Listen, God, I Want Your Help
Psalm 19:12-14
12 But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer.
There are many common, unattributed phrases I recall hearing during my life. It was usually uttered in the context of people supporting or assisting someone getting through a physical or emotional life event. One of them is, “There is strength in numbers.”
This is a true assessment according to my life experiences. But how can a person be open to a community of support when we live in a social media, I can do it myself, culture?
Open-mindedness helps.
When we admit that we do not know everything – and never will – we might be more likely to reach out to someone who is wiser, trained, loving, or helpful to glean the advice or suggestions needed to push through life.
I imagine the psalmist, David, who wrote this text had lived long enough to know he needed God’s help, his own cooperation, and the support of others who heard from God.
Why else would David ask God, “Who can discern his own errors?” Remember, it was the prophet Nathan who pointed out David’s sin when he killed Uriah (2 Samuel 12:1-9).
Because David was led to open-mindedness, he was able to hear and confess his own sin in v. 13-14.
David’s contempt for God’s Word brought a curse upon his family.
How do we bring destruction on ourselves by not heeding the Word of God? Willfully missing the standard of right living spelled out in the Word of God occurs for many reasons, but we can recover.
How?
- By looking into God’s Word and adopting God’s standards of living. Psalm 19:7-11 tells us the benefits of God’s Word: it brings about a refreshing of our soul, makes the simple wise, gives joy to our heart, lights our eyes, and brings about a reward when we honor the Word.
- Reverencing God purifies us.
- Accepting a warning from God’s Word, through the Holy Spirit or those who speak into our lives, reminds us there is a reward for our obedience.
David closes this Psalm with a prayer. He asks God to hear his heart and know that I want to please you. He says, paraphrase, I want the words spoken out of my mouth and the inner thoughts of my heart to be a pleasing sacrifice to
you. Why? Because you are my strength and the one who buys us back from the captivity of sin and ushers us into freedom.
May we find freedom from our hidden thoughts, faults, and behavior through the Triune God.