Psalm 53 &54

i have been going through the book of psalms for quite sometime now. refusing to just read it and move on in order to fulfill some imaginary requirement, but rather really trying to figure out what the psalmist is saying, and not only that but trying to imagine what he was going through and how it affected his prayer life and/or worship. today something caught my attention and made me sit here and share it.

i have read these particular psalms several times, but i seemed to be getting distracted, so i came back to read them yet again and finally i was able to get more out of it, i was finally able to notice some things, the text spoke to me, in a special way.

psalm 51 of course everyone has read a million times, yet i always learn something from it. psalm 52 seems very judgmental and harsh with descriptions of evil men and how God will ultimately judge them. but I believe that the ultimate "sin" described in this psalm is trusting in your great wealth, and growing strong by destroying others (v7).

psalm 53 begins with a description of a fool, as someone who says in his heart that God does not exist. more descriptions follow, this time of evildoers, and what caught my eye was the last part of verse 4 and verse 5. "… and who do not call on God? 5 There they were, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to dread." do we sometimes fit into this description? sure we may not devour "people as men eat bread" but do we become overwhelmed with dread when there is nothing to dread? is it because we do not call on God? on psalm 54:4 the psalmist states that "surely God is my help; the Lord is the one Who sustains me." the description of the righteous here does not mention actions, but rather trust.

it would seem to me that these few psalms here differentiate between the wicked and the righteous not so much by their actions but mostly by in whom they trust. who you trust and who you believe in will ultimately affect your actions. Sure the wicked men do many things, but that is because they say in their hearts "there is no God". i would suggest that their actions are not the problem, not the root of it at least. but rather the fact that they do not trust in God. while the righteous, though they may stumble and fall, and at times act in a way they should not, they repent and turn to God for help, i.e. Psalm 51.

on psalm 54, the psalmist cries out for deliverance not because he is a good person and deserves it, but rather because his God is a loving, mighty God Who listens to the prayers of sinners. it appears that ultimately the ruin of man is not making mistakes (sinning) for even the righteous do it at times, but rather it is not turning to God in repentance for help and forgiveness.

the Lord will sustain you because He loves you, not because you deserve it. and the wicked will not be destroyed because of their bad actions, but rather for rejecting God. sure the actions show what you believe, but they are not the root of the problem, only a reflection of it.

focus on Who is your help, and Who sustains you. let your actions serve as a thermometer, if you will, of where your heart is, and work on your heart. love God with all your heart and invite Him in to change it, trust in Him, He loves you. and do not be "overwhelmed with dread, where there is nothing to dread." That is for those who say in their hearts "there is no God".

 

now go back and read psalm 51 again, and see if these ideas fit.

silence

a smile, a glance, a wink, a touch, a hug, a look, a gesture…

how much sound does a light make? when salt is salting, what noise do we hear?

we are called to be the light of the world, the salt of the earth. could it be that maybe we should speak fewer words, and focus on living out loud?

can silence be more powerful than shouting? when should we speak, and when should we keep silent?

if we are always talking, could that make it difficult for us to hear the still small Voice?

God, grant me the wisdom to use silence eloquently for Your glory.

silence

if you know me, you know that i am rarely silent. the title of this blog is in a way a reminder to myself that silence can be eloquent, and that i need to learn to use it.

the more i think about silence, the more it amazes me. at times i act as if i was allergic to silence. probably because i often feel like it is my responsibility to be talking, leading, entertaining, informing, teaching, explaining… but that deprives others of sharing, and thinking, it often deprives me of thinking, causing me to speak without giving what i will say proper thought. and if you have been around me you have witnessed this. perhaps in order to become a better communicator, in order to be more helpful, i need to harness and use the power of silence. hopefully i am on the path of becoming a better listener, and thus a better husband, friend, and pastor.

 

why eloquent silence

silence seems to become rarer with the passing of time. as societies advance and as countries develop silence seems to shrink, to fade, to disappear. yet silence seems so important, so vital. i remember an orchestra director who would always tell her orchestra that the silence was just as important as the sound, if not more, and unless they respected the rests, the right notes and the harmonies would loose their effectiveness in the great scheme of the symphony as a whole.

a pause at the appropriate time, silence skillfully used can deliver greater impact than loud blast of sound. silence can say so much, it can be so eloquent, yet it is so rare.

grace is alive and well

 

this morning i needed God's help in a special way.

i had been praying about this for a while, but it has been surprisingly difficult to pray for this specific thing. this has been one of those things that you pray to God and then run and do your part, like most things we pray for. however, every time i prayed for this i felt guilty, because i felt like i was keeping up my part of the bargain. i did not feel like i was doing my part, I was not working hard enough, i was letting other things take precedence. as i would pray i would remember the times i wasted time, and how i did not deserve to have my prayer answered. i did not deserve what i was asking for and how dare i ask God for something when my life is so full of faults. i really felt like there was an enormous list of things i needed to take care of before daring to come before God to ask for anything. but i continued to pray, begging God to have mercy and help me even though i did not deserve His help. i asked Him to help me in the areas of my life that needed work, a list that seems to be continually growing, and begged Him to not give up on me.

this morning i barely had the courage to pray to God, since yesterday seemed especially disastrous, at least when the actual day is compared to my initial plans for it. but i did pray to God, feeling unworthy, feeling guilty for my misuse of time and resources He had given me, feeling like a failure, i came before the throne of our awesome God in prayer, and begged for His help and mercy.

and God came through! i did not expect it and figured i deserved to not have my prayer answered and i needed to learn that lesson, and maybe that would teach me to be more faithful in more areas of my life. but God blessed me with i needed. i did not deserve it, but God blessed me. have come home victorious, though i deserved defeat. why did God bless me? how much does he love me? a lot more than i deserve. i am so glad i prayed, and when all my faults flooded my mind, i placed them at the Savior's feet and asked for help with them as well.

now i feel even more motivated to live a better life, to be more faithful and to continue to grow, because God deserves my best. not out of fear for punishment, but as a reaction to His unfailing love and His mercy. praise God for His love and mercy.

btw- this is the second time this has happened (in this manner) since i have began my graduate studies, and i praise God for it and try to be even more faithful to Him every time, rather than to slack off because of my "faith" that God will bless me. it is true that God blesses me when i do not deserve it, but it only makes me want to try even harder to be faithful to my loving Father.