Peace Inside the Noise

Peace seems so elusive

in this fractious neighborhood

where you have placed me—

that is, when I contemplate

the dirt and hurts and screams

of metal and motors and crowds.

But when I turn my heart

east to the Rising Son

and fix my inner eyes

on light and rainbows,

my inner ears on the birds

singing pulsing praise psalms,

then I find that peace that is

way beyond our understanding.

Your promises stand solid

in the crunch of shifting values

and political confusion.

Your presence fills the universe,

grieving at the fractures and the pain,

applauding when your children

push aside the darkness and live love,

making them the actors in your plan

to change the world, to bring the nations

into your new creation

where health and truth and beauty

will replace this sick morass.

I choose to turn to you, today

and every day, my hand in yours,

your Spirit the fresh air I breathe,

your heart my hope and treasure

while I walk on ahead, sidestepping

garbage and letting your song

speak peace inside the noise.

When we were living in Ferke, Côte d’Ivoire, huge trucks, carrying loads north to Mali or Burkina Faso or south from those countries to Abidjan, would park along the wall that encircled our courtyard (see the photo above). We would hear music blasting, motors starting, people noise–especially in that big city space (all dust) where merchants would promote their wares at high volume, or political events would draw crowds. It was noisy, evening and morning. I would try to have quiet moments with my Lord but found it hard to block out all the distractions.

The Lord taught me to choose to focus on him, to find peace even in the middle of all that. We were blessed with many trees–mango, lime, golden rain, frangi pani. I could look at his creation and soak in beauty. Birds formed a morning chorale. The Word of God was open before me. I could turn the eyes of my heart to the Creator, the Light of the World, the One who loves me and watches over me–the One who is always teaching me. He showed me how to find his unmatchable peace within the noise.

Last week a tornado passed through this Detroit area. Fortunately it did not hit our neighborhood, but it ripped up trees in the beautiful Belle Isle park in the middle of the Detroit River. I went there on Labor Day with a friend, hoping to find a picnic table somewhere near the water in spite of the downed trees and crowds there for the holiday. We finally did find one by Lake Muskoday on the northwest side of the island, no one nearby at all! We sat down to enjoy the peace, only to find out that motorcycles and cars passing by on the road behind us were celebrating with noise: roaring motors and blasting music. Conversation had to pause every now and then and wait for quiet. But our eyes were focused toward the lake with its quiet waters and lily pads, then two canoes paddling by. We delved into the Word and prayed. It was truly “peace within the noise.”

Whatever noise, sorrow, chaos or bad news is deflecting your vision from the Son, ask him to give your heart-eyes focus on him. He is everywhere, even in the middle of the storm that tears down ancient trees or people noise that hurts your ears. He is the Prince of Peace who gave himself for you, who is always accompanying you. Turn to him and acknowledge his presence:

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. (Ps. 73:23 NIV)

Remember, Jesus himself promised peace, even when trouble is all around. This is not just quiet. It is inner calm that comes from him:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (Jn. 14:27 NIV)

Let’s find that peace inside the noise!

New Housekeeping

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Sweeping and dusting will never be enough.

Redecorating schemes are all disasters:

mock renewals, clever coverups.

I need an undivided heart:

no padlocked chambers set aside

for resident anger,

no halls of hard-core selfishness,

no darkened corners for illicit pleasures.

Instead, give me one room,

round and filled with light,

walls scrubbed crystal clean,

wholly devoted to harboring love

and nurturing goodness,

teeming with reminders

of key events and precious people,

places we have been and revelations of truth.

Then, dear heart, open the skylight

and let the light pour in

to grow luxuriant hanging gardens.

Let the music of singing stars

and healed cripples

ripple the atmosphere, as they dance

with strong straight limbs

around the gifts of grace

and souvenirs of rescue.

Feel health pulse through the silken breeze:

the breath of God renewing my true self.

Smell the fragrant winsomeness

of fresh-baked bread:

bread of the Presence, sustenance.

Unlock the doors and let the music out,

hand out thick slices of warm bread

to every hungry passerby.

