Sing with Understanding

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. ⁹ Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you."

Psalm 32:8-9

Horses and mules must be trained to race, pull carriages, and accomplish labour beneficial to their owners.  A bit and bridle is employed to provide direction and make discernible signals horses and mules can follow.  As intelligent as these animals are, they lack the understanding a human being possesses.  We have been gifted by God to think rationally, solve problems, have detailed conversations, and implement plans.  God did not want His people to be like the horse or mule that merely follow the pull of the reins:  God desires His children to listen, receive instruction, and be guided by the Holy Spirit without harnesses.

I vividly remember buying tickets outside Disneyland years ago and saw three little girls in pretty matching dresses - the oldest sister at least 8 years old - each tethered to their poor mother.  They were so excited before long they had tangled themselves up like helpless dogs chained in a yard.  It was sad to see them pulling on the leads in all directions, seemingly deaf to their mother's pleas, and this poor woman could only hold on for dear life.  She was exhausted before they even entered the gate!  God desires it would be His voice and vision which governs our steps because He has given us more understanding than mere beasts because the Holy Spirit indwells us.

I read this morning in Psalm 47:6-7, "Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! ⁷ For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding."  It is God's desire we would sing praises unto Him with understanding, knowing who He is, what He has said, and things He has done.  People sing along to the latest popular songs with little knowledge of the artist who wrote the song, the background on what prompted the song, or what the lyrics mean.  All they know is it is catchy and sounds good.  As subjects of our great King who is worthy of praise, God desires we sing praises with understanding.  We ought to know why God is worthy to be praised and the reasons we choose to lift our voices before Him in worship.  We sing because we acknowledge the LORD is our God, He has chosen us, and we are the sheep of His pasture.  We are not to be "sheep" in the sense we just follow along or rattle off rote prayers or passages without thinking, but identifying as sheep because we know Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd, we hear his voice, and intentionally follow him.

In comparison to the Almighty God our understanding is extremely dim at best, but we are to praise God in light of His revelation to each one of us.  We are called to walk according to the light He has provided us, and to lift our voices in song for the glory of His name - not because we have to but because we see Him as worthy and desire to praise Him.  May the voices of angels and God's redeemed rise up in praise before the throne of God as one, an offering pleasing and acceptable to our Maker and King whom we know, love, and obey.

Expectactions Vs. Reality

Whenever medical surgery is performed, a period of recovery and rehabilitation follows.  Every time I have had surgery there were always unknowns because I never had the same procedure done twice.  I would imagine no surgical result is ever exactly the same - like no pregnancy or childbirth or child is the same!  I have had my wisdom teeth removed, my ACL replaced in a knee, and a mole removed from my back.  Each time there were unexpected complications, like when fragments of tooth started poking through my gums or the full strength of my back incision would not be achieved for a whole year - not to mention the itchiness!  It's been over a year and it still itches sometimes...but that sure beats cancer. (Just for the record I have never had cancer but the mole was removed as a precaution.)

A lot of people are pleased with the results of a surgery, even if the period of strengthening and physical therapy is long.  However, there are many who would have never chosen surgery if they had known what they were in for.  They focused on the good aspects of surgery and shrugged off the bad only the realise after the fact their expectations did not align with reality.  Contrary to what many think, surgery never returns the body as it was prior to injury.  It is no miracle cure:  it means scar tissue, complications, and restrictions.  I am very glad I had surgery on my torn ACL, but my knee is not the same as before my injury.  I spoke with a friend recently who had two full knee replacements and from the beginning one of them was never right.  I think all things considered he would have gone ahead with the surgery if he had to do it all over again, but his expectations were not met.  He could be bitter and sour over it, or gladly do the best he can.

When it comes to church ministry, it's good to remember Jesus Christ has joined different people together as one Body with Him as the head.  It's rare for our bodies to be completely healthy without creaks, pains, and needing special treatment, and the same rings true for the church.  There is always a hand which needs strengthening exercises or a joint which needs special attention and care.  Just like our bodies have needed root canals, surgery, physical therapy, rest, or a specially prescribed diet, every person in a spiritual sense needs continual divine treatment from Jesus Christ.  Put us all together and the spiritual "medical" history is, needless to say, quite extensive.  The only thing which keeps us from being roughly patched together like Frankenstein is our head Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer.  We have a lot of scar tissue, aches and battle scars, and sometimes we rub each other raw.  But praise the LORD He holds us together and unites us in His redemptive love.

