Tuesday, April 27, 2004
A Lament
bold added by me
For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.
14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
the God who saves me,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.
18 In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;
build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then there will be righteous sacrifices,
whole burnt offerings to delight you;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
i think that if there's one thing that I never really got out of church that I ended up getting through bible college, it's the ability to really find what I need from the bible. For some reason I got the idea in my head that you could only worship (worship as a life style, not a form of music) God when you were happy, or at least joyfull in His presence. I didn't know that you could worship or honor God through anger and sorrow. Don't believe me? Read Ecclesasties (read the whole thing, right through to the end!) Solomon is clearly going through some messed up stuff, and may be at the bottom of his life, but what does he do? Writes a book which ultimately honors God , through Solomon's rough times. I'm not talking about going through a tough time and coming out with a smile and joyfull heart at the end. I'm talking about going through a rough time, coming and bruise, battered and missing a few teeth and still saying 'God I need you" and 'God you ways are just." I'm talking about that stronghold that seems to be with you your whole life and you still worship God, even though you can never seem to get it out of your life.
I'm not as naive as I was two years ago, I know that good times are coming, but so are bad. I know that this cloud may or may not pass, but either way, sunny days will come, as will darker ones. Living for God isn't about an emotion that you get at camp, it's not about feeling good. Often it's about feeling like shit and still letting God be in control.
The Bible is filled with morals for good living, rewards for those who receive grace through faith and the joy that God brings. It also has an equal (or greater) amount of suffering, pain, people who have not lived by the moral values set out and many hardships and things that most Christians would refuse to watch in a movie theatre (check out the entire old testament, more war, blood shed and sex of many kinds, then in your average rated R movie. Should Christians really be reading it?!?).
I'm not saying that we should just sin away, that notion is clearly against what the bible teaches. What I'm saying is that we are going to fall short of holiness, we are still called to strive towards it, and the journey and the Holy Spirit will refine us... slowly.
And worshiping God is not an emotion, honor him in those hard times... don't hold out for a good day or a good emotion, it may be to far away.
Don't forget your Christians brothers and sisters, they are there to help you and you are there to help them.
We're a body, a family, movement through history.
it's a good thing i'm not becoming a pastor, because that little speel went all over the place.
For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.
14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
the God who saves me,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.
18 In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;
build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then there will be righteous sacrifices,
whole burnt offerings to delight you;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
i think that if there's one thing that I never really got out of church that I ended up getting through bible college, it's the ability to really find what I need from the bible. For some reason I got the idea in my head that you could only worship (worship as a life style, not a form of music) God when you were happy, or at least joyfull in His presence. I didn't know that you could worship or honor God through anger and sorrow. Don't believe me? Read Ecclesasties (read the whole thing, right through to the end!) Solomon is clearly going through some messed up stuff, and may be at the bottom of his life, but what does he do? Writes a book which ultimately honors God , through Solomon's rough times. I'm not talking about going through a tough time and coming out with a smile and joyfull heart at the end. I'm talking about going through a rough time, coming and bruise, battered and missing a few teeth and still saying 'God I need you" and 'God you ways are just." I'm talking about that stronghold that seems to be with you your whole life and you still worship God, even though you can never seem to get it out of your life.
I'm not as naive as I was two years ago, I know that good times are coming, but so are bad. I know that this cloud may or may not pass, but either way, sunny days will come, as will darker ones. Living for God isn't about an emotion that you get at camp, it's not about feeling good. Often it's about feeling like shit and still letting God be in control.
The Bible is filled with morals for good living, rewards for those who receive grace through faith and the joy that God brings. It also has an equal (or greater) amount of suffering, pain, people who have not lived by the moral values set out and many hardships and things that most Christians would refuse to watch in a movie theatre (check out the entire old testament, more war, blood shed and sex of many kinds, then in your average rated R movie. Should Christians really be reading it?!?).
I'm not saying that we should just sin away, that notion is clearly against what the bible teaches. What I'm saying is that we are going to fall short of holiness, we are still called to strive towards it, and the journey and the Holy Spirit will refine us... slowly.
And worshiping God is not an emotion, honor him in those hard times... don't hold out for a good day or a good emotion, it may be to far away.
Don't forget your Christians brothers and sisters, they are there to help you and you are there to help them.
We're a body, a family, movement through history.
it's a good thing i'm not becoming a pastor, because that little speel went all over the place.
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