THEOSISAugustine of Hippo
The Lord embodies mercy and compassion, as noted in Psalm 85:15. Indeed, He is characterized by patience and enduring kindness; however, be wary of the concluding message: He is also truthful. For those whom He bears with as sinners, He will ultimately judge as those who scorn His grace. Do you take for granted the wealth of God's goodness, kindness, and patience, failing to recognize that His goodness is intended to lead you to repentance? Due to your obstinacy and unrepentant heart, you are accumulating wrath for yourself for the impending day of judgment when God's righteous judgment will be revealed, rewarding each person according to their actions, as stated in Romans 2:4-6. The Lord is good and patient. Although He is gracious, He is also just and righteous.
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He allows you time for correction, yet you seem to prefer delay over true repentance. Were you sinful yesterday? Aim to be righteous today. Did you let anger consume your day? Strive to change at least tomorrow. You continually put off decision-making, expecting much from God's mercy, as if He who has promised to forgive you through repentance also guaranteed you extended time on earth. How can you be certain of what the next day may hold? You might think in your heart, 'Once I am justified, God will forgive all my sins.' It's undeniable that God has assured forgiveness to those who repent and change their ways. Indeed, the prophet you read assures that forgiveness is promised to those who would reform; nowhere does it say that God has promised you a long life.
No greater blessing can be bestowed by God upon humanity than the giving of His Word, through which He brought all creation into being, establishing its Head and binding it to Himself as members of His own body. This unification allowed the Son of God to also become the Son of Man, sharing divinity with the Father and humanity with us. Thus, when we seek God's mercy in prayer, we do so without separating the Son from the Father; and when the Body of Christ prays, the Head remains united with the Body. There is one Savior for His Body, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who intercedes for us, prays within us, and pleads on our behalf. He intercedes as our High Priest, prays through us as our Head, and we approach Him as our God. Therefore, we are called to acknowledge His words within us and vice versa. In discussing our Lord Jesus Christ and the suggestions of His humility in prophecy, we must not shy away from recognizing it in Him, as He willingly joined Himself to our human condition. To Him we offer our prayers, acknowledging that He prays in the form of God while also embodying a servant. The divine Creator meets the creature; the unalterable takes upon Himself what is changeable, merging with us as one Man—Head and Body united. Therefore, we pray to Him, through Him, and in Him, and should speak with Him, as He speaks within us the prayers articulated in the psalm known as ‘The Prayer of David.’ While our Lord Jesus is, in the flesh, a descendant of David, in His divine essence He is the Lord of David, the One who brought David into being.
Let no one claim that Christ is silent, nor should anyone silence themselves; if they understand their belonging to the body of Christ, they must affirm together: Christ speaks, and I speak. Never should one wish to utter anything apart from Him, for neither does He speak without us.
"Incline Thy ear, O Lord, and hear me," as stated in Psalm 85:1. He manifests in the guise of a servant: “Speak, O servant, as your Lord speaks: incline Your ear, O Lord.” He inclines His ear only when one lays aside their burdens: for to the humble He draws near, but distances Himself from the proud, unless they are shown mercy. Thus, God bends down to listen to us. He is exalted, and we are lowly but not desolate, for Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Rarely will anyone die for a righteous person; perhaps for a good person someone might even dare to die (Romans 5:8). Yet our Lord died for the ungodly, with no merit on our part justifying His sacrifice; His boundless mercy was truly revealed in that absence of merit. The assurance of His promise is profound, as He preserves life for the righteous while giving death to the wicked.
I am impoverished and wretched, and while the wealthy do not attract His attention, the humble and the distressed do, for they confess their needs and seek mercy. Those who trust in their own abundance are filled with pride and felt needlessly self-assured, saying, “I thank You that I am not like this tax collector,” while the wealthy Pharisee boasted of his good works and the poor tax collector owned up to his transgressions (Luke 18:11-13).
Nevertheless, let not my words cause you to think that those with material wealth are unheard by God. Rather, let them keep in mind the Apostle's warning: "Charge the rich in this present age not to be haughty" (1 Timothy 6:17). The ungodly are poor in God's eyes, but He extends His mercy to the needy and acknowledges the humble. They know their hope is not founded upon earthly possessions, which are merely temporary. It is sufficient that their riches do not lead them astray, as their true benefit lies in their love for charity—whether from the action of the wealthy or the intent of the impoverished. Thus, when one shuns all that elevates oneself, they join the ranks of the poor in spirit, and God listens to their pleas, for they grasp the brokenness of their hearts.
Was the reward for the poor man's humility that the angels carried him away (Luke 16:19-24), or was the rich man's punishment a consequence of his pride? In the poor man, we see a celebration of humility, while in the rich man, we recognize the folly of pride. I will succinctly argue that it was not wealth but pride that condemned the rich man. Certainly, the poor man found peace in Abraham’s bosom. Scripture indicates that Abraham was rich, possessing vast amounts of gold and silver (Genesis 13:2). If wealth condemned a person, Abraham could not have been expected to receive the poor man into his arms. Yet, Abraham, despite his riches, exemplified genuine humility and obeyed God’s commands, so deeply aware of the transitory nature of earthly wealth that he was willing to sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:10) for whom he valued that wealth. Thus, let us learn to embrace a state of spiritual poverty, irrespective of our earthly possessions.
