March 8, 2018 - - Psalm 39:11-12a Shocking simile about God
/When you discipline a man
with rebukes for sin,
You consume like a moth what is dear to him;
surely all mankind is a mere breath!
Hear my prayer, O LORD,
and give ear to my cry;
hold not your peace at my tears!
Psalm 39:11-12a ESV
Are you finding losses in your life? Perhaps something you treasured was stolen. Perhaps cherished family ties, once dearer to you above all else, are now strained. Maybe your investments have tanked and you find yourself in tighter circumstances than you'd ever imagined. Maybe a job you dearly loved was taken from you. Maybe your health is faltering. Maybe friends have deserted you.
It is easy to say the devil has done it. But the Bible points to a more shocking source--the LORD. The shocking simile here compares the LORD to a moth that eats up what is dear. The point is this: anything that is dearer to you than the LORD, is an idol that needs to be toppled.
We are not to cry tears over what is lost. We are to cry tears of sorrow for our sinful ways which have tarnished our greatest relationship ever, our walk with God.
We are to cry tears of joy, at the fact the LORD Himself cares enough to upset our lives so that He will not allow us to run head-long into hell clutching onto our sins rather than His mercy.
We are to cry out to God, reaching out to Him until His peace takes hold of our hearts. The point is our longing for Him must be greater than the longing for our sins. At that moment the peace He offers in Jesus Christ will be fully ours, applied to us by the precious presence of His Spirit.
God it has been easier to rage against the losses I've experienced than it has been to do the hard work of trying to understand what You have been doing. It is hard to be disciplined by Your Hand. Yet, wavering as I do on this, I am praying do not withdraw Your Hand of discipline until I am wholly free of the sins that would pull me away from You. Do not stop until the longing for You is greater than the lust for sin. No matter my circumstances, my hope is in You alone all the day. Cleanse me and make me fit for holy service for the sake of Jesus' Name. Amen.
