As I reflect on this week, there have been great moments of joy and happiness and other moments of mundane tasks that could almost sweep away that joy and happiness. It simply reminded me of how much can happen within a week and how much of that change can affect us either positively or negatively. Thankfully, when I found myself drifting into lethargy or a feeling I could not quite put a finger on, I called upon the name of the LORD and He answered, He filled me with His peace, He reminded me of His word and guided me to praise Him. As I praised Him, I could see my countenance change and before I knew it, I was back on track! The LORD is very good to us! He hears and listens to us; He answers us when we call. As the Good Shepherd, He ensures we lack nothing and guides our every step. Because we are creatures centered on the things our eyes can see, we easily forget we have the Creator of the universe watching our every step and we drift into despair or faithlessness easily. I hope as you continue to read, you will be encouraged to put your hope in the LORD at all times as I was encouraged by the Songs of Ascents I have been meditating this week.
There is a contemporary Christian song called “Creation sings the Father’s song” that explores the beauty of God through His creation and how His creation glorifies Him. I find that we do not take enough time to celebrate the Maker of the universe we live in instead we spend more time on celebrating our own lives. It reminds me of the word of the LORD to the exiled in Babylon who were busy building their own houses instead of the house of the LORD (Haggai 1:4). Contrasting that with king David who would not enter his house or get into his bed until he found a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob (Psalm 132:3-5). As busy as we may get in life, we ought to take time to celebrate the LORD, prioritize Him like king David did because He deserves our worship, our adoration, our lives. In fact, we were created by Him and for Him, so it is only natural that we do what we were made to do (Revelation 4:11). This truth might be hard to swallow for some because it implies that we are not our own. It implies that we do not live our lives as we please. This is especially true if you are in Christ. The difference when you are in Christ is that in Christ, you willingly relinquish your “rights” and desires to the LORD, so they no longer own you. Outside of Christ, you are at the mercy of yourself and its desires. Unfortunately, those have never proven to be great masters because they are unpredictable and lead only to destruction. In reading the Songs of Ascents of this week, I was struck by their dependence upon the LORD and calling us to see Him as our number one priority and our only hope.
Psalm 131 calls for that total humility and surrender that turns into a full confidence in the LORD. This full confidence is one that sees the LORD as the only option, the only plan. Like a weaned child is the psalmist’s soul within him (Psalm 131:2). The reason for this confidence is because the psalmist has calmed and quieted his soul. Instead of occupying himself with things too great for him or too marvelous for him, the psalmist quiets his soul before the LORD. Instead of stressing out about the next issue or problem, however big it may appear to be, the response of the psalmist and ours too should be to calm and quiet our soul. The call of the psalmist to us is to continue to hope in the LORD today and forever. Naturally, when we face trials, we focus on the problem before us, we get worried about the size of the difficulty. I think of how Israel was often already defeated before going into battle with his enemies simply because Israel’s focus would be the enemy, how much resources they had, how strong they were all the while forgetting the God who was with them (think of the report of the men sent to spy the Promised Land in Numbers 13:25-29). Unfortunately, this is the same type of attitude and mindset we often revert to, but the psalmist calls us to not dwell on such things and instead dwell on the LORD. When our confidence is in the LORD, we can relax and let Him provide a solution to the problem we are facing. The beautiful thing here is that we serve a God who is willing and delights to rescue us from the hands of the evil one. When we try to fix issues ourselves, we rob God of his glory, and we take His place whether it was with good intentions or not. Our position in life is to be like a child before the LORD and not like an adult. Children are trusting of their parents, and they do not worry. I understand that this is a battle for us adults, but it is our identity in Christ therefore, we have to train our minds to remember who we are and act accordingly.
The final encouragement I got from meditating these Songs of Ascents was to fear the LORD (Psalm 128), remember what He has done (Psalm 129) and wait for Him (Psalm 130). These are not new commands. In fact, the Bible is filled with passages that contain these truths that are life for those whose hope is the LORD. Yet, it deserves to be said over and over again because it does not take much for us to stop fearing the LORD and instead fear other men, systems or spiritual forces; it does not take much for us to forget what the LORD has done and how faithful He has been in our lives over the years. Like the Israelites, it takes God to remind us of His faithfulness as He told the people how their sandals never wore out in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 29:5). These were everyday essentials that the people of Israel wore and so it was easy to take those for granted but God took care of His people in a grand way yet unnoticed by many. Indeed, it does not take much for us to be restless and take matters into our own hands instead of waiting on Him. These are mistakes many have made in the past and we should not be doing the same as our forefathers did and ended up being punished by the LORD or dead. The psalmist understands the dangers of disobedience and so these psalms are an exhortation to do what is right, good and honours the Father. Moreover, these psalms remind us of the goodness of God as we obey Him. For example, those who fear Him are blessed – blessed in their labour, family and community. Similarly, those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength or as the psalmist tells us they will know the steadfast love of the LORD and His redemption.
As a believer in Christ, my life is not my own so I must follow my Master and offer my body as a living sacrifice for it is my reasonable act of worship (Romans 12:1). The good news is that His commands are not cumbersome, and I do not have to be alone when I am going through difficulties. In His mercy He has provided me with the Holy Spirit and His Church. May we all take advantage of the gifts we have been given by our good Father. Amen!
A Word Aptly Spoken 