Brown's Daily Word 5-28-08

Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for the gift of this new day. It is beginning look a lot like summer. The days are longer and they are starting to get warmer. The rhododendrons by the parsonage are beginning to bloom with exotic color. Alice and I are getting back into a holy habit of walking. We see the children playing t-ball, and the teeners are playing baseball in the local town park. As I drove toward the countryside yesterday, I noticed that the meadows and the hills are in full bloom. In his poem, "Daffodils", William Wordsworth reflected on the mystical Divine presence in nature. We do not worship nature; we worship the Lord God Almighty, who created the trees, the flowers, the hills, and the mountains by His word. In one of the Psalms King David said, "the little hills are laughing".
As David continued to look upward, in Psalm 62, he struggled to find a metaphor that would come close to describing how satisfied he was with God. As king, David had put on some fabulous feasts. As he thought back to the best banquet he ever had, it paled in comparison to the contentment he experienced on a daily basis with God. Look at verse 5, “My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods…” In the Bible, a satisfying meal is often representative of heavenly happiness. The pleasure found in God is compared to the pleasure found in eating. That’s why we have mid week meals in our church. We love to eat and fellowship. We say to each other, "Lord be with you till we eat again".
Isaiah 25:6 states, “On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples…” Jesus broke bread with his disciples, and Revelation 19:9 promises blessings to those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb. Our Lord was accused of eating too much and too often. His critics even called Him a glutton. In 1 Peter 2:2, we are called to drink the milk of the Word of God, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” Hebrews 5:13-14 challenges us to add solid food to our spiritual diet so that we can mature in our faith, “Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” The last part of Psalm 63:5 shows us that since David was fully satisfied with his bountiful banquet, and so he couldn’t help but break into praise, “with singing lips my mouth will praise you.” Even though he found himself in the desert with nothing to eat physically, his soul was satisfied with God Himself. He chose to praise God even though his present situation was not very good.
I talked to someone yesterday who has gone through some very tough things this week. I loved her response when I asked her how she’s doing. This is what she said, “I’m not going to let Satan steal my joy. No matter how bad things look, God is still good and I have chosen to praise Him!” In verse 6, David’s mind went to those times when he laid awake at night and could not sleep. This psalm is really cool because it covers all of life ­ it begins by focusing on seeking the Lord in the early morning, enjoying Him as we eat our meals, and then remembering Him at night. “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.” The Lord should be in the first and last thoughts of our day.
One church member has a sign in from of his garage which states, "when you can’t fall asleep, don’t count sheep but talk to the shepherd". At night, when your mind is filled with fear and worry, praise God on your pillow! Remember what He has done and meditate on His goodness. In this passage, David was probably thinking of the times he joined the Levites in their shifts of praise through the night. This is indicated by his words referencing the “watches of the night.” He could not join them physically, but he could still praise God in the middle of the night. David's full confidence that God would help him deal with his situation is reflected in verse 7, “Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.” The picture here is of a baby chick running for refuge under the wings of a hen. In describing His love for people, Jesus said in Matthew 23:37, “…How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” God’s love is also compared to that of an eagle with its young, as in Deuteronomy 32:11, “Like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions.” The wings of an eagle can be up to nine feet long and provide a wonderful hiding place. Because they are so strong, eagles can effortlessly snatch up their young and carry them to safety. Because David experienced this protection, he sang in the shadow of God’s wings. In verse 8, David not only sang; he also clung to God, “My soul clings to you…” David held on to God with everything he had. The KJV translates it this way, “My soul followeth hard after thee.” I like that. The idea is to catch something after a long pursuit. We’re to be vigorous, not lazy or apathetic. Once we find God, we’re to be glued to Him. The Hebrew literally means, “to stick fast”, but we don’t have to do all this on our own. Look at the last part of this verse, “…your right hand upholds me.” We cling to God and He’s holding us in His powerful right hand. That reminds me of what Jesus said in John 10:29-30 when speaking of the security that His sheep enjoy, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” Let us focus inward and ask, “Am I longing for God?” Second, let us focus upward, and ask, “Am I living for God?” That leads us to the last sign in the desert as we focus forward and ask, “Am I looking for God?” After longing for God and living for Him, David looked ahead to the battle in front of him. The ordering of events is significant. When we sing and cling, then we can handle anything! Notice how David expected God to work, as expressed in verses 9-10, “They who seek my life will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth. They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals.” The army commanded by Absalom would attack the next morning but instead of fearing, David was looking for God to do His work. These prophetic words were literally fulfilled when God routed the enemies of David, recorded in 2 Samuel 18:7-8. “There the army of Israel was defeated by David’s men, and the casualties that day were great--twenty thousand men. The battle spread out over the whole countryside, and the forest claimed more lives that day than the sword.” Several years ago, a book came out that challenged Christians to go on a “God-hunt” by looking for Him to do His work in the course of our every day lives. Often, however, we’re so busy that we don’t stop, look, and listen for God. The psalm ends in verse 11 with David expressing confidence, “But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God’s name will praise Him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced.” There’s an enemy out there for each of us. Our personal enemy may be a person. Maybe it’s a situation or an addiction. We know that Satan and his wicked forces are at work. Can we look forward and say, “God will do His work and I will rejoice in God?” When we put Him first and go after Him hard, we can rejoice in His supremacy. The Lord's side will win and those are on His team will glory in His victory. Solomon, one of David’s sons, learned the hard way that nothing is worth giving your life to, unless it is to God himself. He threw himself into his career, personal pleasure, building projects, relationships, possessions, and education. He found no fulfillment in the things that many of us still think will provide us with meaning. I encourage you to read his diary of despair preserved for us in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. Nothing satisfies but God. His conclusion is stated in Ecclesiastes 12:13, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man.” In Christ,
Brown
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