"Call Upon Him in Truth"
Psalm 145:18
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Psalm 145:18 came before me twice today, first on Facebook - which appears to be taken from the New King James version...
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
...and the second came on the car radio, which I believe was the New English Translation, with it reading slightly different than the NKJ...
The Lord is near all who cry out to him,
all who cry out to him sincerely.
When I saw it on FB, I read it with with the word TRUTH standing out to me more than anything. You know: Be honest with where you're at... God already knows, anyway... and don't claim to be seeking God's heart and truth if all you're doing is pretending to be a Christian, or to be His follower, solely to find a new area in your life where you can get attention... In other words: Don't be false! Don't be a pretender.
NOTE: It wasn't a conviction; the word just had me thinking. :)
When I heard it on the radio later, the word SINCERELY popped out at me, and that had me thinking how 'call upon Him in TRUTH' could be mistranslated in the heart of some, if they have a religious mindset.
I was given a picture of someone praying, but fearing God wouldn't hear them if they didn't pray with perfection. You know, on their knees, hands clasped, word perfect, hair just right, head tilted this way or that way... and so on - in whatever way they felt they had to pray to get God's approval and attention. They had a religious mindset. They were believing that this verse meant one had to pray 'just right' in order to be heard...as religiosity and legalism would have one do it. But that's not what this Scripture is saying. It's saying, "Get real with God." At least, that's what I believe and that's how I pray - and, yes, He answers my prayers... even the ones where I whine and whinge and moan and groan and 'give up'...! :) I expect God to be open and honest with me, so I seek to be open and honest with Him - faults and all.
I believe (and live in such a way, believing) God wants those who will pray to Him in Spirit and Truth... and He will cover us with mercy and grace as we approach Him in such a way.
He wants us to be real. He's not going to get angry with us being real. Jesus has made a way for us, directly to God's heart, through the cross, and through His Spirit, and there God waits for us, ready to cloak us in mercy and grace. God doesn't honour deception, but He loves truth. An honest heart will get His attention, and the answer to your prayers, much faster than religiosity ever could.
When you pray/talk to/talk with/cry out to God, just be real, and watch Him move to answer your prayer. :)
~ John 4:23 ~
But a time is coming
—and now is here--
when the true worshipers will worship the Father
in spirit and truth,
for the Father seeks such people to be his worshipers.
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But a time is coming
—and now is here--
when the true worshipers will worship the Father
in spirit and truth,
for the Father seeks such people to be his worshipers.
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