"Preserve my soul, for I am holy" (Psalm 84:2). Perhaps no one is truly able to say, "I am holy," except the one who lived sinless in a world full of sin. His was the voice that cried, "Save my soul, for I am holy." This resonates strongly with the form of a servant He embodied because within that form, both flesh and soul coexist. He is neither merely flesh and word nor just flesh but the One Son of God, the singular Savior, equal to the Father in divine form and a servant in the role of Head of the Church. Thus, when I hear, "For I am holy," I instinctively recognize His voice; however, I do not exclude my own. When He declares this, He speaks inseparably from His Body. Dare I then claim, "For I am holy?" If I claim holiness in the sense of needing no sanctification, it would stem from pride and falsehood; yet if I claim it as one who has been sanctified, as Scripture commands, "Be holy, for I am holy" (Leviticus 19:2), then the Body of Christ can indeed declare it.
He has bestowed upon us the grace of holiness through baptism and forgiveness of sins (1 Corinthians 6:11). We must assert to God, "I am holy, for You have sanctified me." My holiness is based on what I have received, not on my personal merit; it is a gift from You, not something I earned. For if we deny our holiness, we risk harming our Lord Jesus Christ. If all faithful Christians, baptized into Christ, have put Him on, as the Apostle teaches (Galatians 3:27), then to claim otherwise is to dishonor our Head, of Whom we are members. Consider what you are and draw dignity from your Head. You were once enveloped in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord (Ephesians 5:8). Do you still dwell in darkness, despite the illuminator coming forth so that you might shine? Consequently, every Christian can affirm in themselves, and by extension in the whole Body of Christ, even amid tribulations and trials, “Save my soul, for I am holy: O my God, save Your servant who trusts in You.”
"Be merciful to me, O Lord, for all day long I have cried out to You" (Psalm 84:3). This expression of all-day pleading signifies ongoing distress. The Body of Christ continuously cries out in various situations, submitting together through their united voices, regardless of their locations and circumstances. Some mourn today while others rest in Him; in this, we see the cohesive cry of the Body of Christ stating, “To You have I cried all day long.” Our Head sits at the Father’s right hand, interceding for us: some members He heals, some He chastens, some He purifies, and some He comforts.
"Revive the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I have lifted my soul" (Psalm 85:4). Rejoice in it, for it was once steeped in the bitterness of earthly existence: I have lifted it to You to safeguard its sweetness in Your divine grace. Joy can only be found in You; the world is filled with bitterness. It serves a purpose for Him to encourage His members to lift their hearts. They must bring forth what burdens them whilst on earth. Our hearts will remain intact if we raise them to God. Just as one would elevate grain to prevent spoilage, we must elevate our hearts to heaven.
You wonder how this is achieved; which means must we use? Let your affections serve as steps and your will the means. In love, you ascend; by neglect, you descend. Though your physical body is on earth, your heart can ascend into heavenly places if you love God. The heart is thus elevated not in the same manner as the body is; an exalted body moves from one locale to another, whereas an exalted heart transitions in will and intent.
"For You, O Lord, are good and gracious" (Psalm 85:5). Prayers may find interruption hindered by vain thoughts so that the heart struggles to rest in God’s presence. One’s heart may drift, evading its embrace through myriad distractions—a condition lamented by many. David himself articulated this struggle when he prayed, "Since I have found my heart, O Lord, so that I might pray to You" (2 Samuel 7:27). David’s exclamation implies a heart that had run away, leading him to pursue it in prayer. This sentiment prompts reflection on grace. It appears that the cause for him naming God as compassionate lies in His willingness to bear our flaws and still welcome our imperfect prayers. God, in His mercy, listens attentively to our meager cries and does not recall the seemingly thoughtless prayers we offer but cherishes the one heartfelt request we struggle to articulate.
What man would tolerate an unresponsive friend at a time when they seek acknowledgment? And should a judge ignore your address in favor of another conversation, how would you endure that? Yet God, in His infinite patience, accommodates the hearts of countless souls who pray while entertaining different thoughts. Shall we then lose hope and declare each person condemned because their prayers have been marred by distractions? If that were the case, who among us would find solace? Therefore, buoyed by the hope that resides in God’s great mercy, let us declare, "To You, O Lord, I have lifted my soul." But how did I lift it? Who granted me the strength to capture my wandering thoughts?
"When I am weary, heal me and I will rise: when You give me strength, I will be strong again." Bear with me until then: for You, O Lord, are gracious, full of goodness and steadfast mercy. Your mercy is not merely sufficient but immense: for as our iniquities have increased, Your mercy has only multiplied to encompass all who call upon You.