Psalm 59 - Troubles

David is obviously in a tough spot. He finds himself in a moment where he simply needs deliverance. While he dedicates the beginning of this Psalm to painting the picture of his situation followed by his plea to God to intercede, he closes it out by showing us (once again) why he is known as a “man after God’s own heart”.

“But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.” – Psalm 59:16

We have troubles. Jesus told us that we would. Then He told us to take heart because He had overcome the world. It’s interesting to me how we’ve slowly come to believe that somehow, if we follow Him, He’s promising that won’t happen. We need to remember that while it may be our goal to live a life without troubles, Christ’s goal is to reconcile us with God, regardless our troubles. It’s his goal to help us find peace with God so when the troubles come we have an eternal fortress.

David worshiped God and sang of his strength and love. He worshiped because God had become his true fortress, his refuge in times of trouble. Whether we have physical, emotional, relational, or spiritual troubles… we can know that because of His love and strength, we have refuge in Him.

Psalm 34 – Where?

Great question. Where? Where does our hope come from? Where do we seek answers? Where do we look for direction? Where do we find comfort and counsel? David knew the answer to “Where”:

“I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” – Psalm 34:4-5

Not only did he know the answer to “where”. But he also knew the benefit of knowing the answer. That no matter the result, no matter the consequence, no matter the experience, when we seek Him with and for everything our faces will never be covered with shame. Why? Because the Glory will be His if we are found faithful of finding refuge in Him. It’s only when we take our eyes off the prize that our faces are covered.

It’s funny too. David writes this Psalm in response to God delivering him out of the hands of Abimelech through pretending to be insane. (The king of Gath better known as Achish, was referred to as Abimelech in the title of Psalm 34) (1 Samuel 21:10-15) We’ve had much dialogue about this experience and whether or not David was simply taking things into his own hands and NOT trusting God, or if he was acting crazy as a part of God’s leading. According to this Psalm, David credits this deliverance to God. (See my ENTRY on 1 Samuel 21)

So what’s so funny about it? To me, it’s the fact that King David literally had to act insane, and still did not consider his face to be “covered with shame.” Hmmm. Makes the tasks I consider remedial seem less belittling all of a sudden.

The second thought I had about this chapter, and I’ll keep it quick, was found in its closing verses:

“Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.” – Psalm 34:21-22

Here’s what I found interesting: The Lord truly will sort it all out. We don’t have to be concerned. It’s not the good that will slay the wicked. It’s evil itself. It’s as if he’s stating this knowledge that in our sin, we will cause our own demise. But as Jesus said, “Take Heart”… no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

Nehemiah 4 – Rally Point

In 1998 I went through the Primary Leadership and Development Course (PLDC) at the NCO Academy. It’s a two-week course required for all Non-Commissioned Officers. While the first week of leadership training was primarily academic, the second was held “in the field”, and consisted of a number of mission type scenarios. That week was one of the first opportunities we had to put into practice some of the critical elements we learned at Basic Combat Training.

It was there that I first realized the value of a “rally point”. When on a mission, if a platoon gets separated, their goal is to reassemble at a designated point along the way. It’s a critical part of the default game plan. There’s no personal “Rambo” mission that anyone goes on. There are no decisions to be made in a moment of isolation, fear, or desperation. You simply do whatever you have to do to get to the rally point. And from that place together, you’ll act. It’s amazing how comforting it is to know that if everything goes crazy, you know exactly what to do and where to go.

“Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!" – Nehemiah 4:19-20

This has so many applications in life. Whether it’s about focus, mission, or recovery, it’s always about doing so together and in a certain way (“Way” is God’s expertise by the way). It’s about (1) the power of community in mission and recovery, (2) the responsibility of the leader to make sure everyone knows the “standard operating procedures” and rally points, (3) the responsibility of the individual to get to that place of refuge when they hear the trumpet sound, and (4) the role of the informed to help the uninformed, confused, or possibly wounded.

Much can be done from this place. So the question is, what’s your trumpet sound and where’s your rally point?

“In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.” – Isaiah 11:10

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:25

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.” – 2 Samuel 2:31

Psalm 16 - Magic Bullet

I’m not a huge fan of the magic bullet. Mostly because when we put everything into one bucket it typically leaves blind spots. Thus nullifying the reality that it is a true “magic bullet” and offering more and more proof that one may not even exist. This will always be the case as long as we think of the bullet as a “thing” instead of a “who” and a “what”. This may be at the heart of our struggle with circumstance. David knew this. For him, the “who” was God and the “what”, was finding refuge.

“Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.” – Psalm 16:1

If we lived life from the position of a found refuge in God, life would change. If we were constantly aware that our refuge comes from Him, if we made decisions based on that protection, relief, and comfort, if we sought Him as our primary source of help, and if we allowed everything to flow out of that reality, we’d find the magic bullet for life. We’d find it in Christ. It would saturate everything and offer a new confidence. Anything not covered by this “bullet” would not only seem insignificant, it would be proven so.

I love that this is verse 1. It’s an opening statement for David as much as it is a prayer or request. He has the confidence to make the request to God only because his statement of refuge is true. And he was known as a man after God’s own heart.

It makes me wonder how great God’s desire is for us to find refuge in Him. How close is it to His heart? Is it possible that this is one of His greatest offerings through Christ? For many, faith has become anything but refuge. It has become powerless, rote, or even daunting. It has become something to be done instead of something you are. It has become a part of life instead of life itself.

If our foundation is refuge, true refuge, this would never be the case.

Psalm 9 – Limited Perspective

The first few verses of Psalm 9 give us a reminder of what God has done in regards to his justice. It speaks of rebuking and destroying. It speaks of blotting out names and endless ruin. This is His response to evil nations and the wicked.

