Tag Psalms

Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad News?

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One day when my son was almost 4, he greeted me at the door after work, crying, and said “mommy turned on CNN!”  It wasn’t CNN in particular that was the problem.  It could have been any network, and we watch a variety of news outlets in our house.  While they each have their own point of view, the one thing they all seem to have in common is described in this 1974 quote from CBS journalist Eric Sevareid:

“The biggest big business in America is not steel, automobiles, or television. It is the manufacture, refinement and distribution of anxiety.”

It’s a sad truth that news outlets know that if they get an emotional response from us, we’re more likely to keep watching, which is how they make money.  This is nothing new.  They also know we’re more likely to respond to bad news than good news.  It’s sometimes enough to make anyone cry, not just a 3-year-old.

The problem also has a lot to do with the subjects covered.  Much of what’s in the news has to do with politics, which reminds me of this 1923 quote from H.L. Mencken:

“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary.”

Just like anxiety is big business for the media, keeping us “alarmed” is big business for politicians because if they can make us terrified of something and present themselves as the only solution, they can keep us hooked to their side, sometimes for life.  They’re after our undying allegiance and if fear of the enemy is what gets that allegiance, then fear of our enemy is what they’ll create.  The bigger the hobgoblin the better, even if it’s bad for the viewer’s health.

However, we don’t have to be anxious and alarmed by everything we see in the news.  Psalm 112:7 describes a particular sort of person:

“He is not afraid of bad news;
            his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.” – Psalm 112:7

Who is this fortunate person?  Does this person really exist in this hyper-partisan, 24-hour news cycle world?  The author (unnamed) begins Psalm 112 with this verse:

“Praise the LORD!
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
            who greatly delights in his commandments!”

So, who is not afraid of bad news?  The one who fears the LORD and delights in His commands.  With God’s help, we can overcome the fear and anxiety generated by our politicians and their media outlets.

The “man who fears the Lord” knows that God is capable of overcoming these problems, and if there’s something wrong in the world there’s a reason for it.  He’s in control.  They not only know that He is capable, but also that only He is capable.  No politician can do everything they promise to do, including getting rid of the hobgoblins.  Sometimes political promises are so outlandish that believing them would amount to idolatry.  Only God will keep all of His promises and can handle all of the world’s bad news.  If we really believe this, we will not be afraid of bad news.

The one who “greatly delights in his commandments” knows that nowhere does God command us to address every problem we’re aware of, everywhere in the world.  Nowhere does God command us to swear blind allegiance to any politician who warns us of “an endless series of hobgoblins,” because only He can ultimately deliver us.  They know that although God commands us to love our neighbor, we all have limits in what we are able to do.  But the person in Psalm 112:1 also knows that we have no excuse to ignore the problems we can address.  We don’t need to have anxiety about things we can do nothing about, because nothing escapes God’s attention and in His commands to His people, He has considered all possibilities.

So, does the news cause you alarm and anxiety?  If you do, you’re definitely not alone.  I struggle with it.  The solution can be found in cultivating a deeper relationship with, and reverent fear of, the Lord.  Spend regular time in the word, rather than in the TV, to build confidence in God’s character.  Spend time praying and meditating, sharing with God your concerns.  Spend time with God’s people and avoid rabid political partisans who draw your attention away from God’s peace to the hobgoblins and the pretend saviors.  It’s hard, because there’s an entire industry designed to make us fearful and anxious.  But over time, while we may take 2 steps forward and one step back, we always know that He is with us.

Does the news not cause you alarm and anxiety?  Count yourself blessed.  But for all of us:

“Praise the LORD!
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
            who greatly delights in his commandments!”

Praying for Our Leaders

Todd R 1 Comment

King David was known as a man who sought God’s will in all things, even though he often failed.  The Psalms record many of his prayers for God to guide him and make him a good leader.  Psalm 26 is one of these prayers, and verses 8-10 include good objectives for any leader:

“O LORD, I love the habitation of your house
            and the place where your glory dwells.
Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,
            nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
in whose hands are evil devices,
            and whose right hands are full of bribes.”

Sometimes we may not know how to pray “for kings and all who are in high positions,”[1] as Paul suggests, but in this cry to God, David gives us at least 3 things to pray about.  He lists qualities he wanted to pursue, and some he wanted to avoid.  Praying for these things is good for any leader.  Therefore, on the model of Psalm 26, we can pray for the leaders of our countries and communities today.

We can pray for political leaders who:

  • worship God (who “love the habitation of your house”)
  • do not seek violence and vengeance (who are not “bloodthirsty men”), and
  • are not corrupted by money (whose hands are not “full of bribes”)

All leaders can use our prayers today!

