CAPH

Psalm 119:81-88

My soul fainteth for Thy salvation: but I hope in Thy Word.

Mine eyes fail for Thy Word, saying, When wilt Thou comfort me?

For I am become like a bottle in the smoke; yet do I not forget Thy statutes.

How many are the days of Thy servant? when wilt Thou execute judgment on them that persecute me?

The proud have digged pits for me, which are not after Thy law.

All Thy commandments are faithful: they persecute me wrongfully; help Thou me.

They had almost consumed me upon earth; but I forsook not Thy precepts.

Quicken me after Thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep the testimony of Thy mouth.

Intrigued by v. 83, I went looking for an illustration. Found the exact one I needed right away. It makes perfect sense in this translation. The word bottle is literally a wine skin or skin bottle. The smoky room denotes a place so thick with smoke that visibility is poor.

A wineskin in smoke was “…useless, shriveled, and unattractive because of being blackened with soot.” (VanGemeren) We don’t know if the psalmist said this about his inward condition, his outward condition, or both.

Guzik, BlueLetterBible

It is probable that a wineskin left in such a place would begin to crack and leak, losing its contents and standing empty.

Did you ever feel like that? I certainly have. Dried out, empty, unattractive, useless for the purpose for which it was intended. Thank God for His grace and mercy, which restores us to a place of usefulness and beauty in His eyes when we seek Him out in prayer and His Word.

This section of Psalm 119 highlights David’s despair, and his utter dependence upon God. Sometimes we are so fragile that it is difficult to even go to the Word for the spiritual food we need. We become so weakened, broken, empty in spirit that we just can’t find it in ourselves to reach for our Bibles. Prayer becomes elusive. This can become a type of depression. God’s Word and prayer are the best answers, but sometimes we need to seek medical help to set our thinking right and give us physical rest.

It comforts me to know that I am not alone when this kind of deep sadness overcomes me. David knew it. So did Moses, Abraham, Elijah, Paul, John, and others, I’m sure, in whom it is not so clear to us. Don’t you think Job must have felt this same sense of abandonment? Or even Adam and Eve as they were expelled from their earthly paradise because of their sin?

Take heart. Seek His Word. He will help, because He loves you.

YOD

Psalm 119: 73-80.

Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn Thy commandments.

They that fear Thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in Thy word.

I know, O LORD, that Thy judgments are right, and that Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.

Let, I pray thee, Thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to Thy word unto thy servant.

Let Thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for Thy law is my delight.

Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in Thy precepts.

Let those that fear Thee turn unto me, and those that have known Thy testimonies.

Let my heart be sound in Thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.

For those of you who like to know the story behind well-known sayings, this is a good, clear explanation of “Jot or tittle.” Both refer to the two smallest marks in the Hebrew/Aramaic alphabet. They are tiny, but important. Words mean things! And the way words are spelled and written can change the entire meaning of a statement. That little tittle is the difference betwee Beth and Kaph, which obviously matters a great deal.

This section of the psalm is rich. Today, verse 74 brought me to a full stop. “They that fear Thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in Thy Word.

Wow. I took the time to look up these words and phrases according to Strong’s numbers, to be sure I wasn’t misinterpreting this verse. It means exactly what it says! David knew that others who loved and feared God would be happy to see him because they knew he shared their love of God’s Word.

What binds believers together? It is the love of God, and of God’s Word, the Bible. When there is stress or friction between believers, it exists because they are not seeing the Word of God in the same way. They disagree on, perhaps, some basic doctrine that defines their whole understanding of the Bible.

Is it possible for Christians who don’t always agree about the meaning of some passage of scripture to still love each other in the Lord? Yes! Resoundingly, YES!

I’ve been in church since I was maybe three or four. I accepted Jesus when I was five. I have grown up seeing church from the perspective of being a preacher’s kid, and believe me, that detail affected my perceptions of people. I think I’ve grown past the hurts and ill treatment that church people can inflict on their pastors, but it took some time. A positive result of some of those difficult years is that I love and support my pastor. If I can’t, for whatever reason, I would leave a church rather than stay and create dissension. A pastor is still a man, a human being capable of sin. Loving and supporting him means understanding that he struggles with sin just as I do. It does NOT mean I expect him to be perfect.

So, back to the personal application of verse 74. Do people feel glad when they see me? Do they recognize the Spirit of the Lord in me? Do they look forward to talking with me? Do they feel free to share burdens or rejoicing with me? Or do they find a reason to go do something else? If I sense that people are avoiding me, I should look inward first of all. Never assume that it is their problem if they duck when they see me coming.

