Lessons from Psalms #5: Creator

'Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
in the heavens...
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?' Ps 8:1, 3-4

'The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.' Ps 19.1

The Psalms are full of praise for God as Creator. There is such a sense of awe when the writers look around them, look up at the stars, and just see God's fingerprints. In Psalm 90, attributed to Moses, you can see the influence of Genesis 1-2 on the way he looks at God and on man's place in creation:

'Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the whole world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.' Ps 90.2

That's what creation does: it shows us God's infinite greatness and puts us in our place. So often I feel like I'm running the show, and it's all about my plan, my progress and my achievements. But I'm missing the bigger picture.

'Our days may come to seventy years,
or eighty, if our strength endures;
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away...
Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.' Ps 90.10-12

Our lives are so fleeting in comparison with eternity, yet so often our hearts are rooted to this world instead of the next. This Psalm is a great reminder that though our lives are plagued with the restrictions and realities of death and time, we can find true satisfaction in receiving His mercy and plough our energies into work for Him that has value when done with the right motives: to serve.

'Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days...
establish the work of our hands for us –
yes, establish the work of our hands.' Ps 90.14,17

In the image of our Creator, we too can create. We can enjoy permanence through His everlasting nature. If I'm looking for my meaning and value in my work (whether in my job, or as a parent, or any other capacity), I'm never going to be satisfied. I'm never going to rest. But if I find my meaning in being a child of God, I can give my work 100% and then rest, knowing that He is God, not me.

When writing to the Corinthians, Paul tells them 'Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.' (1 Cor 15:58). He doesn't promise that we always get the results we want, but he tells us that it's worth giving God our best, because He sees and values a humble spirit that longs to please Him. So much of finding earthly contentment lies in seeing ourselves as God sees us, and not judging ourselves by the world's standards. Only then can we find the peace we crave.

Lessons from Psalms #4: God is Enough

'The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing...
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
for ever.' Ps 23:1,5-6

'I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.’
...Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance...
You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.' Ps 16:2, 5-6, 11

Do we really believe that God is enough for us? That's the challenge of the Psalms for me. Time and time again, the different writers lift their eyes from circumstances that are less than ideal (in fact, mostly times of rejection, political instability and turmoil), and find in God a stability and fortress. They find in Him all they need. Can I say the same? How much am I content with God as God? Or do I just feel content in God when He gives me a nice house to live in, a happy family, a good job?

Psalm 84 is all about longing for the courts of the Lord. The stand-out section for me reads:

'Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.' Ps 84:5-7

Baka, or Baca, is 'the thirsty valley'. It's like a desert place where only a certain type of balsam tree will grow. God's people make it a place of springs - they show faith which dares to dig blessings out of hardship. It's not that the place itself magically transforms when they get there.

I can see the spiritual barrenness around me and pray for streams of living water from on high to refresh the land, but sometimes I feel that challenge from the Psalmist: I need to start digging deeper. When I'm finding deep refreshment in the Lord, that will flow out to others around me.

Lessons from Psalms #3: History

You can't read the Psalms without getting a real sense of history. From the account of creation in Genesis, to the story of God's dealings with the descendants of Jacob, leading them out of Egypt (as recorded in Exodus), even up to the exile of Israel to Babylon, all of these historical events inspire the psalmists to write songs of praise to God and to warn God's people to obey Him and remember all His deeds.

Psalms 77-81 feature elements of Exodus and Deuteronomy as they recount God's dealings with Israel to explain their current situation and provide hope for the future. Psalm 77 is a personal cry to God, remembering His promises and works:

'I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will consider all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds' Ps 77:11-12

The Exodus from Egypt is one of the biggest, most significant events which the Psalmist remembers (see v15-20), as this was in many ways a definitive act of salvation in which God set apart Israel as a people for Himself. Continuing with this focus, Psalm 78 gives a long history of Israel, teaching lessons from it, to evoke praise and faithfulness in God's people in the present:

'so that the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.
Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.' Ps 78.6-7

The main lesson to be learnt from the history of Israel, it seems, is that we need to have real faith in God, a faith that is willing to trust Him and not constantly look for something better elsewhere. The psalmist's main judgement on Israel is that 'they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance.' (Ps 78.22) They occasionally had moments of revelation and repentance, but often they paid God lip service whilst their hearts were not loyal to Him (v36-37). This is one of those times where Scripture just cuts right to the heart of the matter and exposes our so-called good intentions as merely playing at being good to try to get away with as much as possible. It doesn't work with God! He sees our every thought. And this is where the history in the Psalms is so valuable for us today as Christians. It's our history too. If we're honest, we have exactly the same tendencies as Israel did, to go along to church and sing all the songs, but then to desire the same things as everyone else. We may not do anything visibly wrong, but we're just kidding ourselves if we think God will be satisfied with anything less than our whole devotion, love and obedience.

Where is the hope in this sorry history then? Ps 78:68-72 talks about God choosing Judah, and raising up David to lead them. The hope has to be in God's persistent goodness, despite His people's disobedience and lacklustre faith. Psalms 79-80 lead us in crying out to God for restoration, healing and forgiveness:

'Do not hold against us the sins of past generations;
may your mercy come quickly to meet us,
for we are in desperate need.
Help us, God our Saviour,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us and forgive our sins
for your name’s sake.' Ps 79.8-9

Finally, Psalm 81 reiterates many of the key points of the Law from Exodus and Deuteronomy, to remind God's people that He has infinite grace and infinite resources to satisfy them. We don't need to look elsewhere!

