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
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Just look up! Psalm 8
Almost everyday for five years, at some point in the day, I would look up. It was typically when I was running, but also driving. It didn't matter what I was doing, thinking or feeling. If life was good, it made it better. If life was not so good, it made it bearable, but it always worked.
Living in Colorado fed my soul in so many ways, but one of the key ways was that it forced me to look up. And when I did, when I looked up at the mostly snow packed Long's Peak (the nearest and most visible 14'ner) these words would fill my mind, "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!"
I don't naturally look up. I can get so lost in the worries of life and the concerns of the day that I drown in the deep end of my sorrow, guilt and worry, but He seems to bring me back time and again. He seems to give me something to lift my chin to be reminded of who He is and who I am. You see the thing we need most is to look as high up as we can for it is then and only then that we can remember that He is even higher. When we see that He is higher than the highest thing, we can find life in being a lowly thing that God has lifted high. When we look up we wonder why He takes any time with us at all. Yet considering the central place we hold in His mind and heart centers our hearts and minds in a right place: not too high, but not too low! "What is man that you are mindful of him..."
So look up today. I have found that I don't need a mountain to look up. I have found that it merely takes seeing something bigger, and more beautiful than me. It may be the MS river on a run, but it may also be listening to and laughing with your mom. I took Braden to the zoo Monday. It was just the two of us, and I was so captivated by him. It was so fun to watch his little mind work, to see the look on his face as he watched the gorillas eating their lettuce, carrots and celery. I realized Monday that looking up means getting out of yourself, for there is life.
So look up today. Look away from your problems, challenges, classes and trials. Look away from the worries of tomorrow and remember your place below God, yet honored by God. Look up and say, if not scream, "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth."
Love,
dad
Living in Colorado fed my soul in so many ways, but one of the key ways was that it forced me to look up. And when I did, when I looked up at the mostly snow packed Long's Peak (the nearest and most visible 14'ner) these words would fill my mind, "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!"
I don't naturally look up. I can get so lost in the worries of life and the concerns of the day that I drown in the deep end of my sorrow, guilt and worry, but He seems to bring me back time and again. He seems to give me something to lift my chin to be reminded of who He is and who I am. You see the thing we need most is to look as high up as we can for it is then and only then that we can remember that He is even higher. When we see that He is higher than the highest thing, we can find life in being a lowly thing that God has lifted high. When we look up we wonder why He takes any time with us at all. Yet considering the central place we hold in His mind and heart centers our hearts and minds in a right place: not too high, but not too low! "What is man that you are mindful of him..."
So look up today. I have found that I don't need a mountain to look up. I have found that it merely takes seeing something bigger, and more beautiful than me. It may be the MS river on a run, but it may also be listening to and laughing with your mom. I took Braden to the zoo Monday. It was just the two of us, and I was so captivated by him. It was so fun to watch his little mind work, to see the look on his face as he watched the gorillas eating their lettuce, carrots and celery. I realized Monday that looking up means getting out of yourself, for there is life.
So look up today. Look away from your problems, challenges, classes and trials. Look away from the worries of tomorrow and remember your place below God, yet honored by God. Look up and say, if not scream, "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth."
Love,
dad
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
People Talk - Psalm 7
Once something is tweeted it cannot be retracted. Someone can tweet anything they want to about you and there is nothing you can do to get the words back. That is power.
As a minister, there are always people talking about me. I have no control over that. Much of what is said is not true, even the good stuff! There is nothing I can do about it. That has the power to drive you mad.
People will talk about you and some will spread rumors and lies sometimes to hurt you directly, sometimes just because they can. This is evil and an evil that David is experiencing. Yet again, he goes, not to image management, but to God. He puts his life before God and says, "You know these are lies, you know that, in this matter, I am righteous."
Having someone who knows and cares is everything. Having someone who really knows you and really knows what is true in the face of lies is life. We were made for truth, not lies. We were made for encouragement and love, not gossip and hate. God is the one David goes to for He is the One who really knows and cares. He is a refuge, One we can rest in, and find peace in His love. We can even blow off stem and ask that He create large painful sores on the backs of our enemies. He probably won't do it, but He is one in whose love it is safe to ask, even rage.
