No restraints

“Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord” Psalm 40:11

Withhold – David was Israel’s greatest king but not because of his victories in battle or his expansive empire.  David was Israel’s greatest king because he was a man after God’s own heart.  Today we are the beneficiaries of his deep devotion.  Today we can hear his cries, feel his remorse, revel in his joy and let our spirits ride on the waves of emotion that fill his words.  David’s greatest gift to me is his openness before God.  I see in him what it is like to desire God in all my circumstances.

“Don’t restrain your mercies,” says David.  The Hebrew verb is kala.  “To restrain, to hinder, to close, to hold back.”  I can feel the sense of it in its very sound.  The cry that says, “Lo-hikala!”  A plaintive call to the God of all.  “Do not forsake me.  Do not restrain your favor.  Do not turn your back on me.”  I want to cry with David.  “Lord, I love you.  Don’t leave me.”

How many days must I fall to my knees and ask God not to hinder His gracious favor to me!  How often am I compelled to offer up a prayer of petition, asking Him to show His blessing in my life!  Oh, I know that all things work together for good, that is for His purposes.  I know that God wastes nothing, not even my disobedience.  I know that He is sovereign, in control of all my circumstances.  And for just those reasons, I come to Him, an unworthy servant, pleading for the favor of the Master.

He will grant it, not because I am here crying lo-hikala, but because He is merciful.  He is loving (in action).  He is gracious.  Even when I fail, God does not falter.

There are days when life seems overwhelmingly burdensome.  There are times when I just can’t seem to get a grip on the direction and the purpose of my soul.  And there are actions and attitudes I regret.  David and I are often emotional basket cases.  But God knows me.  He longs to comfort me, to lift me up and wipe away those fears and tears.  In fact, if the truth be told, God is probably more interested in tenderly caring for my needs and gently repairing my soul than He is in all the projects and plans and purposes that flood my service-oriented mind.  God wants my intimate embrace.  And if the truth were told, that’s what I want too.  Tender mercies.  Oh, the sound of it is so welcome.  Here I am, Father, please put your arms around me now. Don’t withhold from me!