WRITE TO THE DEATH (Psalm 30)

When I'm 'dust to dust' my songs and stories of you won't sell. So listen! And be kind! Help me out of this! (Psalm 30:9-10, MSG)
I'm about to burst with song; I can't keep quiet about you. God, my God, I can't thank you enough. (Psalm 30:12, MSG)

Oh, wow, I read this verse at the end of the reading today and I jumped up and down. If I could jump.

Perhaps the economy worked a little differently in David's time. Now, an artist's body of work increases in value upon their death. That may not be as true with books--but my heirs at least have the potential of future revenue from my "stories."

I have no illusions that I have written books that will be considered "classics." One hundred years from now, I won't be more than a footnote in any studies of the boom of Christian fiction over the last fifteen years or so--if that much.

But I have said, here and elsewhere, that I will continue to write until God takes the pen out of my hand, whether by death or loss of mental acuity. When I'm dead, I can't sing any more songs and write any more stories. My testimony of God's goodness and kindness to people on earth ends and fades away.

Most of us (I suspect) shy away from saying "look at what I'm doing for you, God! You need me! Be kind, help me, so I can testify of You." But that's exactly that David did here.

Wow. Do I have the right to claim that? Instead of asking God, "are You sure You want me to continue writing," should I say, "God, I want to write Your stories as long as I can. Help me out here! No one else can tell the stories You give to me."

And when God answers that prayer. When I have a day like this one, when I exceed my goal, I feel well, and I even got my promised shower. Like David, I should burst with song, write like a eight-handed spider (four times as much), shouting my thanksgiving to all who will listen.

How long do you expect to write? Which of your stories--if any--do you think will live past you?

And for all the non-writers (or non-musicians as well) who read this--the same question applies. What do you, and only you, give to God that will end with your death?

Today's favorite verse: God makes his people strong. God gives his people peace. (Psalm 29:11, MSG)

***NEWS FLASH/BOOK GIVEAWAY: Giveaway to 10 comers (up to 20-30 or so) of my devotional book, It Is Well With My Soul, ends tomorrow, Sunday, 7/21/13. Leave me a comment with your email address or contact me at belovedfranklin (at) msn (dot) com.***

GOD IS . . . (Psalm 27)

Light, space, zest--that's God!
So, with him on my side, I'm fearless, afraid of no one and nothing. (Psalm 27:1, MSG)

In my two years of voice lessons, my favorite song was written by Francis Allitsen. In strong, triumphant chords, it proclaims, "The Lord is my life and my salvation! Whom, then, shall I fear? Whom, then, shall I fear?"

As usual, the Message shook up my preconceptions and helped me to see things in a new way.

How do light, salvation, and strength/stronghold become light, space, and zest? I looked at other translations, seeking for reasons why the Message had paraphrased the familiar verse that way. The one that gave me a few ideas came from The Voice:

The Eternal is my light amidst my darkness

and my rescue in times of trouble.

So whom shall I fear?

He surrounds me with a fortress of protection.

So nothing should cause me alarm.

Surrounded by a fortress of protection--that suggests space. In fact, the Voice translation shows parallel descriptions of salvation: His light pierces the darkness of sin(see John 8:12). He rescues us from trouble--firstly, the death sentence handed down to us because of our sin (Romans 6:23). He surrounds me with protection (consider Romans 8:38-39).

Zest--an exuberant, joyful, abandon, like David dancing before the ark of the covenant. I'm not sure if this is a quote or just common wisdom, but we never truly appreciate something until we've lost it. To be rescued from that kind of loss, to have a lost child come home, to find healing when suffering from a fatal illness, for God to weave the broken threads of our lives in a beautiful new pattern. Rescue when rescue was impossible, we have a renewed zest for life. As Jesus described it in John, the abundant life, life lived to the full. That's how God lives: always 100% present, always active, always with love.

God is . . .

Light
Salvation
Strength
Space
Zest

What more words do you want to add to the list?

EYES ON THE GOAL (Psalm 23-25)

Where am I going and how am I going to get there?

I've always been goal driven. Even in my present situation, I do my best work when scheduled and under deadline. So the verses that caught my attention today are ones that look back on life. They offer three different reasons to persevere, one from each chapter.

I was blown away by The Message's rendering of Psalm 23:6: Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life.

Chased by love . . . chased by beauty. When I feel ill health and lack of success dog my steps, instead, God is chasing me with love and beauty. They will chase me to my last day, when they will welcome me into heaven.

Of course that begs the question, how do I see love and beauty? I would say in fresh flowers, the sound of rain falling, the fruity scents of shampoo and soap. In the kind actions and patience of aides. In the face of a woman who lost so much of her mind but holds onto God.

Psalm 24 offers a different promise: God is at their side; with God's help they make it. This, Jacob, is what happens to God-seekers, God-questers. (Psalm 24:5-6, MSG)

Note, it doesn't say they have it easy. Or that they will be rich and successful. But we will make it. God is their constant help. They can depend on Him. Whatever problems they face--they will make it.

