Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God; Thy judgments are like a great deep. Psalm 36:6
The children of men take refuge in the shadow of Thy wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Thy house; And Thou dost give them to drink of the river of Thy delights. For with Thee is the fountain of life; In Thy light we see light. Psalms 36:7-9
How interesting that righteousness is compared to mountains and God’s judgements are compared to the deep. If mountains DO rise out of the deep, then righteousness rises out of judgements (or God’s truth). The message here is, an impressive looking building may or may not be built on a good foundation.
We are often presented with illusions, though. People appear righteous. From the outside they look impressive, yet if we could see with God’s eyes, we would see a badly flawed foundation. What may appear to be unselfish is self-serving. What may appear to be humble is self-seeking. What may appear to be the fruit of the Spirit is really a grand exercise in behavior modification. What counts with God is the foundation, the heart, and the degree of truth that resides there.
How do we know if our lives are built on God’s truth? Let me ask you some questions. Does the Holy Spirit energize you as you work? Do you hear His voice prompting you and cheering you on? Do you sense that He leads you by the hand? Do you feel the warmth of His smile on your shoulder as He sees each new task completed?
You see, passionless labor warns us. Joyless service waves a red flag. Spiritual depletion brings a Father’s tears. He calls us home…. to re-group, dismantle diseased appendages, and then rest so that we may see ourselves in His eyes. Only time with Him can re-build our heart.
Take a moment to pray and ask God to guide you through these few exercises.
“Father, my mind and heart know no wisdom apart from You. And You have written that my heart deceives me. I’m relying on You to show me the truth about myself. I am asking you to reveal anything in my heart that is not rooted in truth. I need You to speak to me, in the silence, with clarity. I want my life to be built on my knowledge and experience of You. Amen.”
******************
Can you relate to the girl in the story? What might you believe about yourself that needs to be brought into the Light? (Ex. The girl in the story believed that God expected abusive labor so that she would be acceptable to Him. She really thought she was doing what God wanted her to do.)
What is the contrasting truth to the distortion? State it out loud as you write. (For the girl in the story, it would be ~ “God loves me, not for what I do, but for just being His creation.”
Your Father wants you to believe Him, even when it doesn’t feel like truth. It takes a while for feelings to match our beliefs. We must take the time to ‘rest’ with Him daily so that He may re-affirm His love and truth to us, and then we must live out the truth – by faith!
1. What adjustments do you need to make in your life to insure that you and God have your time together?
2. What truth can you ‘live out’ today, by faith, even though it may feel foreign to you?
According to Psalm 35:7-9, what are the benefits of spending time with your Father?
What does it say about God, His love, and His character that the overflow from His embrace includes ‘refuge, delights, fountains, and light’?
Describe what it would look like to see God’s light in another’s eyes.
Write a prayer to God and tell Him what you would like for Him to birth in you. Tell Him where you still have a hard time believing that He loves you.
May you, like the girl who proudly wears her Father’s signet ring, slowly emerge confident in your new identity. What you build with your hands will be a monument of righteousness.
christinewyrtzen.com 
Published by