Psalm 51:6
“Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.”
As time passed it affected him physically (Ps. 32:3-4), emotionally (Ps. 51:8, 12), spiritually (Ps. 51:3-4, 11), psychologically (Ps. 51:5), domestically (2 Sam. 12:11-12) and vocationally (2 Sam. 12:17-18). It was an acid eating his soul. Eventually it all came out (2 Sam 12:1-13). Only then could the healing begin.
David’s world needed rebuilding. The initial site for that renovation was his “inmost place”. It is the same for you and for me.
Journey to Your Centre
Travelling inward can be a frightening experience. If you do not go there often enough the stuff you find will be unpleasant. It’s like cleaning the fridge at work and finding year old egg salad sandwiches and mould infested pies. Gross!
David’s inner world was mouldy, infested and dark. It was sick to the point that he prayed to God: “do not cast me from your presence”. He felt worthless and even wondered if God might take the Holy Spirit away from him (Ps. 51:11). Many of us have experienced this same inner darkness.
David and each of us need help.
Own Your Darkness
Before help comes there is a hard truth. You have to take the gross stuff (your spiritual equivalent of year old egg salad sandwiches) and bring it out into the open before God. David did this. “I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity” (Ps. 32:5). He confessed to God and to Nathan the prophet.
Confession is inviting God to listen in while you tell yourself the truth. And “truth” is exactly what God desires in your “inner parts” (Ps. 51:6).
David’s experience of confessing was so releasing that he invites everyone to pray the same way he did. If you do, he promises that “when the mighty waters” of judgement rise, they will not reach you (Ps. 32:6-7). Strange as it may seem the way to find God is to go inward and downward (to quote Parker Palmer).
Bring Your Smelly Offering
David’s poetry makes a shocking claim. Every orthodox worshipper in David’s world knew that God wanted unblemished sacrifices for worship. He required new born lambs, never-yoked Oxen, healthy blue-ribbon livestock. The demand was always for the freshest and the best. But suddenly David changes the rules. When it comes to human hearts, it is different!
“The sacrifices of God are a BROKEN spirit, a broken and CONTRITE heart” (Ps. 51:17).
Amazing! God wants me to bring my mouldy spirit and my maggot infested heart and give them to him in worship. He accepts this as an offering when I bring it with a deeply sorry attitude.
This is incredible good news because I have nothing else to bring really!
Welcome God’s Renewal
This journey inward to the dark centre and the hard work of bringing a smelly offering may take weeks and months. It may prove harder than we think. But it leads to a new and beautiful place. It is here, at the “inmost place”, that God teaches us wisdom (Ps. 51:6).
And with that wisdom, if we are willing to receive it, comes purity, security, joy, community, vocation and celebration – all of them abundantly restored (Ps. 51:11-15; 32:5-7).
Is it any wonder David says: “Blessed is the person whose sins the Lord does not count against him” (Ps. 32:2). Here is HOPE!
Questions
Have you experienced the release of confession?
How often do you take the journey to your "inmost place"? What practices help you do this?
1 Samuel 18:9
“From that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.”
The Jealousy Principle: Jealous leaders shrink what they lead.
By putting their own interests first and sabotaging anyone who threatens them, jealous leaders diminish whatever they lead. Jealous leaders empty the talent pool of their organisations without even realising it.
King Saul, of Israel, made a good start but he finished very poorly. He made several bad decisions. One of his worst was choosing to envy young David, Jesse’s son.
David was impressive. He had musical gifts and a leader’s heart. He could play the harp, wield a sword and write poetry all in a day’s work. He stood out in battle and in the king’s court as a man of great value to the nation. The crowds loved him, the girls swooned over him and King Saul despised him. Sad really!
A modern psychologist would have some sort of label for Saul. He was not a well man. He could begin applauding David’s skill as a harpist and suddenly chuck a spear at him in a moment of jealous rage. The Bible says an “evil spirit” took hold of Saul. This behaviour condemned Israel to pointless civil strife for a long time.
How different history might have been if Saul had mentored David instead of trying to kill him. Imagine if David had received the support and backing of this initially competent King and if the two friends David and Jonathan (Saul’s son) had been left to enjoy friendship and cooperatively build the future nation. Instead Saul’s jealousy crippled his leadership and confounded the people.
