludes the psalm with thanksgiving, and gives the starker reason why he was delivered – because God did not turn him away. Because of His great love, God did not withdraw his mercy. For while I have the responsibility to obey, it is entirely due to God’s grace that my prayers are effective. Looking back to when my prayers were answered, it was not my prayer or posture that merited the deliverance. It was His mercy that sent it.
DO:
I shall ensure that my outward conduct corresponds with my heart’s profession of faith. And I will always remember that my obedience is not my response to answered prayers, but rather to His grace and mercy.
PRAY:
Father God, thank You for reminding me that inward integrity and outward conduct should align. You are the author and finisher of my faith. So lead me in paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake. Guide me into an obedience that springs from dependence upon Your mercy rather than it being a meritorious endeavour. May I remain in Your steadfast love forever.
