“ Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, impenetrable] Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 AMPC
The start of this psalm just simply says 'a psalm of David'. No drama. No extra words. No issues to grind with anyone. No need to explain anything to anyone. The writer was a man who God helped. From being the last of eight boys to Jesse his father, he became the only one to be left with the family sheep. He toiled day and night to keep the sheep safe. He was left alone to the inclement weather and wild beasts. The lion and the bear were familiar foes that he had to fight in order to keep the sheep safe. I am sure that he would have had to account for any sheep that got lost on his watch. How would such a man not find time to seek God's face and access His help?
There was also initially no room for him in the king's army, as records show that three of his brothers were already in Saul's service. He had no prior experience of war that he could count on, except what God had done through him to the lion and the bear. The testimony of protection and safety became the basis of his confidence that God could help him defeat the enemies of Israel. Even without any war knowledge, knowledge of the God of war was enough for him. He could speak of this God in a personal way. He could praise this God, not for what he could get from Him, but simply because he had seen this God at work in his life. That is the power of personal encounters.
It is this personal encounter that underpins the words of the verse above. No man knows God this way and remains careless in his dealings or interactions with God. No one tastes how good this God is and wants to give Him up for that which does not really satisfy. This is a God of absolute wonders, and not One to be trifled with. He is the One before whom there are no secrets or hidden things. He is Omniscient and Omnipotent; He is not man who changes in line with the weather. He is also a God who is invested in the wellbeing and welfare of His own. He hates sin, and He is able to provide the grace and strength we need to avoid sin.
That is why the prayer in the verse above is timely and relevant to us today. We are in the world, and we have to relate with the people of the world. However, we musr not lose sight of who we are, whose we are, why we have been planted where we are, and where we are headed in eternity. David understood this when he asked God to help him so that the words of his mouth and the meditation of his heart would be acceptable in God's sight. This is critical, because it is my words that let people know the contents and focus of my heart. Can I ask God to work in and on me, so that all I offer pleases and glorifies Him? God’s time of favour is here.
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