7 Things the Humble Need to Hear

In 2003 I remember watching a NFL playoff game between the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers.  At the end of regulation the game was tied, so a sudden-death overtime was called for.  At the coin flip, Matt Hasselbeck, quarterback for the Seahawks, called "Heads."  When it was determined that the Seahawks won the toss, the referee asked if they wanted to kick or receive to start the overtime period.  Hasselbeck leaned in close to the ref and said into his microphone, "We want the ball, and we're going to score."  A few plays later, however, near midfield, Hasselbeck threw the ball right into the waiting arms of a Packers defender who intercepted the pass and returned it all the way for a touchdown.  Game over.  Season over.  Suddenly, Hasselbeck's guarantee of victory seemed very ill-advised.  

When we think of the word "humble" we usually think of people who put others first, don't toot their own horn very often, or someone who is meek and mild, and that is certainly an accurate picture.  But there's another kind of humility - the kind that is forced upon a person when he or she experiences something that takes away his or her pride or self-assurance, and all of a sudden they realize that things aren't as great as they thought they were.  For instance, Matt Hasselbeck was made humble.  He wasn't humble to begin with.  On the contrary, he exuded pride and confidence in himself and his team.  But all of that melted away when Al Harris, the Packers defender, ran into the end zone with the intercepted pass.  

In Psalm 34.2, David says, "Let the humble hear and be glad."  The kind of humility that David is talking about here is the kind that is forced upon a person - the kind that you experience when you've been through the ringer.  What David is saying is that people who have been beaten down and who have been through difficult circumstances need to hear some things that he's going to tell them, and as a result, they will be glad.  "Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!" David says.  Now that would have to be something pretty amazing, because it's exceptionally difficult to go from feeling like the world has walked all over you, to being glad and exalting the name of the Lord.  But David says it's possible.  In fact, in Psalm 34 he gives us seven things the humble need to hear - seven things that should cause the humble to be glad and magnify the Lord. 

1. Blessing comes during affliction (Psalm 34.4-7).  In Psalm 34.4-7 David describes experiencing the splendors of God's blessing and deliverance when he is at his worst.  It's when he's at his lowest that he experiences the blessing of God's deliverance; it's when he's poor and crying that God hears him and saves him out of all his troubles.  Put simply, you can't experience the blessing of deliverance without first being in a situation that requires deliverance.  So when you've been through the ringer, when you've been beaten down, you need to hear this: that's the place where you will experience God's blessing, deliverance, and help.  

2. God provides (Psalm 34.8-10).  Those who have been brought low by some kind of affliction need to hear that God will provide for their needs.  "...those who fear him have no lack." (Psalm 34.9)  God will always provide you with what you need.  Note that he doesn't promise to give you what you want but what you need.  God has not promised to protect you from feeling pain, but he has promised to provide what you need to get through the pain to the other side.  Check it out for yourself: "Taste and see that the Lord is good!" (Psalm 34.8)

3. Seek peace and pursue it (Psalm 34.11-14).  When you are humbled by your circumstances, one of the things you need to hear is a warning about your propensity to sinfully respond to difficulty.  If someone mistreats us, our natural inclination is get back at them and get even.  Or, if we are going through something difficult, we can be inclined to numb the pain through some kind of sinful means, or even be tempted to doubt or blame God for what we're going through.  During your time of difficulty, expect to be tempted to sin, and start planning now to respond in a way that honors God and seeks peace.  

4. God sees and hears, and he is near (Psalm 34.15, 17-18).  God knows exactly what people are going through because he is watching over them, and he is ready and willing to hear and respond to their prayers.  When I take my kids to the park, I tell them "Stay where I can see you."  I want to watch them so I can help them if they need it.  In a similar way, God watches over his children so he can help them when they need it.  And he isn't watching from afar, but he is close.  Sometimes we are inclined to think that God is far away, perched atop his throne in heaven, too royal and majestic and busy running the universe to be concerned with my puny little problems.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  God is intimately aware of and involved in the things that concern us.  He goes with us into the valley of the shadow of death.  He is near.  When you've been through the ringer, you need to hear and remember that.

5. The scales will be balanced (Psalm 34.16, 21-22).  When we fall upon hard times because of something someone else has done to us, it can be tempting to want to get even.  At those times, you need to know that God is just and righteous, and that he will by no means clear the guilty.  If we have been humbled by the words or actions of someone else, we don't need to concern ourselves with vengeance or getting even.  "Leave it to the wrath of God," Paul says in Romans 12.  If you have been humbled by someone or something, you need to hear this: God will see the scales balanced - if you have been wrongly treated, you will be vindicated, and those who have treated you wrongly will not escape justice. 

6. Your afflictions will end Psalm 34.19-20).  Unfortunately, a lot of people think that believing the gospel means an end to all of their problems, and that everything will be hunky dory from then on out.  But the Bible never promises that.  Instead, it shows us the reality that problems still exist, and even new problems are created as a result of believing the gospel!  "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all."  The Bible tells us that we will still have hard times, but that the Lord will deliver us out of them all.  Either he will provide a means of escape in the here and now, or it might be that we won't find deliverance until we reach heaven.  I can't promise when your afflictions will end, but they most certainly will end.  One day, God's deliverance will be complete and total.  

7. Rejoice and be glad (Psalm 34.1-2).  While it sounds counterintuitive, it is not only possible to be glad during hard times, but it is right, because this is the God Christians serve: the one who will bless those who suffer, who provides all their needs, who will see the scales balanced, who is with you wherever you are, and the one who will deliver you.  These are more than enough reasons to catch more than just a glimmer of hope in the eye of a Christian who is suffering.  We do not suffer alone or outside of the knowledge of God.  He will come to our aid.  Always.  So the next time you feel like the world has chewed you up and spit you out, you can rejoice and be glad, because this is your God.  

