One Step Beyond

By Jon Walker

“Do not banish me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me.” (Psalm 51:11)

“Don't throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me.” (Psalm 51:11)

Do you ever fear that God will banish you from his presence? That you’ve gone one step beyond God’s patience and grace?

The ancient king of Israel, David – a man after God’s own heart – expressed a similar concern, but he ran full-throttle into God’s grace, a grace rooted in a perfect love that casts out all fear (1 John 4:18).

David understood that it is God who brings holiness to our lives, and because of his grace – flowing from the blood of Jesus Christ – we can approach the throne of God boldly (Hebrews 4:16), no longer fearing banishment or abandonment. As believers in Christ, we are accepted in the beloved (Ephesians 1:6), now and forever (Romans 8:35, 39).

David found a grace so infinite and powerful that it did violence to his grief, guilt, and sin – transforming his life into one of holy purpose and pursuit. That grace still does violence to all our false notions and self-centered ways.

Father, do not take your presence from us or cast us away from you. Lord, we ask that instead you help us understand how rock solid, cornerstone-based your love is – and that we can never do anything that will cause you to abandon us.

We not only confess our sin, we also confess that you love us with a height and depth we can never fully understand until we see you face-to-face. (Romans 8:39)

Breathe your holiness into us (Psalms 51:11), and help us breathe it in deeply so that it sinks into every fiber of our being. And when we feel like you’ve banished us from your presence, remind us that “the only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.” (Romans 12:3b)

So what?

· Equal to the fall – There’s a wonderful song by the group Satellite Soul that says, “And if your story doesn’t wind up ending happy after all, there’s a grace that’s there, it’s everywhere, and it’s equal to the fall.” Do you believe God’s grace is greater than your sins? If not, pray, “Lord, I (want to) believe; help my unbelief.”

· Interpreting yourself – Is your view of yourself consistent with God’s view of you? “Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.” (Romans 12:3b)