Psalm 30
This psalm was written by David for the dedication of the temple (or possibly the palace). If it was written for the dedication for the temple it was an act of faith since the temple was not built in David's lifetime. I find the psalm to be an incredibly personal psalm for such a public occasion.
The first stanza expresses praise to God for deliverance from death and humiliation. The second stanza calls on the people to sing the praises of the Lord because his anger and judgement are momentary while his joy and favour are long lasting. David uses the imagery of day and night to make his point: just as the dawn follows the night, so the joy of the Lord will follow times of sorrow. The third stanza talks about the security David feels when he is in the Lord's favour and the terror he experiences when the Lord hides his face. David seems to be reliving the experience of not seeing the Lord's face, perhaps the circumstances he refers to at the beginning of the psalm, and recalls how he cried for mercy in that moment. I really take delight in David's argument: "If I die, I will not be alive to praise you. You should save me from death so I can continue to sing your praise." In the fifth stanza, David recalls the Lord's response to his plea, using imagery and language that seem to dance across the page: "you turned my mourning into dancing, you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent."
This psalm serves as a good reminder that the day is coming. It may seem like the night is never ending. It may seem as if the Lord's face is hidden. It may seem like our suffering will last forever. David experienced the dawn. We may not experience much of the sun in our lifetime but we can be sure that the dawn is coming. There is coming a time when light will flood our senses, when the we will experience the hilarity of the Lord lifting his countenance upon us and when we will experience the end of every pain and sorrow. Then we will finally and completely exchange our sackcloth for joy and our mourning for dancing.
Showing posts with label joy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label joy. Show all posts
Friday, August 27, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
The Joy of Your Presence
Psalm 21
Another psalm of David. This psalm contains both elements of praise and elements of an imprecatory psalm. By the way, I love that word! I think it is one of those words that sounds like what it means. Say it with me: imprecatory! David talks about himself in the third person: the king, he, etc. maybe so that the work of the Lord would be emphasized and maybe so that it could be sung by and instruct others, including future kings.
The praise section is so joyful and intimate. I'm not sure, but it feels like the use of the third person adds to the sense of intimacy. The whole psalm is very focused on the work and power of the Lord. When David is singing about the king, it all about what the Lord has done for the king. When David is singing about the king's enemies, it is all about what the Lord will do to the enemies. Ultimately, it is not the king but the Lord who is exalted and the Lord who receives praise and songs from the people. To sum up the psalm in a word: trust.
The line that stuck out to me is from verse 6: "Surely you have... made him glad with the joy of your presence." First, what stood out is the double joy. The king is glad with joy! I love the imagery and the flow of that sentence. There is sometimes when the joy of life and the joy of the Lord makes me glad. I want the Spirit to shape my heart and affections so that I am glad with the joy of the Lord. The second thing that stood out was the joy of the Lord's presence. I live my life deistically. God is there but not here. I know he exists but I don't often experience his presence. I acknowledge the truth about God but I live as if he sits at a distance as more of an observer than someone who is intimately acquainted with the details of my life. I try to figure things out and solve them through my own abilities rather than trusting in God. Because of this, I don't often experience God's presence which means that I too often miss out on the joy of God's presence. I want the Spirit to shape my heart and my spirit to recognize and rejoice in the presence of God. He is not distant. He is close, personal, and present.
Another psalm of David. This psalm contains both elements of praise and elements of an imprecatory psalm. By the way, I love that word! I think it is one of those words that sounds like what it means. Say it with me: imprecatory! David talks about himself in the third person: the king, he, etc. maybe so that the work of the Lord would be emphasized and maybe so that it could be sung by and instruct others, including future kings.
The praise section is so joyful and intimate. I'm not sure, but it feels like the use of the third person adds to the sense of intimacy. The whole psalm is very focused on the work and power of the Lord. When David is singing about the king, it all about what the Lord has done for the king. When David is singing about the king's enemies, it is all about what the Lord will do to the enemies. Ultimately, it is not the king but the Lord who is exalted and the Lord who receives praise and songs from the people. To sum up the psalm in a word: trust.
