Psalms 119:38-39: “Establish Thy Word to Thy servant, As that which produces reverence for Thee. Turn away my reproach which I dread, For Thine ordinances are good.” (NAS version)
The end goal of all scripture reading is that the heart and mind come into relationship and agreement with the Lord, so that what is said in scripture becomes our reality and that which is seen with the eyes or that which is experienced is secondary. For example, we lose our job. It is natural for us to worry, for it is our means of provision, but we can minimize our worry by believing scripture: “Trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not unto thy own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.” (Proverbs 6:6-7) Another example, one of our children is really struggling academically or socially and we are in despair for them. We can carry that despair or we can “cast” (take) our burdens to the Lord, for He cares for us.” As one pastor put it, “The cares of the sheep are the concerns of the shepherd,” meaning Jesus, who is the “Good Shepherd.” So, by believing the scriptures, faith is exercised, and when faith becomes our reality and “reality” becomes submissive to faith, opportunities to see God’s hand move in our life and on behalf of our loved ones is exactly what the Christian life is about. This, in a nutshell, defines a relationship or “walk” with God. If we are not experiencing this in our daily lives, then we are limiting ourselves from the fullness of the life God has for us.
How then do we experience this? Now before I answer this question, let me say that the Bible says a lot about several key things that pertain to a life with God and little about other questions we might have. It is as if God’s single message is, “I love you; come into relationship with me through my Son and let’s walk this life together. All the other questions you have will either be answered, or in time, they will not matter.” So, as we study these next verses, there will be repetition in the message–things that have been discussed in prior studies.
“Establish Thy Word….” Establish, the Hebrew word Qum, means to arise, to stand up with the objective of remaining standing. Other figurative meanings are to show honor and respect, to establish or strengthen, or to be victorious. God often gets a “bad rap,” but as you study the meanings of the words used to define God, you learn that God is a great Dad. He is on the sidelines cheering you on or even in the game seeing that you succeed. “Thy Word” is in reference to the scriptures. This is the achilles heel for most believers, for we really do not know what the Bible says and hence miss opportunities to see God act on our behalf.
“To Thy servant….” This is key. Do we see ourselves as God’s servant or do we see Him as ours? We would never say that God is our servant, but by our actions, we show it. When we have prayed for something or someone and things only get worse, how do we respond? We want the sunshine but not the rain. Yet both are needful, especially the rain. Growing faith encompasses a clearer understanding of my relationship to Him–that it is His Will that needs to be done, not mine. His Will encompasses now and eternity; my will only entails what I can perceive for the present. We get discouraged when prayers go unanswered, but maybe the fault is ours. We pray “amiss,” as Jesus said to His disciples. Instead, after we have prayed, end by saying, “You love that person more than me, so let your plans be established, or you gave your life for me, so if that situation is not what you want, then remove it, or give me the grace to excel through it.” Keep praying but apply trust and confidence to a God that would move heaven and earth on our behalf, if it is what is best. Remember, His concern is for our faith to grow; that the person of Christ is seen in us, not our specific comforts and wants, etc. To this end goal, He is most faithful.
The best prayer is, “Lord, let my life honor you and bring you praise. If the rain is needful for this, then let it rain and teach me to praise you in the rain, for the sun will soon follow.” It takes courage to mean a prayer like this, but it is a very fruitful prayer.
Father God,
Thank you for giving me a clearer perspective on prayer and my relationship with You. Give me the courage to live life as you see it–to not be afraid, but to trust you fully and let you be Lord of my life. Let the Cross be my assurance of your love. Thank you and Amen.