When we see an example of the power and judgment of God according to His ways it is always profound.

It’s interesting to me those who claim the absence of God when he “allows” evil in our world today. And I’m reminded through Psalm 9 that our timing is not His timing. That He is righteous. And that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The issue of Him “allowing” is not an issue of what, but more so an issue of when. Stand firm child of God, He will judge righteously. As the scripture claims (vs.10), He has never forsaken those who seek Him.

While our timeline is everything to us, it is but a blip on the radar of God’s agenda. Today is so small in respect to Eternity. We should be mindful not to allow our way of thinking and limited perspective to create doubt or concern in our faith. Instead, in considering His timelessness, we should find comfort.

“The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice. The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” – Psalm 9:7-10

2 Sam 23 – Simply Refreshing

Every time I’m wore out from my “professional” faith I can find too many elements of “me” in my work. It’s so amazing how difficult it is to truly deny our selves when we feel we have to perform. It’s so hard to keep our insecurities or personal desires out of the equation. The amount of effort and emotional energy we can put into making things seem perfect is amazing. Especially around Christmas time. Every pastor (even more so their associate pastors) I know is stressed or wore out already and we’ve still got over a week to go. I feel the pressure… then felt the peace come over me when we landed on the theme for this year at Austin New Church: “simple christmas”. Whew. Wouldn’t that be nice? I could literally feel my blood pressure dropping in our staff meeting.

I was speaking recently to a pastor friend about how many hours he puts into a sermon, it was a huge amount of time. Then I began to think about mine. The tragedy is not in how much time we spend on sermon prep (little or much) the tragedy is in how little time we spend on the actual text or truth (God stuff) in relationship to our own illustrations and transitions (Me stuff). While I know those are key elements of clear communication, those are also the things that stress me out. Those are the things that keep me up on Saturday night and take my focus off my family all weekend. It’s evidenced by how much better I feel when I land a good opening illustration.

Even as I write this, I want to defend how important those things are. Why? Because they are important, significant, and maybe even critical. However, my point is that if we could somehow really strip away our intentions, we’d still find too much of “me” in those parts. I want to be a great communicator, not a good one. I want to share something in a way that no one’s ever thought of before. I want to “wow” those looking for faith or something new. The list goes on and on. Meanwhile Paul said he just preached “Christ and Christ crucified” and the Lord says that it’s not by might or power but by His “Spirit”.

The reason I say this is because I’m finding a new groove in life. I’m not fully there yet, probably never will be, but I’m finding peace in the simple. I have much less desire now to please others (other than God) and it’s chilling me out. More than that, it’s helping me really dig into and keep me focused on finding out what’s important on each leg of the journey.

The crux? When I do this, my work, my faith, my life is refreshed and not a drain. It doesn’t feel like a task, it feels like a journey. My energy is up. I feel renewed, encouraged, and excited. I’m encouraged and refreshed. David talks about this in 2 Samuel 23 in regards to leadership.

“The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: 'When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth.” – 2 Samuel 23:3-4

Not only will this be a fruit for those we lead, if we lead in righteousness and in the fear of God, but also a fruit we will receive if we follow God with the same heart.

“A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” – Proverbs 11:25

Even those of us under an authority, when we live by His righteousness and follow in the fear of the Lord, we will refresh those we serve.

“Like the coolness of snow at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the spirit of his masters.”- Proverbs 25:13

And we refresh each other in biblical community…

“In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.” – 2 Corinthians 7:14

So it’s an indicator. Refreshment comes from God. When there is an absence, there is a reason. Today, I look for those reasons… and I rest in His promises. If David can find it in battle, if Paul can find it in chains, surely we can find it in our plush context of western suburbia.

“… turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” Acts 3:19

“Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.” – Philemon 1:7

“But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge.” Psalm 73: 28a

Ruth 2 “Refuge and Favor”

Ruth 2 – Brandon Hatmaker “Refuge and Favor”
Austin New Church – South Austin Cares
Monday, September 29th, 2008

“At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She exclaimed, "Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?"

Boaz replied, "I've been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge."

"May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord," she said. "You have given me comfort and have spoken kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servant girls." – Ruth 2:10-13

I simply love this dialogue. There is a great correlation to God’s favor and refuge. Even more so, how we find it, and how we should respond to it. In verse 10, Ruth’s blatant humility is evident, this is no coincidence, it’s requirement. Then Boaz tells her why she has found favor with him. It is not only her heart, but her sacrifice and action. Her response? Thanksgiving and more humility. The more grace and favor he lavished on her, the more thankful she was.

This is a great word picture of our heart and posture of worship. We simply cannot do it with out the right heart and perspective. Can you imagine feeling this kind of refuge before God while worshipping Him? It would change everything.

A good friend of mine (And fellow staffer of Austin New Church) Micah Caswell, wrote in his BLOG this morning some great stuff on Ruth 2. I thought I’d share it as well:

“Naomi’s family had sought refuge under the Moabite gods. She saw the error of her ways and returned to find refuge under Yahweh. Even though Ruth had to cross many cultural barriers she also chose to find refuge under Yahweh. We all need a covering to hide under. We need someone to protect us and care for us and provide for us. Yahweh is our refuge.

Notice HOW Yahweh provides “refuge” for Ruth and Naomi, it is via the man Boaz. This is key, God provides refuge through his people! Boaz seemed to understand this and I pray that the Church would grab this. God’s primary agent for refuge is his Bride the Church. This means that the Church needs to embrace this call and care for those who need a covering.”