Trusting God in the Midst of Tragedy, Death, and Confusion

Tragedy, Death, and Confusion

It's safe to say that in the United States, the last few weeks have been characterized by tragedy, death, and confusion.  Many in our society have risen up against the perceived injustice of the deaths of two black men at the hands of police officers.  This uprising has led to even more violence at demonstrations that are calling for justice.  Additionally, others have taken it upon themselves to seek a type of vigilante justice and have murdered innocent police officers.  The loss of life has been tragic, and as people who love life in all its forms, we grieve with those who have lost loved ones as a result of these events.

To make matters worse, these events have been drenched in confusion.  Our age has become one of instant access, in which news and stories are broken immediately, sometimes even as they are taking place, and therefore our ability to comment on the news has likewise become instantaneous.  When that which appears to us as injustice occurs, either in our lives or in our society, it is common for us to want to address it immediately and harshly.  This has led to many people making quick judgments based on little evidence, which starts rumors and incites anger, which in my mind has only compounded the problems that we are facing and has made the issues even harder to wade through, and the resulting questions even more difficult to answer.  As people who love the truth, Christians should seek out the facts of all situations before making determinative judgments in the public square.  

At this time, there is very little we can know about these situations, and how and why they occurred.  Investigations will be undertaken and more facts will come to light which will help authorities to know the truth and take appropriate action based on that knowledge.  In the mean time, we are a society who is left in the lurch - we want answers and action, and we want it now.  But answers have not been forthcoming - at least not yet - and in the meantime our God-given desire for justice is tingling within us, demanding that the scales be balanced in one way or another.  But even in times of tragedy and death in which confusion reigns, Christians have a solid foundation upon which they can place their trust: the all-knowing, all-seeing God of perfect righteousness and justice.  

Trusting in the Just Judge

While our knowledge of these events is limited to cell phone videos, eyewitness testimony, social media reactions, and other types of evidence, God's knowledge is not limited.  He does not need to conduct an investigation to find the facts.  He sees all and knows all (Psalm 33.13-15, Hebrews 4.13).  He is aware when an injustice has been committed (Psalm 31.7-8).  Additionally, God loves justice and righteousness and will always see it fulfilled (Genesis 18.25, Psalm 33.4-5).  We don't ever have to worry that someone who has committed an injustice will get away with it.  There are no mistrials or hung juries in God's courtroom.  In the cosmic balance of eternity, God will always see that justice is carried out, and that all people will receive the due reward for their deeds (Psalm 28.4).  Even those criminals who never face human justice will one day stand before the just judge of all the universe and hear their sentence.  God will always do what is right.  Always.  

There are two ways in which God will deal with evil and achieve justice.  The first way is through eternal punishment in hell.  Because God is good, he must punish evil.  All those who have transgressed his law will be found guilty and their deserved punishment will be hell for all eternity.  But this is not God's preference.  God would prefer to deal with sin through his own sacrifice of his Son on the cross (2 Peter 3.9).  Through Christ, those who are trusting in him can have their sin-debt taken care of.  The punishment that Jesus endured was on behalf of those who are trusting in him.  So God's own sense of justice is satisfied through the punishment that Christ endured on behalf of those who believe (Romans 3.26).  Because he is just, God will have justice - either on the cross or in hell.  

Responding to confusion with truth

These truths should help us answer some of the questions that have arisen over the past few weeks in our nation, such as:

Were the officers in the shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile racially motivated to kill?  I don't know, but God does.  I don't have all the facts, and I can't see their hearts.  But God does have all the facts, and he can see their hearts (1 Samuel 16.7).  I can and should trust that he has full knowledge of the situation and will act accordingly.

How should we seek justice?  Pursue the truth.  As I stated earlier, when a perceived injustice occurs, our natural inclination is to respond swiftly and harshly because we have a God-given desire for justice in our lives.  Unfortunately, the advent of social media in our day and age has made it very easy for us to rush to judgment without pursuing all of the facts (truth) about a perceived injustice, and it is very easy for us to come to judgments that are in error, and may even incite anger or violence toward others.  Because God loves the truth, Christians are to love the truth as well.  In fact, there is no justice without truth.  Therefore, we should always be seeking the truth as much as possible in situations such as these.  To take a determinative stance on any perceived injustice without full knowledge of the issue would be exceedingly unwise, at best (Proverbs 18.2).  Our goal should be to have the understanding that God has in order to make a definitive judgment.  

What should we do if an injustice has occurred?  First, we should allow the process of justice that God has put in place in our country to take its course (Romans 13.4).  If, for whatever reason, our justice system fails, Christians should never seek to act as a judge and enact some sort of vigilante justice.  To do so demonstrates a lapse of faith in God's judgment (Romans 12.19).  We must rest confidently in the truth that God will see the scales balanced, even if we never see justice done in this life (2 Corinthians 5.10, Romans 2.6).  

How now shall we live? 

Through the Bible we can see that God loves life, truth, and justice.  As his people it is incumbent upon us to mirror God's own love for and pursuit of these things.  

We must pursue life.  God is a God who loves life, and his people subsequently love life in all its forms.  Therefore, we are grieved when any life is lost for any reason, and specifically, we mourn with those who mourn over the loss of their friends and loved ones.  May God give us tender hearts that will grieve over the loss of those who bear his image and fight for its protection.

We must pursue justice.  God delights in fairness and equity in any and all scenarios and circumstances.  Consequently, he shares this characteristic with his creation, and human beings likewise have an inherent desire for justice.  When an injustice has taken place, it shakes us to our very core and invigorates our desire to see the scales balanced.  It is right and biblical for Christians to pursue this desire and to pursue justice for all people in all scenarios.  