If there is someone who always seems to avoid me, perhaps it is time to do the hard thing and seek that person out. It is time to say, “Have I offended you? It seems we don’t visit at all, and we used to. Please tell me how I have hurt you.”

If you’re going to do that, you’d best be prepared to accept that you’re going to be hurt, too 🙂 If the other person is honest, he will tell you the truth, and it may shock you. It may be hard to accept. But it can also restore a friendship if you handle it with grace and humility.

Isn’t it amazing what can be learned from one little verse!

TETH

Psalm 119:65-72.

Thou hast dealt well with Thy servant, O LORD, according unto Thy Word.

Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed Thy commandments.

Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept Thy Word.

Thou art good, and doest good; teach me Thy statutes.

The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep Thy precepts with my whole heart.

Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in Thy law.

It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy statutes.

The law of Thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver

This portion is full of rich, heart-convicting text. It’s hard to pick just one verse on which to focus. For me, however, v. 67 speaks to my heart in a special way.

I have lived a life free of much of the misery that many people experience. A child of the 1950s, I lived in comparative safety and had a great deal of freedom as a child to play and enjoy the outdoors without fear. We lived for a time in North Minneapolis, in a Jewish neighborhood where every child belonged to every mamma on the street 🙂 Later, in Portland, OR, we lived in neighborhoods where it was safe to walk alone, for instance, to the nearest library. Quite a hike, as I recall, but I enjoyed it.

I was a pretty good kid, for the most part. I had no particular desire to upset the apple cart of my dad’s temper. Not that he was always throwing temper fits, not at all. But it just wasn’t smart to cross a certain line, and I didn’t want to, anyway.

It wasn’t until boyfriends began to appear that I was tempted beyond what I knew was good and right. I believe God protected me from my own lack of awareness, because I made some pretty dumb choices back then. When I did, I also began to experience the affliction mentioned in v. 67.

Affliction comes in many guises. For me, it was learning that deceit always led to trouble. It was an inner conflict between knowing to do right, but choosing to do wrong. It was behaving one way in private, but presenting a face of innocence everywhere else.

You may be thinking, “What on earth did she DO?” Don’t misunderstand. By today’s standards, I was as pure as the driven snow. But I knew that I was skirting around the edges of a whole heap of trouble, and it convicted my heart. There was a great deal of inner conflict, and it affected how much time I spent in the Bible, in prayer.

The affliction I experienced was, for the most part, inner lack of peace. It was the knowledge of my own wrongdoing, but refusal to step away from it. In that state, I was truly afflicted. It wasn’t until I was caught in what could have been a dangerous situation that I broke, confessed my sin to the Lord, and once again began to experience the blessing of being in right relationship with Him. Part of my affliction, by the way, was in keeping this all bottled up inside myself, seeking help from no one else. Secret sin. What kept me from opening up to my parents or someone else who could have helped me? I’m not sure. Pride, perhaps. Fear, most definitely. And there were other factors that kept my mouth shut, too.

I’m actually quite surprised that I’ve shared so much here. I’ve read back over it, thinking to perhaps delete and rewrite. But that wouldn’t be honest, either, would it? I think it’s important that we understand that every single one of us experiences inner conflict with the sin nature and the Word of God. It is amazing to me that God knows the heart and spirit of every single soul that has ever lived, lives now, or will live. He knows us better than we know ourselves. The best way to deal with sin, especially hidden sin, is to lay it at His feet. Full confession, full repentance, full remorse–it all brings us back into spiritual alignment with Him. That alignment brings such peace that one has to wonder why we persist for so long in our sin!

Sunday Morning Coffee: Blessings

Every now and then it’s good to stop and count them. Blessings, that is 🙂

My recliner that didn’t work for several months is finally fixed! The guy we were working with runs his own shop, and it took him some time to get the right part. It’s all good now, and I have fallen in love with it all over again.

Through a friend, I discovered magnesium cream for my restless leg syndrome. It’s amazing! I’ve had several nights of sound sleep without my leg waking me up. A true blessing! If you have the same problem, you can google magnesium cream. It’s not cheap, but it is SO worth it!

I’m working with a young woman who has come through some difficult times, and this week she told me some things that lead me to believe she is taking the first tiny steps into becoming a strong, responsible adult. That’s a victory!

