21 Days of Prayer in Psalm 119 (Day #9)

Read Psalm 119:65-72

     “Affliction”

It seems odd to me that in a stanza focused on affliction, the psalmist’s opening line is “You have dealt well with your servant” (v.65). Contrary to our culture of comfort and satisfaction, and our prayers for both to continue, the psalmist confesses that the affliction he had received was part of the Lord’s dealing well with him. He desires to learn “good judgment and knowledge” (v.66) but there are some lessons that we seem to only learn through affliction.

Two verses, in particular, 67 and 71, confess to the Lord and speak to us of the up-side of affliction,

⁶⁷ Before I was afflicted I went astray,
    but now I keep your word…

⁷¹ It is good for me that I was afflicted,
    that I might learn your statutes.

Perhaps we can say the same thing. There was something difficult that happened in my life. It wasn’t enjoyable or easy. In fact, it has had a lasting negative effect on my lifestyle. However, this affliction has taught me to trust the Lord as never before. I can confess that I am glad it happened for what I have learned and done as a result, not because I liked it.

The Bible often speaks of the discipline of the Lord being proof of his love (e.g., Deut. 8:5-6; Job 5:17; Psa. 94:12; Prov. 3:11-12; Heb. 12:3-13; Rev. 3:19). We don’t normally discipline someone else’s kids, so when God disciplines us it is evidence of his love. Will we get defensive and go our own way regardless or learn the lessons of which the furnace and the flood must teach us?

“For the moment all discipline seems painful

                                         rather than pleasant,

                          but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness

to those who have been trained by it.” (Heb. 12:11)

Even Jesus learned to obey through suffering (Heb. 5:8), so who am I to demand an easier way?

O Lord, you are loving and merciful even when you afflict your children. All good and perfect gifts come from you (James 1:17), even the discipline that we so desperately need though we kick and cry and moan about it. Thank you, Jesus, that you don’t ask us to do anything that you didn’t first do yourself and that you loved us enough to not give us everything we ask for. I pray that our hearts would long to be trained by your word and bring pleasure to you along the way, yet I recognize our utter dependence upon your gift of grace to do so. 

21 Days of Prayer in Psalm 119 (Day #6)

Psalm 119:41-48

"Steadfast Love"

This section of eight verses speaks of the psalmist’s determination to keep God’s Word and to deliver the Lord’s message even to kings (v. 46), for God’s Word was his delight (v. 47), but why was this his determination? We also should speak the testimony of the Lord, we should delight in what he has said, and we should be determined to keep his commands. But why? For the same reason as the psalmist that is found in v. 41-42 which is my focus today.

Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord,

    your salvation according to your promise;

then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me,
    for I trust in your word. (v. 41-42)

If we have received his lovingkindness or steadfast love (hesed) then we will have the courage to do what it takes to respond to that love. In this verse, steadfast love and salvation are used parallel to each other. Does this remind you of a verse in the New Testament?

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

If we know, beyond any doubt that we are loved by God then we will be emboldened to stand up against any taunts the world might throw at us. If we have seen the Lord’s faithfulness to his promise to send this love/salvation how can we do anything else but trust what he says all the more?

O Lord, the God who loves us faithfully—even unto your own death in our place—who seeks us out when we have gone astray and runs to meet us when we realize we have nowhere else to turn (John 15), may our hearts be set free to love you in return! May our souls be set on fire with a longing to know you more, to speak of you often, to obey you consistently, all because of the gift of your steadfast love to us. Lord, you walked among us as a man for over 30 years and you above all know how faithless we can be—let your steadfast love be pressed down into our soul in a way that we are changed and can love you and each other according to your steadfast way! (Read Romans 8:31-39)

It may not be easy, but it will be awesome—because that is the way you are! 

Psalm 33:4-5 "Oh, For The Love of God!"

Psalm 33:4-5

For the word of the Lord is upright,
    and all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice;
    the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

Comments:

"Oh, for the love of God!"

Perhaps you have heard someone say, "Oh, For The Love of God!" in exasperation at one thing or another...or maybe said it yourself. But what if we use it as a prompt to get us thinking about the things that God loves. This passage might put a new spin on it for us. Yes, he loves the world (John 3:16), but what does he love to see in the world? In times like this, it is important for us to realize how important righteousness (innocence) and justice (for all) are to God. This is what he loves to see, for it is what is best for his people. I once posted these verses and commented, “Who could have a problem with such a God as this? My point exactly!” But of course, in a fallen world there will always be those who would have a problem. In this case, the ones who would find fault would be those who are crooked, unfaithful, and committed to injustice. Verse 1 encourages us to "Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright” It is fitting for us to praise God--like custom-made clothes! Will we choose to see God's faithfulness and love at work in the world today with awe, or just pollute our lives with complaining and discontent because its not all about us?

