A Psalm for December 24. Psalm 84.
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise!Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob!
Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
O LORD of hosts,
blessed is the one who trusts in you!
Day 37
read
2 Samuel 19:1-8
In this passage, David is mourning the death of his son, Absalom. But Joab rebukes him, because it is sort a slap in the face to his people, because Absalom hated him and wanted to at least dethrone him and, possibly, kill him.
think
There are three questions:
1. Who do you identify with more? David or the army?
I'm not sure. I'm probably more like David. One who keeps trying to live in the past and desire to have things that are long gone and impossible to get back. Perfect example: I still catch myself regretting a decision I made in 11th grace to play in stage band rather than play on the high school baseball team. Honestly, I could be recently retired from a lucrative pro baseball career had I chosen a different path. But I didn't. So that's it, isn't it? I can't afford to live life in regret like that.
2. Consider their feelings: David living in regret; the army feeling ignored and discarded.
David has a legitimate regret. He has lost a beloved son. David loved his son, even though his son betrayed him. That is how good parents are. But the army has legitimate concerns, too. They have just saved the king's life, and probably saved the kingdom as well. They don't deserve to be treated the way they were being treated.
3. Consider their next steps: David turning his heart to the people around him who loved him; the army speaking up and stating their needs to a hurting person.
David did the right thing after Joab's rebuke. This was good for the morale of the army. And honestly, sometimes the best thing that can be done for a hurting person is to give them something else to focus on. So, hearing the needs of the army was probably a good thing for David.
pray
I pray for myself and others that might need to "move on," and get out of a situation of regret or feeling ignored.
live
This is so good, I'm going to quote it.
Let your mind rest in glad appreciation for those who stand by you. Ask God for opportunities to bless them. Then in the dailiness of life, look for those opportunities.
Grace and peace, y'all! Be safe tonight and tomorrow.