This feels awkward - is God talking about us?

Every day we're reading or listening to part of the Bible together and sharing thoughts with you. Today it’s Bern Leckie:

What did I like about today's reading?

In the 1980s, I remember an incredibly awkward TV show called "Do They Mean Us?" which only worked because it's impossible not to get some sort of emotional reaction to the way other people talk about us - in this case, how other countries reported about life in Britain. If they said nice things, that was funny, but if it was criticism, people would get angry.

Looking at Psalm 14, I can imagine people reading that "there is no one who does good, not even one" and thinking, "Does that mean us? It surely doesn't!" But I think the uncomfortable truth in the Psalms, which would make for a very awkward singing session in our culture, is that God does mean us, and his Spirit can grab our attention and convict us as we draw close to God in worship.

It's the lament of an honest worshiper, wanting to be close to God but sensing the distance between God and evil. The hope is to see God’s face, but life is getting in the way, and it might not all be other people’s fault.

Yet salvation and restoration are on the way, promised here, delivered in Jesus. So God can tell his people to rejoice!

What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?

God knows us and loves us, and he wants our hearts to know his heart when we bring ourselves to worship. The Holy Spirit enables us to do that, not just have a good time singing.

What am I going to do differently as a result?

Allow the Holy Spirit to reveal more of God's heart in and around worship times, and not just get into the words on the screen.

Who am I going to share this with?

Next time I discuss writing worship songs with people at Severn, I feel I’ll need to be honest about the tension I feel between where we are and where we want to be in worship. How can we express this well? Maybe God can inspire us to do this better together.