What God Wants from Us

[Psalm 81]

Last night, on the first day of the new year, before we had our family worship, all five members of our family sat on our bed, leaning against the wall, reading books. While my wife, Dylan, and I were reading the Bible, Yerim was reading a princess book to her younger sister, Yeun. After reading for a while, we said, "Let's have worship now," and Yeun, seeming reluctant, struggled to put the book down. Then Yerim read the first page of Dylan's Bible, and after I briefly gave some encouragement on the passage, we were about to pray. However, Yeun did not listen well. So, I asked her if she would like to pray with us, standing her in front of me outside of the bed. She quietly replied, "No." So, I told Yeun, "Then take the book you were reading and go to your room," and she smiled brightly, happily going to her room.

In fact, before we all gathered to read, Yeun had secretly taken her brother’s book from his shelf and had sat on our bed, saying "God" to herself while reading the book alone. She really wanted to continue reading the princess book, but when we said it was time for family worship, Yeun felt a little uncomfortable. This morning, when I spoke with my wife, I learned that while Dylan and Yerim were still sleeping, Yeun had woken up early and was reading the book. Ha-ha, she really wanted to read that book!

From a parent's perspective, we wanted Yeun to participate in family worship, but what she wanted was to continue reading the princess book. Even though we were not comfortable with it, during the prayer time for family worship, only my wife, Dylan, Yerim, and I were present, while Yeun was in her room with her princess book. Despite seeing how much Yeun enjoyed it when her sister Yerim read to her, we intentionally delayed the worship time to accommodate her, but it seemed that, for Yeun, the time spent reading the princess book was more necessary than the worship time. Ha-ha.

Thinking about this event, I realized that in our relationship with God the Father, there may be times when what we want differs from what He wants for us. There may be times when we, like Yeun, act according to our desires, not understanding what God desires for us. Ultimately, mature faith is when a child, after growing up, understands the heart of their parents and obeys according to what they want. Similarly, living in accordance with the will of God the Father is a mature Christian life.

Today, based on the passage from Psalm 81, I want to reflect on "What God Wants from Us." I will meditate on three things that God desires from us. My hope is that, by learning these three things that God wants, all of us may live in a way that fulfills His will and live according to what our Father in heaven desires.

First, what God wants from us is "Praise."

Let’s look at Psalm 81:1: "Sing aloud to God our strength; make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob." The psalmist, while writing about keeping one of Judah's feasts, tells us to praise God (verses 1-4, 박윤선). Of course, the object of this praise is God, and the psalmist refers to God as "our strength" (verse 1). The God who is our strength is the Almighty God. This Almighty God gives us strength. One way to receive that strength is by praising God with a joyful heart. Dr. 박윤선 said: “When a person truly praises God, they glorify God, and at the same time, they gain strength for their spiritual life.” This is true. Praising God with a joyful heart not only glorifies God, but also provides strength for our spiritual life.

So, how should we praise God? We should praise God with a joyful heart. The reason is that Nehemiah 8:10, in the second half of the verse, says: “… for the joy of the Lord is your strength…” Because the joy of the Lord is our strength, we should praise God with a joyful heart.

The purpose of praise is for those who worship God to unify their thoughts in faith, make a public confession of godliness, and promote spiritual growth (Calvin, 박윤선). (1) The first purpose of praising God is “the unity of the faith among believers.” This means that as we praise God together, we reaffirm to each other that we share the same faith. (2) The second purpose of praising God is to make a “public confession of godliness.” In other words, as we praise God together, we publicly confess, “We love God.” (3) The third purpose is ‘spiritual growth.’ By offering praise to God and publicly confessing our love for Him, we grow spiritually.

But what is the problem? The purpose of praise among many Christians is not necessarily to please God, but to please ourselves. If our purpose is primarily to make ourselves happy and to delight the ears of those who are listening, then this “self-centered praise” will never allow us to publicly confess that we are one body in Christ, with the same faith, and it will not lead to our spiritual growth.

Therefore, we must praise God in the way that the psalmist teaches us today. We must praise Him correctly—praising Him with joy (verse 1), using instruments (verse 2), on the Lord’s Day (verse 3), and singing loudly to the God who is our strength (verse 1). This is the “law” that we must observe, and it is also God’s ordinance (verse 4).

Secondly, what God desires from us is "prayer."

