Anita Mathias: Dreaming Beneath the Spires

Anita Mathias's Blog on Faith and Art

My Shield is God Most High. Psalm 7, Day 13, Jan 13,

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My Shield is God Most High

Psalm 7

    A shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite (who slandered him. According to the ESV Study Bible, the Psalm provides a vehicle by which those unfairly criticized and persecuted may call out to God for help.

 1 LORD my God, I take refuge in you;
   save and deliver me from all who pursue me,
2 or they will tear me apart like a lion
   and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

LORD my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me. Wonderful words of peace—hiding from one’s enemies in the Lion of Judah, the strong tower.

 3 LORD my God, if I have done this
   and there is guilt on my hands—
4 if I have repaid my ally with evil
   or without cause have robbed my foe—
5 then let my enemy pursue and overtake me;
   let him trample my life to the ground
   and make me sleep in the dust.
The Psalmist protests his innocence and asks God for protection. (NB, as children of God, we can request his protection even when we are not entirely innocent. And who is?) However, the ESV notes that this Psalm expresses the prayer of the innoncent one suffering from the malice of his enemies.


 6 Arise, LORD, in your anger;
   rise up against the rage of my enemies.
   Awake, my God; decree justice.
7 Let the assembled peoples gather around you,
   while you sit enthroned over them on high.
 8 Let the LORD judge the peoples.
Vindicate me, LORD, according to my righteousness,
   according to my integrity, O Most High.
9 Bring to an end the violence of the wicked
   and make the righteous secure—
you, the righteous God
   who probes minds and hearts.

 10 My shield[d] is God Most High,
   who saves the upright in heart. 

To run behind the shield of God is an option open us to us. And a very safe place it is.

 11 God is a righteous judge, 
   a God who displays his wrath every day. 
12 If he does not relent, 
   he[e] will sharpen his sword; 
   he will bend and string his bow. 
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons; 
   he makes ready his flaming arrows.

 14 Whoever is pregnant with evil
   conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.
15 Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out
   falls into the pit they have made.
16 The trouble they cause recoils on them;
   their violence comes down on their own heads.

This is so true, both when I have been the one who have dug a hole for someone else, and when people have “dug a hole” for me.


 17 I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness;
   I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High.

And this is what the movement of prayer should be. We lay our requests before God, and then give thanks, and sing praises to him.

Psalm 6. Both sinners and the righteous bounce back after prayer. Day 11, Jan 11

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Gerrit van Honthorst
David


Psalm 6
Traditionally “a Penitential Psalm.”

 A Psalm of David.
 1 LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger
   or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am faint;
   heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony.
3 My soul is in deep anguish.
   How long, LORD, how long?
 4 Turn, LORD, and deliver me;
   save me because of your unfailing love.
5 Among the dead no one proclaims your name.
   Who praises you from the grave?
 6 I am worn out from my groaning.
  All night long I flood my bed with weeping
   and drench my couch with tears. 
David has sinned, and he is suffering. He is faint, in anguish, in agony, groaning and weeping. He asks God not to rebuke him or discipline him, but instead to have mercy on him. Why? Because of God’s very nature, his goodness and kindness. Hesed, in Hebrew.

7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
   they fail because of all my foes.
His enemies have brought him much sorrow. Note: One can be a man after God’s own heart, and still experience much sorrow because of your enemies.

 8 Away from me, all you who do evil,
   for the LORD has heard my weeping.
9 The LORD has heard my cry for mercy;
   the LORD accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;
   they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

I love how David bounces back after he prays.
This is the astounding movement of the Psalms which mirrors the movement and motions our soul goes through when we pray.
God hears our cry for mercy. He accepts our prayer. We know things are going to change. We know God has heard our prayer and is going to bless us.
There is a reversal. The Lord has heard the Psalmists’ prayer for blessing. His enemies will be troubled, as he was troubled. 
No one can hurt the soul of the one whom God loves. Through prayer, he will use reverses to strengthen himself, to grow more calm and peaceful.

Psalm 6. Both sinners and the righteous bounce back after prayer. Day 11, Jan 11

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Gerrit van Honthorst
David


Psalm 6
Traditionally “a Penitential Psalm.”


 A Psalm of David.

 1 LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger
   or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am faint;
   heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony.
3 My soul is in deep anguish.
   How long, LORD, how long?

