Occasionally in our Bible reading, a verse, or fragment of a verse, will be riveting to us. It’s as if the words were written to answer a deep longing within, a longing of which we may not even be aware. Three verses from the psalmist David were like that this week for me. They are verses that offer comfort and hope.
The first verse is from Psalm 27:8. David says to the Lord, “My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’” Can you hear what David hears? Can you hear the tenderness in God’s invitation to come and talk? There is no demanding tone in God’s words, and there are no barriers erected. David needs no special formula or specific language to gain God’s attention. There is only the love of the Creator saying, “Come and talk with me.” Be genuine and honest with Me. Tell Me what troubles you, what brings you joy, and about your day. Come and rest a bit in My presence.
And the response from David is trusting and confident: “And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’” “I am coming”—not reluctantly, but quickly and happily. David is coming to the place where he knows there will be welcome relief, greater joy, fuller understanding, and a deepening relationship with God. Does your heart long, as David’s did, for this comfortable relationship with God? It is ours to have. Just come and talk with our God.
One of the benefits of coming often to talk with God is that we will begin to have an inkling of His unique love for us, as David did, when he declared, “For I am constantly aware of your unfailing love” (Ps. 26:3). A true understanding of God’s constant, dependable, and enduring love would be life-changing. Because no human can love like this, we can only scratch the surface of understanding a love like God’s for us, His creation. But even a surface knowledge begins to show us the depth of God’s love. And as we become more aware of this love, we learn to trust where it will lead us each day.
David knew this, for he said, “I have trusted in the Lord without wavering” (Ps. 26:1). If you are like me, there are moments when you trust and there are moments when you waver. That tiny worry that nags at the back of our minds, that mounting anxiety over a particular situation, and those feelings of discouragement are examples that we are wavering in our trust and forgetting how deeply we are loved.
But we are deeply loved by God, and these three Scriptures show us that love. As we remember them, our lives will have a serenity and joy that can only come from following the guidelines of these verses.
Talk often with God. “My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming” (Ps. 27:8).
Know that you are loved. “For I am constantly aware of your unfailing love” (Ps. 26:3).
Allow the knowledge of that love to translate to trust. “I have trusted in the Lord without wavering” (Ps. 26:1).
As these verses take root in our thoughts, our thankfulness will increase as we begin to more fully understand the value of our relationship with God.
© 2010 Arlina Yates