His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man,
but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. Ps. 147:10–11
Heavenly Father, once again we come before you as repeat offenders—as your sons and daughters suffering from gospel-amnesia. We need to hear the gospel every day because we forget the good news of your grace every day.
Why is it that every time we feel a little disconnected from you, or hear the condemning voice of the enemy; or encounter other believers more zealous, missionaries more generous, or young converts more committed than us—why is it that our first default mode is to lace up our running shoes and get busy for you?
Instead of running to you for grace, we start running to do something to “make you happy,” or make us feel better about ourselves. But we’re not on probation as performers; we’re in Christ as your beloved.
As this Scripture says, you don’t find pleasure or delight in the strength and movement of our “legs”—that is, in what we can do for you. You find great pleasure as we put our hope in what you’ve done for us in Jesus. Indeed, where do we find your unfailing, unwavering, unending love? Only in the gospel of your grace—only in the finished work of Jesus. This is so counterintuitive, so contrary to the way we’re wired, and the way every other arena of life works.
Father, to fear you is the beginning of wisdom, and we fear you the most when we hope most fully in your unfailing love for us in Jesus. Should we forget where we parked our cars, the address of our homes, or even our own names, may we never forget this glorious gospel. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ most glorious and loving name.