We need to look for God at work in the world. Yet we also see injustice rear its ugly head in moments of acute oppression, not only in places like Kabul, Paris, Munich, New Orleans, Dallas, where the violence is shockingly senseless, but also in the routinely unjust systems that keep the marginalized and powerless down and out. How can we stop the violence? How can we defend against an attack? Where do we look for solutions? Too often our first response is to arm ourselves and fight back. To some extent this approach is effective, in the short-term, in keeping our power and standard of living. However, such methods of avoiding death are not effective in actually providing life.

We are infected with sin and the weapons and ways of the world are of no use in combating a spiritual attack. Later in Psalm 33, the author makes this clear,

v.16-19 "The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine."

Where is our trust? I have been doing some freelance writing this summer on the life of King David from 1 & 2 Samuel, and have been impressed with his settled conviction to trust in the Lord for his deliverance. Sure he was a great soldier, but it wasn’t in weapons and strength that he ultimately put his trust. While he would defend others, he did not defend himself or raise himself up despite being "the Lord's anointed." In fact, it is possible that David wrote this very psalm (though untitled, it is sandwiched between two other psalms by David). Continuing on through the history of Israel recorded in Kings & Chronicles the two nations, Israel & Judah, made a habit of looking for someone/something else to trust other than God. It didn't work out so well for them. I would much rather hope in God, even during a famine!

v. 20-22 "Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.

Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you."

As we hope in the Lord together, may we stop defending our own actions and motivation in favor of listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit directing our efforts to advocate for justice for others.

Psalm 141 "Just Slap Me!"

Psalm for Today = 141:5, 9

   Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;
    let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;
    let my head not refuse it.
Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds…

Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me
    and from the snares of evildoers!

Comments:

Almost every time I have commented on this Psalm, I have written about verses 3-4, which talk about God setting a guard over our mouths. I will not talk about that this time. Instead, let’s look at verse 5, which is not as well-received in our culture today. We don’t like to be corrected, much less actually disciplined, yet the wise man is teachable and correctable. As v. 5 states, 

“Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness”: Will we respond to righteous discipline as actually being a kindness shown to us that will save us from more pain and misery later, or will we stiffen our neck and fight back?

“Let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head”: this is a parallel line to the previous. Rebuke is like the oil that was put on the head of the guest when he arrives after a long dusty walk—“let  my head not refuse it.”

 

At the same time that the psalmist was being taught by the loving rebuke of the righteous, he was praying against the works and words of the evildoers. This is not only a cry for justice and deliverance but a tacit acknowledgment that the psalmist knows he needs God’s help to hinder evil deeds, and that he is compassionate towards those upon whom the evil deeds might fall.

What we so often fail to see is that the elements of verse 5 are necessary for the prayer of verse 9 to be answered.

 

If we won’t be disciplined and learn from the gentle rebuke of righteous men and women, then we have no hope of avoiding the snares and traps of the evildoer. Proverbs 12:1 says,

“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.”

 

And in the New Testament, the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews makes it clear that discipline of the Lord is a sign that God loves us.

^"And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
    nor be weary when reproved by him.
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
    and chastises every son whom he receives.”

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? (Hebrews 12:5-7)

 

If we don’t pray against evil deeds, we are either arrogant in our self-regard, or without compassion for those at risk, or maybe both—Heaven forbid! As it is written,

 

 “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:18-20)

Psalm 116 "I Love the Lord Because..."

Psalm for Today = 116:1-4

¹I love the Lord, because he has heard  

    my voice and my pleas for mercy.

² Because he inclined his ear to me,

    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

³ The snares of death encompassed me;

    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;

    I suffered distress and anguish.

⁴ Then I called on the name of the Lord:

    “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”

Comments:

In reading this passage, I was impressed by the psalmist's forthright causal statement. He loves the Lord because…

• He listened, 
• He heard my voice, 
• He delivered my soul. 
• He showed his love over the long haul. 

The psalmist can’t help but testify to what God has done for him, and is determined to love the Lord back…and serve him faithfully. 

Why do we love the Lord? Is it not for the same reasons? 

The late David Augsberger is credited with connecting being heard with being loved. Now I hope that we realize that God both hears us and loves us!

You might take a few minutes and think through the ways Jesus has heard and delivered you. Thank him together with me today!