The Joy of Glory

Psalm 119:161-168 (click here to read the entire passage)
Princes persecute me without cause,
but my heart stands in awe of your words.
I rejoice at your word
like one who finds great spoil…

Seven times a day I praise you
for your righteous rules.
Great peace have those who love your law;
nothing can make them stumble. (Psalm 119:161-162 and 164-165)

Reflection
I’ve never been in a hurricane.

I have seen the aftermath and utter devastation that such a storm leaves in its wake, but I’ve never actually been through one myself. Still, in all the footage I’ve watched and stories I’ve heard, the thing that has always amazed me most about these “natural” disasters is the “eye of the storm.”

It simply blows my mind how there is a place in the center of mass chaos and destruction that is actually, perfectly at peace.

What blows my mind even more is that I have met people who embody this “eye of the storm” reality.

I’ve walked alongside people who have hurricane like storms ripping through their lives. Sometimes it is health, sometimes finances… or it can be relational or vocational… I’ve even had the honor of walking alongside people on the holy ground headed towards death itself. And, in all that I have seen and heard, the thing that always amazes me most is how these people have a heart like the “eye of the storm.” In the center of mass chaos and destruction, their hearts and minds seem to be a place of peace.

How is that possible?

The Psalmist sings an answer to our question in Psalm 119:161, “Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of your words.”

Amidst persecution that is surely leaving an aftermath of destruction in its wake… the Psalmist still sings because his heart keeps its eyes fixed on the Word of God. His situation does not speak the final truth over what is happening in his life… God’s Word does!

The world does not define the way he sees God’s Word. No! God’s Word defines the way he sees the world!

And the Word declares that God is good, God is in control, and God can be trusted. The Psalmist soaks his mind in these truths… verse 164, “Seven times a day I praise you
for your righteous rules.” And this shapes all his experiences… verse 165, “Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.”

Setting the eyes of his heart on the Word makes his heart like the “eye of the storm!”

What about you and me? When the chaos of this life swirls around us… where do we go for some kind of foundation to stand on? Where do we look for some peace like the eye of the storm?

The Psalmist cries out for us to turn our gaze upon God through his Word. Nothing is worth more… for everything else will fail us! But through the Word, the eyes of our heart behold the one who is of supreme worth… the only one who can hold our hearts and give us peace like the eye of the storm.

“I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil.” (Psalm 119:162)

*All previous devotionals may be found at www.thejoyofglory.com
*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

Psalm 29 (click here to read the entire passage)
The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.
May the LORD give strength to his people!
May the LORD bless his people with peace! (Psalm 29:10-11)

Reflection
It’s that time of year again… baseball time!

If you know me, you know that baseball is really the only sport I kinda geek out about. And yes, the pros are only in spring training right now, but my son’s season is underway and I’m loving it… but I’m not sure if he is.

You see, Levi (my eldest son) is getting older and so the game is getting a bit more intense. This is the second year of “kid-pitch” for him, and the pitchers still don’t have great control, but they are beginning to throw harder and harder… that’s an anxiety inducing combination for any batter.

Naturally, Levi is nervous at the plate… always wondering if the next pitch will be headed for his face. However, during batting practice he seems calm and confident and he crushes the ball. What’s the difference?

The difference is that in batting practice it’s not a kid on the mound… it’s his coach. Levi has much more confidence in his coach’s control and that puts his heart at peace. He is able to give his full focus to the task at hand because he trusts the hands of the one holding the ball.

I wonder if we are able to experience peace like Levi at the plate…

In our day to day… as we encounter all the difficulties life throws at us, are we filled with fear or with faith. What makes the difference?

The difference lies in who we believe is in control. If everything depends on us, it is kind of like having a kid on the mound… we don’t know what the outcome will be and that is an anxiety inducing situation for anyone.

But…

If we believe that our God sovereignly reigns over all then we can have confidence in his control… our hearts can be put at peace! We can give our full attention to living faithfully in light of his call because we trust the hands of the one who holds the world!

Even as we face tragedy and sorrow… we have a peace-filled confidence in our king. For, the Psalmist says, “The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.” And what is the result of our confidence in his kingship over all? “May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!”

*All previous devotionals may be found at www.thejoyofglory.com
*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

Today’s devotional is authored by SVCC intern Allison Davis

Job 2:11-13
Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.

Reflection
I don’t know about you, but I’m what you’d call a “fixer.” You have a problem? I can give you a list of ten ways to solve it quickly and effectively. We have an argument? I immediately want to smooth things over. I’ve been convicted of not being willing to wade through the “mess” of life with people. I want the mess to be cleaned up promptly.

In a recent pastoral care and counseling class at Beeson, my professor said something incredibly profound: “Sometimes quick advice feels like rejection.”

Ouch. He’s right.

If you come to a trusted friend or mentor with something you’re struggling with, what do you prefer to receive? A patient, listening ear, or a rushed solution that brushes off your pain?

Job’s three friends do a lot wrong in the book, but they do the right thing in verses 11-13 of chapter 2. First, they hear about Job’s suffering and go to comfort him. They sacrifice their own plans and schedules for the sake of a beloved brother. Secondly, they weep and mourn with him. Job’s pain brings them pain. Finally, they say nothing. For a whole week. These three friends don’t try to cheer Job with inspirational statements. They don’t tell him to pull himself up by his bootstraps and get over it. Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar don’t give quick advice. Instead, they just sit in silence. They practice what we call “the ministry of presence.”

These three men give us a great model of how to deal reasonably and gently with one another. But, as I said, they mess it all up later.

Jesus is our best model of how to relate to those who are suffering. When Mary and Martha mourned their brother Lazarus, Jesus wept with them, even though he knew Lazarus wouldn’t be dead for much longer. Jesus did not follow society’s practice of ostracizing those with leprosy. He spoke to lepers and treated them as people. He healed them. He dined with the least of these—tax collectors, prostitutes, those on the fringes of society who were rejected by religious people. Ultimately, Jesus knew suffering personally, and he knew how to suffer well. On the eve of his arrest, considering his impending crucifixion, he prays: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).

But Jesus is not a mere model. He is God Incarnate who sends us the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Helper, the Spirit who continually aids us as we navigate relationships with one another. Will you pray this with me?

Holy Spirit, help me to love like Jesus loves. Help me know when to speak, but more importantly, help me know when to stay silent. Bind my fleshly nature from directing me on the easy path. Strengthen me to sit in the mess with my brothers and sisters as they suffer and grieve. Help me mourn with those who mourn. Help me suffer well. In the name of Christ our Lord, Amen.

*All previous devotionals may be found at www.thejoyofglory.com
*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.