Some Perspective: Pray Like You Mean It (Psalm 61)

On July 22, 2024June 23, 2024 By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I call to you,
when my heart is faint.

Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I,
for you are my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy.

Let me abide in your tent forever,
find refuge under the shelter of your wings.
For you, O God, have heard my vows;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

Prolong the life of the king;
may his years endure to all generations!
May he be enthroned forever before God;
appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!

So I will always sing praises to your name,
as I pay my vows day after day. (New Revised Standard Version)

Some Historical Perspective

Historically, the book of Psalms has been the Church’s prayer book. Yet, over the centuries, the biblical psalms have tended to lose this understanding of being a written expression of one’s inner response to God.

Protestant Evangelicalism, in particular, has tended to disdain anything written, rote, and repetitive. Instead, the Evangelical understanding of true spirituality tends toward a strong bent of extemporaneous prayers.

Some Personal Perspective

I still remember years ago, when I was a young Pastor, a parishioner happened to see that I had a written prayer in my notes for the worship service. This person ended up “reporting” me to the church elders, questioning my relationship to God – simply because I read a prayer, instead of improvising it for the congregation.

The church elders had a discussion with me and “dressed me down” for the practice of using written prayers. What’s more, they didn’t like the content of the prayer – charging that I must be emotionally and spiritually unstable for having crafted such a prayer (assuming that I wrote the prayer myself).

After they were all done (and having not asked me why I “read” my prayer) I responded to them calmly, stating, “Yes, I read a prayer on Sunday. And the prayer I read was Psalm 61. By the way, that’s in the Bible. And I apologize that I didn’t have it memorized.”

Some Logical Perspective

Aside from my sarcastic and passive-aggressive statements at the end, it is a sad affair whenever we are unable to take advantage of Holy Scripture for it’s intended use in the life of the believer.

To be sure, the condemnation of written prayers originally came about because of clergy and lay persons alike reading prayers without any sincerity or heart behind it – sometimes not even understanding what they were reading.

Yet, it’s illogical and unreasonable to simply throw out the baby with the bath water. The problem was never with the prayers themselves, or the act of reading them; the issue always has been with the person praying.

Some Existential Perspective

All of this is to say that I am inviting you to read today’s psalm, out loud and several times; and to adopt it as your own and express it as your own offering to God in prayer.

Because it is truly possible (and I would argue necessary and important) to read biblical prayers with personal flavor, resonating with their content and intent.

Furthermore, I also invite you to restate the psalm in your own words, to write out your understanding of the text (with actual pen and paper) so that the concepts and ideas of the psalm are expressed from the heart. This is just one way of embracing both the written and personal aspects of praying to God.

Some Biblical Perspective

Psalm 61 is a personal lament of King David, concerned with having the reassurance of God’s protective presence. David found security in the Lord as his refuge and strength. Whatever particular circumstances prompted the prayer, it seems David was facing an adversity out and away from the worship center of Jerusalem.

David longed to be in that center, to be in the place where God dwells. He pictured himself under the shelter of angelic wings, as if he were there inside the Ark of God itself, as close to the Lord as he could possibly get.

Because it is in the presence of God that there is perfect steadfast love and faithfulness. There’s no better place in all the world than to be in that spot, enjoying the peace and protection of the sovereign almighty God of the universe.

Ultimately, deliverance from threatening situations, fearful circumstances, and dire straits, comes from the Deliverer, the Savior, the God who sees all, knows all, and has the power to do something about it!

Some Prayerful Perspective

So, having said all that, here is my own expression/translation/transliteration of Psalm 61 – and may the Lord’s blessing and peace rest upon you this day, and every day, as you pray for yourself and for those who are good and godly leaders:

God, listen to my loud echoing shout,
    and bend your ear to respond to my heartfelt prayer.
When I am experiencing a disappointed heart and at my last breath,
    from a place that seems the very end of the earth,
I cry out and call to You from the highest lonely mountain,
    so that You may hear me above all else that’s going on in the world.

You’ve always given me plenty of space and grace to be myself,
and provided for me a place to get away from it all on this messed-up planet,
You have always taken me seriously, God,
welcoming me under the shadow of your wings, letting me reside permanently in Your tent.

I know that You will let the days of the benevolent ruler add up,
    and that there will be years and years of good and just leadership.
Make this good leader’s chair last forever, in the full light of God.
    Post the sentries of Steadfast Love and Faithful Truth as ever-watching lookouts.
Then, it will be me who makes a grand musical fuss to You forever and ever,
    and I shall make good on that promise every single day.

Amen.

