Mensa Otabil - Accepted In God's Presence
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We are in Psalm number five, looking at verses seven and eight. But as for me, I will come into your house in the multitude of your mercy; in fear of you, I will worship toward your holy temple. Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before my face.
In verses four and five, which we’ve already considered, David spoke about those who cannot enter the presence of God-those who can’t come into the presence of God. Now he talks about how he comes into the presence of the Lord, and that’s very important. If some people cannot enter the presence of God, the workers of iniquity cannot come, and those who are boastful and proud cannot come before the Lord, then who can come before the Lord?
David tells us the confidence with which he enters God’s presence, and he recognizes that he cannot enter God’s presence because of his own deeds. He could only enter God’s presence because of God’s mercy. So he says, «I will come into your house in the multitude of your mercy.» David is saying that this is the only thing that qualifies me to come to you, O Lord-the multitude of your mercy.
If you read the scripture, you’ll find that David knew how to worship God. He knew how to praise God; he knew how to make the right sacrifices. He made big offerings to God, but none of that mattered much. David is telling us that you can give big offerings, you can worship, you can go to church all the time, you can pray all the time, and you can do all the things that outwardly seem pious, but none of that qualifies you to come into God’s presence. What qualifies you to come into God’s presence is God’s own mercy. He draws us into His presence with His mercy and with His grace.
David says, «I also come because I fear you; I reverence you, I honor you, I hold you in high esteem.» This is the attitude of David’s heart when he enters God’s presence-that the mercy of God draws him, and he enters very carefully, respectful of who God is. He does not dishonor the presence of God. Because of God’s abundant mercy, we also come into the presence of God, not because of our skills, efforts, achievements, or our own righteousness, but we come on the basis of God’s mercy.Then David prays for guidance in the presence of the Lord, saying, «Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies.»
If you’re David and you are surrounded by so many enemies, you would need the guidance of the Lord; you need God to guide you and help you. While the wicked cannot stand in the presence of the Lord, David entered the presence of God literally asking, «Hold my hand, order my steps, lead me; hold my hand, order my steps in your righteousness.» He then says, «Lord, make your way straight before me.»
In other words, let me see your paths clearly; I don’t want to be confused about what I should do-should I do this or should I not do that? So how do we see God’s path straight? We see it in the Bible; it’s there in black and white most of the time. God says, «Don’t do this, don’t do that.» Most of the will of God is so clear on a surface level; you can see it. But God’s Holy Spirit also helps us to make God’s way clear, and we must not outsource the reading of the Word of God and our dependence on the Holy Spirit to someone else. Don’t let your pastor do that for you; you must learn to do it yourself-to study the Word of God, to listen to the Holy Spirit.
That’s how God makes His way straight before us. Like David, we can also come into the presence of the Lord through His mercy, and we can come into the presence of the Lord because we have a heart of reverence towards God. We can trust the Lord to help us, to guide us, to order our steps, and to lead us in the way we should go. I pray that you will learn to always come into God’s presence, confident in His grace and mercy that receives you and grants you audience in His presence.
Let us pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, your mercy has drawn me into your presence. Hold my hands, order my steps, lead me in your righteousness. In Jesus' name, Amen and Amen.
Well, I trust you’ve been blessed today, and I will catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.