The line that stuck out to me is from verse 6: "Surely you have... made him glad with the joy of your presence." First, what stood out is the double joy. The king is glad with joy! I love the imagery and the flow of that sentence. There is sometimes when the joy of life and the joy of the Lord makes me glad. I want the Spirit to shape my heart and affections so that I am glad with the joy of the Lord. The second thing that stood out was the joy of the Lord's presence. I live my life deistically. God is there but not here. I know he exists but I don't often experience his presence. I acknowledge the truth about God but I live as if he sits at a distance as more of an observer than someone who is intimately acquainted with the details of my life. I try to figure things out and solve them through my own abilities rather than trusting in God. Because of this, I don't often experience God's presence which means that I too often miss out on the joy of God's presence. I want the Spirit to shape my heart and my spirit to recognize and rejoice in the presence of God. He is not distant. He is close, personal, and present.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Eternal Pleasures
Psalm 16
What joy and light is contained in this psalm! This is another psalm of David. It is a psalm of praise that focuses on the Lord's character and David's response to his character. It covers everything from the nobility of the godly to the sufficiency of God's provision. The overall tone looks to the future: a delightful inheritance (v. 6), the assurance of life after death (v. 10) and the pleasures that David experiences now and will for all eternity (v. 11).
I think part of the pleasure that we experience now is the anticipation of the greater pleasure that is yet to come. As my wedding approached I anticipated being married and all that I thought it entailed and that brought me joy. That joy was fulfilled in many ways on my wedding day, and continues to be more fully fulfilled today, but part of the joy I experienced was the anticipation of the joy that was to come. I think this is true of the joy we experience now. We know who God was and is and ever will be. We know who we are in Christ and we have some idea of what joys await us. The anticipation of that joy brings us pleasure in the present. It is certainly what David is experiencing in this psalm: present joy that is at least partially the anticipation of future joy and eternal pleasures.
More than the pleasure and the joy itself, this psalm constantly calls me back to the source of pleasure and joy. The Lord is my refuge. The Lord is my King. The Lord is my provider of all that is good. The Lord is my portion. The Lord is my security. The Lord is my inheritance. The Lord is my counsellor. The Lord is my strength. The Lord is my hope. I worry that I love God's gifts more than I love God at times. This psalm reminds me that the Lord is my gift. There is no greater blessing that the Lord himself. With David, I will praise him!
What joy and light is contained in this psalm! This is another psalm of David. It is a psalm of praise that focuses on the Lord's character and David's response to his character. It covers everything from the nobility of the godly to the sufficiency of God's provision. The overall tone looks to the future: a delightful inheritance (v. 6), the assurance of life after death (v. 10) and the pleasures that David experiences now and will for all eternity (v. 11).
I think part of the pleasure that we experience now is the anticipation of the greater pleasure that is yet to come. As my wedding approached I anticipated being married and all that I thought it entailed and that brought me joy. That joy was fulfilled in many ways on my wedding day, and continues to be more fully fulfilled today, but part of the joy I experienced was the anticipation of the joy that was to come. I think this is true of the joy we experience now. We know who God was and is and ever will be. We know who we are in Christ and we have some idea of what joys await us. The anticipation of that joy brings us pleasure in the present. It is certainly what David is experiencing in this psalm: present joy that is at least partially the anticipation of future joy and eternal pleasures.
More than the pleasure and the joy itself, this psalm constantly calls me back to the source of pleasure and joy. The Lord is my refuge. The Lord is my King. The Lord is my provider of all that is good. The Lord is my portion. The Lord is my security. The Lord is my inheritance. The Lord is my counsellor. The Lord is my strength. The Lord is my hope. I worry that I love God's gifts more than I love God at times. This psalm reminds me that the Lord is my gift. There is no greater blessing that the Lord himself. With David, I will praise him!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Declare His Glofy
1 Chronicles 16:23-33
I love these verses! The context is that the ark of the covenant, which was the symbol of God's presence, has just been brought into Jerusalem - the capital city. This was very symbollically significant. It signified that the presence of God was at the very center of the nation. This was certainly a cause for celebration and this hymn of praise would remind the people that God is worthy of all praise.
