Psalm 119:41-48

Psalm 119:41-48
New International Version (NIV)

  There's something pure about the delight of a child.  As adults, we tend to complicate things (just go to any youth sporting event for evidence).  Children have a way of enjoying something with pure delight.  I was eating dinner with my daughter tonight and was startled by the way she expresses happiness -- it's something I long for.  I'm so often weighed down by burdens and anxieties that pure joy is a reach, whereas my children can go from pain and tears to joy in the blink of an eye (and often right back again!).
  When I read the Psalms, I get the impression of someone who has found pure joy in the Lord.  It's not an uncomplicated joy, but while it recognizes the other forces at work in the world, the Psalmist has also found peace and joy in the Lord, and once they've been given a taste of this, they long for nothing more.  It's compelling, for it draws me in as well -- this is the satisfaction of the soul that we long for, the divine bread that fills us in a way no earthly bread can ever hope to do.  Come, taste and see, the Lord proclaims, and we will find him good -- we will find healing for our wounds and hope for our downcast eyes and eternal life for our mortal lives.  In Him there is true joy, lasting joy.  The Psalmist has found this and points us forward, shouting with thanksgiving for the life that is truly life.

Psalm 119:33-40

Psalm 119:33-40
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I've been in school a lot.  I've graduated from the 21st grade, and I've had good teachers and bad teachers and everything in between.  Some lectured while others challenged us.  The best teachers were the ones who could not only lead you by explaining the simple concepts but also challenge you to figure it out for yourself, while always guiding to keep you on task.
  What are you learning?  We're all students of Christ -- none of us have mastered his teachings or his example.  The challenges increase as we grow, always calling us deeper, to learn and grow in new ways.  It's important that we think of ourselves as students, because that calls us back to the teacher, keeping us humble, pulling us deeper.  We sit at the Master's knee, longing to hear what he has to say to us, how he challenges us as we consider how to integrate his teachings into our lives.  We use the Bible as our guide and let our prayer lives serve as instruction sessions, in which we allow the Holy Spirit to teach our souls how to learn and how to grow.  Our fellow students teach us as well as we study together.  May we continue to yearn for the Word of God to teach us, to raise us up, and to send us onward.

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

  Last night, around midnight, I finished up Amor Towles' A Gentleman in Moscow.  There's a reason that the 6,671 Amazon.com reviews average 4.5 stars.  It's an amazing read.  It's somewhat hard to describe -- a Soviet gentleman is sentenced to a life of house arrest in a Moscow hotel in 1922, and the remainder of the book is a catalogue of the events and interactions that comprise his life in the Metropol hotel.  If you're like me, the description doesn't sound captivating, but from the moment I started this book on an airplane a few days ago, I couldn't put it down.  It's beautifully written, a composed piece that the reader consumes like fine dining -- with each chapter as a separate course, drawing one deeper to enjoy and yet whetting the appetite for what comes next.  I savored the story while devouring the book.

  It's a great story, but there are fascinating themes that comprise the tale as well.  A story of a man forced to live his life in one building is important in the modern age.  So many of us are driven by an anxiety of what we're missing out.  The syndrome even has a name (FOMO, or fear of missing out), and we spent hours scrolling through social media wondering what our friends or acquaintances are doing.  We often end up jealous of the casual vacations or perfect family portraits of casual friends of friends, wondering why our life didn't turn out like that.  Never mind that the reality of their life may not be entirely reflected in this one selected snapshot.  That's another conversation.
  What the book captures so well is the ability of the main character, Count Rostov, to satisfy himself in his surroundings.  His life has not turned out like he imagined, and his surroundings are not what he would have chosen, but he delves into the riches of them, exploring their depths and building relationships within his confinement.  He doesn't allow himself to waste away wishing he were someone else in another world, in another place.  The book is not caught up in longing for the world beyond the walls -- rather it's a picture of how a life is built within the walls, and how the Count is richer for it. 
  What if we contented ourselves with our situations?  It doesn't mean we stop striving, but instead of chasing after some unrealistic image of another life, we instead invested ourselves in developing the riches of the life we have.  I once heard a preacher say that the 10th Commandment is the reward for following the other 9 -- that if we follow those nine, we won't want someone else's life.  A life caught up in chasing what other people have will never be satisfied.  Finding a way to be content with where we are, letting God satisfy us rather than trying to find another station in life and believing that will be satisfying, is what gets us into trouble, leaving us anxious and short-tempered.