We must pursue the truth.  Indeed, our pursuits of life and justice are not possible if we are not pursuing the truth.  Lies like the sin of racism, which would have us believe that all people are not equally valuable, must be rejected in favor of the truth of God's word.  If we do not pursue the truth that all life is valuable and worth preserving, we will not be able to pursue life.  Similarly, in order to have justice, we must pursue the truth.  If we are not pursuing justice with full knowledge of the truth, true justice is impossible.  Without truth, calls for justice ring hollow, and a pursuit of justice without truth is no justice at all.  To take a determinative stance on any issue without knowing the truth is the height of irresponsibility, and is at odds with biblical wisdom.  The pursuit of truth is, perhaps, the most important thing a Christian can do during these times.  

May God empower us to trust in him and be his ambassadors of life, justice, and truth. 

The God of Balanced Scales

Let me begin with three scenarios for your consideration:

Scenario 1: A mother and father have a child with a severe cognitive disability.  This disability impairs the child's ability to understand the message of the gospel.  The parents are concerned that their child does not understand the gospel to the extent that he or she can profess faith.  What will God "do" with their child?

Scenario 2: A skeptic objects to the exclusive nature of the Christian faith.  He says, "If Jesus is the only way to God, then how is it fair that there are millions of people in the world who have never heard of Jesus who will be condemned to hell?  What about people who live in remote parts of the jungle?  Will they go to hell simply because they were born in a remote part of the world and never heard about Jesus?"  What is the answer to this question?

Scenario 3: An elderly man is coming to the end of his life.  For years, his children have been pleading with him to believe the gospel.  Finally, he does - or at least says he does - and passes away.  Upon further reflection however, his children suspect that he may have simply told them what they want to hear, or that he was merely reacting to the fear of coming to the end of his life.  His children are devastated that they do not know if their father was a believer.  What assurance can you give them? 

Psalm 31 helps us to answer each of these questions in a roundabout way.  In Psalm 31 David finds himself in an unjust situation: people are telling lies about him, and it is affecting his relationships, and his emotional and physical health, and he's being unjustly accused to the point that his life is in danger.  In response, he calls upon God: "In your righteousness deliver me!" (Psalm 31.1)  We all have an intrinsic desire for justice and righteousness in our lives.  We want things to be fair; we want things to be just; we want the scales to be balanced.  This desire in our lives comes from our Maker, as he has shared with us his sense of justice.  As beings who have been made in the image of God, we long for justice and righteousness.  This is why the scenarios listed above trouble us.  We perceive an injustice in those scenarios, and it bothers us, and rightly so.

In David's scenario, he is counting on God to do what is right in his situation, and he appeals to God's righteousness.  God is a God of righteousness, in that he will always do what is right, just, and fair (Genesis 18.25).  In other words, God will always see that the scales are balanced.  He will never act in a way that is unjust or unfair, nor does he manipulate circumstances to achieve an unjust result.  In David's situation, this meant that David would find deliverance from his unjust treatment - if not in this life, then in the next - and that his oppressors would likewise receive justice for their oppression and wickedness toward him.  David called upon God to balance the scales in his life, and God will always respond - either in this life or in eternity - because he is righteous.  

There are at least four applications that we can make from knowing that God is righteous and that he will always act righteously: 

1. No matter what injustice we may experience, God will balance the scales in the end.  We might not experience his deliverance today, tomorrow, or even in this life, but God will always do what is right in every situation.  This is a difficult truth to latch onto, however, and it is one that we must continually remind ourselves of, especially when we are in the midst of suffering unfair treatment. 

2. Those who have disabilities to the extent that they are not able to understand and believe the message of the gospel will be treated fairly by God.  He will do what is right in their situation, just as he does in every situation.  Personally, I believe that God will not hold those accountable who are so limited by the diminished power of their minds to the same standards as those who are not.  In other words, I believe that God will be merciful toward those with mental disabilities.  But whatever the case, we can rest assured that God will do what is right. 

3. The same is true for those who live in remote parts of the world and have never heard the gospel.  God will judge them in a way that takes their situation into account, and his judgment of them will be just - it will be right, because God is righteous.  

4. Finally, we can have the same confidence when it comes to those who have died.  Even if we are uncertain about a loved one's faith at the time of their death, we can know that God will treat them fairly.  He will not give them something they do not deserve.  Even in the midst of uncertainty and sadness, we can praise God that he is righteous.  

Psalm 31.5 says, "Into your hand I commit my spirit."  David knew that God was so faithful - so trustworthy to do the right and righteous thing - that he was comfortable entrusting everything in his being to God.  And so should we.  

The Voice of God

Last night a thunderstorm rumbled through West St. Paul.  About 11:00 PM I went outside to check it out (as I am want to do, much to my wife's chagrin).  All of the typical storm elements were present: loud thunder, crashing lightning, and torrential rain.  As usual, watching this storm was an awesome experience, as you can only sit back and marvel at the power you're witnessing. And now, as I write this post the morning after the storm, I do so on my laptop because our computer and phone systems at the church were all knocked out by the storm's power.  

Have you ever been in a violent thunderstorm?  If so, you know that there's nothing you can do about it: the thunderstorm is in charge, and your only choice is to bend to its will.  The storm makes the decisions, you don't.  This is why, when there is severe weather, most of us retreat to our basements, as it is the most solid and safe part of your home during violent storms.  But when you realize the sovereign power of violent weather, you can't help but feel small and helpless, and even hopeless, because you know that the storm is strong and you are not.  The storm is in control - not you.  

That feeling of helplessness in the midst of a violent storm is the kind of feeling that Psalm 29 wants to elicit from you.  It wants you to see the immensity of God's power; it wants you to feel helpless in his presence; it wants you to know that you bend your will to God's, and it is never the opposite; it wants you to know that he makes the decisions - not you. 

In Psalm 29 David describes God's power by talking about his voice.  In fact, seven times throughout Psalm 29 David references "the voice of the Lord."  But he's not talking about an audible, vocal utterance.  Rather, David uses the idea of the voice of God to demonstrate the extent of his power (see also: Genesis 1.3).  And the closest event that David can think of to illustrate the untamable, awesome power of God is the untamable, awesome power of a violent storm.  As the storm goes where it pleases and does what it pleases, so does God.  And so, in verses 3-9, David describes the utter devastation that a storm can bring, and likens it to the power and judgment of God.  "This," David seems to be saying, "is the God with whom you must settle accounts: the One who rips trees out by their roots and shakes the mountains."

