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
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