He understands our rage. No one was more falsely accused than Jesus. No one went through life more misunderstood, and judged than He. Yet, "like a lamb is led to the slaughter," so he quietly went with us in mind. Yes, he embraced the lies so we could have One to draw near to when we become the object of lies. He genuinely knows our hurt, fears, pain and rage and he invites us to come and lay it all down on Him.
That seems to be what David is doing. He is going to God as opposed to expending his energy writing a defense. He goes to God that God might win his heart away from hate, fear and self doubt. He goes to God that he might not step out of this refuge for outside the walls of the refuge of God there are arrows and evil. He goes to God that God's voice might become louder than mans INSTEAD of going to man to get revenge and vindication.
As a minister, there are always people talking about me. I have no control over that. Much of what is said is not true, even the good stuff! There is nothing I can do about it. That has the power to drive you mad.
People will talk about you and some will spread rumors and lies sometimes to hurt you directly, sometimes just because they can. This is evil and an evil that David is experiencing. Yet again, he goes, not to image management, but to God. He puts his life before God and says, "You know these are lies, you know that, in this matter, I am righteous."
Having someone who knows and cares is everything. Having someone who really knows you and really knows what is true in the face of lies is life. We were made for truth, not lies. We were made for encouragement and love, not gossip and hate. God is the one David goes to for He is the One who really knows and cares. He is a refuge, One we can rest in, and find peace in His love. We can even blow off stem and ask that He create large painful sores on the backs of our enemies. He probably won't do it, but He is one in whose love it is safe to ask, even rage.
He understands our rage. No one was more falsely accused than Jesus. No one went through life more misunderstood, and judged than He. Yet, "like a lamb is led to the slaughter," so he quietly went with us in mind. Yes, he embraced the lies so we could have One to draw near to when we become the object of lies. He genuinely knows our hurt, fears, pain and rage and he invites us to come and lay it all down on Him.
That seems to be what David is doing. He is going to God as opposed to expending his energy writing a defense. He goes to God that God might win his heart away from hate, fear and self doubt. He goes to God that he might not step out of this refuge for outside the walls of the refuge of God there are arrows and evil. He goes to God that God's voice might become louder than mans INSTEAD of going to man to get revenge and vindication.
And in going to God to work out the lies being told, he finds peace and he is restored from turmoil to worship, "I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High." May we find that kind of rest when the lies are told and we are tempted to retreat and turn inward and hide. May we rest in Him, that we might stand strongly even in the presence of our enemies.
love,
dad
Thursday, September 15, 2011
All Shall Be Well! Psalm 6
I sometimes feel really bad for feeling bad, until, that is, I read the Psalms. These guys would be prescribed an anti-depressant in our day, and quit possibly needed one. In this Psalm the psalmist is flooding his bed with tears, soaking his couch with weeping and his eyes are wasting away with grief. He is not just glibly singing the blues, he is singing some down home, Memphis delta blues. His chariot is swinging low, coming forth to carry him home. Ok...I'm getting a bit dramatic, but you get the point. He is deeply sad, driven to tears and feeling really alone, if not abandoned.
That is how he feels. I saw a post on Facebook yesterday that read, "Feelings should neither be ignored, nor placed in charge." I think the psalmist would agree and I need to hear that! The world assumes there is a drug, a relationship, a sexual hook up, job or cruise that will drive away the pain. We Christians are as bad assuming that heaven can, if not should, be now. Few of us will share our real hurt and pain even with fellow Believers for we fear having Philippians 4:4 splattered in big bold letters on our windshield with shoe polish. God's Word is THE answer, no doubt, but it seems, from the psalms, it must come in time. I guess what I am saying he is saying is that it is healthy and good to hurt in this broken world. It seems we must grieve in the night to appreciate, if not relish the morning. It is OK to not be OK. We should feel lonely, abandoned, incomplete, hurt for that is precisely what we are, not ultimately, but in a real sense, certainly. Even in the best relationships, the best churches, colleges and families, we will be all these.
That is how he feels. I saw a post on Facebook yesterday that read, "Feelings should neither be ignored, nor placed in charge." I think the psalmist would agree and I need to hear that! The world assumes there is a drug, a relationship, a sexual hook up, job or cruise that will drive away the pain. We Christians are as bad assuming that heaven can, if not should, be now. Few of us will share our real hurt and pain even with fellow Believers for we fear having Philippians 4:4 splattered in big bold letters on our windshield with shoe polish. God's Word is THE answer, no doubt, but it seems, from the psalms, it must come in time. I guess what I am saying he is saying is that it is healthy and good to hurt in this broken world. It seems we must grieve in the night to appreciate, if not relish the morning. It is OK to not be OK. We should feel lonely, abandoned, incomplete, hurt for that is precisely what we are, not ultimately, but in a real sense, certainly. Even in the best relationships, the best churches, colleges and families, we will be all these.
