tablets of human hearts

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.
The world and all its people belong to him.
(Psalm 24:1, NLT)

“Mine,” the child cries, snatching the toy away from the startled sibling.  Surprise turns to dismay and the upset child wails in protest.    An argument ensues and when the parent intervenes, trying to reason with the owner of the toy in dispute, the older child insists on his or her rights to the toy.

We attribute this behavior to childishness and often, as adults, believe we have moved beyond these immature ways.  But if we look closely, if we examine our hearts, our attitudes and even our words, we might find that the word mine, rather than Yours (as in the Lord’s), describes what we believe about many things in our lives.

My job.
My house.
My spouse.
My kids.
My (fill in the blank)
But what if we change the first word.

Your job, Lord – Paul encourages us that whatever we do, do it heartily for the Lord (Colossians 3:23).
Your house, Lord – if the Lord truly meets all of our needs (Philippians 4:19), then our home is provided by Him as well.
Your spouse, Lord – I love how Gary Thomas, in Sacred Marriage, has called God our Father-in-Law. If our spouse is a child of the King, then that makes God our Father-in-Law and this perspective might just change how we treat our spouse and how we talk to God about our spouse.
Your kids, Lord – that’s a tough one. I have too often taken ownership of them. Ownership of their successes (I am such a great parent), their failures (I am the reason for all their problems) and their safety (I have to keep them safe).
Your (fill in the blank), Lord – What else do I need to turn over to the Lord, what do I need to remember belongs to Him?

What about my very life?  Have I surrendered it to Him?  Or do I still seek to do things my way, do the things I want to do, pursue things I want to pursue?  As we start out the new year, what resolutions have we made?  If we brought them to the Lord, what would be His thoughts on what we want to work on?  Or if we asked Him, what might He want to work on in our lives this year?

My life.

or

Your life, Lord – Whether in life or death, we belong to the Lord (Romans 14:8).

We will explore this idea a little more next week, in Psalm 25.

Until then, we would do well to remember, it all belongs to the Lord

Prayer Heavenly Father, help me to remember that everything is indeed yours. Help me to hold it all with an open hand, to trust You to know best what to do and to be a good steward with what you have entrusted me.

Grace & Peace

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
(Psalm 23:1, NLT)

Although Christmas is over and most mangers have been tucked away into attics or closets until next year, it seemed fitting, with the first words of this Psalm, to revisit the manger and those who appeared on the scene. Specifically the shepherds.  I love how our Savior’s birth was not announced in Rome or even in Jerusalem.  But in the fields.  Not to an emperor or a king.  But to common shepherds.   When I think about it, its really not that surprising for shepherds to be the ones first blessed to hear good news of great joy.

Because the Psalm says the Lord is my shepherd.

And Jesus called himself the Good shepherd.

I asked myself, then, what does it mean to be a shepherd and is it important to understand how that image relates to our God?

The problem is, I’ve never been around sheep or know any shepherds.  So how can I understand this concept better?

Today, of course, the answer is the internet.  Using our good friend Google, I decided to ask a question: What are the specific tasks of a shepherd?

An article came up in Christianity Today titled: The Surprising Truth About Shepherds, An excerpt from Margaret Feinberg’s latest book, Scouting the Divine
She provides several pieces of insight. First, a shepherd pays attention to the well being of his sheep, watching for weakness or illness and keeping an eye out for those prone to wander.  A shepherd also leads his sheep rather than pushing them because pushing sheep creates anxiety and fear.  And finally, a shepherd knows there is safety in the flock and keeps them together, especially when danger is present.

Bible History Online also popped up and provided an extensive list under the Manners and Customs section.  One thing stood out for me; shepherds have tender hearts toward their sheep. A good shepherd always puts the well being of his sheep above his own.   He cares for sick sheep, often using olive oil as ointment for many ailments, carries them in times of need and protects them from danger.  A shepherd knows his own sheep and can pick them out.  The shepherd may even have special names for them.  And the sheep know their shepherd and will respond to his call.

