A Higher Place of Safety...

Psalm 61 raised my gaze upward the other day. Here it is in full.

Psalm 61
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Of David.

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[a]1 Hear my cry, O God;

listen to my prayer.
2 From the ends of the earth I call to you,

I call as my heart grows faint;

lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

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3 For you have been my refuge,

a strong tower against the foe.
4 I long to dwell in your tent forever

and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.[b]
5 For you, God, have heard my vows;

you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

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6 Increase the days of the king's life,

his years for many generations.
7 May he be enthroned in God's presence forever;

appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.

8 Then I will ever sing in praise of your name

and fulfill my vows day after day.

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Footnotes:
Psalm 61:1 61:1-8 is numbered 61:2-9 in Hebrew texts.
Psalm 61:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.

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David mixed his metaphors and his poetry of praise in prayer is all the more rich for it.

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Three things hit me and encouraged me:

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'from the ends of the earth' (vs2). Living in NZ having been born in Liverpool, UK does very much feel like the ends of the earth. Looking up to the heavens from NZ means looking at the polar opposite direction from the 'looking up' I did for the best part of my life. Stars, moon and sun are all experienced differently here. David's cry (1) speaks of the smallness he feels: remote and alone. In reality 'the ends of the earth' are about personal experience more than geographical placement on the globe. It does not have to be self-pity, but it does indicate self-awareness. There is nothing grand in us that requires God's attention, nothing special in geographical or historical placement that demands his extraordinary presence, nothing peculiar in our personal details that summons him. We live 'at the ends of the earth' for in all places and times and circumstances God is unchanging and we are not.

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'lead me to the rock that is higher than I' (vs2). David is aware of his vulnerability. Anyone higher has the strategic advantage. As he cries out, he calls on God to lead him to safety. Not ANY old safe place but THE place of safety. David could have asked to be hidden from danger. He could have requested to be removed from the battle. He could have longed for the comfort of palatial rest. BUT he asks to be delivered to THE rock that provides TRUE safety. The circumstances of the last few months have had me longing to be well again, to be back at work, to not be weakened, to be cereberally all there. As I read the psalm I realised that my ambitions are FAR TOO SMALL. My longing from the 'ends of the earth' need to be realigned. My longing needs to be for Jesus, above health, productivity and normality. Anything less is less that the best. All of life is for Him, to His glory, at His behest and in His service. Lead me to Jesus! Set my affections on Jesus! Locate my ambitions in Jesus! Rest my hope in Jesus! Anchor my dreams in Jesus! He is The Rock who is above all things. JESUS is THE rock that is higher than I.

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"you have been my refuge... strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings" (vs3-4). Refuge... strong tower... tent... wings. A place to flea. A place of rescue. A place of rest. A place of comfort. The promise of God made truest in Jesus is a place in which those who hope in ('fear' vs 5) find eternal life. The war against sin in a sinful world can leave the most valiant of God's people worn down. David indeed hopes because God HAS been all of this and more to him. It is God's faithfulness that moves and awards David the confidence of his praise and prayer. It is the greater faithfulness of God in fulfilling all of the Law and the Prophets in Jesus His Son and now indwelling those who hope in Him by His Holy Spirit, which moves and awards us a confidence even greater than King David of old. For we see now with retrospective certainty that which he foresaw in hopeful obedience. We see Jesus. Jesus our refuge - the once bruised and buried Saviour now Risen and Ascended Lord. Jesus our strong tower - the One who holds the keys of death and hell, who speaks grace to those who will listen and obey. We see Jesus - God's very prescence living among us, knowing our frailty and showing no shame to call us His own people. We see Jesus - the Son who has gathered us to Himself to present to the Father in the power of the Spirit without spot or blemish.

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This works out in David's life as a call to be anchored to THE place of safety whilst living in an unsafe world, knowing that there will be a great outcome...

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"Then I will ever sing in praise of your Name and fulfill my vows day after day."

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Amen!

meanwhile, life counts...

One of the frustrations of being off work due to being ill is that the national student conference was around the corner from my house. It finished last Wednesday and I'd heard 'good things' from staff and students via email, text and a couple of visitors. It was good to be able to pray from a distance. Two reports (with photo's) from the conference are available from Tim Hodge and Ben Carswell.

Yesterday (Monday) visitors arrived, Emma and Ollie Balch are passing through NZ from Latin America on their way to India. With them came Seth - their 3 month old son. They're now touring the North Island for a few days before heading onto India for the next few months.

It was great to see Emma and Ollie. Emma and I worked together on a number of things back in the UK, and were both on UCCF staff at the same time. It was great to see the gospel at the heart of how Emma and Ollie live as they pursue their careers as interior designer and journalist/writer respectively. Refreshing to see them and great to share some time with them and to have Seth in the house.

Life in Jesus counts. It all adds up to his glory. Hearing stories of the TSCF conference challenging staff and students to consider Jesus as worthy of their whole lives. Seeing Emma and Ollie work out what it is for life to count as followers in Jesus, missionaries outside of the 'missionary' category. I'm challenged and reminded that life counts - it is not what we are doing that matters, it is who we are living for.

Draw on it!

"If you were in a plaster cast, people would see that you are injured but you look healthy. The problem is you have a brain injury. You can't put a cast on that and draw on it to cheer yourself up. It'll take some time, but you will recover." James (neuropsychologist)

I met James on Tuesday. He talked about brain injury and the impact it has. He spoke about the need to see how much the injury has affected my 'normal functioning'. The tests show that I'm 'way below' normal functioning.

He also spoke about faith, ('it doesn't really matter what you believe') making a difference in recovery. 'You need to drawn on your faith in order to get well'.

His input was really helpful but his perspective on faith wasn't great. He spoke like faith is something from within. An effort, a task, an acheivement even. He is great on brain injury. He has misunderstood what it is to be a Christian.

Faith is not something from within - not a 'belief', not a feeling, not even an experience (though all 3 arise from faith). Faith - when speaking of faith in Jesus - is an act of trust, a surrender of self and a following after Jesus: most importantly it is a gift from God.

We need to draw on faith - not to embellish it, but in establishing it as the foundatoin of our lives. Whether visibly well or noticeably ill there is only life by living through faith, by faith and in faith in relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The doctor signed me off work today for another 8 weeks. It will be September before that question is revisited in a significant way. Drawing on faith? You bet I am. Faith that Jesus is Lord. Lord in and through every aspect of life. The only one worth living for. The one who is Sovereign enough to sustain me and you in quiet rest as he does in activity.

This is faith - to live for Him, according to His promise, enabled by His strength and looking to Him and for Him in the midst of everyday living.