Salvation is far from the wicked:
For they seek not thy statutes (Psa 119.155).
People blame God for hell. Some who do this then rationalize their hostility for God. Others twist the Scriptures and deny there is any eternal, conscious physical and spiritual torment of sinners in the afterlife, even though this has been the mainstream view of the historic Christian faith from the beginning, as our venerable confession testifies:
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Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness
And thy law is the truth (Psa 119.142).
The doctrine of the sovereignty of God entails recognizing him as King over all, for a “sovereign” by definition is a supreme ruler. He is a king in his person (office), and he rules as a king (function).
One word characterizes God and his reign more than any other, and that is “righteousness.” He is just in himself and all his ways are justice.
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Make thy face to shine upon thy servant;
And teach me thy statutes (Psa 119.135).
Who is the most blessed by God? Is it the one who prospers financially? Not necessarily, for Scripture condemns many of them. “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you” (Jas 5.1). What about those with all kinds of other earthly blessings, like an enjoyable family, good health, and positions of power in this world? Sometimes God’s curse rests upon people like that, too.
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Incline my heart unto thy testimonies,
And not to covetousness (Psa 119:36).
Whether you realize it or not, your heart is completely in God’s hands, so to speak, to do with as He pleases. This is true for everyone, whether they become objects of His mercy or His wrath, and yet this does not in the slightest destroy our moral responsibility.
This confession of God’s absolute sovereignty even over each person’s moral state and actions is implicit in the psalmist’s prayer. The recognition of God’s absolute sovereignty has the most practical implications for what we ask God for ourselves.
We should pray to be inclined toward God.
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