GOOD GOD! ARE YOU THERE?

[All quotes are from The Message Bible – unless otherwise noted.]

Reading through the psalms for the first time will likely cause your eyebrows to rise a bit – especially if you use a modern translation!

I believe that when we read many of David’s psalms, we are reading from his personal journal! I seriously doubt that he ever thought that these private thoughts and words would be read by millions of people several thousand years after his death! 

Many of his psalms are very private – even intimate!

Without realizing that he was doing so, this ‘man after God’s heart’ was offering us instruction by giving us such a personal glimpse into his private communication with God! 

AN INTERESTING SIDEBAR:

Obviously, David wrote many of his psalms down so that they could be retrieved at a later time!  Little did he realize the perpetuity of his scribbles!

I do the same. Not every day, but occasionally.  Be assured, no one will be reading my private thoughts years from now! 🤭 But, I do occasionally review them.

We think more thoroughly when we take time to write/type our words! We express ourselves more carefully! Quite possibly we think more deeply as a result of the permanence of this process!

Essentially, what David illustrates for us is that we can openly express ourselves to God without fear or intimidation! Observe some examples:

Listen GOD, I’m calling at the top of my lungs: “Be good to me! Answer me!”

Psalm 27:7 ™

 

Keep your eye on me;
    hide me under your cool wing feathers
From the wicked who are out to get me,
    from mortal enemies closing in.

Their hearts are hard as nails,
    their mouths blast hot air.
They are after me, nipping my heels,
    determined to bring me down,
Lions ready to rip me apart,
    young lions poised to pounce.
Up, God: beard them! break them!
    By your sword, free me from their clutches;
Barehanded, God, break these mortals,
    these flat-earth people who can’t think beyond today.

I’d like to see their bellies
    swollen with famine food,
The weeds they’ve sown
    harvested and baked into famine bread,
With second helpings for their children
    and crusts for their babies to chew on.

Psalm 17:8-14 ™

 

Quick, God, I need your helping hand!
The last decent person just went down,
all the friends I depended on gone.
Everyone talks in lie language;
lies slide off their oily lips.
They doubletalk with forked tongues.

Slice their lips off their faces! 

Pull the braggart tongues from their mouths!”

Psalm 12:1-3 ™

 

If you took the time to read these examples, then you get the idea!  David was blunt and direct when talking with God!

WE CAN BE TOO!

Let’s be realistic! There are times when my prayers are fluent and articulate. I’m typically relaxed and calm in these moments and choose my words artistically and carefully!

However, there are other times when I’m crying out to Him in desperation and my words, tone and volume reflect that! I’m NOT calm! I feel unjustly treated and overwhelmed! I’m angry!

GASP! 😮

 

Did Hal just admit that he prays angry prayers?

 

Yes! I believe he did! 😳

 

LISTEN!

God is not as soft and easily offended as you think! He is NOT waiting to lower the boom on you for speaking to Him inappropriately!

You do remember that Jesus was 100% human and 100% divine – right? He experienced all of the pain, trauma, opposition, cruelty, and injustice that we experience!  And He is – in perfect harmony and unity – part of the Godhead with our Father and the Holy Spirit!

God is NOT shocked or offended at your anger, despair, sense of injustice, bitterness, etc., etc… - ad infinitum…

God can take your feelings – WHATEVER THEY ARE! It’s called GRACE!

God listens and responds! He may choose any number of responses:

§  God may offer you assurance that He is in control.

§  God may simply say: “Trust me, I’ve got this!”

§  God may tell you to hold on – it’s not time for deliverance yet!

§  God may say to you [as He did to the Apostle Paul – I Corinthians 12:7-9], My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” [NASB]

§  God may not say anything! This trial could be a test of your faith! Will you trust Him to see you through?

But be assured, if you are a follower of Christ, GOD HEARS EVERY PRAYER THAT YOU LIFT!

You don’t have to ask: “God, did You hear me?”

HE HEARD YOU!

NOW TRUST HIM!

MORE LESSONS FROM DAVID:

1.    Thank Him!  Your parents tried their best to teach you this! When someone does something for you – thank them!

Psalm 30 is an example of a psalm of thanksgiving! It begins with:

I give you all the credit, GOD – you got me out of that mess!

 

2.    WORSHIP!

If you read through the psalms you will quickly discover that David LOVED to worship God! His worship was ANIMATED! 

o   He sang!

o   He danced!

o   He yelled!

o   He jumped for joy!

o   He testified!

o   He made music to God! 

I scrub my hands with purest soap,

then join hands with the others in the great circle,

dancing around Your altar, GOD,

Singing God-songs at the top of my lungs,

Telling God-stories.

Psalm 26:6-7 ™

 

I know that I should restrain myself, but I can’t!

I believe David would be escorted out of many of our churches for his outlandish displays of worship!

Worship in many of our churches is so orderly, quiet, and reverent! 