 4 Turn, LORD, and deliver me;
   save me because of your unfailing love.
5 Among the dead no one proclaims your name.
   Who praises you from the grave?

 6 I am worn out from my groaning.

  All night long I flood my bed with weeping
   and drench my couch with tears. 

David has sinned, and he is suffering. He is faint, in anguish, in agony, groaning and weeping. He asks God not to rebuke him or discipline him, but instead to have mercy on him. Why? Because of God’s very nature, his goodness and kindness. Hesed, in Hebrew.


7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
   they fail because of all my foes.

His enemies have brought him much sorrow. Note: One can be a man after God’s own heart, and still experience much sorrow because of your enemies.


 8 Away from me, all you who do evil,
   for the LORD has heard my weeping.
9 The LORD has heard my cry for mercy;
   the LORD accepts my prayer.

10 All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;
   they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.


I love how David bounces back after he prays.

This is the astounding movement of the Psalms which mirrors the movement and motions our soul goes through when we pray.

God hears our cry for mercy. He accepts our prayer. We know things are going to change. We know God has heard our prayer and is going to bless us.

There is a reversal. The Lord has heard the Psalmists’ prayer for blessing. His enemies will be troubled, as he was troubled. 
No one can hurt the soul of the one whom God loves. Through prayer, he will use reverses to strengthen himself, to grow more calm and peaceful.

God’s Protection, Psalm 5, Day 9, Jan 9,

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May all who take refuge in you be glad.
Spread your protection over them



Psalm 5


 1 Listen to my words, LORD,
   consider my lament.
2 Hear my cry for help,
   my King and my God,
   for to you I pray.

 3 In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice;
   in the morning I lay my requests before you
   and wait expectantly. 

I am not a morning person, but my days go so much better when I can have my time with God first.
It is wise to cultivate pathways into prayer. Try to cultivate the habit of, at least, a brief chat with God when you first wake up. You will be in a calmer frame of mind to face your day. 
I like David’s simple and sublime faith. He lays his requests before God, and waits expectantly.

I sometimes have the image when I have prayed about a situation that God has taken it into his hands and his hands were busily working, moulding and fashioning it.
When you pray, God ALWAYS hears. He does step into the situation (except when we are are wilfully continuing in sin. In that case, a valid prayer is “Lord, help me to repent,” rather than “Lord, bless me”).

The answers to prayer vary. They can be Yes, No, Slow, Grow. 
Read this brilliant piece by Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision.
http://theoxfordchristian.blogspot.com/2010/04/bob-pierce-founder-of-world-vision-on.html

4 For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;
   with you, evil people are not welcome.
5 The arrogant cannot stand
   in your presence.


Oh dear. The arrogant cannot stand in his presence. Jesus tell us to be humble so that we might find rest for our souls.


What is humility? Asking for a humility is a dangerous prayer because the process of being humbled is a painful one. 


But, Lord Jesus, because I want to stand in your presence, and because I want rest for my soul, give me your humble spirit as a gift (and make the process of developing a humble spirit as free from pain as possible).



You hate all who do wrong;
 6 you destroy those who tell lies.
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
   you, LORD, detest.


You who are lied against, you who see the deceitful triumph, take heart. The Lord hates those who do wrong. He detests the deceitful.
Lord, purify my heart, my speech and my tongue.




7 But I, by your great love,
   can come into your house;
in reverence I bow down
   toward your holy temple.

 8 Lead me, LORD, in your righteousness
   because of my enemies—
   make your way straight before me.

A beautiful prayer for guidance. Make your way straight before me.


9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;

   their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;
   with their tongues they tell lies.


How awful this sounds! Have you known disgusting situations like this? 
I have. In fact, in toxic church situations, in an atmosphere of fear and distrust and ambition and scheming, sadly, Christians too can behave like this 




10 Declare them guilty, O God!
   Let their intrigues be their downfall.

Banish them for their many sins,
   for they have rebelled against you.

This prayer of the Psalmist is a good and valid prayer because, in fact, such people only cause harm and evil.



11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
   let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
   that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

 12 Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous;
   you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

I love the Psalms. They are an excellent model for healthy prayer. David comes into God’s presence troubled by his enemies, by deceitful people whose words cannot be trusted, whose hearts are full of malice, who scheme and intrigue.
He achieves peace. He realizes that God does not like or favour such people either. He prays that their intrigues may lead to their downfall and banishment. He lays his requests before God, and waits in expectation. 
He ends by reaffirming God’s goodness and power, 12 “Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favour as with a shield.”

