In Psalm 36, David describes the most important choice you will make.
“What will I do with God?”
He describes the curses and blessings that will naturally come from this choice. He praises God for allowing man to even have this choice. And he does it all in less than 215 words.
His words are worth your attention today.
You can choose to walk through life without God. The problem? Your life will have no enduring foundation. You will be a slave to the taskmasters of your own moods, cravings, and circumstances. There will be little, if any reason to soundly and consistently live beyond yourself. Your earth-bound perspective will define reality. Life will be judged as a one-time opportunity to enjoy as much as you can. Your motto? “Eat, drink, for tomorrow I die.”
The choice to walk this path has consequences. In the language of Psalm 36:
- Transgression will speak to you deep in your heart
- There will be no fear of God before your eyes
- You will flatter yourself in your own eyes
- You will deceive yourself in believing that your iniquity will not be found out
- The words of your mouth will be trouble and deceit
- You will cease to act wisely and do good
- You will plot trouble while on your bed
- You will set yourself in a way that is not good
- You will not reject evil
Regardless of your choice, God will continue to exist. And David wants to make sure you weigh his gracious offer and glorious attributes in this decision:
- His steadfast love extends to the heavens
- His faithfulness extends to the clouds
- His righteousness is like the mountains
- His judgments are like the great deep
The good news is, you can choose to walk through life with God. The resulting blessing? Your life will have an enduring foundation. You will serve a God who is faithful, all-knowing, and full of compassion. There will be joy as you taste and see the wisdom of living beyond yourself. Divine, eternal perspective will define reality. Life, with all of its hardships, pains, and sorrows will be treated as a refining pilgrimage toward an eternal weight of glory. Your motto? “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Because there is more—so much more—than what our eyes can see.
The choice to walk this path also has consequences. In the language of Psalm 36:
- You will regard God’s steadfast love as precious
- You will take refuge in the shadow of God’s wings
- You will feast on the abundance of God’s house
- You will drink from the river of God’s delights
- You will discover the fountain of life
- You will see light in God’s light
When the alternatives are presented so clearly, is it any wonder that “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God'”? (Psalm 14:1)