Day 20 "Praise You"

So after reading the Psalms for today, I’m thinking that my last blog post about Justice and Mercy might better fit today, but oh wells. J  It’s the Last blog for Psalms! So I thought I’d let the Psalms speak for itself.

I believe that Wisdom grows with your relationship with God. “The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.” [Psalms 111:10] Reading through the Psalms has been an interesting adventure for me. It is hard to not skim past it and also not over analyse it, and some of the passages were repetitive or hard to read. I still haven’t found the best formula to reading it, but I personally found it quite helpful to listen to it through audio. I would sometimes listen to it while folding away my clothes or while reading it, and I’d gladly try listening to it with a morning jog. Also, I think verbalizing it through reading it out loud; praying with it, or blessing the congregation with reading a psalm before or during worship is also quite nice. It was interesting, too, to find how many famous songs with lyrics straight from the Psalms! I wonder if there is a copyright? J

            Imagine a telescope. When you look through it, you see big galaxies of stars, countless, beautiful, and awesome. And to think the God who created all of that, is my Friend, Father, and Savior?

 “Lord, what are human beings that you care for them,
    mere mortals that you think of them?
⁴ They are like a breath;
    their days are like a fleeting shadow.”

[Psalms 144:3-4]

            Now imagine a microscope. When you look through it, you see the details and complexity of the tiniest things. It is insane. One look at life and it’d take a whole lot of faith to think that there wasn’t a creator. This Psalm is amazing to read, which is why I posted this whole chunk here even though it makes my post seem really long :P

 “You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.”

“Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts,^[a] God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.

¹⁹ If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
    Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
    your adversaries misuse your name.
²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
    and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
    I count them my enemies.
²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.

[Psalms 139]

This Psalm is amazing to read, because it makes me awestruck that God is the only one who knows me for everything I am, my imperfections, ugliness, sin. He sees my innermost being, straight through the masks of conformity society has dressed me with. Why do I bother to hide anything from Him? I can carefully shape my identity, doing good deeds and charitable acts, and yet God knows my heart and mind! This is why He doesn’t care about the things we can do or the skills we have. Our futile strengths are matchless to His. He seeks the hearts of the pure.

“His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
    nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
¹¹ the Lord delights in those who fear him,
    who put their hope in his unfailing love.”

[Psalms 147:10-11]

Through our weakness, His strength is revealed. God always keeps His promises, so read His word and claim His promises! Through the battles and fights, persecution and taunting, our God is always there! He has promised to those who love Him, “I will never leave you nor forsake you”. Even when you don’t see Him, trust in His perfect timing and His faithfulness, and He will honor you.

“The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises
    and faithful in all he does.”

[Psalms 145:13b]

Our God is a great God, worthy of all praise and honor. It is lovely to see that the Psalms end with a song of praise. After all the challenges and difficulties the Psalmists faced, they still sang praises to the Lord. (Personally, I feel as though worship sessions in church should perhaps try that too, start with worship and end with praise!) When we praise God, it is an outward symbol of our inward trust and hope in Him. When we can sing in the midst of pain, to say “Lord you are good, and I trust you in whatever situation”, that is the best praise. This is why the Devil hates Praise songs! Because if we trust in the Lord’s Army, who can be against us?

”Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary;
  praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power;
    praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
    praise him with the harp and lyre,

praise him with timbrel and dancing,
    praise him with the strings and pipe,
praise him with the clash of cymbals,
    praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.”

[Psalms 150]

Here is a song that I really like the lyrics to, "Praise You In The Storm" by Casting Crowns,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCpP0mFD9F0 

Days 18-20, Psalms 107-150: Delighting in the law and the Lord

As we come to the last book of the Psalms, I've been noticing more and more how the same thoughts seem to come out  - despite picking different themes in the sections we have been reading, the same concepts and words arise again and again. Descriptions of God, God's interaction with us, God's justice and power... our reliance on Him, and our need to trust in Him.

In many of the Psalms, there are prophetic references. I haven't been dwelling on them a lot, though evidently the references to God as Redeemer are fulfilled in Christ, because I have been trying to focus on themes coming from the Psalms themselves and how they can be read and delighted in even without our knowledge of future events. It should be acknowledged that they are more than just praise, however - especially in the section before us, there are a number of prophetic references that underline the Divine Authorship of the Psalms, and we can delight in a God Who knows and plans events before they transpire.

