IN GOD ALONE

Years ago, my father taught me a means of dealing with the rampant unrighteousness so familiar in worldly affairs. He said that when there was little chance of making a positive change for the better, one should write a letter addressing the obvious wrongdoing and then give the contents over to God and deposit the letter in the nearest waste basket, making certain that the contents were burnt. Many years later, a group of people that I heard of were dieting and one of their techniques to attain success was to write a note to a person they absolutely hated and enclose a substantial check as a gift. Then if they were unsuccessful at meeting their weight reduction goal, they could mail it out! The second means I would not recommend, because one of those checks and notes were accidentally sent out by the person holding on to them and another person I knew of received the money in question. Oh well, no pain, no gain as the weight watcher's motto goes!

Now, I would not lower the contents of our psalm to either of the personal means of dealing with frustration mentioned so far. However, we see here in the heart of David the reality of the feelings we all go through in times of frustration and troubles. Derek Kidner divides these verses into three sections. Verses one to four highlight the stirring of the psalmist's emotional passions. Verses five to eight speaks of the David's unshakable confidence in the Lord. The last four verses draw out the lessons of life learned through experience.

We begin with a statement of faith, which is entirely natural for one who belongs to the Lord our God. Oh how much we can appreciate the comfort of such statements even when our emotions are stirred by life's interesting events. Intellectually, we can assent to the confessional revelations that undergird our faith. However, life is full of questions and our confidence is sometimes less than it ought to be. Look there in David's experience which he lays before the Lord in verses three and four. It is almost as if he has just finished a Frank Peretti novel and understood from bitter experience very little nuance of those incredible plot twists.

But how astute David is in his analysis of the worldly reality. Rev Eppler observed in a recent letter that Satan's arrows are personally aimed at those who most appreciate and understand the words and wisdom of our Almighty King and Lord. Certainly, I can attest to a growing knowledge of interesting problems plaguing congregations whose intent is to gladly serve our God and King. There is a real and profound challenge to godly pastors and churches in this winter of discontent. And I speak with knowledge from inside and also outside of our own denomination. There is an unsettling spirit abroad in the same sense of the seasonal infections of the body that often plague us.

Yes, these unsettling spirits may stir our passions and cause us to doubt the purpose and goals of our congregations, but they generally are not allowed to shake our faith. Only the congregational organization of that faith! In the coming year, I would predict that this temporary infection will get a little worse and more and more people will be tried by doubts and fears that their own little or large congregation is the place where they want to be. Little or large, congregations are often frail creatures. A few years ago I heard of a rather large church that faltered and failed within a year and a half. Of course, as always, there was a certain sin astir. And we have to remember that the world would push us and every one of Christ's churches over the edge of the nearest cliff, if they were able.

Our second section begins with David's assessment of the source of his strength. It is good that our faith rests only in God alone, since all human activities must eventually fail. See there in verse seven where our salvation and our honor is focused? God alone is my mighty rock, my refuge. This is a lesson well learned. In this time of year it is quite evident that the Christmas season is extremely popular. Many people can testify that they love the season, they love the lights, the decorations, the deserts and who doesn't love to get presents? But isn't this just where Christmas goes astray? Shouldn't we love the Christ child who is the object of all the celebration more than we love the season?

David clearly states that my salvation and my honor depend on God. Without the Christ child, there would be no Christmas news to give any good cheer? In this season of 1997 let us find rest for our souls in God alone. Because, when the new year dawns, the lights, the trees and all the decorations must be taken down to be stored for another season and we are left with a few trinkets and the bills to be paid down for many weeks later.

Finally in our third section we must carefully analyze our personal situations in the light of eternity. That does not mean that we cannot participate in family fun and share the joy of time away from our regular work and schedules. But, we can learn to treasure our hours together and consider where all of life is taking us. Verse nine is very succinct in its observation of everyman's life and experience.

In comparison to the life of the little King whose birth we now celebrate, there is little that matters from our short span of years given to us by the grace of our Creator. Yes, we can try to leave things a little better than how we found them. My father's farm was much improved from the run down acreage that he purchased almost sixty years ago. The buildings are a little worn, but the fields were much more productive than when he began his life's work. While neighboring farms have been run down to barely growing weeds, his land, if cared for, will be an inheritance to his great grandchildren. My father "reigned" over a bare hundred acres. What is that in the grand scheme of things? Christ's reign is universal. And while we are called to live godly lives and to earn our way, finally we must be content to put our riches away and be content with the grace of God's rewards to those who can count themselves as his servants.