Leave tantalizing traces,

the aroma of delights,

along each path I take.

Let love lights leap from windows

into the shadowed world,

clear evidence of

the radical new me.

Last month my coworker in Côte d’Ivoire and I began drafting the translation of Ezekiel into Nyarafolo. I am struck daily by the deep teaching in this book that often gets passed over due to the complicated visions. Chapter 14 reminded me of our responsibility to keep our hearts completely clean, not soiled in any way by allegiances contrary to our Lord’s requirements of his people.

Ezekiel, in exile in Babylon, is visited by a group of Israelite elders also in exile. They want to know what is going to be happening. Then Lord Yahweh explains to him what is actually going on in the hidden interiors of the elders: they have come to get consoling words from the prophet, but their hearts are full of idols, other entities they worship. They have idolatry hidden in their hearts, and they think Yahweh is ignorant of their unfaithfulness to him. The message given the prophet Ezekiel is far from comforting. Yahweh knows what they think is hidden. They need to realize that unless they get rid of all interior obstacles to following him, they will indeed hear from him, but it will be condemnation rather than consolation. Yahweh says:

5 I will do this in order to capture the hearts of the house of Israel, who have alienated themselves from me on account of all their idols.’ 6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the sovereign LORD says: Return! Turn from your idols, and turn your faces away from your abominations. 7 For when anyone from the house of Israel, or the foreigner who lives in Israel, separates himself from me and erects his idols in his heart and sets the obstacle leading to his iniquity before his face, and then consults a prophet to seek something from me, I the LORD am determined to answer him personally. 8 I will set my face against that person and will make him an object lesson and a byword and will cut him off from among my people. Then you will know that I am the LORD.  (Ezek. 14:5-8 NET)

We cannot hide anything from God. No coverups are possible. Those of us who have entered into relationship with him are accountable to him!

Is it scary to realize that God knows everything we think, every sinful behavior we have convinced ourselves is all right, every loyalty to something that conflicts with him?

Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. (Ps. 139:4 NIV)

Yes, it is scary if we know that we have bad thoughts or intentions and we don’t want to face the consequences, especially if we are not convinced that our God loves us and corrects us for our good.

It is so easy to think that we are fine if we just do what we want to do, setting our hearts on goals that do not please him. He will forgive us, right? What is clear in Ezekiel 14.6 is that complete repentance is necessary for forgiveness: turning away from those wicked “idols” set up in our hearts. Without doing that we will face consequences, correction from him that will shake us up.

Just dusting surfaces in our hearts’ observable “furniture” is not enough. We need complete cleansing. Hearts open wide to our loving Father who is also the Judge of everyone, we must let him reveal what needs removal. His Spirit will convict us and empower us to turn away from attachment to all that is wrong! Just open up to him, respond to his convicting words, and pray like David|:

Have mercy on me, O God, because of your loyal love! Because of your great compassion, wipe away my rebellious acts!) Wash away my wrongdoing! Cleanse me of my sin! (Ps. 51:1-2 NET)

We can indeed trust his unending loyal love and compassion. So let’s turn to him daily for ongoing radical housekeeping as we battle temptations and the enticing invitations of the world and the Enemy. Living in our God’s light and love, not allowing other “idols” to slip into hearts, we can share the joy with others he puts in our path!

Come Away to the Mountain!

“Come away to the mountain!” Yahweh said.

And Abraham did it, feeling deep dread,

hope hanging dark on a covenant thread –

knowing the mount was for sacrifice,

blood thrumming out the desperate price

of coming close to God.

“Come away to the mountain!” It was a call

that brought Moses up high forty long days

to receive the covenant words of the Law,

then a second climb up to ask forgiveness

for the sinful unfaithfulness of his people.

He had come close to God.

“Come away to the mountain for rest and prayer!”

 No wonder the Son took his intimates there

for a quiet retreat where they could prepare

for the horrors to come that would test their faith,

when he’d give up his life on a mount in their place,

and open the way to come close to God.

