to the source

Psalm 19 is a familiar chapter of the Bible.

And yet I forget it all too easily.

Recently, I have desired greater intimacy with my God. It is a God-honoring desire given by His Spirit. However, I have wanted it apart from any work on my part. I was hoping it would fall down from the sky at my beckoning.

It is with such an attitude/approach that my forgetfulness has been revealed.

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.

In these three verses, the psalmist makes it abundantly clear where intimacy and the joy accompanying it are found. It is not through magic. It is not through passivity. It is not through will power.

It comes through the Word of God being read, studied, and meditated upon. It is through a deeper love for and understanding of God's Word that deeper intimacy with Him is found.

If I want the intimacy, which God graciously pours out I need to seek it at its source. I need to go to the well. I need to be revived by the Word and watch my heart begin rejoicing.

Refuge

1. shelter or protection from danger or distress
2. a place that provides shelter or protection
3. something to which one has recourse in difficulty

I read through the Psalms the first six months of 2013. Roughly two weeks ago, I began reading through it again. As of today, I've read up to Psalm 18. In those eighteen psalms, refuge comes up a lot.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him (2:12)
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice (5:11)
O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge (7:1)
In the Lord I take refuge (11:1)
You would shame the plans of the poor, but the Lord is his refuge (14:7)
Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge (16:1)
Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior, of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand (17:7)
The Lord is my rock and fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge (18:2)
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him (18:30)

That's nine verses in eighteen chapters. Simple math tells me nearly half of the first eighteen psalms present God as the refuge for His people. And I left out those passages which use words like shield (i.e. 3:3), stronghold (i.e. 9:9) or rock (i.e. 18:31) to convey the same idea. Those additions would boost the number close to sixty percent.

This tells me God as my refuge is something I need to grasp hold of. And this does not isolate it to those time of danger or distress as Webster so clearly articulated. God is as much a refuge in times of peace and prosperity as He is in times of chaos and struggle.

I am trying to learn this very lesson. The past semester was a whirlwind of distress that actually took on a physical manifestation from late March to early May. In those times, I found myself following the advice given by the psalmists. I went to my refuge. I found strength and protection when I had none.

Now life is far easier. Sure I am busy, but I do not sense the same distress. And therefore I am not as aware of my need for refuge. In fact, I have found myself aimlessly drifting. My refuge remains in sight, but I am not coming back to it very often. I am satisfied on the fringes, when I should be relishing in the innermost parts.

Maybe life is not as easy as I thought. Maybe there is a bit of distress still lingering. Whatever the case, I need to seek out my refuge, and taste the blessings of His protection.

and exhale

Silly me thought the end the my fourth semester would bring an abundance of time and relaxation. I assumed I would simply fill the evenings I typically spent studying with far more leisurely activities. I would catch up on pleasure reading, play my guitar, write, make social plans, and maybe pick up one of the many television shows everyone always talks about. Well almost one month removed from the end of the semester I have not done any of those things (except for the occasional social activity).

The last month taught me two things. First, I am still busy even though school has ended. My busyness has simply transferred from one thing to another. I work forty hours again, which took an period of adjustment for my body. I coach swimming again, which will really start taking off Wednesday and last until the end of July. My internship at church requires my attention as well. And being the sports nut that I am, the current championship run of the San Antonio Spurs has also occupied a number of my evenings and brought with it angst and excitement at the same time.

Second, my schedule has completely changed. This has probably been one of the tougher aspects of my summer transition. Gone are the forty-five minute commutes to class, which served as my time for prayer each morning. Gone are the evenings of study, which would often transition me into times of reading through and meditating over the Word of God. Gone is the relative ease it took to build intimacy with my Savior. Now I have to work...hard.

I have to (sometimes forcefully) insert time for prayer and reading. I cannot wait around for those moments, because they either never come or I am too distracted to take advantage of them. I have to be far more intentional.

One aspect of the Bible-reading plan I am in the midst of is reading through Proverbs each month. Every day I read one chapter, so by the end of the year I will have read the book roughly twelve times. Honestly, the book is not always the most engaging. It is very repetitive and almost (dare I say) too practical. And yet the book remains a great blessing. It holds out my remaining folly which I cannot ignore. It holds out true wisdom which I often times look for in other places. It 

For instance, take Proverbs 4:20-23. It is far from extravagant, but simple and to the point. The Word of God brings life and healing, and who is without the need for those things?

My son, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
Let them not escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.
For they are life to those who find them,
and healing to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.