Psalm 138:8 The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

    A lady was watching a man purifying silver. He melted the metal, then skimmed off impurities, let it cool and repeated the process. After seeing him repeat this a few times, she asked, “How do you know when it’s done?” He replied, “When I can see my reflection in it.”

    It’s entirely possible that when you first read today’s verse that you, like me, got caught up in the first phrase, “The Lord will accomplish what concerns me.” That sounds great! Es-pecially since most of us could readily come up with a list of our ‘concerns.’ But is that what David had in mind? The NKJV translates the word accomplish slightly differently than here in the NASB. There, we find, “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me.” That helps us get closer to David’s meaning I think. In my too-easily self-centered-focus I see the possibility of my list being filled. But God is more concerned about me than He is about my list.

    God wants to perfect that which concerns us. He wants to bring to fullness or com-plete that which concerns us. He loves us and sees all that we might be and He has a plan to bring us to that place. He loves us. He loves everyone. But we should never think that His love for us means that He loves the way we are. He loves us enough to help us, if we are will-ing, to be what He knows we can be. In other words, He loves us too much to leave us as we are. His lovingkindness is everlasting! 

    David tries to see things from God’s point of view and can look in a mirror and realize there are some concerns. He is confident that God will address these things and accomplish or perfect them and he is sure that the project will be done in love. But he also knows it will take some time and so he prays that God will not give up on him. 

    Paul would later address this thought when we wrote to the Philippians (1:6)

    being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

    I am so glad that God loves me as I am. But I am so much more glad that He loves me enough to make what I could never be without Him! As I stay in relationship with Him He is actively perfecting things in my life. He allows me to be tested, then skims off what is not like Him. His goal is that my life will reflect Him. He will lovingly, patiently continue this work that he began (for me) 46 years ago. 

Blessings,     

Pastor Russ