Not For Everyone, But it is For You
Some spiritual blessings are reserved for a smaller group of people. While God’s love is unconditional, His blessings are not. Let me explain.
There is a verse of scripture in Psalms 25 that has intrigued me for some time. It provides a unique promise of a special spiritual benefit but it discriminates as to who this blessing is actually for.
There are actually 2 promises in this passage that are uniquely attractive. They are connected to the condition of “fearing the Lordâ€.
In the opening verses of this chapter, David is petitioning God for help and blessing. He is asking that the Lord will “make known your ways, teach him, lead him, remember him.†(vs.4-7)
What it means to “fear of the Lord†is described in the preceding verses. It is humility before the Lord (v.9), obedience to the Lord (v.10), a recognition of who God is, and a holy reverence for the character, nature, and ways of God.
This “fear of God†produces these great promises in verse 14.
There is a verse of scripture in Psalms 25 that has intrigued me for some time. It provides a unique promise of a special spiritual benefit but it discriminates as to who this blessing is actually for.
"The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,
and he makes known to them his covenant." Psalm 25:14
There are actually 2 promises in this passage that are uniquely attractive. They are connected to the condition of “fearing the Lordâ€.
In the opening verses of this chapter, David is petitioning God for help and blessing. He is asking that the Lord will “make known your ways, teach him, lead him, remember him.†(vs.4-7)
What it means to “fear of the Lord†is described in the preceding verses. It is humility before the Lord (v.9), obedience to the Lord (v.10), a recognition of who God is, and a holy reverence for the character, nature, and ways of God.
This “fear of God†produces these great promises in verse 14.
Intimacy with God
The word “friendship†would be better described as “intimate conversation†or some even translate it as “the secretsâ€. The deeper truths and purposes of God are not seen by those who are frivolous in their faith or shallow in their worship, but are reserved for those whose heart is fully yielded to God.
God longs to be intimate with us and reveal His plans and purposes to us. He loves for us to understand His character and nature in deep ways. But this level of relationship is not experienced in casual christianity; it comes only to those who know full reliance upon God through the work of Christ and daily dependence upon the Holy Spirit.
VanGerman said, “Those who do his will are his confidantsâ€.
Maclaren says, “Obedience and the true fear of Jehovah directly tend to discernment of His purposes, and will besides be rewarded by whispers from heaven.â€
What a blessing!
God longs to be intimate with us and reveal His plans and purposes to us. He loves for us to understand His character and nature in deep ways. But this level of relationship is not experienced in casual christianity; it comes only to those who know full reliance upon God through the work of Christ and daily dependence upon the Holy Spirit.
VanGerman said, “Those who do his will are his confidantsâ€.
Maclaren says, “Obedience and the true fear of Jehovah directly tend to discernment of His purposes, and will besides be rewarded by whispers from heaven.â€
What a blessing!
Understanding God's Purposes
The second promise is closely connected to the first and simply says, “he makes known to them His covenant.†It is a more complete understanding of the total purposes of God for our life and in this world.
While the “secrets†reveal the intimacy of our relationship with God, the covenants reveal our understanding of the intentions of the Lord in this world.
What we need in 2024, a political year, a decade that has been filled with chaos and confusion, is simply a mighty army of men and women who know God in an intimate way and are clear about the purposes of God for their life, their families, the church, and this world.
Not everyone receives this level of blessing. But it is available to you and me this morning. Let us trust the Lord completely and experience the wisdom and work of God more fully today!
Pastor Troy Keaton
While the “secrets†reveal the intimacy of our relationship with God, the covenants reveal our understanding of the intentions of the Lord in this world.
What we need in 2024, a political year, a decade that has been filled with chaos and confusion, is simply a mighty army of men and women who know God in an intimate way and are clear about the purposes of God for their life, their families, the church, and this world.
Not everyone receives this level of blessing. But it is available to you and me this morning. Let us trust the Lord completely and experience the wisdom and work of God more fully today!
Pastor Troy Keaton