Mind Meld of A Different Kind

PSALM 31:19-24

How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you.

You lavish it on those who come to you for protection,

blessing them before the watching world.

You hide them in the shelter of your presence,

safe from those who conspire against them.

You shelter them in your presence,

far from accusing tongues.

Praise the Lord, for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love.

He kept me safe when my city was under attack.

In panic I cried out, “I am cut off from the Lord!”

But you heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help.

Love the Lord, all you godly ones!

For the Lord protects those who are loyal to him,

but he harshly punishes the arrogant.

So be strong and courageous,

all you who put your hope in the Lord!

Be Strong and Courageous
David was no doubt familiar with the OT writings of Moses. He had for sure heard of the Exodus and conquering of Cannon and the words to Joshua from Moses on being strong and courageous. Moses at the end of his life commanded, and assured Joshua repeatedly that as long as he was strong and courageous in the Lord, everything would work itself out.

It must have been easy for David to think of how foolish Joshua was to worry and be afraid when they went into battle. Yes, Joshua was one of the confident spies, but he too needed to be reminded to be strong and courageous. David the warrior, the one who people had sang songs about, who had killed more enemies with his own sword than most regiments had killed in years also needed that reminder.

When the city of Jerusalem was surrounded, at times by his own sons and their followers, David felt alone, abandoned by God and in the middle of an inescapable mess. In his panic, David heard the reassuring voice of God, “don’t panic, be strong and courageous.” It wasn’t easy but David believed God and found his courage.

I am glad God does not respond to my panic attacks with disgust and a “get over it” attitude. God responds with assurance, grace, and encouragement, even when my panic is self-imposed.

Thank you God for assuring me you are always there and giving me strength to carry on. In you I am able to stand firm in courage and strength. - Dan Jones

Vanquish me, please!
The myth of the self-made, self-directed individual grips the human psyche. Burger King feeds it with the “have it your way” jingle. Legendary duo, Simon and Garfunkel sang it with “I am an Island.” America idolizes it with the worship of the heroic self made man.

Of course none of us is a life unto ourselves. Psychology and sociology, should we bother to explore their discoveries, reveal this reality repeatedly. Still humanity lives as if we were. Even the way we go about studying both the soft (psychology/sociology) and hard (geology/biology) sciences betrays our addiction to this myth. (We use knowledge as a club to further our belief agendas!)

I’m hopeless. I’m a product of generations that drove this myth ever deeper into the human psyche. And I am a product of my own cultural moment. The arrogance of the self-made, self-directed life oozes through my pores! The longer I live, the more I realize just how much a grip it has on me.

I confess that, gestating under this arrogance, a very different – even radically transformed – man grows and struggles to redefine every aspect of my existence. By God’s grace I have come to possess fear of and faith in God! He has made a new creation of me, at least the part of me that lies deeper than my psyche.

I know that David speaks primarily of arrogance in this deep spiritual region of self. Still, I am a whole being that cannot divorce the various layers that comprise who I am. Each wields profound influence on the other. Somehow the humble, God-made and God-directed self must break through to influence and transform every other layer of my life.

So I pray.

Sovereign God, on whom I depend for my existence and every breath, break any and all patterns of arrogance in my life. Vanquish every layer that defines who I am so that I may love you – sacrificially serve you, no strings attached – with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. - Mike Leamon