tablets of human hearts

“Answer me when I call to you, O God who declares me innocent.
Free me from my troubles.  Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.”
(Psalm 4:1, NLT)

When difficulties, struggles, heartache, pain, and loss come, we , like the Psalmist, often cry out for God to free us from them.

Louie Giglio, in one of his messages, compares life to a white water rafting trip he once took.  The adventure with his friends started out on the raft floating down a nice wide, peaceful river.  They laughed and talked in the sunshine, splashing, roughhousing and enjoying the day.  But it wasn’t too long before they could hear, off in the distance, the roar of water.  As they drew closer to the sound, the roar growing to deafening proportions, they realized that things were going to get rough.  Really rough.  The water moved swiftly, treacherously propelling them forward into the rocky, rougher, white water portion of the river.  No longer enjoying the sun that still shone, no longer laughing or talking to one another, they held on for dear life as they hurtled forward with no control, no choice of turning back, their only thought surviving as they plunged over the waterfall into the depths below.

How much of life is like that.  If only we could get rid of the white water parts and the water falls, wouldn’t life be so much better.  As Louie Giglio said, our goal tends to be to get as far down that stream as possible without encountering the waterfall.  But Scripture tells us “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” (James 1:2-4, NLT)  Somehow, growth and development are intricately tied to troubles.

Scripture also tells us troubles create humility, empathy and compassion in us that we can then extend to others.  “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”  (2 Corinthians 1:4, NLT)

When we long for an easy life, a life free of the trials and struggles, when we cry out to God to free us of our troubles, do we realize we are asking God to keep us immature, selfish and spiritually stunted?

Are you currently struggling, are you in the midst of troubles, are you undergoing trials?  How might the Lord want to use those things to grow you and develop your character?  How might He use those very things in your life to help others around you?

Heavenly Father, I long for your Shalom, your perfect peace, and sometimes I confuse that to mean a life free of struggles and trouble.   Show me how you work in my life in the midst of the struggles, heartache, pain, and loss and teach me to trust You and be comforted by You through them.

“O Lord, I have so many enemies; so many are against me.”
(Psalm 3:1, NLT)

We have an enemy who seeks to not only make our lives miserable (he is much more destructive than that), but desires to keep us blind, in bondage and render us ineffective by any means possible.  Too often we think we are our own enemy and turn to self-loathing, hating ourselves for our failures, our struggles, and our sin.    But we are not the real enemy.  So we must confess these things and allow our loving Father to do His work in our lives because He has freed us from the power of sin.

Too often we think other people are the enemy.  True, they are flawed as much as we are, struggling with their own failures and sin, and often make things difficult for us.  But they are not the real enemy.  In fact, the enemy desires to keep them blind, in bondage and render them ineffective by any means possible as well.  He succeeds when we turn on one another, bickering, biting, devouring and destroying, rather than loving one another.

Scripture tells us to keep in mind who this true enemy is.
“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”  (Ephesians 6:12, NLT)

This enemy is a thief and he has an agenda.
Jesus reminds us what this enemy desires to do.
“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.” (John 10:10a, NLT)

But Jesus has a different plan.
“My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”  (John 10:10b, NLT)

Where in your life does the enemy keep you blind to the joy and the abundant life that Jesus has for you?  Where does the enemy keep you in bondage?  What are the shackles that imprison you?  Addiction, diversion, worry, bitterness, unforgiveness?  Where in your walk with Christ does the enemy render you ineffective and defeated because of his lies?

Jesus can set you free from this things.  When He sets you free, you are truly free.

Father, open my eyes to see the life you have for me.  Make me aware of the enemy’s work in my life so I can cast off everything that hinders and slows me down and the sin that wraps itself around my feet and entangles me.  Let me run with perseverance the race you have for me, always keeping my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith.
(from Hebrews 12:1-2)

“Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans?”
(Psalm 2:1, NLT)

Merriam Webster describes anger as: “a strong feeling of being upset or annoyed because of something wrong or bad: the feeling that makes someone want to hurt other people.”

There is a lot of anger in the world.  We see it on the road when one driver cuts another drive off.  We see it in the grocery lines when someone takes too long or has more than ten items in the express checkout.  We see it on the sports field when one player doesn’t like another player’s action.  Or even when a parent doesn’t like a call against their child or their child’s team.  We see people from one political party raging against the perceived evils of another political party.  We see it in our faith communities when one tradition does not agree with the practices or beliefs of another tradition.  We see it on our homes, in our streets, in our schools, in our cities.

True, some anger rises up when we see a wrong or an injustice against the weak or the helpless.  This type of anger, if handled wisely, can lead to intervention, protection and assistance.  God calls us to this kind of action, because it is motived by love and compassion.