Hmm, I changed from first person to third person in that paragraph. I should say, I will make it. I do say that all the time, especially in writing.

The promise is given to God-seekers and God-questers. If I seek God, make Him the object of my quest--I will certainly succeed. He longs for us to come to Him.

What does this look like? On our part, the traditional disciplines: prayer, Bible reading/study/meditation/memorization, church, worship. It also shows in our perseverance when the going gets tough, when our children rebel, when we face illness, when we lose our jobs.

We may sense God in the words of a friend, in a sermon, a song, a verse of scripture. Even from a TV show. From "circumstances." (When God really wants to get my attention, He repeats it three different ways.)

In fact, Psalm 25 says God confides in us. He is our Friend: God-friendship is for God-worshipers; They are the ones he confides in. (Psalm 25:14, MSG)

The promise from Psalm 25 is the most precious of all: Use all your skill to put me together; I wait to see your finished product. (Psalm 25:21, MSG)

It reminds me of one of my favorite verses: Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6, NIV)

I am in process of becoming, and I will only be completely "me" when I reach heaven. I am looking forward to that day.

Which ones of those promises touches your heart?


Today's verse: What are God-worshipers like? Your answer: Arrows aimed at God's bull's-eye. (Psalm 25:12, MSG)

LAST WORD (Psalm 22)

All the power mongers are before him--worshiping!
All the poor and powerless, too--worshiping!
Along with those who never got it together--worshiping! (Psalm 22:29)

I've figured out why I feel like I'm struggling with writing about the Psalms.
I love the psalms, the raw emotion, the power, the honesty.

But--they are poetry. And I feel poetry more than I understand it. Robert Frost was one of my early favorites, and I still remember verses. "This land was ours before we were the land's." "Something there is that doesn't love a wall." "Whose woods these are, I think I know." (I even bought a illustrated book featuring that last poem, the Christmas before Jolene died.) You may have your own favorites. (Or you may not care for poetry, and that's okay.)

Not only that, but I don't write much poetry. I've played at it, but not very well.

So, David is a master of the form. And his words leave me breathless, speechless, they resonate with y soul with truths found throughout scripture, and I find very little to add to them.

Like yesterday, today David offers three examples of people who will one day fall at God's feet. As Paul would later say, That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. (Philippians 2:10) David describes it this way: God has taken charge; from now on he has the last word. (Psalm 22:28)

No one can stand before God on that day. Everyone will worship--either now, willingly, or then, by force. David casts three broad nets covering the worshipers.

In find it interesting that he starts with the "power mongers." People who are used to power, to control, to respect--they will worship God, letting him carry the red button for the end of the world.

Next, David goes to the opposite end of the spectrum--the poor and powerless--the poor in spirit and the humble whom Jesus blessed in the Sermon on the Mount. No longer at a disadvantage because of their poverty and low position, they, too, worship God who has the last word. When the first shall be last and the last shall be first.

And I have to love his last grouping: those who never got it together. I'm there, all right. Divorce, bankruptcy, nursing home. . .those are not the hallmarks of a person who has a good handle on life. I'll be there, worshiping, trusting God to have the last word and set my life to rights, to work the pattern of my life into a beautiful design.

Which other groups might you add to David's three that will fall in worship at Jesus' feet?

What do you trust God will set right with His last word?


Today's favorite verse: See those people polishing their chariots, and those others grooming their horses? But we're making garlands for God our God. The chariots will rust, those horses pull up lame--and we'll be on our feet, standing tall. (Psalm 20:7-8)

RELATING TO GOD (Psalm 18)

Oh, my, how to choose? Psalm 18, which looks at character, or Psalm 19, which is the best Old Testament passage on God's revelation--by nature and by word, and has a marvelous poem describing the Law?

I will leave you to read Psalm 19 on your own. (Do take the time. It's well worth it!) Instead, I'll dive into a pair of verses that fascinate me:

To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the devious you show yourself shrewd. (Psalm 18:25-26, MSG)

This verse reminds me of one of my pet theories. Fact: All people are made in the image of God. That means a number of things, including our ability to create, but I think it has a corollary. Every human is unique, and each and everyone of us reflects something unique about God.

We understand God in terms of our makeup. Well, those positive qualities, like faithfulness, blamelessness,purity. He's not devious.

For instance, I a almost overbalance toward the mercy end of the mercy/justice continuum. God of course has a perfect balance, but He shows Himself to me in His love and mercy. If He dealt with me in the way that I deserve, with justice, I would cower in the corner and be too afraid to obey. I would try to be perfect, and fail, and give up trying. So while my mind agrees that God is a God of justice, and understand the equation of Calvary for the sin of the world, my heart feels the second-chance (and third and fourth and so on) God.

Let's look at the qualities David lists: Faithful, blameless.

Faithful implies loyalty, an unswerving allegiance.
Blameless: To me, this is more of a legalistic quality, a list of do's and don'ts, such attending church and not viewing x-rated movies.
Pure: 100% commitment, no contamination.

