“Unsubtle Guidance”
“8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you.” (Psalm 32:8-9, English Standard Version)
In a phone conversation with my friend Bob, I mentioned a book that I had just finished. I found the book very helpful.
“Hey! I just finished a really good book, Atomic Habits,” I said. I heard laughter on the other end of the phone connection. I didn’t realize that finishing a book was so funny, but I soon found out why he was laughing. His wife had just said to my friend that they needed to listen to that book on audio and discuss it. His son had also mentioned the book to Bob.
“I think God may be trying to tell me something,” Bob said. “I’m not that big on those kinds of books, but I think I do need to read it.”
This led to a discussion about God’s guidance through people’s not-so-random comments. “Sometimes, God speaks to me very subtly,” Bob said, “and sometimes I miss it.”
And I chipped in with the following comment and pledge: “I think I’ll start my day tomorrow with the prayer, ‘Speak to me and guide me today, LORD. And don’t be too subtle about it!’”
I know that God, like any good parent, wants his children to be guided by his quietist whisper or even his look, as the psalm verse that leads off this meditation suggests. However, I want to do what God wants today. And if God needs to be unsubtle, so be it!
I did indeed begin this morning, before I even got out of bed, with this prayer. I am planning on incorporating it into my usual routine. I’ll let you know if it helps. I suspect it will.
Meanwhile, you can marinate in the following two statements. I’ve forgotten the source, but the saying wears well.
“The question is not whether God still speaks. The question is, is anybody listening?”
“Confessions of a Blabber Mouth”
1 “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. 2 Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. 3 For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words.” (Ecclesiastes 5:13, English Standard Version)
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;” (James 1:19, English Standard Version)
I talk too much. I’ve known this since I was fairly young. My wife and friends tolerate it because they love me. Others pretend to tolerate it.
Let me say more about this.
See what I mean?! I talk a lot even when I’m writing and not talking.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I frequently say things that are quite helpful to people. However, as with everything else in life, too much is too much. Nobody really wants to sift the sand along the seashore to find an occasional gem.
So, here is what I’ve decided to do.
- I have decided to join another twelve-step program, Talker’s Anonymous. I’m not sure if such an organization actually exists. If not, I may have to start one.
2. I have decided to start asking myself a series of questions before I speak.
Is this true?
Is this likely to helpful?
Is this the right time to say what I am thinking of saying?
Of course, the possibility exists that, by the time I have answered these questions, the conversation will have swirled on to other matters. Would that be a fatal thing—or even a serious thing? Probably not?
There is an old rabbinic saying which counsels students to “say little and do much.” Good advice! I think I’ll take it to heart—and to my lips.
“On Falling Leaves, Death, and Life”
“When the white eagle of the North
Is flying overhead
And the browns, reds and golds of autumn
Lie in the gutter, dead
Remember then, the summer birds
With wings of fire flaying
Come to witness Spring’s new hope
Born of leaves decaying
As new life will come from death
Love will come at leisure
Love of love, love of life
And giving without measure
Gives in return a wondrous yearn
Of a promise almost seen
Live hand-in-hand
And together we’ll stand
On the threshold of a dream….” (The Moody Blues, from their 1969 album “On the Threshold of a Dream”)
I was watching a leaf falling from a tree on a beautiful, warm day in November. I had just gotten word that a good friend had died. I’ll call him “John”. This is not his real first name. We try to be very protective of people’s privacy in our groups. We were part of a group for mutual support and accountability.
John had a severe stroke two weeks ago. He died on November 10. When I got the word that I did not want to hear, I went outside for a good cry. And then, there was this leaf, this beautiful golden leaf falling slowly to the ground.
The tree didn’t seem to be upset about this. But then, I don’t understand the language of trees.
John was always encouraging to me and very insightful. He was a leader in our group, and I doubt that we can replace him. Perhaps no one can ever really be replaced. He loved his wife, his children, and his grandchildren. Often, John struggled to love and value himself. Most of us can identify with that.
This morning, I read the news that Graeme Edge, the drummer for the Moody Blues, had died. He wrote and spoke the words that lead off this post. In the poem, Edge speaks of remembering summer and hoping toward spring. Yes! And amen!
