DAY 10.
We continue where we left of in the last study, with spiritual poverty being turned into spiritual prosperity because of studying Gods word.
The weight and darkness was lifted when they began to apply the word to their lives, the dull book became a living word as if God was speaking personally to them.
We look at v 73 and start by recognising who it is that is our Tutor, the Living God, 'He made' literally created or constructed us personally, He has now acquired us for His companionship on earth.
We have become a 'new creation' as Ephesians 2 v 10 and 'created to righteousness and holiness' 4 v 24, the complete opposite way of living from our natural birth.
'Fashioned' points to being established, settled and steadfast in the faith, David anticipated the coming of Messiah and lived waiting for Him now we are looking for His return a second time to receive us all into glory.
The Lord Jesus has established our going, He has settled the account once and for all and the debt we could not pay He has paid for us.
He has made us steadfast in the faith through the trials we are called to go through and like the Oak tree standing firm on the hill side blown about by tempest and storms we can stand fast in Christ Jesus.
Now these thoughts come from spending time with the Lord as our Teacher, reading and pondering His word and seeking the help of the Holy Spirit to apply the lessons taught v 73.
Ah David has grasped the key to being obedient to the Lord, v 74 when we see Him we shall rejoice with exceeding great joy, the battle will be over when we see the King of Glory face to face.
The fact that David rejoiced in the knowledge that he gleaned from God is real encouragement to us today to seek the Lord continually over all the issues of life that confront us.
'When we see Him' is a marvellous promise that He has given to us so that we can go through life in eager anticipation that we are going to see Him very soon and then to be with Him for eternity John 14 vs.1- 4.
What a mighty thought to fill our soul and mind as the storms of life seemingly overwhelm us, we look up through the cloud in glad anticipation that the Lord may come to deliver us from all our foes.
We begin to put things in there proper place now, we look at things through a different perspective when we put our situation in its context.
Yes He knows the troubles we are going through and He encourages us to trust in Him the harder as the day is beginning to dawn when the 'sun' will set no more.
We shall not only see Him but 'we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is' the old earthly shell will be gone forever, we shall have an eternal body able to comprehend the King in His glory.
Our 'living hope' will be realised, our faith will give way to sight, our trust will become our triumph and our delight to obey the King will be mirrored in our trusting His word before hand.
The 'I know' of David in v 75 is echoed in John's First Letter, 2 vs.3, 18, 21 and 29 then 3 vs.2, 5,15, 19 and 24 then 4 vs.2, 6, 7,13, 16 and 5 v 2, 13, 15, 18, 19, and 20.
Well 'what do we know' everything that we need to know is outlined in the scriptures for us to 'know', that is the knowledge gained by experimentally working it out in our life.
Head knowledge is good and we need to remember the scriptures but it is in the practise of them that we gain greater knowledge and wisdom from the Lord.
I have learned that the person with the experimental knowledge is never at the mercy of a person with an argument about the scriptures.
There is one facet of knowledge that David has come to receive practically in v 75 and this Gods judgements are always absolutely right.
He judges righteously in the light of His 'judgements' or pronouncements that are always in given in righteousness, He cannot proclaim anything else being a righteous and considerate Judge.
In the light of this statement when we look at His corrections and adjustments that He demands in us, we are receiving it from a compassionate as well as considerate Judge.
Those adjustments that bring us into line with His will, plans and purposes and to bring us into holy and righteous living that reveals a Christ like character.
Now what comfort this is to us today, to enjoy the comfort of Gods abiding presence with us just as David enjoyed in v 76, 'comfort' the word means sympathy and consolation.
In the midst of all the turmoil with Saul the young king in waiting knew the very real and conscious comfort of Gods presence with him, this brought deep consolation to his tortured mind and spirit.
In doing so David delighted in truth and longed to gain more experience of it in his life spending hours quietly alone with the Lord seeking to learn the higher standard of living.
It is so easy to settle for a lower way of life than to search out the higher one that brings us into real contact with our Heavenly Father.
Even as Christians we find that the lower life in the valley is more acceptable than climbing with effort on to the higher reaches of the spiritual life.
We spend far to much time conversing with each other rather than spending time studying the word and waiting on the Lord to bring it alive to us.
David found his comfort in those meetings with his Lord and so will we when we take the word seriously, seeing it in the light of the situations that arise around us.
We like king David can enjoy the loving kindness of the Lord in our daily life, not just on Sunday but every day of our life.
We lack because we do not come to our spiritual lessons, it is not that they are too hard or difficult to understand but it is because we do not hunger and thirst after righteousness.
The 'tender mercies' v 77 of the Lord are new every morning, it should be our delight as it was David's to wake up seeking the Lords presence to go with us through the day.
When we do so we find that even His corrections come with tender loving care for us, He does not shout His orders out but graciously seeks to correct us to bring us more like His blueprint for us.
Those corrections can ultimately be received with delight seeing that they bring us higher up Gods holy hill and into deeper communion with Him.
When the Lord Jesus took Peter, James and John up the Transfiguration Mount Matthew 17, it was for them to see His glory and their future hope, but He brought correction with it.
He was going to suffer v 12 Himself on the Cross at Calvary and then they could reveal to the world what they saw on the mount v 9 after His resurrection.
There is revelation on the hill tops of Gods mountain that only those willing to climb find, it takes effort and discipline but it is worth it just to get a glimpse of Gods glory.
'Meditation' has gone out of the Christian curriculum in most places, we have become afraid of silence and quietness, we no longer enjoy pondering Gods word.
The enemy of our soul is having fun and games in the church at our expense, we have lost the at of communicating with the Lord, it has become a one way passage with us praying to God.
We seldom sit down and quietly muse on a verse of scripture for a while so that the Holy Spirit can bring it alive to us and that we can grow spiritually by doing so.
We want action and noise when our Father is seeking to quietly converse with us, the 'still small voice' of 1 Kings 19 v 12 is still operating today if only we would quieten our heart and mind to listen.
It is in these quiet times that we learn more about the spiritual life than in all the meetings put together, to listen to the inner prompting of the Holy Spirit on the sacred page of Gods word.
There the word becomes alive and we can rejoice in the practical nature of it by putting it to practise in our experiences of the day, it is truly amazing how often the quiet time in the morning becomes the prelude for the days experience.
May this be such a day for us.
