Do not fret

I was struck by the phrase "Do not fret" this morning. The word "fret" appears only 4 times in scripture and three of them are found in Psalm 37 (the fourth appearance is found in Proverbs 24:19 which is remarkably similar to Psalm 37:1). The great preacher Oswald Chambers in his classic daily devotional "My Utmost for His Highest" wrote a piece on July 4th, 2014 entitled 'One of God's Great "Don'ts"'. He said, 'It’s easy to say, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7) until our own little world is turned upside down and we are forced to live in confusion and agony like so many other people. Is it possible to “rest in the Lord” then? If this “Do not” doesn’t work there, then it will not work anywhere.'

So what does it mean to fret? Vocabulary.com gave this definition:
"Fret comes from the Old English word freton which means to devour like an animal. When you fret over something, it consumes your thoughts." "When you fret, you worry so much about something that it eats away at you."

In Psalm 37 we are told:

Do not fret because of those who are evil
    or be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither,
    like green plants they will soon die away. (verses 1-2)

Here we are told not to have the two extreme reactions when we see evil in the world - to let it eat into our soul or to become envious! We are to take a proper perspective that this life is transient and there is judgement awaiting. "He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end." (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Be still before the Lord
    and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    when they carry out their wicked schemes. (verse 7)

Our worries and turmoil are like a storm raging inside. It is often not within our ability to calm ourselves. God has to come to the rescue: "He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed." (Psalm 107:29). And when Jesus comes to our rescue: 'And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.' (Mark 4:39). So we wait patiently on the one who will calm the storm.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
    do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For those who are evil will be destroyed,
    but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. (verses 8-9)

Fretting will always lead to evil - becoming angry; taking matters into our own hand. Judgement will come from the Lord, not from us. We hope in the Lord that one day God will make it right. This corrupted world will be renewed again. Jesus gave this "blessing" in his famous "Sermon on the Mount" "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5). What a radical teaching!

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,  (James 1:19)

"The Doe of the Morning"

This was the tune King David used to sing Psalm 22. Up until this morning I had always assumed the tune to be a quiet and meditative tune of praise. Although I have no idea of what the original tune was like, I can imagine it being like any one of the worship songs I know, one which is perfectly fitting for my early morning walk with my walking buddies through the Bruce Trail, a two hour walk which we do most Saturday mornings through summer and fall. On the trail we often see deers and other animals. The deers, being quite familiar with trackers through the forest, sometimes stare you straight in the face unafraid. In this setting one can't help but to naturally praise God for His wonderful creation.

But this morning I discovered that Psalm 22 actually began with these words:
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from saving me,
    so far from my cries of anguish?
My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
    by night, but I find no rest." (verses 1-2)

These are words which Jesus uttered while he was hanging on the cross before he died!
"About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”)." (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34)

I can't imagine that he was singing a quiet meditative tune at that point. And yet the words of this Psalm was exactly what was on his mind. Jesus understood King David's cried for help when he wrote the Psalm and he was feeling it on the cross. The writer of the book of Hebrews reminded us:
"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin." (Hebrews 4:15)

This sermon from Sermon Central is very helpful to explain Psalm 22:1-2. I learned that:

• "The Doe of the Morning" is probably a very solemn tune. It portrays a deer being hunted.
• The lyrics are sad. They talk about what would happen to the promised Messiah.
• When we are in trouble, we can cry out "my God, my God". For "God is our refuge and strength" (Psalm 46:1)! Application from the sermon: "What is my god? What do I turn to refuge in every need? Do I turn to the doctors or medicines when I get sick? Do I turn to my own money managing abilities when crop prices are low? Who do I turn to in time of need?"
• Jesus was forsaken by God! Being forsaken is like a new born child being left in a garbage can - abandoned and left alone! Not only was Jesus disowned by his father in heaven, his trusted disciples also deserted him (Mark 14:50). Will I abandon Jesus when times are good? "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2:15-17).
• Jesus died on the cross to save me! My pastor has been going through a series of sermon this summer to help us build on our foundation of belief (a mini course on "Systematic Theology"). The topic for last week and this week is on "Soteriology", or the Study of Salvation. I have found these lessons very helpful. The podcasts and sermon notes can be found here.
• Thank you Jesus for coming to earth to identify with us,  to offer your life as an atoning (atonement = "at-one-ment") sacrifice for my sins, and to show us how to live a humble life to serve others!