[1] 1 Timothy 2:2

A Kingdom of Gentleness and Respect

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After the election in the United States, half of the country finds itself disappointed with the result.  However, as David wrote in Psalm 3 when he had been pushed out of power by his son Absalom, all American Christians should declare “salvation belongs to the LORD.”[1]  This is an inherently political statement, declaring that salvation does not come from any government.  But this is a message Christians need to deliver in a way that obeys God in approach and tone.  What does that mean?  1 Peter 4:15-16 says:  “in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.”  This means it is not as simple as just yelling the right story from the rooftops, or in my case, on a blog.  “Gentleness and respect” matter.

Jesus is never on the ballot, but flawed candidates of many types are.  Some are more like David, and some more like Absalom.  David, even as God’s appointed king of Israel, knew that not every problem was in his power to solve.  David was at peace with his limits in this imperfect world, knowing that his salvation (and everyone else’s) came from God alone.  But Absalom hated David’s inability, or unwillingness, to solve every problem.  Absalom harbored angry resentment against David for years before violently overthrowing him.  During this rebellion, David was calm and able to sleep because the kingdom of God was real to him, even when it didn’t look like it.  Then he wrote Psalm 3 to let us know about it.

This conflict between David and Absalom echoes in competing narratives told throughout history: 1) we can and should perfect ourselves, or 2) we are dependent on God to save us.[2]

In the 1 Peter quote above, he says that we defend our eternal hope in God to save us with “gentleness and respect.,” meaning that those who trust God should use not only their words, but also their attitudes and very lives.  The story must be real to us to be convincing to others, and those who hope in God’s kingdom should show obedience to that kingdom.  Easier said than done.

Fortunately, when we truly believe, experience, and stand for God’s salvation, our brokenness and failure is part of the testimony.  When we know God’s salvation is the only solution, we can approach people with different worldviews with our common need for salvation, in “gentleness and respect,” instead of fighting over solutions we know are imperfect.  David was able to sleep at night even when chased out of Jerusalem by his own son, because he had “a good conscience,” showing gentleness and respect toward Absalom.  The kingdom of God was real in his heart, and he believed God would prevail no matter what.  Circumstances could not shake his faith, and God ultimately delivered and restored him.

If, on the other hand, our brokenness and God’s solution for it is not part of our story, we may be left defending an imperfect political solution to those who demand perfection and will gladly poke holes in our story.  In David’s case, he may have insisted that God was unjust in allowing Absalom to succeed.  After all, he could argue, he was a humble king after God’s own heart, while Absalom was bitter and unreasonable.  If David had done this, it may have ironically helped Absalom’s case for tyranny.  In addition, David would not have been able to find peace and sleep at night until Absalom was overthrown.  However, if the starting point of discussion is that weakness is common to all of mankind, then the imperfection of the system is both part of the “reason for the hope” and a reason for even the unbeliever to resist tyranny.  In this case, imperfection is not hypocrisy, but a condition common to mankind.

Declaring “salvation belongs to the LORD” with actions, along with words, gives evidence that worldly utopia is not the answer.  But when words or actions fall short, we can still point to the One who is perfect since we aren’t trying to prove worldly utopia is possible.  The two lessons from Absalom’s rebellion are reconciled in a life lived with “gentleness and respect.”  Because God does not rely on political systems to work His salvation, tyranny is just a temporary and provincial authority subject to the greater authority of God.  We can have a clear conscience based on the sacrifice of Christ and not on worldly success.

A life lived in hope for the eternal kingdom of God is one lived in love for those left behind by all the imperfect systems of this world, but also one that testifies that all systems, including our own individual wills, are not perfectible by human effort.  Peter wrote that those who hope in God will be slandered, but also that those who live humble lives based on hope in God and not themselves will ultimately be proved right.  Until then, by their example as they follow Christ, they can show the futility of tyranny.  By God’s grace, His people will inherit a real utopia by learning to love those who hope in a false one with gentleness and respect.

Our failure is part of our testimony as we drive toward morning, and “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” – Matthew 6:33

[1] Psalm 3:8
[2] There’s also a third common story: “If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’” (1 Corinthians 15:32) Today, we focus on the first two.

Mountain Bullies

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It’s almost universal to human experience that big and strong people bully smaller and weaker people.  Those with position, influence and power use what they have to take advantage of those who don’t have what they have.  Centuries ago, David imagined in Psalm 68:15-16 that even the mountains do the same:

“O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan;
            O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!
Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain,
            at the mount that God desired for his abode,
            yes, where the LORD will dwell forever?” – Psalm 68:15-16

The mountains of Bashan, of which Mount Hermon is the tallest, are northeast of Israel and are much taller than Mount Zion, where God had chosen to be most fully present with His people.  In David’s picture, size is what matters: the bigger mountains hate the smaller mountains, even knowing that God is there.  The big bully the small, and perhaps they do so because they know God is there.

