With Confident Expectation

Dear Faith Family,

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore, (Psalm 131)

Sometimes I lean on my own understanding.  If I can understand what’s happening in the political arena, I’m ok.  If I can understand why my computer is being ugly to me, I’m ok.  If I can understand why Walmart shoppers act the way that they do, ok, I’m not ok.  Sometimes all it takes for me to be ok is a little bit of understanding. 

Question: what happens when we don’t understand?  Are we still ok?  Like, when we don’t understand our political “enemies”.  Are we ok?  Like when we don’t know why our computer is not behaving.  Are we ok?  And Walmart?  Maybe you should just not go there. 

In Psalm 131, David was singing on his way to the temple.  The people of God would assemble in Jerusalem to meet together with and worship the living, present God.  What was David (a man after God’s own heart, the King of Israel, the holder of the championship belt over Goliath the great) singing about on his way up the mountain? 

David sang a song of humility rather than personal achievement.  David was singing of his ignorance rather than his understanding.  David was singing of his contentment rather than his dissatisfaction.  Was David in despair?  Was he depressed?  Was he paralyzed without ambition?  I think not.  He was ascending the hill of worship, the place of meeting with our God! 

It would seem that David had made friends with contentment.  His ability to release understanding from the responsibility of producing personal peace is enviable.  But where does such contentment come from if not from understanding? 

David experienced the trustworthiness of God as he faced his fears on a hillside spotted with sheep, on the battlefield in the shadow of Goliath, and under the weight of the title: King of Israel.  Those places of ignorance provided a spotlight for the trustworthiness of our God!  God is faithful.  God can be trusted.  Even in our lack of understanding (you know – when God doesn’t do as we please, or when He doesn’t make sense, or when He offers no explanation) God is still the anchor that we so desperately need on the rough seas of life. 

The call is to hope (confident expectation).  To trust God knowing that He knows what He is doing even when we don’t!  Allow His past faithfulness (both biblical and personal) to anchor your present lack of understanding. 

With confident expectation I worship,

Pastor Karl