  The book also gives us the beauty of seeing how relationships deepen over decades.  We have a somewhat transitory culture now -- we move so often, it's hard to have relationships that last for years, let alone decades.  In the book, the Count has relationships that deepen over time, and at a certain point, he laments the loss of the one friend who knew him when he was truly young.  These long-term relationships are a gift, because they are often friends who have seen us at our best and our worst, and they love us throughout.  We don't have to wear masks around these friends, or pretend that we are something we are not.  We don't hide our imperfections, but rather accept them, sometimes even embracing them, grateful for a friend who loves us in spite of them.  Our weaknesses do not make us unlovable -- but rather reveal the wondrous ways that relationships build and surround us in the midst of our weaknesses. 

  It's hard for me to recommend A Gentleman in Moscow enough.  It's a great book, entertaining and poignant.  It's an adventure that takes place without much change in scenery and yet with wonderful development -- the characters deepen by the chapter, and we age with them, watching them grow and wishing them well.  I loved it, and I miss it already.

Psalm 119:25-32

Psalm 119:25-32
New International Version (NIV)

  My prayer most mornings is that the Holy Spirit would help me want to love the Lord more than I want anything else.  It's a simple prayer, and it doesn't take long to say, but it captures where I am right now -- I want to want God more than I want other things.  I'm asking God to redirect the desires of my heart.
  If we're honest, and I'm going to be because maybe it will help someone else, I'm not very good at follow through.  I've been praying this for a while, and I'm not sure that my life looks any different.  I still long for material things, for comfort and for wealth.  I walk by the mini-mart in our building and see the dollar amount of the Powerball and think how much better life would be if I won (Someone much wiser than I once said that money doesn't change us - it only amplifies our personalities.  I'm sure that's true of other people....)  I want lots of things, but I have a hard time wanting to want God more than anything else.  If I could train my heart to seek true satisfaction from God, then I would find lasting peace from worry and anxiety.  If I could recognize that accepting the grace of Christ means halting my sinful pursuit of comfort for comfort's sake, then my life would have more margin in it because I wouldn't be chasing material things so often, but those material things are HARD to turn away from.  I'd love to have a big house and a nice car and lots of stuff -- then I'd be happy, right?
  I know the true answer to that, but I'm conditioned to seek that stuff.  I've been training my whole life, and now I'm praying to God that I want God more than anything else.  If I can move in that direction, it'll help the eyes of my heart see that true and lasting peace comes from God, and that generosity is a better path. 
  I keep praying.  Someday, God willing, I'll take baby steps in the right direction.  "Preserve my life according to your Word."

Psalm 119:17-24

Psalm 119:17-24
New International Version (NIV)

  I've spent a fair amount of time in England -- it's a country that speaks the same language we do, and yet they use it very differently.  They have words we do not, and some of the same words are used quite differently, so if you have a conversation with someone from Britain, you may notice that something feels a bit off.  It's just not quite right, and you have to pay attention to notice the slight difference.  If you're American, it's not quite home, but feels pretty comfortable all the same.
  Here in this world, it's pretty comfortable.  We recognize the world and live in it, but it's not quite right.  Some of the things within this world, they seem right, but there's something a little off about them.  The devil has twisted some things so that they seem like beauty and love and truth, but they aren't quite.  They are imitations, and if we aren't careful, we fall in love with the substitutes, only to realize too late that they aren't pointing to the true and beautiful God that has created out of abundance and splendor.  Our wayward hearts fall in love with the wrong things, and we realize that we are strangers in a strange land.
  Our hearts are calling us home, pointing us to the one who made us, to the one who calls us his own, to the one who redeems us and sends his Son to show us his love.  You are beloved, friend, and you were made for truth and beauty and selfless love.  Let God love you, and treasure the things in this world that reflect the love of God, and seek to share them with the world around you.  Our souls call for them -- let us do what we can to point others to God while we keep our hearts focused on our true home.