There Is Hope (Psalm 89:20-37)

On July 18, 2024June 18, 2024 By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

“I have found my servant David;
    with my holy oil I have anointed him;
my hand shall always remain with him;
    my arm also shall strengthen him.
The enemy shall not outwit him;
    the wicked shall not humble him.
I will crush his foes before him
    and strike down those who hate him.
My faithfulness and steadfast love shall be with him,
    and in my name his horn shall be exalted.
I will set his hand on the sea
    and his right hand on the rivers.
He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,
    my God, and the Rock of my salvation!’
I will make him the firstborn,
    the highest of the kings of the earth.
Forever I will keep my steadfast love for him,
    and my covenant with him will stand firm.
I will establish his line forever
    and his throne as long as the heavens endure.
If his children forsake my law
    and do not walk according to my ordinances,
if they violate my statutes
    and do not keep my commandments,
then I will punish their transgression with the rod
    and their iniquity with scourges,
but I will not remove from him my steadfast love
    or be false to my faithfulness.
I will not violate my covenant
    or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
Once and for all I have sworn by my holiness;
    I will not lie to David.
His line shall continue forever,
    and his throne endure before me like the sun.
It shall be established forever like the moon,
    an enduring witness in the skies.” (New Revised Standard Version)

Back when today’s psalm was originally crafted, there was a lot of stress for the Jews in Jerusalem. The city was in ruins, the land without their king, and the people were experiencing divine judgment from their God.

Into this situation, the psalmist brought some light from darkness; and hope for the survivors, that blessings lay in the future. The psalm is a song of prayer, speaking of the Lord’s faithfulness and steadfast love because of the promises made to the people’s ancient ancestor, King David.

The covenant between God and the people, made so many centuries ago, will never be broken. Why? Because fidelity to that covenant doesn’t depend on the people, but on the faithfulness of God and God’s timeless moral law.

The Lord God, the Almighty, did not forsake nor forget the people. The Lord’s mercies are new every morning; and God’s faithful love is forever.

Renewal and restoration are very real possibilities, despite the dire circumstances, and the people’s spiritual infidelity. Once again in history, one worthy of the throne of David will sit to judge the people with equity and grace.

The Son of David will be the custodian of God’s covenant promises. Evil shall be defeated. Authority to forgive sins, and to grant eternal life, will be established on earth. Indeed, the Lord’s enduring words and ways will be accomplished on this earth, as they are always done in God’s heaven.

The divine covenant will find its ultimate fulfillment in One whose throne is established for all eternity. The anointed one, the God-Man, will carry the burden of government on his shoulders; his rule and authority shall extend over the whole earth. (Isaiah 9:7)

Acting with the power of God, this Ruler is the visible image of the invisible God – the Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. For the Christian, these qualifications and descriptions are all met in the person of Jesus the Christ.

In a thoroughly and unabashed Christo-centric reading of the psalm, Jesus is the ultimate Messiah and High Priest who offered himself as the faultless, acceptable, eternal, and final sacrifice on behalf of the whole world. (Isaiah 53)

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. (Romans 5:1-2, NRSV)

Through Jesus, the New Testament perspective is that the old Mosaic Covenant became obsolete, and the New Covenant – promised by the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel – took its place. (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:25-27; Hebrews 8:13)

Although this High Priest died, he also was raised to life, and ascended to heaven – where he continues to intercede for God’s people.

He holds his priesthood permanently because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:24-25, NRSV)

Before David was anointed king, Saul and his enemies hunted him and tried to kill him. Yet, through all of those twists and turns of harrowing circumstances, David trusted in the Lord and patiently waited for God to ensconce him as king. In time, that is precisely what happened. And David became the greatest king Israel ever had.

In much the same way, that fox King Herod tried to kill Jesus. Then later, Herod’s son, along with the religious establishment, sought to kill Jesus, as well. Behind the murderous intent, and every intent of doing away with the innocent, are the dark evil forces of this world.

The Accuser, Satan, the devil, tried to tempt the Christ and subvert the will of God, thus making the New Covenant something that would never happen. But Jesus was obedient to the Father – obedient even to death. (Philippians 2:8)

Christ Jesus offered himself willingly. His death may have been orchestrated by the existence of evil on this earth, yet it was God who allowed it all to occur, so that evil’s murderous tool, death, would become impotent.

The power of sin, death, and hell has been broken; but it will take awhile before the kingdom of God is established in all its grace and glory, and David’s fallen Tabernacle restored.

No matter how difficult, chaotic, and frustrating our current earthly situation may be, God will still establish the king; the good work begun and effected shall ultimately be thoroughly fulfilled. Jesus is coming again.

Until then, the good news is proclaimed that the kingdom of God is near. There is grace and forgiveness in the name of Jesus. Peace is no longer a pipe dream. Hope is real.

O Lord, when evil darkens our world, give us light. When despair numbs our souls, give us hope. When we stumble and fall, lift us up. When doubts assail us, give us faith. When nothing seems sure, give us trust. When ideals fade, give us vision. When we lose our way, be our guide, so that we may find serenity in Your presence, and purpose in doing Your will. Amen.

