40ish Days of Lent: Days 17-18

As we head into the weekend i have combined today and tomorrow into one post. Please use accordingly.

They say ‘Familiarity breeds contempt’ although i would say sometimes that ‘Familiarity breeds familiarity’ which means that sometimes things that are completely profound, can lose some of their depth and meaning [for us] simply because we see them so many times that we get used to them and possibly skim over them and in one way take them for granted.

Task: The task for this weekend is simply to take a Psalm you probably know really well and read it slowly, more purposefully and a few times through, meditating on each line and trying to see it with fresh eyes. Read it out loud and the let the words speak to you and remind you of the promises of God to you.

DAY 17

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

DAY 18

Task: The task for today is simply to take a Psalm you probably know really well and read it slowly, more purposefully and a few times through, meditating on each line and trying to see it with fresh eyes. Read it out loud and the let the words speak to you and remind you of the promises of God to you.

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

[For the next post looking at day 19ish, click here]

psalmthing to chew on: psalm 6

this feels like a tired and weary cry from someone who is simply begging God, with his last ounce of energy to “please, just give me a break” or to “go easy on me”

the beginning of the psalm sets the tone which carries throughout the piece. it says ‘for the director of music’ but you can’t see Hillsongs or Jesus Culture turning this into a fan favourite. It feels really a lot more like a ‘just God and me’ prayer altho i imagine so many people reading this have related so strongly from time to time:

LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.
Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am faint; heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony.
My soul is in deep anguish. How long, LORD, how long?

what is nice about the psalms is that david [along with other writers] doesn’t always use ‘the right words’ or focus on how the prayer is heard – he often just spews it out and gives us permission by doing so, to do the same… this psalm for me is a little bit like God whispering, “It’s okay that you don’t have it all together… that’s kind of what I’m here for.”

Echoes of 1 Peter 5.7 which says, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” as well as a sneak preview of what is to come in Psalm 34.18 where “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

And it finished with the words, ‘for the Lord has heard my weeping,’ ‘the Lord has head my cry for mercy,’ and ‘the Lord accepts my prayer.’

So as weak and struggling as he is, he still knows Who he is crying out to and how He will respond… which is full of hope.

[To continue on to Psalm 7, click here]

[To return to the start of this series on Psalms as well as some other Bible things, click here]