Are you continuing to be a daily Bible reader? It’s not easy. So many things get in the way. But I hope that you like me have come to realize and enjoy these daily words from God and the meditation on His words about what they mean. I’ve been challenged and I think I’ve been changed little by little. I’ve discovered areas of my life that I’d been neglecting. There were points of view that I’d never considered before. There were answers given to questions that I’d not asked before. Today’s reading is a case in point.
Unite my heart (Psalm 86:11) — Unite my heart? I thought about that one for a while and it occurred to’e that the Scripture was calling on me to examine my heart and thoughts and root out the inconsistencies, bring the entire compass of my being into the harmony of fear for the LORD. What else could it be? Perhaps a fear of not getting what I want, a corner of self interest, or a streak of pride? “Pull every rebellious thought and dark feeling into a concerted fear of the LORD.”
Born in Zion (Psalm 87:5) — Although as a Gentile born over 2500 after this psalm was probably written in a land a whole ocean away from Israel and Jerusalem, I can still feel the pride of being born in Zion — I have been born again of the water and the Spirit (John 3:5) into the family of God whose eternal home is Zion. Are you? It’s easy to say, but it happens in baptism by immersion in the names of Jesus for forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).
Enduring the silence of God (Psalm 88) — I don’t know whether you’ve ever had to endure the silence of God or not — I suspect you have — but it is excruciating. Part of Job’s hardship was the silence of God in the long debate with his friends about the cause of his suffering; he talks about it a lot. You wonder, “Have I done something wrong?” You wonder if He’s listening. You wonder if He’s there. You wonder in terror if this is your “thorn in the flesh”, because if it is, this suffering is possibly permanent as long as you are here on this earth. You plead, you beg, you cry. And all you hear is deafening silence. All that’s left to do is keep praying, keep doing right, keep checking our motivations, and keep faith. If you’ve ever been there, this psalm is for you. It doesn’t have much in terms of a solution, but it helps to know that there are fellow sufferers. You’re not alone.
See you tomorrow, Lord willing.
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About parklinscomb
I'm a minister for the Rock Hill church of Christ in Frisco TX (rhcoc.org) where I've worked since 2020. I'm a big fan of my family, archaeology, the Bible, and the Lord's church.
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Unite my heart to fear Your name — Psalm 86-88
Are you continuing to be a daily Bible reader? It’s not easy. So many things get in the way. But I hope that you like me have come to realize and enjoy these daily words from God and the meditation on His words about what they mean. I’ve been challenged and I think I’ve been changed little by little. I’ve discovered areas of my life that I’d been neglecting. There were points of view that I’d never considered before. There were answers given to questions that I’d not asked before. Today’s reading is a case in point.
Unite my heart (Psalm 86:11) — Unite my heart? I thought about that one for a while and it occurred to’e that the Scripture was calling on me to examine my heart and thoughts and root out the inconsistencies, bring the entire compass of my being into the harmony of fear for the LORD. What else could it be? Perhaps a fear of not getting what I want, a corner of self interest, or a streak of pride? “Pull every rebellious thought and dark feeling into a concerted fear of the LORD.”
Born in Zion (Psalm 87:5) — Although as a Gentile born over 2500 after this psalm was probably written in a land a whole ocean away from Israel and Jerusalem, I can still feel the pride of being born in Zion — I have been born again of the water and the Spirit (John 3:5) into the family of God whose eternal home is Zion. Are you? It’s easy to say, but it happens in baptism by immersion in the names of Jesus for forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).
Enduring the silence of God (Psalm 88) — I don’t know whether you’ve ever had to endure the silence of God or not — I suspect you have — but it is excruciating. Part of Job’s hardship was the silence of God in the long debate with his friends about the cause of his suffering; he talks about it a lot. You wonder, “Have I done something wrong?” You wonder if He’s listening. You wonder if He’s there. You wonder in terror if this is your “thorn in the flesh”, because if it is, this suffering is possibly permanent as long as you are here on this earth. You plead, you beg, you cry. And all you hear is deafening silence. All that’s left to do is keep praying, keep doing right, keep checking our motivations, and keep faith. If you’ve ever been there, this psalm is for you. It doesn’t have much in terms of a solution, but it helps to know that there are fellow sufferers. You’re not alone.
See you tomorrow, Lord willing.
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About parklinscomb
I'm a minister for the Rock Hill church of Christ in Frisco TX (rhcoc.org) where I've worked since 2020. I'm a big fan of my family, archaeology, the Bible, and the Lord's church.