He is at peace, and so, after travelling through his turbulent emotions with him, are we.

Psalm 4. You have filled my heart with greater joy

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Psalm 4
1Answer me when I call to you,
O my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
2How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?       Selah
3Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
the LORD will hear when I call to him.
David, slandered, remembers and reminds his enemies that those who seek God are under his special protection. The Lord will hear their requests
4In your anger do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.       Selah
5Offer right sacrifices
and trust in the LORD.
Anger is an emotion, and it is futile to tell people not to feel an emotion which they do feel. So what do we do with our anger? David counsels the sinned-against not to let their anger lead to sin. Just as Jesus told his followers to first remove the log from their own eyes before taking out their speck from their brothers’ eyes, David suggests that, when angry, we search our hearts and be silent.
Anger gives one tremendous energy, but it, generally, is powerless to change hearts. So the counsel of the Psalmist is to use the charge and dangerous energy of anger to search our own hearts, and to see if we have ever sinned in the same or similar ways, or at all. And to repent and change our lives, rather than impotently fume.
And to trust in the goodness, creativity and power of God. We have all known injustice and evil triumph in the short run, but God can bring beauty out of ashes. And so we trust him.

I had written about this before 
http://theoxfordchristian.blogspot.com/2010/08/in-your-anger-do-not-sin.html
Hmm. Not do not be angry (impossible, when you are a woman of unclean lips, living amidst a people of unclean lips), but do not sin.
How? Turn your focus away from the occasion of anger. Examine yourself. Have I ever, ever done what is making me fume, or done something like it? Why? Search your heart. Repent. Be quiet until you have perspective.


All this requires so much more self-control than venting, but it is more productive, and positive. Venting our anger is highly unlikely to change the other person (though praying for both of you might well do so). But searching our hearts, trying to understand the hidden motives and fears of our own hearts, and what makes us tick, may well produce lasting change.


It’s useful to use our annoyance with another person as a trigger to examine our own hearts, and repent. In Jesus’ metaphor, when the temptation to remove specks becomes overwhelming, first clear your own log-pile.


6Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?”
Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.
7You have filled my heart with greater joy
than when their grain and new wine abound.
Amid widespread despair, God shows David the light of his face. He fills David with joy, so much so that he ecstatically says, “You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.”

8I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, O LORD,
make me dwell in safety.
The Psalms are often an intense wrestle of the spirit with God, and they end in a movement of resolution and peace.
David has decided to trust God, though surrounded by very real enemies. Yet he lies down and sleeps in peace. His safety is in God’s hands, and that is a very good place for it to be.

Psalm 4. You have filled my heart with greater joy

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Psalm 4

1Answer me when I call to you,

O my righteous God.

Give me relief from my distress;

be merciful to me and hear my prayer.

2How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame?

How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?       Selah

3Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;

the LORD will hear when I call to him.

David, slandered, remembers and reminds his enemies that those who seek God are under his special protection. The Lord will hear their requests

4In your anger do not sin;

when you are on your beds,

search your hearts and be silent.       Selah

5Offer right sacrifices

and trust in the LORD.

Anger is an emotion, and it is futile to tell people not to feel an emotion which they do feel. So what do we do with our anger? David counsels the sinned-against not to let their anger lead to sin. Just as Jesus told his followers to first remove the log from their own eyes before taking out their speck from their brothers’ eyes, David suggests that, when angry, we search our hearts and be silent.

Anger gives one tremendous energy, but it, generally, is powerless to change hearts. So the counsel of the Psalmist is to use the charge and dangerous energy of anger to search our own hearts, and to see if we have ever sinned in the same or similar ways, or at all. And to repent and change our lives, rather than impotently fume.

And to trust in the goodness, creativity and power of God. We have all known injustice and evil triumph in the short run, but God can bring beauty out of ashes. And so we trust him.



I had written about this before 
http://theoxfordchristian.blogspot.com/2010/08/in-your-anger-do-not-sin.html
Hmm. Not do not be angry (impossible, when you are a woman of unclean lips, living amidst a people of unclean lips), but do not sin.
How? Turn your focus away from the occasion of anger. Examine yourself. Have I ever, ever done what is making me fume, or done something like it? Why? Search your heart. Repent. Be quiet until you have perspective.