So the theme I have picked/noticed this time is delighting. A lot of the Psalms have this theme, but perhaps I was most influenced by Psalm 119 - I've always had a fondness for this Psalm, partly due to its length, partly due to its academic type references, and partly because it can teach you the Hebrew Alephbet if you pay attention to headings!

"I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word."  (Psa 119:16)
"Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors."  (Psa 119:24)
"Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight."  (Psa 119:35)
"And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved."  (Psa 119:47)
"Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in thy law."  (Psa 119:70)
"Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight."  (Psa 119:77)
"I have longed for thy salvation, O LORD; and thy law is my delight."  (Psa 119:174)

So what does it mean to delight? There are two words translated delight in these sections: one refers to pleasure and enjoyment, the other is to "incline or bend to - to be pleased with - to desire". What got me interested was in the first definition it includes in its meaning "to look upon (with complacency)...please or amuse (self)". At first it surprised me concerning the complacency - but yet in some ways that is a desirable thing. Other verses in the Bible that use this word refer to a child playing with an asp, someone being dandled upon a knee - it seems to speak of a familiar, comfortable enjoyment - not something to always be wowed at. Maybe that's why it only seems to refer to the law of the Lord as a delight - and not the Lord Himself - He is Someone to wonder at, and be amazed, to stand in fear (reverence) and tremble in awe! Whereas the law of the Lord is what He has written down for us, good for our benefit, and understandable. It is something we can find pleasure in, as we seek to live according to His guiding.

Now that is not the only meaning of desire - it is just one of the Hebrew words used in Psalm 119 - our modern definition of delight is "a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy; rapture.extreme pleasure or satisfaction; joy something that gives great pleasure." And this is where many of the rest of the Psalms come in. Though translated by different words, reading through I see an enjoyment, a rapture, extreme pleasure taken in thinking and meditating upon the Lord and all He has done - His glory, and His regard for the lowly:

"All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth. Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD. Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off. " (Psa 138:4-6)

The idea of delighting comes out in the descriptive terms used - we can't just 'state the plain facts' or say 'one term is enough'  - there are not enough words to properly express our delight, so we use any and all the most descriptive we can think of! "Stedfast love... abounding in steadfast love... wondrous works... our longing soul... [He] doesn't let them be diminished... exalted... exultation...  continually... rule in the midst of Your enemies... holy garments... etc."
Hmm... doesn't quite express what I was after. Looking at a more narrow example in Psalm 111: we have repeated descriptions of things that continue: "righteousness endures forever" "wondrous works to be remembered" "remembers His covenant forever" "works... are faithful...performed with faithfulness" "praise endures forever". How uninspiring it would be to condense it into: "God's righteousness, works, covenant, and praise will always continue" Still true, still the same thought, but lacking that joyous expression of description that evidences a passion and delight behind the words!

We delight in Him, so we seek His presence... we look to Him in good times and bad... (Psalms 120-124).

We delight in the position He has brought us into, and delight in the unity of mind with fellow believers (reading 1 Peter 3 recently, considering unity of mind there as well as here in Psalm 133).

We delight in proclaiming His love... which is the basis of all He is (Psalm 136)... and delight in thanking Him (Psalm 138)

We even delight in Him knowing us better than we know ourselves, even if this leads to chastening... Psalm 139, 119)

We delight in all of nature praising Him, and every type of instrument praising Him, praising Him in every place, with every type of song. Psalms 145, 147-150.

I didn't know this hymn before today, but found it by a quick search, and thought it very appropriate:

O Thou, in whose presence my soul takes delight,
    On whom in affliction I call,
My comfort by day and my song in the night,
    My hope, my salvation, my all!

Where dost Thou, dear Shepherd, resort with Thy sheep,
    To feed them in pastures of love;
Say, why in the valley of death should I weep,
    Or alone in this wilderness rove?

Oh, why should I wander, an alien from Thee,
    Or cry in the desert for bread?
Thy foes will rejoice when my sorrows they see,
    And smile at the tears I have shed.

Ye daughters of Zion, declare, have you seen
    The Star that on Israel shone?
Say, if in your tents my Beloved has been,
    And where with His flocks He is gone.

Dear Shepherd! I hear, and will follow Thy call;
    I know the sweet sound of Thy voice;
Restore and defend me, for Thou art my all,
    And in Thee I’ll ever rejoice.

Source: http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/687#ixzz2lGvR5Abo

Slightly different versions of the hymn (middle verses differ):

Meditative singer

Faster version

Delight in the Lord and in His law! Delight in His Son, our Saviour! 