“The kind of fasting I want is this: Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free. Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives.”  (Isaiah 58:6-7, GNT)

However, most anger comes from our own selfish desires.  In the pursuit of what we want, we end up being the instigator, the oppressor, the one inflicting pain on others.   Scripture calls us to consider:

“Where do all the fights and quarrels among you come from? They come from your desires for pleasure, which are constantly fighting within you. You want things, but you cannot have them, so you are ready to kill; you strongly desire things, but you cannot get them, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have what you want because you do not ask God for it. And when you ask, you do not receive it, because your motives are bad; you ask for things to use for your own pleasures.”   (James 4:1-3, GNT)

When you are angry, is it motivated by love and genuine concern for another’s wellbeing?  Or is it motivated by selfishness, by trying to get what you want, whether it be power, possession or position, regardless of how grand or how insignificant?

Father, forgive me when I hurt others in my anger, rather than loving them.  Forgive me when I pursue my own selfish gain, rather than wanting to seek the good of those around me.

“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.”
(Psalm 1:1, NLT)

Seems everyone has an opinion.  Family.  Friends.  Coworkers.  Strangers.  Mostly with good intentions, I’m sure.  But opinions are shared and advice is given whether asked for or not.  It’s easy to tell someone else what he/she should do.  And wherever we look, answers show up for everyone with (or without) a question.  From commercials telling us why we need spotless floors, spotless clothes and spotless teeth, to magazine headlines telling us how to find that perfect someone, keep that spouse happy, and what to do if we find that he/she’s not perfect and we’re not happy.   Self-help programs, diet plans, and ways to fix this or fix that fill book shelves and websites.  Advertisements riddle our Facebook profiles, tailored to our browsing habits.  And don’t even get me started on the stuff that fills our email spam box.

But not all advice is created equal.  And not all advice comes from trustworthy sources.  In fact, a lot of advice is probably very questionable.  It does matter to where and to whom we turn to for guidance.

God’s word is trustworthy.  It provides insight into what God knows that works and what doesn’t.  “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16, NLT).

Jesus is someone we can follow.  He tells us “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.”
(John 12:44-46, NLT)

The Holy Spirit is our perfect counselor.  He teaches those who follow Jesus.  “But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.” (1 John 2:27, NLT)

Where do you get your advice?  Do you follow the advice of anyone who comes along with the next great thing or, as the Psalmist says, do you find joy because you do not follow their advice, but rather turn to God’s word and to His Spirit for guidance?

Heavenly Father, I want to trust you and not depend on my own understanding.  I want to seek your will in everything because I know you will show me the best way.  Amen.
(from Proverbs 3:5-6, NLT)

Four years ago I attended a prayer retreat and began a new chapter of my prayer journey. Vic Black, U.S. prayer director for The Navigators, introduced me to the concept of journaling the Psalms in the first person, as though God Himself were speaking to me.  I found the idea intriguing and immediately tried it out.  To my delight, my efforts quickly became an intimate conversation between my Heavenly Father and myself.  Over the course of several years, I rewrote selected Psalms as my prayer to my Father and then would use the same Psalm as His answer back to me. As I journaled, I related the words of the Psalm to whatever was going on in my life at that time and let my heart cry out from the depths of myself, as I imagine the original Psalmist did. When I journaled the Psalm as though God Himself were speaking to me, answering my prayer, I asked the Holy Spirit to guide me and I listened to see what truths He had for me in the Psalm.

A little over a year ago, I started a journal just for the Psalms, labeling it Praying the Psalms.   I began with Psalm 1 and journaled them one by one. Some of the longer Psalms I broke down into several prayers, especially Psalm 119, which I prayed by letter. With twenty-two letters, it took two months. I’ve now worked my way through Psalm 144 and with only six more to go and plenty of pages left in my journal, I will start over again at Psalm 1.

Recently, the Lord introduced me to two additional ideas, this time with regard to the first verse of each Psalms. My husband, using a Bible app on his iPhone, flipped through the Psalms and noticed the first verse of each one as it appeared on his screen. He commented how each first verse stood out when read successively that way. Not long after, a friend shared how the people in Jesus’ day (and some still today) would have immediately recalled the entire Psalm when just the first verse was quoted. (For those who memorize Scripture, its like hearing the first few words of a passage and instantly recalling the rest of the passage. Or for music lovers, hearing the first few words/notes of a song and recalling the entire the song). So when Jesus said on the cross in Matthew 27:46 (NLT), “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” quoting from Psalm 22, those listening would have recalled the entire Psalm, all the way through its description of struggles, enemies, trust, and praise, to the final verse, “His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born.
 They will hear about everything he has done.”

As I considered the power of the first verse, I decided to try a new activity and use it as a blog series:  a  journey through the first verses of the Psalms, writing a short devotional on each one. Just as the Lord started a new chapter in my prayer journey with journaling the Psalms in the first person, I look forward to this new chapter on the first verse and I invite you to join me on this journey.