Mind Meld of A Different Kind

Psalm 22:19-31
O Lord, do not stay far away!

You are my strength; come quickly to my aid!

Save me from the sword;

spare my precious life from these dogs.

Snatch me from the lion’s jaws

and from the horns of these wild oxen.

I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.

I will praise you among your assembled people.

Praise the Lord, all you who fear him!

Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob!

Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!

For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy.

He has not turned his back on them,

but has listened to their cries for help.

I will praise you in the great assembly.

I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you.

The poor will eat and be satisfied.

All who seek the Lord will praise him.

Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.

The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him.

All the families of the nations will bow down before him.

For royal power belongs to the Lord.

He rules all the nations.

Let the rich of the earth feast and worship.

Bow before him, all who are mortal,

all whose lives will end as dust.

Our children will also serve him.

Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord.

His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born.

They will hear about everything he has done.

Enduring faith flows beneath the storms of doubt
The waters of my emotions get choppy when crises blow in. With David I too feel forsaken by a distant and inattentive God. Doubts birthed in various philosophies sometimes slip into my mind when I cannot see God’s hand or understand God’s mind. Could he merely exist as a force one and the same as the physical universe (the pantheism of Star Wars)? Did he get it all started in that cosmic big bang and then move on (the deism of America’s Founding Fathers)? Is the existence of God merely the ghost of outgrown human need as some recent authors insist?

Yet even in those days when doubts toss my boat, I have found that a deep and steady current of faith always flows just beneath the storm. I know that God is there and that he is good. I know he guides history to the conclusion he intends for it (I read in Revelation!). Even more completely that David, I know that, on that day, “the whole earth will acknowledge the Lord.”

With the deep current of faith flowing, no one need fear doubts. In fact, though to the outsider is may seem hypocritical and contradictory, a person of faith can praise God even while struggling through a season of doubts!

Thanks God, for the gift of a deep and abiding faith that doubt cannot attack. No matter the emotional upheavals that come my way and the winds of doubt, I will bow before you. - Mike Leamon

Praise the Lord
There is a popular worship song that encourages everything that has breath to praise the Lord. While the song is inspired by the command in Psalm 150, the idea is certainly implied in Psalm 22. Rich, poor, weak, strong, all are to praise the Lord. Even the future generations will hear about the wonders of God and praise Him.

The future generations of Psalm 22 include us. Our purpose in life is to praise God, to glorify Him and enjoy His presence forever according to the old Confession. Certainly this is our created purpose, yet we find it hard to live out. We praise God when things are going well but struggle to lift our voice in praise during tough times.

I recently was reminded of a comment by Rick Warren in an interview. He stated he saw life not as a series of hills and valleys but of two parallel streams running through all of life. The one stream is the good of life, the other the bad things in life. We never are without something good, a blessing from God nor are without something bad, a product of the curse. No matter which stream is flowing stronger we are always in a place to praise God and in a place where we need His help.

Rick Warren is right, no matter what is happening in life we are never beyond needing God’s help and there is always something to praise God for.

God of glory and grace, I confess I need your grace today and I glory in your blessings. Thank you for reminding me of your presence in my life that brings both blessing and transformation. - Dan Jones