Good morning son.
Flipping the script this morning. Let's
talk about Psalm 3 before Proverbs. In particular let's talk about
the "sleep number bed."
The advertisers promise you will always
rise up rested because you can select what level of comfort you think
you need. Based upon what pain or stresses you have you determine the
best setting and simply dial it up, lie down and rest. And assuming
you choose the right setting for what you need - all your cares will
drift away while you rest. Aww!
But what if you chose the wrong
setting. you may sleep but still not rest. And will your selection
really address the concerns of the day - will the problems of the day
before you still be waiting on you when you rise? The verses which
leaped off the page for me in both Proverbs and Psalms dealt with the
issue of in who will you place your trust - in yourself or in God.
Remember you can not understand the
word absent an examination of its context and usage. The entire
context of Psalm 3 is in a battlefield and yet its focus is vs 5 -
sleeping and waking. Historically the Hebrews said this Psalm in the
morning. It is a psalm of trust. Throughout it there is contrasted
the need and result of trusting in God - in maintaining a
relationship with Him although the writer notes his enemies clearly
see no value in it (vs 2), and yet the writer finds God to be his
protection, one he can cry to and receive an answer. In his trust in
God he finds the freedom not to be afraid of 10k enemies set on his
destruction. So he cries to the Lord who can fight his battles while
he sleeps. Indeed his confidence is NOT on his fighting expertise but
on God as can be seen in who he attributes victory to - vs 8
"Deliverance belongs to the Lord . . ."
As it was verses 5 & 8 which leaped
off the pages to me in Psalm 3 I was not surprised when Proverbs 3:
5-8 was what came alive for me there. Here I am admonished to "trust
in the Lord with All your heart." Trusting in him encompasses
more than just a magical “ouy gouy” feeling but a deliberate and
purposeful act of deciding not to be limited by my own understanding
but to acknowledge or consult and follow Him in all my stuff (vs 6)
and he will MAKE my way straight or said another way - upright and
accomplishing His purpose in your journey. In vs 7 the writer
reinforces his admonition (instruction) by pointing out the result of
trusting in just yourself, your wisdom, your understanding - you
become wise in your own eyes.
Can you remember a time when you
thought you just had it all together? You were the "cat's meow,"
you walked around singing bobby brown's song - "can't touch
that!". No one could tell you jack. Until . . . you fell, you
found out you didn't have 9 lives, and yes "that" could be
touched . . . stepped on, spat on and thrown to the curb. That "wise
in your own eyes” - didn't prove to be too healthy for you? It
didn't for me either. So the writer couples all implicit trust in God
with fearing Him and shunning or putting evil out of your life. The
result? "health to your body and nourishment to your bones."
I wonder which modern day medical school he went to to be able to
know that if your bones are diseased and unhealthy your whole body
dies. Hmmm? Trusting in God seems to be his theme for me today - even
in this war and hell which may be my life, your life in this moment.
Today I can stand and walk forward
trusting Him. I can rise up, well rested and do. Take a moment
and write down that thing - you know the one that just popped into
your head - that thing that you have been afraid to do but deep down
inside you know He wants you to do it. Commit to trust in Him and
simply ask Him to flow through you this day, empowering you to do it
as you actually do do it (ok don't call me to "english me"
LOL).
God is an AWESOME God who sees you as
an AWESOME creation of His. He loves you and wants only the best for
you. you can trust Him. The "sleep number bed" doesn't have
anything on Him. God's choicest blessings to you.
Love yah son,
dad
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
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