We are going through the book of Psalms and today we are on Psalm 14. In this psalm, David is talking about evil people that don’t believe or acknowledge God’s existence. They go on in their ways as though there were no ramifications for their actions. What I want to point out however, is something that David says in the beginning of the psalm.

He says, “The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” We define morality in all different kinds of ways. I’ve always struggled with being too competitive. I can turn just about anything into a competition in my head. Sometimes I even do this when it comes to Christianity. I try to measure the extent of my own progress by comparing myself to those around me. David points something out here that I believe is crucial for our spiritual journey.

God’s opinion is the one that matters. At the end of the day, what matters most is how God sees us. The relevance of this insight depends greatly on whether or not you believe God makes his perspective known to us. If there is no way for us to hear from God or know what he’s thinking, then let’s all just do the best we can until we make it to the other side and we’ll see where the chips fall. I don’t believe that this is the case. God is loving and has graciously chosen to make himself known to men and women all throughout history. I don’t believe for a second that he sits back in the far off recesses of the universe watching us fumble around in the darkness. One of the primary ways that God is referred to in scripture is as our Heavenly Father. What kind of dad has great plans for his kids, but chooses to not communicate to them? Through his word and through the guidance of his Spirit, we have the daily privilege of hearing from God.

If you believe that, then the next step is to open your heart to him. The real problem isn’t in God’s desire or ability to communicate with us. The biggest challenge lies in our willingness to listen. Have you set your heart on hearing from and responding to God? Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”