Reckless Force

Reading: Psalm 30, 31, & 32

"Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding,

Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,

Otherwise they will not come near to you." Psalm 32:9

Examination:

David gazed at Bathsheba, lusted after her, and then committed adultery. He then plotted and succeeded in killing her husband. David's example reveals an ugly side of humanity. We are made in God's image, but when we choose to knowingly rebel against God's law, we descend into brutish and senseless behavior.

Like the horse, David rushed ahead with reckless force, and like the mule, he was stubborn and tried to cover his sins. The way to control animals is to break them first and then harness them. David was experiencing this. His internal pain, personal torment, and regretful consequences had drained his soul.

Application:

I am no better than David. My flesh will take me further into sin than I ever intended to go. It will keep me there longer than I ever planned to stay. It will cost me more than I ever imagined I would pay.

I will be broken before God. That is not an option. It will happen. In the end, I will bow my knee before Him and acknowledge His Lordship over my life. There is nothing I can do to change this irrefutable fact. The only question is when and how?

I can choose to be a stubborn donkey and be broken by bit and bridle, or I can choose to surrender willfully to God and be broken by His love, mercy and favor.

Prayer:

I have a propensity towards sin that scares me. I have lived with myself long enough to fully understand that there is no end to what I am capable of doing. Sin will capture the drivers seat and I can quickly find myself amazed by how far I can fall in such a short period of time. Much of my past life has been spent with me stubbornly refusing Your attempts to break me. In pursuing freedom my own way I have only succeeded in creating my own captivity.

That is what is so amazing about Your grace. Where I am today is evidence of Your great grace and mercy. The people I have hurt, the places I have been, and the memories I struggle to forget have all been stripped of their power in my life. You have hidden me in a secret place and set my feet upon a firm rock.

Help me today to live out loud for You. I pray that You continue to draw me nearer to the image You desire to create with my life. Whether life finds me facing seasons of joy or seasons of sorrow, moment of success or moments of failure; I ask that the world see me walk in a manner that reveals Your glory and goodness.