Remember When?

Psalm 44

Nostalgia. According to medical officials for the United States in the Civil War, nostalgia was considered a serious medical issue. Some 2,000 cases of nostalgia were recorded and thirteen soldiers died with ‘nostalgia’ being listed as the cause of death.[1] The same website indicates that the origin of the word in modern Latin occurred in 1777 as a rendering of a German word for ‘homesickness.’

Apparently, nostalgia has been an issue for God’s people for millennia. The Psalmist expressed an intense longing for the past when he or she wrote, “We have heard with our ears, O God, Our fathers have told us, The deeds You did in their days, In days of old: You drove out the nations with Your hand, But them You planted; You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out. For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, Nor did their own arm save them; But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, Because You favored them.” (Psalm 44:1–3, NKJV). So far, so good. But then we read, “But You have cast us off and put us to shame, And You do not go out with our armies. You make us turn back from the enemy, And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves.” (Psalm 44:9–10, NKJV)

What God did in the past and what the psalmist was experiencing in the present were two different things. I often hear a similar refrain today. ‘Remember when people made church attendance a priority? Remember when moms stayed home; dads worked 9am – 5pm Monday – Friday; schools respected churches and would not schedule events on Wednesday evenings?’ In the eyes of some – even in my age cohort – the days of the past where when God was active, truly making His presence known. And today, well, if only God were active again we could return to the rhythms of life we remember with such nostalgia!

I wonder. Centuries later a follower of Jesus named Paul quoted part of this Psalm – not in an effort to evoke the past – rather to suggest that even when circumstances seem to indicate God’s absence, there is a purpose in the barrenness (see Romans 8:36 – following). Look again at what the psalmist writes, “Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” (Psalm 44:22, NKJV). “For Your sake….” As one scholar writes,

The psalm does not develop it, but it implies the revolutionary thought that suffering may be a battle-scar rather than a punishment; the price of loyalty in a world which is at war with God. If this is so, a reverse as well as a victory may be a sign of fellowship with him, not of alienation.^[2]

Maybe nostalgia is ok for movies, music, and novels. I’d rather focus on the present and seek to know what God is doing now, even when all seems wrong with the world.

[1] https://www.etymonline.com/word/nostalgia, accessed on 2/3/20.

 

^[2] Derek Kidner, Psalms 1–72: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 15, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1973), 187.

DEPRESSED

Psalm 42 – 43

“Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalm 42:5, 11, 43:5, HCSB).

After declining for nearly two decades, the suicide rate among Americans ages 10 to 24 jumped 56 percent between 2007 and 2017, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And for the first time the gender gap in suicide has narrowed: Though the numbers of suicides are greater in males, the rates of suicide for female youths increased by 12.7 percent each year, compared with 7.1 percent for male youths.At the same time, the rate of teen depression shot up 63 percent, an alarming but not surprising trend given the link between suicide and depression: In 2017, 13 percent of teens reported at least one episode of depression in the past year, compared with 8 percent of teens in 2007, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.[1]

These numbers ought to startle us. And yet, depression is not anything new. David, a king of Israel well over 2,000 years ago expressed himself in these two prayers that still resonate. The prayers were written at the head of the Jordan River, somewhere on Mt Hermon in northern Israel. In David’s era it was a wilderness. Note that David, having been raised and trained to be a shepherd was used to being alone. Yet this alone-ness is different. Instead of caring for sheep David is alone and remembering times when he was able to join his family, his community, for worship.

But don’t get lost in the depression. Remember, God is still active, God is still at work. God has not given up, God has not abandoned us, neither can God abandon us.

In my own experience, I know what it is to sense God’s absence, like David to be overwhelmed with circumstances totally beyond my control. I know what it is to feel isolated, alone, and overwhelmed. Yet, “Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalm 42:5, HCSB).

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/06/opinion/suicide-young-people.html?searchResultPosition=11, accessed on 1/27/20.