Like Isaiah, when he was filled with dread at the sight of the Lord in Isaiah 6 because of his knowledge that his own sinfulness and God's holiness could not intermingle, Psalm 29 is a warning to those who would heed it, by showing the devastating activity of which God is capable.  And the question is this: how will you  make yourself right before this God?  Because he will judge sin.  How will you do on that day?  

David seems to recognize that he and his people will not be able to stand against this God on their own account.  He's too powerful; he's too holy; they won't survive an encounter with him.  After all, Psalm 29 describes how God "breaks the cedars" and "strips the forests bare" and "flashes forth flames of fire" and makes the mountains shake.  What chance do you stand?  I mean, really, what chance do you stand before the holy and righteous judge of all the universe?  David recognizes this reality, so he begs God in the last verse of the psalm: "May the Lord give strength to his people!  May the Lord bless his people with peace!"

God heard and answered David's plea for peace.  The all-powerful God described in Psalm 29 emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  The Son of God - the one who breaks the cedars and strips the forests bare - allowed himself to be nailed to a rugged tree.  And in so doing, he took the rebellion and sin of all who would believe upon himself and he paid the debt of judgment that you owe to this God who demands holiness and righteousness because he himself is holy and righteous.  And because of his sacrifice, there is peace between God and those who will trust in his sacrifice.  We no longer need to fear this God who makes mountains move and the earth quake, and who tears trees out of the ground by their roots.  In our sin, we are enemies of that God.  When we put our faith in Christ, we become the children of that God - the friends of that God.  

Several years ago, in my last year of seminary, I completed an extra credit project for one of my systematic theology classes.  For the project we were to create a piece of art or music that represented a passage of scripture.  Considering my musical background, I chose to write a song based on Psalm 29 and recorded it on my computer, playing all the instruments and vocal parts.  The lyrics and the link to the song are below.  

There is power that tells me of your glory
There is fire that shows me you are holy
There's a sound that shakes the earth in wonder
As I look into the eye of the storm, I hear the voice of God

There is a flood that tells me of your justice
There is life that tells me of your goodness
There is peace that tells me of your kindness
As I look into the eye of the storm, I hear the voice of God

All the angels give him glory, the people in the temple give him praise
All the angels give him glory, the people in the temple praise his name
As they look into the eye of the storm, and hear the voice of God

There is a throne of majesty and power
There is a Lord that sits enthroned forever
There is a King who lives alone in splendor
As I look into the eye of the storm, I hear the voice of God

Orlando and Psalm 28

This past Sunday I woke up, got dressed, and went to church.  I don’t usually engage in social or news media on Sunday mornings because time is short, and I’m usually focused on the tasks at hand for the upcoming Sunday School hour and worship service.  Therefore, it wasn’t until I sat down for lunch on Sunday afternoon that I first learned about the deplorable and wicked mass murder that took place in Orlando, Florida.  I am devastated by the loss of life, and my prayers and sympathy go out to the victims and their families. 

The text for our service yesterday was Psalm 28.  Had I known about the shooting prior to the sermon, I probably would have adapted it to address the situation, as Psalm 28 has much to say about tragedies and acts of violence and injustice, and how we as Christians should respond to such events.  In the coming days (and indeed, already), the world will banter about political and social talking points.  Individuals and groups of people will be blamed.  Policy will be debated.  And armchair social commentators will plaster social media sites with one-liner memes in attempts to explain the who, what, when, where, and why of this horrible event.   The fact is, however, that we simply live in a fallen world populated by sinners where bad things happen, sometimes by intent, and sometimes just naturally.  Thankfully, the Bible helps us to make sense of these times.  What follows is a brief reflection at how Psalm 28 can direct our thinking about the mass murder in Orlando.

1. We are all sinners. 

The world is full of sinful people: you, me, your neighbor, your pastor, your grandma.  We are all born into sin, and as a result, we do wicked things, and we are effected by people who do wicked things.  This was true of David in Psalm 28: people were threatening him to the extent that his very life was in danger (Ps. 28.1).  Wicked people do wicked things, and this effects all of us.  This was true for David, and it is true for us.  This was true of the man who killed 50 people in Orlando and injured dozens more.  He did what he did because he is a sinner.  And lest we think ourselves any better than he, even David, the author of Psalm 28 knew that he deserved to be “dragged off with the wicked” (Ps. 28.3). 

“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.  Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.  The venom of asps is under their lips.  Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.  Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.  There is no fear of God before their eyes.”  Romans 3.10-18

This is the boat we are all in: sin and depravity.  And because we all suffer from this disease, our world is a dangerous place where violent things happen and people do despicable things to one another.

2. Judgment is coming. 

Psalm 28 also tells us that because we are sinful, judgment is coming: “Give to them according to their work and according to the evil of their deeds; give to them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward” (Ps. 28.4). 

There is a judgment coming in which God will give all people the reward of their deeds.  Those of us who have never committed a mass murder tend to look upon those who have with scorn and contempt, being swift to call down judgment upon them, as well we should.  But this attitude is shortsighted in that it forgets that we also are guilty of sin.  Although you may have never killed anyone physically, you have committed murder of the mind.  Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’  But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”  While you may have never physically “pulled the trigger” against another human being out of hatred, the landscape of your mind is littered with bodies.  For these sins, judgment in coming, in which God will “give to them according to the work of their hands [and minds];” and he will “render them their due reward” (verse 4). 

As my friend and colleague David Wick has said regarding the Orlando shooting, “I…have to answer to Him, and that is my legitimate concern – my accountability to Him.  And may God have mercy on my soul.”  We are all in the same boat: sinners who live in a sinful world, and judgment is coming. 