When I was in my early childhood in Congo, every breakfast included a special routine: Mom would pick up the little box of memory verse cards from the center of the table, read a reference and ask us to say them. One verse in particular grabbed my heart’s attention and took deep root:

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. (James 4:8 KJV)

As I grew up I kept yearning for that sense of “nearness.” How could I actually draw near to God? He showed me along the way that I had to turn my heart’s attention to him: reading his Word and doing what it says, singing praise songs with real focus on him, and listening to his Voice when he would correct me or prompt me to do something.

Then when I had been serving in mission for years I was feeling overwhelmed with demands on my time and energy. We were facing challenges I had never expected. I was worn out, longing for respite. And I heard the Voice nudging me to take a break: practice solitude. I actually began to call it “the solitude of two.” I would seek out a private space where I could retreat with Jesus, and his Spirit would meet me there with peace. Sometimes it was next to a river, sometimes it was inside the thatched gazebo in our yard. Here in the States, it is often at a park, also by a river. Water is refreshing and quiets my soul.

Jesus retreated like that too. After teaching the crowds, dealing with adversaries, healing the sick, he would go off to a mountain to pray and ready himself for the next journey (cf John 8:1). And after sharing deeply with his disciples the evening before he would be sent to his death, he went with them to the Mount of Olives and separated himself to prepare for what was coming, to pray. There had been other moments too. Retreat was and is a healthy spiritual practice.

As mentioned in the poem above, the Lord God, Yahweh, called his servants to the mountains for special times of teaching crucial truths as well. Those were protected private spaces. Like me, perhaps you find it tough to find a “mountain” nearby, but you can find some place in nature where you can flee from distractions, let your heart pour out its questions or needs to God, and then wait for him to respond. I always have my Bible at hand for when he calls a passage to mind and I take a notebook for notes (because I often “hear him” though my pen).

Sometimes he has specific directions to give in answer to a particular dilemma. Sometimes he is teaching, encouraging you or correcting you. Sometimes he just wants you to spend time with him, basking in his loving Presence, resting.  As he said:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Mat 11.28)

Listen! Is he saying “Come away to the mountain!” ?

The Challenge of Love and Justice

If his love is as high as the sky and beyond 
and his wisdom deeper than the sea, 
why am I so hesitant to trust him? 
It has to be that I  don’t get it. 
I cannot wrap my mind around infinity. 

Since his love goes on forever, with no end,
always strong, rooted in his greatness,
I know he’ll always welcome me,
faulty and weak as I am.
I can sit by him, forgiven, and pour out my heart.

The biggest challenge for me is this:
If I am to be like him—act justly, love like he does—
what will it take to transform me to that level?
I know it’s only possible since he lives in me.
His Spirit is my strength, my guide, my hope.

Teach me, Lord, to love your love, and live it!

The Scripture verse that incited this poem is Micah 6:8:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Mic. 6:8 NIV)

This is a requirement that dates back centuries, and we humans who know about it have been constantly struggling to fulfill it. Justice, mercy and humility sound fine until you try to apply them yourself in each situation, or even when you try to react appropriately to headline news. And how should they be acted out when Jesus’ followers are supposed to love like he does (cf John 15:12)?

How do justice and mercy work together? If someone has done wrong shouldn’t they pay for it, even be kicked out? These questions require thoughtful answers. What kind of wrong is unforgivable? One of those questionable instances that is being brought up by those concerned with immigration is the “crime” of missing an appointment, or of being brought into this country as a child or birthed here. What is true justice, executed with mercy, in such a case? Or perhaps a friend insults you in a way that is truly out of line. Should they be pushed out of your life, or should you show mercy and work for reconciliation?

When we are unjust and unmerciful, we are touting our own right to judge without reference to our Lord’s standards. We are not at all walking “humbly with our God”! Instead we are relying on ourselves rather than even asking his advice. This self-reliant pride succumbs to the voices around us instead of taking God’s Word seriously, asking him for the wisdom and mercy that we desperately need:

6 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. 8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.  (Isa. 55:6-9 NIV)

So, since he knows what is right and we do not, our one hope of figuring out how we should act is to go to him for guidance, and ask him how to apply justice, mercy and humility in each case before us. Only by turning to him can we expect to live this out, taking his requirements seriously and learning what they mean.

