Mind Meld of A Different Kind

PSALM 9:11-20
Sing praises to the Lord who reigns in Jerusalem.

Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds.

For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless.

He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer.

Lord, have mercy on me.

See how my enemies torment me.

Snatch me back from the jaws of death.

Save me so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem’s gates,

so I can rejoice that you have rescued me.

The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others.

Their own feet have been caught in the trap they set.

The Lord is known for his justice.

The wicked are trapped by their own deeds.

Quiet Interlude

The wicked will go down to the grave.

This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God.

But the needy will not be ignored forever;

the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.

Arise, O Lord!

Do not let mere mortals defy you!

Judge the nations!

Make them tremble in fear, O Lord.

Let the nations know they are merely human.

What goes around, comes around
One of the heights of illogic our culture has successfully reached is the belief in absolute mathematics while rejecting absolute morality. From international relations and the world economy to medicine and construction, the world literally runs on mathematical formulae. Everyone assumes their reliability.

Whether we accept it or not, moral realities are as dependable. David reflects one of them in this Psalm. Our way of expressing this reality determined my title. David’s way of expressing it was “The wicked are trapped by their own deeds.” Jesus expressed it, “You will reap what you sow.”

Interestingly, there is likely a mathematical formula that reflects this moral reality! The hero of the movie “A Beautiful Mind” devised just such a formula to predict the most successful way to ask persons out for a date. How can this be, the intimate link between mathematics and social morality; a common and absolute base for action?

One could take the faith position that it randomly happened this way. Or one could also embrace the faith that declares such precise and accurate reality points to a Creator. David took faith further and declared that this Creator Lord reigns from Jerusalem. The Mind behind everything is the God that revealed himself through the Hebrew people.

Truth be told, the concept of a rational God who operates intentionally and by design, was a radical departure from every ancient religious idea! And more truth to tell, the entire foundation of mathematics rests on this religious concept!

God of mathematics and morality, I’m joining David to worship you! While I do not often understand you, I thank you for creating a world where both mathematics and morality operate with dependable consistency. I recommit myself to sow the good I would reap. - Mike Leamon

Know who you are
Psychology reminds us good mental health begins with accepting who you are as a person. I recently finished reading a book entitled; The Emotionally Healthy Church where the author describes what emotional health looks like in church leadership as well as the church. Emotionally healthy churches emerge out of healthy leadership in churches. I cannot find emotional health without first coming to grips and accepting who I am with all my flawed characteristics as well as the good ones.

David was not a psychologist, they did not exist in his day, but he understood how emotional health came about. It begins by understanding who we are and who God is. “Let the nations know they are merely human.” Easy to say, tough to do for us as individuals as well as our nation.

So what does it mean to know we are merely human? First it means we submit to God’s truth about life and death. Understanding who we are in light of who God is defines who really contains truth. Secondly, it means living out a life in submission to this truth each day. Daily recognizing my life is not my own, I belong to another who knows what is best for me better than I do.

God of infinite wisdom and power, you are God and I am not. Help me to live this day in that understanding, submitting to your plan and will for my life over my own desires knowing your plan for my life is better than mine. - Dan Jones