David Bahn - Reflections

We're all looking for paradise. We want to live in a garden of God's favor and delight. We yearn for his true grace and goodness. We yearn for God himself to be present. This psalm points us to God. And 1500 years later God would speak through the Apostle John with this promise:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” - Revelation 21:3-4

This is our truest need and God's gracious blessing.

God's desire is for his people to be fully blessed, completely glad. Experiencing his grace and love is the essential beginning of that gladness. The completion of it comes when we pass along those blessings to others. Such is the river of gladness: It flows to us with great and gracious blessing, and from us to others as we give that which we have received from God.

I need both a reminder of God's fear-worthiness as well as the encouragement to draw near to him when the world's dangers threaten. Whether it's direct threats of violence and natural disaster, or the subtle influences of peer pressure or temptation, I need God's help and a reminder that he is worthy of healthy and godly fear. That may be a secondary motivation to faithfulness, but it is still a good one. The greatest motivation is love and faith itself that recognizes and believes in the ultimate goodness of God. 

Because of that goodness, we need never fear when we are in his protective and powerful care. 

The world sees God as an interloper, an intrusion, and a killjoy. All they see is the outward formidable expression of God's refuge and strength. Those of us who are inside that refuge, know it to be a place of beauty, joy, life, comfort, and true security.

Oh how I long for this to be true: May His favor be upon you | And a thousand generations | And your family and your children | And their children, and their children.

This would be my legacy's hope, more than money, fame, power, or even health. For God's favor makes all the difference in all of life. Without it we are lost. With it we can weather all storms and most fully enjoy the blessings when the boundary lines of life fall for us in pleasant places (cf. Psalm 16:6-8).

Even if you don't have children of your own, I pray that you are able to leave such a legacy to those who have known you and loved you.

A roadmap to the future would be a hindrance, not a help to faith. And God desires that we wait in faith. In fact the idea behind waiting in the biblical sense is tied up in two other facets of the word. We hope while we wait. And we trust while we hope. Hoping, trusting, and waiting go hand in hand. So when it's not clear how soon or not God is going to act, we must simply wait. And hope. And trust.

By considering and numbering we may gain a heart of wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom's fulfillment is Jesus himself. Perfect love. Perfect faith. Perfect obedience. Hope realized. A wise heart has considered the proper fear of God, counted its days, and looks for the steadfast love of God to fill its cracks and crevasses. Those with wise hearts will see the work of God and look with anticipation for the blessing of God on their children.

This psalm requires us to look that square in the face. We have sinned. We are fallen. We will die. Not a happy note. But certainly a true one. Neither, however, is it the only note. For in the end of this psalm a note of hope and anticipation rings out.

God's nature never changes. Our ability to experience him is certainly limited. Our comprehension of God is finite. Our faith in him and his promises wavers. But God is constant. He is the rock. He is the One who will be there whenever we turn to him. From everlasting to everlasting he is. Known by faith. Redeemed by Jesus. Sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Attested to in Scripture. Proven by an empty and open tomb. For him we wait until the number of our days is completed and our faith becomes sight.

Until then we pray:

When we praise God, we express truths that bind the soul in grace and love. It aligns our souls with the reality of God's greatness and our unworthiness in the face of his majesty. Praising God is good for the soul, not just the thing we ought to do. Furthermore, when we sing our praises, something Martin Luther commended, we don't just express joy, we find it.

As I've often said, praising God is good, right and salutary!