I am constantly amazed at the way the Old Testament documents the multiple times that God’s chosen people turned their backs on him. They thought that they had more wisdom than he has, that they could have more power by acting on their own or devoting themselves to “other gods” who seemed to do magical things for their neighbors. Did God turn away? He did judge them. Often it meant turning them over to their enemies, even exile. But he kept on calling them back, waiting with love for them to recognize their foolish sin and return to him. The prophet Micah also wrote:

Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. 19 You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. 20 You will be faithful to Jacob, and show love to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our ancestors in days long ago. (Mic. 7:18-20 NIV)

Micah was listening to God and had great faith in him. His world was in chaos and he was well aware of the evil all around. But he urged his people to listen to their God and repent of their willful sins, knowing that the God of love would forgive.

God never changes. He is still our source of wisdom and loving forgiveness when we walk humbly with him. Jesus assured his disciples that those who love him will obey him, and that his Spirit would teach them and empower them. His Spirit is given to those of us who are his disciples in this day and age as well. Let us listen to him and obey what God says—let’s act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God!

23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. 25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.  (Jn. 14:23-26 NIV)

He Comes Through

When your hands are tied, 
when you’re powerless 
and at the mercy of circumstance, 
that’s when God excels. 

His strong hand of action 
is waiting to move; 
he has the authority to conquer 
in every situation. 

He is paying attention,
he never stops working.
His strength is truly sufficient
to accomplish anything.

When you’re at a loss,
just turn to the Master.
And he, the Almighty God,
will always come through.

His love and his power
show up in perfection
if you yield yourself to him,
just as he promised.

If you don’t ask,
if you choose your own way,
you pay the consequences:
you fall or you stray.

Over and over our God has promised in his Word that he will defend us, strengthen us and guide us when we are walking with him. So what happens when we turn away and do our own thing?

I’ve been reading 2 Chronicles lately, and there are clear answers to that question! King Asa, for example, spent 35 years of his reign as king in submission to Yahweh, his God. He removed the altars to false gods and commanded his people in Judah to seek Yahweh and obey his commandments. After 10 years of rest, the Ethiopians attacked them.

11 And Asa cried to the LORD his God, “O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.”  (2 Chr. 14:11 ESV)

Since he relied on Yahweh, they defeated the huge army of the Ethiopians!

A prophet came to warn King Asa how crucial this submission was:

The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, 2 and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.” (2 Chr. 15:1,2)

As a result, Asa became yet braver and destroyed yet more idols. Then he gathered all the people together to enter into a covenant to seek Yahweh their God  “with all their heart and all their soul” (v.12). Asa even removed his mother from being queen mother because of her worship of Asherah, a false god.

You would think that this was how he continued to act, but no! In the thirty-sixth year of his reign when the northern kingdom, Israel, came to attack Judah, he never even asked his God what he should do. Instead he took treasures from the Temple and sent them to the king of Syria, begging him for help. It seemed to work—together they defended Judah. But then another message came to him through Hanani the seer, who told him:

“Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. 8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, he gave them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.” (2 Chr. 16:7-9 ESV)

This reveals that Asa was now self-confident, proud of his status and power. When he heard this rebuke he was so angry that he actually put Hanani in prison, then afflicted some of his own people too! Pride does go before a fall (Prov. 16.18). Three years later his feet became severely diseased, but even then he never asked the Lord Yahweh what to do. He died two years later.

If we seek our Lord, we too will find him:

But if you seek the LORD your God from there, you will find him, if, indeed, you seek him with all your heart and soul. (Deut. 4:29 NET)

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. (Matt. 7:7 NET)

Jesus himself spoke those words handed down to us by Matthew and also Luke. But we must do that search for the right way forward sincerely, relying totally on him to answer us and guide us.

