Thoughts for another day

April 24, 2008

Today's verse: Ps. 51:9. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

All of us know Psalm 51 and we also read it daily to atone for our sins. Truly, God’s Spirit worked marvelously in David to make him cringe before God in confessing his guilt and being intensely sorry for it; thereby giving words to this most beautiful psalm. While every verse in the psalm is dew upon the dry surface of the soul and I relish the psalm in entirety, what got my attention today after reflecting on the omnipresence of God is the above verse.

We know that God is everywhere. He is far reaching and seeing everything even as it is done or for that matter being planned if I might say. That gives most of us Christians, the confidence of living victorious lives for we know that God is with us and being His children, He is leading us into victory each day. But I may wonder, when I indulge in nefarious pleasure, God is watching, what then? Usually, we don’t even bother about the omnipresence of God when we sin for in our state of committing the offence before God we are so immersed in our carnal pleasure or in that state of mind, we don’t even think. But, God is still watching and I am sure He is not pleased no?

Dr Philip Graham Ryken, a preacher, in his book, ‘Discovering God in Stories from the Bible’ says, ‘if you want to keep away from sin, remember how impossible it is to escape God’s notice. Never live as though God doesn’t exist. Practice, the presence of God.’ If we were to use this principle in our lives, we would be able to, with the help of the Holy Spirit, refrain from sinful activities.

I reckon, what God needs from us is a contrite heart with a deep desire to live pure lives. David knew this only too well because He knew the heart of God. Yet, David sinned. Even then, David did not wallow in his sin or go away from God. Only with whatever courage he had, he asked God to hide His face from his sin for David knew that God’s mercy would even accommodate that. As for us, it is enough to know today that God’s omnipresence is reason enough for us to be restrained in our sinful nature, for how can we sin in His blessed Presence…the very Presence in which we live and praise and worship Him, the One who is Holy and perfect.