It's my hope that before reading this, if you dare commit to any substantial time in considering this, you read all of Psalm 69 as I will only quote those bits I use specifically.
As I've been reading through the Psalms, I am amazed at them! Truly, it's one thing to know about them. It's quite another to actually read through them and take notes on them. They are exemplary of true and genuine honesty before God. In fact, sometimes David (and others) are so honest that I think they're being irreverent. For instance, in our example here, David says, "Erase their names from the Book of Life." (Psalm 69:28). Aren't we supposed to pray for the salvation of those who persecute us?
In any case, it's important to learn from the transparency before God revealed in the Psalms. So we look first at Psalm 69. David begins by expressing, in very passionate terms, his desperate situation and the innocence he has in regard to his enemies' accusations. Then suddenly he throws in a quote-worthy bit:
"O God, you know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from you."
Psalm 69:5
Moving right along. He continues to lament his situation, but here we get to the heart of what I'm saying. He cries out to God to rescue him, using phrases like, "Your unfailing love is wonderful", "Your mercy is so plentiful", "Your sure salvation", and "Your saving power".
He is praising God amidst his lamentation! If you notice in the Psalms, God is never cursed or rejected by those who feel that His presence is gone.
This is where we get problems. We focus on our situation(s) more than we focus on the Lord. I've said it before and I'll repeat it without end just to drive it into my heard-to-learn heart: we need to tell God, "You are good," regardless of our situation! That is how we retain our correct focus.
We read all over the New Testament (and Old, mind you, but not as blatantly) that we need to give up our lives for Christ, take up our cross, die to ourselves, follow Christ, focus on heaven, et cetera. But what's all that about? How do we do that? I know there are many dimensions to this (as must be the case when all aspects of life are required to be "laid down"), but there is a key I will say again and again and again:
We must keep our eyes on Christ.
What does that mean? I'm referring here to the eyes of our hearts--our "spiritual" eyes, so to speak. I am talking about what our whole life is about, what our perspective is, and what we are striving for. The eyes of our heart is how we know and understand God and what He is doing. That's the best I think I can do to explain it; I hope and pray that the amazing Holy Spirit can make my meaning clear to you.
God wants true, genuine and passionate worship from His people all the time, even when either things are hard, or He seems absent!
"The Father is looking for those who will worship Him in that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth."
John 4:23-24
Worship in Spirit--true worship comes from our spirit (or heart, if you will). This is worship from the very core of our being, and as we know, the core of our being is now inhabited by the Holy Spirit, where He abides!
Worship in Truth--Jesus is the essence of Truth (if I can put it that way), if you recall (John 14:6). Therefore, we can only worship Him if we worship in Him. We have the mind of Christ because the Holy Spirit lives in us (1 Corinthians 2:10-16). Therefore, it is through Him that we worship in spirit and in truth. That means that our eyes must be on Him! That means that we must be focused on Him.
And what does that mean? It means that He must be the at very heart of our motive, hopes, aspirations, worship, service, and so forth. It means that, like David, regardless of our situation, we must worship Him! We must proclaim "I will praise God's name with singing, and I will honor Him with thanksgiving!" (Psalm 69:30)
How good is our God! Let nothing obscure our eyes on Christ. As we follow Him, if we look away from Him, we fall into the ditches along the path of life. Extremely challenging? No kidding! Extremely rewarding (like, eternity with Him)? Need I answer?
So now we look at another portion of Scripture:
"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again--rejoice!...[I don't skip because I don't like it, but because I'm not going to discuss it]...Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4, 6-7
It is so important to keep our eyes on the Lord! We get so caught up in circumstances and our focus changes to looking at them, not Him. Then we get worried about them (and to the world's perspective, they may be very worrisome!) and then we're in a mess. When we come to the Lord with our struggles and joys and choose to worship Him, as David does, then His peace protects our hearts and minds. This means that without His peace, our hearts and minds are vulnerable!
"Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flows the springs of life."
Proverbs 4:23 (NASB)
I'm going to look at the second bit of that verse first: the wellsprings of life. From the heart do we worship in spirit and in truth. From the heart are we motivated. From the heart do we act. Surely this is decently clear to you.
So we must watch over it with all diligence. Well, as we've just seen, our heart is guarded by the peace of God, peace which surpasses understanding! Peace comes from telling God what we need and thanking Him for what He has done. It comes from complete and whole dependence on, and true and genuine worship of Him! When we worship in spirit and in truth, regardless of circumstances, then our eyes are on Him (is this becoming more clear?), then He gives us His peace, which guards our hearts and minds. I don't want to repeat that; I think it's coming together.
"The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God's help be encouraged. For the Lord hears the cries of the needy; He does not despise the imprisoned people."
Psalm 69:32-33
Though I do not need to say it, I think it is perfect that David says this. "The humble will see their God at work and be glad." What is humility? It is complete surrender to God. It is, in other words, having our eyes on Christ. What's the practical (and yet complete) definition of humility? Humility is being teachable. It takes humility to understand how God is working. If we are not humble, than we cannot see how circumstances are in God's control, and then we loose focus on Christ, and then plop, we're back in our blind mucking about in a ditch. (Also about humility and giving our cares to God: 1 Peter 5:5-7 and James 4:10.)
The key in that is this: we can trust God because He is working in all situations. Some say God allows all things to happen, others say God causes all things to happen. I say God causes what He chooses to cause, and He allows what He chooses to allow. He's sovereign, and we cannot understand His ways (Isaiah 55:9). But we CAN and SHOULD find complete peace in Him because He's in control. I'm not saying it's easy. I'm not saying we can achieve any sort of peace on our own. If you think that, you've missed the point of this note. I'm saying that we need to be focused on Him all the time, when we feel He is near or not. We need to always--always--worship Him in spirit and in truth. It's not an emotion we necessarily feel. It's a choice we make. It often goes against our feelings.
I do apologize for my lack of practical application. It is my purpose to increase your passion and understanding, that you seek the Lord for even greater understanding. I claim no understanding of this on my own! The Lord alone deserves the glory for what He teaches His children. I just want to share the passion of what I've found in Scripture and understand by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit!
Let's gaze always upon the Lord, not on circumstances, nor people, nor pleasures, nor any sort of worldly desire. Let's worship Him in spirit and in truth! Then we will receive His peace, which will guard our hearts and keep us on the path of life!
"Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all His glory."
Colossians 3:1-4
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