Psalms Book One

by Ben

First, some personal news. Kate and I got engaged on Saturday. WOOHOO!

Second, the entry:

I read Psalm 31-41, finishing out the first Book of the Psalms.

There were many things that came to me while reading today. I noticed my mind drifting while I read, so I began to read aloud and the Scriptures came alive to me. I really could understand where David was at while writing. In going along, I came to Psalm 35 (which I suggest you read to better understand this entry).

David is really distraught. He's asking God for help. Simple enough, yet the thought came into my head that this doesn't show David as being very trusting of God's will. I've recently been thinking a lot about predestination. Throughout my life, I've gone back and forth about whether I believe God means for everything to happen or whether He just uses the things that do happen to lead to better things. We all have examples of bad things leading to good things (whether we know it or not). The question comes when we consider if God intended the original bad thing to happen in order to setup the circumstances for the good thing to happen.

I'm starting to confuse myself. Let's get back to the Scripture. David is asking for God to take away his problems. To humiliate and disgrace his enemies (a point that we'll come back to). This leads me to question David's trust in God. It seems that in talking about the Psalms, people often reference that David calls upon God in all different situations (joy and pain) in his life, but I think what he is saying here is very important.

Another way to look at this situation is to attempt to view it from God's perspective. For this attempt, I'm going to assume that God intended for the initial pain in David's life (you'll understand as I explain). Whatever is causing David pain has certainly caused him to seek God's presence/guidance/help/etc. Had this situation not occurred, would David have sought God?

In the book Running on Empty by Fil Anderson, there is an idea that stands out to me. Mr. Anderson says, "It's essential that I understand the health of my relationship with God is ultimately God's responsibility. My responsibility is providing space for solitude and silence so that God may attend to the needs of my soul. I'm just the innkeeper making room for the Guest." Is God fulfilling his part by creating the situation by which I come to prayer? I'll let that thought sit for now. But I will leave you with a bit of related humor.



"The proper way for a man to pray," said Deacon Lemuel Keyes;
"And the only proper attitude is down upon his knees."

"Nay, I should say the way to pray," said Reverend Doctor Wise,
"Is standing straight with outstretched arms with shining upturned eyes."

"Oh, no, no, no," said Elder Snow, "such a posture is too proud.
A man should pray with eyes fast-closed and head contritely bowed."

"It seems to me his hands should be austerely clasped in front with
both thumbs pointing to the ground," said Reverend Doctor Blunt.

"Last year I fell in Hodgkin's well head-first," said layman Cyrus Brown.
"With both my heels a-stickin' up, my head a-pointin' down;
and I made a prayer right then and there; best prayer I ever said,
the prayin'est prayer I ever prayed, a-standin' on my head."


-Sam Walter Foss's "The Prayer of Cyrus Brown"