PSALMS 145:18: “The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.”

OBSERVATION: What does it mean to call upon the Lord in truth? The Lord promises to be near all who call upon Him this way. This reminds me of the words of Jesus when He spoke to the woman at the well and said,

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24 NKJV)

If I understand these two Scriptures correctly, God calls me to worship and pray in spirit and truth. Intrigued by this verse in Psalms 145 I looked into the Hebrew word translated truth. The word is defined in the following way.

• Firmness
• Faithfulness
• Truth

First – I must worship and pray with FIRMNESS. This means that I must believe that He Is – and He Is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. This is the essence of faith as the author of Hebrews writes,

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV)

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Why? It is because God Is who He says He Is. He is the one who created the world with just His word. Faith clings to Christ alone and no one else. It is firm in its position and commitment. James speaks of this firmness of faith when he writes,

“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:6 NKJV)

Second – my worship and prayer must be offered in FAITHFULNESS! When I think of one who is faithful I think of someone honest, dependable, and trustworthy. He says what he means and means what he says. There is no hidden agenda and no double-mindedness in his heart.

James speaks to the call of faithfulness when he writes,

“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:6-8 NKJV)

Faithfulness is not sinlessness. If this were the case we would all be disqualified. Faithfulness is the call to be honest and transparent before the Lord. He knows our heart. He looks for sincere and transparent hearts marked by sincere repentance and faith. When we come to the Lord in this way we are single-minded and our prayer and worship are acceptable in His sight.

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.” (Psalms 51:17 NKJV)

Third – my prayer and worship must be grounded in TRUTH. The truth we are called to is the truth of God’s Word! We are to read God’s Word, meditate on God’s Word, sing, pray, and obey God’s Word! When we approach God in the FIRMNESS of our faith, the transparency of our FAITHFULNESS, we are positioned to seek His will and come to Him in agreement with His Word – TRUTH!

“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10 NKJV)

We have the assistance of the Holy Spirit in directing our prayers to the will of God!

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27 NKJV

We have the assurance that as we pray in truth, according to the will of God, and led by the Holy Spirit, we will receive God’s answer!

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” (1John 5:14-15 NKJV)

Worship and prayer must come from the heart, the spirit of man. It must be guided by the Holy Spirit who indwells the believer. It must be God-centered and Kingdom-minded. It must be rooted and anchored in God’s Word – truth! As we walk after the Spirit we begin to live by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit leads us and guides us into all truth.

This enables us to worship and pray in FIRMNESS, FAITHFULNESS, and TRUTH!

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13-15 NKJV)

Heavenly Father, I come to You this morning with a contrite heart. Wash me, cleanse me, and renew me through the blood of Jesus Christ and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Help me worship You in spirit and truth. Let the meditations of my heart and prayers be anchored in TRUTH.

In Jesus’ Name!