There is a rumor that is occasionally heard—and more often dismissed—that there is a life beyond this one. I struggle to believe that sometimes. I take heart from the fact that God’s people in both the Old and New Testaments also struggled to believe it. Struggling to believe something is not a sign that it is either true or false.
But since I usually struggle more to believe what turns out to be true, I suspect that there really is a life after this one. John was determined to live his life with integrity and to help others to do so as well. He certainly helped me. He was preparing himself for living well in this life and in the next life, although he entered it much sooner than any of us wanted.
R.I.P. John and Graeme.
“Believing We’re Forgiven, Provided . . .”
I believe that God can forgive anybody, even me. However, I also believe that there is a proviso. A proviso is a condition that must take place for an agreement to be kept.
Many people think that God’s love and forgiveness are unconditional. In a deep sense, that is true. There are no provisos in God’s love.
However, in order for us to actually experience God’s loving forgiveness, one of my recent twelve-step readings pointed out that there is a proviso. Here is part of that reading:
“Meditation for the Day
‘One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things that are before, I press onward toward the goal.’ We should forget those things, which are behind us and press onward toward something better. We can believe that God has forgiven us for all our past sins, provided we are honestly trying to live today the way we believe He wants us to live. We can wipe clean the slate of the past. We can start today with a clean slate and go forward with confidence toward the goal that has been set before us.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may drop off the load of the past. I pray that I may start today with a light heart and a new confidence.”
(From Twenty-Four Hours a Day © 1975 by Hazelden Foundation.)
I was struck by the sentence, “We can believe that God has forgiven us for all our past sins, provided we are honestly trying to live today the way we believe He wants us to live. We can wipe clean the slate of the past.”
How we live our lives—which is mostly made up of the choices we make—matters in many ways. One way that making good choices matters is in the realm of assurance of God’s love and forgiveness. Sure, we are forgiven! Good news indeed! Our past does not have to determine our present or our future! More good news!
But all of this good news won’t mean much unless we are honestly striving to live the best lives we can. So, how about if we get busy fulfilling this proviso today? It isn’t about God fulfilling God’s part of deliverance. That part, we can take to the bank. It’s about the proviso.
Living out the proviso is hard work, but it is also good work. And doing good work gives us all kinds of assurance—including the fact that our past does not define us.
DTEB, “On Being Good to God”
I was journaling this morning. After my gratitude list, I wrote the following:
“I really want to be good to God today. We all want God (or the universe or other people or life) to be good to us. But today I want to be good to God. I’m not sure what that will entail in terms of my being and doings. I just know that I want to be good to you, LORD. Please direct me to the right thoughts, words, and actions to pull this off.”
Now, the problem with speaking to God is that God might get a word or two in edgewise. That is what I think happened this morning. It is difficult not to believe in God when you’ve started the day with a conversation with God. I frequently try to doubt the existence of God, but it is getting harder and harder, and I wonder if it is worth the effort.
Anyway, here is the conversation:
GOD: “Well, my child, I’m glad that you want to be good to me. That is very kind of you! Now, would you like to know how?”
Me: “Yes, indeed I do, LORD! However, remember that I am very much a beginner at this.”
GOD: “I am aware that you are a beginner, child. So, we’ll keep this really simple.
- Treat yourself well. I’m not talking about immediate gratification. That is not treating yourself well. That will destroy you, as you already more than half suspect. But treat yourself truly well. You don’t honor me by unnecessary self-denials. (You can reread Colossians 2:16-23 for further details, if you need them.)
- Treat others well. Be on the lookout for what they need. To the limit of your ability, meet those needs. Be kind. Think the best of people.
- Continue to be grateful to me and to depend on me.”
Me: “That’s it, LORD?! That’s all there is?!”
GOD: “Yep! And that will keep you plenty busy today or any day.”
I hope that you also have a busy and good day, dear reader!
“From Being a Refugee to an Inheritance Beyond Imaging”
Psalm 16 begins with the plea of a refugee and ends with an affirmation of an inheritance that brings us a joy that lasts forever. Here is this little psalm with some big meanings:
“Psa. 16:0 A Miktam of David.
Psa. 16:1 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”
Psa. 16:3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.
