Psalms, Psalms, and Psalms, oh my!

Elizabeth--

“With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.” –Psalm 18:29

This is by far my newest favorite Bible verse ever! I think it’s a reference to Spiderman. Spidey just didn’t know his abilities were referenced in the Bible long before he was created. This verse excites me and frightens me at the same time. I want to think about this for a second. Superheroes like Spidey scale walls and help save lives every day without any problem and they do it with no fear at all. But, that’s because superheroes have super human powers or super beyond human powers.  I don’t have those kinds of powers, so therefore I don’t do things like that. I’m not Spiderman!

According to this verse, as long as I have the help of God then I can scale walls. I instantly feel like I too can be a superhero…and I feel slightly more powerful and important. At the same time, I’m terrified of heights, I would never choose to scale walls...it’s just too much thrill for my own good. But, maybe that is precisely the point. There are a lot of thrills and frightening adventures in this world and as people living in this world, we’re instantly a part of them whether we choose to be or not. As long as we remember that we have God in our lives and as our help, then really we too can be superheroes. We can scale walls. We can do things we never thought possible, because God who is bigger than we are walks with us daily. His strength will carry us through whatever we may face.

The Psalms have an abstract beauty to them. I think that’s why the superhero language really stood out to me…caught me off guard and then caused me to think differently about scripture than I have in other books of the Bible. A friend shared with me that he felt “Psalms really transcend ‘thought’ and really speak to the emotions,” and I agree. When I read Psalms, I’m not thinking heavily, but rather I’m feeling heavily. Through the Psalmists’ words, I feel re-connected with God. In Psalm 18 I’m reminded of how the Lord is my strength, my refuge, and in Him I am able. In chapter 12 I hear of how God uplifts the poor and weak and He is their strength as well. Psalm 13:5-6, “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me” speaks to the heart of my faith. In these verses I’m struck more with feeling than I am with thoughts. I feel my relationship with God in these psalms. I feel the comfort I have in Him as I hear that he is my strength and refuge. I feel the great love He has for me that will not fail. I am able to rejoice and celebrate the salvation that I’m graciously given through Him. He has been oh so good to me and always will. These beautiful scriptures allow me to focus on the emotions that my faith calls me to, and not just to the action or the theology that I often take from scripture.

So now, you tell me, what Psalm(s) do you like? Does it stand out to you in a unique way like being a superhero?

What do the Psalms speak to you? 

Allison--

“Those who know your name trust in you for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.”—Psalm 9:10

As I’ve been reading through the Psalms, I’ve noticed how often reading a verse or two reminds me of a worship song I know.  And it makes sense, since so often lyrics of worship songs are inspired by, or even taken directly from Psalms.  They tell of celebration, lament, frustration, desperation and hope.  And so there is probably a Psalm for just about every human emotion.

I like the way the writers of the Psalms express these various emotions.  They are honest, but they always resolve by turning back to God, whether that is in thanksgiving, joy or hope.  It is good and right and healthy to express how we truly feel inside, but all this is done in the context of the love, goodness and faithfulness of God.  There’s a difference between feeling abandoned by God and being abandoned by God. 

I think this verse is essentially the heart of the Psalms.  The writers are searching for God.  They are seeking out God’s role in their life, in their current situations.  And they do this with a deep and courageous trust that God will never abandon them.

Psalms allows us a glimpse of the faith life of those who came before us.  And it is encouraging that the ancestors of our faith dealt with the very same thoughts and feelings that we do today.  And while we can’t sit down and have a faith conversation with them over coffee, there is something so deeply connective about having that “me too” moment.  There are few things more encouraging than simply knowing we are not alone.  Perhaps that is why praying the words of a Psalm can be so powerful.  It connects us to a faith community spanning continents and generations, and it directs us to the Author and Perfecter of our faith who will never, ever abandon those who search for Him.

