Psalm 51:16-17 - June 7, 2009

Ps 51:16-17 "You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." NIV

What is it that moves the heart of God? Is it animals sacrificed on an altar of stone or metal? Is it some other form of sacrifice? Psalm 51 points us away from using such things as a means to approach God. Even while the sacrificial system was still in place King David understood that this only represented something greater. He knew that what God is really after is the heart. David had seen the example of his predecessor King Saul as he took animals that were intended for destruction during the Israelite’s victory over the Amalekites and the Lord’s displeasure with Saul as a result of his disobedience. Saul sought to justify his actions by saying that his intention was to sacrifice them before the Lord at Gilgal. Samuel gave a very pointed response in 1 Sam 15:22 “But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”
God is looking at your heart today! His eye is on the motivations that drive you and the condition of your inner man before him. Humility and true submission are the delight of God. There are many people who do right things but for wrong reasons. God cares as much or more about the reasons we do things than he does about the outcome. Is that action we are taking driven by a desire to stimulate even greater self-pride to build up our ego? Or is it fueled by a response of obedience to what God is asking of us? We may be working hard but it may be totally driven by a fear of what God won’t do rather than a confidence in what he WILL do! Am I doing what I am doing because of my confident love for God or are my actions being driven by a concern that somehow God’s love and power will not be directed towards me and that I will have to be my own source of supply?
Trust and rest, obedience and submission, these are the keys to a happy heart and a life that has been delivered from stress. Last night I had a dream that I was riding mountain bike in an off road race. In the dream my tires wore out in strands of shredded rubber. I switched to a different bike. It was a road racing bike with thin tires built for speed rather than rugged ground. In the dream I doubted whether this bike would allow me to race under these conditions. I realized that the Lord was saying that the season that I was in was “off road,” more bumpy and undefined. I knew that I was not going to be able to go as fast even though I wanted to be done quickly. Instead of striving to be into a new season I was being encouraged to trust, and rest. I realized that in my heart I was carrying anxiety towards the Lord, feeling that I was not doing the right things with my time due to the demands in my natural circumstances but this dream reminded me to slow down and finish well. It called me to remember that the Lord’s pleasure is in how I do this season not in my rush to get on to the next season. His gentle reminder is that the journey is as much a part of the process as is the conclusion of the matter helped me to surrender my time frames into the hand of the Lord. He was kindly showing me that I had allowed the rugged nature of this season to wear my “tires” thin and that I needed to take the time to get built up again rather than anxiously trying to reach a new season that I might think is more spiritual. Even if the road is hard, if it is the road the Lord has ordained for this season, it brings Him pleasure if I finish it well! Complete this season with grace and bring the Lord pleasure with your obedient heart.