DARING TO BELIEVE (Psalm 10)

God, are you avoiding me? Where are you when I need you? (Psalm 10:1)

I dare to believe that the luckless
will get lucky someday in you.
You won't let them down:
orphans won't be orphans forever. (Psalm 10:14)

David's question arrested my attention. Are you avoiding me, God? The question Job asked, in different language.

The question I have felt: God, has your attention drifted away? Where are you? Are you avoiding doing anything about my situation? Why??!

But I know David's psalms. He starts with a brutal statement of despair. He rants against the wicked. And he ends with a statement of faith, of reassurance, of hope.

So I rushed to the end of the psalm. In this case, David's statement reflects the essence of faith, "the evidence of things not seen." I dare to believe. That the unlucky, the down-and-out, the orphans, won't be abandoned forever. That God will come through.

So what does that mean? Think about how we use the word "dare."

Truth or dare.

Double dare.

"Dare" is part of our culture. I associate with childish pranks and tests, parlor games.

So when I checked the definition of "dare," I was surprised to learn it's associated with courage:

• To challenge to perform an action especially as a proof of courage.
• To confront boldly
• To have the courage to contend against, venture, or try

Implied in the dare is a challenge, a confrontation. Faith isn't passive. It's active. In my active definition of faith, I believe it means in spite of doubt. I dare to act on belief that I'm not sure of. I dare to write, trusting my books will be published and they will touch people's lives. I dare to teach, trusting God to help my students learn. I dare to love, in spite of the risk of disappointment. I dare to speak of God's greatness, even when my life might contradict my testimony.

Do you feel like God is avoiding you?

What will you dare to believe? How can you act on that faith?


Today's favorite verse: I've already run for dear life straight to the arms of God. So why would I run away now when you say,"Run to the mountains". . .But God hasn't moved to the mountains; his holy address hasn't changed. (Psalm 11:1-4)

NEWS FLASH/BOOK GIVEAWAY: I just received copies of my first ever devotional, It Is Well With My Soul. I would love to give away one copy for every five comments, up to a total of five. The giveaway will continue until Saturday, 7/14/13. Leave your name and email address as well as the name of your favorite hymn for a chance to win.

GOD'S GENRES (Psalm 7-9)

I thought I had my thought for today when I read God in solemn honor does things right, but his nerves are sandpapered raw. (Psalm 7:11) God has nerves?

But my writer's eye got caught on the references to writing and storytelling in Psalm 9. It lends itself to different writing genres. I'm referring to fiction genres.

These psalms refer to lifting up God through story and song, praising God, thanking God, describing His glory in nature and in our lives. But use your imagination to travel with me to different kinds of stories. And for us as Christian writers, we teach about God through our characters and stories.

David starts out with my favorite, the one I have written from the beginning:

I'm thanking you, God, from a full heart. I'm writing the book of your wonders. (Psalm 9:1)

Can you guess? What genre depends on a heart full of love? Romance, of course, telling parables of God's love affair with us.

How about my favorite genre to read, from childhood on?

Tell his stories to everyone you meet: How he tracks down killers. (Psalm 9:11)

Ah, nothing better to read or watch than a good murder mystery. What a perfect fit to showcase God's justice.

This last verse fits several genres, in my opinion.

Once you've pulled me back from the gates of death, I'll write the book on Hallelujahs. (Psalm 9:13-14)

What genre focuses on "the gates of death"? Hmm, mystery's companions, suspense and thrillers. Medical stories. Women's fiction that deals with grief or terminal illness. Think of your own stories. Whether the character dies in your story or not, God has conquered death. "Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, hallelujah!" Our stories reflect that foundational truth.

Oh, and by the way, guess who our publisher is? God Himself! Publish your mandate for us. (Psalm 7:9)

Today's favorite verses: You get us ready for life: you probe for our soft spots, you knock off our rough edges. And I'm feeling so fit, so safe. (Psalm 7:9-11)

NEWS FLASH/BOOK GIVEAWAY: I just received copies of my first ever devotional, It Is Well With My Soul. I would love to give away one copy for every five comments, up to a total of five. The giveaway will continue for a week, until Saturday, 7/14/13. Leave your name and email address as well as the name of your favorite hymn for a chance to win.

THREE DAY NIGHTS (Psalm 4-6)

At day's end I'm ready for sound sleep,
For you, God, have put my life back together. (Psalm 4:8)

I'm tired of all this--so tired. My bed has been floating forty days and nights on the flood of my tears. (Psalm 6:6-7)

Hmm, if we didn't already know, today's psalms show us the problems with "proof texts," proving a particular theological point with a single verse.

The first verse I quoted above says the kind of sleep we all crave. Sound sleep, trouble free, at peace, because "God put my life back together."

Even that day had plenty of drama. David struggled with people's scorn, and he begged God to take his side. "Now I'm in trouble again." "Again" suggests he's been here before. Discouraged, angry with the people who make life difficult, questioning hardship--who wouldn't? We're not told when he wrote the psalm, whether he was on the run from Saul or one of his sons or reigning in Jerusalem. I suspect this was a lifelong problem.

