Monday 11 February 2008

HELLO, IS GOD THERE?

“O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good inheritance. I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the LORD always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope.” (Psalm 16:5-9)

The closer we walk with God, the stronger our faith in Him. Most of the psalms written by David came as a result of his deep involvement with God. David was certainly a man like us, he had his own weaknesses, his own trials and tribulations. However, David stuck to God through thick and thin. In the key text before us today, David is providing us with certain clues:

God is the portion of his inheritance and his cup
David inherited his faith in God and his knowledge of God from his parents. There are many good things that Christian parents can pass down to their children, none is as precious as their faith in Jesus Christ. It is important for us to involve our children very early in life in things pertaining to God. Of course, there will be children who will reject their inheritance, however, the fault will not be ours if we showed them by example and training that faith in God lasts a lifetime and endures beyond the grave. There came a time in the life of David that he developed a personal relationship with the God of his parents, he began to drink personally from God. God became his cup, God became David’s life-giving drink!

David depended upon the counsels of God
You may not believe it but the Bible that David had was grossly incomplete: his Bible had only seven books, from Genesis to Judges. Yet David depended upon these seven books for wisdom and instruction concerning God. All that he learnt about God came from these books. What would have happened if David had the Bible as we know it today, complete with the words and examples of Jesus Christ and His faithful apostles? There were many other books in the days of David, many scientific books, many fashionable books, many gurus, many liberal thinkers, many positive thinkers, many other religious experiences apart from the one true faith in the God of Israel. David made a choice: he depended upon the counsels of God. No wonder, the Bible says, “The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.” Even for some Christians today the Bible is not relevant. David knew differently: the word of God is life and it is spirit. Those who truly depend upon the word of God in season and out of season will affirm that God’s word is the best anchor in life, the lamp that lights up their way and directs them away from destruction.

God was the most important person in David’s life
David said, “I have set the LORD always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope.” David had many important people in his life, his parents, his wives, his children, his courtiers, his peers. However, David knew that the most precious relationship any one can have is their relationship with God. Anything and anyone that wants to snuff out that relationship is the Devil’s ploy to make you lose your ground and your connection to the Life-giver, the Life-restorer, the Most High God. David fought off every distraction, he set his gaze upon God, and he won every battle.

Hello, is God in your life? Is God there in your heart? Hello, is God there at all?