O God of my righteousness

In Psalm 4:1, David cries out in another moment of distress, "Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness." As I mentioned yesterday, even though David pre-dates the incarnation, he is exercising the same post-incarnation truth that the apostle Paul wrote about in his letter to the Romans: "But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it--the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe." (Romans 3:21-22) This calling out to God and trusting in God's righteousness instead of my own is a second step for participating in God's transforming of my mind, heart, will, character, motives, and actions. Only when I give up on myself--my self-righteous attempts at renovating my own heart--will I have the inclination and urgency to say, "Save me, O my God! Only your righteousness can change me."

It's a very symbiotic relationship between these two steps...giving up on myself and calling out to God. Especially since this seems to happen in varying degrees. I give up on myself only partly, and I will call out to the Lord only partly. But I hear real desperation in David's voice through the Psalms. Psalm 3 he's running for his very life. Psalm 4 there is deep frustration and concern. Until I sense and see my own desperate state I'm not going to actively participate in what God is doing in my life. Lord, take away this false self-confidence that masks itself as a desire to live for you. Make me hungry and thirsty for your righteousness and your kingdom, not my own.