“Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have given me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.”
Psalm 4:1-3 ESV
The Lord laid this verse on my heart as a 13-year-old girl with a deep desire to be HIS girl. I wanted to live a life that shined the light of Jesus. The words SET APART stood out to me in such a big way. I thought to myself. “That’s it, I want to be Set Apart for the God I love”. So I did what any 13-year-old girl would do (12 years ago) . I made it my email address. Oh how that makes me laugh now, but every time I typed setapart13@gmail.com it was a reminder of who I wanted to be in Christ. Fast forward to the present day and this is still a verse and phrase that I claim over my life. It is a struggle, and being Set Apart is not always “Insta worthy”. Sometimes it is so messy. It is saying yes to God’s way and surrendering your own. Striving to live in a way that honors God in a sinful world is hard. Yet, living in a way of surrendering to His will is often even harder. To get over my way, my ideas, my desires, and give over to His way:
The Way.
The Truth.
The Life.
Oh if I could just remember these truths in the throws of hard decisions. In the moments of enticing temptations. In the nights of emotional hurt. In all my questions. All my doubts. All my life, He is the answer.
"Answer me when I call"
Here my voice, my desire is to be yours and to be in your will.
The last part of this verse has carried me through countless seasons of life. It's been a verse I hope I continue to dwell on all the days of my life. It would take a whole book to unpack every truth, every aspect of these phrases, but I will try to do it in a few short sentences.
Psalm 4:3
"But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.”
As a daughter of God you are Set Apart. You are chosen. You have a purpose, a future, a way forward. Not in your own way but in His way, the way.
In Christ we are called to be Set Apart. This can look a thousand different ways, but at the root of it all it means change. Change from your old self, your old ways, your sinful tendencies to a higher way of living. A godly way of living. A life that is usually full of love and joy because of the God you serve.
Sometimes this is easier to live out than others but it is always who we are called to be.
Dear friend,
I hope this small reflection was encouraging to you today. I am so honored that you would take the time to read some of my thoughts and stories on the Word of God. I would love to hear from you! How is God calling you to be Set Apart in your current season of life?
Reach out and follow along here:
Instagram: @SetApart_Living
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