Psalm 36:1-12 The reason people do not trust God is because they do not have a complete view of His character. To trust anyone we must know that this person speaks truthfully, has no guile and has our best interest at heart. The Psalm and Proverb readings today express so beautifully God’s character. In Psalm 36:1-12 we see these attributes of God’s character listed:
1. God is merciful—His mercy extends to us from heaven (v. 5).
2. God is faithful—His faithfulness reaches the clouds (v. 5).
3. God is righteous—His righteousness is like the great mountains (v. 6).
4. God is just—His judgments are great and deep (v. 6).
5. God is loving and kind—His loving-kindness is excellent (v. 7).
6. God is provider, protector and preserver (vv. 6-8).
7. God is a life giver—in Him is the fountain of life (v. 9).
After listing all of these wonderful character traits of God, David speaks of the one thing that keeps us from trusting God: pride. David says, “Let not the foot of pride come against me” (v. 11).
The pride of life is trusting ourselves and our own resources more than we trust in God. We fail to trust God because we have an idol we worship more than we worship God. That idol is self.
In our Proverb reading we see how we can pull down the idol of self in our own lives. Solomon writes, “He that follows after righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness and honor.” We all want to be significant, but in God’s kingdom we must lose our life to find our life. When we stop trusting in ourselves more than we trust in God, we will really begin living because His life becomes our life. Remember, He is the fountain of life. As long as we take control of our own lives rather than surrendering them to God, we are on a road that will lead to death. We are on a dead-end street. Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly, but we have to walk in His ways and allow Him to take over our wills for us to experience the abundant blessings promised to us.
Father, when I meditate on Your character, I gain confidence to put my?trust completely in You. You know what is best for me; often I do not?have a clue. Help me to always pull down the stronghold of pride in my life. The moment I feel I have everything under control, help me recognize quickly that I am headed for a fall. Pride always leads to a fall. Help me to stop trusting in myself and my own ability and surrender my will to You.
READ: Esther 4:1-7:10; 1 Corinthians 12:1-26; Psalm 36:1-12; Proverbs 21:21-22
