Psalm

Text study – Psalm 146

/ The Pastor

Psalm 146 is the Psalm assigned for this Sunday (18th Sunday after Pentecost).  It is a Psalm praising God for being in control.  And I for one am glad GOD is in control because as we all know things hardly ever go as we plan.  The Psalms reads as follows:

Praise the LORD!

Praise the LORD, O my soul.
   I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
   I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

Do not put your trust in princes,
    in mortals, in whom there is no help. (emphasis mine)
When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
   on that very day their plans perish.

Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
   whose hope is in the LORD their God, (emphasis mine)
who made heaven and earth,
   the sea, and all that is in them;
   who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed;
   who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free;
   the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
   the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the strangers;
   he upholds the orphan and the widow,
   but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

The LORD will reign forever,
   your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the LORD!
(Citation: Psalm 146, NIV)

Maybe you have hear this phrase: "We make plans and God laughs".  I think there is a lot of truth in that statement.  Does that mean we shouldn’t make plans in life?  No way!  Making plans is fine…the troubles comes when we put our faith in such plans and them alone – when we put our faith in this world alone.

How many times have we made grand plans for something and have things "fall apart".  We stress and worry.  We fret and maybe blow up at someone.  We say something we regret and why?  All because OUR plans did not work out.  We get angry because we have lost control.

But then…in the end…everything works out…and sometimes for the better…and…in a way you never thought possible. 

GOD is in control!

In those moments I think back and hear a chuckle coming from God’s direction.  "If only they knew.  If only they would trust me".

Do not put your trust in princes,
    in mortals, in whom there is no help.

But…

Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
   whose hope is in the LORD their God…

There is a great song by contemporary Christian artist, Twila Paris, and currently re-recorded by Avalon titled, God is in Control.  I more than really enjoy that song but I love that title.  God IS in control.  And when our trust is put in God, then we can rejoice in no matter how our best laid plans work out.  Because when God is involved, then it HAS to be great, awesome and perfect.  And I for one am all for that.

So go ahead…make plans…prepare for the future.  But remember…GOD is in control!

Praise the Lord!

-edh-

Psalm “4”

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Being the president and treasurer of the Jackson County Ministerial I am faced with many decisions on whether people traveling through genuinely need help when they ask for it.  You see…Jackson is located on I-90 and US Hwy 71 so it is a high traffic town.  People hitchhiking often stop in Jackson looking for help.  Some people really do need help and some are just trying to travel cross country on someone else’s nickle.  I hate being suspicious of people when they ask for help.  I want to give people the benefit of the doubt but I also want to be a good steward of the resources placed in my charge.  Some days I just want to give up my treasurer office and let someone else deal with it.  Then I have days when I know that we, the Jackson Ministerial, are helping someone (like today).

This Psalm, my fourth installment, is a reflection on the struggle I face.  I know I am not perfect, so I ask God everyday for the strength and wisdom to know when aid is truly needed.  Being the treasurer of the ministerial is a curse but also a blessing.  Here’s Psalm "4":

Psalm "4"
Your Spirit blows through, in and around my life;
     how can I possibly ignore you?

You remind me of your presence in a stiff breeze that liters a beautiful yard;
     you upset my surroundings – you mess up my status quo.
I survey the "damage" and wonder what to do next;
     I wonder why you have disturbed me so.
I sit and fume not realizing the haunting reality around me;
    the wonders of your awesome love and faithfulness.
So I walk around and clean up the "mess";
     only to discover something else – something precious.
The "mess" I once considered a nuisance is a reminder to my complacent heart;
     a reminder that I am needed in this world.
     Your creation and your children need me.

Your Spirit blows through, in and around my life;
     how can I possibly ignore you?

A person walks along the road;
     but I am too busy.
One of Your children call;
     but I am suspicious.
A fellow servant needs help;
     but I am unavailable.
You knock at the door;
     and I cringe.

I am ashamed…

The "messes" you bring in our lives are not "messes";
     they are precious reminders to be who we were created to be.
We are caretakers.
We are servants.
We are called.

I can’t ignore you – I won’t ignore you.
I am needed.

Your Spirit blows through, in and around my life;
     how can I possibly ignore you?

I can’t ignore you – I won’t ignore you.
I am needed.

Oh God, "I believe, help my unbelief"
-edh-

Psalm “3”

/ The Pastor

This is a psalm I wrote yesterday afternoon.  I am teaching a Psalms class and trying to encourage my students to write their own psalm.  It’s due on May 30 so we’ll see if they actually do it.  This psalm is the third one I have written.  The first one was in seminary for a Psalms class I took – that was a lament psalm.  My second one was a praise psalm written a couple weeks ago.  This psalm was written as a reflection of my alone time outside at 6am yesterday morning (actually I was fertilizing my lawn – it’s amazing when, where and how inspiration can come).  So here you go…I hope you enjoy this.

Psalm "3"
God, you are an awesome God.
     Your wonders never cease.

You give life to the lifeless,
     you bring color to that which was once brown.
I lay down at night unexpecting,
     but wake up in the morning surprised.
You sprinkle creation with nourishment,
     nourishment that seems to come from no where.
Creation drinks in your wonderful gift,
     it cannot get enough.

Hours pass by and your mercies never cease.
     Signs of your faithfulness still surround me.
I gaze upon your creation and I am overwhelmed.
     I can hardly take in the love that I see.
The grass is as alive as a young child,
     a child in a candy store.
The trees reach for you as an infant,
     an infant reaching for her mother’s touch.

O God, your morning gift has been well received,
     and I thank you, but even my thanks seems so small.

O God, you are an awesome God.
     Your mercies never cease.

I realize that the Psalms are songs that were sung first and then written down, so I am doing things a little backwards.  But they did come from the life experiences of the people.  I am not sure what got into me because I don’t normally write things like this, but it was kind of fun.  And I may do it again sometime.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.  His love endures forever." (Psalm 136:1)

-edh-