Psalm 84; Psalm 18
Have
you ever had something chip away at you? Something that gnawed and chewed on
you, a little here and there, so that your mind couldn’t rest? For some people
this can happen with a sickness that won’t go away. The matter becomes both a
bodily thing and a mental thing. In my case, I’m thinking right now of a time a
few years back. I was at seminary, and I couldn’t get a certain matter solved that
kept coming up in my studies. It kept forcing its way into my thinking, and
because it wouldn’t go away, it affected my outlook on my whole future.
The
subject was this: Was the God I had always known and trusted really there? Was
he the same? Was he dependable? (Some points of view I was hearing seemed to
indicate otherwise.) After all, if he wasn’t, there was no reason to go out and
proclaim his goodness to other people. I should just bail out and do something
different. But I hadn’t done this logic in my mind because I wasn’t ready to
begin looking at the idea of doing “something else”.
This
problem, however, involved much more than having to pick a different “career”. If God wasn’t really there, but was somehow
morphing and changing on me, then my whole life was affected. My wife, my children (our second child had
just been born the year before), everything would somehow be seriously altered.
And not for the better, since the “rock”, our unchangeable point of reference,
might no longer be there.
One
Saturday morning I lay in bed, not eager to get up. A despondency was hanging
over me. The alarm clock/radio was on, and a song began to play. How lovely is your dwelling place, Almighty
Lord. There’s a hunger deep inside my soul.
When
you try to fix something, and it refuses to be fixed, you get worn out with the
effort. I was feeling worn out, but that morning was one of those “game
changers” for me. (They seem to happen
now and then along the way.) The voices sang out a nice melody and nice
harmonies – I hadn’t heard the song before. The singers were somehow making a
statement: that God is a rock. He hadn’t
changed for them. That’s what I heard them saying through this song.
When
it was over, I listened for the D.J. to tell the title and performers because I
wanted to be sure to get the recording and hear it again. I recall grabbing a
pen to jot down some of the words (and melody line – since I am a musician, and
am able to do notation). The announcer gave the information, and I wrote it
down. Then I lay back down again, thinking.
But
my thinking was now different.
The
mind is mysterious, and powerful – what we think and hold in our minds has a
way of affecting us. It steers us on this ocean of life. The mind is deeper and
bigger than the brain. Many types and
capacities of brains exist. But the
human “soul” – actually the spirit – is probably the bigger issue here. If you’re
happy in your spirit, that’s a good thing.
You’re content, you’re interested, and optimistic about the future. If
you’re often worried, trying to solve a problem that won’t go away, you’ll become
worn out by it.
The
thing that helped me the day I heard that song was more than a song. I was hearing
a true statement about God that contradicted statements that were playing over
and over in my mind. (I suppose I could say, simplistically, that I was hearing
two different voices, both from my professors, and from other sources. One
message said that God is changing, and another that he is always the same and
he is dependable.)
The
song on the radio happened to be Psalm 84, from a section in the Bible that has
many songs written in it. The Psalms have inspired people over the centuries to
compose new melodies to the old words. This “book” is right in the middle of
the Bible. You could find it fairly easy by opening near the middle if you have
a Bible nearby. Another great psalm (the word in the Hebrew language means “praises”)
is Psalm 18. Its author, King David, writes about his God
who doesn’t change or morph or mutate.
Rather, he’s always there, firm, strong, and dependable, like a fortress
or large rock. I love you, O Lord, my
strength. The LORD is my rock and my
fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and
the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
These
words soothe us and heal us – down in our spirit. You may process them differently than I do,
but we all need a place of protection, firm ground on which to stand. After
all, everything else changes! We need a
fixed point of reference so we don’t lose our way. Psalm 18 makes a clear and true statement
about God that touches more than a person’s brain. It touches and heals a
person’s spirit. That’s the deep part of
each of us that needs to be well.
When
I heard Psalm 84 that morning my spirit was being renewed and soothed. I would call it an experience of God’s
sweetness. Sometimes we men avoid such terms, but everyone has to admit that
life has its bitterness, and that some sweets are pretty nice at times. Sickness is bitter; healing is sweet. Anger is
bitter; kind words are sweet.
God
spoke to me through the song and said, “I’m still here for you, and I am a rock
that no one can blast away. Stand upon me, and stand upon the truth in the
Bible that I am the one and only Rock.
Everything else might shift, but not me. Stick with what my Word
declares about me.”
These
few paragraphs are written to encourage anyone who might read them that God is
a Rock. Actually, He is the Rock.
Stand upon him, and what he tells you about himself in the Bible. If other
voices tell you otherwise, figure out a way to dismiss them, and turn back to
God’s voice. Those who God’s voice know that this is all about the good news of
his love in Jesus Christ. In him, and
only in him can we find peace, forgiveness, and the eventual and certain victory
over the very worst – death.
For
this life, this current existence, we will
get worn down. I saw a man taking his
final gasps of breath the other day. It wasn’t fun. He died. We all will die, because it’s a fallen
world. But Christ is preparing for us a
New World, and he will raise us from our graves with bodies which will then
have the power of eternity, and which will never wear out. This also is a clear
statement of truth in the Bible on which we must stand! (It’s all part of what we call the “gospel”,
the Good News.)
If
life’s problems are wearing you down, please go to your Bible and open it to
the promises of Christ. He is God – the God who came down to us to
actually, truly live “in the flesh”. He
is not “a god way up there” – far from us. Those kinds of far-away gods are
false. Some people need to get a grip on the fact that some claims of truth are
not true. They are false. When you trust
Christ and his Word, you are latching on to something that won’t change. This will bring sweetness – albeit sometimes
a sweetness in the midst of severe trials.
But guess what – you’ll win. You
are a winner. That’s the truth of
Christ, and the reason he came.
Blessings
on you today! Blessings on you as you
hear his Word, read it, and set your mind on his promises. [A few are listed
below.] With your feet on the Rock, you can maneuver in many directions. Wherever he’s leading you, stay with these
truths. You’ll make it.
(I happened to hear, on the day I described, the original version, from the “Psalms Alive”
album.)
*******************
Promises of the Good News in Scripture
John
10:9-11 [Jesus said,] I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will
go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came
that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the
sheep.
Matthew
11:28-30 [Jesus said,] 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Acts
16:31 … Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.
Joshua
1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for
the Lord your
God is with you wherever you go.”
I
John 1:9 If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
