Claiming Scripture
Sometimes in our DAWG we run into Scriptures that the Holy Spirit sort of highlights to you…where He says, “Son, this is for you, now. Own it!”
That happened to me today.
Read Psalm 112 below and I’ll explain:
Prosperity of One Who Fears the Lord.
Praise [b]the Lord!
Blessed is a person who [c]fears the Lord,
Who greatly delights in His commandments.
2 His [d]descendants will be mighty [e]on the earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.
4 Light shines in the darkness for the upright;
He is gracious, compassionate, and righteous.
5 It goes well for a person who is gracious and lends;
He will [f]maintain his cause in judgment.
6 For he will never be shaken;
The righteous will be [g]remembered forever.
7 He will not fear bad news;
His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
8 His heart is firm, he will not fear,
[h]But will look with satisfaction on his enemies.
9 [i]He has given freely to the poor,
His righteousness endures forever;
His horn will be exalted in honor.
10 The wicked will see it and be [j]vexed,
He will gnash his teeth and melt away;
The desire of the wicked will perish.”
Did you read it? Don’t cheat on me with this; read it!
On my first read through it didn’t grab me. But for some reason I had to read it again.
Then again. On the third reading, I said:
“Look, I fear the Lord. I greatly delight in His commandments. I can’t wait to get up in the morning and drink coffee and read the Bible. I want and have been working my entire adult life to build a family who reflects v2- mighty for the Lord and blessed, who will carry on the family legacy of honoring God and extending the Gospel. We’re a ministry family.”
On the fourth read I saw some of the challenges that still face me in my growth- to grow more in generosity for instance (v9).
But I saw in V7 that this is me really…I steadfastly trust God even when people are storming the Capital (I was not surprised that this happened, by the way) and our culture is decidedly on the decline, sliding quite rapidly toward the Book of Judges level ungodliness compounded with modern censorship and totalitarianism. I believe that the wicked will receive justice if they don’t repent (10) and that the righteous will be honored (v9-horn speaks of strength).
Then I read a short Old Testament commentator on this passage. Derek Kidner helped me understand it better. (Like, it’s tied to Ps. 111 and 113…all three begin with “Hallelujah!”, ie-“Praise the Lord” and some other good truths which I’ll study some more later.)
Result: I decided I am claiming this Psalm for my family.
This is who I am, where God has brought me in my journey with Him. It’s also who I want to be in character. I’ve caught a vision for growth in this for me as well as a vision for God using my extended family.
Legacy. Yup. Legacy.
I’ll be leaving the planet one day for awhile until Jesus comes back and brings me with Him (read I Thessalonians 4: 13-5:11) and what I want to leave is reflected in the Psalm.
Most DAWG days do not produce giant realizations.
Read Psalm 112 again. Maybe it will hit you like it hit me.
Or maybe some other aspect of God’s Word will hit you tomorrow. The Father works like that.
Pete Alwinson