3. God will hear the voice of our pleas for mercy.

In spite of the fact that we have all transgressed and committed horrible acts of treachery and sin in our lives (again, if not physically, then mentally), Psalm 28 tells us of a wonderful miracle: God will hear the voice of our pleas for mercy.  “Blessed be the Lord!  For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy” (verse 6).

Why is it such a miracle that God hears our prayers and cries for mercy?  Precisely because of what I’ve already described in points 1 and 2: we are sinners who deserve judgment.  But instead of giving us the judgment we so richly deserve for our sin, God has chosen to offer us atonement and full forgiveness for our sin.  He sent Jesus Christ into the world to live perfectly and then die on the cross, taking the full weight of the sin of all those who would trust in him.  So then, instead of us receiving judgment for our sin, he receives in on our behalf.  He pays the penalty for our sins; he receives the punishment, so now those who are trusting in Christ stand before God as innocent.  They no longer have to fear judgment, because judgment has already been given to Christ.  And now, instead of God being our judge, jury, and executioner, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped…”  Now God is “my rock” and he will “be not deaf to me” (verse 1). 

The fact that God hears the voice of the pleas for mercy of people who are utterly lost in sin and wickedness is nothing short of a cosmic miracle.  It is in this sense that in the wake of immense tragedy that we can thank God for having mercy on sinners and hearing their pleas for mercy. 

4. We can, and should, pray for peace.  Psalm 28.9 says: “Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!  Be their shepherd and carry them forever.”  Because of what Jesus has done on behalf of all those who would trust in him, peace with God is now possible.  No longer do we have to worry about impending judgment for our sin; no longer must we feel anxious about the effects of living in a fallen world populated by sinners.  Instead, we have confidence that God will “hear the voice of my pleas for mercy” and that he has responded to my pleas, and he will continue to do so for all eternity.

It is in this sense that this reality should cause us to pray for the victims of the senseless killing that took place in Orlando.  We should pray for their peace: physical and emotional peace in the wake of tragedy, and for their spiritual peace with God.  We should pray that they come to know him and that he will hear their own pleas for mercy.  God has promised that he will do so.

Additionally, this should also be our prayer for our enemies – those who have perpetrated these horrible acts of violence and those like them – and for those who will do likewise in the future.  Our desire is for all people to know the peace that Christ brings – peace with God, which leads to peace among men. 

May our prayer for the city of Orlando be that they would come to see the hopelessness of sin and the greatness of the Savior; may they call upon the Lord with pleas of mercy, for he will hear; may God become their strength and saving refuge. 

How to Wait for the Lord

Each Christmas one of my sisters prepares an Advent calendar for my kids.  The calendar is a grouping of 25 separate compartments – one for each day of Advent – and each compartment contains a small treat like a piece of candy or a sticker or something similar.  My kids love following the calendar during the Christmas season, mostly because they know they get a small treat each day.  But mixed in with their love for doing the calendar is a small twinge of disappointment, because as they mark off each day they’re reminded about how many days are left before Christmas comes.  In other words, each day they mark off, they’re reminded about how long they have to wait for Christmas!

Waiting is hard to do, and not just for kids – adults have a hard time waiting as well.  And waiting becomes even more difficult when the stakes are high or when our waiting involves pain.  Have you ever had a toothache and made an appointment with the dentist to have it resolved, only to find out that his earliest opening is next Thursday?  The days leading up to the appointment are excruciating.  Or, maybe you’ve had to wait for test results to come back, maybe you’ve had to wait for a debilitating illness to run its course, or maybe you’ve had to wait for a loved one to return home for a relationship to be restored.  Whatever the case may be, waiting is no fun, and it’s especially not fun when the stakes are high, or when waiting involves pain. 

David talks about the waiting in Psalm 27.  In it, he’s waiting for God to answer his prayer.  David was in some pretty rough circumstances, and he dutifully brought them before the Lord in prayer.  But, as David finds out, God’s response is not always immediate.  So then what are we to do in the mean time?  Wait.  Psalm 27 gives us five things we can and should do while we are waiting on the Lord to answer our requests.

1. Remember that God is mighty to save.  In the opening verses of Psalm 27 David reminds himself that God is bigger and stronger than anything that might be threatening him or causing him pain.  No matter what he’s facing, David gains confidence during his time of waiting by remembering that God can deliver him no matter the circumstances (verse 3).  When we find ourselves waiting for God to respond to our pain, we should also be quick to remember that God can is powerful enough to deliver us from whatever we’re facing.

2. Remember why God saves.  The reason David asks God to deliver his is for God’s glory.  In verses 4-6 David reveals that the reason he wants God to rescue him is so that he will be able to live to praise God some more.  He wants to go to God’s sanctuary and worship him; he wants all people to know that God is mighty to save, and he will use his testimony of deliverance for pointing other people to God.  When we have to wait for God to respond to our prayers, it is helpful to go back and refocus ourselves on the glory of God – if and when God delivers, it will be so that we can worship him and point others to his deliverance.

3. Seek his face.  God tells David to “Seek my face” while he’s waiting for God to answer his prayers (verse 8).  In other words, God is telling David to seek out his presence.  This would require David to go through ritual cleansing, offer sacrifices, and give offerings in order to be able to approach God.  The point that God is making to David is that there is value in being intentional about worship and devotion while we wait for God to act.  For you and me, this might mean being intentional about prayer while we wait – either personal prayer or with others.  It might mean spending some time fasting, or intentionally reading and memorizing scripture.  There is value to disciplining ourselves to seeking God’s face while we wait.

4. Learn his ways.  We are at our most spiritually vulnerable when we are suffering and going through hard times.  The same was true for David, so he asks God to “Teach me your way, O Lord” during his time of waiting (verse 11).  David says that he is tempted to leave the “level path” of the ways of God because of his enemies.  In other words, David is tempted to sin and respond badly to his enemies – he’s tempted to leave God’s way and go his own way.  Therefore, David desires to learn God’s ways while he is in his time of suffering and waiting.  Like David, we are most likely to leave God’s ways when life gets hard.  So when life does get hard, we need to be intentional about learning God’s ways.

