Psalm 140 - 4.8.22

Scripture

Psalm 140:13

Surely the righteous will praise your name,
    and the upright will live in your presence.

Observation – What does it say?

David pens this psalm during a time of great distress. There are evil and violent men who are causing him to cry out to God for protection. Based on what we know of David’s experiences, this could have been written during a battle David was fighting, it could have been when Saul and his entire army was hunting David down to kill him, or even when his son Absalom was trying to kill him to take his throne.

David was no stranger to hard times and experienced many life-threatening situations. And he had developed the habit of turning to God and crying for help. But he not only cried for help, not only complained and vented about his situation. David always seemed to finish with a declaration of faith and trust in God to come through.

In this instance, he declared prophetically, by faith, that the outcome would be him praising God and living in God’s presence.

Understanding – What does it mean?

The upright will live in God’s presence.

That phrase is really what stood out to me in all this passage. I have experienced God’s presence. At times it has felt like a warm blanket surrounding me, other times like inexpressible joy, other times like peace and the deepest rest coming to my soul. Sometimes I’ve experienced God’s presence in the form of physical healing, a revelation of truth, or God bringing freedom from demonic attack.

Regardless of how God’s presence is manifested, I know that it’s what I was created for. I was created for Him. I was created to dwell in his presence, to glorify him and enjoy him forever. That’s God’s intended purpose for all of us! To live in unbroken unity with him, continually walking in step with his Spirit, aware of his continual presence with us.

The wicked may be striving to accumulate wealth or status, but we are striving to experience greater levels of God’s presence – ever increasing intimacy with God. And there is something about purity and being “upright” that leads to this intimacy.

Matthew 5:6

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Psalm 24:3-4

Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
    Who may stand in his holy place?
The one who has clean hands and a pure heart…

Life Application

Be upright and pursue God’s presence!

God, purify my heart! Bless me and your church to be upright and to have integrity. We long for your presence, to experience more of you. Not only for our own benefit, but for the benefit of those around us. May we walk in such intimacy with you, your presence resting so heavily upon us, that we become a point of God encounter for everyone we come into contact with. Holy Spirit, we invite you to convict us of sin and grant us godly sorrow that leads to repentance, so that we may experience greater levels of your presence. In Jesus’ name, amen.