The Soul's Freefall

 

Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”  They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good!  God looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God.  But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt.  No one does good, not a single one!  Will those who do evil never learn?  They eat up my people like bread and wouldn’t think of praying to God.  Terror will grip them, terror like they have never known before.  God will scatter the bones of your enemies.  You will put them to shame, for God has rejected them.  Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel?  When God restores his people, Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice.  Psalm 53:1-6

There are a lot of moving parts to this Psalm…all processing in the same direction, downward!  Note the movement and the sudden change:

     ·       Fools ignore God and God’s prior claim on our existence.

     ·       God is watching, but doesn’t prevent our corrupt choices.

     ·       Evil turns abusive and arrogantly destroys the lives of others.

     ·       The result of it all will be terror when God says “enough of this”!

     ·       Those who have trusted in God will rejoice at the outcome of it all.

One consistent thought that permeates this whole process is that those who choose evil prefer so, and will never be content with worshipping God.  Their interest lies only in the temporary self-gratifying conquest of what they can see and feel.  Eternity is snubbed for a few fading perks.

Watching all this play out would be humorous if it were not so tragic.  It’s a little like watching the bad guy in a “B-movie”.  You know that guy, the one with the black hat and thin mustache that’s curled-up at the ends.  He is always tying-up the beautiful heroine on the railroad tracks.  He leaves her there with a sneer and laugh; her fate is sealed.  But you know the plot.  The good guy with the white hat, riding a white stallion swoops in and saves the girl just before the train comes.  Then there’s a fight and the bad guy loses…again.

Question

Was this just a poor beginning of Steven Spielberg’s movie producing career?  Or could it be Psalm 53 stuck in our DNA?  Since the foundation of time, space, and eternity, God has known what we’d be up to here on planet earth.  He’s told us in many ways, and with every bit of creation’s majesty, to look to Him.  All else is, as Solomon would write in Ecclesiastes, vanity.  And the Psalmist would agree with Solomon, evil leads to more evil; ignoring God leads to increasing ignorance.  And those who choose this pathway do not learn it’s painful lesson, nor do they care!  And, in the end, the judgment will be final, fatal, and fearsome.

For You Today

If you’re tempted to question God’s (apparent) lack of intervening in history, and the pressing injustices of current times, or even why the bad guy got the promotion, and you’re still wondering how to pay this month’s grocery bill, remember that the time is coming…in HIS time.  And the freefall of the soul is in God’s hands.  So don’t do so much questioning of God…lean more to trusting!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title image: Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©    

Eternity from an Earthly Point of View

 

Monday, November 22, 2021

O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you.  My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.  I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory.  Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you!  I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer.  You satisfy me more than the richest feast.  I will praise you with songs of joy.  I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night.  Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.  I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely.  Psalm 63:1-8

I don’t know how this plays out in your mind, but, for me, thoughts of eternity are the ultimate “WOW” moment.  My little earthly brain cannot conceive of the eternal.  Even now, after writing that little sentence I can feel the throbbing building up behind my eyebrows. 

There are several reasons for this; chief among the factors is my tendency to dwell on the here and now, rather than eternal.  Now, that’s not aw-shucks humility; it’s simply human nature.  We humans trust much more in what we can see, than that which requires faith.  Just entertaining even the idea of God is too immense and overpowering to hold in perspective.  David wrote that he would lie awake entire nights dwelling on thoughts of God, while his soul reminded him how parched he was longing for the presence of the Sovereign Lord.

The other driving fact (for me) that eternity is above my pay grade is that Scripture tells me God has created me with eternity in mind.  That which rolls around my insides like an indwelling combination of thoughts, platelets, sinew, bone, and fleshly organs, is an eternal soul, created by the Almighty, with the purpose of eternal fellowship and joy…with He who is eternal and sovereign.  Beloved, if that does not start a holy revival fire of praise and thanksgiving in your soul, your worship-wood is wet!

Saving the best for last, David writes that God’s ultimate strength[1] is reserved for holding us close to Him.

What a delight!

For You Today

Many philosophers, pundits, and seekers contemplate eternity as if there is an unknowable pathway to successfully navigating some unknowable purpose.  But David, the poet, king, and man after God’s own heart put it right in the middle of this Psalm:

Your unfailing love is better than life itself;

Want a leg-up on figuring out why God put you on this planet?  Learn to sing from under the shadow of His wings…it’s the place of unfailing, unending love!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title and Other Images:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

For another post on this text see Protected - November 9, 2020

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[1] In ancient times the right (sword) hand was considered the strongest, most important of a warrior’s tools