If we rely instead on our own strength and wisdom, we will stumble and make the wrong decision. Let’s not fall into that trap of proud self-sufficiency! Instead, let’s constantly turn our hearts to God, get to know him, listen to his voice and do what he says—in every situation! He will indeed always come through.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Prov. 3:5,6 NIV)

On Nests






Once you were grown , Lord, 





you had no constant home. 





You passed up married coziness 





to tramp the long dirt roads





between the towns on foot,





depending on a company





of followers, your  friends,





to meet your needs.










You shared with your disciples





and the greedy crowds,





then stretched out on





a mountain slope to pray





and get some rest.





No pillow for your head!





“Family” became everyone





who joined you on the Way.










I have a nest, just like the birds.





My bed has extra pillows.





Two guest-nests are prepared.





My kitchen is a playground





with a freezer stocked with meat,





frozen fruit and vegies,





provisions for the family





or a friend who comes around.










Ah yes, I have a nest – two nests.





I’ve led a slingshot life





across the sandwiched ocean!










I’ve wheeled along the roads





and flown the airways





to my goals, yanked about





but ending up inside





the known, the loved,





the home sweet home





shared with my dear mate,





companion as we build our nest.










Sometimes the treasured children





scattered far, are gathered in.





Their presence lights the day





with laughter, love and play.





They too have other nests





and year by year they grow





into Third Culture siblings





in the service of the King.










The ones that live nearby





come over to find respite





or an evening feast, and games.





They also fill our hearts





with gifts of warm embrace





and by sharing their life stories.





We store up this nutrition





for when we are apart.










We have a nest. We are so blessed!





I wrote a first draft of this poem 14 years ago, having left “home” in the U.S. once again to go “home” to Ferkessédougou, Côte d’Ivoire. Today I revised it. Life has changed: we are semi-retired, still involved overseas even while we are here in Detroit, sometimes traveling over there. We have adult “kids” here, and then one of them that lives in Norway with her husband and five kids. They were just visiting us as well as other dear ones in their various former homes this side of the Pond, and we treasured every moment.





It was fun to see the way that their four years in Norway have developed their blend of cultures: American family backgrounds (and MK life in Africa for daughter Ariane), years in Canada, and now Norway. This blend is called a Third Culture, and it is rich. In the featured photo they are doing the Norwegian “Row!” that cheered on their team during the World Cup, sitting on our porch in Detroit.





We have been questioned at times about how we could choose to leave parents, or our son and daughters, or be distant from grandchildren. As you know, it is not only missionaries who find that their life path leads to these separations. We each must follow the plan that our Lord God lays out for us. When he came to earth as a man he experienced these separations too, and did it for love of the Father and for humans. It may be difficult to understand sometimes, but love gives itself for the loved one. For some it may mean keeping a secure nest in the space where God has placed them. For others it may be learning to nest where God has another purpose in mind. In every case, the parents and their “children” need to learn to let go but maintain love, finding new ways to keep the bond strong.





I am so grateful right now for days with this family now nesting in Norway, and for those living here with whom we share mutual comfort and support.





Birds do migrate too, but they know where each home is!






	


	





	

		
The Legacy of Chalet Shalom
	


	
	

		













It grips my heart every time





we return to Chalet Shalom:





the essence of loved ones that





lingers on in what they left behind.





They are gone. But it’s their song





they carefully recorded here





in this lakeside home, built





and put together as a legacy





for us. And that it is.





This space is hidden inside





a cluster of birches and pines





on land sloping gently down





to Piatt Lake, which stretches





east to west with lagoon fingers.





This is true Michigan, where





Mom and Dad grew up.





Their roots held strong





even though they left.





They knew God had sent them





far off, to Africa, to spread his love





in Congo and then Côte d’Ivoire.





Now this retreat, Chalet Shalom,





blends aromas of those dear lands





with their piece of “pure Michigan”.





This fragrance is unique, and speaks





through treasures gathered gladly





during decades of hither and yon.