Psalm 119:117-120

Psalm 119:117-120
New International Version (NIV)

  When I think about the futures of my children, I experience a wide range of emotions. I get excited for the people they are becoming.  I have some anxieties about the things I cannot control.  Sometimes I am fearful for the things that may threaten or harm them.  I love seeing them joyful, and I project that into the future and am overwhelmed by the amazing people they are becoming.  It is hard to capture all my emotions.
  The Psalmist, too, cannot quite grasp all the different ways we react to God.  There is fear, for our God is a righteous God who is perfect in every way.  I, for one, am not quite perfect, and on my best days I don't even come close.  So I am afraid that I am not good enough for God.
  I am also in awe, because of the radical ways in which God shows his great love for me.  Although I am not good enough, God covers me in grace and love and invites me into the throneroom of heaven through the gift of his son, Jesus Christ.  Through him, I am enough.  I am worthy through the gift of grace, and so I stand in awe of God. 
  Sometimes, I am afraid because this seems too good to be true.  Other times, I am so excited I can scarcely speak.  We are caught up in so many emotions when we speak of God. 
  I don't think we need to hide any of these emotions from God.  When we pray, we can be honest before God about our fears and hopes and joys and anxieties.  As any good parent, God wants to console us in our fear and comfort us in our sorrow, while also celebrating with us in our best moments and encouraging us to the future.  Remember that God loves you more than words can express, and God is excited about the eternal future you have with him.

Psalm 119:9-16

Psalm 119:9-16
English Standard Version (ESV)

  This is one of those passages that is best understood backwards.  If we start at verse 15, we find that meditating on the law is where we can start.  From here, we learn to delight in the Law as much as riches, because we recognize the benefits that it brings.  When we have started to delight in the Law, we want more -- we ask for more teachings as our appetite grows.  The more we study the Bible, the deeper it gets.  The more we study it, the more we store it up in our heart, knowing it better and better with each passing hour of study.  The more room in our heart the Word takes, the less room in our heart there is to desire sinful things -- that gets crowded out by our desire for what is true and beautiful and good.  The more our sinful desires are crowded out, the less we wander, and our way is kept more pure.
  It starts with the small steps.  Any exercise plan starts with one day of exercise, and then it builds into a week, then a month, then a lifestyle.  Diets are the same, as are relationships -- they start with a spark.  If we start with the spark of the Word, that can grow into a flame that sees our desire for God increase daily.

Psalm 119:1-8

Psalm 119:1-8
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I doubt that many of us would say out way is blameless.  Most of us would probably claim that we desire to follow the way of the Lord, but that so many distractions get in the way.  It's like a diet -- we start out with the best of intentions, but old habits are hard to shake.  Ever try to diet around Christmas?  Every sugar cookie and piece of chocolate will find its way to you!  Even when we don't dramatically fall off the wagon, it's easy to let things slide a little.
  And so we pray -- and there are two sides to this prayer.  The first is for the courage and wisdom to seek the Lord above all else.  The second is to recognize the benefits of doing so.  If we can see how rich our lives will be when we seek God, we're more motivated to set aside time to praise him.  If we can recognize that the peace and blessings of God will be more palpable the more we focus on him, it helps focus our minds and hearts on serving and praising the Lord.

2 Kings 19:14-19

2 Kings 19:14-19
English Standard Version (ESV) 

  So King Hezekiah has received a letter threatening destruction at the hands of the Assyrians.  He is faced with the greatest empire of the time that is coming after him -- it's clearly something he is not prepared for.  His first instinct is correct -- to go to the Lord.
  We all face opposition.  Maybe you're facing something right now, or maybe there is something in your past.  If not, there is something in the future -- something will rise up that you're not prepared for, that you don't know if you can face.  At that moment, our first response should be to go to the Lord in prayer.  He has promised to  hear every prayer, even the ones we can scarcely manage to put words to, and his strength can get us through every trial and tribulation, even death itself.  Our prayers may not be answered exactly as we desire, but he will never let us out of the palm of our hands, and our future is secure in him, even if that future looks different than we can imagine. 
  So when we face opposition, let us pray and trust in the God who will lead us through fire and death, into an abundant and eternal life.  Our joy is in the abundance of life that Christ offers, and he will be our peace in the midst of every moment of life.

