still a problem

My name is David...maybe obvious cause you know me or because you saw that my blog has my name at the top of it. That aside, it's not the only thing I feel that I have in common with the David of psalm fame. I love him as a character because I feel that I relate to him. Nothing seems to connect me more deeply with God than song and playing and singing music to Him. I really see David as that exact kind of guy. I also feel as though my failures can really grip my life and that I can have a hard time seeing them until they seem so obvious to everyone else. Conviction comes strong and hard and I find myself in these kinds of spiritual funks that I just beg God to pull me out of.

I love that the problems of three thousand years ago are the same problems of today. I love that the same psalm that rang deep in the heart of David echoed two hundred years ago in the heart of Spurgeon and again echoes today in my heart. The amazing idea in the beginning of this psalm is this understanding that God wants us to be like Him in an intense way and that when we fail, His direction comes in the form of discipline. He is a God of wrath toward sin, but He is also a God of mercy. In his hatred for the sin that takes hold of us He is merciful in His discipline so that we can come out the other side wanting to pursue Him more. In our failure we should be drawn into a complete brokenness and a true longing for God to return to closeness with us, but with an understanding that His discipline and the consequences will still be there. But with that understanding we can plead with Him according to His will that the discipline be filled with His mercy.

I want to parent like that. I want to be that kind of a Dad to my kids. (one of who just came running in here as fast as he could, said, "I love you Dad," and gave me a hug and a kiss) I want to lead them in the right paths through patience, discipline, mercy and a life lived in His steps.