Cast Your Burdens on the Lord

Our reading this week is Psalm 54 to 57.

All of the psalms in our reading this week are psalms of David, and they were inspired by his own life events when he was on the run from King Saul. In those years, David faced not only the constant threat of capture and violent death at the hands of Saul, but also betrayal by friends and public scorn by many who were powerful in Israel. It was a daunting time, and all David had to rely upon was promise of God (delivered by the prophet Samuel) that he, David, would be king over all of Israel.

Along with the promise, he had memories of God's providence - his victory over Goliath and over Philistine enemies. But I am sure those memories seemed to grow increasingly distant as the years dragged on and he was still in danger and still not king.

What was his secret during those difficult years? What sustained him as he lived hard in caves and was frequently on the move for fear of discovery? How did he keep his focus when every circumstance in his world seemed to whisper and sometimes shout of his defeat?

We see the answer to these questions in these psalms. He states both his difficulty and his solution throughout. Psalm 55 gives a perfect example:

His speech was smoother than butter,
But his heart was war;
His words were softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn swords.
Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;
He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. (55:21-22)

Despite the disappointment and hurt by the betrayal of a friend, despite the on-
going hardships of life, despite the sorry circumstances that seemed to never change, David made it a habit to cast his burdens upon the Lord and let God sustain him. It is a great habit to cultivate. To begin every morning and to end every day with the giving of our burdens and heartaches to God and then moving on to praise and some statement of trust in both the goodness and the power of God.

We can lament our present circumstances, and we can still honor God with our worship. We can complain to God about our situation, and we can still trust in God's goodness to us. We can unburden ourselves of our hurts and heartaches, our grief and our grievances, and we can still love God with both our words and our obedience.

And in the midst of our struggles, we find, as David did, that God is sufficient. God provides. God sustains. The Apostle Paul echoes these very same sentiments - this very same truth - in 2 Corinthians 4:

For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you.But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed, therefore I spoke," we also believe, therefore we also speak, knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (4:5-17)

So cast your burdens on God this morning, and let Him sustain you - today and throughout the week!

Psalm 50 - A Song about Justice and Mercy

Well, I'm late posting the blog this week thanks to the MLK Jr holiday yesterday.

This week, we continue reading in the Psalms - Psalm 50 to 53. And somehow, on the week that we observe MLK Jr Day and recognize his accomplishments, it seems very right to dwell on Psalm 50. It is a song about the justice of God.

The Psalmist takes for granted that there is great injustice in the world. Many of the more common injustices that the prophets speak against are absent here - too obvious to be named, perhaps. Instead, Asaph, the song-writer, gives a short list of charges against God's people - people who ought to know better!

I do not reprove you for your sacrifices [God says] (vs 8). . .
But to the wicked God says,
What right have you to tell of My statutes
And to take My covenant in your mouth?
For you hate discipline,
And you cast My words behind you,
When you see a thief, you are pleased with him,
And you associated with adulterers.
You let your mouth loose in evil
And your tongue frames deceit.
You sit and speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother's son. (16 - 20)

This may not be an exhaustive or even extensive list of injustices within a community, but it is more than enough to start with, don't you think? Willfully forgetting the word and the way of God includes a multitude of sins. The perversion of good is seen in a community's acceptance, praise, and honor given to thieves; and it is seen in the friendly association with those who forsake their marriage promises; and it is seen in the evil things that people say to and about one another - even their own brothers. A person can read this and then read the headlines and find plenty to feel guilty about!

This is what injustice looks like when we break it down into little pieces. These are not the big, systematic injustices and evils of a community - racism, political and business corruption, and human trafficking. These are the little things that make those bigger things possible.

It is against such people and such a community that Asaph cries:

May our God come and not keep silence;
Fire devours before Him
And it is very tempestuous around Him (3)

But though we live in a corrupt society, filled with those who forget the words of God and honor those who break their promises and who lie against their brothers, still God is merciful:

He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me;
And to him who order his way aright
I shall show the salvation of God. (23) 

To which we can all say, "Amen." May we do justice and love mercy and walk humbly with our God!

A Song about Perspective

We are reading Psalms 46 to 49 this week.

As I got to Psalm 49 this morning, my first thought was that this psalm has the flavor of Ecclesiastes. And if you want a fuller treatment on the perspective of the Psalm writer, take a bit and read though the book of Ecclesiastes at one setting. It is a humbling read!

My second thought as I read Psalm 49 was that Jesus was probably humming this psalm under his breath as he told the story of the rich man who built big barns and contented himself in his wealth. (Luke 12:16 - 21) The ideas and the point of the message are the same.

This is a psalm that calls us to consider something unpleasant (our own mortality) so that we can appreciate the the true value our souls before God's eternity. The wealth of this world, we cannot take it with us when we die - or in the title of one of John Ortberg's books - When the Game is Over It All Goes Back in the Box. 

Most of us don't take the eternal view of life. We are content with trying to "win" at the activities before us. Wealth is one of our main markers for success in this life. It shows we have done well.

But wealth is an unsteady and inadequate foundation upon which to build for eternity. God and the Eternal Kingdom have no exchange rate for earthly wealth. When all the world is His, what need does He have for a few dollars of our "made up" money? "Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, is like the beasts that perish." (49:20). It is a sobering thought.

So, in what are you placing your trust this week? Where do your hopes and satisfactions lie? There is only one place that is eternal, and there is only One who can get us there. Will you renew your trust in him today?

Thirsty for God

This week I am reading Psalms 41 to 45, and as I read all five of those psalms this morning, there was no one verse or phrase or word that jumped out at me. Rather, there was a sense or perception I received
from all five that impressed me: a deep longing for God. The psalm writers (and at least two are named in these selection: David and the sons of Korah), in every psalm, express a heart-felt longing for the presence and activity of God. This is true whether the writer is celebrating the king's wedding (Psalm 45) or is anxious and sick (Psalm 41). The desire for God, the longing for God, the hunger and thirst for God are writ large in every poem.

We see it most clearly in Psalm 42:1 & 2.

As the deer pants for streams of water,
So my soul pants for you, God.
My soul thirsts for God, the living God;
When shall I come and appear before God?

It is desire made plain - expressed simply, yet we see it in all of the psalms.

And the question that came quickly to my mind this morning was: am I longing for God this morning?

It is a Monday morning, and as soon as my alarm went off, my head filled with all things I have to do today. And that not being enough, my mind soon turned to all the things I had to do this week. Bible studies to prepare, meetings, people to visit and check on, administrative duties, and phone calls I need to make. But in the midst of it all, am I longing for God? Do I thirst for the presence of God's Spirit? Do I hunger for the Divine love and mercy and activity?

So my prayer this morning is one of longing - that I may desire God more and that in my longing for him I should find Him at work in me.