5. Wait some more, and trust.  In verse 13 David says, “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!”  For whatever reason, David was confident that what he was going through would not lead to his death.  He was certain that God would deliver him and preserve his life.  The tricky thing is, he didn’t know when that would happen.  Until it did, it was incumbent upon him to wait, and to continue to trust that “The Lord is my light and my salvation…The Lord is the stronghold of my life.”  It could have been that God wouldn’t rescue David from his circumstances for days, months, or even years.  So what should David do in the meantime?  Wait, and trust.  The same is true for us: we may see God’s deliverance “in the land of the living,” or we may see it in the next life.  Either way, our job is to wait…and trust. 

A Thanksgiving Conversation

This week’s sermon at Riverview was a bit different than usual, as it featured a fictional Thanksgiving meal and conversation between a nameless character and David, King of Israel.  The foundation for their conversation is Psalm 92.  You can listen to the sermon here, or you can read the transcript below.  

May your Thanksgiving conversation be filled with remembrances of God’s grace and goodness, and may you come to know that it is good to give thanks to the Lord.

I’m going to ask you to imagine that it is Thanksgiving Day, and your whole family is gathered around the table for the Thanksgiving feast.  But in addition to your family, you’ve also invited king David to your home for Thanksgiving.  Yes, that king David – the one from the Bible – the one who fought Goliath – the one who ruled over Israel – the one who wrote the psalms.  All the food is prepared, and everyone is ready to begin diving into the many delicacies laid before you at the table.

But before you eat, you ask your guest of honor to pray a prayer of Thanksgiving over the meal.  He agrees, and he prays thus: 

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.  For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.  How great are your works, O Lord!  Your thoughts are very deep!  The stupid man cannot know; the fool cannot understand this: that though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever; but you, O Lord, are on high forever.  For behold, your enemies O Lord, for behold your enemies shall perish; all evildoers shall be scattered.  But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have poured over me fresh oil.  My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.  The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God.  They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.  Amen.”

Everyone around the table confusedly echoes a faint “Amen,” after David concludes his prayer.  You sit down, having expected the usual prayer of “Lord, thank you for this food and your many blessings,” but instead you got a psalm!

Everyone begins to pass the food to one another and heap it onto their plates and begins to eat, including you and your guest, David.  

But you interject: “David, I couldn’t help noticing some things about your prayer just now.  For instance, you said that it is good to give thanks to the Lord.  What do you mean by that?  What do you mean by ‘good’?”

David has a somewhat perplexed look on his face, but quickly responds, “I mean it is right to give thanks to the Lord.  After all, look at what he’s done!  Everything we have comes from God.  How could we not thank him?  Even the little blessings that we don’t even notice are from him.  And it is right to thank him for them.  For instance, I once knew a man who, for financial reasons, had to move into a one-room apartment with 8 other people.  After a time, he goes to a Jewish priest and complains: “Life is unbearable.  There are nine of us living in one room.  What can I do?”  The priest answers, “Take your goat into the room with you.”  The man was incredulous, but the priest insists: “Do as I say and come back in a week.”  A week later the man comes back looking more distraught than before.  “We cannot stand it,” he tells the priest.  “The goat is filthy.”  The priest then tells him, “Go home and let the goat out, and come back in a week.”  A radiant man returns to the priest a week later, exclaiming, “Life is beautiful.  We enjoy ever minute now that there is no goat – only the nine of us.”  

You chuckle quietly, but David’s point is made.  Even though it’s almost cliché, you realize David is right that we take for granted God’s many blessings – even the little things.  And it would be wrong to not thank him for them.  

“But there’s more to it than that,” David continues.  “You see, you cannot thank God for your blessings without first thanking God for being the kind of God who gives blessings.  That’s what I mean when I say that it is good to give thanks to the Lord.  It is the right thing to do, because he is so good.  Anything less than complete acknowledgement of who is and what he does would be wrong.”

“Ok,” you respond.  “That makes sense.”

But David’s not done.  “When I think about all that God has done for me in so many ways, the only natural response I can have is to be glad.  If I truly realize all that he has done, it seems to me that the right response is to break out in song!”

There’s an awkward silence, and part of you thinks David is about to start singing.  But he doesn’t.  Instead, he continues, “When something or someone makes you glad, the only natural and right response is to be thankful.  When I think about all that God has done for me, that is how I feel.  And that is why it is good and right for me to give thanks to the Lord.”

You spear a piece of turkey with your fork and dip it in some gravy and pop it into your mouth.  Using somewhat bad manners, you ask David while chewing your food: “Like what?  What has God done?  Why is he so deserving of thanks?”  You understand the concept, but part of you wants to press David for some specific examples.  

David clears his own food from his mouth with a big swallow of milk.  He wipes his face with his napkin and says, “Everything.  Pick something.  God has done it, and he deserves praise for it.” 

David pauses to take another bite of turkey, and you do the same.  You chew your food for a few seconds, thinking about what David has just said.  It makes sense.  If God truly is who he has said he is, and if he has done what he has said he has done, then it is right – it is just, even – to give him thanks.  Because there is something about who God is and what he has done that simply requires praise – that requires thanksgiving.  In fact, if what God has done and said is true, then it seems like it would almost be a form of cosmic treason to not give him thanks – it would be an injustice.  

Then David breaks into your thoughts by saying, “But more specifically, God deserves praise because everything he does is right and just and fair.  For all people.  Everyone gets what they deserve.  Everyone is treated fairly.  There is no evil person who goes unpunished, and no righteous person who is not rewarded.  God is completely just and right in all that he does in the world, and in all that happens.”

