Giving thanks in the valley...

Psalm 23 is amazing. I know that is a pretty obvious statement... and an under-statement. I mean, really all of God's special revelation is amazing... but what is so uniquely amazing about the 23rd Psalm is that it is so broadly recognized as a passage of comfort and peace... even to people that deny the truthfulness of the Bible itself. It is memorized by children, memorialized on plates and plaques and tea cozies. It is a passage of Scripture that, at least culturally, transcends its connection to the faith to which it harkens.

I have always wondered why this is the case. Of the 150 Psalms, why is the 23rd so elevated in people's minds? Well, I am sure there are countless reasons, but one of the things I find most compelling about it is the way David is able to raise a voice of thanksgiving and praise in the middle of seemingly difficult circumstances. As you read it below, notice how he talks about the "presence of his enemies", and "the valley of the shadow of death" and yet doesn't fear, doesn't have a want, and recognizes the tremendous blessing in the simplicity of his life... the restoration of the soul, the ability to follow God's path of righteousness.

These are a profound statements for all of us right now. The economy is in the tank. Unemployment is reaching new heights. Our country is still at war on multiple fronts. And if we look up at just the right moment we may even see the sky falling... I have had my share of hardship and heartache in the past year. And to be honest, I have wanted to reserve my praise and adoration to God until after I see how things pan out. But David isn't doing that... He is able to give thanks as he looks at his enemies, he his able to praise God in the midst of the darkness.

So, what would it take for us to echo the words, thoughts, and actions of David? What would it take to praise when we feel like doing anything but? What would it take for us to give thanks as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death?

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
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 goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

a little wisdom from my boy Fenelon...

Francois de Salignac de La Mothe Fenelon (or as I like to call him... my boy Fenelon) was the Archbishop of Cambrai in the 17th century. He became a spiritual advisor to a host of people in France including Louis XIV. As such he penned a great many letters of spiritual advice, some of which have been collected, translated, and abridged by the Whitaker House publishing company into a book entitled Let Go... Anyway, back in seminary I read through these letters for a devotion class, but admittedly I didn't appreciate the quiet wisdom these letters held. Since, then I have rediscovered them (in the back of my car), and recently this little book has helped center my thoughts and prayers.

I want to share a portion of one letter that has been a challenge to me this past week. It comes from letter 17, entitled "Quietness in God Our True Resource"... in it Fenelon writes,

When it comes to accomplishing things for God, you will find that high aspirations, enthusastic feelings, careful planning and being able to express yourself well are not worth very much. The important thing is absolute surrender to God. You can do anything He wants you to do if you are walking in the light of full surrender.

Living in this blessed way involves a continual death which is known to very few, but it is in this position that you can really be effective for God. A single word spoken to another person from this restful, abandoned position will do more to change circumstances than all our most eager and carefully planned schemes. You see, when you speak from this position of abandonment to God, it is the Spirit of God who is then speaking, and the word you speak out of context loses none of its force or authority. Only one word perhaps - but it enlightens, persuades, blesses, and moves to action. We have accomplished everything, and have scarcely said anything. On the other hand, if the old self gets the way, we end up talking forever. We discuss a thousand different possibilities. We are constantly afraid of not saying or doing enough. We get angry, excited, exhausted, distracted, and finally make no headway at all.

I can be a bit vociferous... for some reason I feel the need to talk, and talk, and talk, and talk to get my point across in a lot of different situations... especially when I am passionate about something. But, what Fenelon rightly points out is that all the talking in the world, all the action in the world won't accomplish a darn thing if we don't surrender our will to the Father. More and more I do find it to be true: quiet is a spiritual exercise... it's a scary one, but important. Because it is in the quiet that our deepest longings, fears, joys, and triumphs come bubbling to the surface, unimpedded by the noise of life. And then we can give them over to the Lord and let his will rule in our lives.

Thanks Fenelon for that reminder.

broken glass and the devil...

I hate cleaning up broken glass. I mean, really who likes it. Broken glass means something is... well... broken. And more than that, broken class is a pain to clean because it's difficult to be sure you have gotten it all up. There have been times when I have had to try and sweep or vacuum up a broken vase or pitcher thinking I have gotten it all only to step on a tiny, seemingly insignificant piece months later. And those tiny shards of glass can be a real bear, because you're not even sure they are there. They hurt, but it may take a while before you can identify the problem causing more pain and risking infection in the process.

Recently, I had to deal with a fair amount of broken glass, and while the big pieces seemed the most dangerous, I was meticulous about trying to get all the little pieces up so they wouldn't surprise me later. That got me thinking about the schemes of Satan, and how so often we can trick ourselves into thinking that the most dangerous temptations we face are the ones that we can see. But really, the dangerous temptations are the ones that are out-of-sight, the temptations to sin that seem like good things.

Let's take the way we look at the idea of truth for example. My generation has grown up in a culture that is so confused about the concept of "truth" that we question if it actually exists. In the name of open-mindedness we are told that we must acknowledge the validity of every idea regardless of its absurdity, and for the Christian we can go so far as to deny the very foundation of our faith: the Word of God. Now, tolerance is a good thing. Being open-minded is a good thing. But the danger of sin and temptation is that in the name of a "good thing" we deny what God has revealed to be true. Sin and temptation of this sort are difficult to see and yet can work its way into our hearts, minds, and souls and do some real damage to faith.

In The Screwtape Letters CS Lewis paints a vivid, albeit fictitious, picture of how Satan tempts Christians, and in the very first letter Screwtape tells Wormwood that the one of the most powerful weapons in his arsenal is that of incompatible ideas. "Your man has been accustomed, ever since he was a boy, to have a dozen incompatible philosophies dancing about together inside his head. He doesn't think of doctrines as primarily 'true' or 'false', but as 'academic' or 'practical', 'outworn' or 'contemporary', 'conventional' or 'ruthless'. Jargon, not argument is your best ally in keeping him from the Church." So many people believe they can be a Christian and yet can hold views that are incompatible or contrary to the Bible. They can promote Jesus with their lips, but deny him by how they live and by what they truly believe. The degradation of our understanding of right and wrong is a subtle slip from righteousness, but it is one that keeps us from embracing the full truth of the gospel.

And it should not surprise us that the most dangerous temptations are the ones that don't seem like temptations at all. Paul had to deal with false teachers in the Corinthian church, and what they were teaching may have seemed like truth, but it contradicted the truth of Jesus Christ. And so he writes in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15,

13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

If Satan masquerades as an angel of light, he does so to implant little shards of sin into our souls. He does so to tempt us with things that appear good, that appear true, and are easy to believe, but are totally incompatible with the truth of God's Word.

May we be as meticulous with our hearts and minds and souls as we are when cleaning up broken glass.