Psalm 119:113

Psalm 119:113

Double-mindedness

It is now time to savour the delights of 15th letter of the Hebrew alphabet – “Samekh.” It means to lean upon, uphold or to support. There is a much-used derivation – “Semikhah” which is the Jewish word for laying on of hands, especially on the head of a sacrificial animal in the Temple or at the ordination of a priest. Today, the ordination of a Jewish Rabbi is performed in a ceremony called “Semikhah.” 

The verse before us immediately brings to mind the later writing of the Apostle James who points out that when we approach the Lord with prayer requests, “We must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” James 1:6-8. 

There are many who are double minded in the church of Jesus Christ and we should all examine ourselves to see that this is not a description of us. People who say one thing and do another. People who put on a religious appearance but whose hearts are empty. People who judge and criticize others but make the same mistakes themselves. We could go on, the list is a long one but James, in his Epistle, is keen that we pay particular attention to our prayer lives. That when we ask things from the Lord, we believe in His response, that our prayers are not hollow, empty repetition but genuine pleas borne out of trust and dependence in our God. Our words and our faith should be equal partners as we approach One who bends to listen to our requests.

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