SCRIPTURE
Psalm 7:3-5 O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands, if I have repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause, let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Selah
DEVOTION
Selah is used in the Psalms to mark a pause. It is a call to reflect on what has just been said. We’re not told, but I wonder how long that pause was…
I love that there is a Selah after verse 5 because I wonder how difficult it was for David to come to pray such a prayer. Let us reflect, dear friend, on David’s powerful prayer today.
David’s prayer to God is truly a prayer which reveals the posture of his heart towards God. It is a prayer of intense humility, of reverence, and of submitting to the will of God – whatever that might be. It is ultimately a prayer which invites God to search, to correct, and to discipline him.
Personally, I find David’s prayer to be astounding. I would find it so hard to shatter my pride to the extent that David has, and to humble myself to be searched and disciplined by God.
I’m sure that many of us would not willingly echo David’s words here. But their vulnerability and humility call us to have a deep look at ourselves, just as David did for himself.
For me, dear friend, this passage brings up this main question:
In situations where we might think we are right, how many times do we stop to question our own intentions and posture?
As I read Psalm 7, it reminds me of conflicts I’ve had with the people around me over the years. My natural instinct is to just blame the other person for every wrong they’ve ever done to me. However, in reality there’s so much fault that I also have.
And that’s exactly Jesus’ point in Matthew 7:3-5. He says, ‘“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”’
Dear friend, aren’t Jesus’ words so humbling? He illuminates our hypocritical human nature. We are naturally so quick to find fault in other people, but so slow to even consider it in ourselves.
However, as children of God, it is our responsibility to not merely recognise the weakness of others, but also to recognise the weakness of our hearts and to own up for our mistakes.
Though we would much rather look high and mighty, and like we never do anything wrong, in reality, we are all on the road towards transformation and sanctification.
Though it isn’t easy, we can be like David and humble ourselves. Though it isn’t easy, we can be obedient to Jesus’ instruction and to firstly remove the log from our own eyes.
The process of growing in humility is an arduous one. In all honesty, I’d much rather just ask God to deliver me and to skip my own refining process. But that would do me no good at all in the long run, and it would not cultivate humility in me.
Instead, let us look to David’s incredible example and to learn from him. We are to tear down our pride and to have a posture of “yes, I am weak. I might be wrong. God, what if I’m wrong?”
And then…
“God, help me. Help me through this weakness I have and purify me. Help me to take the log out of my own eye before I even consider calling out the speck in my brother’s eye.”
Dear friend, are you willing to have your own heart examined by God today?
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
How can we grow in humility?
- Ask God to search our hearts
- Repent of our sin
- Forgive others
- OTHER
PRAYER
Dear Lord,
Regardless of whether I’m fully aware of it, please search my heart for anything that does not please You.
I’m sorry for all of my sin. Please forgive me, Father, and empower me to forgive others just like You do for me.
Your nature never changes. May I learn to be more like You.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
PRAYER POINTERS
Pray for someone you know who might resonate with today’s devotion. Pray that they will draw near to God today.
