Keeping Your Wits When Others Are Insane- Psalm 134- Last One!

It has a blessing for me to go back through these wonderful Psalms. Today is our last one and each time I take the journey, I come out better and stronger. This section of the Psalms in a historic stream of grace and truth. We have walked with pilgrims from ages path.

The rest of the week I am going to write about Holy Week and then will take a break from blogging for a short time

This was made into a song- you can hear it here:

Bless the Lord (Psalm of Ascent 134)

Today's reading.......

Psalm 134
Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
who stand by night in the house of the Lord! 
Lift up your hands to the holy place
and bless the Lord! 
May the Lord bless you from Zion,
he who made heaven and earth!

It is hard to have good endings.

Some of my biggest letdowns in life have come at the anti-climatic blah at the end of a special moment. The sun finally sets and the golden hour of fishing is done. You have just hit the tee shot on the 18th hole on an amazing golf course. You wake up and it is the last day of vacation, time to pack.

There is a depression at the end that sours the whole experience if you let it.

Do all good things come to an end? On earth.....yes.

Author's have struggled with this for ages. Someone once said that Mark Twain was frustrated into depression over his inability to bring Huckleberry Finn to an adequate close.

It is also hard to finish well. Very few great men have been able to end at the right time and in the right way. Great athletes hang on too long or find their life tedious after retiring too soon.

Does Psalm 134 fit that mold? 

It is the culminating hymn at the end of the Psalms of Ascent.


I imagine it being sung with the glorious city and temple in full view. The peak has been reached. The journey is done.

Of course, in your Bible, Psalms keep on coming 135 through 150. But traditionally it is understood that 120-134 encompasses that special section of the Songs for the Climb.

Do you ever worry that heaven will be boring?

Years ago there was a survey in which it was revealed that a large number of evangelical youth were worried about that very thing. Who could blame them? I wouldn't care to be in clouds and plucking a harp for 2 minutes, let alone 10,000 years!

Hank Williams, Jr sang, "If heaven ain't a lot like dixie, I don't wanna go."
Billy Joel echoed that sentiment, "I'd rather laugh with the sinners, than cry with the saints."

But the biggest problem is not with heaven.... the biggest problem is a lack of understanding WHO God is, HOW magnificent and powerful He is, and how dark and dreary is our sin and world.

You should know the famous C.S. Lewis quip:

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, and Other Addresses

My experience with the Corona virus has driven home the realization all of the things in my life that cannot sustain satisfactory living.

When life is 'normal' ... our frantic pace hides a stark reality that we are indeed 'half hearted creatures' who live on the vapor fumes of idols that offer mere seconds of distraction, but not a shred of meaning.

It didn't take long for leisure activities to get old, when we were shut in for just a few days. Screens offer a lot of promise, but they deliver very little.

We mistake the THINGS and MOMENTS that God gives us and cling to them like they are the gods who can free us and love us..... shame on me. There are times that I grow weary of the things of God using boredom as an excuse.

But it is MY God who created the capacity for me to love the thrill of a roller coaster and it is HE who has way more in store. More than I have the capacity to dream about!

A memory I miss.....

I took my oldest daughter to the Birmingham Zoo when she was a toddler. It was a beautiful day and when we first walked in the park, the pink flamingos were majestic!

I smiled as she absorbed the visual! Her eyes widened and she pointed and she drank every second in..... it was an act of worship!

After a few minutes I said, "OK, Jules, let's go to see more stuff."
"No daddy, I want to stay."

As much as I tried to pry her away by argument and logic,  she would not move!

And so I did the daddy thing. I picked her up and carried her away from the flamingos. You would have though it was child abuse! She fought, she kicked, she cried, and screamed.

But I knew what I was doing. 23 seconds later, she saw zebras and giraffes and elephants and gorillas...... and the tears were no more!

Aren't we like that?  We fight God. We are mad that the sun sets on our golf course or rain interrupts our baseball or a deadly virus shuts down the whole world!  But this world is only a vapor taste to what is waiting on us.

And that is the hope of this glorious Psalm. It seems so small and benign, we miss the power of its message.

We bless God and He blesses us................ forever in glorious perfection!

WE BLESS GOD?

This is a strange concept. What do you mean that we bless God? Sounds absurd.

There are a couple of images in the Scripture where our prayers are depicted as a pleasing incense to the Lord. God proclaimed, "This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased!"  We can also grieve the Spirit! Does it not seem plausible that we can also please Him? Did you see how God bragged to Satan about his servant Job?

 "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."

