Resonance

Psalm 109:4

In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.

Reading through the psalms is finding water for the dry and thirsty soul. They resonate with the heart. Who has not “been there”? Seeing the pain other people are causing themselves and wanting to speak wisdom into their lives, we speak wanting to love them. Wanting the person to leave “him”, stop working at the strip club, quite drinking, willing to do whatever it takes to help, and yet only find angry looks and colorful words. So, the psalmist crying out in frustration at being mistreated, wishing for vengeance, longing for justice. You can imagine David hearing the words of Nabal, “there are many servants these days who are breaking way from their masters”, remembering all he had done to help this man preserve his flocks, he is overcome by malice and vengeance and starts down the path of sin only to persuaded by a wise woman (1 Sam 25:33).

It is easy to find ourselves in these scriptures to feel the resonance in our souls as the trials and frustrations of our lives come full force on us, and we remember all the slights done in return for our love and neighborliness. How our closest neighbor overlooks all the little loving acts we do for them, even disdaining them, if they notice at all. The sacrifices falling on deaf ears. The love showered on stone hearts, returning frustration and tears to be cried out in the middle of the night.  It is as if these songs, written millennia ago, are written from our own heart. The cry of a man’s heart has not changed over the course of millennia.

Even as we see this in the Psalms, we must recognize that we have it backwards. We do not find ourselves in the Psalms; the psalms are in us. God has placed a hole in our hearts that only he is able to fill. He has given a portion of himself in the psalms and it resonates with the natural frequency of our heart. Scripture teaches us that Christ is the fulfillment of the scripture. (Matthew 5:17) Psalms is fulfilled in Christ. The cry of David was an echo of what Christ would experience in his time with us. The Spirit carried David along to write not about his own experience but of him who would come. Our high priest was tempted like us in all things but was without sin. (Hebrews 4:15) One of the great blessings of reading plans is making connections across Testaments and Genres. The Psalm above was linked with Mark 3.

“Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” (Mark 3:4) These are the words from Jesus to the Pharisees. He was worshiping and saw the man in need of help. Yet, he also knew the purpose of this man, the Pharisees had laid a trap to see if they could find anything to accuse him of. They remained silent and Jesus took pity on a man in great need and healed him. Recognizing the beauty of doing good on the Sabbath to the Glory of God. For this he was driven from the region and they began the process of plotting his path to the cross.

Truly our high priest knows our hearts. He has been tempted as we and more, and he stands at the right hand of God petitioning for us, and the spirit is interceding, with groans to deep for words. This is the reality of prayer. When all of this is overwhelming you and you retreat to scripture for comfort and The Word places the Balm of Gilead upon your broken heart and down trodden spirit, let him encourage you. Let him breath courage into you that you might walk another day to his glory and your good. That you might walk another day for the glory of him who died for you, and yet lives.

CRUCE, DUM SPIRO, FIDO