Draw Near to God

“But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.” –Psalm 73:28 (ESV).

A long-time question that has perplexed mankind is “Why do the ungodly seem to prosper and the godly have such a hard time?”  That was a query that produced much thought in several of the Psalms, especially those called “Wisdom Psalms.”  I invite you to read all of Psalm 73, and companion wisdom Psalms 49 and 37.  All deal with the dilemma of those who seem to prosper in their way of life while the pious and godly seem to suffer.  Is it any wonder we ask “Why?” 

To explore what we often, in our humanity, term unfairness seems to me to be a logical pursuit.  But through all the questioning the Psalm writers pose, there comes a very definite conclusion:  “Loyalty to the Lord always is rewarded by contentment in Him, honest dealing with our fellowman, generosity of spirit, and just and righteous living.  We are not to be envious of evil doers, but we ourselves are to “trust in the Lord and do good” (Psalm 37:3).  The more we draw near to God, the better perspective we will have on life.  We won’t wonder so much about its “fairness” as we come to realize that our “delight is in the Lord” (Psalm 37:4)  Moreover, for those who draw near to God, they have not only necessary strength for this life but they have an anchor for the life to come, whereas the wicked are “cut off.” 

Today we call ‘the Lord’s day,’ a day set aside for worship and spiritual refreshment.  (Actually, every day is the Lord’s day; one in seven is set aside for public worship) The Psalmist wrote that it was in worship that the answers he sought came to him:  “But when I thought how to understand this (that is, why the ungodly seemingly prosper and the good have tribulation), it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end” (Psalm 73:16, ESV).  In worship the Psalmist reaches some wonderful conclusions:  “I am continually with You; You hold my right hand.  You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will receive me to glory.  Whom have I in heaven but You?  And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You.  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:23-26).  And the assurance that all is right is in the resolution and exaltation expressed in verse 28:  “But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of His works.”  It is not in the punctuation of this verse, but I for one think it should end in an exclamation mark!  As I draw near to God, He assures me that He is my strength and my portion forever!

                                                                                                Ethelene Dyer Jones 03.10.2013.

Delight

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” –Psalm 1: 1-2 (ESV).  “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.  Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalm 37:3-4 (ESV).

“Delight”…what a beautiful word.  As a noun it means a high degree of gratification, extreme satisfaction, something that gives great pleasure (also the power of affording pleasure, joy).  From the Middle English deliten  and the Old French deliter, delectare, as a verb, delight can mean “to allure,to take great pleasure in, to give joy or satisfaction.”  As I thought of the word delight, my mind had a pleasant journey back a number of years recalling a visit to the Shaker Village in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, where we heard those dressed as the eighteenth and nineteenth century Shakers perform in their “delightful” religious dance and sing the words attributed to Joseph Brackett (1797-1882) from the Shaker dance song, “Simple Gifts.”  You might remember the words, too, from Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” of 1944.  Once you think about the song (and if you know the words) it is hard not to sing it over and over in your mind:

            “’Tis the gift to be simple, ‘tis the gift to be free

            ‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

             And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

            ‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.”

I could see those Shaker performers taking delight both in the words and music and the movement of the dance they performed for us at the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill.  I get great delight now in visits from my great grandchildren.  We like to go exploring in my back yard.  One day Jake and Cydni were here and by digging down a little in soft dirt, we found a beautiful smooth stone.  We talked about its beauty, its smoothness and color, and, best of all that God Who created our wonderful world formed the earth and its contents, even stones that water and the elements have made smooth over a long time.  The stone found a favored spot at one of my flower beds.  Now when any of the great grandchildren come, and especially the two who found the stone, they take great delight in seeing the stone again and remembering how they discovered it. 

My mind turned not only to the “Simple Gifts” song and its invitation to  “the valley of love and delight,”  but I recalled and meditated upon Psalm 1 which is itself a song and the gateway (or prelude, if you want to think of it in musical terms) to the entire book of Psalms, inviting us into the delights and fellowship of the Lord God:  “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.”  (Psalm 1:1-2, ESV).  Come!  Early every morning and throughout each day, take delight in the Lord:  “”Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.  Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:3-4, ESV).