If you have an expectation of Christian perfection in the church, the fatal flaw in this fantasy is that I am part of the Body of Christ - and so are you.  The reality is the church is a divine establishment but has a prevalent human element which consistently falls short of perfection.  Being reminded that God is perfect and we are not magnifies the grace of God.  It's amazing He would choose us and delight to provide a place for us in His kingdom and this prompts us to give grace to others.  We do not fault the man recovering from knee surgery that he cannot immediately run but we can have this expectation of others.  No matter how long you have walked with Jesus there is much learning, growing, and strengthening we yet need to progress.  The reality of Jesus Christ is awesome and blows away the wildest expectation of the humble for He is gracious, generous, and good.

The Supremacy of Who God Is

"After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."

Genesis 15:1

What God was for Abraham He will be for all those who place their faith in Him.  I love that when God made promises to Abram it was not about what He would do for him, but who He would be for him.  There is a tremendous difference between the two.  God did not just shield Abram from evil or enemies but was his shield; He did not grant Abram rewards which could be bought or measured with silver or gold but He was Abram's exceedingly great reward.  God does not change, and God remained a permanent and eternal shield and great reward even after his body was laid to rest.  Abraham's soul still enjoys the awesome characteristics of our God, for He is not the God of the dead but the living.

This morning I read the words of David in Psalm 43:3-4, "Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle. ⁴ Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God."  See how David described His great God:  "God my exceeding joy."  God did many things which brought David joy like giving him victory over his enemies, establishing him as king, and providing peace on every side.  Yet David did not praise God because of the joy brought to him by God but because God was his exceeding joy.  God Himself exceeded all other passing joys that quickly fade, the earthly delights which are forgotten out of mind.

Jesus Christ revealed Himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  He is the light of the world that leads us to perfect peace and unfailing love because He personifies these attributes perfectly.  Jesus gave His own life so we might have eternal life through faith in Him.  He is and will ever be our shield and exceedingly great reward not because of what He has done, but because of who He is and all He does.  All we need is found in our Saviour who is ever good and His mercy endures forever.  Let us praise our God who is our exceeding joy!

Even In the Depths

The world is filled with contrasts:  light and dark, hot and cold, health and sickness, fruitfulness and barrenness.  Almost every human experience or condition has an opposite.  We have experienced highs and lows, and when we are in the midst of one extreme the other is almost completely forgotten.  We have felt as free as a child leaving school for a long break, and we have felt like were weighed down with burdens far greater than anyone could bear.  I have found a relationship with God and the guidance of God's Word are critical to maintain a godly and good perspective.  And we need reminders - a lot of them.

David was a man whose spirit rose in joyful worship of God, yet he also experienced low moods and depression.  In his writings we see him saying to himself at times almost to snap himself out of a funk, "What am I thinking?  Trust in God and hope in Him!"  Today my day began reading of such a place in Psalm 42:6-8:  "O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. ⁷ Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. ⁸ Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life."

David confessed before God his soul was cast down like a sheep that had fallen and could not stand up without help.  He was intentional in remembering the LORD who had called him and brought him through many troubles.  It didn't matter if he was in a deep valley or on a mountaintop, for God is faithful.  In verse 8 David said poetically he was in the depths, and wave after wave knocked him over again and again.  When he was at his lowest point and imagined it impossible to go deeper, further down he went.  God created the oceans which cover the earth to be very deep - deeper than any human being can go alone.  Submersible vessels have been designed to transport people safely through the crushing depths, but without them men could not survive.

Have you ever considered when God created the world He could have made the oceans shallow?  But according to His design He made them very deep, dark, and virtually unfathomable.  Our God who created the heavens to be high also created the depths, and He remains a good God wherever we find ourselves.  Sometimes it takes a season in the depths (as Jonah literally experienced) for us to arrive with the confidence in God David experienced in verse 8:  "Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life."  Even in the depths God remained good and was David's life.  God's love was evident to David day and night, and therefore David made his prayer unto His God.

What confidence we can have as God's children even in the depths, when it seems wave after wave is pulling us under, when we wonder in desperation, "Do you see what is going on, God?  Have you forgotten all about me?  Don't you know how much I am suffering?  Can't you do something?"  Even in the depths He is there, and in remembering our God and exalting His name there is great comfort found.  The one who cries out to God from the depths demonstrates faith the man at ease may only imagine he has.  How good it is for us in the heights and from the depths to praise our Saviour Jesus Christ and thank Him for the lovingkindness He has shown us.