“[God] I’ve thrown in my lot with you; You won’t embarrass me, will you? Or let my enemies get the best of me? Don’t embarrass any of us who went out on a limb for you. It’s the traitors who should be humiliated.” (Psalm 25:3)
Every year I try to read through the entire bible. I use different reading plans, chronological, historical, topical and so on. I typically bounce between the NIV and the ESV versions of the bible as I go through the plan. This year I decided to change things up and read through the Message. My hope was that it would breathe new life into passages I have read several times, and that I would be inspired and encouraged.
More than two months in now, I have definitely been inspired and encouraged. What I didn’t expect was to be shocked. After reading the verse above from Psalm 25, I thought, really, this is how David spoke to God? “Don’t embarrass any of us who went out on a limb for you”… the audacity! Cue the lightning bolt!
Why was this so shocking to me? Was this shocking to other people too? What does this reveal about God? What does this reveal about my own heart? How does this affect my conversations with God – my worship of God?
Given God’s response to David, and that God calls David “a man after His own heart,” we can assume that this type of interaction was okay with God. So why was I shocked?
As I searched my heart, what came to the surface was this: I was shocked by this interaction because it goes against my preconceived idea of what relating to God should look like. The interesting thing is I think I got those ideas from the church, or more specifically, the western version of church we have in North America. I’m not bashing the church- I love the church and think we need to support her. But, I think it’s important for us to be honest and admit that we might be missing something in how we relate to God. And I think this has a profound effect on our worship. For example, I don’t remember ever leading a Lamentation song in worship, yet there is a whole book of the Bible devoted to it. And I don’t think I’ve ever prayed a prayer with quite the honesty that David expressed.
How can I journey into these areas of relationship with God? Later in the psalm there are a couple verses that addressed this dilemma for me.
[David’s] question: What are God-worshipers like?
[God’s] answer: Arrows aimed at God’s bull’s-eye…
God-friendship is for God-worshipers
They are the ones he confides in. (Psalm 25:12, 14)
What I learned is I’ve got to aim at God’s bull’s-eye, not my idea of what it is. In order to have a clear picture of what that is, I have to get close to Him and let Him show me what it means to worship Him with my whole heart.
The kind of conversations David had with God were based on deep friendship built on trust. Trust built over time. I want that kind of intimacy with God. I want to be one He confides in.
What am I holding back? Am I willing to trust God with the full weight of my emotions? David believed God was big enough to handle it. Do I believe?
-Chip Demetri
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