Short devotion: Setting Me Aside - Psalm 34:4

 

Psalm 34:4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. (NIV)

We live in anxious times and I suspect that many of us, including me, are just glad to get through each day. There’s so much uncertainty in the world and it’s affecting each one of us. We don’t know what lies ahead and, after three years of instability, we may wonder if things will ever change for the better. It’s been a tough time to endure and we’re weary, even in Churchworld.

When I came across today’s verse in my daily readings, it reminded me to seek God in order to cope with my fears. Far too often, when I’m faced with difficulties, I offer up a rocket flare of a prayer to God, asking for strength to sustain me, as well as a timely solution to my problem. It’s not an ideal way to build any solid relationship with God, for it causes me to treat Him as my personal spiritual paramedic and individual issue solver. In other words, I’m only using God for special emergencies.

Seeking God, on the other hand, takes time. It requires me to stop what I’m doing in order to have a deep conversation with God. I get so used to rushing my prayers that I forget Whom I’m actually addressing. However, when I intentionally set aside my busyness or anxiety, and patiently explain to God what I feel or fear, I humbly listen for His counsel, wisdom, and teaching. Because I focus on God and not me, my fears subside and my anxieties diminish.

I think this is why Jesus invites all of us to come to Him when we’re weary or burdened. It takes time, as well as personal intent, to respond to such an invitation. Christ means us to use it as a relationship-builder with Him, and not as a problem solver for us. He wants us to seek the Lord, be given His answer, and then be delivered from all our fears.

Point to ponder: What is currently making me most anxious? Am I willing to seek the Lord and take time to talk to Him about it?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know us so well and are fully aware of what is presently troubling us. You’re waiting for us to set aside time to let You know how we feel, so that You can embrace us in the midst of our fears, hearken to our issues, and offer Your counsel. Teach us to pray again and to trust You completely. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. You can see what’s happening at the church by viewing its website at www.erinpres.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest winter drawings called “Snow Moon.” You can view a larger version at this link: Snow Moon.

August 21 devotion - What is Truth?

Psalm 34:12-13 Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. (NIV)

            Someone recently said that ‘Truth is not truth,’ which although it sounds totally absurd, it is actually a reflection of the times we live in. We all operate with our own perceptions of what is real and we color truth with what we want to believe. For instance, if you have two people standing at opposite ends of a chalk drawing of the number nine, one will declare it to be “9” while the other person sees it only as “6.” Both believe their perception to be absolutely correct and from where they are standing, both declarations are true. So long as both of them stay where they are, they will not even consider the other person’s viewpoint, even though it is just as valid. Only when one or both of them decide to look at things from the other side will they see the unbelievable truth: both of them are correct!

            Truth is something that is sacred in the eyes of God and, in the end, it is His perception that decides what is absolutely and eternally true. We may think differently from Him because God gives us the gift of free will, so we seem to believe that our experience in life is what really counts. However, our time on Earth is so short compared to God’s immortality. We last for only a moment, so how can we finitely contend against what God knows to be eternally true?

            To deliberately go against the truth is to live a lie and the Bible constantly tells us that lying is not good for our health, our souls, our community, and our faith. This is different from perception – a lie is something that is deliberately told to destroy the truth. For instance, if a third person comes up to the two others who are arguing over the 9 or 6 and stridently says that the number is actually ‘3,’ that would be a falsehood. If that person kept declaring it to be ‘3’ loudly and long enough to confuse the other two until they accepted his word, then all of them would be accepting a lie. In the 20^th century, Hitler, Stalin, and Pol Pot used this technique and brutally bullied their people into accepting lies which consequently caused the deaths of millions of people across the world. Liars make the worst kind of leaders because eventually they destroy themselves and the people perish under their control.

            As Christians, we are meant to be religious people who side with the Truth and contend against lies, especially when falsehoods disrupt, diminish, and destroy our communities. If we, of all people, accept and spread lies, then we are no longer servants of Christ – the Way, the Truth, and the Life – but have sadly become purveyors of our own prejudices and traders in untruth.

Point to ponder

How do I discern the truth? Am I guilty of passing on lies?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, give us the gift of discernment so that we may honor You by seeking, knowing, and advancing the truth. Teach us that lies destroy our humanity and falsehoods can even wreck our faith. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and join us for worship on Sunday mornings at 11:00 AM. You will be made very welcome 😊