Let us look at Psalm 81:7: "You called in your trouble, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah (Selah)." This verse is particularly important for those of us who do not often strive to pray. The psalmist recalls the events of the Exodus, reminding the Israelites that when they cried out to God in their suffering during the Exodus, God responded to their prayers. Why does the psalmist remind the Israelites of this fact, that God listened to their prayers during the Exodus? The reason is that the psalmist wants to encourage the Israelites of his time to cry out to God as well. In other words, it is an exhortation saying, "Just as the Israelites cried out to God in their suffering during the Exodus, you also must cry out to God." The specific exhortation is this: "... Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it..." (verse 10). This means that we should long for God's grace and salvation (박윤선).

We must long for God's grace and salvation. Just as the Israelites cried out to God in their suffering, we must also cry out to God. And when we cry out, we must ask for God’s grace and salvation. Furthermore, when we ask, we should do so with the confidence that God will answer our prayers. Certainly, in today's Scripture, God promises, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it” (verse 10). Holding onto this promise, we must cry out to God. Our God is the one who fills us. However, to be filled, we must first take responsibility for emptying ourselves. What must we empty? Our sins. What kind of sins? Let us look at verse 11 of today’s passage: "But my people did not listen to my voice, and Israel would not have me." What was the voice (word) of God that the Israelites did not listen to? It is the word found in verse 9: "You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god." However, the Israelites ultimately disobeyed this word and committed the sin of idolatry. When we repent of this sin, decide and commit to listen to God's word, and cry out to Him, God will hear our prayers and grant us grace and salvation.

Our God is a God who listens to our prayers. The amazing fact is that even though there are countless times when we do not listen to God's voice and do not desire Him (verse 11), our God is the one who desires us and also desires to hear our prayers. Given the abundance of His grace, we must strive all the more in prayer.

Third, what God desires from us is "obedience."

Let’s look at Psalm 81:8 and 13: “Hear, O my people, and I will testify to you; O Israel, if you would listen to me!” (v. 8), “Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!” (v. 13). What God desires from us is that we listen to His voice and, moreover, that we obey it. However, during the Exodus, the people of Israel did not want to listen to God’s voice. They disobeyed His voice. What was the result of this? Look at verse 12: "So I gave them up to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels."

There are two ways God punishes sinners: “One is to allow the sinner to continue in his sin, and the other is to actively cause suffering or destruction to the sinner” (박윤선). Of these two methods, personally, I think the first one is more frightening. The reason is that if God simply lets us go on with our hardened hearts, we will endlessly break His commandments and live lives of disobedience.

In the end, God disciplined the disobedient people of Israel by handing them over to their enemies (v. 14). However, God promises that if the people of Israel (and we) repent and return to Him, He will bless them. The psalmist mentions this promise in two ways:

The first promise is that God will control Israel’s enemies (v. 14). The hand of discipline that was upon Israel for their sin will be turned against their enemies when Israel repents.

The second promise of God is found in Psalm 81:16, where it says: “But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.” This promise refers to material blessings (박윤선). That is, although the people of Israel, living in the abundant land of Canaan, violated God’s word and worshiped foreign gods, if they repent and return to God, He will give them even greater abundance in that same prosperous land.

We hope to hold on to these promises of God and move forward in prayer. Just as the 120 believers in the early church gathered together and earnestly prayed, holding on to the promise in Acts 1:8, as well as the promise in Matthew 16:18, where Jesus said, "I will build my church...," we desire to dedicate ourselves fully to prayer. In doing so, if we ever reject God's word and disobey, committing sin against Him, we must hold on to the promises in Psalm 81:14 and 16 from today's passage, repent, and return to the Lord. When we do this, our God will forgive our sins, and the hand of punishment that was directed toward us will be turned against our enemies, and He will bless us with abundant blessings.

Yesterday, during the Lunar New Year, our family gathered at my older brother's house and worshiped together. The message God gave through my little uncle, the pastor, was from 1 Thessalonians 5:18. We want to strive to make this year a year in which we decide to give thanks in all things. Although my third uncle, Pastor Kim Changhyuk, is suffering from cancer, we all decided to give thanks to God and after the service, we all prayed fervently for him. Then, we decided to start a family fasting prayer relay and put it into practice. Later, before we all left, Pastor Kim Changhyuk, who had been lying in bed, came out to the living room and praised God in front of our family members. He sang his favorite hymn, "All Things Bright and Beautiful" (Hymn 40), the first verse and the refrain. Even though he was in pain, his soul praised God, and as we prayed together and observed the pastor and family obeying the command to "give thanks in all things" in the new year 2008, I felt that this was exactly what our God desires for our family.

May God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven,

Pastor James Sharing
(After the first Wednesday prayer meeting of the new year)