Psalm 124:8 Our help is in the name of the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

This brief Psalm probably isn’t big on anyone’s radar, but it is refreshing in its honesty and simplicity. It is attributed to David, and he certainly had plenty of close scrapes. In modern terms, this Psalm could be rendered as, “Man! If the Lord hadn’t rescued us, they would have eaten our lunch!” We tend to think of the Bible with great decorum, but the people who appear in the Bible, and whom God used to write it, were people just like us. There is a real danger to the current use of the terminology of “saints.” When we hear the term today we tend to think of holy perfection, of people in white robes with pious looks on their faces, but the true Biblical picture is very different. The Biblical definition of a saint is very simply, one who believes in God. In other words, if you believe in God, you are a saint, and you’re pretty far from perfect, aren’t you? The biggest problem with current usage of “saint” is that we tend automatically to exclude ourselves from that category. That has two bad results. First, it lowers our expectations of what God can do through us, and second, it serves as an excuse (though invalid) when we slip up. David should correct our thinking on this, because he was “a man after God’s heart,” (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22) but he messed up big time. The difference between a saint and someone who isn’t one is expressed in this verse: a saint knows that God is his only hope, but God is more than big enough for the task.

I’m certainly a shining example of the imperfection of the saints! However, I have tasted God’s grace and know how wonderful it is. As a pastor, I constantly deal with people bound by a distorted self image. They can’t see themselves as saints, and so can’t believe God will really use them. That keeps many from witnessing, and it keeps some from even coming to church, because they think they aren’t worthy. If church were only for those worthy on their own merits, every church would be empty! No one is worthy to approach God apart from Christ, but in Christ all are called near. That’s something I’ve tried to communicate for a long time, but many just can’t seem to grasp it. I’m reminded of how someone expressed God’s attitude toward personal evangelism: “You catch ’em, I’ll clean ’em.” What God asks of each one is the honest willingness for Him to clean and use us. That will always be the path of greatest blessing for us and glory for Him.

Father, You know who is struggling particularly with this right now. I pray that I would be fully available for You to speak through, so that Your truth spoken in love may destroy the lies of the devil. I pray that every believer in this church would understand that they are Your saints and rejoice in that distinction, so that all of Your plans for us, individually and as a church, may be fulfilled, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!