An Upside-Down Blessing

A Series on the Psalms – a collection of prayers
Feeling helpless
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Psalm 18:1-19

[Life is filled with emotions. The book of Psalms is a collection of prayers that express our emotions which are the cry of our soul for help and hope. In this series, we will be looking into the Psalms to learn more about ourselves and our Lord.]

During the 50’s and 60’s, Westerns were the king of TV programs. I grew up watching Maverick, Rifleman and Rawhide amongst many others. The hero was always the strong silent type who would quickly take action. Plus, there was always a beautiful woman who was helpless and needed to be rescued.

 

Typically, one of the most dramatic scenes would be when the hero rode into a heated confrontation to rescue the helpless damsel in distress. He would swoop her off her feet as they rode into the sunset.

 

David felt like the damsel in distress… helpless when life had become overwhelming and out of control. The imagery of this Psalm is powerful as David paints a picture of his life.

 

⁴ The ropes of death entangled me;
    floods of destruction swept over me.
⁵ The grave wrapped its ropes around me;
    death laid a trap in my path.    NLT

 

It almost sounds melodramatic except that we don’t know what circumstances led David to write with such despair. Fortunately, the Lord heard David’s cry for help. Here’s how he described the Lord riding to the rescue.

 

⁹ He opened the heavens and came down;
    dark storm clouds were beneath his feet.
¹⁰ Mounted on a mighty angelic being, he flew,
    soaring on the wings of the wind.        NLT

 

Then in vivid imagery, David wrote how the Lord pulled him out of his helplessness.

 

¹⁶ He reached down from heaven and rescued me;
    he drew me out of deep waters.
¹⁷ He rescued me from my powerful enemies,
    from those who hated me and were too strong for me.        NLT

 

Sometimes life can feel overwhelming and out of control. It could be due to the death of a loved one, losing your job or a broken relationship. Even a major life-change like becoming an empty nester, changing careers or moving to a new state, can cause these feelings.

 

Although it sounds upside down, this can be a blessing. It can be a blessing to feel overwhelmed; to feel that life is out of control; to feel helpless. At least, that’s what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount.

 

³ “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

⁴ “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. Matthew 5    MSG

 

Feeling helpless doesn’t feel good. But it’s an opportunity to learn to trust the Lord; to remember that he is faithful; to relearn that he will never leave you; to internalize his unfailing love. That, my friend, is an upside down blessing.

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Guilty as Charged

A Series on the Psalms – a collection of prayers
Feeling broken from guilt
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Psalm 51 

[Life is filled with emotions. The book of Psalms is a collection of prayers that express our emotions which are the cry of our soul for help and hope. In this series, we will be looking into the Psalms to learn more about ourselves and our Lord.]

  

When I was growing up, my Dad didn’t have to spank me to make me cry. All he had to do was raise his voice. Even though there was no physical pain, I felt the pain of rejection and of a broken relationship with the person who mattered the most to me. David felt the same way with God.

 

He had sinned greatly against God. In the spring when his army went to battle, the great warrior David stayed home. As a result, he had an affair with Bathsheba who became pregnant. When her husband wouldn’t cooperate in David’s cover up scheme, he had him killed. David knew he had sinned. He was guilty as charged!

 

⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.  NIV

 

In his guilt and shame, David begged God to forgive and cleanse him. There was a stain on his life that he couldn’t get rid of by himself. His only recourse was to appeal to God’s mercy and love.

 

¹ Have mercy on me, O God,
    because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
    blot out the stain of my sins.     NLT

 

David had been a man after God’s own heart. He had stood up to the Philistines and defeated Goliath. He had led Israel into battle time and again. When he was unjustly persecuted by King Saul who intended to kill him, David didn’t retaliate. But now his sins overwhelmed him.

 

³ For I recognize my rebellion;
    it haunts me day and night.     NLT

 

However, what haunted him the most was the prospect of losing his relationship with God. The thought of being separated from God drove him to make amends.

 

¹¹ Do not banish me from your presence,
    and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.      NLT

 

David realized that he needed God’s forgiveness. In Israel, the normal way for seeking forgiveness was to offer an animal sacrifice. But David knew that wasn’t enough. He needed to change his life.

 

¹⁷ The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
    You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. NLT

 

Sin separates us from God. Only the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross can bridge that chasm; can restore us. Because of Christ, nothing can separate us from God. Paul put it like this to the Roman church.

 

³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.        NIV

 

David was guilty as charged. But even though he knew nothing about Jesus, he understood that nothing could separate him from God’s love. Not even his sin.

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

Victim or Villain?

A series on the story of redemption – Part II
The story of Esau
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Genesis 25:19-34;27:1-40 

[Everybody has a story. Even God has one. His is a story about love and redemption and faithfulness. In this series we are going to take a closer look at God’s story through the lives of the people that He touched. How their story became His story of redemption. And how your story is also a part of it.]