But on this day, God settles his heart within twenty-four hours. He's able to fall asleep when his head hits the pillow.

Chapter six paints a different picture. He hasn't slept well, has wept, in fact, for "40 days and nights." An extended period of depression, grief, took its toll on him physically.

My nights of good sleep ended when my daughter died. I spent my 40 days and nights weeping (and more). Shortly after that, my arthritis began giving me pain night after night, pain that continues to this day. Nights I get more than six hours of solid sleep are rare indeed.

In between a good night's sleep and a night of tears comes a surprise: a night of celebration! David celebrates the fact that God welcomes those who come to him. In the words of The Message, "let the party last all night!"

I've had a few nights of that, as well. The joy I felt in my recent, if short-lived, fall into love. Receiving a few of my more memorable book contracts. Reading a good book, for that matter! The nights my children and grandchildren were born.

Whatever kind of day or night David has had, he is excited about life with God. Let's close with today's favorite verse:

Why is everyone hungry for more? "More, more," they say. "More, more."
I have God's more-than-enough, more joy in one ordinary day
Than they get in all their shopping sprees. (Psalm 4:7)

GPS OR SKID ROW? (Psalm 1)

God charts the road you take.
The road they take is Skid Row. (Psalm 1:6)

We have arrived at Psalms--perhaps my favorite book in the Bible. Once again, the question strikes me: How have I not seen this before?

In this case, I am referring to the way Psalm 1 picks up where Job left off: comparing the ends of the wicked and of the righteous.

The language of Psalm 1 could be taken to suggest the wicked will suffer and the righteous won't. More of what we heard from Job's friends.

I see something more.

The righteous are planted by water. They have roots tapping into living giving water. Their leaves never wither.

Wither? For leaves to wither, the tree has to experience death--lack of sunshine, water, nutrients, warmth.

I think the righteous will experience those hard times. The promise is that God goes deeper and sustains them when life wants to knock them down.

The wicked? They too face tough times. I prefer the original KJV to the Message on this one. The Message calls it dust. The word is chaff, that part of the wheat stalk that is stripped away. Wheat, that which should sustain the wicked and indicates their wealth, blown about like the wind. No roots keep it strong when the wind blows.

Ultimately, the righteous have a divine GPS coordinator, one who charts their course.

The wicked end up on skid row. Nothing stands between them and a slippery slope to death and beyond.

Which road are you on?


P.S. I might take to giving an "honorable" mention throughout Psalms. There's just SO much.
Here comes one from today, which caught my attention because last year I studied "blessing" in depth.

Real help comes from God. Your blessing clothes your people! (Psalm 3:8, MSG)

SECOND-HAND GOD (Job 41-42)

I admit I once lived by rumors of you;
now I have it all firsthand--from my own eyes and ears!
I'm sorry--forgive me. I'll never do that again, I promise!
I'll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor. (Job 42:5-6)

I confess, today I was tempted to write about Job's daughters, and his before-his-time treatment of them. (Check out Job 42:12-15)But after following Job all the way through this dramatic confrontation, we must look at the end. And Job does not disappoint.

An interesting note: Job starts with God's challenge to Satan. We don't get to see the scene in heaven when Job comes through with flying colors. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall. Maybe Satan didn't show up in heaven that day. He went to lick his wounds in private. He's more likely to go brag when high-profile Christians like Jimmy Swagart or Mel Gibson make big mistakes.

But we do get to see the change in Job. And like so much else through this book, his words challenge and inspire me.

Throughout the book, Job challenges God in a way that suggests they were close. Dare I say he was angry with God? And as they say, anger (hate, actually) is the other side of love. If he didn't trust God with every fiber of his being, he wouldn't feel so betrayed.

God shows up and blows Job away. I am so much more than you are. I am your friend. I am your redeemer. But I am also your creator and sustainer. Without me, you would not exist.

Job got his trial with God. He expected to be exonerated, cleared of suspicion of sin. Instead, God schooled Job with His resume.

We never receive the answer to the age-old question, why does a good God allow bad things to happen to good people?

What I have seen over and over again in these past few chapters, is God's desire to reveal Himself. He reveals Himself through nature, through life (and especially trials)--and now it appears God drove Job to the edge to show him more about God Himself.

That glimpse of God Unveiled backed Job into a corner. This man, who knew God better than any of his friends, says, I'll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor.

Is that me today? Is most of what I know of God hearsay, rumor? Things I know about God without knowing God Himself?

I can't quote you proof texts, although I think the Redemption story implies these truths

God made man for fellowship. He wants man to love Him voluntarily. By faith. To obey Him and seek Him because we want to. He wants this so much that He gave us free will. Before Adam and Eve chose against Him, God had already planned for our redemption. He seeks us, wooing us, calling us.

One of my favorite quotes from the old TV show, Touched By An Angel, one angel says, "The angels don't have faith. They know. Only people have faith, and that's why I love working with them."