 

A Window To The Soul

Psalm 41

Just past our church building the South Umpqua River separates Winston from the unincorporated town of Dillard. The bridge connecting the two communities is the site of a third community. A homeless camp has been established under the bridge and in the trees and underbrush on the riverbank. Regularly the people living in that third community walk our streets on their way to receive medical care and to purchase minutes for their cell phones. Many of them also seek to earn a few dollars by holding signs asking for money.

As God was forming His people into a nation in the wilderness He instructed them to take care of the poor in their midst. The reasons for poverty are legion. The assignment to care for them is clear.

The Psalmist asserts, “Happy is one who cares for the poor; the Lord will save him in a day of adversity.” (Psalm 41:1, HCSB) The rest of this psalm is a prayer for deliverance for the one who seeks to care for the poor. The Psalmist recognizes that his condition (illness, or other tragedy) may be the result of sin (vs 4). The issue isn’t simply caring for the poor. Rather, the way one relates to the poor reveals the condition of the soul. Sin unconfessed has a way of staining our soul.

I primarily ignore the third community. I’m not so much afraid of physical harm as it is the fear of getting in over my head. In my limited experience with homeless, I quickly discover just how much I don’t know and how limited my resources are.

I am as quick as David to seeks deliverance from those who speak evil when I am suffering. If you could look into my soul I would want you to find compassion for the poor, concern for their plight, and care that extends to action on their behalf.

PRESENCE

Psalm 40

Hi! My name is Steve and I’m often depressed and anxious. For a number of years, I was afraid to share that information. A number of years ago after I shared this information I was taken aside by a colleague (who has since asked for my forgiveness) and told that real believers never experienced such things. Occasionally I hear believers express similar statements. After all, they reason, the victorious Christian life has no room for such negative experiences.

One reason I am drawn to the Psalms is that the psalmists often express anxiety, depression, despair, and even feelings of self-loathing. Thank God for the brave honesty of a shepherd turned King who unashamedly wrote of his own experiences. I cannot count the number of hours, days, weeks, and yes, even months, when Psalm 40 has captured where I live.

David’s experience described succinctly in Psalm 40:1-3, describes a process. Though it takes but seconds to read the words I’d guess that the experience lasted longer than mere seconds. I am reminded that no matter how dark circumstances appear God is never absent. God is not limited by my circumstances. The solid place I need as the darkness recedes is always available because God is never absent.

Like me, David appears to veer between his confidence in God’s presence and his concern for stability and safety. Threaded between these extremes the psalm confirms one unmistakable and unchangeable reality: God is never absent. God’s presence is constant. Our circumstances change, but God’s presence and power are available – “I am afflicted and needy; the Lord thinks of me. You are my helper and my deliverer; my God, do not delay.” (Psalm 40:17, HCSB).

HOPE

Psalm 38-39

“I put my hope in You, Lord; You will answer, Lord my God.” (Psalm 38:15, HCSB)

“Now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.” (Psalm 39:7, HCSB)

Hope. A new year and new decade begin this week. Perhaps you’ve seen the post on social media reminding us that 1990 was thirty years ago. Honestly, that seems a little far-fetched. Time has a way of relentlessly moving forward.

On the last Sunday of December, I spent time browsing my social media feeds. The number of posts suggesting that my denomination was headed for disaster was surprising. Posts about the state of our United States were as divisive and dismissive as ever. I tend to be an Eeyore – looking at the world around me through lenses that magnify sadness, brokenness, and disappointment. Then, to my surprise, this article caught my eye first thing this morning: This Has Been The Best Year Ever. Nicholas Kristoff writes

In the long arc of human history, 2019 has been the best year ever. The bad things that you fret about are true. But it’s also true that since modern humans emerged about 200,000 years ago, 2019 was probably the year in which children were least likely to die, adults were least likely to be illiterate and people were least likely to suffer excruciating and disfiguring diseases.*

Hmm. So, there is hope in the midst of despair? Mr. Kristoff is not the first to discover this truth. A shepherd turned king turned poet and musician named David recognized that hope is a real commodity. Kristoff suggests that our hope lies in the remarkable ability of humans to solve difficult and challenging problems. He cites an economist who states

“We have changed the world. How awesome is it to be alive at a time like this?” “Three things are true at the same time,” he added. “The world is much better, the world is awful, the world can be much better.”*

David, this king who changed his world, recognized that real hope cannot be found in his fellow humans. David’s life is an account of disappointment and difficulty. Early in his life he had been identified and set apart by a prophet to be the King. The journey from shepherding to being a king was a long and dangerous one. David recognized that the only source of real hope was in God. David knew God as One who listens to prayers, releases people from despair, and rescues from circumstances beyond his control.

