What Satisfies You?
Psalm 17:1-15
V15 "....I shall
be satisfied when I awake with thy
likeness" What satisfies you, what makes you content. What is it that satisfies the righteous
person and what satisfies the ungodly.
Different things satisfy either category, not the same things, different
things. The righteous and the ungodly,
they are both looking for different things out of life, their goals and
desires. Their purpose in living is
vastly different.
What satisfies you
points to what you are: righteous or ungodly.
This psalm is a prayer of David, the king of Jerusalem, the greatest
historic king of Israel. In this prayer
David compares the righteous and the wicked, the godly and the ungodly. It is good to take stock and ask what are we,
it is good to measure ourselves according to the scriptures. Am I growing in
grace, am I becoming more like Christ, are my prayers becoming better, do we
love the Lord more, do I trust him more, do I love his word more, is he more
precious to me. Are we growing
spiritually. God's people either grow or
else they fall away, they don't remain the same, not ever. 2 Peter 3:14-18. "Wherefore, beloved,
seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in
peace, without spot, and blameless. And
account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved
brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you:
as also in all his epistles speaking in them of these things; in which are some
things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest,
as they do also the other scripture, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these
things before, beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked,
fall from your own stedfastness. But
grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen".
The cure for falling away, falling from our steadfastness is growing in
grace. Are we growing, are we really on
the narrow way.
Let us examine
ourselves in the light of this psalm.
What satisfies us?
1. The Godly -
V1 "Hear the right, O LORD, attend
unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips."
The Godly person does not pray with feigned (deceitful) lips. If you have told a lie, the last thing you
want to do is pray. You will avoid
prayer because you are not right with God.
Prayer is not the favorite pastime for those with deceitful lips. The person who prays often has short accounts
with God and therefore their lives will not be deceitful. The righteous person wants justice, fairness.
V2
"Let my sentence come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes
behold the things that are equal" A
just person is a fair person. A
righteous person does not make excuses for evil doers nor justifies sin. They ask for nothing but fairness.
V3
"Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night;
thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall
not transgress." A righteous person is someone who is tested by God. David was tested. There is the dark night of the soul when God
tests the righteous.
V4-5
"Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept
me from the paths of the destroyer. Hold
up my goings in thy paths that my footsteps slip not." A righteous person is kept by God's word, by
God himself.
V6
"I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline
thine ear unto me, and hear my speech." A righteous person is heard by
God. The Lord hears the prayer of the
righteous, but if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.
V7 "Show thy marvellous
lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust
in thee from those that rise up against them." The righteous person is
saved. The right hand means strength, he
saves those who trust in him. The righteous person is someone to whom God shows
kindness, marvelous loving kindness.
V8 "Keep me as the apple of the eye,
hide me under the shadow of thy wings."
The righteous person is kept as the apple of God's eye, they are
protected and loved by God. They shelter
under the shadow of his wing. Is that
you?