We can nurture a jealous eye today, just like Saul. It is an infection that can take you by surprise when somebody in your organisation makes you feel insecure or threatened. Suddenly you want them gone. You watch them with envy and disdain. And if you act on that impulse you will shrink your organisation by much more than one person.
Jealous bosses (including parents and teachers) may not use a javelin in an attempt to skewer their competition, but there are other ways to stick it to an underling. Ego gets in the way and truly capable people are diminished. Whole enterprises fall.
Five questions to help cure a jealous eye:
- What does this person have (abilities, connections, possessions) that I want or fear loosing?
- What would be the Kingdom result if I elevated this person instead of crushing them?
- What am I insecure about and why?
- How can I change my self-talk?
- Is there something in my leadership history that is stirring up these unhelpful feelings and attitudes?
You can choose jealousy OR you can choose to coach, mentor, build-up and serve. You can hope that young up-start falls off the ladder OR you can position yourself to hold the ladder for her/him. If you choose the first you will shrink your charge. If you choose the second you will multiply the capacity of both yourself and your organisation. Beware the jealous eye!
Questions
- Where are you most tempted towards leadership jealousy?
- Have you ever been the target of this kind of jealousy? What did you learn? How did you escape.
- Please leave a comment.
Proverbs 11:13
“A gossip betrays a confidence but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.”
Secrets are not child's play, they are the stuff of life. At all cost, surround yourself with people who can keep secrets. But know the danger of secrets as well.
Bless you, if you can keep a secret!
I want (need) people like you in my life. Secrecy is a cocoon of opportunity. There are so many things in life that we need trustworthy people to help us address.
You can’t do any of these six things without the power of secrets:
- Process your dark stuff with a great counsellor
- Know true intimacy in a marriage
- Celebrate a special occasion for one you love and do it with genuine surprise
- Have adequate space to process a decision that will effect others
- Think through a complex problem or opportunity with a friend
- Act kindly with anonymity
Can you keep a secret? Bless you if you can because many secrets are good.
But, should you keep this or that particular secret?
Secrecy can also be a closet for sinister things.
Six secrets that don’t deserve to be kept:
- The secret that abuses
- The lie that confuses
- The covert injustice
- The clandestine affair
- The unacknowledged prejudice
- The ‘dirty little’ secret
In these situations, blow the whistle. When secrecy hides truth and fosters evil it is the responsibility of good people to shine a light in the darkness. Some secrets are bad.
You won’t have to keep secrets forever.
Secrecy is temporary. The Bible promises there will come a “day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ” (Rom. 2:16) and when we “shall see face to face” and “know fully” (1 Cor. 13:12). Good secrets won’t be needed, bad secrets won’t be tolerated.
Until then. Bless you if you can keep a secret and bless you even more if you know when not to!
Questions
- Have you experienced the hurt of betrayed confidence? Have you healed from that experience? What do you need to do to grow further or share that learning?
- Are you aware of any "secrets" that need light shed on them?
- What is gossip? How do you keep from participating in it?
- Please leave a comment.
Psalm 47:8-9
“God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne … the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.”
Gaddafi (Libya) looks like he is finished. No sorrow there! Gillard (Australia) looks a little less secure this week than last week. She can’t seem to cop a break these days. Even the High Court is against her. Berlusconi (Italy) is “nauseated” by public life and wants out, or so the wire-tap transcripts say.
All these “kings of the earth” belong to God. Imagine that!
I read my bible this morning and this is what it said (Ps. 47:1)
“Clap your hands, all you nations:
Shout to God with cries of joy.
How awesome is the Lord Most High,
The great King over all the earth!”
That is a powerful statement of faith. It takes some courage to clap for God in Libya, Australia and Italy this morning (and most other places too). We live in a world of challenges and perplexities. Stabilising Libya’s new leadership is no small thing. Sorting out Australia’s immigration policies and fixing Europe’s economics are major challenges.
I respect just politicians who serve the people and give of their best in troubled times. But today I am reminded that “God reigns over the nations”. Today I want to clap for God and declare that he is my “refuge and strength, an ever-present help in time of trouble” (Ps. 46:1).
I wonder how often these “kings of the earth” remember that they “belong to God”. That is how Scripture positions all politicians. It is the frame of reference I bring to reading the news. This keeps me from too much worry. It prompts me to pray for politicians. And it calls ME to act for justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with God.
I noticed two other things this morning as I read Psalms 46 and 47.