As this new year begins there is reason for optimism. God has gifted you and me to solve complex and challenging problems. Yet our hope is permanently fixed upon the eternal God, the One in whom we live, breathe, and exist.

May we be immovable in our hope for all that God wants to accomplish in and through us!

* https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/28/opinion/sunday/2019-best-year-poverty.html, accessed on 12/30/19.

* Ibid.

It’s Not Fair

Psalm 37

How many times as children did we say to the adults in our lives: ‘It’s not fair!’ I can’t recall every time I spoke the words, but I remember at least once. I wanted to see a newly released movie when I was 15 or 16. My parents were determined that I should not see the movie (I still haven’t watched the movie!) I heard of a few other teens from the church I attended that were going to see the movie, apparently with their parent’s permission. I remember telling my parents how unfair they were being (again, I have yet to see the movie they didn’t want me to see. I should get some credit…right?)

Centuries have passed since the Psalmist recorded his or her own reflections on the unfairness of life. In the HCSB the word ‘evildoers’ (vs. 1) is contrasted with those who ‘wait upon the Lord’ (vs. 7). Those whose actions are considered ‘evil’ or ‘do wrong’ appear to have the upper hand in the eyes of the watching world. Greed is often rewarded in our culture. Taking advantage of another is often considered a necessary technique for succeeding. Accumulating land and other forms of wealth, even if it means treating others poorly, is celebrated and often honored.

It’s not fair.

As our writer processes this frustration he or she notes two different experiences:

“I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned or his children begging for bread. He is always generous, always lending, and his children are a blessing.” (Psalm 37:25–26, HCSB);

“I have seen a wicked, violent man well-rooted like a flourishing native tree. Then I passed by and noticed he was gone; I searched for him, but he could not be found. Watch the blameless and observe the upright, for the man of peace will have a future. But transgressors will all be eliminated; the future of the wicked will be destroyed.” (Psalm 37:35–38, HCSB – emphasis added).

Fairness may be a way to measure circumstances on a day to day basis. Those who wait on the Lord, trust and take delight in the Lord realize that what we deem fair or unfair doesn’t truly matter. From God’s perspective, He makes everything right, in His time, and according to His plan.

Light and Life He Brings

Psalm 36

Nearly 40 years ago I preached at a nursing home (do they call them that anymore?) on the middle section of this psalm. I probably have my notes buried underneath a pile of papers somewhere in my office. I don’t recall what I said, but I do recall how talking about the majesty and magnificence of God seemed to lift a spirit of darkness that had been in that room.

For all these years since I have read this psalm and thought about that day some in 1980 or 1981. What strikes me now is the contrast I missed then. The psalmist writes that the wicked have no dread of God. The Hebrew word could be translated ‘shaking.’ The wicked, as the psalmist writes, has a high opinion of himself or herself and thus has lost an appreciation of the majesty of God.

We are celebrating Advent and during this week I’ve been challenged to pay attention to John the Baptist. Here is one who recognized God’s majesty. While yet in his mother’s womb he acknowledged the Messiah, then carried in Mary’s womb. Perhaps John’s potency lies not so much in the manner of his dress, the strange foods, but in the simple fact of his ability to recognize the majesty of God.

The disciple John, one of Jesus’ earliest followers, tried to capture some of the magnificence of God as he recorded Jesus’ words that reflect this Psalm. In the prologue to his account of Jesus’ life, John described Jesus as the true light (John 1:9) who has come into the world.

These first days of Advent are days of diminishing sunlight. Perhaps the darkness is not just physical. Maybe the darkness needs to be lit with a fresh understanding of the light of the world, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

OUCH!