  

Have you ever been a victim? It’s happened to my wife and me a couple of times when someone broke into our home. There’s nothing worse than the feeling you get to pull into your driveway and see a stranger in your upstairs bedroom window.

 

As a victim you feel violated and helpless. You feel like someone has taken advantage of you; like you’ve been used. You want to retaliate; to make them pay; to exact justice. An eye for an eye.

 

At first blush, Esau appears to be the villain in his story. After all, he’s impulsive and vindictive. This led him to vow to kill his brother Jacob after their father died. It also resulted in him marrying a Canaanite woman who was the daughter of Isaac’s stepsibling rival, just to spite his parents.

 

But it’s also possible that Esau could be the victim. After all, when he was at his most vulnerable point of being tired and hungry, Jacob took full advantage of him by trading a bowl of stew for his birthright. Later, his mother orchestrated a plan to steal Isaac’s blessing from Esau. Who could blame Esau for reacting the way he did.

 

Victim or villain? 

You could probably argue both labels for Esau. However, Scripture casts him as a villain. In Malachi, the Lord clearly said that he rejected Esau and that his descendants were a wicked people. To confirm this, the prophecy of Obadiah is all about the judgement of Edom, the descendants of Esau.

 

So… what made Esau the villain?

 

In the ancient Near East, a birthright was the legal and social standard for an inheritance. In Hebrew law, the firstborn son actually received a double portion of inheritance and would assume leadership of the family – money and power.

 

For Esau’s family, the birthright also included the covenant of the God of Abraham and Isaac. This meant being the beneficiary of the promise of having countless descendants and the Promised Land. Primarily though, it was about redemption and relationship with God. By rejecting his birthright, Esau was rejecting God.

 

The author of Hebrews encouraged believers to be holy, to watch after each other and to “See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many”. Then he gave this warning.

 

¹⁶ Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal. ¹⁷ You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears.   Hebrews 12   NLT

 

Like Esau, we have a birthright. But unlike Esau, it can’t be traded.

 

²⁹ And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.            Galatians 3   NLT

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

A 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle

A series on the story of redemption – Part II
The story of Rebekah
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Genesis 25:19-34; 27:1-40 

[Everybody has a story. Even God has one. His is a story about love and redemption and faithfulness. In this series we are going to take a closer look at God’s story through the lives of the people that He touched. How their story became His story of redemption. And how your story is also a part of it.]

  

I hate puzzles. It doesn’t matter what kind it is… crossword, Wordle, Rubik’s Cube, Sudoku or jigsaw. However, recently I found myself addicted to working on a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle of Spartan Stadium, where Michigan State plays football.

 

My strategy was to look for a scene that was identifiable and try to complete that section of the puzzle… piece by piece. Have you ever sorted through 1000 puzzle pieces that all seem to look alike? It can be tedious and frustrating! But when one of the pieces actually fits, you want to celebrate!

 

Life is like a puzzle. We have to problem solve all the time. If trying one way doesn’t work, then try another. Figure it out. Make it work. Take control. Do whatever you need to do in order to solve your problem. At least, that’s what Rebekah thought.

 

Rebekah was the wife of Isaac. Following their marriage, she was unable to conceive for twenty years. Finally, after Isaac pleaded with the Lord, she became pregnant. But during her pregnancy the babies jostled each other within her. When she asked the Lord why, his answer was unsettling.

 

²³ And the Lord told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.”    Genesis 25    NLT

 

Because of this, Rebekah was aware that the Lord’s plan to carry his covenant down through the generations involved Jacob, but not Esau. Many years later, she most likely learned about Esau trading his birthright for a meal. Knowledge is power.

 

When Isaac was old and frail, Rebekah overheard him tell Esau that he was going to give him his blessing. But the Lord had said that Jacob would carry the covenant. Plus, he was Rebekah’s favorite.

 

It would have been an easy step for her to think that she needed to take things into her own hands. With that thought in mind, she devised a plan to trick Isaac into blessing Jacob. More so than Jacob, Rebekah was the master manipulator.

 

But the Lord is sovereign, loving and faithful. His plans are fulfilled despite sinful people. In Romans 9, Paul wrote about God’s sovereignty. As an example, he used the story of Rebekah giving birth to Esau and Jacob.

 

¹¹ But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes; ^12a he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.)        NLT

 

The Lord is a master puzzler. That is, he knows exactly where each piece of the puzzle goes. He knows how to make 1000 unique pieces fit perfectly for the picture to look proper. We may not understand it while he’s putting the puzzle together. But he is God, and we are not.

 

²⁰ But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?” ²¹ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?            NIV

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com