8/7/24
One of the hardest lessons for a young person to learn is that people make choices and choices have consequences. I have to remind my young friends of this principle (and, to be honest, myself as well) all the time.
Of course, we usually think of this in a bad way (i.e.: Choice: smoke; Consequence: lung cancer). And one bad choice can spiral into a series, if not a lifetime, of bad consequences.
But what about good choices? What about a LIFETIME of good choices? What are the consequences?
We see them clearly in the “Life is Good” psalms. For example, Psalm 37, which was Tuesday’s daily psalm reading, opens with these promises:
Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not be envious of wrongdoers,
for they will soon fade like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
Think of these verses in light of our prayer cards. Many of you expressed concern over uncertainty either in your life or the life of a loved one. In the face of the uncertainty, the Psalmist tells us, “do not fret . . . trust in the Lord . . . take delight in the Lord . . . commit your way to the Lord; trust in him.”
And the result? “He will give you the desires of your heart . . . he will act.”
Choice. Consequence.
As I said, Psalm 37 is a “Life is Good” psalm. I’ve talked a lot over the years about the 3 types of psalms: psalms that say “Life is good,” psalms that say “Life is terrible,” and psalms that say, “Life WAS terrible, but look at what God’s done!” But even the hardest of the “Life is terrible” psalms hold on to the truth that our world is reliable and well-ordered because God created it to be that way.
If we find life to be otherwise, it’s certainly not God’s fault! And if God is ultimately in control, then even when bad things happen, we can trust God to make things right. The poets who wrote “Life is good” psalms like 37 (others include Psalms 1, 8, 33, 104, 119, 145, etc.) trust in this life under God’s rule and praise God for making it so.
When we truly believe that God is in control and live our lives that way, we can live with freedom from one of the devil’s most potent weapons: fear.
And this is the message for God’s people at all times and for all times!
In the Old Testament, it was the conviction of Psalm 37, “trust in him, and he will act.” In the New Testament, Paul urges believers, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7). Some 500 years later, St. Patrick prayed for a life enveloped completely within the love, guidance, and care of Christ: “Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me.”
Old Testament scholar, Walter Brueggemann, says that faith like this creates a “sacred canopy” under which we can live without anxiety.
That’s the consequence of a lifetime of choosing to trust God!
So, go back and re-read Psalm 37. See how it emphasizes this connection between choice and consequence. Choice: “trust in him;” Consequence: “he will act.”
Think what it would mean if all of us who call Christ Church home, really trusted God! When all the members of a congregation live like they trust God, then the whole community works. And when the whole community works, then they are the ones for whom “all things work together for good” because they are the ones “who love [and trust and take delight in and commit their ways to] the Lord” (Romans 8:28).
Several years ago, I spent a week at Salisbury Cathedral in England. The choirs sing the psalms everyday. Imagine what a faith-world that’s building in the lives of the 20 or so young singers who are reminded, daily, of the faithfulness of God!
Reading the psalms does just that: it builds a world of faith. They remind us of Who God is, who we are and what God does and can do for us. One of the reasons we include the psalms in every service, and one reason why I include them in every Bible reading, is that we need to be reminded constantly that “This is my Father’s world; Why should my heart be sad? The Lord is King: let the heavens ring! God reigns; let earth be glad!”
And because God is in control, we can trust God (choice) and live life free from fear (consequence).
As I’m praying with you over the prayer cards you’ve placed in the box, I’m using these words from Psalm 37 as a constant theme throughout my prayers: “Trust in him and he will act.”
Not in blind faith but with simple calm certainty.
Blessings,
Pastor Terry