The Wounded Healer (Psalm 18:1-6, 43-50)

On July 1, 2024May 30, 2024 By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

*By French painter Georges Rouault (1871-1958)*

I love you, Lord;
    you are my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
    my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
    and my place of safety.
I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
    and he saved me from my enemies.

The ropes of death entangled me;
    floods of destruction swept over me.
The grave wrapped its ropes around me;
    death laid a trap in my path.
But in my distress I cried out to the Lord;
    yes, I prayed to my God for help.
He heard me from his sanctuary;
    my cry to him reached his ears…

You gave me victory over my accusers.
    You appointed me ruler over nations;
    people I don’t even know now serve me.
As soon as they hear of me, they submit;
    foreign nations cringe before me.
They all lose their courage
    and come trembling from their strongholds.

The Lord lives! Praise to my Rock!
    May the God of my salvation be exalted!
He is the God who pays back those who harm me;
    he subdues the nations under me
    and rescues me from my enemies.
You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies;
    you save me from violent opponents.
For this, O Lord, I will praise you among the nations;
    I will sing praises to your name.
You give great victories to your king;
    you show unfailing love to your anointed,
    to David and all his descendants forever. (New Living Translation)

King David, the psalmist, had no problem with publicly expressing his great feeling of love for God. His desire was to be thoroughly devoted to the Lord; and he confidently discerned God as the source of his strength.

What’s more, David freely recognized God as the One who brought him deliverance. David cried out in distress. In his despair and desperation, he looked to the Lord, and God responded.

This is in contrast to those who complain about God and consider the Lord as distant and uncaring – if existing at all. David’s experience was that of being heard by God. And he wanted everyone to know, so that the faithful may be encouraged.

David didn’t want people becoming discouraged because of the bitterness of others who accuse God of being unconcerned.

The psalmist was not just talking about some mundane request, like asking for parking spot close to the building. David was in a life-and-death situation, stressful beyond imagination. Things were not looking good for him.

It seemed that the insolent, who think God isn’t watching, believed they could act unjustly and do whatever they wanted. Sadly, their lust for power and control blinds them to the larger reality of an invisible God who sees, and who responds at just the right time.

David wanted people to remember and not to forget about the saving actions of God. Because by keeping in mind who God truly is, then we can have confident trust, and will live in a way that is right, just, and good.

“Our service will not be perceived as authentic unless it comes from a heart wounded by the suffering about which we speak.”
Henri Nouwen

A good, right, and just life is always the appropriate response to divine mercy and deliverance. We are saved from evil, so that we might live in the spiritual freedom of purity and peace. And David gave God some due praise, adoration, and thanksgiving for rescuing him from his enemies.

Since David went through all of the adversity, hardship, stress, and suffering of dealing with unjust people, he was in a position to be a wounded healer for us.

A wounded healer is not someone who endorses a victim mentality. Rather, this is a person who has been profoundly hurt – physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually – and comes through the experience with an ability to be present with others and help facilitate healing in those who suffer.

Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4-5, NIV)

We all suffer and face various hard circumstances. And we are all changed by the hurtful encounters. But we don’t all respond the same way to that adversity. The difficult experiences of pain lead us to become either bitter or better.

If we have a wounded healer in our life, there is a good chance that we will be able to move through the hardship and come to a place of gratitude for what the Lord has done for us and how God brought us deliverance.

“As followers of Jesus we can also allow our wounds to bring healing to others.”
Henri Nouwen

Deliverance may not end up looking like anything we anticipate. If we are stuck on particular outcomes and have a singular expectation, then we may very well miss the Rescuer when the ship of salvation shows up.

Yet, if we can remain open to and aware of God – as well as of what’s going on inside us – then we shall likely experience healing for our deep wounds of pain. And we will embrace the scars it leaves as a reminder of the Lord’s deliverance.

It could be that things don’t change, at least like we want. In such times, perhaps the greatest healing that can take place is to be healed from the need for healing.

The Lord shows unfailing commitment and steadfast love to the faithful, to those who seek God. We shall find the divine in all circumstances, that is, if we seek God with all our heart.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13, NIV)

Pain cannot be taken away unless we enter into it. So, it only makes sense to me, that we have a guide like the psalmist to lead us, and a Savior like Jesus to rescue us.

“Wholeness is not achieved by cutting off a portion of one’s being, but by integration of the contraries.”
Carl Jung

May you be patient in suffering, as Christ was in his earthly pain.

May the Lord be near you in your time of weakness and wondering.

May God sustain you by divine grace, and grant you courage not to have a failure of faith.

May you know healing of both body and soul.

And may you always believe that what happens to you in this present life is of little account if you hold Christ in eternal life. Amen.