I despise terms that incorrectly label people! Terms like ‘pentecostal’ or ‘charismatic’ carry certain expectations. I don’t find them to be helpful!

I do like the term ‘freedom of expression’.

For the last seven years+, I’ve been worshipping in an evangelical, presbyterian church that maintains a highly liturgical form of worship. I am not a member because of my affiliation [ordination] within the Free Methodist denomination. Debbie is a member! In spite of my somewhat radically different beliefs and orientation, I have frequently been blessed during our worship.  When I get blessed, I tend to giggle or say ‘Amen’! I try to suppress my responses, but they’re SO SPONTANEOUS that they’re often out before I can stop them. I’ve worried about being an offense to people as a result of my responses! But, I have been assured repeatedly by members and even leaders at Bethel – THAT IT’S OK!  Some have even told me that it blesses them to hear my subtle expressions of love for God! 

So, I appreciate Bethel Evangelical Presbyterian Church for allowing me the ‘freedom of expression’!

I hope this blog encourages you to open the book of Psalms and begin reading some of David’s journal!

I also hope you’ll snag a notebook and start writing your own personal notes to God!  😉

GOD ALWAYS HAS A PLAN!

 I've been mulling over the part of Joseph's story as recorded in Genesis 39.  If you need reminded and don't want to take the time to read it:

• Joseph's jealous brothers sold him to a passing caravan of traders.
• They took him to Egypt where he was sold as a slave.
• Pharaoh's captain of the guard bought him as a personal servant.
• Joseph proved himself to be quite helpful in the running of this home.
• Potiphar gave him complete authority having noticed that "the Eternal One was with Joseph and caused everything Joseph did to prosper." [v.3]
• Being a handsome and fit man, Potiphar's wife sought out a sexual relationship with Joseph. 
• Joseph explained his need to honor Potiphar and the role he had given Joseph in the household.
• However, one day she grabbled him by his coat and tried again to seduce him.
• He left his coat in her hand and ran from the house.
• She used the coat to her advantage and claimed that Joseph had tried to force himself upon her.
• When he heard her report, Potiphar was angry and placed Joseph in prison.

What a devastating set of circumstances!  Joseph does the right thing, but ends up being punished for it!  Life can seem so unfair at times!  What is a person to do in unjust situations like this?

Well, Joseph just kept on using the organizational gifts that God had given him!  He persevered in his hardship!

Lo and behold, the jailer soon saw the skill and loyalty of Joseph and put him in charge of all the king's prisoners.  "Whatever needed to be done, Joseph was the one to do it." [v.22]

"The chief jailer, like Potiphar, didn't need to worry about anything that was in Joseph's care because the Eternal One was with him.  And whatever Joseph did worked out well because the Eternal made it so."  [v.23]

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So many of us are wired similarly: when bad things happen we are easily discouraged and blame God for our situation.

The reality is that sometimes bad things just happen.  Corrupt people set traps for us and we get caught in them.  Potiphar's wife has lots of company in our world today!  There is a bounty of evil-minded people who think nothing of destroying others.  

How wrong we are to blame God for every bad thing that happens to us!  We make two primary mistakes:

FIRST,

We blame God when He is also grieving over the devastating circumstances we find ourselves in!

How must God feel when we shut Him out or turn against Him when He loves us so much?  He always sees the bigger picture and knows the real reasons for our unfortunate situation.  He mourns with us that things have gone badly and we're suffering!  

SECOND,

We are so distracted by anger and feelings of injustice that we fail to turn to Him for deliverance!

We MUST REMEMBER WHO WE SERVE!  This great God can do anything!  His resources and connections are unlimited, yet we block His ability to help by our anger and withdrawal.

Joseph didn't get angry with God!  He just kept on using the gifts that God had given him and trusted that the Eternal One would work on his behalf!

Why can't we take this posture?  Why do we so consistently take the anger route?  Why do we attempt to close God off from our lives instead of turning TO HIM?

We shoot ourselves in the foot, and many of us do this over and over again!  when will we ever learn?

God loves us and is always working on our behalf!  We need to trust Him and give Him time to work out His plan!

Maybe some of us need to print this page out, fold it up, and carry it in our wallet or pocketbook?  Let's change our way of thinking!  Let's trust the One who is in all, above all, and over all!  Praise His Name forever!  Amen!  

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If you have 4 1/2 minutes to be blessed, listen to this song by Don Moen: 

ESAU'S UNKNOWN HEALING

Esau and Jacob were the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah.  

Rebekah was unable to have children for twenty years.  Finally, Isaac prayed for her and she conceived.  [Genesis 25:22-27  -  All quotes from The Voice Bible unless otherwise noted.]

But the children she carried struggled and fought with each other until, in great pain, she exclaimed, “What is going on? Why is this happening to me?” In frustration she inquired of the Eternal One why this civil war was occurring inside of her.

