Psalm 51 and Psalm 88 were written by two saints of God when they were going through extreme agony. David wrote Psalm 51 after he sinned against Bathsheba. Psalm 88 was written by Heman, one of the sons of Asaph. Heman was a wise man and seer in David's kingdom. Heman had a very good relationship and track record with God and lived a holy life. Heman did not commit a sin (like David) but was in a state of extreme agony. Why ?
David was weeping because of his sin of adultery. Heman, in spite of living a holy life, wept for the sins that came along with His birth, i.e. the sins that came as part of the fall of mankind. Heman was in a deeper agony than David. Yet, despite living a holy life, he was weeping because he saw the fallen nature of man, the sins inherited at birth, the sins of others in the light of God’s standard of Holiness. Seeing his good works in the light of God’s standard helped him to realise that all His good works are filthy rags. He was weeping for the sin that came as part of mankind's fall.
This is the difference between a saint and a believer. Despite living a holy life, a saint weeps for the sins that came as part of mankind's fall, His personal sins, and the sins of the land, while a believer weeps for His personal sins. A saint sees everything in the light of God and realises that all of His deeds are filthy rags, and he does not deserve heaven despite Holy Living. A saint is always in agony and depends only on God's mercy rather than his good works. A saint shares Jesus' burden of weeping for the land. Only when we realise the deep damage caused by sin, will we recognise the need for a saviour. A saint understands how much it costed God to send His only Son and emphasizes the importance of the Cross.
God's miracles and healings done through you do not determine whether you are a saint or a believer. It's your prayer life; are you praying for your sins or the sins of the land? How is your prayer life? Are you praying for the sins of the land and sins that came as part of the mankind’s fall? Most of us are still struggling to overcome our personal sins, so when will you begin to pray for the sins of the land and the sins that come as part the Fall like Heman?
Only when Holy Spirit leads you, can you pray such prayers with agony like Heman. Plead with God to let you partake in Jesus’s burden and agony praying for this land. Only people in agony, like Heman, who grieve day and night for sins of this land, can bring a long-lasting impact on this land. Ask God to reveal the sins that we inherit from mankind’s fall, and pray He would set you free from them through the Cross of Jesus Christ.