An elephant herd charges us





over the flames of the fireplace





framed by stones and shells





mapping travelers’ trips and delight





in creation’s colors and designs,





collected and mapped to summarize





discoveries made on mountains





and beaches, oceans and spaces





around the world they roamed.





Our father, Dwight, loved photos as art—





ways to capture time and faces





of dear ones he saw  everywhere.





He made this house a true museum,





a collection that triggers our memories.





When others step in, they incite wonder.





Africa, Europe, the U.S.A. are melded





together, a testimony to their becoming





a blend of cultures and so many stories.





A wooden elephant and long croc





rest on the organ’s shoulders, listening.





A tiny ceramic lighthouse faces





the bright little hummingbird





guarding the quiet on the antique desk.





Sunrise photos of Piatt Lake





sit beside mud huts and graceful palms,





a painting of lifestyles that they cherished,





 a village where they spent time.





A hand-crafted wooden old mens’ chair





is bordered with reptiles, birds and fish.





It is angled across from the comfy nook





where that Grandpa and Grandma





spent hours and days reading the books





that linked them with worlds





they had traveled, wars and peace,





lessons learned, science and history,





biblical truths and philosophy.





American crystal, African pottery





stack the cabinets that subtly evoke





our mother, Barbara, and her love for





shades of blue, aqua, burgundy.





Her home was a haven with open doors





to welcome the family or traveler.





It was handy to have huge platters





and bowls, plus an extra long table





prepped to honor each special scene.





Her remnants of a landmark set





of dinnerware that Dad and I found





in a Lebanese store in Korhogo, a gift





back in our early days of beginning





new life in the Côte d’Ivoire





are white ceramic with dusky beige roses





now fading, scraped away over time





by so many knives and forks, these





herald recovery from losing Congo.





Some treasures cry out to be treasured,





not left behind or hidden in places





where no one knows what they really mean.





So we come up north when we find the time





to sit among these and so much more,





enjoying the heritage left to us.





They offer these artifacts as warm hugs,





the kind they gave to us and to others–





the poor, the sick and the marginalized.





We also sit outside on the deck





absorbing the scenes that called them here:





elegant evergreens, chirping birds,





water rippling with water lilies, squirrels





foraging for their food, kayaks and boats





and children laughing, swimming, splashing





in the “shalom” of Mom and Dad





and the Shepherd they served so well.





A peaceful legacy it is!






	


	





	

		
That Unnoticed Pulsating Joy
	


	
	

		






You start a new day feeling neutral: 
much to do, energy low. Where is joy? 
But then you feed on the Bread of Life, 
contemplating the words of the Son, 
and strength infuses your soul. 
You bow your heart to the Holy One,
grateful and reaching out in praise,
remembering all he’s done for you,
all that he is doing through you.

You ask for wisdom and guidance,
and love for others, his command.
He said you must live his way
in order to bear the kind of fruit
that never spoils, always nourished
by the Living Water from the Source
of hope, truth, and yes: joy!
Attached to the Vine, you turn your heart
to contemplate him, drinking in his love.

Then it soothes you: the surging pulse
of true belonging, precious purpose
and satisfaction as you are filled
with ebullient force, always there—
refuge that you tend not to notice.
He is here, in you, your song in the night
and your radiant Light every day,
showing you the way to shine.
Yes! The joy of the LORD is your strength!





I often wake up like that, sluggish and wishing I had fewer concerns and more joy. When it happened the other day, I went back to contemplating what Jesus said in John 15:





9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  (Jn. 15:9-12 NIV)





These words hit me in a new way: we must know what Jesus commands us to do and then follow through in obedience. That leads to staying attached to him and his love, full of his joy—which was to do his Father’s will. By his obedience he stayed firmly one with his Father. Now he was urging his disciples to do the same. If they did, their joy would be complete!





This reminded me of that verse in Nehemiah 8 that I learned to sing when I was a child: “The joy of the LORD is my strength!” This declaration came in the context of exiles returning to Jerusalem, rebuilding what had been lost, and then gathering to hear the Law of Moses read to them—they had not heard it during those years in a foreign land. It even had to be carefully explained by the Levites for them to understand it! But when they grasped what it meant, they grieved and mourned. They were realizing the extent to which they had broken those laws and were deeply repentant for their sins. That was when they were told that on this day that was set apart for celebrating their heritage of God’s Word they should not mourn, but rejoice!