Think about these Alphabitz this week:

Beauty   Sincerity   Prayer

Sisters in Christ,

Allison & Elizabeth

Job and His Storms

Elizabeth--

Oh Job! What to say about Job?! Well first off, this is one of my newly found favorite books of the Bible! I really enjoyed reading Job…I know that’s strange, but I just felt like Job made sense to me. I could understand the suffering. I mean I didn’t walk in his shoes, but I know what it feels like to feel like you have had the ground pulled out from beneath you. I can relate to Job’s sufferings when all he knew was suddenly removed from him. It’s hard to trust in a God who is supposed to be your friend and is supposed to love and care for you and all you feel is hurt and abandonment. If God is supposed to be all those things, you would think He would feel close to you in those times, yet I have felt the distance He seems from me when I’m hurt and unsure of what to do. I really liked that Job cried out to God. It makes me feel like it’s normal to cry to God when I do not understand what is going on. It’s okay for me to feel anger and frustrations and confusion. In the times that Job felt most abandoned, God was likely the closest to him. God continually heard his cries and responded to his thoughts. God didn’t leave him. Seeing this conversation go on between Job and God allows me to see how God may work in my life when I deal with hard times. I may not always get the answer I’m looking for, but God hasn’t stopped listening. Instead God continually reminds me of all He has done for me. He reminds me of all the care He has for his creation. Why then would He have reason to leave me?

The other day, I was driving home from work when I noticed the brightness and beauty of the moon. I shared the vision I was seeing with Allison on the phone. Now, I saw this moon in Lewisville, Texas and she is in Seguin and she says “Wow! That is a beautiful moon!” and for a moment I was completely confused. How was it possible for her to see the same moon I saw?! Then it clicked for me that, I’m dumb because all people on this planet see the same moon I do, just at different angles and at different times in the day. It was a reminder to me of how small my world is. The community and environment around me that I engage in is so small in comparison to all of God’s creation. God’s creation is so vast and beautiful and He cares oh so much for each created being. So, from reading Job and relating to his feelings in times of suffering, and recognizing the vastness of creation as I noticed the moon, I’m really feeling how incredible God really is. God loves me so much that He created me to be the person I am in the midst of His larger creations, so with that love He won’t leave my side, just like He didn’t leave Job.

Remember that God loves you dearly and He will always be with you wherever you go. 

Allison--

So Elizabeth is a fan of Job. Me? Not so much.  I mean, I really love aspects of Job—the honesty with God, the discussion between the friends, the reminder of humility.  I guess it’s just too lengthy for me, too wordy.  I like things to be to the point or going somewhere, but I feel like Job and his friends talk in circles a lot.  They make the same point each time they open their mouths.  “You must have sinned Job, so that’s why this has happened.”  Or, “I have done nothing wrong.  Why is this happening to me?”  And maybe there’s something to be said there about over-discussing something.  God does have a good point when God speaks at the end (granted, since God is God, God often makes excellent points).  The verse that sticks out to me is “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” (Job 38:4).

Sometimes we get so caught up in why something is happening to us.  And to a point that’s healthy.  To vent, to wonder, to question, to grow in community as you talk over the things happening in your life.

But you can get to a point where the “why” overshadows the “what’s next”.  Part of me thinks God comes down and sets them straight so Job can move on.  How often have you seen someone wallowing, or perhaps you yourself have wallowed in your sorrow?  It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut and forget to look up and see what God is trying to lead you towards. 

I have a friend who once said "God does not fill your life with storm clouds, but God does paint a silver lining around them."  And I think we sometimes get so caught up in the puddles and the mud around us that we forget to see the silver lining.  But I truly believe God takes the troubles, the sorrows, the trials we go through and makes beautiful things out of them.  And we have to be open to that, to be open to trying something new or uncomfortable.  This year I’ve been challenged and pushed by God to go outside of my comfort zone in meeting new people and reaching out.  And some really awesome things have come out of that.  It took me hitting bottom to realize that God was still with me, but God wasn’t going to let me stay there.  And I am so glad that I looked up and saw the silver lining.

And Job did too.  When he finally looked up from his sorrow, God carried him through it.  And by the end of the book, we still don’t necessarily understand why it all happened, but we understand God was there.  And that’s really the point of it all.

Consider these ideas this week:

Trials   Grace   Moving Forward

Sisters in Christ,

Allison & Elizabeth

The Long Awaited and Greatly Anticipated Return...featuring Esther!

Allison---

Esther 4:13-16

I love the book of Esther.  I find it to be one of the most empowering and challenging books in the bible.  And of course my favorite moment is when Mordecai is speaking to Esther about the command against the Jewish people, and that perhaps she was made queen “for such a time as this”, to save the Jewish race.