Psa. 16:4 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.
Psa. 16:5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
Psa. 16:7 I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the LORD always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Psa. 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
Psa. 16:11 You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Did you notice how David starts off asking God for help and protection. The plea for God to be a “refuge” means that David is a refugee. And David really was a refugee on more than one occasion. Whether he was running from Saul or his own son Absalom, David knew what it was to be uprooted.
Probably we all feel uprooted at times. We can feel as if we have a house, but no home. We are alienated from loved ones—or they are alienated from us. Sometimes, we even feel alienated from ourselves, or at least, from our better selves.
One of the reasons many people love the psalms is because many of the psalms give voice to our own feelings of loneliness, of isolation, of unbelonging. We need someone else to voice our feelings because we can’t.
But this psalm, and many others, do not stop with our refugee status. In verse 6, this refugee speaks of an inheritance. Refugees, in most countries, cannot inherit property. Yet, this is precisely what David is saying. God has given him an inheritance, and a good one at that!
But the news keeps coming and gets better. David affirms that God’s way is a path of life that is full of joy and pleasures that last forever.
Commenting on Psalm 16:11, Derek Kidner writes,
“This verse is unsurpassed for the beauty of the prospect it opens up, in words of the utmost simplicity. The path of life is so called, not only because of its goal but because to walk that way is to live, in the true sense of the word, already (cf. 25:10; Prov. 4:18). It leads without a break into God’s presence and into eternity (evermore). The joy (lit. joys) and pleasures are presented as wholly satisfying (this is the force of fullness, from the same root as ‘satisfied’ in 17:15) and endlessly varied, for they are found in both what he is and what he gives – joys of his face (the meaning of presence) and of his right hand.50 The refugee of verse 1 finds himself an heir, and his inheritance beyond all imagining and all exploring.”
That last sentence really grabs me by the throat: “The refugee of verse 1 finds himself an heir, and his inheritance beyond all imagining and all exploring.”
Yes! Amen!
“On Tying My Shoes for Me”
Joel, your mom and dad are encouraging us to write you a brief note with some word of encouragement and/or a verse of Scripture as a way of celebrating your twelfth birthday. At age twelve—or at any age, for that matter—encouraging words and Scripture are helpful. I wasn’t sure what to write until last night when you helped me on with my shoes.
I was dizzy and not feeling well. My wife and I were getting ready to leave the party, and I was struggling to put on my shoes. You saw that I was having trouble, and you came over to help me get my foot in my right shoe. Then you asked, “Would you like me to tie your shoes for you?”
“Yes,” I replied. “that would be very helpful!”
My heart was deeply touched by your practical kindness. Seeing what needs to be done and doing it for ourselves and others is most of what life is about. That you would be so observant and so kind at the age of twelve is an amazing testimony to who you already are and to the person you are becoming.
In Matthew 25:31-40, the LORD Jesus Christ speaks of serving him by serving others. The righteous ones didn’t even realize that they were serving Christ by serving “the least of these, my brothers”, as Jesus calls them. But they were serving Christ. I am most certainly one of the least, and you served me. And by serving me, you served Christ as well.
But your not-so-little kindness didn’t just tie my shoes and touch my heart. It also awakened and strengthened my desire to be more attentive to others and their needs. All my life I’ve struggled with selfishness. Your thoughtful attention to an uncomfortable detail of my life makes me want to be a more thoughtful person toward others.
The best deeds are those which both serve others and inspire them to serve others. Well done, my young shoe-tier! Well done!
“God’s Gift of Water in the Wilderness: Of Digging Wells and Singing Songs”
There is a very strange story in a very strange part of a very strange book, the Bible. I love the Bible, but sometimes it just seems weird. The story is found in Numbers 21:16-18.
But first, some context! I had a professor at Hebrew Union College, Dr. Isaac Jerusalmi, who used to say to his Hebrew classes, “C.I.E.” This stood for “Context is Everything!” Well, maybe context isn’t everything, but it is quite helpful.
So, this poem occurs in the midst of a list of place names where the Israelites had camped on their journey from slavery in Egypt on their way to the Promised Land. It is a Bible passage almost as dry as the Sinai through which Israel had passed. By way of comparison, Trip Tiks from A.A.A. are racy documents.