This wonderful call to stillness (Ps. 46:10)
“Be still and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
And this invitation to sing (Ps. 47:7)
“God is the King of all the earth;
Sing to him a psalm of praise.”
Here then, is our hope: The kings of earth belong to God! When you forget this, be still until you know again. And when you remember it, sing until others are stirred to join you.
Questions
- What do you worry about when you read the news? How do these Psalms encourage you?
- Do you find stillness and singing useful in the same way David did?
- Please leave a comment.
1 Samuel 1:15
Hannah replied “I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman.”
How is it possible that our deepest devotion can look so shallow and even offensive to others? How can a woman crying out to God for help be mistaken for a wino by a kindly old priest?
Here’s how: Our motives are hidden. Our actions are in plain view. And every onlooker sees only what the angle of his vision lets him see. Result: a much higher likelihood of misunderstanding than most of us are prepared for.
Hannah is not the first or last to be misunderstood in her passion for God. She stands in a long and venerable line:
- David danced for God and his wife was disgusted as she watched (2 Sam. 6:14-16).
- The tribes living on the east side of the Jordan River built an altar of devotion to God. The tribes living on the west side thought it was an idol and the two factions nearly went to war over the misunderstanding (Josh. 22:24-27).
- Jesus healed the sick in the name of God and religious leaders called him a devil (Mk. 3:22).
- The Apostles stepped out of the upper room touched by the Spirit’s fire and wind and the crowds accused them of drunkenness, like Hannah (Acts 2:12-16).
- Paul shared the gospel and his opponents tried their hardest to discredit him (1 Thess. 2:1-16).
- I can add my name and I am sure that you can add yours!
So, when it happens to you be ready.
Don’t be surprised. People can’t see your heart. They can only judge your actions which they usually do before they have all the facts. It’s not fair, but it is life. And misunderstanding can come from the least expected places. For Hannah it was her priest and for David his wife who did not respect or understand their devotion.
Decide not to retaliate. It will hurt, so be slow to react. If there is truth in the criticism, accept it and change. But if the challenge is just wrong – as it was for Hannah – you need to speak up. Sometimes everything is quickly fixed (Hannah, Tribes of Israel) but other times the animosity goes deeper and the pain gets worse (David, Jesus). Whatever happens learn, grow and keep going forward. Every criticism is an opportunity to flush selfishness out of our systems and to double our resolve to walk with God.
Dial up your passion. That’s what David did. It is what Hannah, Jesus and Paul did. You can do it too. Sometimes it will be wise to change the way you express your devotion, but you must not reduce your passion for God. Do not let other people determine your spiritual ceiling.
Spiritual devotion is not a spectator sport! Unlike football, devotion to God gives very little pleasure to those who watch but do not participate. Ironically we’re not talking here about people with no spirituality. Sane worship can inspire unbelievers (1 Cor 14:24-25). We are talking about people with faith: Hannah’s priest, David’s wife, Israel’s brothers, Jesus’ religious peers, the Apostles' congregation and Paul’s colleagues. That’s why misunderstanding hurts. It often comes from people who should be participating and celebrating with you. And that’s why we need to be ready in advance.
Questions
- When did you last experience misunderstanding? How did you react? What would you do differently? Or the same?
- What strategies have you learned for dealing with the hurt of being misunderstood?
- Please leave a comment.
1 Samuel 5:3
“When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord!”
Don’t trifle with the God of Israel. He cannot be domesticated and he will not be subjugated. He does not share equal time with other gods. He does not consult for a fee. His expectation is simple, just let him be GOD.
A Touch of Irony (1 Samuel 5)
Dagon was the fish-god of the Philistines, probably the chief god of their pantheon. When the Philistines (mortal enemies of Israel) captured the Ark of God in a notorious battle (1 Sam 4) they placed it in Dagon’s temple in Ashdod. It was meant to be a prize of their triumph.
Less than 24 hours later when Dagon’s priests entered the temple, they found the fish god fallen off his pedestal, face to the ground in front of God’s Ark. They lifted their humiliated god back onto his perch. Embarrassing!
The scene was repeated the very next day only this time Dagon’s hands and head were broken off. Just his fishy torso remained; an inert mass prostrate before the majestic symbol of the living God. Philistia panicked.
Lesson #1: You can’t put God on your trophy shelf and celebrate your conquest. He is not a collectable. God, who revealed himself in Jesus, overwhelms all other gods. If you welcome him into your life, everything else must bow down. If you are in a workplace, a family or a season of your life where it seems like God has been downgraded and shoved into a corner with other competing gods, don’t despair. Wait. Something is going to break. Heads are going to roll.
