Sabbath Psalms - Trouble Sleeping?

Psalm 13: 2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? (NIV)

 Do you ever have trouble sleeping at night because you have too many thoughts rattling through your head? Do you go through days when your heart is hurt and heavy because someone wounded or disappointed you? Do you have moments when you want to pack everything all in because your problems are overwhelming and you can’t focus on any one of them? Me, too – welcome to the real world.

 Psalm 13 is one of the shortest songs in the whole Bible but it contains so much truth and relevance that I find myself returning to it repeatedly, especially when I have personal issues. The words appeal to me because of the boldness of the author – this is someone who knows trouble and needs to vent to God about it. It’s a hymn of complaint which we call a lament – the writer has been deeply hurt and wonders why God hasn’t done anything to remedy the situation or deal with the problem. There is an initial element of disappointment in his words as if the psalmist is saying to God “I have placed all of my faith in You, so why aren’t You sticking up for me? Why aren’t You helping me to overcome my foes and clear up this messy situation, God?”

 This is why I love the Book of Psalms – the candid complaints and painful protests are very human and clearly directed toward God. God’s inactivity is bewildering; His indifference is frustrating; His forgetfulness is almost infuriating. The psalmist feels let down and depressed, isolated and vulnerable. He cannot find peace, happiness, or hope. He struggles with his dilemma and he wrestles with God. Do you know that feeling? Me, too.

 In the end, the songwriter surrenders himself to God’s will. In a remarkable leap of faith, he decides to remain connected to the Lord. No matter what happens, he trusts God completely – the psalmist has vented his spleen and voiced his complaint. He now leaves it in God’s hands and aims instead to praise God for past blessings. This is not fair-weathered or a convenient faith; this is hard-to-endure and on-the-edge faith. This is what it truly means to believe in God.

Points to ponder

 What is presently troubling me? What issues am I experiencing? Have I complained to God? Am I willing to leave my problems in His hands? Do I still want to praise Him?

 Prayer: Lord God, You know us completely and fully understand the worries that weary us and the problems that presently burden us. Give us the will to hand them all over to You. Allow us the blessing of praising You in both good and bad times. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.

Midweek Message: Accents

Matthew 26:73 After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, "Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away."

 Recently I went to my local bank to deposit a check. As usual, the young bank teller asked me to say a few words. “I just love listening to your accent,” she said. I smiled. If I had been given a dollar for every time that I’ve heard those words since coming to the United States, I might have owned the bank by now!

 Accents are dead giveaways about where people originate. In the United States, there are many different accents and I like to try to guess which region, state, or city people come from whenever I meet them for the first time. If the Scottish accent is likeable to the American ear, it’s also true that most Scots like to hear American accents. I guess it all has to do with common genes and historical roots.

 When the disciple Peter was confronted by a group outside the High Priest’s house where Jesus was being interrogated, his accent betrayed him to the crowd. He must have spoken with a rustic Galilean accent which was easily recognized by the city slickers of Jerusalem. He tried to hide in the courtyard, but each time he spoke, his accent revealed his origins. The fact that Jesus had begun His ministry in Galilee meant it was very likely that Peter had traveled with Him. No matter what the Big Fisherman tried to do to conceal his attachment to Christ, his accent gave him away. Sadly, the accusations all became too much for Peter and he eventually swore that he never knew Jesus. It was the lowest moment of his ministry with Christ.

 After the Resurrection, Jesus restored Peter’s faith by forgiving him first and then giving him a life-long mission to spread the Gospel. In this way, Peter’s accent would be used by God for many years and in many different places, offering hope, grace, and love to people who never personally knew Christ, but who needed to hear that they could also be forgiven, and then given the same opportunity to share God’s love through the words and ways of Jesus.

Point to ponder: What things do I say or do that positively accentuate my faith to those around me?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, speak to our hearts and open our lives to Your bidding. Guide our thoughts and grant us the right words to say which will encourage and attract others to Your Way, Truth, and Life. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Midweek Message: A Little Faith

Matthew 17:20 He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Mustard seeds are tiny, which is why Jesus used them to illustrate faith. Even a little can go a long way—like mustard on your plate.

 My mum once told me about her younger brother Andy, who was about four. One day, my Grandad McLay came home from work and sat down to his dinner of boiled ham with mustard. Young Andy, curious because he had never seen mustard before, asked for some. When he was refused, he cried and carried on.

 Eventually my grandfather gave in and handed Andy a teaspoonful. Delighted, Andy swallowed it quickly—then immediately cried out for water. As a child, he never asked for mustard again.

 A little goes a long way. Faith matters not only for us, but also for those we love and meet. Sometimes our faith helps others through hard times and brings change. Wherever we are today, let’s use even a little faith to make things better, especially for people around us.

 Prayer: Lord Jesus, Your words inspire us to use our faith in different ways. You ask us to help other people; You also need us to tell others about Your Kingdom. Enable us this day to do all that we can to make the world a better place, even with just a little faith. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

 God bless you all.

Pastor John