Psalm 76:6-7
At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both horse and chariot lie still.
You alone are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry?
Once again, we are reminded that God isn’t just the loving, caring, forgiving God that we think of when we picture Jesus in our heads. He is also the all powerful, vengeful, jealous, righteous judge of humanity. How God can be both is a bit of a mystery to us here on Earth, but since he’s God, he defies definition sometimes.
So if he is so loving, why should we fear him? I think this has been covered countless times by better minds than me, and I’m pretty sure I’ve covered it on this blog in the past, but here’s some quick thoughts off the beaten path. Even if you know you are saved and you know that God’s wrath has been satiated by Jesus dying on the cross for your sins, it doesn’t change the fact that God is still the ultimate imposing presence.
I don’t have a good analogy for this, so I apologize up front if this seems off. But the image that popped into my head this morning was that of the Cold War in the 80s’. We all knew that the U.S. and Russia would never start WWIII by launching nuclear weapons at each other, because that would be the end of the world. But that didn’t change the fact that people and countries feared the two superpowers of the world.
Again, not a perfect analogy and maybe I should stick to the parent analogy (a child knows the parent won’t stop loving them but they fear temporary punishment or even the parent’s disappointment). But I thought I’d share that image of the superpowers because it seemed to connect with me on a larger scale.
Anyway, the point is that God is not a doormat. He’s not to be trifled with. He’s the King of Kings. He’s the ultimate power in the universe (wait, did I just quote Star Wars? nice). He’s all the nuclear bombs in the world and someday he’s going to show up and blow this whole place to Kingdom come (literally).
A little perspective is healthy in this matter. God loves you, but don’t forget who he is.
Pslam 75:2
You say, “I choose the appointed time; it is I who judge uprightly.”
When does God have bad timing? The answer, of course, is never.
Tired of waiting for God to answer your prayers? Take heart. He hears you and he knows your heart. He also fully understands the big picture in a way we’ll never understand. In fact, time itself is a creation of God. There is no beginning, middle, and end to God, he just is. So he is currently caring for us at all the points in our lives at the same time, so he knows how you feel now and how you’ll feel in 10 years (Lord willing). That perspective makes him uniquely qualified to tell you that your prayers will be answered, but perhaps not in the timeframe that you had in mind (or in the way that you intended).
One of the hardest things to hear in answer to prayer is “just wait.” But sometimes that is the biggest blessing and answer to our prayers. And God always has everything firmly under control.
Pslam 74:1-2
Why have you rejected us forever, O God? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
Remember the people you purchased of old, the tribe of your inheritance, whom you redeemed– Mount Zion, where you dwelt.
I’m still struck by the fact that so many Psalms don’t sound anything like the worship songs we hear in church on Sunday mornings. How many times does a pastor begin his sermon wondering out loud why God has rejected us? I’d venture to guess very few. But once again, this is raw, honest, emotion from the author of the Psalm.
He isn’t talking about being singularly rejected. He’s speaking of God’s reaction to his nation that has gone astray. It is recorded in many parts of the Old Testament that God’s anger burned against his people for failing to follow his commands and acting in selfish, sinful ways.
The author of this Psalm is just one man, but he aches for his people and pleads on their behalf.
I’m convicted by this because all too often my attention is 100% focused on my immediate surroundings and the innermost circles surrounding me. That is, of course, when I remember to pray for anyone but myself.
So Lord, forgive this nation and the people of this Earth of their sinful ways. Lead them into revival and draw them close to you. Inspire us to do great things in your name and perform miracles through us that will glorify you across the globe. I feel like this nation has a great potential for faith and I pray for your healing to to stretch out to the brokenhearted and wandering souls across the land. Let this country be a beacon of light to the world, extending the love you modeled for us to people of every nationality, faith, and culture. Amen.
Pslam 73:2-3
But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.
For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Look around and it is easy to see people that have something that you want. On TV famous people have wealth, good looks, charisma, and the adoration of millions. Walking down the street you might see half a dozen people that have something that you wish you had (nice watch, designer purse, etc.). It typically isn’t hard to think of someone with a better job than you. The envy list just goes on and on.
Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are the eyes of man. – Proverbs 27:20
But of course all of that is folly. Why should we envy anyone for anything? The Pslamist goes on:
When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.
There’s the rub. For the man or woman that has it all on Earth but fails to accept the free gift Jesus offered on the cross, what good are all their worldly gains?
The gift of salvation is so far above any worldly gain that it cannot possibly compare. The brief time we have on Earth is but a breath compared to the eternity we face ahead of us after life. When you ponder the larger picture, the brand name on your watch or purse seems rather insignificant, doesn’t it?
Notice too, how the pslamist gained this perspective: “till I entered the sanctuary of God” Sometimes it takes going to church or sitting down before God for him to speak to us. Sometimes he just wants our undivided attention. I find that he speaks to me the most when I shut up and listen. Funny how that works.
Pslam 71:20-21
Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.
You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.
This is a hard, hard verse and Psalm to read and study. I prefer to think of my Lord as the one that restores me and comforts me in times of trouble. I don’t like to consider the fact that in his sovereignty, he put me in those times of trouble to begin with (or at least allowed me to fall into them).
That doesn’t reconcile with any Earthly thing I can think of. My father here on Earth hurt me from time to time by making mistakes or by neglect, but he never purposely put me in harms way. So why would my father in Heaven do so?
To understand that, I think I have to ponder another unique aspect of God, which is omniscience. He knows all and sees all, so he knows that he can’t put me in trouble that I can’t handle. He knows that if he sends me into a burning house, he’s going to be able to pull me back out before I become a crispy critter (but not before I inhale a good deal of smoke and get singed a few times).
But even if he can pull me out in time, why send me in at all? Why put me through that? Well, once again scanning God’s character, I have to understand that he’s loving. He wouldn’t do anything to me that wasn’t ultimately for my own good – or at least the greater good. I don’t think of God as a puppet master per-se, but I don’t think it is much of a stretch to call him the ultimate director and producer of this movie we call life. So he must have a larger purpose for the hard, hard times in my life. There’s a story arch being played out that will all make sense someday (if not here, then in Heaven).
And you know what? If I’m being honest, that doesn’t really make me feel all that much better.
When you are in pain, you don’t want to hear about how you are going to be stronger because of it. You don’t want to hear about how much you’ve learned through your ordeal. You just want to feel better. You just want to be comforted. Which is why this Psalm starts out with “Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me.”
So rescue me Lord, from the pain I feel. Rescue me from the pain you’ve put me through. Rescue me from the pain I’ve put myself through because of my own sin. Rescue me from other people. Rescue me from the hurt. I will endure it for your sake and I will try to learn what you are teaching me, but please rescue me. Like David I will praise you for your faithfulness. I will sing with joy and lift up your name.
Psalm 70:5
Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay.
This Psalm is only 5 verses long and this line is how it ends. You can tell that the author is desperate for help and I think we’ve all had times when we could relate. Sometimes you just don’t have time to meditate on the word and “be still and know that he is God.” The clock is ticking and the pressure is rising.
Still, when you have no time left, sometimes the best thing to do is pray (quickly). In general you have a couple of choices in that situation. You can either run around trying to fix things and make last minute adjustments in a rush (thus risking making a critical error) or you can take a moment to turn to the ultimate power in the universe and seek assistance and comfort.
You may not always get your originally desired result, but you can’t go wrong (ultimately) with God. At best, you could have your prayers answered in ways you never dreamed possible. At worst, you have given your requests to a loving God and put the decision in his hands. I think he blesses us even when he says no to our prayers simply by being a comfort to us through those situations. Besides, I guarantee you he’s looking for ways to bless you in other ways.
So next time you see the seconds ticking down and the pressure seems too much to bear, lighten your load by putting your cares on his shoulders. He’ll gladly take them on and carry you along if necessary.
Psalm 69:1-3
Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.
I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.