As I read through this book, I noted the role God played in this chapter of Esther’s life.  It begins with her being led away from her home, her family and all that is familiar to her.  Whether or not it was an honor to be considered for Xerxes’ queen, it had to be difficult.  But her need for family, for love and for care was met.  How perfect that her cousin Mordecai, who had essentially raised Esther, could daily pass by the harem where Esther was kept and check up on her.  Esther also endured much waiting…and waiting…and more waiting.  Before a woman could even be taken to see the king, she had to go through a year’s worth of beauty treatments—and hey, while that doesn’t sound half bad, that had to be hard to endure, while all the time wondering.  Wondering if the king would pick you, or why you were there, or how you would forever keep your nationality a secret.  But God gave Esther strength and peace in this time.

Of course, like any good book, there’s a twist: after Esther is selected as queen, the king unknowingly sentences his queen and her people to death (you’d think the guy would be a little more specific as to what exactly this decree would entail before he handed over his signet ring).  And in desperation, Mordecai asks Esther to go before the king, risking her life in a number of ways, to plead on behalf of her people.

But what I noticed this time around was that God had been preparing Esther.  He had protected her, nourished her and guided her to the role of queen, and then God presented her with this opportunity to engage in His work.  Notice Mordecai’s words:

“If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die.”

God isn’t counting on Esther in the sense that the fate of the world hinges on her decision.  But Esther has a choice.  She has an opportunity to be a part of the incredible way God is going to save the Jewish people.  She has been guided to this position as queen “for such a time as this”, to take part in this salvation story.

I like to think that’s how God works, that we are given opportunities in our lives to be a part of God’s salvation of mankind.  In one sense, it certainly takes the pressure off—that the fate of someone’s soul is not all-dependent on whether or not I have the courage to share the gospel at some moment.  But even greater, it implies that God desires my participation.  That God is all-powerful and wise, but wants me to be a part of His plans.  It reminds me that engaging my faith is what makes my relationship with God a relationship.  That while it is scary and uncomfortable, I want nothing more than to be a part of what God is planning, because that is what I was created to do—it’s what fulfills me.

I challenge you to take some time this week to think and pray on this.  Where have you been guided?  Where God might present you with an opportunity to take part in his glory?  How might God be challenging you to grow deeper in faith and relationship with Him?

May you know that God desires our participation in the coming of His kingdom.  May you remember that God is always leading us, shaping us and preparing us for the opportunities that lie ahead.  And may you realize that our God of love, compassion and strength has called you into this very place, for such a time as this.

Elizabeth---

The story of Esther is a good one! Allison did a great job of giving a great synopsis of what happened in the story. I find this story just as empowering and challenging. I like that Esther was a woman and was a Jew, but that didn’t stop God from using her to make a difference. Her beauty brought her into higher places with royalty. She didn’t let her royal position get to her head; instead she kept a good head on her shoulder as she held the importance of her family and her culture close to her heart. She kept the concerns of her people at the forefront of her thoughts. She brought petitions to the king according to the needs she saw and knew from her people. She knew that Jews were being harmed and she knew it was wrong. She worked for justice and fairness for these people. She displays commendable leadership skills as she stands up for a persecuted people. She recognizes the needs of those whom she serves.

This story was used in a high school Sunday School class to teach about joy. The direct link to joy was with the celebratory holiday that the Jews create once Haman is killed and not the entire Jewish population. However, in that class it was pointed out that God is not mentioned in the story of Esther, but is very much so a part of it. Joy is like that too! How often do we overlook joy because we didn’t acknowledge it or recognize it?  How often are we on the lookout for joy? Joy sometimes even appears in some of our darker moments and in uncertain times. I liked this story a lot because it was very much so narrative, story-like in nature and God wasn’t a character mentioned, but no doubt He was a part of the action. God works through Esther. He takes an unlikely orphaned Jewish woman to make a leader. Not only does she have a royal title, but she actually exercises wisdom as she makes just decisions to help a persecuted people. God is very much a part of our life story just like He is in Esther’s. So where do you find God in your life? Is He buried in the items on your long To-Do List? Does he ride shotgun on your way to and from work? Does He have a spot next to you as you’re falling asleep at night? Or do you see Him in all that you do? 

I want to challenge you discover where you see God the most. I want you to spot the joys in your life as well, and likely where you find joy, you will also find God. 

Joy  Courage  Opportunity

Sisters in Christ,

~Allison & Elizabeth