Walking With God

 

Text: Psalms 139:1-6

Focus: Intimacy with God

Function: trusting that we are under the Spirit’s control

139:¹O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
²You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from far away.
³You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴Even before a word is on my tongue,
    O Lord, you know it completely.
⁵You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is so high that I cannot attain it.

Good morning and welcome to the possibilities that we are facing for us in this new year. I pray for peace in this new year as we are going to face a political election that won’t be about the issues but mud slinging and bitter accusations. I am afraid that we have sunk to the level of those who use ridicule and lies about their opponents because people are easily manipulated. I am greatly grieved at how so many Christians have picked up on the bitterness.

The thing is, Ephesians 6:12 tells us that we are in a spiritual battle, and 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 tells us we are not to use the weapons of human origin, but divine, Spirit filled and Spirit led manifestations of God dealing with injustice.

God does indeed care about injustice.

And the OT shows us that the laws of God that are not written on the hearts of men and women are ineffective to change society into a just and loving place, like Jesus preached and prophesied about.

But the Old Testament also prophecies about the Spirit and it says that God will fill those who trust in God with the Spirit and the Spirit of God. I believe, to work on the conscience of the individual and help them manifest God’s love in any given situation.

And that is what David is talking about in this Psalm. He explains how he walks with God in his own conscience.

God changes hearts to change society.

It is important to note that Jesus came to transform human culture into a society that cares for the least of these. That is why the continued rhetoric against people at the border who are just like Jesus, Joseph and Mary were when they were fleeing from violence to a safe place is evil. It dehumanizes them so that our conscience is not bothered. It is a form propaganda.. It is sin to use these suffering people as political pawns to garner votes and whip up support.

As I mentioned last week, God said God’s blessings for us are so that we can share with others. We are indeed blessed here in the USA.

God has blessed us and we don’t need a wall. I believe that God is calling us to a bigger table.

David is speaking of how God changes his own heart and Jesus spoke of how it will change the world around us.

We need to understand that salvation is both personal and corporate, or community wide.

When Jesus prayed the Lord’s prayer, it was not “MY Father…” but OUR Father…” The emphasis is on the corporate nature of Jesus’ salvation. Again, Jesus came to change the culture into a place that is safe and loving for everyone.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called it “The beloved community.”

Loved by God and thus, loving others equally and ensuring that the peace given isn’t merely the absence of conflict, but justice for everyone.

I am sure God’s heart was broken on Oct 7 in Israel when the war broke out and non combatant innocents were slaughtered. It was an act of terror. But, Jesus made it clear that retributive justice does not work.

We care for Israel because of the holocaust and we support their right to exist as a nation state so that the holocaust does not happen again. And we also support the Palestinians right to exist as a nation state. The problem is, those two sides are full of hate and refuse to allow the others the right to exist in peace.

I understand the frustration of the Palestinians, they are victims of two governments, just like the Jewish people were during WWII.

People cannot find the peace in their hearts to forgive and love their enemies as Jesus promised would happen when we trust Christ and the Spirit fills us.

What they need is a dose of the Holy Spirit.

David speaks of the intimacy that comes in his relationship with God.

Paul said we call God’ “Daddy” by the power of the Spirit.

And David speaks of how he believes that in his connection with the Christ, the Christ knows thoughts and motivations better than he knows himself.

That, to me, is the importance of spending time in meditation and contemplation. It gives us a chance to listen for the voice of God as God instructs our hearts in the way that we should go.

And I love the way he says that God “hems him in.” God sets boundaries in his heart. I believe he is speaking of how the Holy Spirit can lead and guide us to be obedient to God and the teachings of the Christ in our own lives.

It is also important to spend time studying, like you are this morning listening to a sermon, but also in your own personal time.

I don’t want to shame you if you don’t have a regular practice. But I would humbly ask you to ask God to increase your knowledge of God and the Spirit’s leading when you are praying.

Isaiah 11:5-7 says that in the end, Jesus comes to end war and hatred and strife. I don’t know how that will happen as it seems as if we are going backwards and our passion to see our side beat the other side keeps us from loving them as we love ourselves.

We are being divided. My new sources do nothing but criticize the other side and the other side’s news sources do nothing but criticize my side.

We need peace. We need the power of the Spirit to draw us together so that we can work together for the common good.

Again, peace is not peace until it gives justice to both sides of the conflict. So, the Prince of Peace, Jesus, preached peace and yet attacked those who refused to love and accept the other, mainly because of greed.

You know I love the verse from Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O human, what is good and what does God require of you? Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.

I confess, that humble part is hard for me. I get passionate, but then, so did Jesus and we are called to be like Him.

I believe that Jesus interacted with those who opposed him with the desire to redeem them and transform them instead of merely trying to win an argument.

He seemed to be focused on the individual and their needs instead of trying to prove something about himself.

I believe that is part of the essence of what it means to walk humbly with God.

David does something profound, I believe, in this passage. As he speaks of how God knows him intimately, he speaks of what it is like to walk with God.

It is how we fulfill the New Testament command to pray without ceasing. I believe it is the same thing. God doesn’t want us literally on our knees every minute of every day, but God does want us to acknowledge His presence and power in our lives as we go about our daily work. I believe God wants us to acknowledge God’s presence in every part of our lives.

God is there with us in our vocational work, in our sewing, teaching, driving, welding, bookwork, cooking, creating, helping and whatever else your hands find to do. God is there, with us.

And this song of David is a testimony to his own faith and dependence on God.

The world still has a lot of evil to be overcome. And God’s Spirit gives us the power to face the injustices of this world knowing that we are indeed walking with the hand of God on our backs.

So pray and listen for the Spirit’s guiding in your own lives.