The Cluster

02.14.13

Psalm 24.4 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.(ESV)

There are three psalms in Book 1 which address the expected of the man who calls God his God. The first is Psalm 1 in which the psalmist declares the blessing on the man who gives himself over to the law of the Lord, delighting in it, and meditating on it day and night.

This morning I woke up with bad dreams. I sometimes fret over stuff that I have no control over. It is a waste of time but I do it. And so while doing my early morning routine, it finally occurred to me to say the name, Jesus. I spoke the Lord’s Name and quit thinking about what I was dreaming about. To meditate on the Law means to expose myself to the Law and when bad dreams come, to assault them with the truth of the Lord’s presence and reality.

The second psalm in this cluster is Psalm 15 where David asks the questions: O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? (Ver. 1) He then answers those questions by saying: “He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart…”It is one thing to speak truth from my mouth but not be in sync with truth in my heart. It is another altogether to speak truth in my heart where no one can see or hear but God. From the overflow of my heart my mouth speaks…

And the third is today’s Psalm: Psalm 24 asking: Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? (Ver. 3) All three of these psalms address the internals of life which direct, and then reflect upon the externals of life. What happens on the inside of us is what shows up on the outside of us.

The bad dreams I was having this morning are a subtle indicator of my being distracted by what is unimportant around me – over which I have no control. I am learning the best way to handle the uncontrollable is to pray about it. At least I have then given it over to the Lord. Psalm 24 begins with the following:

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,

for He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. (Vv1,2)

All of the things over which I get so concerned are not mine to get concerned over. Gun laws, national debt, rising taxes, the death of my culture – these are not things I am to worry over: they’re God’s concern. Mine is to pray over the things of which I have no control, and then live taking faithful (faith-filled) care over the things I do control. Prayer and living. And refusing to yield precious ground to what is not important.

Lord, Your word says: Blessed is the man (Psalm 1) who keeps his mind on You; who does what is right (Psalm 15) and speaks truth in his heart; and who stands upon Your hill (Psalm 24) with clean hands and a pure heart. I ask for these things today – Amen.