'I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it...
But you would be fed with the finest of wheat;
with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.’ Ps 81:10, 16

The death of the rom-com

Have you noticed recently that the traditional rom-com has gone completely out of fashion? In the last few months there has been an arid desert of no 'You've Got Mail's or 'Ever After's in the cinema. Instead there have been 'chick flicks' focusing upon women getting what they want. Example: 'Bride Wars'. Ostensibly a film about marriage (another unusual concept in modern films), this comedy is actually about two women who come to an age where they want to get married, and set about the business of planning their weddings to fulfil their life-long dream of a reception at the Plaza. The men have a very small part to play in the film, and I was pleasantly surprised at how the plot subtly questions the idea of women reaching a certain age where marriage seems like the next step to take... regardless of who you happen to be dating at the time.

The elements of romance in a film -even for a target female audience- have been sidelined as our culture has moved away from seeking total fulfilment in relationships. Now we idolise career instead. At the youth club we run for 11-13 year olds, I was really surprised when we held a DVD night and a boy brought 'Step Up 2'. I thought this was a really girly film (having seen it in the cinema), but actually the guys loved the cool dancing, and as we watched it I realised that the romantic storyline really takes a backseat to the tough-girl-turns-into-fantastic-dancer scenario.

As a teacher, it seems to me that young people often have totally unrealistic expectations for how their lives will turn out and what career they will pursue, and films like 'Step Up 2' are a classic example of why this is the case. Films often show success stories without much hard graft. In this dance film, you watch a few clips of rehearsals and then suddenly a group are performing an amazingly polished routine. Kids often don't make the link between working hard at school, and getting good jobs, because this is simply too boring for films to make a good story from.

As a Christian then, how do I respond to the messages of these films? I think it's good that we're moving away from the idea that marriage is THE only ultimate goal for a woman in life, but I don't think the answer is to suggest that women need to relentlessly pursue a career in order to be a success. Nor is it healthy to suggest that you can land the job of your dreams with little effort.

But the crux of the matter is this: where do you find meaning for your life? Whether it's in relationships, or your job, or your hobby, you can never find full satisfaction. Only through knowing God can your soul find rest, and then all these other things fall into place.

'But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all [the things you need] will be given to you as well.' Matthew 6:33

Psalm 16: The joy of knowing God

Lessons from David- Psalm 16

'apart from You I have no good thing' (2)

David here shows a single-minded devotion to God, treasuring Him above all else and recognising Him as the source of all goodness.

Next to God, David delights in the saints (3) as the people of God. Christians have an unshakable bond with other believers, because we all share the same secure lot and delightful inheritance in heaven (5-6). We have all come to realise that there is nothing but sorrow in pursuing other gods (4). How much do we cultivate deep relationships with people at church, regardless of their age, job or background?

David praises God and sets Him before himself (7-8). His heart is glad and he is secure (9), because of the hope of resurrection (10). How much more (post-Jesus) can we rejoice in this hope!

'You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.' (11)

Psalm 62-63: Everything You Need

You can tell a lot about a person from the music they listen to. Just look at the success of Desert Island Discs- hundreds of celebrities and writers appear on this long-running Radio 4 show to share their top 8 albums with the world. Perhaps we find it comforting that they take solace in the same symphonies as we do; that they sing in the shower to the same Beatles tracks. Anthony Grayling, famous philosopher and writer, is this week's guest. His chosen track list is suitably intellectual, with only one non-classical piece (which, hearteningly, is by The Kinks). And there is a sense that we judge people by the music they listen to.

Music is beautiful in its variety, and sometimes is able to express the emotions of our very souls. In this sense, it does reveal a piece of our heart. So do all our other hobbies and pursuits. Whatever we choose to invest money and time in will inevitably reflect our priorities. As a Christian, it is a real struggle not to fall into the 'Desert Island Disc' trap, of seeking solace from today's busy world in beautiful music... relationships... shopping... entertainment. None of these things are bad in essence, but as a Christian, my real delight and solace should be in God.

'My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him.' -Psalm 62:1

How many Christians can identify with me in saying, I got part b but not part a of that verse! It's one thing to receive salvation from God; quite another to find rest in Him alone. I'm more likely to find rest in God AND my marriage, or my family, or my job... The list goes on.

And yet, these two phrases are logically linked. If you've found salvation in God, and you cannot find it anywhere else, why look anywhere else for satisfaction? The Psalmist David points out that God is a Rock; He is always there and always faithful, and so he says:
'Trust in Him at all times, O people, pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.' (Ps 62:8)

Times of pressure and trouble should turn us towards God and increase our dependence on Him, not push us away into our desert island sanctuary, whatever shape or form that may take. It's all too easy to set your heart on riches (Ps 62:10), but we need to avoid depending on material things for happiness and satisfaction. They simply draw us away from the only source of full and complete satisfaction: God. He is 'strong' and 'loving' (Ps 62:11), and His character is worth delighting in and seeking.

'Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You...
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods...
My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.' -Psalm 63:3, 5, 8)