Let me walk on the edge of some heresy here...... pure speculation. I see a God in Scripture who smiles, frowns, cries, shows anger, says He is jealous and He has all of this in perfection because He is perfect. And He is in control, no doubt about that. But I imagine that he enjoys the moments, even though He plans it and orchestrates it. Is it possible that even we can surprise Him in joy and disappointment?

If we consider that God is not bound by time, living outside the linear system of Alpha to Omega, then He can come in and out of time as He desires. Is it possible that he can pause, replay, relive, fast forward in details and ways that is beyond our imagination like a Cosmic DVR. Not with imaginary characters but real life souls which he adores and died for? I know this is a pathetic attempt to understand the invasion of the infinite into the temporal, but I am living transparently in His full view. Can I choose to bless Him? I know I have MANY times cursed Him in word, attitude, passive and active deeds of selfish rebellion, weak flesh, and foolish fear.

an interesting note:

 This Psalm says, Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord.

Who are these servants who stand by night? A possible reference to chamber singers- but I see it analogous to a true servant, a true worshipper. A person's true nature is shown in how he conducts himself when no one is looking. What does he do in secret? This is when we can truly bless God. Praise Him when we receive no benefit from doing so.

Let us find inspiration to bless Him, even if our attempts seem feeble and preposterous. We are the toddler and He loves us as the Father and He can be pleased!


GOD BLESSES US

Consider that last verse again, it is an EXCELLENT benediction:  

May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth! 

What if you received a certified letter today from Tim Cook, Apple CEO. 

"I have been watching you and have decided to bequeath 25 million dollars and as many of my personal resources as I have to bless you and your work." 

Would you not freak out?

But here is a verse: May the maker of heaven and earth bless you!

So which one do we choose? Sadly, we would choose Tim Cook's blessing over God's. But primarily because we have no concept to what God's blessing has been, is now, or even what it WILL BE!

The Biblical word for 'blessed' in the New Testament is μακάριος and the Greek equivalent here in Psalm 134 is 'happy, blessed and even carries a hint of 'Congratulations! Way to go!'

Think of it this way. 

You are on a perilous journey, many have fallen by the wayside. But by God's grace, you never quit. Yes, you got knocked down and pushed around, yes you fell along the way .... but you got back up and took another step. 

You were laughed at, mistreated, ignored, misunderstood, betrayed. Even your body failed you, your supporters left, your loved ones tried but were unable to care enough to succeed- you doubted...... and then- wow- breakthrough victory!   Now see if you can really take in all the blessing! 
Who is worthy of that? 
Am I a beneficiary of even 1 drop of the blood of perfect pardon?

We have finished the race!

Sorry, Hank, Heaven is better than dixie. Poor choice, Billy, the sinners are not laughing.

We will sing at that time like the Apostle Paul:

2 Timothy 4:6–8

[6] For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. [7] I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. [8] Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (ESV)

The final song at the end of the climb is not anti-climatic at all! it is the song of ultimate victory!

And we will find that it was totally worth it! 

Keep climbing, battle weary warrior!


If this series has been a blessing, I would love to hear from you. Please send me an email: jayopsis@gmail.com

Keeping Your Wits When Others Are Insane- Psalm 131

PSALM 131

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.

But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.

I made this into a song- you can hear it here:

A Child's Trust (Psalm of Ascent 131)

The power of this simple little Psalm has hit me right between the eyes for years. I always seem to stumble upon it at just the right time....providentially.

As we climb, our egos grow.

Two hard circumstances to handle in life is long term defeat AND long term success. Remember that losers lean we had at the beginning of the journey- cast out, beat down, and discouraged depression?

Then we start to make our way out and up and before you know it we are loud and proud.

Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem celebrating Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. It captures so much of this as he observes all of the revelry.

He prophetically titled the poem: Recessional

G0D of our fathers, known of old,
Lord of our far-flung battle-line,

Beneath whose awful Hand we hold
Dominion over palm and pine
Lord God of Hosts be with us yet,
Lest we forget - lest we forget!

The tumult and the shouting dies;
The Captains and the Kings depart:
Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice,
An humble and a contrite heart.
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget - lest we forget!

Far-called, our navies melt away;
On dune and headland sinks the fire:
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday
Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!
Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,
Lest we forget - lest we forget!

If, drunk with sight of power, we loose
Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe,
Such boastings as the Gentiles use,
Or lesser breeds without the Law
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget - lest we forget!

For heathen heart that puts her trust
In reeking tube and iron shard,  
All valiant dust that builds on dust,
And guarding, calls not Thee to guard,
For frantic boast and foolish word
Thy mercy on Thy People, Lord!


Kipling knew the human heart! Here was Great Britain whose kingdom spread from 'palm to pine', making a reference to a famous quip during that day- "The sun never sets on the British empire"- a reference to the wide expanse of lands and people under her dominion.