And in the midst of this list is set a gem: a little poem about digging a well. What?! A poem about digging a well?!
Yep. And it is quite a provocative poem at that. Here it is:
16 “And from there they continued to Beer; that is the well of which the LORD said to Moses, ‘Gather the people together, so that I may give them water.’ 17 Then Israel sang this song:
‘Spring up, O well!—Sing to it!—
18 the well that the princes made,
that the nobles of the people dug,
with the scepter and with their staffs.’”
First, a clarification is necessary. The word “Beer” does not represent an alcoholic beverage. Rather, it is a transliteration of a Hebrew word that means “a well”. (You know—one of those holes in the ground that people used to dig or drill in order to tap into underground water. Many people in the world still depend upon wells, and they are vitally important.)
Verse 16 is not poetry in Hebrew, but the second half of verse 17 and all of verse18 is poetry. And like most poetry, the language is dense and evocative.
The LORD, the God of Israel, promises to give the people water. But notice that this is not a gift without some work on the part of the people. Apparently, the people still have to work in order to receive God’s gift of water.
And that is probably true of most of God’s gifts. Gifts they are! Yet they also require some work on our part to really experience these divine gifts. The Apostle Paul writes a letter to some Christ-followers in Philippi in ancient Macedonia, in which he tells them “. . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do what pleases God.” (Philippians 2:12-13, my translation) God is working in them (gift), but they must continually work out what God is working in them.
Indeed, it is that way with all the really profound gifts. I have a friend in England who is a fine pianist. She is “gifted”. However, I have frequently been a houseguest with her and her husband, the vicar, and I can tell you that her giftedness doesn’t mean that she doesn’t need to practice. In fact, she practices for many hours a day. (Of course, even her practice is beautiful.)
And then there is marriage. My wife is a profoundly wonderful gift to me. I certainly didn’t and don’t deserve her. Still, I need to work at the marriage, even with a wonderful woman. And she has to work really hard. I am not an easy person with whom to live. I know; I’ve been trying to learn how to live with me for a very long time.
The poem says that the nobles dug the well with their own scepters and staff. Perhaps this is to be taken literally, but I doubt it. Certainly, it could mean that Israel’s leaders used their symbols of leadership to actually do the work. However, that is not the usual way with leaders. Most likely, this is a poetic way of saying that the leaders used their symbols of leadership to delegate (or command?) others to do the work. That is the way that leaders usually work. Probably very few of our presidents have ever actually done much of the work for which they receive credit or blame. Generally speaking, leaders do not get their hands dirty.
Finally, the workers composed a song that likely helped them as they were digging the well. Music usually helps work to go better. My mom used to sing or hum as she worked in the garden or kitchen. “Whistle While You Work” is more than a song from Disney’s “Snow White”. People have been singing while they work from time immemorial.
So, while I don’t know everything about this poem, I take from it the following rather mundane truths:
- Gifts—even God’s gifts—demand our work.
- Some do the work, but the leaders get the credit.
- Everybody benefits from the water, though.
- Work can be, and probably should be, accompanied by singing.
However, the poem says it much better than that.
“On the Living the Scalary Life”
Sometimes, I learn things on purpose. At other times, purpose doesn’t even come into the educational process.
I was dictating a text to an accountability friend of mine and didn’t proof the text before I sent it. After I sent it, I noticed that “scholarly” was spelled “scalary”. I had never heard of such a word, so I just had to look it up. (I guess some purpose did come into this matter after all.)
One website had the following definition of scalary: “resembling a ladder; formed with steps”, https://www.definitions.net/definition/scalary, accessed 10-22-2021.
Most of life is a scalary affair. That is, life resembles a ladder. We may wish for an express elevator to where we want to go and who we want to be, but there isn’t one, just lots of steps.
We were talking last night about transformation at my Christian community group. The leader pointed out that we have come-to-Jesus-moments, but we also need to put together a lot of stay-with-Jesus-moments. Yes indeed!
So, dear reader, my prayer for you and for myself today is that you and I will have a good, scalary day. May we take a few determined steps in the direction of being and becoming the people we need to be today.
Lets be scalary!
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