Just got back from vacation, so this might strike you as an odd verse to pick out today, but work with me. You see, I did a bit of snorkeling and I have to say that as simple as snorkeling is, I’m not very good at it. Somehow I don’t get the mask on tight enough and water seeps in. So I try to fix it while treading water and of course I end up swallowing salt water. So I’m spitting this stuff out, trying to remember to kick, and flailing around with my mask, and all the while the panic reflex is rising. I’ve been swimming my whole life and yet the irrational fear of drowning in 10 feet of water despite being surrounded by dozens of people overwhelms me in that moment.
I think that is the kind of emotion the psalmist is talking about here. Yes, God saves us and we know he’s always the same and he’s always there right beside us. However, in a moment of panic, we feel like we’re drowning and can’t see the shore or God.
The Lord has sent us a life preserver though. The Holy Spirit lives within all believers and gives us that chance to hold onto something safe while we recover our wits. The best thing to do in a moment of panic is to stop, clear your head the best you can, and focus on praying to the Lord. All the metaphorical kicking and flailing about does more harm than good.
I feel like a scratched record (for you kids out there, that means I’m repeating myself) but the verse keeps popping into my head: “Be still and know that I am God.” The hardest step sometimes is to simply be still. But like Jesus on the boat with the disciples, there was never a need to worry in the first place. God is with you and that’s all that matters.
Pslam 68:5
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.
God is the ultimate doughnut hole! You see, each of us has an emptiness in us. A hole in our hearts so to speak. We try to fill it up with food, entertainment, relationships, work, distractions, …the list goes on. Many have even bigger holes because of a loss or tragedy or simply a bad situation they were born into.
God is the only thing that can truly fill those holes.
Of course that isn’t to say that orphans and widows can be immune to the sadness of their loss if they believe in Jesus. The Lord never promises a lack of suffering on this Earth. He does, however, offer himself up as a replacement. Much like he died on the cross for our sins, the Holy Spirit also lives in our hearts in place of those we’ve lost.
So we are never truly alone when we have Jesus. Praise the Lord.
One of my favorite Christian blogs (Stuff Christians Like) is starting a new theme this week:
So starting on Wednesday January 6, I’m going to write a single thought about each chapter of the book of Psalms. Day by day. Chapter by chapter. We did that with Proverbs a few months ago and it was a lot of fun.
Hey, isn’t that what I do? Ok, so I’m not good about doing it every day, but I try. I don’t recall him doing the Proverbs each day, but I just started reading the blog regularly recently, so I may have missed it. I guess I’ll chalk it up to great minds thinking alike!
I enjoy New Years for more than just the parties. I really like reflecting on the past year and what it meant to me and my family. This year is even more special because we are entering a new decade. So the scope of reflection is expanded tenfold.
Think about where you were ten years ago. Think about what you were doing, who you were dating, who you were hanging around with. Think about what your dreams were.
At that time, where did you see yourself in 5 to 10 years. Did you get there? Why or why not? If not, how has God blessed you in other ways?
For me, I was in grad school hoping to catch onto a small but growing business. I also wanted to get married and start a family but I wasn’t dating anyone at the time.
In the years that followed, I did work for a small company but discovered that I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would. So I returned to corporate America and I’ve been there ever since. Turns out I was able to scratch that entreprenurial itch by starting a blog about my Celtics which ended up being a huge success. Funny how God answers your prayers in ways you wouldn’t expect. That’s why he’s God and we need to trust him even when things don’t seem to make sense.
As you might have guessed, I also met my wonderful wife, fell in love, got married, and had my first child. Again, I wouldn’t say my courtship played out like I imagined in my romantic daydreams, but I’m with the woman of my dreams and that’s what’s important.
So where will I be in 10 years time? Maybe I’ll be in the higher levels of management by then. Or perhaps I’ll have left corporate America for a Sports writing career. Who knows?
Lord willing, I’ll be raising a couple of kids, one of which will be 11 (and I’ll be cherishing the time before she becomes a teenager!). Goodness, I’ll be 44 years old. Sounds like a great time to buy a sportscar!
Regardless, I mostly just hope to be following God’s lead and in turn guiding my family as a positive Spiritual leader. If I can have that, the rest is just details.
