Being real

DEVOTION

PSALM

BEING REAL

Ps 78:32-39

32 In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe. 33 So he ended their days in futility and their years in terror. 34 Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again. 35 They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer. 36 But then they would flatter him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues; 37 their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant. 38 Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath. 39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.

NIV

A passing breeze that does not return, that is all we mere mortals are to the living God? Maybe that just refers to those who sit in the seat of mockers, as the first psalm talks about. We have investigated that word mocker and it is surely explained for us here in this psalm. The Hebrew word means to make lips at. In the sense of the use in the first psalm it would imply to make lips to God, or give him lip service and that is what is explained for us here. They flattered him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues, their hearts were not loyal to him. Unfaithful to his covenant. They gave him lip service, they mocked God. Everything he did for them, all that he did in providing them with everything, water, manna, quail, protection, guidance, his presence, they kept on sinning. Even with all the wonders he did, they did not believe. What a bunch of bums. Is it any wonder he ended their days in futility and terror. Are we anything like that. Do we give him any kind of lip service? When all is going well we are good and maybe we tend to ignore him a bit, forgetting to thank him at all times for everything he has done, is doing and will do in, for and though our life. Is it only when we are going through some struggle that we pray for help? We promise we will thank him if he gets us through it, but then we just go on, with our life. No, that is not how we live. We are always aware of his great power working in our life, but we still sin. How can that be? It is not that we ignore him or turn away to live for self.  It is not that we simply say we are believers then pursue all the things of the world, like all that non-believers who trust only in themselves. We love the Lord, but we are but flesh and blood and we are in some sense prisoners to our bodies. Perfection eludes us. But we cannot and will not lie to God about how much we follow every one of his commands. He knows full well our weakness, and so do we. We confess that weakness, and he forgives us. He is our Rock. He is the God Most High and he knows our every thought. He knows our weakness and he has redeemed us in Christ. He has shown us great mercy and compassion by paying the price his justice demands. He knows we cannot pay it, so he paid it for us. So here we are a passing breeze, our life is but a mist, a vapor that will vanish when the light of the Son appears. But we also are born again, a new creature into live eternal. We will live forever with our God, being his people. But we cannot lie to him ever. We cannot think we are sinless, or pretend that we have it all figured out. We will forever be grateful and thankful for his grace, mercy, peace, and love. All he wants is for us to live as his people, to be faithful to his covenant. Jesus gave us the covenant we are to live in. We know it is one of love. Loving God with all we are and loving others in the same manner. How easy is that? Think again, not so easy to love those unlovely ones. Not so easy to love those irregular people in our lives, those who rub us in all the wrong ways. But that is it, which is where the rubber meets the road. So we may not be as faithful as we should, but we cannot lie about it, especially to God, giving him lip service.  We cannot pretend we are all wonderful Christians, “Good Christians” when we fail to live up to the covenant completely. We try, we can tell him we are trying, but we are not getting it all done. He knows if we are really trying, we cannot even give him lip service about our trying to do it. He knows. So let’s just be honest and frank with God. Let us be real with him.