e-votional
a message to encourage and uplift from College Heights Baptist Church
Wednesday May 6, 2009
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6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him. 7 You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah. – Psalm 32:6-7, NASB
I’m pretty good at making bad decisions. I do it all the time. Odds are, you to do. We all can identify with the person who is in a mess for no other reason than his or her own foolish choices. I’ve been there. You’ve been there. Israel’s King David has been there.
David had impregnated his neighbor’s wife during an affair. Subsequently, he then arranged for the murder of his neighbor. David made some horrendous choices. He had sinned, and sinned grievously. When he tried to hide his sin, he was racked by the emotional and physical turmoil that comes with guilt and conviction. Finally, David admitted his sin to God and embraced the forgiveness that He offers.
It’s hard to admit when we are wrong. We like to pretend that our sin never happened, or that it’s justified in some way. So, we never turn to God for forgiveness. We hold at arm’s length the peace and restoration He makes available. Thus, we become overwhelmed in the flood of guilt, shame, conviction, and judgment. That’s why David encourages us to turn to God in a timely manner. We need to seek Him while He may be found.
Not only do we hesitate to turn to God for forgiveness, but we often are slow in responding to God in other areas of our lives. When things come our way that simply overwhelm us, we wallow in fear and distress rather than turn to the Lord. We choose to be crushed by the great flood waters rather than let God lift us above them. We would rather worry and fret than turn to God in prayer. My son and I recently visited a college in Virginia. On our way there, we passed a number of homes built beside a stream. What was unique about these homes is that they were elevated on stilts. The day we drove by, the stream was rather low. But, it was clearly evident that there would be days ahead when the flood waters would come. These homes would be safe because they were lifted up.
God wants to lift us up to lift us above the storms of life. He wants to deliver us from the pain that comes from our own bad choices. He wants to provide for us security and protection, peace and deliverance. He wants to be our hiding place, but we need to trust Him. We need to turn to Him in a timely manner. We need to seek Him while He may be found. When we do, we get to join in the chorus and sing with those whom God has delivered.
Pastor Darrell
