Experiencing and Knowing God's Presence

The law of the Lord is perfect,

reviving the soul;

the testimony of the Lord is sure, 

making wise the simple;

the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the Lord is pure,

enlightening the eyes;

the fear of the Lord is clean,

enduring forever;

the rules of the Lord are true,

and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,

even much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb,

Moreover, by them is your servant warned;

in keeping them there is great reward,

Who can discern his errors?

Declare me innocent from hidden faults.

Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;

let them not have dominion over me!

Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.

Ps. 19: 7-13

This morning I had the privilege of meeting with the Lord for a great time of uninterrupted and quiet prayer.  Thankfully, I was brought to think about and meditate upon this passage of scripture.  The Lord is so good, gentle, and loving toward me.  

But, what does this mean?

The Lord is found and enjoyed when we have that great experience of joy and love found in His presence.  I will affirm that this experience is wonderful!  The beauty of enjoying the Lord's loving presence is beyond words.  It is more to be desired than much fine gold.  It is sweeter than honey.

Aw, but here is where the difficulty in description comes in.  How can you explain the sweetness of honey unless you have experienced it?  Jonathan Edwards used this terminology and description to describe the beauty of Christ found in the gospel.  He affirmed that the only way to truly know the sweetness of honey is to take it and eat it.  In short, words cannot describe the sensation adequately.

So how is the Lord to be found?  Most likely He is found, felt, and tasted as we come in repentance and faith.  As we come acknowledging our lack of resources and our great need, He comes to meet that need. This is why we often find His presence and peace at times of first faith and at times of trouble.  At those times we bring nothing to the table but our lack and brokenness.  God responds with His presence and peace.

So what does that mean for the rest of life?

Here is where the Law comes into play.  Not only is the Law the revealed Word of God, it is also very humbling.  It revives the soul, gives wisdom, brings rejoicing and enlightenment, not because it somehow teaches us so we can just "do it."  It performs these tasks by humbling us so we can see our need for Christ.  In other words, the real love of Christ is found often mere seconds and minutes after He humbles us with convicting words and thoughts.  Please do not short-circuit tasting grace by refusing to be convicted of sin and need!

Does this mean that we do not grow in holiness?  By no means!  We will find that as we walk in repentance and faith, we do obey more and more of the Law.  Increasing obedience happens through inner transformation in response to repentance and faith.  As a result of tasting the sweetness found in Christ's love and forgiveness, we see beauty in the Law instead of condemnation.  Truly the Law is the path of true life!  In keeping the Law there is great reward.

Yet, notice where the Psalmist goes after praising the Lord.  He follows it up with humble repentance.  

"Lord who can discern his errors?"  In other words, Lord, have mercy upon me!

What errors?  Both our hidden and our presumptuous sins.  Lord, forgive and keep me from them!  In his final phrase, the Psalmist proclaims that he will then "be innocent of great transgression."  

Is he not mature?  Of course the Psalmist is a mature believer!  Maturity means coming to see how deep our sin problem really goes.  It means allowing the grace of God to search deep within us to point out how much we really need grace.  In fact, maturity means we know, we feel, we profess, we live out our need for grace, mercy, and forgiveness.

How many of us actually "feel" this is true of us?  My guess is few who actively profess Christ.  We have not been taught that repentance is the mark of true spirituality.  We replace the joy of the Lord's presence in daily life with becoming "thrill seekers" who are always looking for the right worship experience to bring those feeling back.

Friends, the real presence is found in humility as expressed in repentance and faith.  The Law, when used properly, will draw us to repentance and faith.  Christ's love, mercy, and presence can be experienced and known even today.  May this day be marked by active repentance and faith for each of us!