Spiritual Friendships That Hold Me Accountable
(Gerhardine Foo, Pastoral Team Member, Small Group Ministry)
READ:
Psalm 30 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
Psalm 30 starts off with an introductory declaration of praise (v1-3), listing reasons for the praise. After that, the psalmist turns to fellow worshippers and invites them to join in the praise and thanksgiving (v4-5), which points to the ceremonial nature of this psalm. This is followed by a section of detailed praise that includes him listing the only instance of his failing in this psalm in verse 6:
‘‘When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken” (NIV)
This is then followed by him detailing a collapse into dismay (v7), an appeal for mercy (v8-10) and then ending with a response of joy and thanksgiving at remembering God’s response of deliverance (v11-12).
It is interesting to note that v6 is seen as a type of failing. What the psalmist is admitting here is that in good times, it is easy to be too confident in oneself and to take things for granted. But as v7 reminds us, it is by the Lord’s favour that He makes one’s ‘mountain stand firm’. The moment God turns His face away, disaster strikes.
What this psalm seems to be driving at is that we are to have a whole-hearted dependence on God in all of our life’s moments. This psalm is replete with how God has responded to the psalmist every time he cries out to Him. When we read this in the context of the Hebrew covenant where God promises to protect and bless His people and in return He asks for their complete obedience, reliance and pride in oneself and one’s own achievement is an abomination to Him. God has shown that to jolt one out of this false sense of self-confidence, He can easily take away all that one holds dear so that the psalmist is drawn back into a relationship of dependence on Him.
APPLY
I think it is easy, especially in this day and age of individualism for me to easily feel confident in my own abilities and feel like all achievements are of my own effort. Even beyond that, it is also easy to be lulled into a false sense of invulnerability that with my comfortable life right now where I live in a pretty safe and secure country, with a roof over my head and no lack of food and belongings, to also think that ‘I will never be shaken’ from this life. But as the psalmist shows, just when we think that we are doing fine on our own without God, a turn of fortune can happen anytime.
DO
For me this is a reminder that I cannot get away with just cruising by in life and not having a proper relationship with God. Calling myself a Christian and just attending church services does not make me a true follower of Christ. I need to intentionally let myself be discipled so that I can always be directed to look to Christ in all areas of my life. One of the ways I can and will do is to form spiritual friendships with people who can help keep me accountable and to always point my eyes to Christ and away from myself or any other thing that gives me a false sense of security.
PRAY
Father God, I praise and thank you for your endless mercies and grace, that your anger lasts only a moment but your favour lasts a long time. I ask for your forgiveness for the sin of self-reliance where I have forgotten that all good things come from you. I am sorry for also taking you for granted, thinking that I am deserving of your favour even when I have neglected You. Help me Lord, to always look to you and to keep my eyes on you, I ask that you send the right people to me who can help me to be a better disciple of your son Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