We have daylight until just after 6 pm. Spring really is coming! I see we start daylight saving time on March 10, which should please the sun seekers. I don’t like losing that hour of sleep in the spring 🙂

Friends are one of life’s greatest blessings. Friends who care as if you were family. And family is an even greater blessing.

An older gentleman in our church went to heaven this week. He loved the Lord, and was a strong witness. We will miss him, but I’m so glad he’s no longer ill, and that his journey here is done. He lived his life well.

I have some young friends at church who always give me huge hugs when they see me. It warms my heart that these young ones care so much for this old granny. There are teens, too, who always have a warm greeting. That’s the way a church should be. No age divisions. A family where the old and young and everyone in between care about each other.

Be thankful today. Look for things for which to be thankful. You really don’t have far too look 🙂

Saturday Soliloquy: Tempus Fugit!

How did it get to be Saturday? Good grief!

I missed two days in a row in writing my blog. “Things” just got in the way. Any time I have morning appointments, I find it hard to stay with my writing routine. Happened two days in a row this week. But I won’t bore you with the details, since NO ONE wants a minute-by-minute accounting of my last 48 hours 🙂

I’m looking at it from a longer perspective, partly because of a Facebook meme I saw this morning. It asked the question, “What would you do if you woke up and it was 1973?”

Well, for one thing I’d be upset to have to live all these years over again! I was only 26 in 1973 Baby #2 was well on his way. I was a stay-at-home mom, and I loved it.

Would I want to live all those years over again? Maybe only the parts where I behaved poorly. I’d like to think I would do better if I had a do-over. Otherwise? No. I’m content where I am, and I don’t really want a do-over.

I used to think people my age now were just old and boring waiting to die. Some were. But I learned, as I grew up, that older people had a fund of wisdom and stories about life that no one as young as I was had developed yet. I began to enjoy the company of older people, as long as I didn’t have to listen to the same stories overandoverandover. I worry now that I’m doing that to the younger folks in my life. I try not to. I hope I’m not doing that.

The thing you learn as you age, if you’re paying attention, is that life happens to all of us. The moment we’re conceived, we begin to die. I know, that sounds dismal, but look at all that happens in between! If God grants you a long life, and you have a good memory, you can store up a fund of wisdom and understanding that will help you as you reach the moment when you step into heaven and time falls away forever. Fanny Crosby, prolific songwriter, put it this way:

CHET

Psalm 119: 57-64.

Thou art my portion, O LORD: I have said that I would keep Thy Words.

I intreated Thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to Thy Word.

I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto Thy testimonies.

I made haste, and delayed not to keep Thy commandments.

The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten Thy law.

At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto Thee because of Thy righteous judgments.

I am a companion of all them that fear Thee, and of them that keep Thy precepts.

The earth, O LORD, is full of Thy mercy: teach me Thy statutes.

Verse 59 gets the attention this morning. What would happen in America today, I wonder, if every single one of us who knows the Lord would spend some time considering our own lives, and decide to turn away from our own desires and turn instead to simply following God’s way.

First, I believe there would be a lot more people hearing the gospel and coming to Christ.

Then, I believe we would see a decrease in divorce, marital abuse, abortion, abandoned children, drugs, and other crimes. We would see less business at bars and casinos. We would see more respect for police officers. We would see a new respect for our founding documents, instead of all the attempts to make them useless.

Christians sin. That is why divorce amongst believers is just about at the same level as among unbelievers. However, if we were to turn from our own ways and adhere to God’s ways, we would see good Bible-preaching churches begin to fill up again. Young people would be drawn to the strength and refreshment of pure Biblical preaching and teaching.

I believe our society would be refreshed and reformed if believers would simply consider their own ways and choose to set their feet on the path of godliness instead of trying to adapt to a godless society.

ZAIN

Psalm 119:49-56.

Remember the Word unto Thy servant, upon which Thou hast caused me to hope.

This is my comfort in my affliction: for Thy Word hath quickened me.

The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from Thy law.

I remembered Thy judgments of old, O LORD; and have comforted myself.

Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake Thy law.

Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.

I have remembered Thy Name, O LORD, in the night, and have kept Thy law.

This I had, because I kept Thy precepts.

I’ve asked the Lord to show me which verse(s) I should focus on every day as I travel through Ps. 119. Usually, as today, one will speak to me in such a way that I know it’s the one. As I read this verse several times, in different versions, I thought of so many different kinds of suffering.

