Psalm 86:4 "Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul."
It seems the life of a Christian is one of ups and downs, highs, and lows, hills
and valleys. The Promised Land of Canaan was described as a land of hills and
valleys. How is it we can be so close to God in one instance and then
come crashing down the next?
This 86th Psalm is titled, "the Prayer of David." Notice the
ups and downs of this Psalm:
Verse 1 - "I am poor and needy"
Verse 2 - "I am holy"
Verse 3 - "I cry for help"
Verse 5 - You are "plenteous in mercy"
Verse 6 - Please listen to me
Verse 7 - I know you will answer
Verse 5 - You are "ready to forgive"
Verse 17 - show "me a token for good"
Throughout the Psalm, we are taken from great depths to wonderful heights of
grace. But through it all, David is doing one thing: "unto thee, O LORD do
I lift up my soul." (verse 4) Why? "For thou, LORD, art
good and ready to forgive." (verse 5)
We do ourselves great damage by listening to the lies of Satan. Though he
cannot take eternal life from us, he revels in trying to steal our joy. One of
his most used tools for stealing that joy is to try to convince us that God
would never forgive us; therefore, we waste time trying to pay penance for sins
while we walk around in the depth of despair thinking we are not, nor ever will
be, forgiven.
So, we either choose to believe Satan's life - or - we believe the Word of God.
God's Word tells us, "For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and
plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee." (Psalm 86:5)
What is the basis of God's forgiveness? our penance? What is penance? The
dictionary tells us that penance is a voluntary self-punishment - which by the
way accomplishes nothing. So, do we think our self-punishment, walking
around in the dark suit of guilt, will set us right with God? Or do we believe
and trust the truth of God's Word? What does God have to say about the
basis of His forgiveness?
"But he (Christ) was wounded for our transgressions, he (Christ) was
bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him
(Christ); and with his (Christ's) stripes we are healed." (Isaiah
53:5)
"To the praise of the glory of his (God, the Father's) grace, wherein he
hath made us accepted in the beloved (Jesus Christ). (7) In whom we
have redemption through his (Christ's) blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of his (the Father's) grace" (Ephesians 1:6-7)
Either
Jesus paid it all by the shedding of His blood, or He paid nothing and died in
vain. God's Word tells me that Jesus took my chastisement upon Him; therefore I
want to honor Him by walking close and knowing that my dependence is upon Him.
My hope is built on nothing less
Than
Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus' name
On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand