“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.” Psalm 25:1,4-5
“The secret of your success lies in your daily routine.” A quote from John Maxwell that hits the nail on the head. And in yet another strike on the nail head he goes on to say, “you'll never change your life until you change something you do daily.” You see, the success or failure in what we attempt to achieve lies not in solitary monumental events, but the many minuscule ones. The houses of our lives are built with many small bricks, not one huge stone. And it is in this logic that we encounter David in Psalm 25. He is yet again drawing in front of the Lord, sounding like a broken record in his prayer, his plea, and his praise. You see, David knew that the secret of a deep, meaningful, thriving relationship with God was not a weekly or a monthly meeting…but a daily one.
One of the beautiful aspects of the Psalms is their repetition. David, in his dire need of the Lord, is constantly going back to the well with the same requests. You see, David did not try to reinvent the wheel with the newest, trendiest Bible study book. David did not change churches every time he thought His worship was getting stale. David did not get frustrated with God for not giving him what he wanted when he wanted and then he stopped going to God. David simply saw the need to daily draw into the presence of the Lord and pour out his heart in great need. And folks, this simple, humble need will drive a heart to call upon the Lord each and every day. A daily formula that will see a humble life moving to a place that creates a daily need of complete dependence upon Almighty God. A place where there is no one else they wish to depend upon but Almighty God. And it is in this place, this broken record of routine and monotony of daily going to God for all, that a life will create a routine that will see it being sanctified daily by the presence and glory of Jesus Christ.
There are only two ways a life can go, its own way or the way of God. And that choice is crystal clear in where that life chooses to spend its daily time. Just as I can quickly tell you what’s most important to you financially by taking a quick inspection of your bank account, a life can be quickly inspected by looking at where the hours and minutes of each day are spent. You see, the secret of a thriving, flourishing, growing relationship with the Lord is not found in the big miraculous events, but in the small daily encounters. It is found each and every morning that you draw in front of Him and ask for Him to bless you with His presence. It is found in every morning that you are tired, bleary-eyed, and feeling less than, yet you still draw near to God to hear from His Word. It is found in the days where life seems to be beating you up for everything you do, yet you still draw into the goodness of God’s presence through His Word. For you see, every day that you feel like skipping your time with God is the day that you need it the most. It’s not about adding God to your daily routine, but changing your daily routine to revolve around Him…He is the center. And when, as David discovered, you make God the center of your daily routine, you will see a dramatic shift in your life. A life that is no longer lived for self…but lived for Christ. And it is there that you will truly find success in the Lord. Success that is defined by God as an abundant life filled with peace, joy, satisfaction, and freedom in His Son Jesus Christ. And that flourishing life, that successful life in Christ, is found within your daily routine with Him.
“I have called upon You every day, O Lord, I have spread out my hands to You.” Psalm 88:9b
“Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever.” Psalm 145:2
“And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” Luke 9:23
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