A Life Worthy

They who seek my life will be destroyed; they will  go down to the depths of the earth (Psalm 63:9).

OK, so Mafia death squads are probably not after you.

Or, maybe they are…what do I know?

Regardless of your position on somebody’s hit list, you can be sure of one thing.

You do have an Enemy. 

That enemy is fierce

and implacable

and cunning

and really not very nice at all.

You also have a Protector, one whose strong hand holds you up, one who shelters you beneath his wings, one who is there when you call out to him in the depths of the night.

Fear not, Beloved.  Your enemy is vastly outmatched.

Happy Monday

My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me (Psalm 63:8).

You’re on the ice for the first time.  

Your ankles are all wobbly.

Your feet will not obey.

Your legs are made of store-brand gelatin dessert.

The world spins incorrectly.

Gravity is not your friend.

The evil skates shoot out from beneath you

and you are falling

flailing

gasping

grasping.

Your hand finds another hand

big

strong

safe.

You grab hold for dear life, sinking terrified nails into willing flesh.

The hand holds you up, steadies you, guides you forward.

You will not fall while you cling to the hand that loves you.

That’s what this is.

Happy Thursday, Beloved

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night (Psalm 63:6).

Many moons ago I had a friend named James.  James made it a practice to pray every night before he went to sleep.  Not just a quick, “Thanks, God–Nighty-night” sort of prayer.  He would painstakingly examine the day he had just spent, looking for any way in which he might have disobeyed God and repenting.  Sometimes he would arrive at work exhausted from a night short on sleep and long soul-searching.  While I think there may be a certain legalism mixed up in James’s approach that isn’t altogether healthy, I have always respected and admired his devotion.  He had a desire to connect with God that was, and often still is, lacking in my own life.

And what of you, Beloved?  What are your thoughts as you drift off to Dreamland?  When you lie awake at night, are you praising your Savior, or are you stressing over your mortgage?

I think I’m going to go back to bed and practice this verse.

Happy Tuesday, Beloved.

I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory (Psalm 63:2).

David knew what it was to be in the presence of God.

Now he won’t settle for anything less.

You’ve felt it.  The sense that you are in His presence, that the concrete or sand or deep pile carpet or pine needles or tile or fresh cut grass or hardwood floor or squeaky snow beneath your feet has just been transformed.

Has become holy ground

Sometimes it makes you weep, sometimes laugh, sometimes stand in utter stillness of body and spirit.

But always, always, always, you know it is He.

That’s good stuff.

David went to the sanctuary to be in the presence of God.

But now, the sanctuary has come to us.  

It’s true.  You belong to Jesus, ya?  

So the Holy Spirit lives within you, ya?

So you are the temple of God.

Ya

Well, I mean, we are.  It’s not just you. Don’t get carried away.

But do enjoy it.

Happy Tuesday, Beloved.