In your best movie voiceover, “In a world where finding encouragement can be next to impossible.” Do you ever feel that way? The nightly news will try to end on a high note, but the majority of their broadcasts are negative. You go to work, you listen to your coworkers complain about, well, everything. You get home, and you hear complaints from your family, and the emails you open are bills.
I decided to reread the book of Psalms this year. But this time, I am reading it from The Message. I read an article the other day where the author ran this version into the ground. Yes, it is a translation, paraphrased from the original language into modern English. I like it, though. I have really enjoyed The Psalms, especially Chapter 119. It is so relatable to how we live today. In the Psalms, I have found encouragement.
I was inspired to try my hand at writing a modern-day Psalm.
See me, Lord. Here, praising your name. For I am nothing without you. When I follow your ways, my life works out. In your word, I find wisdom.
You are right. Love is a better way to live. And it is better to ask you, ‘O Lord, to revenge my enemies. May they find you in the midst of it all, and turn from their wicked ways.
I enjoy it when I have opportunities to show your love to others. It delights my soul. Especially when they know it’s from you. And there is no greater joy than when they accept you. When they begin to fall in love with you as I have.
Help me, Father, to keep my heart pure. To respond to others with pureness and love. Guide me to know what is on your heart, as I work to write words that will help others.
All to you, “O Lord, and to your glory! May your name be famous in all the earth. Only in you is all hope, encouragement, and happiness. Only in you is an authentic life. Psalms 1:1-5 (MBV) (Mark Brady Version)
I’ve been reading from the Book of Psalms. I have noticed, mainly David’s, some Psalms were written where David tells God what to do. As if he is God’s supervisor or God needs to be told how to be God. Take the one below for instance:
Psalms 59
4-5 Wake up and see for yourself! You’re God, God-of-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God! Get on the job and take care of these pagans, don’t be soft on these hard cases.
11-13 Don’t make quick work of them, God, lest my people forget. Bring them down in slow motion, take them apart piece by piece. Let all their mean-mouthed arrogance catch up with them, Catch them out and bring them down —every muttered curse —every barefaced lie. Finish them off in fine style! Finish them off for good!
I think you get the idea. But I must ask, are we sometimes doing the same thing? Are there times in our prayers and conversations with God we try to tell Him how to answer our requests? I know I’m guilty of doing this, especially after an individual hurts me.
Okay, first of all, God doesn’t need a supervisor! He knows how to deal with every kind of person very well because He knows their heart and motives. He knows things about them we could never know. Also, He hopes that his way of dealing with an individual would ultimately bring them into a relationship with him. From scripture, we know that God has his way of doing things and why.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isa. 55:8-9 (NIV)
So we have to trust God. There is nothing wrong with asking Him to take care of a situation or a particular person, but we have no business trying to tell Him how. God doesn’t have someone over Him. You cannot speak to his boss, and you don’t need to.
At the beginning of 2023, April and I stepped out in faith to meet a need. We were excited about taking this step, especially April. She could use her gifting and trained skills to bless families. At first, things were going well. Then one by one, the families chose to go in a different direction. It was as if they were turning their nose up at what April brought to the table.
As I pondered these events, I compared the families’ actions to refusing filet mignon and, instead, choosing to go dumpster diving. In other words, God wanted to bless these families with a loving, faithful servant of his, and they were turning their backs on her. Their behavior reminded me of the Israelites, which will be discussed in another blog post.
April and I’s savings account took a huge hit making this opportunity possible. And with no one seeking April’s services, covering our added expenses month to month was like watching a gas pump running in reverse regarding our savings account. It was hemorrhaging. We needed God to perform a miracle.
About the same time these events began unfolding, I started rereading Psalms but this time from The Message version. What stood out to me was how much complaining there is about God and his behavior. Take the following verses:
Get up, God! Are you going to sleep all day? Wake up! Don’t you care what happens to us? Why do you bury your face in the pillow? Why pretend things are just fine with us? And here we are—flat on our faces in the dirt, held down with a boot on our necks. Get up and come to our rescue. If you love us so much, Help us! Ps. 44:23-26 (MSG)
Asking, “What is causing these people to say these things to God?” one can only point to one reason, “Fear!” I have to admit, I could now understand these individuals. Watching our savings account dwindle, I, too, was asking, “What are you doing, God? Why won’t you help and rescue us in our time of need?
I was trying to think of any possibilities that would keep us from living on the street. I checked into one course of action, but then I sensed God’s Spirit whisper, “Don’t turn to men for what you are asking God to do.” Out of fear, I almost put our house on the market, but it didn’t feel right.
I enlarged my prayer circle. A friend told me that God shared with her, “The bigger the miracle, the bigger the group praying needs to be.” I sensed divine direction and followed it. I took action, and God answered one of my prayers three days later. I had to ask God, “What is it with you and three days?” Then I laughed. He did too. I think.
The following week we got another answer to prayer for April. You won’t find our home on Zillow.com, and in a few months, our savings account will return to a respectable level. God doesn’t sleep, and we are always on his mind. He knows when things are not fine in our lives, but it is always okay to express what we are feeling and going through to Him. It’s never fun going through the valleys of life. I’m not a fan of having my faith tested, but with that confession, let me wrap this up with two thoughts. Both, though tuff, brought me some comfort:
The tester wants you to pass. The tempter wants you to fail.
6 This makes you very happy. But now for a short time different kinds of troubles may make you sad. 7 These troubles come to prove that your faith is pure. This purity of faith is worth more than gold. Gold can be proved to be pure by fire, but gold can be destroyed. But the purity of your faith will bring you praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ comes again. 1 Peter 1:6-7 (ICB)
Okay. One more:
16-18 So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever. 2 Cor. 4:17-18 (MSG)
Tis the season to be jolly. You know the rest of that line from the song, but are you? Are you jolly? Do you have “joy”? It’s the happiest time of the year. At least, it’s supposed to be. There could be many people for countless reasons that are not “joyful” right now. Financial hard times, relationship issues, living in a war zone, dealing with losing a loved one, etc. So if you can raise your hand, it’s okay, no one is looking around, and say, “Yeah, I don’t have “joy” right now,” then what do you do?
If you can be counted as one lacking joy right now, you can turn to God. Doing so is more than a cliché.
You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psa. 16:11 (MEV)
A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired. Prov. 17:22 (MSG)
“This is what I want you to do: Ask the Father for whatever is in keeping with the things I’ve revealed to you. Ask in my name, according to my will, and he’ll most certainly give it to you. Your joy will be a river overflowing its banks! John 16:23-24 (MSG)
God knows what joy in our hearts does for us. A lack of joy can lead to depression, which doesn’t help anyone. You can go to God and tell him why you don’t have joy. Then you can ask him to help you with your lack of happiness and even ask him to change your situation. Reading God’s word can help you find hope and joy. The book of Psalms is full of hope from the Lord.
If you are one walking around with an abundance of joy, look around and be willing to share your joy with someone else. One thing that helps others is when you do something for them that is unexpected, or something is done for someone else anonymously.
May you find joy in your life. Not just in this season but the whole year through. And remember, you can have Jesus’ joy as your own.
I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. John 15:11 (NKJV)
brady, mark a. 