If you’re familiar with the gospels, especially the book of John, then you know Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd.  He takes some of the very attributes mentioned above and applies them to himself.

As I look at the fact that the Lord is my shepherd, then I can say my Father knows me.  He calls me by name.  He knows whether I’m prone to wander.  He knows my weaknesses.  He knows when I need to be carried.  He watches out for my safety.  He leads and expects me to follow.

But, do I know His voice?  Have I spent enough time with Him to recognize when He speaks to me?  When He leads, do I follow?  Do I trust him to take me to good places?  Or do I try to find my own way?

I’m sure there are so many other things I could learn if I could watch a shepherd with his sheep.  Maybe one day, instead of relying on the internet search function, I will find a shepherd, with some sheep, and do some first hand investigating for myself.

And one day we will see our Shepherd face to face.  Revelation 7:17 says “For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.”

I want to follow Him then.  So I need to learn to follow now.

Prayer, Good Shepherd, You give me rest, strength, protection, and blessings beyond measure.  Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life,
and I will live your house forever. 

Grace & Peace

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far away when I groan for help?
(Psalm 22:1, NLT)

These words were made famous by Jesus, as he hung, dying on the cross.

So often I have heard it taught that God abandoned Christ at that moment on the cross.
Abandoned him because of the sin of the world he bore. Abandoned His one and only Son because God cannot be in the presence of sin.  (I wrote about this topic in an earlier blog, on Psalm 10).

But might Christ have been doing something more when he cried out to God?  Instead of merely crying out in the midst of the pain and suffering, might our Christ, who was always purposeful in every action, even to the end, have also cried out the beginning of this Psalm for a specific purpose?

For those who spend time memorizing, whether Scripture, songs, poetry, or lines in movies or tv shows, there is an interesting phenomena that takes place.

One only needs to hear the first few words to recall the memorized piece.

If I were to say “Romeo, Romeo,” you, once a student of high school English literature, might continue “wherefore art thou Romeo?”  If you’re pretty good, you might go on to say “Deny thy father and refuse thy name.”  And if you’re that kind of person, you might even entertain us with the entire scene.

Or if I were to sing “”Hello darkness, my old friend.”  You might just start singing along  “I’ve come to talk with you again.” (Simon and Garfunkel, “The Sound of Silence”)  Okay, maybe not, because those who know me, know I can’t quite carry a tune.

And one only needs to hear a few words to recall a scene or episode of a favorite movie or tv show.

“Beam me up, Scotty.”
“Elementary my dear Watson.”
“There’s no place like home.”

Likewise, when Jesus uttered those words from the cross, those present who were schooled in Jewish text, would also know the next line, “Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer.  Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.”  And, having memorized, prayed, spoken, and sung the Psalms, they would more than likely know the entire Psalm.  The Psalm might begin with a lament of abandonment, but it does not stay there.  The Psalm talks about the experience of one who is scorned, mocked, surrounded, and beaten down.  It cries out for God to save. It talks about God’s holiness and his trustworthiness to rescue.  And then proclaims that God “has not turned his back on them” but rather listens and responds.

The Psalm carries us through a wide spectrum of emotion and, like a great symphony, carries us to the crescendo of  great victory, satisfaction, rejoicing, and even of feasting.

Indeed the Psalm ends with “His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born.
They will hear about everything he has done.”

And isn’t that the case?  We know the words Jesus cried out on the cross.  We know he died and was buried.  But we celebrate because he was raised from the dead on the third day (see 1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

Indeed, as Jesus spoke these words, he knew how the Psalm ended and he reminds us to remember: the cross is not the final word, because in the end the victory belongs to the Lord.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for reminding me as You hung on the cross that evil did not have the final say.  That we are not abandoned.  That you hear our cries and You have provided the victory in Christ.

Grace & Peace