Photo by Kalen Emsley on Unsplash

Likewise, people who are well-off in this world often look down on Christians, God’s chosen people.  It is rare for the rich, famous, or powerful to publicly testify about Christ, and so we often get excited when athletes, celebrities, or politicians make their faith public.  We say to each other, “did you hear so-and-so is a Christian?”  It can make us feel like it’s more reasonable and accepted to follow Christ when this happens.  It feels good to identify with the rich and powerful.

But what if this rarity of seeing faith in the rich and powerful is intentional on God’s part?

Throughout Scripture God doesn’t identify with the rich and powerful; He identifies with the widow and orphan, with the lonely and outcast.  He favors the weak and the exploited.

In 1 Corinthians 1:26, Paul wrote to the church in Corinth: “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.”  The first century isn’t much different than to today: the “wise”, powerful and noble rarely testified about Christ.  Next Paul wrote: “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are…”

Why?  “…so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”

Back to Psalm 68, where we found the mountains of Bashan ridiculing God’s mountain of Zion, David ends with these verses:

“Ascribe power to God,
            whose majesty is over Israel,
            and whose power is in the skies.
Awesome is God from his sanctuary;
            the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!”

I’ll rejoice over a public Christian testimony wherever it comes from, but I remember that God doesn’t need the help of the movers and shakers of this world.  His power is “in the skies” – way above the mountains that bully His Mount Zion.  He is glorified more when His power enables the weak to love Him and love their neighbor.

We might sometimes feel alone and ignored, like we’re not part of the “in crowd” or successful, but that might mean we’re God’s type of person!  No celebrity endorsement required.

“Ascribe power to God”

Changing Focus

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Anyone who has been reading here for a while knows that I love the Psalms.  In so many of them, we can relate to what the writer feels or is going through and then learn from them how to better relate to God.  I find myself praying richer prayers when in the Psalms.  This post is about a Psalm I think about when things aren’t going well and God seems distant.  It’s Psalm 77, written by Asaph.

After an introduction, the Psalm begins with these 3 verses:

“I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and he will hear me.
In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul refuses to be comforted.
When I remember God, I moan;
when I meditate, my spirit faints.”

Asaph “refuses to be comforted” and his “spirit faints” in “the day of [his] trouble.”  Although he is actively praying to God, he still feels this way.  He believes “he will hear me” and he meditates but still is troubled.  Verses 4-9 continue this frame of mind, with Asaph asking in verse 9, “Has God forgotten to be gracious?  Has he in anger shut up his compassion?”

Then there is a transition in the Psalm where Asaph declares in verses 10 to 12:

“Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
I will ponder all your work,
and meditate on your mighty deeds.”

What I love about this transition is how much the language Asaph uses changes.  Re-read all of the verses above, or better yet, go read all of Psalm 77:1-12 and note how often Asaph refers to himself, with words like “I” and “my.”  The repetition tells us Asaph is focused on himself, how he feels, what he thinks about it, what he’s trying to do about it.  But what happens in verses 11 and 12?  We begin to see “your” repeated, referring to God.  Asaph pledges to change his focus to “your wonders,” “your work,” and “your mighty deeds.”  After verse 12, “I” does not appear again, and I believe at this point Asaph began to feel better.  Verses 13 to 15 read:

“Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
you have made known your might among the peoples.
You with your arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph.”

In other words, Asaph focuses on God, that He is “great,” that He “works wonders,” that He is mighty, that He is our Redeemer.  This focus is reinforced by the “you” and “your” language.  For the rest of the Psalm, he poetically recounts God’s works in the Exodus.[1] In the next-to-last verse, Asaph writes, “yet your footprints were unseen.”  Although the Psalm begins with Asaph in distress, it ends with Asaph being confident that even if God is “unseen” that doesn’t mean He isn’t active.  God is sometimes “seen” only in His effect on the world, the way the wind is only “seen” by feeling it or seeing it make other things move.  Asaph’s faith is strengthened.

How did Asaph experience this change in attitude?  By making a change in his focus.  Asaph stopped writing and thinking about “I” and started writing and thinking about God and who He is and what He has done.  The Psalm doesn’t clearly say this happened for Asaph, but I have often found that if I can make the same change in focus, my spirit no longer “faints” and “refuses to be comforted,” and I find myself more able to face whatever is in front me today.

Years ago, I learned a prayer outline acronym of A.C.T.S.  The letters stand for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.  In other words, the prayer begins with referring to God using words like “you” and “your” before getting to the parts that focus on “I” and “me.”

If you’re having trouble today, read all of Psalm 77 and try to follow Asaph’s change in focus, or maybe try starting an A.C.T.S. prayer.  I know your God will be there to listen to you!

“I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and he will hear me.”

Amen

[1] And possibly Noah’s flood.  The language could include both.