I love Psalms!

Today I started reading from the Book of Psalms again. I love Psalms! What is so striking about the Psalms is that the authors (mainly David, but also Moses (Psalm 90), Solomon (Psalms 72 and 127), the sons of Korah (Psalms 42-49; 84-85; and 87-88), the sons of Asaph (Psalms 50 and 73-83), and Ethan the Ezrahite (Psalm 89) - see authors of scripture) are often so raw in their emotions expressed. It reassures me that it is okay to express my emotion before God in my prayers. It's okay to say both my praises and anger and frustrations. My faith is ultimately dependent on my relationship with the invisible God. He says He loves me and I can trust Him with my feelings.

Psalm 1 is the first Psalm I have committed to memory. It is a daily reminder of what life is all about and how to live a blessed life! It begins with this:
"Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night." (verses 1-2)
I will do well to stay away from evil and abide in the truth. "In everything he does, he prospers" (verse 3) and that's an amazing promise!

Psalm 2 speaks of the sovereignty of God. "The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them (referring to the kings of the earth who were plotting against the Lord and His anointed)." (verses 1-4). Once again we are assured of our intimate relationship with the Almighty (remember the same promise in John 1:12?) and His promise to provide:
"He said to me, “You are my son;
    today I have become your father.
Ask me,
    and I will make the nations your inheritance,
    the ends of the earth your possession." (verses 7-8)

Psalm 3 which I will commit to memory this week, tells us how King David prayed to God when he was under extreme difficulties. His own son Absalom had rebelled against him and had surrounded him with tens of thousands of his troop (verse 6). Despite what he saw and heard (verses 1 & 2) David focused his thought on God's invisible shield and was able to sleep calmly through the night!
"But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
    my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
I call out to the Lord,
    and he answers me from his holy mountain.
I lie down and sleep;
    I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
I will not fear though tens of thousands
    assail me on every side." (verses 3-6)

David's strategy against fear is to look up to the holy mountain. This reminds me of another Psalm which I have also committed to memory:
"I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth." (Psalm 121:1-2)

I shall practice meditating on God's law and His protecting shield. I will look up to the mountains (or the heavens where I shall find Him) when I am afraid (of what's around me). This I will do for the rest of my days!

Is wisdom important during times of suffering?

After defending his integrity from his 3 friends, Job spent the entire chapter 28 on "Where wisdom is found?". Why?

So far, the arguments from Job's friends had been:

1. God is righteous and fair.
2. God rewards those who are good and punishes those who are evil.
3. Job's suffering is God's punishment - therefore Job has unconfessed sins.
4. Even though Job denied (or was unaware of) any unconfessed sins he could never be good enough because God's righteousness is the standard by which human's righteousness is measured.
5. If Job would just confess his sins God will bless him again.

This is naturally the kind of linear thinking we are familiar with and have lived by all our lives. Job was genuinely confused. He had lived his life more or less following these same principles also. In fact just to be sure, he made sure even his children stayed pure:
His (Job's) sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom. (Jobs 1:4-5)

So why all of a sudden a loving God who had been so close to him would send him such calamities?
“How I long for the months gone by,
    for the days when God watched over me,
when his lamp shone on my head
    and by his light I walked through darkness!
Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,
    when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house,
when the Almighty was still with me
    and my children were around me,
when my path was drenched with cream
    and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil. (Job 29:2-6)

Wisdom is needed. And where do you find such wisdom?

• Like precious stones and minerals are only found in deep mines and buried stones, we need to dig deep to find wisdom. (Job 28:1-11)
• The price of wisdom is beyond any monetary value. (Job 28:12-19)
• Only the powerful and creative God knows where to find it. (Job 28:20-27)
• So we can begin to find wisdom by this:
      And he said to the human race, “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
      and to shun evil is understanding.” (Job 28:28)

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" - is a major theme in the bible. It is found in other places: Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 1:7, and Proverbs 9:10.

What does it mean to fear God? This article from Christianity Today is a very good read on this topic - good food for thought for this week.

Jesus tells us: "Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28)