Day #19 "Upside Down"

In the Psalms, we see a lot about protection from enemies, deliverance from suffering and injustice, and cries of help from the persecuted.

I have recently learnt a mind-blowing concept that has radically changed my perspective of wealth, suffering and justice in the world. It was not a nice thing to accept, but get this; the rich are servants of the poor. The torturers will be under the feet of the tortured. The lowly servants and slaves on this earth will be rulers. It’s in reverse. The wealthy, famous, “got it all” people, will one day be groveling under the mercy of the weak. The Bible says so.

"For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest" [Luke 9:48]

 "Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?” [James 2:5-7]

...Why do we trying to hard to please the strong of the world when they are the ones who oppress and betray us?...

It was a paradigm shift for me; I couldn’t believe it! All this time, conformed to the world, I judged or sympathized with the ugly, the dirty, the weak, the poor, the disabled, but in God’s eyes, they are the most honored! “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” [1 Samuel 16:7]

So our God is a fair God! His justice, though not seen right now, will one day come. The Psalmists knew that when they cried out for God’s justice, and waited in hope for His deliverance. Psalm 136 tells of God’s mercy that endures forever. He is a God of both Justice and Mercy. 

“O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” [Psalm 136:1]

In another version it uses LOVE instead of mercy, "God saw the trouble we were in. God’s Love never fails." [Psalm 136:23]

Psalm 121 has to be one of my favorite blessing of protection passages.

“I look to the hills!
    Where will I find help?
² It will come from the Lord,
    who created the heavens
    and the earth.

³ The Lord is your protector,
    and he won’t go to sleep
    or let you stumble.
⁴ The protector of Israel
doesn’t doze
    or ever get drowsy.

⁵ The Lord is your protector,
there at your right side
    to shade you from the sun.
⁶ You won’t be harmed
by the sun during the day
    or by the moon^[a] at night.

⁷ The Lord will protect you
    and keep you safe
    from all dangers.
⁸ The Lord will protect you
    now and always
    wherever you go.”

Day 18 "I'm Lovin' It!"

These are the summary of my 3 key points that I received from today’s reading.

1.    Cry out to the Lord, and He will deliver you.

“They cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress”
[Psalms 107:6]

I feel that today’s reading starts off by describing many scenarios of how people have sinned and are punished, but when they cry out to God in the midst of their trouble, He delivers them from their distress. It almost tells of the gospel, how as sinners we deserve death as consequence, but like a Father, God loves us and will come and save us if only we cry out to Jesus, the only bridge between God and man.

2.    Our God is a living God

“Their idols are silver and gold,

the work of human hands.

They have mouths, but do not speak;

eyes, but do not see.

They have ears, but do not hear;

noses, but do not smell.

They have hands, but do not feel;

feet, but do not walk;

and they do not make a sound in their throat.

Those who make them become like them;

so do all who trust in them.”
[Psalms 115:4-8]

Our God is a living God.

I was sitting outside on the grass today and I saw a small bird hopping by. Such a quaint little creature, and yet it was so complex and wonderfully made! What more life, love, human beings, and the galaxies above! How could there not be a creator?

- If something has an end, it must have a beginning! And a beginning cannot result in itself without a divine, timeless, creator!

I heard a quote that said,

“God created man in His own image, and man has returned the favor.”

Though the original meaning of the quote may not have been my interpretation of it, I think that man has indeed created gods and idols in man’s image, which cannot be compared to the living God who loves us and has the power to save us from death.

Our God is a living God who hears our cry and speaks to us if we listen.

2.    The law was made for man

In Psalm 119, the author seeks to obey the laws of God, to faithfully keep His commandments and to abide in His word.

“Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.” 
[Psalms 119:97]

Today I read the book of James, and man it opened my eyes to a whole new world. Surprisingly, when I read it, though it was full of contrary teachings, I did not read it as a bunch of rules, but rather a compilation of life lessons to living in wisdom and understanding. I loved it and learnt heaps from it. It was so much information; I wanted to absorb every bit of it, to keep it in my heart and meditate upon it. Though the laws are there to show us how far we are from perfect, and though Jesus has already paid for our sins, it doesn’t mean that we should disregard the laws on purpose. For God’s nature is constant, and His law was made to bless us and to protect us, not to harm us. The laws were made for man to experience the fullness of life in God.

~ I'm Lovin' It! :)