10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” 11 The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.” 12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.  (Neh. 8:10-12 NIV)





God’s words now had deep meaning to them! This was a gift; now they knew how to live as he wished. The result was great joy!  It reminds me of the response of Nyarafolo villagers to the Word when they heard it or learned to read it and responded with delight, never having understood it before. It underlined what a treasure it is and increased my passion to translate it into their language.





Nehemiah told the people that the joy that comes from walking with Yahweh, “LORD” in most English Bibles, is their “strength.”[1] In Hebrew that word has the meaning of “place of refuge, stronghold.”[2] His protection from the consequences of sin is his grace, and that brings relief and joy.





We too are blessed with the joy of secure relationship with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, through our acceptance of his gracious forgiveness. When we understand what he requires of us and we follow through by obeying it, we have that joy that is our refuge from distress. We are his and he is ours! Jesus’ prayer to his Father in John 17 underlines how this amazing joy is given to those of us who are set apart for him, “sanctified”. It comes from knowing God’s word and doing what it says! Notice the emphasis on joy, protection, the truth of the Word, and mutual love (unity):





13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. 20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one– 23 I in them and you in me– so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.  (Jn. 17:13-23 NIV)





It is deeply touching that he made it explicit in his prayer that this truth was not just for his current disciples, but for all of us who believe in Jesus. To have the full measure of his joy is to be protected, and by knowing God’s Word and following it we have the delight of being united with him and also with each other! May we live this out and be full of that underlying, constantly pulsating joy!










[1] The Christian Standard Bible (CSB) translates Nehemiah 8:10b this way: Do not grieve, because the joy of the LORD is your stronghold.





[2] See Holladay, Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the OT (HOL), מָעוֹז:  p. 205.






	


	





	

		
My Psalm of Praise
	


	
	

		






I will sing about you and to you, Yahweh, 
worshiping you in good times and hard times.
When I tell others how you have acted on my behalf,
may those with little hope be encouraged to trust you.
May their faces light up with hope and joy!

So come, friends! Let’s lift him up in praise, let’s sing!
He has paid attention to my cries for help— 
he is my constant Rescuer, always with me.
I’ve been scared, in deep despair, emotionally injured.
When I told him about it, he healed my heart.

He rescued me from war, from distractions,
from deadly sickness, from intense conflicts.
If you run to him for help you will experience this too!
Open your soul, your heart! Look to him!
Run with relief into his arms of infinite love!

His essence is goodness. He feeds your soul
with all that strengthens your life and health.
He takes care of his own, provides what they need.
Let me underline this: if you want true life,
follow him, respect him, do what he says!

Make your words compatible with his values:
justice, honesty, encouragement and peace—
no pretense or rudeness, only what he wants you to say!
Make sure that all you do aligns with his love.
You will have trouble, but he will hold you.

Pour out your heart to him when in distress!
He will hear you, he will listen and respond.
He only turns away from those opposed to him.
There is no moment when he is not watching over you;
he is always and forever your one safe place!





This is my personal rendering of Psalm 34, expressing my own experience of rescue and my own words of praise. It was written at a women’s prayer retreat last Saturday at my church (GraceWay Bible Church), when we were given three psalms to choose from for contemplation. One application that they encouraged us to do was to write a personal version of that psalm, and I was delighted when I saw that the third one was Psalm 34. If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I’ve been contemplating this psalm this month, ever since it was a worship song for the choir that I sing in. The Lord knows how to underline a theme for us to digest and apply—I am so grateful to him!






	


	





	

		
Magnify!
	


	
	

		






“Magnify the LORD!” they said, 
“Exalt his name together!” 
“Which name?” I asked, 
to understand this better. 
‘He has a great collection
all explaining his perfection!”
And “magnify?” Can I make letters
bigger, clearer, bright and legible?

