Silence for 2-5 minutes:
If your mind wanders, silently pray a simple prayer again and again, such as, "I surrender to your love" or "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me" until the Holy Spirit gives you a sense of peace and focus.
Scripture:
Psalm 24:1-6 (The Message)
1-2 God claims Earth and everything in it, God claims World and all who live on it. He built it on Ocean foundations, laid it out on River girders.
3-4 Who can climb Mount God? Who can scale the holy north-face? Only the clean-handed, only the pure-hearted; Men who won't cheat, women who won't seduce.
5-6 God is at their side; with God's help they make it. This, Jacob, is what happens to God-seekers, God-questers.
Reading:
God has created everything, and everything belongs to him. That includes you and me. He calls us to an adventure of knowing Him and being transformed by his power. This wondrous adventure can seem arduous at times, like climbing a tall mountain. David, a man after God's own heart, wants to embrace the challenge of standing before God, knowing His presence and holiness and receiving God's blessing of righteousness that leads to salvation. David is willing to climb this mountain.
The journey of spiritual transformation involves some gut-wrenching changes of the heart and mind. This echoes Jesus' call to continual repentance. Soren Kierkegaard said purity of heart is to will one thing. King David said the one thing that he asked of the Lord and the one thing he would seek would be to dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of his life. This is the purity of the heart pursued by David. Purity of heart is then manifested in godly character and life-giving words.
The most beautiful promise of the Psalm is that God will bless us as we climb this most essential mountain. We receive strength to scale this formidable height, and we come to realize that only with His help and in His power, are we able to do it at all. Those who rely on the Lord and embrace the challenge will surely reach the summit.
Question:
Have you given yourself over to climbing the mountain of knowing God and being transformed by Him? Are you leaning on Him alone in this most crucial quest?
Prayer:
Lord, I ask you to help me embrace the only challenge that is worth taking. Help me to know you and be transformed by you. Help me to know that I will reach the top of the mountain if I rely on you. You will shower grace upon me if I accept the challenge. Amen!