Yet, for us, the dawn will break, the sun will rise and hope will be renewed. Hope, for us, has a name. He writes, "The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer." Someone good sees, hears, feels our cries, our pain, our suffering and He is one who can empathize. There is nothing we can experience that He hasn't. He knows what it means for good friends to ignore, betray and even deny ever knowing Him. There is not a tear we can cry that He hasn't cried. His suffering, redeems our suffering. All this nonsense about cheering up too soon is just that, for He, not a milkshake (I know you eat your feelings), is our real cure. And He is only experienced in the act of crying out from deep need, for in the crying we are connected to Him. We are in a living relationship that must be experienced relationally.
How many tears have I dried from your face? How many embraces have we shared in the midst of hard times? Now that I think of it, you have dried some of mine too. This has drawn us close, and given us strength and hope. It is the same with God. We must go to him with our tears and know that He hears the cries and sees the tears and because he is our Father, He will come, He will act, He will make things good.
A friend signed an email to me this week with these words, "All shall be well." She is in the midst of some deep suffering. This seems to be how the psalmist ends his psalms, namely, honesty about how he feels, ensuing tears, but a deep affirmation that, "All shall be well," and it will.
Love,
Dad
Monday, September 12, 2011
Go to God for Justice! Psalm 5
I remember the call from your sister informing me of what had been done to her. Shock and horror turned to rage, which turned to a deep desire for justice. At first it was justice I would bring, which, by God's mercy, turned to a justice only He could rightfully wield.
The Psalmist is encountering injustice. Evil people are doing evil things and getting away with their evil. So his soul cries out, "Make them bear their guilt, O God!" Is that ok? Is it ok to want harm to come to others, even ask God for it to come?
Justice is good, because God is just. It is because we are made in the image of a just God that the Psalmist so wants justice. Yesterday, was 9/11 and as I listened to the firefighters who lost 353 of their fellow firefighters. I listened to wives who lost husbands, husbands who had lost wives, and I was glad Osama Bin Laden was killed, shot in the head, even that his wife that he hid behind was shot. I delighted in his death for in it was some sense of justice. Justice is good, and evil is bad.
You will encounter all kinds of injustice and already have. It is ok to feel the weight of the injustice and acknowledge it, but I think the Psalmist leads us well. He goes to God with his yearning for justice. His soul cries out to Him. His fists do not fly, nor his tongue spread hate to his community.
God can take our anger and pain, He seems to invite it. He wants us to wrestle with Him, for in so doing, He brings us close. When we go to God with a deep sense of longing for our enemy to get what they deserve, God actually gets us. The Psalmist ends, "For you bless the righteous, O Lord. You cover him with favor as with a shield." The funny thing about our longing for justice is no matter how strong our desire is for justice, we know, deep down, that we really don't want justice for the evil, for we too are evil. What has been done to us, or those we love, can often replace God as our shield for a time. We begin to look to the thing done to us to draw life from it, instead of from God. Yet, when emotion wears out, we are left with the reality that we don't want God to treat us as our sins deserve, and that we have more in common with our enemy than not.
So, when we go to God for him to get our enemy, he gets us as he reminds us of His gospel, His good news. He wrestles our hearts to a cross, the place justice was carried out on our sin on Him. We see the cost of justice and hate turns into love, judgment turns into mercy and, He wins our hearts. So go to God with your yearning for what those that hurt you deserve. Be honest with Him and let Him get you! He certainly will.
Much love!
dad
The Psalmist is encountering injustice. Evil people are doing evil things and getting away with their evil. So his soul cries out, "Make them bear their guilt, O God!" Is that ok? Is it ok to want harm to come to others, even ask God for it to come?
Justice is good, because God is just. It is because we are made in the image of a just God that the Psalmist so wants justice. Yesterday, was 9/11 and as I listened to the firefighters who lost 353 of their fellow firefighters. I listened to wives who lost husbands, husbands who had lost wives, and I was glad Osama Bin Laden was killed, shot in the head, even that his wife that he hid behind was shot. I delighted in his death for in it was some sense of justice. Justice is good, and evil is bad.