“Whoa, I have to stop you there,” you say.  “David, apparently you haven’t heard that just last week 129 people in Paris who were minding their own business were murdered by terrorists.  So how is God just?  Where is the justice for those people?  How is that fair?  How is it fair that 129 people were removed from this earth in the blink of an eye?  How can you say that God is just when things like that happen in the world?”

As the words leave your lips you almost immediately regret saying them.  Here is this man, a guest at your table, and you feel like you’ve just taken all the air out of what he has been saying.  To fill the awkward silence, you fill your mouth with some mashed potatoes.  

David pauses a moment, then says, “Yes, that is hard to understand.  And if we only look with our physical eyes and hear with our human ears, the world does indeed seem to be a place of injustice.  So in order to understand things like terrorist attacks and how God can remain a God of justice, we need to use spiritual eyes and ears.”

David looks at you expectantly, as if he expects you to either agree with him or respond to his statement.  Instead, all you can manage is “Uh, what?”

“It’s like this,” David says.  “In my life, there have been many times when it has seemed like wicked people always get their way.  They’re successful in all they do, they hurt people and get away with it, they cheat, they lie, they steal, and no one ever calls them to account.  For example, I once had a crazy man named Saul chase me all around the countryside trying to kill me, for no reason other than that he was jealous of me.  What did I do to deserve his hatred?  Nothing.  And when I see how the wicked seem to sprout and grow like grass and do whatever they want, and how they can seemingly get away with whatever they want – and when that makes me angry, I am only seeing it with my human eyes.  I need to look at them with spiritual eyes.”

“OK,” you say, confused: “Then what do they look like through your ‘magical spiritual eyes?’”

“They’re not ‘magical spiritual eyes,’” David responds.  “Instead, they’re eyes that allow me to see and know what God does to maintain justice.  You said that 129 people were killed in Paris last week.  Those who committed that crime will not get away with it.  Even if they took the coward’s way out and killed themselves so as to never face a human court, they will face God’s court.  And they will not get away with it.  There is no such thing as a perfect crime in God’s system.  Because God is a God of justice.  He will see that justice is satisfied.  That’s what it means to look at the world through spiritual eyes: to know that God is in control, and he will see that justice is served, either in this life or the next.  And those who are wicked will be doomed to destruction forever.  But God will reign on high forever.  When all is said and done, all of God’s enemies will perish.  Because he is a God of justice.”

David pauses to put some fresh butter on a warm dinner roll, and you’re grateful for the time to process what he has just said.  

After thinking for a few moments, and as David begins to eat his freshly buttered roll, you say, “So David, you’re saying that no matter what happens on earth – whether something is just or unjust to us – that God will always make it right in the end?”

“Yes.  And that, my friend, is reason to praise God.  There will be a reckoning.  There will be a judgment.  And God will always be found to be fair and right in all that he does.”

“Huh,” you remark.  “Well, then let me run this by you: last week there was a shooting in Minneapolis.  A police officer killed a man, and people are saying that it was racially motivated, and that white police officers are targeting members of the black community.  And they’re saying justice is not served.  What do we do with that?”

David shrugs his shoulders.  “I do not know, nor can I know,” he says.  “I wasn’t there.  I don’t know the facts of what happened, nor can I see into the heart of either man.  But here’s what I do know: God knows.  And God will do what is right.  Even when something seems to us to be a travesty of justice, it will not be so forever.  God is a God of justice, and there won’t be any wool pulled over his eyes.”

You understand what he is saying, but you want to probe further.  But before you can, David begins to speak again.

“Do you know what this means?” he asks.  “This means that you will never have to be worried that evil will win.  It means that you never have to concern yourself with vengeance or getting even.  God says, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay.’  He will see that justice is done.  It is our job to trust him.  And that, my friend, is good news.  That is news for which you should give God thanks.”

As you listen to what he says, you understand it, but something about it just doesn’t sit right with you.  Perhaps you don’t have those spiritual eyes he was talking about.  

“OK then,” you say, “If God is just, then what does he do with people who don’t know right from wrong?”

“What do you mean?” David asks.

“I mean people who, for whatever reason, can’t know the difference between right and wrong.  Maybe they have an intellectual disability, or maybe they have a mental illness, and this prohibits them from doing what is right, or maybe even from knowing who God is in the first place.  There are certainly people with mental disabilities who simply can’t even understand that God exists.  What does God do with them?”

David sits quietly for a moment, thinking.  When he opens his mouth, he speaks quietly: “I do not know how God will judge people who can’t understand him because their mind will not allow it.  But I do know this: whatever God does with those people will be right and good, because that’s the kind of God that God is.  The kind that always does the right thing, and the kind that always does the good thing.  Again, my friend, that kind of God is the kind that deserves our thanks.”

By this time, the main portion of the meal is over, and the plates and dishes are being cleared away.  Soon the pumpkin pie is being served, with an immense dollop of whipped cream on top.  

As David takes his first bite of pie, he says, “Now, my friend, you have asked me about terrorist attacks, police shootings, and people who are not able to understand God because their mind will not allow them to.  So now let me put a question to you.”

“Go ahead,” you say.

“If everything I’ve been saying about God is true – and that he will always do what is right, and that he will always punish evil and reward righteousness, what will he do with you?”

“What do you mean?” you ask, suddenly getting nervous.  

“Well, it seems to me that the news that God is just is both good news and bad news for you.  On the one hand it is good news in that you can know that God will always have the last word and the final say, and that wicked men will not go unpunished.  On the other hand, it seems to me that it is bad news for you that God is just, because his justice applies to you as well.  If God is just, then he must punish your sin too.  He must hold you accountable for what you have done.  If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be just!”

You are suddenly very uncomfortable and the pie in your mouth begins to taste bad.  “What are you trying to say?” you ask, quietly.  

“I’m saying that if you are a sinful person, then you must one day face God’s justice.  What will it be like for you on that day?”

