Give ear to my words, O Lord; give heed to my sighing.
Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I pray.
O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.
For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil will not sojourn with you.
The boastful will not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.
You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.
But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.
Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I pray.
O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.
For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil will not sojourn with you.
The boastful will not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.
You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.
But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.
✙ Ps. 5:1-7 ✙
Psalm 90 acknowledges that God has been the dwelling place of God's people through all generations. But in Psalm 5:4, the psalmist acknowledges something else—that God is not the bed and breakfast of those who are evil. Just as there is no room in their hearts for God, God does not provide shelter for their misdeeds.
This sounds harsh, I suppose—especially when I consider that none of us is righteous. But the answer to the problem is found in grace. It is not by my own power that I can accept God in my heart, nor by my own perfection that I am accepted in God's house. It is by God's steadfast and abundant love that I will enter God's dwelling place. And the saints of God respond to their admittance not with boasting or judgment, but with humility toward the One who accepts them unconditionally.
This sounds harsh, I suppose—especially when I consider that none of us is righteous. But the answer to the problem is found in grace. It is not by my own power that I can accept God in my heart, nor by my own perfection that I am accepted in God's house. It is by God's steadfast and abundant love that I will enter God's dwelling place. And the saints of God respond to their admittance not with boasting or judgment, but with humility toward the One who accepts them unconditionally.
God, have mercy on those who try to cover their misdeeds by claiming a relationship with you. Help me to admit to you my own mistakes, and grant me your love, for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, who taught me to pray: Our Father...
