The Friendship of the Lord
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Psalm 25:4-14
4. Make me to know thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. 5. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me, for thou art the God of my salvation; for thee I wait all the day long. 6. Be mindful of thy mercy, O Lord, and of thy steadfast love, for they have been from of old. 7. Remember not the sins of my youth, or my transgressions; according to thy steadfast love remember me, for thy goodness' sake, O Lord! 8. Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. 9. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. 10. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. 11. For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. 12. Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. 13. He himself shall abide in prosperity, and his children shall possess the land. 14. The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.
The summary of this Psalm is given in my Bible Reader’s Companion, “David turns to God for guidance and forgiveness and finds assurance in God’s grace to those who fear him.” The fear is not one of an anxious certainty of punishment simply because of a capricious and mighty God, desiring to demonstrate his power! It is a fear borne of recognition of David’s failings and sinfulness and the certain knowledge that God is all-powerful and mighty and has every right to punish him. But he is comforted to recognize that our God is merciful and loving, in addition to being just.
God’s laws provide us the knowledge we need to live according to his will, to his plan, and in order to receive the benefits of the covenant He made with man. Humility, faithfulness, fear, acknowledgement of sinfulness and our absolute need for reliance upon God, are not only the requirement for receipt of the covenant promises, they are the natural outpouring of gratitude for God’s unimaginably generous grace.
In my NIV translation, Verse 14 reads, “The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.” That is the one verse that stood out this morning. The Lord confides in those who fear him. . . I love the thought of having that intimacy with God. To have him confide in me. . . that is a lofty goal. But when we assume a posture like David’s in this psalm, we are benefactors of that intimacy. God is, indeed, intimately involved in our well-being and is delighted when we seek that intimate knowledge of his mercy and grace.
To delve down deep, to a level of understanding and awareness that we haven’t acquired before can be kind of scary. Because when we “go deeper” we unearth some of the “junk” we’ve kept buried for so long. But God longs for the intimacy that is only possible when we give all of it to Him. Offer it up, turn it over, get rid of it—He wants to take it from us. He wants that intimacy with us. He wants to go with us as we strive to acquire a deeper love, a deeper wonder, a deeper sense of awe and gratitude for our God.
God wants us to “go there” and He wants to come with us—more—He assures us He will be with us. He wants us to get rid of everything and anything that prevents us from having a close, loving, intimate relationship with Him. Don’t be afraid—He’s promised He will never leave us alone. He sent His Son to show the depth of His love and His eagerness for us to go to Him and turn our lives over to Him.
I hope you spend today confiding in God all that keeps you from accessing the intimate, loving assuredness of God’s mercy and grace.
Mary