A mild anger flares up inside you.  “David, listen, with all due respect, I invited you to my house for Thanksgiving dinner, and you’re telling me that I’m going to be judged by God for my sin.  Don’t you think that’s a bit…I don’t know…rude?”

“No offense intended, my friend,” David says quickly, putting his hands up in the air.  “I simply know that I myself have been an evil man.  I have been the wicked man who has flourished.  I was a king, after all, and I could have anything I wanted.  And let me tell you, I had anything I wanted.  Money, women, possessions.  There were times when I was the wicked man who prospered.  There were times when I was the one who lied, cheated, stole, and even killed.  And no one could touch me for any of it.  I could get away scot-free.  But I knew in my heart of hearts that I could not get away from God, because God is a God of justice.  He would hold me accountable.  And the thought of his justice terrified me.  It caused me to turn from my sin and to put my trust in him.  And now, I don’t have to fear his justice.  Another reason to give God thanks!”

“Wait, wait, wait,” you say.  “All this time you’ve been going on and on about how God is a God of justice, and he always does what is right, and now you’re telling me that you’re an evil man who deserves justice, but God doesn’t give it to you.  How is that just?  Apparently God isn’t as concerned with justice as you said he was.”

David smiles, and you get the impression that there is some detail that he left out that is crucial to his story.  “You’re right,” he says.  “It would not be just for God to leave me unpunished for all I’ve done.  And the list of my sins is long – so long that I am not able to stand under its weight.”

He pauses, as though remembering something, and smiles again.  You nervously take another bite of pie.  

“But let me tell you what is even more scandalous,” he says.”  “Not only did I not receive judgment for my sin, but God has blessed me and sustained me, and given me all sorts of good things that I do not deserve.”

“So you’ve done all sorts of bad things, but received all kinds of good things from God?  Yeah, that sounds real just,” you say, half incredulously and half spitefully.

“Just hear me out,” David says.  “I deserved to be punished.  I deserved to be judged.  But instead of giving me what I deserved, God gave me what I didn’t deserve: grace.  Instead of bringing me down low, God raised me up.  Instead of taking my life for my sin, God enriched it with his grace.  Instead of snuffing out my life, God has sustained it.  And so with the life that God has given me, I can declare that the Lord is upright.  He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.”

“But David,” you interject, “you haven’t dealt with the reality that what you’re describing isn’t just.  You’ve been saying throughout our whole conversation about how God loves justice and is always just.  But what you’re describing about your life isn’t just.  If you’ve done all of these horrible things, you deserve do be punished.  But you haven’t been.  How do you reconcile that?”

“On my own, I cannot,” David says.  “Like I said before, God’s justice is good news and bad news.  It means God always does what is right, and we should thank him for that.  But it also means that he must judge my sin, because I am a sinner!  But God made a way for justice to be satisfied that doesn’t end in my destruction.”

“What?” you ask.  “How?  How can God punish your sin but not punish you?”

David looks down into his lap, contemplative and quiet.  “God promised my forefathers to send us a deliverer.  And through this deliverer all nations on the earth would be blessed.   And this deliverer would repair the breech between man and God because of their sin.  This deliverer would live a perfect life.  And for his perfection, God would give him the crown of righteousness – the reward for a person who is perfect.  But that crown was not to be his.  Because he would volunteer to instead take the sin of those who would trust in him upon himself.  And then, as the consequence of their sin – so that justice might be satisfied – God would punish him, and the payment for their sin would be born by him.  So he would go through death, for them.  And then, in the greatest exchange that would ever be, in all history, he would give them his righteousness.  So now when God seeks to satisfy his justice, it would be poured out on him – the punishment would be paid.  And as God seeks to reward the righteous, he would reward those who have the righteousness of the deliverer.”  As David says all of this, his head remains bowed, his eyes staring into his lap.

“OK, I get it,” you say.  “It’s the great exchange: the deliverer gets our sin, and we get his righteousness when we trust in him, and God’s justice is satisfied by punishing him instead of us.  But there’s still one thing that doesn’t make sense.  How is it fair that this deliverer is punished for my sin – especially if he never did anything to deserve it?  That, to me, seems to be the most cosmic injustice – a man punished for things he never did.”

David’s eyes are still on his hands, folded together in his lap.  “It would be an injustice, yes, if a man were forced into such a position.  But the deliverer is not forced into this position.  Instead, he volunteers.”

“What?” you say.  “Why would anyone volunteer for that?  Why would someone volunteer to be punished for things he never did?”

“Nobody would volunteer for that,” David responds, quietly.  “Unless he were motivated by a kind of love that is other-worldly – a love that is divine – a love that you and I can’t even begin to comprehend.  And the deliverer is motivated by that kind of love, because he is not just a man, but he is also God himself.  And he loves his people so much that he is willing to be killed for their sins.  And he is willing to give them the righteousness that he earned.  But it could be no other way.  If he were to not come, then all men would be lost in their sin.  All men would be doomed to destruction.  But he has come.  And so I sit before you today: a condemned sinner, saved by grace through this deliverer, and found not guilty.  All because God is a God of justice.”

David lifts his eyes and connects with yours, but you turn from his gaze, as it seems he’s staring into your soul.  He goes on, and you look sheepishly off into the corner.

“And now,” he says, the intensity of his voice rising, “I can have confidence in this life.  I don’t have to live in fear of a vengeful God any longer.  Because the deliverer has paid the price of my sin.  Now all I know is grace.  Now I can approach God with confidence.  I no longer call him my enemy, but instead I call him my friend – my rock!”

You turn your gaze back to David and your eyes connect.  At this moment, nothing else seems to matter: the meal, the holiday, the pumpkin pie – all of it is of no importance.

David says, “Do you see now how this is good news?  Do you see now why it is good – it is right – to give thanks to the Lord?  To sing praises to the name of the Most High?  To declare his steadfast love in the morning, and his faithfulness by night?  Do you now see why I have been made glad by his work, and why, at the work of his hands, I sing for joy?”