You will encounter all kinds of injustice and already have. It is ok to feel the weight of the injustice and acknowledge it, but I think the Psalmist leads us well. He goes to God with his yearning for justice. His soul cries out to Him. His fists do not fly, nor his tongue spread hate to his community.
God can take our anger and pain, He seems to invite it. He wants us to wrestle with Him, for in so doing, He brings us close. When we go to God with a deep sense of longing for our enemy to get what they deserve, God actually gets us. The Psalmist ends, "For you bless the righteous, O Lord. You cover him with favor as with a shield." The funny thing about our longing for justice is no matter how strong our desire is for justice, we know, deep down, that we really don't want justice for the evil, for we too are evil. What has been done to us, or those we love, can often replace God as our shield for a time. We begin to look to the thing done to us to draw life from it, instead of from God. Yet, when emotion wears out, we are left with the reality that we don't want God to treat us as our sins deserve, and that we have more in common with our enemy than not.
So, when we go to God for him to get our enemy, he gets us as he reminds us of His gospel, His good news. He wrestles our hearts to a cross, the place justice was carried out on our sin on Him. We see the cost of justice and hate turns into love, judgment turns into mercy and, He wins our hearts. So go to God with your yearning for what those that hurt you deserve. Be honest with Him and let Him get you! He certainly will.
Much love!
dad
Monday, September 5, 2011
He is all I should be, for me - Psalm 4
Peace. Rest. Security. Safety. Joy.
Living is often a painful reminder of all that we are and all that we are not. A typical day is filled with affirmations that we are not want we want to be, and that we fall short. You throw God into the mix and it is easy to see him as the period at the end of the indicting sentence, just one divine conclusion of all that we feel. Yet the Psalmist, plagued by the same self loathing, takes a different turn evidenced by his cry, "O God of my righteousness."
God is holy, perfect and all that One could ever be, but he is so, not to condemn us, but he is so for us! He is our righteousness, not one who merely rubs our face in the fact that we are not, but He has actually come to be all we are not, for us. He has lived under the law in our place, just as certainly as He faced the Father's judgment on the cross. He has accomplished all we have failed to accomplish to present us holy in Him! We are, as Martin Luther said, sinful, yet righteous at the same time.
I cannot think of a truth that has made more impact on me in my daily living than this. My thoughts, words and deeds consistently remind me of what I am not, but Jesus' life reminds me of what I really am, and this is a power that humbles and emboldens me. It leaves me no room for boasting in me, but every reason to boast in Jesus. I grow small when I look at my sin, but He grows large when I look at his obedience realizing He was obeying for me, to present me as all that I am not in, and of myself, to the Father! When I closest to God, which is only when I am rehearsing this truth, do I pray, "O God of my righteousness!"
It is because of this and in this reality that he can and does rebuke us. If we didn't have His love and acceptance we would not be able to hear His correction. We are just too sensitive and self loathing. Yet, in light of His love, He can say and we can hear, "How long will my honor be turned into shame?" and "How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?" Knowing He loves and accepts us gives us insight into his motivation for correction. You see if he has accomplished our salvation, and is our righteousness, the primary reason for seeking our holiness is our good. Just like your mother and I want your obedience because we want to protect your heart and life from harm, so His love demands that He pursue us for good, for His good IS best. He confirms this motivation when he says, "The Lord set's apart the godly for himself!" After investing so much in us, he wants us for himself. The One who knows you perfectly wants you for himself!
Living is often a painful reminder of all that we are and all that we are not. A typical day is filled with affirmations that we are not want we want to be, and that we fall short. You throw God into the mix and it is easy to see him as the period at the end of the indicting sentence, just one divine conclusion of all that we feel. Yet the Psalmist, plagued by the same self loathing, takes a different turn evidenced by his cry, "O God of my righteousness."
God is holy, perfect and all that One could ever be, but he is so, not to condemn us, but he is so for us! He is our righteousness, not one who merely rubs our face in the fact that we are not, but He has actually come to be all we are not, for us. He has lived under the law in our place, just as certainly as He faced the Father's judgment on the cross. He has accomplished all we have failed to accomplish to present us holy in Him! We are, as Martin Luther said, sinful, yet righteous at the same time.