Psalm 4

Psalm 4
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I heard a preacher recently say that joy is the flag that flies in the castle of our hearts when the king is at home.  I love that image -- that joy is the evidence we display when Christ is King, because when he reigns in our hearts, we can have peace and joy and fullness.  There is no joy like the joy we get in Christ, for his joy is complete and comes with the power of God, and his joy has promised to endure, no matter what the world may throw at it.  His joy is eternal, and we shall reign with Christ in the heart of it.
  Joy can be challenging, but remember that it's deeper than happiness.  Joy rests within us and can be steadfast in the face of the waves and the storms.  Joy endures.

Psalm 3

Psalm 3
English Standard Version (ESV) 

  At one point, the disciples asked Jesus to pray.  There was clearly something about Jesus' relationship with God that led the disciples to ask about how their own relationship could be transformed.  He came to give his peace, a peace that transcends understanding.  It's the kind of peace that leads a man to sleep when surrounded by thousands of enemies, so confidant is he in the protection of God.
  Have you ever seen pictures of children asleep in the most chaotic of situations?  There are pictures of children asleep in their parent's arms during thunderstorms and other loud, chaotic events, and it's overwhelming for me -- such is the child's confidence and trust in their parent that they can fall asleep.
  And so we should pray for that kind of peace, for the kind of trust where we, in the face of overwhelming circumstances, can rest in God, confidant that the outcome is in good hands, because we are safe with God.  The Lord hears our cry and answers us, and nothing can tear us from his hand - and so we need not fear.  Salvation belongs to the Lord!

Acts 2:1-4

Acts 2:1-4
English Standard Version (ESV)

 What's lost in the Pentecost wonder is that the disciples were all gathered together.  I like that -- the early church, gathered together, talking about what God is up to.
  In today's world, religion is often so individualized.  We privatize everything, often out of fear of offending someone, but usually just because it's easier.  We don't impose on anyone this way, and we can do things our own way -- we don't have to worry about anyone else's preferences when we customize our religion to fit our own lives and our own spaces.
  But we're called to do and be the church together.  And so we gather together and wait on the Holy Spirit.  We listen to one another and humbly consider what God is doing in one another's lives.  It's important that we do this, and we grow together, recognizing how God is at work in you and me and we.  It's not just about me -- it's about us, and God is growing us up together to show the world what it means to be a community gathered around the worship of God.

Romans 4:17-24

Romans 4:17-24
English Standard Version (ESV)

  There are so many reasons to believe that certain things cannot happen.  Pick an event, and I bet you can imagine a series of circumstances that would make the event unlikely, or would sabotage its success.  We do this most often with our futures, focusing on all the ways things can go wrong, unaware of the worst-case scenarios we are building.  We doubt ourselves and often doubt God and his providence.
  Abraham, we are told, did not waver at the promises of God.  His belief was unshakable that God would do what God had promised to do.  In the face of reasons not to believe, Abraham's faith grew stronger as he gave glory to God, trusting in the unknowable, believing in the uncertain, confidant in the outcome.
  So what's your life look like if you placed total faith and trust in God?  How does your day change if you live with an unshakable belief that God's promises will be true?  God cares about you, God loves you, and God has promised to never leave or forsake you.  God has already demonstrated the depths of his love for you by ascending the cross and dying to secure your life.  May you never doubt the proximity of God -- He abides in us, and holds your future in his strong and victorious right hand!

Romans 4:13-16

Romans 4:13-16
English Standard Version (ESV)

 Maps are funny things.  If you've got to drive across the country, you absolutely need one.  Without a map pointing the way and choosing a road based on what felt right, it's highly unlikely you'd arrive at your destination.  And yet, if you spend all your time on the road staring at the map and never look at the road ahead, you'll probably veer off the road and hit a tree. 
  As Christians, without the grace of Christ we are strangers in a foreign land, and the map of the law cannot lead us where we need to go.  We are lost, without hope of finding our way home. 
  The beauty of grace is that Christ doesn't simply give us a new map.  He comes and picks us up and carries us home, offering us freedom from trying to figure it out on our own.  It doesn't depend on us -- Christ has paid the ultimate price so that we might be free.