Title: Thirst for Grace (Psalm 109:22)
Contents
1. The thirst for grace
“I am poor and needy, broken in spirit” (Psalm 109:22).
1. Text commentary
Psalm 109 is a psalm of David, which well describes the plight of the poet under pressure from his enemies everywhere. Perhaps this poem was written when he was fleeing under persecution by Saul or when a rebellion broke out and he was pursued by enemies. In this psalm, persecution and suffering from enemies, the struggle and longing to seek God there, repentance for one's sins and pleas for forgiveness, hope and sincere affection for God are recorded. The text also reveals the inner side of the poet who is thirsty for God's grace by voicing his plight.
2. People who have no thirst for God
The biggest problem in our religious life is that we do not have a true thirst for God. Most people live without longing for God for a week and then come to worship habitually without thirst to meet God. And even though he goes back without meeting God who speaks to him through worship, he doesn't feel any problems. He lost his poor heart, who had longed for only God in the past, and lost his thirst to depend only on the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who saves lives like the dead.
Think about how we found God in the past. When the bright light of God cuts through the darkness and strikes our souls. When the Lord delivered us from the brink of life, our hearts burned with love for Him, our eyes shone to understand His word, our hands were at service, and our knees bowed. wanted to But now we have become so rich in heart. How much pain must the Lord feel when he sees us like this
3. The thirst for grace
The thirst for God's grace is the thirst for God Himself. So the time when we had God's grace was always when we loved God. So, what does it mean to be thirsty for God's grace? It is, first, to recognize one's situation, and second, to recognize the need for grace.
1) Recognize one's own situation: "poor and needy"
The poet confesses, “I am poor and needy.” Just as the prodigal son who left home only realized his own poverty when he thought about how rich his father's family was, so when man awakens to God's riches, he realizes how poor and needy he is. David also confesses his need in a situation where he is surrounded by enemies, and except when he sinned and turned away from God's grace, he lived all his life, lamenting how poor and needy he was before God. to be.
But in the riches of our bodies we too easily forget about the poor condition of our souls. God enriches the needy, strengthens the weak, and empowers the helpless in order to realize that God is alive in the process of blessing and serve God better with the resources God has given. However, with the blessings they have been given to serve God well, many people have been living in a peaceful and lacking environment, and have turned away from God's grace. In the field of worship, prayer, and service, we see ourselves becoming formal. Think of the tiredness and boredom that permeates every corner of your life, and the boredom towards God's Word of truth. We should all realize how poor we are because we are not enjoying it under the light of the Lord's riches, and we should think about what prevents us from receiving that light.
2) Recognizing the need for grace: “broken heart”
The poet confesses that his heart is broken. When he realized how poor and needy he was, his heart was crushed and he came to a situation of suffering. This broken heart is not only the effect of sin, but also the effect of holiness. The Lord is with us even today, where there is a broken heart that aches from the love of the cross. God appears and gives grace to those who do not take their eyes away from God's grace, even if they enjoy everything abundantly.
What else can we depend on other than God? The church in Laodicea claimed to be rich, but Jesus said to them, "You are poor, naked, and blind." Then, why is it that we do not have such a thirst for God's grace? It is because our hearts are corrupt. Therefore, what we need now is to turn away from the things that corrupt us in grace, and to return to the first love and the first heart. We should all be those who long for the Lord's grace with first love and first heart.