Watching for God in the Psalms预览

Am I Looking?

“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” (Psalm 105:4 NIV84)

When I stepped off the escalator at the airport with my family, I did not see my second son. He was only five or six years of age. Everyone in our large family thought he was walking with another family member. Suddenly, and with a great deal of panic, I began looking for him. My “looking” took on a whole new level of intensity. I was intensely focused and searching with purpose. The family spread out, looking in every direction to find him. We found him—but only after we heard over the airport speaker system that the lost family of a young boy could reunite with him at a specific car rental desk! We ran to that area, and there he was. That experience taught me and the other members of my family several valuable lessons that day.

One lesson I wish I had learned earlier in life regarding my relationship with the Lord is what the Psalmist exhorts us to do in verse four: to look and seek. Doing so can lead to life-changing moments. Moments of strength, guidance, faithfulness, power, and grace.

Psalm 105 summarizes God’s grace, power, and sovereignty in the lives of the Israelites. Throughout their history, they looked to others and other things for strength, sustenance, and purpose. Time and again, they looked away from the Lord, only to eventually look back for Him. They sought other gods and experiences only to discover they misled themselves into heartache and misery.

When their heartache and misery reached an unbearable plateau, they Looked to the Lord. They found Him available and faithful. Because of His faithfulness, the Psalmist began this Psalm with,

“Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name…”

and finished with the words,

“Praise the Lord.”

It is a profound and powerful thought to know that no matter how far we step away from God, it only takes one repentant step back toward Him to experience His presence, grace, and forgiveness.

Read the first sentence of verse four carefully. You will see the Psalmist is encouraging you to do two things:

(1) Look to the Lord

AND

(2) his strength.

Looking to the Lord and looking to Him for His strength is supposed to be the regular rhythm of our lives. Our eyes and hearts are always to be focused upon Him. Looking to the Lord places us in His presence to be strengthened and empowered to endure this broken world. In those moments, we can receive direction from Him for our lives. His strength empowers us to endure when we must, take a step forward when required, and stand firm against the evil forces in this world. To the degree we look away, we do so at our peril.

A few of my favorite verses:

“The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.” (Psalm 25:14-15 NIV84)

The Psalmist knew his future and well-being depended on how well he fixed his eyes on the Lord. He also knew the Lord confides in those who look to Him.

Who do you confide in?

When you confide in someone, what are you telling them?

Let me answer those questions. You will only confide in those you trust. What you tell them is personal to your relationship. The Psalmist is saying that when we fix our eyes upon the Lord, He confides, counsels, gives guidance to us, and provides a measure of safety that only He can provide. I love that!

Let’s review the last part of our verse. When we seek a face-to-face moment with someone we are seeking a relational moment. To seek his face is to seek a personal moment with the Lord. I like to think of it as stepping into His gaze—it is stepping into His look! In those moments, our feeble eyes look into His grace-filled, loving gaze. His gaze can settle our souls and pierce through all the insecurity, uncertainty, and fear. As we seek His face, we are strengthened in our resolve to trust Him—always.

From verses five to forty-five, the Psalmist declares the many reasons why the people of God should always seek Him. He reminds the reader of God’s record of faithfulness to those whom He loves. I believe many of us could write a similar Psalm. If I were to write a Psalm, I would declare His faithfulness, mercy, and endless grace. I would write of His favor, His love beyond logic and reason, the depth of His forgiveness, His power, His dependability, His healing touch, and the details of the awesome acts I have witnessed.

Friend, it is never too late to begin practicing the counsel of Psalm 105:4. The Israelites forgot to do so and suffered greatly for it. When they finally remembered to do so, they were saved. As they obeyed verse four, they experienced the promise of verse eight. Verse eight states:

"He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations."

What was true of God for the Israelites is still true for us today. We are a part of the thousand generations. His covenant of grace and faithfulness extends to us.

As you begin your day, Look to the Lord and his strength to be and do what your day requires of you. Seek his face in all you do. Call on his name (verse one) for counsel and help. In His divine capacity, He will somehow, in some way, make His counsel known to you. He will confide in you. His counsel often comes from a Scripture you read or a worship song you sing. It can come from a conversation with a friend or in a moment of silence as you still your heart in His presence. To the extent you empower verse four as your daily rhythm, you will say what the Psalmist said at the very end of the Psalm, “Praise the Lord.”