The Call (Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29)

On March 22, 2024February 19, 2024 By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

Confess Yahweh, because he is good,

because his commitment is permanent.

Yisrael is pleased to say,

“His commitment is permanent”…

Open the faithful gateways to me;

when I come through them, I shall confess Yahweh.

This is Yahweh’s gateway;

faithful people come through it.

I will confess you because you answered me

and became deliverance for me.

The stone that the builders spurned

became the head cornerstone.

This came about from Yahweh;

it’s been extraordinary in our eyes.

This was the day that Yahweh made;

so that we would celebrate and rejoice in it.

Oh, Yahweh, will you deliver us, please?

oh, Yahweh enable us to succeed, please.

Blessed be the one who comes in Yahweh’s name;

we are blessing you from Yahweh’s house.

Yahweh is God; he has shone light to us

– tie the festal offering with cords to the horns of the altar.

You are my God and I will confess you;

my God, I will exalt you.

Confess Yahweh, because he is good,

because his commitment is permanent.

(The First Testament, A New Translation by John Goldingay)

This psalm is the last of the Hallel (praise) psalms (Psalms 113-118) used at the Passover meal. It includes a summons for the entire community to praise God; an individual thanksgiving to the Lord; and a communal speech.

The Call to Confession

We are invited and called upon to recognize and confess Yahweh’s enduring steadfast love, which is a lasting and permanent commitment toward God’s people. Why? Because it is through a tenacious love that never gives up that brings healing, wholeness, and health to the community. Our relatedness to God makes all the difference in life.

“The unrelated human being lacks wholeness, for he can achieve wholeness only through the soul, and the soul cannot exist without its other side, which is always found in a ‘You.’ Wholeness is a combination of I and You, and these show themselves to be parts of a transcendent unity.”
Carl Jung, The Psychology of Transference

When it comes to healing – whether it be physical, emotional, or spiritual – love must be involved. The need for healing implies brokenness. And love is relational. Therefore, in order to experience the wholeness of healing, there needs to be another.

Love extended to one who requires mercy creates the opportunity to see light in the other, and to feel it in your own. And that energy brings the healing wholeness of both body and soul.

Every divine/human encounter, and each gracious intervention of God to people, is the chance to bring wholeness through the power of love by means of relationship. Communal worship affords us the opportunity to experience the steadfast love and commitment of God – as well as to steward that love well, for others who need it.

The Call to Thanksgiving

Everyone is on board for thanksgiving, right? Well, not so much. Like most things, it’s complicated. On the one hand, we have those persons who seem to never express gratitude for anything; it appears they are only capable of cynicism and sarcasm. And, on the other hand, are those who are incessantly positive, always thankful, no matter the circumstance; for them, it seems they are never living in the reality of a messed up world.

A reflexive response of gratitude to everything is merely a cheap thanksgiving. And a constant stream of ingratitude is simply taking the easy road of complaint. Thanksgiving ought to be thoughtful and well-placed. Gratitude is really a spiritual discipline that requires constant practice until it becomes a solid life skill.

The psalmist pictures the king, David, leading a procession of worshipers as they approach Yahweh. It’s as if the king is teaching the people how to go about entering God’s presence, and what role thanksgiving has in this relationship between God and humanity.

Central to that relationship are offerings of praise and thanksgiving for divine deliverance. Specifically, it is acknowledging gratitude from the place of a spiritual cornerstone. This is the foundation from which an individual’s and an entire community’s faith is rested upon.

The New Testament locates this vital cornerstone as Christ. Jesus is,

“‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the cornerstone.’

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:11-12, NIV)

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. (Ephesians 2:19-20, NIV)

The Call to Commitment

The permanence of God’s steadfast love and loyalty toward people demands a response. In Christianity, because of the Lord’s commitment to us – through the person and work of Jesus Christ – there is opportunity for a reciprocal response of commitment to God in Christ through the Spirit.

This response of genuine worship and thanksgiving avoids the crush of the constant critic, on the one hand, and on the other hand, steers clear of ignoring suffering.

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”

and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:4-10, NIV)

Holy Week is nearly upon us. The celebration and praise of Palm Sunday is coming, along with the suffering and death of Good Friday. This all sets the scene for a victorious resurrection which solidifies the Christian’s faith with the mortar of God’s steadfast love in Christ.

As we enter the Week, let us be open to the full range of thoughts and emotions that arise because of God’s loyal and loving commitment to us, and our reciprocal commitment to Christ. Let us be receptive to the call of love.

God of compassion and love, you know our faults and yet you call us to forgiveness instead of leveling judgment upon us. Keep us in your gracious presence, and give us your wisdom. Open our hearts to gratitude and commitment, and restore to us the joy of our salvation. Amen.

Rev. Tim Ehrhardt

Tag: god’s steadfast love