Summer of Psalms, week 3

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Psalm 27

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid?

When the wicked advance against me
    to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident.

One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.

Then my head will be exalted
    above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
    I will sing and make music to the Lord.

Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me,
    do not turn your servant away in anger;
    you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
    God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, Lord;
    lead me in a straight path
    because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.

13 I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

Fear. Strife. Bad news.  It seems like that’s all we’re surrounded by.  Between the news media and social media, there is anger and fear everywhere we turn.  We cannot get away.  Unless, we enter His house, the House of the Lord.  There, and only there it seems, we will find peace, protection and perspective.

I love this Psalm.  From its very beginning, this light-loving and often fearful girl basks in a sense of calm and peace.  When the armies advance, and they do advance, we seek the shelter of His House and gaze at the beauty of His Face.

I love the confidence of the psalmist, David, who exalts and worships.  Faced with advancing armies, surrounding enemies, foes who bears false witness, and even the rejection of his mother and father, David recognizes the stronghold that God is.  He reminds himself over and over again that the Lord is his protector and his salvation.

The Psalm ends on a hopeful note.  The bad news will not win.  Wait for the Lord to work.  You will see the goodness of the Lord.  Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

And in the meantime, in the words of the beautiful hymn, by Helen Howarth Lemmel:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,                                                                            In the light of His glory and grace.

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Thoughts on Illuminations, by Mary Sharratt.

illumSometimes God sends you a fiction book to read at just the right time, a book that will teach or tell you something that you might not have learned another way.  Have you ever had a book on your TBR pile for a long time then something prompts you to read it and you realize that God had kept you from reading it earlier?  You weren’t ready earlier and the lessons would be lost.

I recently read Illuminations: a novel of Hildegard von Bingen, by Mary Sharratt and this book has stuck with me in the days since.  I think I am still processing all of the wisdom and lessons contained within its pages, but I will share my thoughts so far.

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Summer of Psalms, week 2

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
    and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
    God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see what the Lord has done,
    the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease
    to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the shields with fire.IMG_1110
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

There is so much to cling to in this Psalm, especially when we are reeling from bad news, when the nations and their leaders seem so out of control, and we see no hope in sight. Continue reading

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What do I want to be?

What do I want to be when I grow up?

Recently I’ve been pondering this question a lot.  Having just turned 50, I feel like it might be time to answer it.  Problem is, I still don’t really have an answer.  Does it matter?

I think perhaps it does.

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Summer of Psalms

Last year I spent the summer reading C.S. Lewis’s books.  You can see my thoughts on these books here.

This year, I thought I would turn to one of my favorite places in scripture, the Psalms, and share some of them with you in a devotional framework.  Each Friday I will present one psalm along with my thoughts on it and a picture or two that speak to me. Continue reading

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