11 But Lord, my sins! How many they are. Oh, pardon them for the honor of your name.
12 Where is the man who fears the Lord? God will teach him how to choose the best.
13 He shall live within God’s circle of blessing, and his children shall inherit the earth.
14 Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him. With them alone he shares the secrets of his promises.
15 My eyes are ever looking to the Lord for help, for he alone can rescue me. 16 Come, Lord, and show me your mercy, for I am helpless, overwhelmed, in deep distress; 17 my problems go from bad to worse. Oh, save me from them all! 18 See my sorrows; feel my pain; forgive my sins. 19 See how many enemies I have and how viciously they hate me! 20 Save me from them! Deliver my life from their power! Oh, let it never be said that I trusted you in vain!
21 Assign me Godliness and Integrity as my bodyguards, for I expect you to protect me 22 and to ransom Israel from all her troubles.
So, here are those youthful sins again! Lest you think I robbed banks, I admit to driving drunk, accepting rides from strangers (Yes, Mom, I knew better), and practicing the occult. Sometimes I wonder how I could have been so stupid. Other times I wonder if I’m any smarter now.
But verse 14 really grabbed me:
Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him. With them alone he shares the secrets of his promises.
The King James Bible reads, “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.” That puzzled me. Fear seems the direct opposite of trust. And a “covenant” is a legal thing, right?
But “friendship … reverence … secrets.” I understood those. And I was so terribly desperate for friendship.
Nothing I was doing to “fit in” worked. And I didn’t like myself much, either. It was time to try something else: reverencing God and looking to Him for friendship …
And finding His Word is completely trustworthy. Friendship with God is available. To everyone. He wants friendship even more than I do, which is saying a lot. He chooses confused and broken me. Amazing, amazing, amazing grace!
Grace is the good pleasure of God
that inclines him to bestow benefits on the undeserving.
Aiden Wilson Tozer