In His presence is where we belong, and in His presence is where we are strong.
We are in the cleft of the Rock – I’m not necessarily sure what that means, honestly – and I’m sure we are safe.
We are safe. Doesn’t mean we’re comfortable, but we are always safe. Secure.
Psalm 119:137-144
TSADHE
137 Righteous are you, O LORD, and right are your rules.
138 You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness.
139 My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget your words.
140 Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it.
141 I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts.
142 Your righteousness is righteous forever, and your law is true.
143 Trouble and anguish have found me out, but your commandments are my delight.
144 Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live.
It’s only now that I venture to ask myself, and to explore. I mean, we know what it means for us to say that we are righteous – For me, primarily, it means that I am always in right-standing with God. That’s right, it primarily has nothing to do with what I do – My righteous acts and works do not make me righteous, but it’s the other way around: Because I am righteous, my acts are works are righteous. All done in right-standing with God, all done within His presence.
However, when we say that God is righteous, what am I supposed to think? Well, the first thing that comes into mind is to say that God is right – that is, He is always correct. I mean, looking at it from the bordered, finite, limited perspective considering correct and wrong, He is always correct. Always best, He is perfect.
I think that’s the better word. When we say God is righteous, we are saying He is perfect – and His rules, thrice holy as we already know and have established in the past? His rules are perfect as He is perfect.
When I read where the Psalmist writes of how God ‘appointed (His) testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness’, the first thing that comes to mind is that His righteousness, His perfection is not without His faithfulness; That is, you can’t behold God’s righteousness without seeing His faithfulness. He is faithfully perfect, and perfectly faithful.
This is to say, therefore, or this is for us to consider – when we have been proclaimed righteous, we have been perfectly placed in His presence, perfectly reconciled to God that we can call Him our Father – but, I see here that we ourselves are not only naturally reconciled, but naturally faithful as well. As we enjoy God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) in all of His faithfulness towards us and the body of Christ, so we demonstrate the same faithfulness, the same passion and loyalty to Him, to ourselves, and to others. When we say we love one another, we are faithful to one another in celebration of our right-standing and righteousness with God.
I suppose this provides a little bit of explanation behind the written ‘zeal’ of the Psalmist, which ‘consumes’ him because his ‘foes’ forget his words – I suppose if they do forget his words, it’s only natural considering they consider themselves his foes. But more than this, I say that this zeal also comes in part from how he realizes just how good, great, and awesome are the testimonies and rules of our perfectly faithful and absolutely righteous God.
For, see, he continues by saying that he has witnessed the faithfulness of God’s perfect words, as His promises have apparently been ‘well-tried‘.
What a wonderful way to start this week – By not only appreciating the finished work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, guaranteeing our forever right-standing and favor with the Creator, but also beholding His awesome and absolute righteousness, perfection and faithfulness!
For it doesn’t matter how small we are, how insignificant we are, how empty we may feel, or how weak we may seem – We continue to give God the glory, and we thank Him more and more from the realization and remembrance of His righteousness which reigns and is forever. We delight in the presence of Jesus Christ – faithful and true, holy and righteous, and especially so even when trouble and anguish try their hardest to drag us down.
He is with me now, in spite of all I have in front of me. He is with me now, in spite of all I have on my plate. He loves me, cares for me, and is faithful to me, no matter how much I have, or no matter how empty I am. I praise and thank Him, for by His word He ministers to my entire being, pouring His Spirit upon me that I am at peace – peace beyond all human understanding – even in the dark depths of death.
He not only surrounds us with songs of deliverance, but reminds us of an appropriate word for every time – not leaving us hanging but giving us His understanding, that we may not be disgraced but that we may flourish in the land. We appreciate the truth of the matter, which states that we are New Creations, complete and secure, with the Mind of Christ.
Oh, praise His name! Praise the name of the Lord our God, and praise His name forever! Indeed, as the song goes, for endless days we indeed shall sing your praises, oh Lord, our God!
With all this in mind, I go ahead and publicly acknowledge that through Christ, God is with us and we are with Him in all our plans and endeavors. We acknowledge His perfection and faithfulness, in all our situations and circumstances. We say all of this, I say all of this – that is, I acknowledge God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) in my writing, my workouts, my walking, my waiting and wailing, my driving, my speaking and listening, my reading and chatting; In my times watching computer/phone screens at home, or out maintaining face to face conversations; I acknowledge Him in all the memories and regrets of the past, the worries and the actions of the present, and the uncertainty and hope for the future, knowing that He is faithful to guide and protect us…
This week, I acknowledge Him in everything, thankful in advance for He will not fail in establishing my thoughts and directing my steps.
What a faithful God we have, indeed – He is faithful in EVERY way, in every day.
Thank You, Father – for Life, Love, and Light. We will continue to flow, to thank You, and to trust You.
Halleluyah, and amen!
Until the next post, may the Lord continue to bless us all. Let’s all have a good day and week ahead!
82115/365000
JB's Personal Brain Defragmenter 
Leave a comment