In Sync
“I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.” Psalm 16:7
David praised the Lord for all he had, because it was God all along who led him. Through God’s wise counsel he was able to reach the right conclusions about his life. God’s word helped David sync up his faith (hopes) with his situation (reality). If what we believe and then see are in the right order, we have clarity and confidence. But when circumstances cloud our judgment, we live in fear. David believed God’s counsel and rested in Him.
We can never know if advice is right unless we adhere to it. This was how David came to praise the Lord - His counsel worked. At some point, David asked God for His help and He spoke to him in a way he could understand. David would have then had to heed His advice to see the results. This is how it works for everyone - we ask God, He speaks, we hear and then do what He says - results follow. As we see positive results, our level of understanding grows and we start to teach (instruct) ourselves what is true (effective) and what is false (ineffective).
“His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:2
In Step
“I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” Psalm 16:8
How did David set the Lord always before him and what did that mean? The act of setting the Lord before you is to align (link with), adjust to (according to His will) and avail (sit before, wait on) ourselves to Him. But we can’t just “say” it, we have to “do” it. So we either set the Lord before us or shut Him out by lack of action. Because David set God before Him, He was right there by his side.
With the Lord before him to lead and guide, and at his right hand (alpha position) as his partner, David knew he would not be shaken (waver, slip or fall). By putting God first, David had a personal experience and relationship with Him that could not be denied. The same holds true for us - If we have an encounter with God, the arguments of others are useless against our experience. When you know that you know, that you know, who can shake you?
“He is like a tree planted…, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” Psalm 1:3
From Sermon Notes April 10, 2022
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