July 17 devotion - 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.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to give some feedback or ask questions about today’s message, please send John an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s Bible drawings of Psalm 13. If you would like to view a larger version, click here: Psalm 13.

House of God - Hebrews 3:6

Hebrews 3:6    But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.

            Coming from Scotland, I am part of a network of millions of people who belong to the House of Stewart. My family’s own particular branch of that royal clan is Stuart of Bute, which influences most of the South West region of Scotland. Generations ago, my ancestors were tenants on a farm in Kintyre, which Sir Paul McCartney now owns. When the Industrial Revolution began in the 1800s, my folks left the countryside and moved to Glasgow, where they found work as weavers, clay pipe makers, and carters.

            As members of the House of Stewart, my family wears its tartan with pride and theoretically our life-long allegiance is meant to be given to the living monarch of Scotland, presently Queen Elizabeth. In the past, this allegiance laid feudal obligations upon my family to defend the Scottish sovereign to the death and I am sure that some of them did. These days, however, that connection to the House of Stewart is a celebratory one, so whenever I go to Scottish festivals, Highlands Games, or Burns Suppers, I wear both the Royal Stewart and the Stuart of Bute tartans. It’s my way of identifying with the past, but also of proclaiming my Scottish heritage to my peers.

            I like today’s verse from Hebrews because I understand Christ’s loyalty to the House of God. He is faithful to His Heavenly Father and totally obedient to His will. He is proud of what His Father has accomplished and seeks to glorify God through all that Jesus does. And, as we know from the Gospels, Jesus proved His loyalty to God by sacrificing His own life because God demanded it from Him in order to save the world. Christ’s perfect allegiance to God cost Him His life, but it won for us the opportunity to become a privileged part of God’s eternal household, which is something that we could never have accomplished for ourselves.

            So let us rejoice in what Jesus has achieved. We are restored to God’s favor forever and are always welcome in His House.

Questions for personal reflection

What do I know of my own ancestry? How has it shaped my faith?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, thank You for honoring God with Your perfect obedience and total commitment to His will. We know that we have been blessed through Your loyalty to God, so we thank You for the gift of salvation which allows us to be embraced in the House of God. In Your Holy Name, we gratefully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to ask questions or comment on today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s Scottish drawings called “Dunure Sunset.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Dunure.