Aspiring to Know God

Psalm 62

Precious Father,

Power without goodness is tyrannical. Goodness without power is simply nice. Nice is never enough.

Thank Your for Your character of holiness, righteousness, power and love. In You, all virtue abides. You define virtue. In creation, You stamped virtue upon humanity. Imago dei. In our sinfulness, we distort virtue. We twist and mar virtue with our unspiritual bent of fallenness. Incurvatus in se is that moral bent back in on oneself. We even distort virtue to advance our own vice.

Nineteenth century British politician, Lord Acton, is credited for saying, "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely." Such is our condition.

However, even in our fallenness and sinful brokenness, we long for a standard. Creating chaos, we simultaneously long for order. Bound by our finite nature, we aspire to transcend. Enchained by time, we crave eternity. Confused about our own identity, we seek to know ourselves. In spite of our potential for cruel inhumanity, we long for others to treat us with personhood. Even in our sin and rebellion, we value the very virtues that make You God, and make us imago dei.

Each distorted virtue, twisted by our sin, is another self-centered whine confessing that I am not self-originating. I was made by another. I was created for a purpose. I am a soul. I am eternal. I was created in the image of God.

Father, You are great and You are good. I agree with the Psalmist David in Psalm 62. You are my expectation, my hope, my defense, my salvation, my strength, my refuge. Your power is displayed in the heavens, the earth, and throughout creation. Your character is altogether righteous, holy, and good. You want only good for Your created. You live in perfect unity--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You are eternal, all powerful, all-wise, omnipresent, all-knowing, holy, truth, just, and unchanging.

Keep calling me to Yourself. Break me free from any selfish grasp that seeks to seize control of my own life, all of the while squeezing the breath of life from my existence. Restore my breath through the wind of the Spirit, the breath of God. Blow on me with the resurrection power and life of Your Holy Spirit.

Thank You for Your goodness and power. "Power belongs to God. Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy" (Psalm 62:11b-12a NKJV).

In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

Amen.