As for me, I will see your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in your likeness
Psalms 17:15
The above verse was king David’s absolute resolve and prayer to the Lord after he had made all his request known to the father as documented in Psalms 17. In my opinion and in my informal “lingo”, it is king David’s energy for me! In moments, like this, I am thankful that King David documented his conversations and prayers to the Lord because there is so much we can and should learn from him. It is apparent that King David was consumed with being Christ-like in all of his ways. Moreso, he was very much walking toward seeing and being with the Lord on the last day when his mortal body is resurrected. I believe that this is the same mindset and energy we should maintain as children of God. God can call us home at anytime or Jesus could come back for us at any second. With that said, are we able to say like King David that we would see the Lord’s face in righteousness as well as awake in the likeness of Christ?
To see the Lord’s face on the last day in righteousness as well as awake from the dead in the image of christ entails a lot of dying to our flesh, intentionally deciding to act, speak and do things the same way Jesus Christ would want us to. Although the process may be daunting, it definitely looks like it is worth it for king David to make such an absolute resolve. Furthermore, King David was not the only one who was deliberate about seeing the Lord face to face on the last day. Apostle Paul was another powerful man who referenced what it would look like on the last day for those of us who deliberately live for Christ. He said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing” – II Timothy 4:7-8. Just as King David, Apostle Paul references righteousness in the Lord which I believe is salient for all of us living the new life in Christ. We should ever remain deliberate about living in the righteousness of Christ as directed and powered by the Holy Spirit.
On a close look at his prayers in Psalms 17, we can see how intentional king David was about his final resolve in Psalms 15:17 and we can learn a thing or two about the things God wants us to be deliberate about. Shall we have a look at his intentionality together?
He was Intentional About the ways he used his lips.
King David’s statement in verse 1 of Psalms 15 points us to the conscious efforts he must have made in order to keep his lips untainted – Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips was what he said to His Father in heaven.
He was Intentional About the Lord fighting his battles, he was not vengeful.
I know how tempting it could be to give that person a piece of your mind after they might have done something hurtful or spiteful to you. But the Lord says to us to hold our peace while He fights all our battles for us – Exodus 14:14. King David embodied this scripture, he lived it out! He had the opportunity to cut off the neck of his ardent enemy; king Saul who was after his life for the longest time. King Saul would have killed him ten times over if not for the mercies of the Lord but king David held his peace, fought it out with the Lord in prayer and God fought for him. He goes ahead to reference this in Psalms 17:2 and even many other verses in his book. “Let my vindication come from Your presence“, he said.
He was Intentional About the Things He harbored in His heart
In his conversation with the Lord in Psalms 17:3, it looks like he is reminding God of the posture of his heart continually. He says to the Lord, “You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing”. For a split second, I just ran a check through my heart to see what the Lord would find in my heart as well. What would the Lord find in your heart if He took a scan through right this minute?
It is important that we keep our hearts clean and glorifying of the Lord because out of the abundance of our hearts we speak, and just as our hearts are, so are we on the outward. And ultimately, we cannot harbor hatred, sin, or anger in our hearts and see the Lord’s face neither does it help us to conform to the image of Christ.
He was Intentional About the path he treaded
Although King David veered off the Lord’s path a number of times, he was one to quickly retrace his steps to the Lord as soon as he realizes his wrong- II Samuel 12:1-16. This is something he references in verse 4 and I strongly believe should be emulated.
He was Intentional About Asking the Lord For Help and Trusting Him
This side of King David, I cannot but overemphasize how important it is for us to keep asking Him to help us to be like Christ. Because humanly speaking, we just cannot be like Christ, the Lord Himself needs to keep helping us. And this was something King David constantly asked for as he journeyed through life.
He was Intentional About staying in the Lord’s good books
As soon as King David’s name entered the book of life in heaven, he just remained conscious about having his name remain there forever. He said to the Lord, “keep me as the apple of your eye” – Psalms 17:8.
As I wrap up, I’d like us to look around us, look at the craziness happening around the world. These things are things that the Lord has spoken about. In Matthew 24 He tells us all about the signs to look out for when the end of time approaches and indeed it looks like it could all end soon. With that said, I am writing today to remind us to stand firm in the Lord, to stay ready for the second coming of Jesus Christ which could be anytime from now.
And for my reader who has not said Yes to Jesus Christ just yet, I encourage you to do so today. For two reasons I must say:
In this world, there will be so many tribulations but with Christ as your friend, you would definitely overcome. Moreso, the name of the Lord is a strong tower and every righteous person that runs into His name is saved from all the troubles and craziness of this world.
Secondly, after you must have gone through life here, saying yes to Jesus and living for Him guarantees you an eternal life of happily ever after. So my dear friend, say yes to Jesus today. To do so, you can say this prayer here and ultimately find a bible believing church to attend.
You could also connect with me here.