My Mum chooses a Psalm every year. When I asked her which she had chosen for 2025, she told me it is Psalm 99. She’s hand written it into the front of her diary and will refer to it regularly as the year rolls on.
I read it through and to me it divides into two parts: verses 1-5 concentrate on God’s holiness and verses 6-9 focus on the gift of prayer.
God is Holy (or ‘set apart’) – there is none like Him. His Holiness means He is way above us but if we belong wholeheartedly to Him, we too have to reflect this attribute. His Church has to behave radically different from those who don’t follow Him. God’s Holiness is cause to praise Him and causes Him to be just and fair. If we allow His Holiness to rub off on us, it should make us strive to seek justice for others and fair equality in our everyday lives.
God’s holiness is scary for those who don’t know Him – He is morally perfect and is set apart from people and sin. He has no weaknesses or shortcomings. This can be frightening because our inadequacies and evil is exposed by the light of His holiness. Because of His Nature, God cannot tolerate, ignore or excuse sin. However, if we believe in Him, His Holiness can bring comfort, because as we worship Him, we can be forgiven and lifted from the muddy depths of sin. As we develop our relationship with Him, we are made holy.
Throughout the history of the Israelites, His people – leaders, priests and prophets – called on God and He answered them. They kept His law and He protected them. They were in a covenant relationship. The gift of prayer entitled them to a unique personal access to God which granted them forgiveness on request. Prayerlessness is a sin against God because it comes from an arrogance that we can be self-sufficient and it’s a sin against others as it ignores their needs as it refuses to engage help for them from One who has the means to deal with them.
Asking for forgiveness, restores us to a relationship with a Holy God and makes us holy. Being Holy prompts us into action against injustice and unfairness.
Give me a desire to pray and a drive for Holiness throughout 2025. Amen