May 24

Psalm 143
I am sure that by now most everyone who reads this has heard the news of Tom White’s (leader of Voice of the Martyrs) death. Tom had been accused of inappropriately touching a young girl. Whether or not he was guilty, Tom apparently could not live with what was about to happen, so he took his own life. Hmmm. . . what does this tell me about the glory of the Lord and our own lives?
Apart from the Lord, I am faithless (v1), unrighteous (v1), powerless (v5) and unmerciful (v11). David makes it very clear that this is true of himself, and sadly I see myself there too (and you). Yet the Lord is the opposite of each of these negative attributes. David makes it abundantly clear in this Psalm that he is distressed over his lack of power to deliver himself from these sins. Any student of David’s life is aware of the coarse cruelty and sexual promiscuity of which David was capable. We are acutely aware of David’s unfaithfulness, unrighteousness, at times powerlessness to do the right thing and at times unmercifulness. Yet the Lord at one time called him, “A man after His own heart.” (1 Samuel 13:14)
Why would the Lord call this flawed man this? Because this flawed man recognized his flaws. Whenever the flaws flared up, he pressed back into the Lord to remember His glory, to receive of Him the life change he needed. What does David see as he presses in? He sees faithfulness in the Lord in contrast to his own unfaithfulness. If any of us had been God, when David exhibited his unfaithfulness, we would have left David hanging by his own rope. Yet God remained faithful. Because of His faithfulness, David returned to the Lord. David sees righteousness in God. If any of us had been God, when David exhibited his unrighteousness, we would have instantly judged him and given him what he deserved, death. Because David sees righteousness in God, he returns to him. David muses on the works of God’s hands. One cannot do that and not be overwhelmed by the vast power of the living God! David would see his own powerlessness in his own sin. So he would return to the living God to beg His power to walk as he ought. David rejoices in the lovingkindness and mercy that he finds at the throne of God. Consequently, he returns to receive, to drink long from that well! His own failure teaches him how dried up and thirsty he is. Only at that well can we be restored! It is the well of His Holy Spirit. That is why he is called a man after God’s own heart.
There is hope for me and you if we press into drinking of the glory of the Lord. Only by drinking of the faithfulness, righteousness, power, lovingkindness and mercy of the Lord can we be restored. That is His glory! That is His desire! I don’t know why Tom White took his own life, but I suspect that it was somewhat related to not being able to drink of the well of the glory of Christ. Somehow Tom’s own glory gained preeminence over the Glory of Christ. All the more reason for me to press in to the heart of the Lord to see His Glory, for I am sure that Tom White was a better man than I! After all, it is all about the glory of Christ, not mine or Tom’s. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john