Sing the blues
I said, “I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue; I will keep a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence.” I was silent and still; I held my peace to no avail; my distress grew worse, my heart became hot within me. While I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue: “Lord, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing in your sight. Surely everyone stands as a mere breath. Surely everyone goes about like a shadow. Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; they heap up, and do not know who will gather. And now, O Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you. Deliver me from all my transgressions. Do not make me the scorn of the fool. I am silent; I do not open my mouth, for it is you who have done it. Remove your stroke from me; I am worn down by the blows of your hand. You chastise mortals in punishment for sin, consuming like a moth what is dear to them; surely everyone is a mere breath. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; do not hold your peace at my tears. For I am your passing guest, an alien, like all my forebears. Turn your gaze away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more.” – Psalm 39
I’ve been reading the Psalms more and more. I have read a book about my favorite band, U2, and how their religious beliefs have influenced their music. (Here is a link to a great website on preaching from U2 songs.) Many of U2’s songs are inspired or come directly from the Bible. The Psalms have been a particularly rich source of ideas. Because so many psalms have been set to music, I think that we may think of them as songs. But the Psalms are first and foremost prayers. But like the music to which they have been set, they are incredibly diverse. They can be as soothing as classical music, as heartbreaking as country, as angry as punk or rap, as anthem like as the standards, as comforting as a lullaby or as soulful and raw as the blues. Bono, the lead singer of U2, has said that King David was the first blues singer. He said, “The Psalter may be a font of gospel music, but for me it’s in his despair that the psalmist really reveals the nature of his special relationship with God. Honesty, even to the point of anger.”
In Psalm 39, the psalmist is all over the place with his prayer. I find that my prayers are much like that. In my daily morning and evening prayers, I try to have a format that I follow, but the events of the day flood in. The psalmist says that he has tried to keep quiet, but he can not hold his tongue any longer. He is worried about how much longer he has to live. He wants to know that he is forgiven. He feels that he has been punished for his sins and he asks for mercy.
The psalmist is worried how much time he has left. We can all relate to that. We are all concerned about how long we are going to live and what we will be able to do with that time. The psalmist is also worried that he has gotten on the Lord’s bad side, and that everything that is going wrong is his punishment. King David had stopped teaching, stopped speaking for the Lord, because he did not feel worthy. He did not want to be a hypocrite. I think we all understand that feeling. It seems that whenever I have been an assisting minister, or have written this article, the text that I am using always has at least one verse that makes me uncomfortable. There’s always something that makes me feel uncomfortable speaking or writing about. But that is always the verse that sticks with me. It’s the verse that has been put there for me. When that happens, I try to ask God, as the psalmist does, to listen to my appeals and help me. Not asking because I am worthy, but appealing to God's own righteousness, understanding that no person can claim to be without sin.
We have to realize that we all sin. We are made to sin. It is from sinning, and wanting to be forgiven for that sin, that we grow closer to God. We have just completed Lent and Easter, when we remember the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But we need to remember why it happened. Jesus died as a sacrifice for us and for atonement for our sins.
No matter what your taste in music may be, or how you are feeling on a particular day, you can probably find a Psalm that matches your attitude. Use it as part of your prayer to talk to God and ask Him for what you would like. Remember that we are all worthy because God loves us. Remember that we are all worthy because Jesus died for us. Remember that we are all worthy because the Holy Spirit has come to guide us.
I’ve been reading the Psalms more and more. I have read a book about my favorite band, U2, and how their religious beliefs have influenced their music. (Here is a link to a great website on preaching from U2 songs.) Many of U2’s songs are inspired or come directly from the Bible. The Psalms have been a particularly rich source of ideas. Because so many psalms have been set to music, I think that we may think of them as songs. But the Psalms are first and foremost prayers. But like the music to which they have been set, they are incredibly diverse. They can be as soothing as classical music, as heartbreaking as country, as angry as punk or rap, as anthem like as the standards, as comforting as a lullaby or as soulful and raw as the blues. Bono, the lead singer of U2, has said that King David was the first blues singer. He said, “The Psalter may be a font of gospel music, but for me it’s in his despair that the psalmist really reveals the nature of his special relationship with God. Honesty, even to the point of anger.”
In Psalm 39, the psalmist is all over the place with his prayer. I find that my prayers are much like that. In my daily morning and evening prayers, I try to have a format that I follow, but the events of the day flood in. The psalmist says that he has tried to keep quiet, but he can not hold his tongue any longer. He is worried about how much longer he has to live. He wants to know that he is forgiven. He feels that he has been punished for his sins and he asks for mercy.
The psalmist is worried how much time he has left. We can all relate to that. We are all concerned about how long we are going to live and what we will be able to do with that time. The psalmist is also worried that he has gotten on the Lord’s bad side, and that everything that is going wrong is his punishment. King David had stopped teaching, stopped speaking for the Lord, because he did not feel worthy. He did not want to be a hypocrite. I think we all understand that feeling. It seems that whenever I have been an assisting minister, or have written this article, the text that I am using always has at least one verse that makes me uncomfortable. There’s always something that makes me feel uncomfortable speaking or writing about. But that is always the verse that sticks with me. It’s the verse that has been put there for me. When that happens, I try to ask God, as the psalmist does, to listen to my appeals and help me. Not asking because I am worthy, but appealing to God's own righteousness, understanding that no person can claim to be without sin.
We have to realize that we all sin. We are made to sin. It is from sinning, and wanting to be forgiven for that sin, that we grow closer to God. We have just completed Lent and Easter, when we remember the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But we need to remember why it happened. Jesus died as a sacrifice for us and for atonement for our sins.
No matter what your taste in music may be, or how you are feeling on a particular day, you can probably find a Psalm that matches your attitude. Use it as part of your prayer to talk to God and ask Him for what you would like. Remember that we are all worthy because God loves us. Remember that we are all worthy because Jesus died for us. Remember that we are all worthy because the Holy Spirit has come to guide us.
I must confess this is a reworking of an article I wrote for my church's newsletter. I found it while looking for something else while taking a "study break" from trying to remember the 24 ways to say "the" in Greek. I wanted to post my thoughts on taking Greek, but realized if I had posted them, I would have wanted to retract them shortly thereafter. But sometimes you have to scream at the moon, or have a study group at the ABC.
Comments
Keep up the good work!