I stretch out the arms of my soul
holding a magnifying glass,
straining to understand
the many pieces of the whole:
the essence of the Trinity,
gracious love, infinity,
delightful creativity 
that’s building a new world
where all will be made right.

Come join me in this song!
Let’s project what we have found!
May it leap into the sky
like fireworks shooting high,
reverberating sound
that cannot be ignored!
This is God, the LORD, 
whose name denotes “forever”,
the great I AM, our Yahweh,
beloved and adored!





My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad.





Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! (Ps. 34:2,3 ESV)





Isn’t it reassuring to know that boasting can actually be a really good thing? It depends on what you are boasting about, personal accomplishments or those of the Most High God, the LORD. It is the humble, those who are not proud, who want to honor him rather than themselves. And those who hear the boasting and are thrilled with it are those who need encouragement: the oppressed, the afflicted, those who cannot help themselves (often translated “humble,” as in ESV). This whole verse contrasts self-focused conceited people with those who are deflecting praise to the one who deserves it, the LORD.





And then we hear that invitation to “magnify the LORD” with the psalmist! The first meaning of the word “magnify,” according to Merriam-Webster, is this: “To magnify means to make something appear larger than it is—such as through a lens—or to make an actual situation seem more important or intense.” Applying that use of the verb to how we talk about God is ridiculous—we cannot make him appear greater than he actually is. In fact, we wrestle with honoring him as we should, running out of words, unable to do it well. Applied to God in this spiritual sense,  “magnify” is “archaic” according to the same dictionary: “Archaic: To formally praise, glorify, or extol (e.g., “to magnify the Lord”).”





That is why some newer, less literal translations try to make this more relevant to our times:





Proclaim Yahweh’s greatness with me; let us exalt His name together. (Ps. 34:3 CSB)





Come, let us tell of the LORD’s greatness; let us exalt his name together. (Ps. 34:3 NLT)





Thinking this through, when we gladly laud God for what he has done for us, our “boast” is recognition of the person who actually accomplished that rescue or provision—not us, but the LORD himself. Our humble souls are deeply grateful, and so are those who hear the news. It brings joy!





And when we invite others to join us in the praise with the call to “magnify” the LORD, we are proclaiming his greatness, the attributes that he is demonstrating for us in what he has done and is doing. We are expressing our worship of the Almighty, detailing what he has shown us about who he is! In that way, we are clarifying who he is, kind of like the way a magnifying glass helps us to see small print.





That leads us to the next urgent invite or command: “let us exalt his name together!” In other words, we lift up to the attention of others the glory of his name and its extreme importance. One problem is that our translations have covered up which “name” is being underlined as worthy of this exaltation. Whenever they capitalize LORD, the name behind it is Yahweh.





Why do they not use the name that is in the original Hebrew text?  For a clear historical explanation, go here: https://bibleproject.com/articles/god-name-many-actually/ . In Hebrew it was YHWH, and in the 3rd or 2nd century the Jews began to cover it up with their word for “Lord”, adonai, out of reverence for its holiness and so as not to slip and irreverently use God’s actual name. The word “God” is not his name, but rather the word for a divinity, THE Divinity for us. In Old Testament times (and around the world today) many “gods” were worshiped. Those who believed in the Most High God used it specifically for him, and he received many other names to describe his character and sovereignty.





The name YHWH, probably pronounced Yahweh[1], is his true name, the one that he shared with Moses at the burning bush:





God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” (Exod. 3:14 ESV)





This name refers to his eternal being: HE WAS, HE IS, HE WILL BE.  Always! The Alpha and Omega!





Praising and honoring him do not make God greater, but these practices are part of true worship that spreads the good news about who Yahweh is. And the commands to “magnify” or “proclaim” his character and identity should incite us to truly do so with all that is in us! This can definitely lead others to understand more clearly God’s character.










[1] If you would like to know why “Jehovah” is not the recommended reading of the name, see https://www.logos.com/grow/nerd-jehovah-in-bible/ .