I'm not blameless, far from it. Loyal? Even in my darkest moments, I have never deserted the Christian faith, and more importantly, the God whom we worship. I haven't always been loyal to Christian institution. I went through a period of six months when I attend no church, after a deeply painful church experience. Pure? Probably not. There are areas of my life that I hold back. Unwilling to accept God's Lordship over them.

Devious? Departing from the correct path? No, I don't think so. Not as a pattern of life.

So how do I feel God shows himself to me? Well, I know that God is faitful and blameless (more than blameless, he is holy and righteous). But over the years I have come to experience God's purity, His devotion to me, no matter what. He is there. In the words of Corrie ten Boom, "There is no pit so deep, that God's love is not deeper still." She learned it in a Nazi concentration camp. God didn't send me to such a terrible school, but divorce, incest, my daughter's suicide. . .I came to know God's love and devotion to me in the darkest times.

Love and mercy, as I said.

How do you relate to God? How do you experience Him relating to you?

Favorite verse: May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight. (Psalm 19:14, MSG)

SENSE OR NONSENSE (Psalm 16)

I say to God, "Be my Lord!" Without you, nothing makes sense. (Psalm 16:2, MSG)

I loved, loved, loved this psalm. Every verse reminded me of a passage in the New Testament. How about the good news of the gospel singing in his words, You canceled my ticket to hell! (v.10)

But I love the place where David starts. Without God, nothing makes sense. With God, even when we can't see the pattern, we trust the pattern-maker.

Sense is an interesting word to use about God. Because we talk about our five senses, and many people only believe something they can smell, touch, see, hear, taste. We don't come to know God that way. Even the closest contact we have to God-in-the-flesh, Jesus Christ, comes through written histories. There is sufficient historical proof of His life, death, and even his resurrection (Who Moved the Stone? by Frank Morison), but it's not the same as touching President Carter's hand or hearing Neil Armstrong when he landed on the moon or seeing the planes crash into the Twin Towers.

The primary meaning for "sense" in the dictionary is "conveyed meaning." A generation later, David's son Solomon expressed the same sentiment in reverse: "Everything is meaningless." (Ecclesiastes). And they both came to the same conclusion: go to God for meaning. David actively invited God to be his Lord. "Without you," nothing has any meaning.

Solomon took a very different approach, as I would expect.He wrote an entire book about the things of this world that lack meaning. He came to the same conclusion: In a world that doesn't offer any meaning, fear God and keep His commandments. (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

For all that we can learn from in the physical world, man is made for something more. [God] has also set eternity in the human heart. (Ecclesiastes 3:11, NIV) Every person has a God-shaped hole in their hearts. Without Him, we lack the answer to life's central questions. The ones people have used in sharing the good news of salvation for generations, because the quest for answers hasn't changed: Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going?

The God who holds the answers deserves our allegiance, our loyalty, our love.

Today's favorite verse: My choice is you, God, first and only. And now I find I'm your choice! (Psalm 16:5, MSG)

Where Faith Begins (Psalm 13-15)

 

“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?   How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?” Psalm 13:1-2

 

Can you imagine singing a song like this at church? You would probably be criticized for your lack of faith. But for King David, this is where faith begins—pouring out his heart before God—his feelings, problems and questions.

 

But David doesn’t stop there. Next, he appeals to God, saying where he’d be without Him. He’d be like a dead man with his enemies rejoicing over him (Psalm 13:3-4).

 

And then he reminds himself of God’s character and how He has dealt with David in the past—His steadfast love, Savior, giver of bountiful blessings (Psalm 13:5-6).

 

Then something amazing happens. In Psalm 14, God tells David who humans are. “They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 14:3) 

 

The Apostle Paul quotes the latter in Romans 3, describing how man’s efforts to please God are futile, but God provided a way for us to come to Him in Christ. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-24)

 

            In Psalm 15, David reveals insights concerning the person who walks with God. “He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart.” (Psalm 15:2)

 

            David’s model of seeking God still works today. In your quiet time, write out your feelings, problems and questions. Appeal to God, reminding yourself where you’d be without Him. List God’s attributes. Remember the times He has answered your prayers. Ask Him to speak. Be quiet before him and listen. The Holy Spirit speaks to believers in Christ. “God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5) Write down the impressions He places in Your spirit. Lastly, record any insights you may have learned.

 

Be open and honest before God, yielding yourself to Him. This is where faith begins, grows, and flourishes.

 

--Connie L. Peters

 

Connie L. Peters has 30 years of experience in writing poetry, adult and children’s fiction and inspirational non-fiction. Currently she writes devotions for The Presidential Prayer Team and The Pagosa Sun. She also writes a poem a day on enthusiaticsoul.blogspot.com. Connie’s work has appeared in numerous publications including Focus on the Family, Bible Advocate and The Quiet Hour. She has served on the board of Southwest Christian Writers Association for the past 20 years. Connie lives in Cortez, CO where she and her husband host two adults with developmental disabilities. The Peterses have two grown children who live in Arizona.