False imprisonment; being held in prison simply because of one’s faith in God. Perhaps enduring torture there. Solitary confinement can break the spirit. Being deprived of sleep, water, and nourishment can erode a person’s will to go on.

A broken marriage. An abusive marriage. Abuse can take on many forms, not all of them physical.

The loss of a child through miscarriage, accident, or severe illness is perhaps one of the worst kinds of suffering. Having a prodigal child follows closely behind all that. Having a distance developing between a beloved child and yourself is so hard, especially when you don’t understand the reason(s).

Watching a beloved parent slip into dementia is a unique kind of suffering.

Accidents. Housefires. Tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. Life is full of the possibility of real, painful trouble.

The comfort that comes from having God’s Word in our hearts is that His Word preserves life, whether here on earth or in heaven. We know that whatever we have to endure here, He will give us the strength,peace, and comfort of His Word. And in heaven, sin will not exist! Think of that– a place where sin cannot be!

VAU

Psalm 119:41-48.

Let Thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD, even Thy salvation, according to Thy Word.

So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: for I trust in Thy Word.

And take not the Word of truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have hoped in Thy judgments.

So shall I keep Thy law continually for ever and ever.

And I will walk at liberty: for I seek Thy precepts.

I will speak of Thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.

And I will delight myself in Thy commandments, which I have loved.

My hands also will I lift up unto Thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in Thy statutes.

Just a quick note: Each section of this long psalm is set off by consecutive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. If you’ve been with me from the beginning of the psalm, you have already figured out that the Hebrew letters do not always correspond to the English alphabet we all learned early in our schooling. I remember my dad studying Hebrew. We had a big round dining room table, and he would set up his books and papers on the perimeter of the table, walking from post to post, drinking coffee to help him stay awake, as he struggled to learn every jot and tittle of the language. He was going to school, working part-to-full time, and studying so hard! I took Greek in college, and enjoyed it. I love language, and Greek is full of prefixes, roots, and suffixes that appear in English. I never took Hebrew. Maybe I should 🙂

Now, let’s take a look at what hiding God’w Word in our hearts can do for us:

Verse 41: It brings mercy and salvation.

Verse 42: It gives me the answers to those who question my faith.

Verse 43: It gives us hope.

Verse 44: It helps us to be obedient to God.

Verse 45: It enables us to walk in liberty.

Verse 46: It gives us boldness to speak truth to our leaders

Verse 47: It teaches us to love God and His Word.

Verse 48: It teaches us proper worship; and to love and meditate on His Word.

That’s a lot in just a few verses, isn’t it? It’s a great challenge to me personally. If we were to take to heart all these things, we wouldn’t have to struggle so hard against sin in our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

Sunday Morning Coffee: Music!

This song has been playing on my mental music box all week. I’ve gone to the piano to play it, hoping it would settle down. No success. So I’m sharing it here with you this morning. It’s a golden oldie 🙂

Saturday Soliloquy: Snow Again :)

According to a local report, we got somewhere between 4-8 inches of snow overnight and early this morning. It’s really pretty outside. And there are patches of blue sky already. I’m looking north out my livingroom window, and there’s a big patch of blue. A few minutes ago, I was in the kitchen. Looking south and southeast, there was a huge patch of clear blue sky with smaller blue areas all around. The clouds are breaking up quickly now that they’ve dumped their cargo on us.

The wind is picky up, though, and it’s blowing clumps of snow from trees, some of them bigt enough to be the head of a small snowman 🙂

Someone posted this shot, showing the snow on top of their birdhouses and what looks like cotton balls on the tree. Snow was still falling, as you can see.

I can see pavement in our driveway, which means our neighbor has been here already with his plow. He takes good care of us, especially since Terry’s heart attack back in August. Our son will probably check in today, as well.

Several people on Facebook are lamenting the snow, wishing winter was over. Hey, it’s only mid-February! It’s not unusual at all for our biggest snow accumulation to be in February and March. I think we’ve gotten spoiled because there has been scant snowfall in the last couple of years. We’ve had above-normal temps, and even now it’s 36F outside, which in my experience isn’t all that cold. This too shall pass.

And that patch of blue sky I was talking about? Now it’s a very wide swath! There are still clouds, but they’re losing the battle. The wind is sweeping tree branches clean of huge clumps. There’s been a measurable change just since I started writing this post.

“This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!” Psalm 118:24.