Kipling also knew the danger- POWER/VICTORY unleashes 'wild tongues, drunk with power'.

And the only hope fo remedy or antidote? Never forget God, the source of our protection and provision.

The ancient sacrifice: An humble and contrite heart.

I see Psalm 131 as a break in the action. The people look down and say WOW- look at what we have done! Look how far we have climbed!

And a wise man in the crowd says.... "Be still and bow before the King. Recognize Him and humble yourself in His sight. It is what HE HAS DONE!"

And we also know the formula:

Humble ourselves and God will lift us up.
Don't humble ourselves and He will take us down.


Psalms 25:9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.

1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble".

Mark 1:7 (John the Baptist) And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.

Psalms 18:27 For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.

Psalms 149: 4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.

Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.

Deuteronomy 8:2-3 And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

I Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

The biggest problem is that we KNOW this- but will FAIL this over and over. When our pride gets the stuffin' knocked out, it is OK to humbly come back to Him. And he does not break a bruised reed.

Here are a few 'tips' to help keep us out of the cycle of 'Puffed UP and POPPED'

• ACKNOWLEDGE GOD IN ALL YOUR SUCCESS- Not in a flippant way, He is NOT an expedient. He refuses to be one.

• DON'T BOAST- Be confident without bragging. The wild tongue must be bridled by sober words.

I Corinthians 1:31 Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
Proverbs 27:1 'Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.'

• SCRIPTURE, PRAYER, WORSHIP: Practice the disciplines of the Christian life.

• SERVE: Go and do things for others, say thank-you, give a cup of water in Jesus' name 

FINALLY- It is a beautiful picture in this Psalm... a little child resting in his mother's arms. When we are humble, we are at peace. Fully satisfied in our God.  He is all I need!

Growing in Obedience as a Result of Grace

Matthew 7:24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

The question of obedience comes up a lot. “Aren’t we saved by grace, not a result of works?” YES.
And yet, I find myself being confronted on this very issue. Pastor Rick Warren in his 8 Principles based on the beatitudes lists this very idea in Principle 5.

Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. "Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires"

Paul is clear about this in Romans 6:1 “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”

This is a huge part of sanctification, that part of the doctrine of grace that flows out of our justification and adoption in Christ.

I am convinced however that it is a process.

CS Lewis adds an interesting idea in that , at the beginning, we somewhat pretend or rehearse this new life.

In Book IV Chapter 7 of Mere Christianity, he says these very interesting words:

So that, in a way, this dressing up as Christ is a piece of outrageous cheek. But the odd thing is that He has ordered us to do it.
Why? What is the good of pretending to be what you are not? Well, even
on the human level, you know, there are two kinds of pretending. There is a
bad kind, where the pretense is there instead of the real thing; as when a
man pretends he is going to help you instead of really helping you. But
there is also a good kind, where the pretense leads up to the real thing.
When you are not feeling particularly friendly but know you ought to be, the
best thing you can do, very often, is to put on a friendly manner and behave
as if you were a nicer person than you actually are. And in a few minutes,
as we have all noticed, you will be really feeling friendlier than you were.

In reality, of course, it is God who does everything. We, at most, allow it to
be done to us. In a sense you might even say it is God who does the
pretending. The Three-Personal God, so to speak, sees before Him in fact a
self-centered, greedy, grumbling, rebellious human animal. But He says "Let
us pretend that this is not a mere creature, but our Son. It is like Christ
in so far as it is a Man, for He became Man. Let us pretend that it is also
like Him in Spirit. Let us treat it as if it were what in fact it is not.
Let us pretend in order to make the pretense into a reality." God looks at
you as if you were a little Christ: Christ stands beside you to turn you
into one. I daresay this idea of a divine make-believe sounds rather strange
at first. But, is it so strange really? Is not that how the higher thing
always raises the lower? A mother teaches her baby to talk by talking to it
as if it understood long before it really does. We treat our dogs as if they
were "almost human": that is why they really become "almost human" in the
end.


John Frame adds these thoughts in his study of Cornelius Van Til:

"He (Van Til) calls for an increase in the soul’s resolve to do God’s will. But that resolve needs to become more and more spontaneous, fixed, and growing in momentum. What he means is that spiritual maturity brings more internal and less external constraint. Growing in Christ means that we become more and more willing to do His will; our obedience becomes more delightful, more the passion of our own heart. It becomes habitual, in a good sense. A mature servant of God does not need to be browbeaten into seeking God’s righteousness."

So here I am, a believer in Christ since the summer of 1980, and I am still wavering in this idea of obedience. I’m thankful for grace and so dependent on my Lord’s mercy. But isn’t it time I seriously consider my areas of clear disobedience?