Psalm 35

Jesus once reminded His listeners of a very real challenge. A thief, Jesus noted, comes only to steal, kill, and destroy (see John 10:10). From the context, we recognize Jesus was speaking about the adversary we know as Satan, or more commonly, the devil. Some months ago, and not for the first time, an acquaintance who was attending our fellowship told me they needed to find another church because I had stolen their joy. Wow. To be accused of what the enemy does is a little harsh. I won’t deny that the enemy has stolen from me and even sought to destroy me but to carry the weight of that accusation was (and remains) painful.

In the next phrase of John 10:10, Jesus promises that He has come to give life, and to give it freely and abundantly. The author of Psalm 35 knew what it was liked to be attacked. Perhaps an enemy had stolen property, perhaps an enemy had killed a family member. Perhaps an enemy had attacked the writer and left some permanent physical damage as a result. The circumstances are unclear.

The response of the writer is unusual. Instead of wishing hurt or inflicting pain on the enemy our psalmist acknowledges that he or she prayed for them (vs 11-15). When someone hurts us our instinct is to respond in kind. The psalmist responds not in kind but in prayer and by diving more deeply into the presence and protection of God, the one we have come to know who seeks to bring life and bring it abundantly.

Life hurts. There is no way of getting around it. The enemy is active. But so is God. He desperately wants us to know life as He created it. Trust Him, even when it hurts.

Are You Crazy?

Psalm 34

The inscription of the Psalm identifies this as written by David when he pretended to be insane in one episode of his escape from Saul. That’s an interesting context. Pretend to be insane, yet seek the Lord. More than one person has wondered if I was maybe just a little unstable as I sought to follow God’s direction in my life. Maybe I have been a little unstable, at least as some might define instability.

In the instance recalled in this Psalm David’s pretend ‘insanity’ really didn’t advance his cause. He was running from Saul, his predecessor as king and went to the court of Abimelech who threw David out as well. After all Abimelech reasoned, why bring another crazy man into the service of the king. That may say something about the quality of those serving Abimelech!

Pretend insanity was not a strategy for receiving protection from Saul who sought David’s life. There is something in David’s song that is worth pursuing. In several vivid phrases, David identifies some effective strategies. First, praise the Lord. Not just in the way that some repeat the phrase ‘Praise the Lord’ over and over. The kind of praise David calls for is a thoughtful, deliberate identifying specific ways in which God has acted. Second, David has a different view of what is good than many of his own contemporaries. At least twice David was near enough Saul to kill him and end the chase once for all. Both times David insisted on allowing God to do God’s work in God’s way. Finally, David affirms what most of us learned by heartbreaking experiences. God is present, even in the heartbreak if we but look for Him.

Though the days of our lives are like vapors that disappear rapidly, God’s redemptive activity has eternal consequences.

Schedules

Psalm 33

Are you one who plans out every hour of the day? Or do you prefer to just let things happen? In my day job I have some hard deadlines – Wednesday Prayer Meeting material has to be prepared before Wednesday Prayer Meeting. Sunday sermon needs to be finished prior to Sunday. Other meetings with church committees and teams mean agendas and documents need to be prepared prior to the meeting. Most of what I do in my job – caring for souls – doesn’t have the same kind of pressure to meet a hard deadline.

The psalmist acknowledges what all of us have learned

“The Lord frustrates the counsel of the nations; He thwarts the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation.” (Psalm 33:10–11, HCSB)

How many times has God interrupted my carefully orchestrated day? A random phone call. A few months ago I had finished preparing my breakfast when I received a message asking me to pull together a team of chaplains for an emergency in our community. That day’s plans disappeared quickly as breakfast grew cold and I ate a granola bar on the way to the emergency. In another instance, I was leading a team preparing for worship services for the ensuing weeks. My phone rang and my dad asked how quickly I could get to Tucson. Carefully laid plans were laid aside for a much more important priority (helping my dad deal with my Mom – this was a year or so prior to her passing).

You would think I might learn to allow God to set my plans, or at least to consult Him prior to my careful scheduling. NOT. I still like my carefully laid out schedules, my orchestrated days. But God, may I learn to wait on You (Psalm 33:22).