Page 31 - Living light - The Psalms

Friday July 5 - Ready, steady, stop!
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I
will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10
I don’t know if you’re like me and find not doing anything a bit of a challenge? Making things happen is my sweet spot but this can also tend towards striving. Jesus spoke of this in Matthew 11:29-30, urging us to let him do the heavy lifting. Not easy! In fact, throughout human history people have sought to find God and get right with him by self-effort – going through rituals and practices which they believe will somehow win God’s approval and bring them closer to him. But God’s kingdom is counter-intuitive. It operates on different principles from the world. Less is sometimes more. That’s what the psalmist is saying in this passage.
You want to know more of God – so stop what you’re doing! That kind of goes against the grain but it’s good advice. In essence he’s saying that when we stop striving, we make room for God. We focus on him, not ourselves. In the process we become less self-absorbed and more God-absorbed. We become more conscious of his divinity and less conscious of our humanity. As if to underscore the point, God reminds us that when all is said and done, he is exalted above all things. Whatever concerns us, God has got it covered. So let’s put this into practice by stopping what we’re doing and by praying this prayer...
Father God, as I still myself before you please will you give me a fresh experience of who you are. Amen.
Saturday July 6 - Biblical bookends
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalm 46:11
I love the way the writer begins and ends this psalm in a similar fashion. Having established some foundational truths about God’s proximity and protection he then navigates confidently through the rocky realities of life and finally lands, once again, on firm ground. This is something we can all learn from – be it beginning and ending our regular times of prayer by declaring the unchanging nature of God, or more broadly making it a life-discipline to focus on who God is and his promises to us, rather than on the vagaries of the world. It will require intention, but the rewards are great.
No follower of Jesus is immune from the troubles of life – Jesus said as much in John 16:33. But Jesus also reminded us that he has overcome the world. We’re on the winning side! Because we live in him we are, by default, above these troubles. Of course, this speaks of our spiritual state – the challenges of the world are still very real – but our perspective and our approach to them can and should be influenced by our life in Christ. This is the writer’s approach throughout this psalm. Not only bookending a situation with reminders of God’s omniscience and omnipresence, but charting a course through it with a confidence inspired by biblical truth.
Father God, thank you that you are our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Help me to live in the good of this amazing truth. Amen.
29
PRAYER FOR TODAY
PRAYER FOR TODAY