I cannot think of a truth that has made more impact on me in my daily living than this. My thoughts, words and deeds consistently remind me of what I am not, but Jesus' life reminds me of what I really am, and this is a power that humbles and emboldens me. It leaves me no room for boasting in me, but every reason to boast in Jesus. I grow small when I look at my sin, but He grows large when I look at his obedience realizing He was obeying for me, to present me as all that I am not in, and of myself, to the Father! When I closest to God, which is only when I am rehearsing this truth, do I pray, "O God of my righteousness!"
It is because of this and in this reality that he can and does rebuke us. If we didn't have His love and acceptance we would not be able to hear His correction. We are just too sensitive and self loathing. Yet, in light of His love, He can say and we can hear, "How long will my honor be turned into shame?" and "How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?" Knowing He loves and accepts us gives us insight into his motivation for correction. You see if he has accomplished our salvation, and is our righteousness, the primary reason for seeking our holiness is our good. Just like your mother and I want your obedience because we want to protect your heart and life from harm, so His love demands that He pursue us for good, for His good IS best. He confirms this motivation when he says, "The Lord set's apart the godly for himself!" After investing so much in us, he wants us for himself. The One who knows you perfectly wants you for himself!
When we believe this, it has real impact in our lives. The ESV reads, "You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound." This is the purpose of food and drink, as you have heard me say many times before, is to give us a taste, a real experience of His superior goodness! Any good thing in this world is a shadow of his goodness. Yet it is a shadow He wants us to experience that we might be attracted, as David is, to Him! Food and wine is not god, thus will kill us when we replace Him with them, but both are a taste of God meant to entice us to Him. His righteousness and love is better than grain and wine, but grain and wine make His love accessible and real. That is good news and news we can relate to if our bellies have ever been full or our hearts made glad with wine.
He ends the psalm in peace and rest. Rest is hard to come by in our world. Life is fast paced and rarely quiet, but rest comes when we meditate on Him, all He has done for us and all He is for us. He is our righteousness, the One who performed in our place that He might delight in us and possess us for Himself bringing us better joy than grain and wine, and that is peace!
Great game Thursday night and I hope you are well today!
Love,
dad
Saturday, August 27, 2011
You ARE what God says about you! Psalm 3
The Rieves are plagued. We have a disease that runs through our bones. We believe, no our being assumes, everyone WILL like us. From the first introduction we attempt to work our magic, cast our spell to secure a good impression. Failure is not an option. We will be liked, because we are likeable.
This really sets us up for serious disillusionment. If the Bible is clear about anything it is that sin dwarfs our ability to love. That means others are not only not going to like us, but they will take advantage of us, and dream of ways to avoid if not bring harm to us. When the harm of another collides with the assumption of our likeability, we act the way we feel, namely as if the sun forgot to shine. We act as if the most unnatural thing is occurring when in fact it is quite the opposite. Because of our broken nature we will be unliked, even by those that should love us.
We see this in David's life. When he wrote this Psalm he was being hunted like a dog by Absalom his own son, and his son's army. "Hunted," is not an exaggeration for Absalom wanted to kill David. This is surprising in and of itself, but what is even more surprising is that David never mentions this. Instead of complaining to God or confessing the sins of his son, he goes to God for deliverance. He allows the hate of his son to drive him to God as his deliverer.
He even goes to God with his desire for his enemies to be struck on the jaw and for the teethe of the wicked to be broken. How many family meetings have we held in which we struck our wicked offenders on the jaw and broke the teethe of those that had the nerve to hurt us? How many times have we assembled to confess the sin of others, leaving little to no room for mercy? We, unlike David, loose sleep as peace evades. Isn't there a better way?
There was a leprous man who went to Jesus and this was his plea, "If you are willing, make me clean." This man was in a life or death situation, yet he puts his life and death in Jesus' hands. It seems to me David is doing the same. He is not stewing in anger, but swimming up from the bottom of deep hurt propelled by the hope of deliverance, not by God, but in God. God is his shield, not altered circumstances.
When we have God, we have enough. His love is better than anyone's acceptance. His faithful presence to shield and renew us is life itself. Time spent leaning deep into Him, confessing His love is life even if all else is death. So, no matter what others are saying about you, you are what God says about you. And you need to agree and say with David, "To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me..."
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