Psalm 34

Read this first:https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+34&version=NIV

This is a fantastic Psalm! The last few weeks this study has kind of a bit dry for me, and I’ve been wondering if it may be time to change up to another book of the Bible so my ADHD brain can get recharged. But this Psalm- so good! I believe my enneagram says I am a peacemaker which is number 9. On the negative side- sometimes that makes me a people pleaser. On the positive side that means I seek to make friends with everyone I meet. Recently I realized I have a lot of empathy for most humans I meet. I have lots of judgement for dogs and cats until they can prove to me that they’re a good pet. I find most people are the opposite. They judge animals not and people with reckless abandon. That saddens me. Yet in my need to know others and care for others I also sometimes know what they need to do to be better and they know too but don’t want to go there. I’ve learned to push for those things in their lives, but also to listen when they won’t do the work to fix themselves. That’s a tough challenge for a peacemaker and I think anyone.

Regardless the immediate words that came out were:

Keep your tongue from evil
    and your lips from telling lies.
Turn from evil and do good;
    seek peace and pursue it.

I feel like no one attempts to seek peace anymore. It’s a rare art sure but our nation keeps getting more divided. There’s rarely someone trying to unite both sides. We’ve learned more about arguing our points anonymously on the internet than civil dialogue in person because in person we’re afraid to discuss politics. The internet is filled with lies. Our tongues hopefully less so.

Pursue peace. That’s the goal- don’t pursue by destroying your opponents opinion. Yes stand for truth but do it with love. That doesn’t mean being a door mat. A peacemaker in the old west was a gun. The goal of the gun was not for it to be fired. The goal was to keep the peace and never be used because the holder had authority. You have to have strength to make peace. It’s difficult and it’s hard but it’s worth it.

Yet there’s much more here than just that passage.

This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
    he saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
    and he delivers them.

God answers prayers and this one reminds me of 2 Kings 6- where Elisha’s servant is freaking out because the army is surrounding him. And in comes Elisha and he prays that his servant’s eyes would be open. Suddenly he sees he’s not surrounded by the army coming for him. He’s surrounded by an army of angels much larger than the physical one in front of him. God evens blinds the physical army and does the Jedi mind trick- this is not the road and this is not the city” It’s amazing. This also reminds me of the song in search of more lyrics. “It may look like I’m surrounded but I’m surrounded by you. This is how I fight my battles” is the entirety of the 12 minute song. I really hate it because outside of the context of this oft forgotten Bible story I have no idea what the song is about- Amazon prime? Air? Bad drivers? Internet trolls? But within context it is beautiful.

Our prayers make the space to change our perspectives on what surrounds us. Rather than problems we see opportunities, rather than seeing the darkness we can find the light. We can as it says in the next verse taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. I’m reminded of the story that’s probably not true of a professor going off about how there is no God and Jesus was just a dude and all that he was was a man. There’s no resurrection he just was a decent guy with some good thoughts. If Christianity is so good why did it start so many wars? Why did it bring about capitalism, etc. etc. etc. Then an old preacher in the back gets up and eats an apple and says- this apple I just took a bite of- is it sweet or tart? The professor says, “Don’t know I haven’t tasted it.” The preacher replies, “Neither have you tasted my Jesus” There’s something magical when one is moved by the Spirit- when one first comes to faith and has the aha moment which is why I can’t put down other people for not having faith. I have dry spells just like I’ve had with these devotions and these psalms where I feel I’m getting nothing out of it. And then all of the sudden you taste and see that the Lord is good. I suppose this is true for food as well. There are moments when you eat something so much you no longer taste it. I’m this way with burgers. If I find a burger I like- I can eat it so often it suddenly loses it’s goodness. The killer burger with bacon, peanut butter, and pickels is one that is likely the best burger I’ve ever had and now I have had so many the joy is gone. Fortunately, God is no one trick pony. He has so many ways of coming to us. And I suppose burgers do too come to think of it. I’ve never grown tired of burgers. Just specific burgers in general- the Mad Love Burger at Red Robin, and the pastrami burger at Crown Burger in Utah have all hit that point. Yet that doesn’t stop me from eating burgers. Anyway this has been me working through issues with my diet this Memorial Day weekend. God is the same way- small groups that once gave me joy and even devotionals and authors like Max Lucado, Donald Miller, or Rob Bell who used to ignite my soul eventually get old and no longer do it for me. But occasionally I’ll go back after a few years have passed and read some of their new stuff and it’s like coming back to an old friend. I think the same is true for our walk with God. I can see a passage of time where worship doesn’t do it for you anymore, but Bible study does. Or prayer is giving us more than music. That doesn’t mean our relationship with God has gone away it just means it moved. But that may be just me. Do you experience God in multiple ways and see a shift in your spirituality or is that you always find God in the same things? Like music for example. I think for me- it’s a well timed analogy or honestly through physical things recently where God has shown up the most. Where I’m like how is this here now unless by a miracle? I’ve seen God in sunflowers that I accidentally grew and in glow sticks left behind by a friend only to be found the day after his funeral in the name of Jesus with the encouraging words to lighten up written on them. I suppose God comes to me also through analogy and friends speaking into my life as well. It’s not often through music but occasionally. I like to find God in some new way in more than a feeling where head and heart connect. I suppose that’s the Lutheran in me- it has to be some form of head knowledge something to hang my hat on and cling to rather than 20 minute song with 12 words that mostly talk about being surrounded.

Anyway- where have you tasted Jesus and seen that He was good? How has God shown up for you? If He hasn’t- how would you like Jesus to show up for you? What would it take for you to see Jesus as real?