Blessed.
I know it has been quite awhile since I have been digging into Psalm 40, but I'm back now, and ready to dive into the next verse. Truth be told, it's been a couple of tough weeks, not for any huge reasons, but just for some pent up frustrations and not really pouring my heart out before God enough (psalm 62:8). You know how it is, though you may not know that as the reason. I just got overwhelmed, my heart got heavy, and my grip on our Father's hand slackened, just because of simple, yet fatal, unbelief. Not truly committing my heart to knowing that He is in complete, utter control. I think we do that because we don't want to commit that foundational fact that we are not in control. Of anything. It's a fact too easily forgotten on the back-burner due to our constant stream of to-do lists, appointments, and other engagements.
And that is why I can say that this season of waiting & resting has truly, and will continue being, a season of blessing. Because I have been met with that fact on a daily basis: that I am not in control. At all. He is the sovereign one. He is the one working all things out for my good & His glory. He is the one at work, period. I have nothing in me or of me right now that is really all that able to work. And anytime I have been able to speak, He has formed the words in my mouth. Anytime I've been able to sing, it's been Him singing over me. Anytime I have been able to serve, it's been through His strength which He so powerfully infuses into me. All I'm really doing is waiting, trusting, hoping, and some more waiting. This is a blessing: to be reminded that it's all about Him, and I'm simply His vessel. With that in mind, time to do some digging into the first part of verse 4, mostly because I can already tell that this is going to be long & I'm not even talking about the Word yet! Here we go!
Blessed is the man who makes
the LORD his trust...
I've already talked a bit about blessing, but I think that there is a lot of confusion over what it means to be blessed. There are a lot of skewed views of it, mostly because of our materialistic culture. As people in general, we desire for things--tangible things; we are very skeptical of the unseen things. But as Jesus followers, we are called to build our lives on just that: the unseen. Things like hope & trust & blessing.
So I'm just gonna call it for what it is.
Being blessed does not mean that you have a good job, good car, good family, good finances, good health, etc.
No, being blessed is so much better, so much deeper than those tangible things that tend to define our lives.
Being blessed means, first and foremost, that you have a good & gracious God! One who is with you, always, and who is for you. One who has drawn you up from the pit. One who has established you on higher ground. One who is directing your steps and making them secure. One who has put His song within you, allowing you to praise Him, who hears even when the storm rages and drowns out your feeble voice. One who is using your story, every twist & turn, to impact the lives of others even when you feel useless.
Being blessed means that God is shaping you, refining you, even if by fire, to be a clearer reflection of His perfection. It doesn't mean that your circumstances are rosy, but they are reasoned by the perfect mind & will of a sovereign God, who does nothing in vain.
Just look at the Beatitudes. Jesus here calls us to blessing by calling us to develop characteristics that open wide the door for others to see Him as we put on His character in ALL circumstances:
blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
blessed are those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.
blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.
blessed are those who hunger & thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.
blessed are the merciful,
for they shall receive mercy.
blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God.
blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called sons of God.
blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
--Matthew 5:3-10
One of the definitions I found for blessed is: "made holy; consecrated [set apart]." To be blessed is to be divinely favored, to be one approved by God, and to be made more like Him. We need to be more concerned with asking God to change our character than our circumstances. Blessing, unlike grace, is, in a way, earned. But still so often not by tangible works, but by the intangible works of our heart, as the next phrase points us to: trust.
The one who is blessed is the one who has made the Lord his trust. This is different from simply stating that this man trusts the Lord. The phrasing here is trying to suggest a shape on this intangible emotion of trust. Instead of saying that he has put his trust of confidence in something, he is saying that his object of trust is the Lord Himself. I picture this as a well, from which the writer is drawing water to drink from. The well itself is the Lord, strong & secure, and its contents (the water) include His character, His promises, and His Word. It is a radical picture. He's not just trying to pour God's promises into his own well--which is itself weak and poisoned with sin, lending to what the next phrase of verse 4 warns against--and then trying to also draw them up with weakened arms to refresh his soul. No, he has instead left his own tarnished well behind and has run to the Source of all trust, all assurance, all provision.
...for the Lord God is my salvation & my song,
and He has become my salvation.
With JOY you will draw water from the wells of salvation...
Isaiah 12:2-3
With YOU is the fountain of life;
in Your light do we see light.
Psalm 36:9
As they make music they will sing,
"All my fountains are in you!"