All this requires so much more self-control than venting, but it is more productive, and positive. Venting our anger is highly unlikely to change the other person (though praying for both of you might well do so). But searching our hearts, trying to understand the hidden motives and fears of our own hearts, and what makes us tick, may well produce lasting change.


It’s useful to use our annoyance with another person as a trigger to examine our own hearts, and repent. In Jesus’ metaphor, when the temptation to remove specks becomes overwhelming, first clear your own log-pile.


6Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?”

Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.

7You have filled my heart with greater joy

than when their grain and new wine abound.

Amid widespread despair, God shows David the light of his face. He fills David with joy, so much so that he ecstatically says, “You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.”


8I will lie down and sleep in peace,

for you alone, O LORD,

make me dwell in safety.

The Psalms are often an intense wrestle of the spirit with God, and they end in a movement of resolution and peace.

David has decided to trust God, though surrounded by very real enemies. Yet he lies down and sleeps in peace. His safety is in God’s hands, and that is a very good place for it to be.

You, Lord, are a Shield. Day 5. Psalm 3, Jan 5th

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Psalm 3
    A Psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.
 1 LORD, how many are my foes!
   How many rise up against me!
2 Many are saying of me,
   “God will not deliver him.”
And did God deliver David? He most certainly did.
Do not worry about what other people say. They are like you and me, people of limited intelligence and vision.
Do not fear evil words and evil predictions. God holds our future in his hands.  God is a shield around us. These words have no power to hurt us.
Put your faith in the omnipotent one.

 3 But you, LORD, are a shield around me,
   my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
4 I call out to the LORD,
   and he answers me from his holy mountain.
God is a shield not just in front of David, but all around him.
A shield all around us who fly to the shelter of his strong tower. To the shelter of his arms.
He bids us lift our heads high—and look upwards—no matter what our circumstances.
We call out to him in our despair, and he answers us.

 5 I lie down and sleep;
   I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. 
6 I will not fear though tens of thousands
   assail me on every side.
Cast your cares on God, and sleep. He is stronger and more powerful than tens of thousands of enemies, and his plans for your destiny WILL NOT be thwarted.

 7 Arise, LORD!
   Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
   break the teeth of the wicked.
My goodness, is it okay to pray like this? I have no idea, but I do know that David was a man after God’s own heart. I do know that all human beings have a craving for justice implanted in their hearts. I do know that justice is done, frequently on this earth, always in heaven.
I do sometimes pray, “Vindicate me against my adversary,” Luke 18, because that it is a prayer Jesus said neither the unrighteous judge nor God can resist. Still this prayer is just a way-station in the stages of forgiveness.
As my spirit is purified, I hope to pray like Jesus, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
But we need to be honest, as we go through the stages of forgiveness. I think I am at, “I forgive you myself, and I am so grateful that there is a just and righteous Judge into whose hands I can commit my cause.”

 8 From the LORD comes  deliverance. 
May your blessing be on your people.
I breathe deeply, my tensed shoulders relax at these words. May your blessing be on your people indeed, Lord.
    

Psalm 2. The Lord laughs. Day 3. Jan 3rd

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Psalm 2

 1 Why do the nations conspire[a] 
   and the peoples plot in vain? 
2 The kings of the earth rise up 
   and the rulers band together 
   against the LORD and against his anointed, saying, 
3 “Let us break their chains 
   and throw off their shackles.”


 4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
   the Lord scoffs at them.
5 He rebukes them in his anger
   and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
6 “I have installed my king
   on Zion, my holy mountain.”

 7 I will proclaim the LORD’s decree:
   He said to me, “You are my son;
   today I have become your father.
8 Ask me,
   and I will make the nations your inheritance,
   the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You will break them with a rod of iron[b];
   you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

 10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
   be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear
   and celebrate his rule with trembling.
12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry
   and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
   Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

When that nations conspire, and the people plot, when the kings rise up, and the rulers band together against the Lord, what does the Lord do.

He laughs. He scoffs at them. He holds them in derision.

Therefore, O Christian, be not afraid when people conspire, plot and rise up and band together against you. Make the Lord your refuge, and you will be blessed. Leave it to him to rebuke them in his anger, and terrify them in his wrath. 

This is one of the Messianic Psalms, traditionally supposed to refer to Christ, the Messiah.