Not everything about that show was right, but a lot of things were. That statement is one of the best.

As we seek God, let us not rely on hearsay, on rumors. If we are brave enough, like Job, let us seek an encounter with God Himself.

GOD'S ANSWER (Job 38-40)

Why do you confuse the issue?
Why do you talk without knowing what you're talking about?
Pull yourself together, Job!
Up on your feet! Stand tall!
I have some questions for you,
and I want some straight answers. (Job 38:2-4)

For thirty-seven chapters, Job has begged God to answer. His tone has grown increasingly strident as he has struggled with a single basic issue: What have I done, that God should treat me like this? He can't call me guilty; I'm innocent. He wants to sue God, so to speak.

At last, at last--God shows up. In some of my favorite chapters in scripture, God describes creation in incredible language. Names Himself as the "master designer" (a chorus from my youth days, in the 1960s). Some of what God mentions has been answered by scientific inquiry (where, when does a doe give birth? who controls the weather?).

God tells Job: Before I'll answer your question, answer one of mine. You want to take me to court as if I'm your equal. Can you prove that you are my equal?

This takes the concept of a "jury of your peers" to a whole new level.

In theological terms, we're talking the imminence of God and His transcendence, at the same time.

Job felt he could question God because, well, God is approachable. He is "imminent," nearby, able to be perceived, seen, herd, touched. First of all, He revealed Himself in creation. The ultimate demonstration appeared when God Himself became man. As John said, The Word [Jesus] became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. (John 1:14)

The quality of God's imminence was why Job knew he could throw accusations at God. God would understand God would listen. When God arrived on the scene, He revealed the opposite quality: His transcendence. In Jesus, we see more of God than we'll ever understand in a hundred lifetimes. Even so, Jesus made us part of His family, His brothers and sisters.

But God is so much more. Take away mankind, earth, all of the physical universe, that which scientists worship--and God still exists. He made us finite, mortal, bound by time. He is not.

God doesn't just announce this supreme power, one that lays beyond and outside of our understanding (kind of like eternity. It's not before and after time, it's outside of time.) He proves it by naming things He did at the dawn of creation--His plan, His attention to detail, His power, His ability to make something out of nothing. Job, were you there? Could you have done the same things?

I'm not sure if I could have found words to answer. Job managed to be articulate in spite of his claim to be speechless. I'm speechless, in awe--words fail me. I should never have opened my mouth! I've talked too much, way too much. I'm ready to shut up and listen. (Job 40:3-5)

Bart Millard (Mercy Me) expressed what I am trying to say in his song, "Word of God Speak."
I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say.

Word of God, Speak. Let me listen.

Introducing God (Job 36 - 37)

Ever since I learned there are different characters speaking in Job, I've been careful to see who is speaking. After all, In Job 42:7 - 9, God dismisses the words of Job's three friends and says he'll forgive them only if Job prays for them. There is not a similar comment about Elihu, so I feel optimistic about learning something from him.

Elihu urges Job to think about God's power and majesty. Job has been focused on his own pain and misery. Any thoughts about God's power have been about God's power to afflict. I can't grasp the intensity and duration of Job's losses and suffering. Maybe someone in a prisoner of war camp could identify. Or someone with a painful chronic disease. Or someone in Moore, Oklahoma.

My complaints, painful as they feel at times, are petty compared to Job's. Like a child crying because she can't have the ice cream flavor she wants. As a believer, I have both the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit for comfort. Job had neither. He had teachings passed down from his fathers and his own experience. Based on Job's experiences, God is not a very nice person.

Elihu seeks to change Job's mind about God. At the Suffering Seminar, Elihu is the person who introduces God and his credentials. he talks a lot about the weather, which would have been maybe the only way to observe God's power and creativity. A modern day Elihu might have referenced atoms or astronomy.

I appreciate these comments Elihu makes.

But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction. He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food. (36:15 - 16, NIV)

I like that he says God "delivers in their suffering," not "from their suffering." I love the phrase, "He is wooing you from the jaws of distress." It contrasts with the heavy-handed God of Job's experience. Other translations use allured (ESV) and enticed (NASB).

I also appreciate Elihu's warning to Job:

Beware of turning to evil, which you seem to prefer to affliction. (36:21, NIV)

Job began his dark journey resolved to accept whatever from God's hand. I imagine my resolve would have been threadbare by this point. When I feel abandoned or rejected by another person, I tend to reject that person in response. In case Job is reaching that threshold with God, Elihu cautions him.

C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity, "Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is....We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it:  and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means--the only complete realist."

It's faith-challenging to walk through these issues with Job. I'm glad I know the ending of his story and my own.

c 2013 Roberta Tucker Brosius

Friends, Roberta was my roommate at Bible College. We continued our training at the same seminary, and now she has written five years' of curriculum to take high school students through the Bible. Not to mention the fact that she is a prolific devotional writer. She KNOWS the Bible, and it's my privilege to welcome her as a regular contributor. Check out her blog at http://www.robertabrosius.blogspot.com/