A Touch of Agony (1 Samuel 4)
Prior to this Dagon episode, it was Israel who needed to learn to let God be God. They presumed they could manoeuvre God’s power to achieve their own ends. Wrong!
When the battle was not going well, some bright sparks in Israel decide to bring the Ark of God to the front lines of war. Things went from bad to worse and the Ark was captured. All Israel went into mourning. It was as if God had died. Their offense was great and their pain was deep.
Lesson #2: You can’t put God on a leash and make him do tricks for you. He is not on your side! God is on God’s side. You and I are welcome to join him on his terms. But don’t suppose that God is some sort of pit-bull you can put on a lead to help you get your way.
Reject the small god of culture. Dismiss all notions of “god on the shelf” and “god on the leash”. Let God be God. Untamed, unboxed, unpredictable!
Questions
- When are you most tempted to domesticate God? How does this express itself in your life?
- Do you have a personal story about God that illustrates a contemporary touch of “irony” or a touch of “agony”?
- Please leave a comment.
1 Thessalonians 2:18
“We wanted to come to you – certainly I, Paul, did, again and again – but Satan stopped us.”
“Satan stopped us”, says Paul. Now where would you use language like that in the coming week? Could you tell your teacher: “I wanted to finish my essay but Satan stopped me”? I wouldn’t recommend it. Could you explain to your manager: “I wanted to make that sale but Satan got in the way”? Best update your résumé before you do. Talk like this is quirky.
Many Christians treat Paul’s words literally, but very few talk like Paul anywhere but in church. And those who do – blaming this and that on Satan – embarrass the rest of us. Overt talk of “Satan” is odd. For most secular people devils belong on the same intellectual shelf as leprechauns and fairies.
I lament this. Not because I want to use the word “Satan” or blame things on “devils” more frequently. I don’t actually. But what I do want is to talk about the power and presence of evil in every day life. I want to name the elephant in the room.
People may scoff. They probably argued with Paul: “Satan? Don’t be silly, you just planned poorly or maybe it was simply bad luck. No need to invoke fantasies”. But Paul is convinced that something more is going on in the world. Something that opposes God’s purpose and that works to extinguish love in every life. (Eph. 6:12)
I share Paul’s conviction. I do not believe that injustice is simply bad luck or that violence is poor planning. I reject the notion that better politics, more education and good psychology can make everything right. There is something else going on in the world. I can’t explain it fully (nor does the bible by the way) but it is there. And I want to talk about it.
How do we bring this conviction into everyday conversation? How do we put the reality of evil back into secular vocabulary? Here is my initial list of ideas. I would be pleased to hear your thoughts as well.
Asking provocative questions. “Do you ever think evil has a mind of its own?” “Do you believe evil in the world is more than just choice and chance?” Be prepared for a conversation. It could get interesting.
Risking a confession. “I think I experienced evil once …” “Sometimes I think evil works more like a person than an inert force. What do you think?”
Stating a conviction. “I think evil is working against us here.” You can’t say this if you are buying your third Mercedes and they don’t have the colour you want, but you may be spot on if your disrupted project is transporting food to starving children.
Talking systems. “They are all good people, but there is something evil that takes over when they get together.” “I think that company/regime/group is serving an evil bigger than itself.”
Invoking tradition. “I was brought up to believe in Satan. When I hear/see that (fill in your choice of evil) I realise I still believe it. What do you believe?”
Conversation about evil must lead to redemptive outcomes. There is no point spiritualising the problem if we are not ready to offer spiritual solutions. Talking about evil in this way is a call to pray and to act with God. It rests on the conviction that God is at work against evil.
Christians sometimes fail the wider culture when our talk of “Satan” has more to do with testing each other’s orthodoxy than confronting the world’s deep need together. It does not matter to me if people see it differently. What matters is if people don’t see it at all. When evil hides, we are all in danger.
I suggest we bring “Satan” back into the public conversation. If not by name, at least by our attention to the anti-God forces alive and well on planet earth. There is an elephant in the room. Let’s not allow him to hide among us any longer.
Questions
- How do you talk about evil in secular contexts? What strategies have helped you?
- What kinds of Christian talk about evil make you cringe?
- Please leave a comment.