I love the words and imagery that David wrote and Asaph sang. I particularly like the phrases, "Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise..." I could live on those words for a very long time. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise.
I need to be reminded again and again of the joy of knowing God and knowing God is with me. His presence is a the very center of my life. In some mysterious way he dwells in me and I in him. My faith is dull or dreary. My faith and my life are full of joy because I am filled by God. I don't live in the experience of that enough.
I love these verses! The context is that the ark of the covenant, which was the symbol of God's presence, has just been brought into Jerusalem - the capital city. This was very symbollically significant. It signified that the presence of God was at the very center of the nation. This was certainly a cause for celebration and this hymn of praise would remind the people that God is worthy of all praise.
I love the words and imagery that David wrote and Asaph sang. I particularly like the phrases, "Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise..." I could live on those words for a very long time. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise.
I need to be reminded again and again of the joy of knowing God and knowing God is with me. His presence is a the very center of my life. In some mysterious way he dwells in me and I in him. My faith is dull or dreary. My faith and my life are full of joy because I am filled by God. I don't live in the experience of that enough.
Friday, July 18, 2008
testing prophecy
1 Thessalonians 5:16-22
Paul is bringing his letter to a close by firing off imperatives. The positive list is: rejoice always, pray continually and give thanks in everything. The negative list is: do not put out the Spirit's fire, do not treat prophecies with contempt.
This continues Paul's teaching on living in a way that pleases God (from chapter 4). Perhaps I can read a little bit into the Thessalonian situation from what Paul says about the return of Christ: it is possible that they are facing some persecution since the teaching on the return of Christ was supposed to encourage them and build them up. If that's the case, then Paul would be imploring them to find joy and reasons for thankfulness in the midst of hardship.
The common thread in the positive imperatives is that they are to do be done always in all circumstances. This indicates that joy is more than happiness but is a fruit of the Spirit. There is a joy that no circumstance can diminish because in all circumstances we can know that God is in good, he is in control and he loves us very much. I learned a little bit about praying continually on my vacation: my cousins kept a Breakaway magazine in the bathroom and there was an article about practicing God's presence. It said that it would take a lot of work, practice and patience but one of the tips was to take the inner monologue that all of us have and learn to make it a conversation with Christ. This has been helpful to me in the last week or so and I am learning to pray continually.
I am convicted by Paul's command to not treat prophecies with contempt. Being raised in a very conservative branch of Christianity and still finding myself in a fairly conservative branch of Christianity, I am suspicious of prophecy and tend to dismiss much of it. However, Paul equates my contempt of prophecy with extinguishing the fire of the Spirit. This doesn't mean that I have to accept all prophecy as from God but I must respect it enough to test it: to discern what is good and hold on to it and determine what is not of God and reject it.
Paul is bringing his letter to a close by firing off imperatives. The positive list is: rejoice always, pray continually and give thanks in everything. The negative list is: do not put out the Spirit's fire, do not treat prophecies with contempt.
This continues Paul's teaching on living in a way that pleases God (from chapter 4). Perhaps I can read a little bit into the Thessalonian situation from what Paul says about the return of Christ: it is possible that they are facing some persecution since the teaching on the return of Christ was supposed to encourage them and build them up. If that's the case, then Paul would be imploring them to find joy and reasons for thankfulness in the midst of hardship.
The common thread in the positive imperatives is that they are to do be done always in all circumstances. This indicates that joy is more than happiness but is a fruit of the Spirit. There is a joy that no circumstance can diminish because in all circumstances we can know that God is in good, he is in control and he loves us very much. I learned a little bit about praying continually on my vacation: my cousins kept a Breakaway magazine in the bathroom and there was an article about practicing God's presence. It said that it would take a lot of work, practice and patience but one of the tips was to take the inner monologue that all of us have and learn to make it a conversation with Christ. This has been helpful to me in the last week or so and I am learning to pray continually.