Psalm 87:7 (NIV)
Well, until next time...I leave you with a song. This has been on repeat a lot lately, as it speaks to this idea of this season being one of blessing even as it gets hard and even as the cross becomes heavy. He says that we are blessed because of this: blessed with Him, His presence, His refining flame, His eyes looking deep into ours as He searches for His own to simply look up and see Him. All the chaos may not cease, but with one look at Him, it does fade a bit to reveal the blessing that so often disguises itself as a thorn.
And that is why I can say that this season of waiting & resting has truly, and will continue being, a season of blessing. Because I have been met with that fact on a daily basis: that I am not in control. At all. He is the sovereign one. He is the one working all things out for my good & His glory. He is the one at work, period. I have nothing in me or of me right now that is really all that able to work. And anytime I have been able to speak, He has formed the words in my mouth. Anytime I've been able to sing, it's been Him singing over me. Anytime I have been able to serve, it's been through His strength which He so powerfully infuses into me. All I'm really doing is waiting, trusting, hoping, and some more waiting. This is a blessing: to be reminded that it's all about Him, and I'm simply His vessel. With that in mind, time to do some digging into the first part of verse 4, mostly because I can already tell that this is going to be long & I'm not even talking about the Word yet! Here we go!
Blessed is the man who makes
the LORD his trust...
I've already talked a bit about blessing, but I think that there is a lot of confusion over what it means to be blessed. There are a lot of skewed views of it, mostly because of our materialistic culture. As people in general, we desire for things--tangible things; we are very skeptical of the unseen things. But as Jesus followers, we are called to build our lives on just that: the unseen. Things like hope & trust & blessing.
So I'm just gonna call it for what it is.
Being blessed does not mean that you have a good job, good car, good family, good finances, good health, etc.
No, being blessed is so much better, so much deeper than those tangible things that tend to define our lives.
Being blessed means, first and foremost, that you have a good & gracious God! One who is with you, always, and who is for you. One who has drawn you up from the pit. One who has established you on higher ground. One who is directing your steps and making them secure. One who has put His song within you, allowing you to praise Him, who hears even when the storm rages and drowns out your feeble voice. One who is using your story, every twist & turn, to impact the lives of others even when you feel useless.
Being blessed means that God is shaping you, refining you, even if by fire, to be a clearer reflection of His perfection. It doesn't mean that your circumstances are rosy, but they are reasoned by the perfect mind & will of a sovereign God, who does nothing in vain.
Just look at the Beatitudes. Jesus here calls us to blessing by calling us to develop characteristics that open wide the door for others to see Him as we put on His character in ALL circumstances:
blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
blessed are those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.
blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.
blessed are those who hunger & thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.
blessed are the merciful,
for they shall receive mercy.
blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God.
blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called sons of God.
blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
--Matthew 5:3-10
One of the definitions I found for blessed is: "made holy; consecrated [set apart]." To be blessed is to be divinely favored, to be one approved by God, and to be made more like Him. We need to be more concerned with asking God to change our character than our circumstances. Blessing, unlike grace, is, in a way, earned. But still so often not by tangible works, but by the intangible works of our heart, as the next phrase points us to: trust.
The one who is blessed is the one who has made the Lord his trust. This is different from simply stating that this man trusts the Lord. The phrasing here is trying to suggest a shape on this intangible emotion of trust. Instead of saying that he has put his trust of confidence in something, he is saying that his object of trust is the Lord Himself. I picture this as a well, from which the writer is drawing water to drink from. The well itself is the Lord, strong & secure, and its contents (the water) include His character, His promises, and His Word. It is a radical picture. He's not just trying to pour God's promises into his own well--which is itself weak and poisoned with sin, lending to what the next phrase of verse 4 warns against--and then trying to also draw them up with weakened arms to refresh his soul. No, he has instead left his own tarnished well behind and has run to the Source of all trust, all assurance, all provision.
...for the Lord God is my salvation & my song,
and He has become my salvation.
With JOY you will draw water from the wells of salvation...
Isaiah 12:2-3
With YOU is the fountain of life;
in Your light do we see light.
Psalm 36:9
As they make music they will sing,
"All my fountains are in you!"
Psalm 87:7 (NIV)
Well, until next time...I leave you with a song. This has been on repeat a lot lately, as it speaks to this idea of this season being one of blessing even as it gets hard and even as the cross becomes heavy. He says that we are blessed because of this: blessed with Him, His presence, His refining flame, His eyes looking deep into ours as He searches for His own to simply look up and see Him. All the chaos may not cease, but with one look at Him, it does fade a bit to reveal the blessing that so often disguises itself as a thorn.
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