Remember and Sing and Will! Psalm 9

A good friend had a miscarriage yesterday. It is her second, and she says it will be her last. They will stop trying, and I cannot say I blame them. She is inconsolable. The pain is to the marrow.

I LOVE how the psalmist begins this Psalm, "I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High." He determines to give thinks. He forces himself to tell of God's wonderful acts. He will, he will, he will be glad and rejoice and sing. People have abandoned him, betrayed him and are out to kill him, but he CHOOSES to exert his will toward God, hoping his heart and mind catch up.

I lived for so many years ONLY willing to obey that once the gospel captivated my heart and the beauty of Jesus overwhelmed my soul in the face of my relentless sin I gave up willing, mistaking it for the heartless legalism of my past. Now that the love of Jesus, in light of his beautiful work for me and in me, has taken hold, I am learning the beauty of gospel willing. I am learning that obedience without love is death, but obedience in light of love holds great hope.

Something has happened to David. He knows, walks, lives in relationship with God. Love for God saturates his pen. Yet, even when he doesn't feel it, he forces himself toward gratitude and praise by remembering what is true:

 ⁷ The LORD reigns forever;
   he has established his throne for judgment.
⁸ He rules the world in righteousness
   and judges the peoples with equity.
⁹ The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
   a stronghold in times of trouble.
¹⁰ Those who know your name trust in you,
   for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

We always have the truth of betrayal, the truth of hurt and how the day has short changed us, but we also always have another truth, a truer truth. Though our mood shaped by our ever changing circumstances flops around like a cork on the sea, God is unchanging. He is always, "...enthroned in Zion!"

The risks are high to not will in His direction. My friends will be overcome with grief and never get up again. I will become accustomed to sin that I simply don't feel like fighting. Hope will forfeit to hopelessness, and we will drown.

But we have someone to hope in and hope in Him is power to will again. Our God is one who, "...does not ignore the cries of the afflicted." You see, "In all their afflictions, he was afflicted (Is 63:9)." When we are having to will again, he is not only hearing our cries, but he is being afflicted as we. We are not alone in our deadness of heart and soul. Our God gets in it with us!

So, will to rejoice today. Will to obey and do what is right and good trusting that God will catch up your heart and mind in good time. In fact, may that be your cry and affliction that you even have to will to obey, and look forward to the day when the willing will be over and all things, heart, mind, and will shall be united in and around Him!

Love,
Dad