I am convicted by Paul's command to not treat prophecies with contempt. Being raised in a very conservative branch of Christianity and still finding myself in a fairly conservative branch of Christianity, I am suspicious of prophecy and tend to dismiss much of it. However, Paul equates my contempt of prophecy with extinguishing the fire of the Spirit. This doesn't mean that I have to accept all prophecy as from God but I must respect it enough to test it: to discern what is good and hold on to it and determine what is not of God and reject it.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
really living
1 Thessalonians 3:6-10
Paul's concerns about the Thessalonians have been put to rest by the great report that Timothy has brought back. There is a strong theme of joy and encouragement in this section of the letter. There is also a theme of endurance or standing firm in the face of persecution. Paul is encouraged to stand firm in his persecution because of the report he has received that the Thessalonians are also standing firm in the face of persectuion. The concern that he had for them was constricting him but now that he has heard that they are persevering in their faith, he can "really live."
I resonate with the joy that Paul has for this church. There is nothing that I enjoy more than hearing of my students continuing on in their faith, even in the face of hardship. Maybe what I enjoy even more than that is seeing them living out their faith. Just over the course of a couple of weeks I have been so encouraged and filled with joy by a conversation I had on the bus up to Edmonton, by seeing a desire for some of my students to be baptized (and hearing a bit of their faith story as I met with them), by a lunch meeting I had with another student who is wondering what it is that God wants to do through him to make a difference in his world and by observing some of my leaders at our DV8 year end really invest their time into students. When I see this stuff, I feel like not even gravity can hold me down!
Paul's concerns about the Thessalonians have been put to rest by the great report that Timothy has brought back. There is a strong theme of joy and encouragement in this section of the letter. There is also a theme of endurance or standing firm in the face of persecution. Paul is encouraged to stand firm in his persecution because of the report he has received that the Thessalonians are also standing firm in the face of persectuion. The concern that he had for them was constricting him but now that he has heard that they are persevering in their faith, he can "really live."
I resonate with the joy that Paul has for this church. There is nothing that I enjoy more than hearing of my students continuing on in their faith, even in the face of hardship. Maybe what I enjoy even more than that is seeing them living out their faith. Just over the course of a couple of weeks I have been so encouraged and filled with joy by a conversation I had on the bus up to Edmonton, by seeing a desire for some of my students to be baptized (and hearing a bit of their faith story as I met with them), by a lunch meeting I had with another student who is wondering what it is that God wants to do through him to make a difference in his world and by observing some of my leaders at our DV8 year end really invest their time into students. When I see this stuff, I feel like not even gravity can hold me down!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
the kingdom exists for the "other"
Philippians 2:1-5
Paul starts of with a list of "if's": if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion. These are all things that should characterize any community of Christian faith so it seems like Paul is reminding the church that they have all these things so they should also be unified with each other around one purpose.
Paul connects this argument (with the word "therefore") to his observation that the Philippian church has been granted the privilege of suffering for Christ. It is because of this suffering that the church needs to be united in one love and one purpose. This will make Paul's joy complete (joy being a theme of the book: so far Paul rejoices that the gospel is being proclaimed, that he will be delivered through the prayers of the saints and the work of the Spirit and that the church will be one in purpose).
The end of this section is what catches my attention: do nothing out of selfish ambition but value others above yourself. Don't look out for your own interests but for the interests of the others. This is what the kingdom of heaven is supposed to be all about: it exists for the "other". I know that I don't even come close to living this out. Everything I do is carefully calculated in terms of what it will mean to my reputation and how people will see me. I am a slave to my reputation and I can't even imagine how freeing it would be to escape that; to worry only about pleasing God and serving others no matter what it might cost me. That is what the kingdom is about and as a citizen of the kingdom, I ask God to transform my desires so that in my relationships with others I would have the same attitude of mind as Jesus.
Paul starts of with a list of "if's": if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion. These are all things that should characterize any community of Christian faith so it seems like Paul is reminding the church that they have all these things so they should also be unified with each other around one purpose.
Paul connects this argument (with the word "therefore") to his observation that the Philippian church has been granted the privilege of suffering for Christ. It is because of this suffering that the church needs to be united in one love and one purpose. This will make Paul's joy complete (joy being a theme of the book: so far Paul rejoices that the gospel is being proclaimed, that he will be delivered through the prayers of the saints and the work of the Spirit and that the church will be one in purpose).
