relationships (Psalm 86:1-17) Only Have to Remember One Thing

(Psalm 86:1-17)   Incline Your ear, Lord, and answer me;

     For I am afflicted and needy.
2   Protect my soul, for I am godly;
     You my God, save Your servant who trusts in You.
3   Be gracious to me, Lord,
     For I call upon You all day long.
4   Make the soul of Your servant joyful,
     For to You, Lord, I lift up my soul.
5   For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,
     And abundant in mercy to all who call upon You.
6   Listen, Lord, to my prayer;
     And give Your attention to the sound of my pleading!
7   On the day of my trouble I will call upon You,
     For You will answer me.
8   There is no one like You among the gods, Lord,
     Nor are there any works like Yours.
9   All nations whom You have made will come and worship before You, Lord,
     And they will glorify Your name.
10 For You are great, and you do wondrous deeds;
     You alone are God.

11 Teach me Your way, Lord;
     I will walk in Your truth;
     Unite my heart to fear Your name.
12 I will give thanks to You, Lord my God, with all my heart,
     And I will glorify Your name forever.
13 For Your graciousness toward me is great,
     And You have saved my soul from the depths of Sheol.

14 God, arrogant men have risen up against me,
     And a gang of violent men have sought my life,
     And they have not set You before them.
15 But You, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
     Slow to anger and abundant in mercy and truth.
16 Turn to me, and be gracious to me;
     Grant Your strength to Your servant,
     And save the son of Your maidservant.
17 Show me a sign of good,
     That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,
     Because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Wow!  Instead of being ashamed that we are believers, we need to be living in such a way that demonstrates God's presence in our lives - so that - those who oppose the Lord and His followers will see it and be ashamed!  And this isn't about us doing things in our own strength and effort, or doing things because we have to - it is about doing things in God's strength, and because we want to!  We should want to, as Christianity isn't about following a list of do's and don'ts... it is all about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ!

This psalm does an excellent job at defining what a Christian - a true believer - is.  So, who are the godly ones (the true believers)?  We are those who know that there is only one God, and He is great and does wonderous deeds.  We have humbled ourselves, knowing that we are afflicted and in need of a Savior, and that salvation is only through Jesus, the Lord.  We have gone to the Lord for forgiveness and have given our soul to Him.  And in the moment of being reborn, the Lord gives us His indwelling Holy Spirit of promise to seal us for eternity. 

Once a Christian, we should also know that we continue to need the Lord!  Knowing that He is omnipotent, we can totally trust Him.  We can call upon the Lord and depend on Him for our help "all day long" - for everything - always!  And we can call out to Him "on the day" of our trouble, without waiting.  No problem is too great!  We should know that God works things out and answers our prayers, so we can go to Him and receive His strength, comfort and joy.  We should know that the Lord is omniscient, truth, light, life, impartial, just and fair, so we can run to Him for His guidance and receive His courage and confidence.  

Christians are those who fear God and strive to put and keep Him first in our lives.  When we learn and know all of His qualities and how they benefit a person, we will want to continue learning from the Lord so we can walk in truth and in unity alongside Him.  And as we continue to walk closely alongside Him, He will continue to teach us and strengthen our faith and trust.  He is our strength, so we can ask God to help us be steadfast servants, being thankful to Him for everything.  Part of trusting in Him means we will see the value of trusting His word and His will, so we will strive to be obedient.  Part of this includes not neglecting going to church, to serve, and to worship, and glorify His name.

This might sound like a list of do's and don'ts to some, but Christians are those who realize that for all these things, it is the Lord at work in us!  We should know that the Lord is omnipresent, faithful, patient and caring.  Therefore, no matter what we are going through (good times or bad), no matter which relationship is creating grief (friend or foe), and no matter how we are feeling (invincible or depressed), we just have to remember one thing - keep on going to the Lord and asking Him for help!