"Attend to my cry,
For I am brought very low;
Deliver me from my persecutors,
For they are stronger than I."
Psalm 142:6
Oh my soul. The longer I live this Christian life, the more convinced I become that my greatest enemies are not OUTSIDE but INSIDE. Satan may tempt and the world may allure, but no fiend has so prevailing and devilish an influence in my life than my indwelling sins. They are "my persecutors" to use the words of David in this Psalm. They may not have the LAST word on my eternal estate, but they indeed have a LOUD word with respect to my current condition. I am ready to confess with the psalmist, from the sore and sad experience of my soul, that "they are stronger than I."
One thing that this verse tells me is the need we have as Christians for crying. The way to glory is through the veil of tears - and these tears first and foremost must be tears over my own sin. Such crying is a Christian grace - and I confess that far too often my heart is hardened against so good an affection as that. Godly sorrow works repentance...not the other way around. Dry eyes are no indication of spiritual health. David wept. Jeremiah wept. Even Christ - though not for His own sin - nevertheless wept in the face of sin and its sorrowful consequences.
This verse also tells me the dangers of becoming comfortable with my sin. David knew that his persecutors had brought him "very low." But far too often, I fear, my sin has not had the same effect upon my heart. It might make me angry, bothered, and inconvenienced and out of sorts. But low? Very low? Somehow I have rationalized my sinful thoughts, words and deeds so that they hardly interrupt me, let alone bring me very low.
This verse tells me that God delights to deliver us from our sins. David prayed "deliver me!" And it is especially delightful to the Lord when we confess that we are too weak to deal with them on our own: "they are stronger than I." God sent a Deliverer - Jesus Christ. He heard David's cry and the cry of others who, through grace, know that in themselves "dwells no good thing." He will hear our cry as well. Christian - start crying.
2 comments:
Gulp!
Jeremiah 9:1—1 Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!
While Jeremiah is certainly praying in the light of a different set of circumstances and not directly for his own sin, it is still for sin. It is, then, for the head of waters and eyes that are a fountain of tears that I pray for, or, weeping for my sin! Thank you, brother! May it please God to give us such broken and pleading hearts!
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