Eternal One (to Rebekah): Two nations are growing inside of your womb,
and the two peoples will be divided in the future.
One will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.

When it was time for Rebekah to give birth, she saw that she was carrying twins. The first came out red—his entire body like a hairy blanket—so they named him Esau. His brother followed with his hand clutching Esau’s heel, so they named him Jacob. Isaac was 60 years old when Rebekah gave birth to the twins.

When the boys grew up, they could not have been more different.

As the boys grew and developed, Isaac developed a special love for Esau, while Rebekah grew especially close to Jacob.  

Eventually, Jacob baited Esau and got him to trade his birthright for a bowl of stew.  Later, when Isaac was growing old and wanted to pass his blessing on to his firstborn son, Esau, Jacob and Rebekah conspired for him to steal Esau's blessing through deceit.  [See Genesis 27]

Esau hated Jacob with a fury, because his brother now carried the blessing his father meant for him.

Esau (to himself): The days of mourning for my father are approaching. When he has died, I will kill my brother, Jacob.  [v.41]

Rebekah learned of Esau's plans and persuaded Isaac to send Jacob to her homeland to find a wife.

Jacob spent many years in Paddan-aram where he worked for his uncle Laban and married Leah and Rachel.  Through his two wives and their servants - Bilhah and Zilpah - Jacob gained twelve sons [who eventually became the twelve tribes of Israel].  

After many years, God instructed Jacob to return to his homeland.  After an encounter with his uncle Laban, he began the long journey with his family, servants, and large flocks and herds.  As he got close to Canaan he was told that Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men.  Jacob was terrified!  He separated his family in groups along with his flocks and herds.  He sent an abundance of flocks and herds ahead of him as gifts for Esau to appease his anger.

Then, after laying his plans and securing his family as best he could, Jacob wrestled with a messenger from God all night.  The end result of this encounter was that his name was changed to Israel!

Finally, when he encountered his brother, 

 "Esau ran to meet him.  He embraced Jacob, kissed his neck, and they both cried."  [33:4]

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Well, that's a surprise ending!  What happened to the anger that Esau had felt toward his conniving brother?  What happened to his plan to kill Jacob?  

___________________________________

We don't have an answer to that question!  The Bible gives no explanation for the change that Esau apparently experienced!  Somehow, he had forgiven his brother, Jacob, and was able to genuinely welcome him back to their homeland.  After much persuading from Jacob, Esau did finally accept the VERY GENEROUS gifts that Jacob presented to him:

• 200 female goats
• 20 male goats
• 200 female sheep
• 20 rams
• 30 milk camels and their colts
• 40 cows and 10 bulls
• 20 female donkeys and 10 male donkeys

Although the presentation of these gifts may have impacted Esau, the narrative leaves us with the impression that somehow God had brought peace to Esau's heart long before this moment.

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Does time heal?

There's little doubt that time does allow us to adapt to unwelcome circumstances.  With the passing of time, we gain perspective and realize that we can move forward in spite of our anger, hurt, loss, pain!  

Esau wanted desperately to please his parents!  But when he married two Hittite women, he brought a lot of pain to Isaac and Rebekah [27:46].  This was part of Rebekah's reasoning for sending Jacob away to find a wife!  

Now Esau saw that his father, Isaac, had again blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-aram to find a wife there, instructing him not to marry any of the Canaanite women. He learned, too, that Jacob had gone there just as his father and mother both wanted. So, realizing his father did not like his Canaanite wives, Esau went to see Ishmael and took Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael (Abraham’s other son) and the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife in addition to the two others.  [28:6-9]

Esau wanted to please his parents, but everything he did seemed to disappoint them.  He surely must have felt like a failure!  Yet somehow, through the many years that Jacob spent in Paddan-aram, Esau came to peace with the situation.  

Instead of holding on to hatred and bitterness, he seems to have found a way to be satisfied with the life that God had given him.  He welcomed his brother back with a hug, a kiss and tears of joy.  

The only other time that Esau shows up in the biblical story is when he and Jacob meet to bury Isaac together [Genesis 35:28-29].  

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Lord of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Esau,

Esau's sub-story reveals that even when we're not the main character in the plot, You still keep Your eye on us and help us to resolve the conflicts and dilemmas of our lives!  You are so awesome, kind and generous!  Thank You for this sub-plot of Esau's.  Thank You that his life didn't end in bitterness and hatred!  Thank You that You found a way to bring peace to his heart and life!

There are many in our world today who are like Esau!  They feel like they're the sub-plot in their family!  They feel neglected.  They realize that they didn't get their parent's blessing.  They're angry and distracted by plans to get even.  They're jealous.  They need You, Gracious God!  They need to hear Esau's story!  They need to realize that Your resources are unlimited and Your grace is readily available!  

Find them, Lord, and heal them.  Remove the bitterness and replace it with satisfaction and peace and joy!  You can do this!  You've done it for many - including Esau!  Praise Your Holy Name.

Amen