Don't Censor Me

Awakened this morning at 6am and i do not know why.  I am scheduled for work at 12 noon.  The days of me sleeping in are rare indeed.  Will i ever get past waking up early?  Of course I could spend the time in prayer with The Lord?  That is a much better idea.

As I sit here typing this I have the Worship Central album "Let It Be Known (Live)" playing on Spotify

(great app).  

In the past few months I have noticed that i am slowing down physically.  My activity level has decreased substantially and my aches and pains have increased substantially.  We are going into the third week of September and i have only put about 60-70 miles on my bike.  By now in a normal year i would have at least a two or three of hundred.  That is how much i love riding my bike.  (By bike i mean a Mongoose hybrid mountain bike, no motor involved).  Looking back on the past few months I cannot say that i did anything special that kept me from riding.  Yet, something did.

In Psalm 38, David spoke of a great restlessness and uncertainty he was experiencing in his flesh.

Verse 3 "There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your anger, nor any health in my bones because of my sin."

David displays a deep understanding of sin, its consequences and how it greatly affects him.  This sin, probably unconfessed, is causing him to lose sleep, affects his health and his mind, just for starters.

Pretty soon this sin becomes like a stone around his neck.  

For the chosen of God, sin is not something we want to hold onto.  

Sin: 1. separates us from God     

       2. causes God to hide His face from us

       3. will not allow God to hear the sound of our prayers, let alone our voice

       4. forces God to leave us go in our sinful desires (pursuits of the flesh)

Now tell me, what person redeemed by the cross of Christ, can endure being separated from God?

David says in this Psalm also I am troubled and bowed down (v.6), feeble and broken (v.8), having great turmoil within my heart (v.8).  WOW!!! Hangovers are more fun than this.

David realizes his sin does not only affect him but those around him also.  His family and friends want nothing to do with him and his enemies are closing in for the kill.  Sin is not pretty and it never will be. The pleasures of sin are fleeting and leads to destruction.

The thing that i loved to do like riding my bike have been replaced by something less meaningless.

What once brought me a great amout of joy and pleasure now sits on the side wasting away.  

David has come to that point with God and so have I.  For a season David sinned against God and is reaping the harvest of his sin.  My sin has been an in-and-out relationship with God and His word.  Some days i am hot and some days cold.  God wants us to commit to Him daily.  Daily prayer, daily time in the bible and daily time in His presence.  David call this a psalm of remembrance.  How apropos.

Due to his relationship with Jehovah David says, verse 15 "For in You, O LORD, I hope; You will hear, O LORD my God." 

It should not take long to recognize sin my/our lives.  The Spirit of God makes me/us aware in an instant.  My/our willingness to seek forgiveness and turn away from it determines God's response.

Verse 18 David speaks "For I will declare my iniquity; I have been in anguish over my sin."

Now that he has confessed his sin David finishes his prayer with words of expectancy (v.21-22).

"Do not forsake me, O LORD

O my God, be not far from me!

Make haste to help me, O LORD, my salvation!"

There are many inticements in the present world that keeps us from God.  However, if we want to maintain our relationship with God we must deny the flesh daily and follow after the Spirit daily.  

Hmm!  Maybe God is waking me early just so i can spend that extra time with Him?