The end of this section is what catches my attention: do nothing out of selfish ambition but value others above yourself. Don't look out for your own interests but for the interests of the others. This is what the kingdom of heaven is supposed to be all about: it exists for the "other". I know that I don't even come close to living this out. Everything I do is carefully calculated in terms of what it will mean to my reputation and how people will see me. I am a slave to my reputation and I can't even imagine how freeing it would be to escape that; to worry only about pleasing God and serving others no matter what it might cost me. That is what the kingdom is about and as a citizen of the kingdom, I ask God to transform my desires so that in my relationships with others I would have the same attitude of mind as Jesus.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
joy?
James 1:1-8
This letter is written by James, the brother of Jesus, to the Jewish Christians not living in Israel. James does not "pull rank" as the brother of Jesus but identifies himself as the servant of Jesus. I wonder what it would have been like to grow up with Jesus as your older brother. I wonder if his siblings resented him. I wonder what role Mary's faith played in their eventual belief in him as the Messiah and as God.
From these verses, it would seem that the Christians James is writing to have not "been scattered" of their own free will - they have faced trials of many kinds, likely persecution that has forced them to relocate. James uses a progression: trials develop perseverance which brings maturity and completion to the believer. I wonder if the reason that I am seeing such immaturity of belief in North America is because our faith costs us nothing. Because we have not developed much in the way of perseverance, we are rather immature.
It seems strange in the short term that we should have pure joy about the trials we are facing but when we can step back and realize what these trials will do for us, then we can have joy. If my desire is to fall more deeply in love with God, to know him more fully and trust him more completely then I can rejoice in my trials because I know that he is using them to bring me to maturity. It's kind of like growing pains - they hurt a lot but if living without them meant I was going to be a short weak person...
James also uses a word picture to describe a person who asks God for wisdom but does not have faith that God will provide: he is like a wave in a stormy sea - going back and forth depending on which way the wind is blowing.
I know I need wisdom. When I first started as a youth pastor I prayed this prayer a lot but over time I have come to rely on my experience, my "expertise" and my own resources. I believe that God has given me wisdom in the past and that I still have some measure of wisdom today. What I don't want is for that wisdom to make me independent and sure of myself. I need to keep relying on God to provide that wisdom for me.
God, I know I need your wisdom. Without it I am lost. Please give generously to me.
This letter is written by James, the brother of Jesus, to the Jewish Christians not living in Israel. James does not "pull rank" as the brother of Jesus but identifies himself as the servant of Jesus. I wonder what it would have been like to grow up with Jesus as your older brother. I wonder if his siblings resented him. I wonder what role Mary's faith played in their eventual belief in him as the Messiah and as God.
From these verses, it would seem that the Christians James is writing to have not "been scattered" of their own free will - they have faced trials of many kinds, likely persecution that has forced them to relocate. James uses a progression: trials develop perseverance which brings maturity and completion to the believer. I wonder if the reason that I am seeing such immaturity of belief in North America is because our faith costs us nothing. Because we have not developed much in the way of perseverance, we are rather immature.
It seems strange in the short term that we should have pure joy about the trials we are facing but when we can step back and realize what these trials will do for us, then we can have joy. If my desire is to fall more deeply in love with God, to know him more fully and trust him more completely then I can rejoice in my trials because I know that he is using them to bring me to maturity. It's kind of like growing pains - they hurt a lot but if living without them meant I was going to be a short weak person...
James also uses a word picture to describe a person who asks God for wisdom but does not have faith that God will provide: he is like a wave in a stormy sea - going back and forth depending on which way the wind is blowing.
I know I need wisdom. When I first started as a youth pastor I prayed this prayer a lot but over time I have come to rely on my experience, my "expertise" and my own resources. I believe that God has given me wisdom in the past and that I still have some measure of wisdom today. What I don't want is for that wisdom to make me independent and sure of myself. I need to keep relying on God to provide that wisdom for me.
God, I know I need your wisdom. Without it I am lost. Please give generously to me.
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