[Featured Post] The Price of Prejudice

Courtesy news.adventist.org

Many of us are a bit too young to remember when the Chamberlain case became worldwide news, but it serves as an illustration of the depths to which people can sink.

Opinion: The Price of Prejudice

"You baby killer!" yelled the schoolboys at Julie as she walked to her Adventist School in Strathfeild in 1980. She ignored the taunts as she'd done every day since the Chamberlain case broke sensationally in the tabloids. But this time, as she walked, a half-full can of Fanta hurled by her head as the boys cheered.

Julie wasn't alone. Many Australian Adventists of the period have stories of harassment, from prank phone calls to public abuse. The hatred that underpinned the anti-Adventist bigotry was more than uncomfortable; it likely influenced the decision to prosecute the Chamberlains and the subsequent miscarriage of justice.

As we go through the process of healing the scars from that period, it's incumbent on us to evaluate carefully what we've learned about our national vulnerabilities in the process, as well as what we still need to learn.

What is particularly surprising about the anti-Adventist bigotry of the period is that it happened at all. Australia is, after all, one of the most diverse and tolerant societies in the world. We look at attacks on minorities around the world and shake our heads. The brutality, the tribalism, the ignorance and the scapegoating that undergirds the hatred spewed at minorities from 1930s Europe to modern-day Iran seems entirely remote and foreign to us. And if you had to pick an innocuous faith community, it would have to be the vegetarian, noncombatant, healthcare providing, granola-making and education-cherishing Adventists who had a century's worth of contributing to Australian society by the time the Chamberlain case broke.

If anyone could be safe anywhere, it would have to be a peaceful faith community with a long history and deep roots in a tolerant and progressive society.

And yet in our society, in our lifetimes, the tabloid press used the most debased and defamatory claims to whip up intense hatred of Adventist Christians. And this let lose the inner demons of many Australians. When Lindy Chamberlain was sentenced to a lifetime of hard labor three decades ago, it's reported that cheers were heard from pubs all over Darwin. It's chilling. But it happened. That is the result of hate filled propaganda mixed with a mob mentality, even in an enlightened society in modern times.

Wendy Harmer, the prominent comedian, graciously apologized on Tuesday for her role in promoting bigotry, noting that "such was the firestorm of hatred, all rationality was lost."

The most profound lesson we can learn from the Chamberlain case has nothing to do with dingoes or even the flaws in our justice system. The most profound lesson is something that we've learned about ourselves: we now know we can be turned into lynch mobs as easily as any other society at any other time.

So let's stand guard of ourselves. Because if there's one thing we can know with certainty, there will be another firestorm of hatred against another Australian community sooner or later. And unless we have the character and the courage to stand up against it, the results will once again be terrifying.
Next time around, as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian, I want to be there standing arm in arm with whoever is targeted, defending them, and in the process, defending what is best in our ideals and our national character.

--James Standish is the Communication director for the Adventist Church's South Pacific Division, based in Wahroonga, near Sydney. He previously served as secretary of the United Nations NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion and received an award from the American Sikh community for defending civil rights in the wake of 9/11.

Read the news story here.

[Book Review] I'm Not Leaving. by Carl Wilkens

In his first person account of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Carl Wilkens challenges the reader to not only end genocide, but also the selfish attitude that leads to it.

Genocide, to those familiar with the term it brings to mind stories and pictures we would rather forget.  Yet we must remember it if we are to put a stop to it and prevent it from reoccurring, and that is one of the goals of this book.  I'm not leaving. comes from a unique perspective in that Wilkens was the only American to remain in the country of Rwanda while the Hutu tribe sought to exterminate the minority Tutsi tribe.  You will find very few statistics in this book because numbers are so large as to have very little impact on our lives.  Rather this book focuses on the stories of the people involved on both sides of the divide.  This paragraph from the book summarizes this thought well.

"While the stories written here happened during the genocide, this book is not really about genocide. It is more about the choices people made, actions people took, courage people showed, and sacrifices people gave in the face of genocide."

His story begins with probably the most difficult choice anyone would have to make.  The choice for Carl to put his young family in a departing truck while he stayed behind in a country on the brink of disaster.  He goes on to talk about how his life was constantly in danger despite his association with the humanitarian organization ADRA, how so many others risked life and limb to help those who were less fortunate (mainly orphans), and how he often received assistance in his work from the very people carrying out the massacre.

However, these stories almost never happened.  Soon after the killing started, a murderous mob appeared at the gates of the Wilkins' home with the intention of killing the entire family.  This mob was fended off not by a show of force, but by stories.  Little grandmothers and mothers with babies in their arms told the mob how the Wilkinses helped them when they had problems and how the Wilkins children played with their children.  Carl and his family had reached out to those who were different than they were, and because of this their lives were spared.

I'm not leaving. flies in the face of a world embroiled in an "us versus them" mentality (Something I wrote about recently as well as some time ago).  I had the privilege of hearing Wilkens in person and talked about people having the attitude of "the other" in the sense of how much better the world would be if the other were not in it.  He said that we all are in danger of harboring such thoughts, and we need to realize that there is a world outside my shoes.

I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone.  You can order a copy of it here.

[Featured Post] Remembering September 11, 2001

This featured post comes from Ted N.C. Wilson, president of the Seventh-day Adventist world church  as posted on his new blog Presidential Perspectives.

Remembering September 11, 2001

 

On September 11, I was in a committee at the General Conference when I received word about the unfolding tragic events in New York City and Washington. I remember having a strange surreal feeling that this was not really happening and then a feeling of sympathy and deep sadness for those affected. We, of course, prayed for the thousands of people affected by this tragedy.

In the 1970s, I spent about seven years serving the church and the people of the metropolitan New York area. While living and working there, I learned to respect and care for the people of that great region and their strong resiliency to challenging problems. When I heard about the attacks, I was reminded that life is very fragile and that it is important that we maintain a close connection with Christ on a daily basis as we share with others our hope for a better world when the great controversy between Christ and Satan is ended at Christ's soon second coming.

I am thankful for the manner in which the Seventh-day Adventist Church was able to assist and minister to so many individuals in New York and Washington D.C. during that difficult time. It is a blessing that this ministry continues in those two important cities and in many other places.

This week marks the 10-year anniversary of that tragedy. Many of us have been forever changed by the pain and suffering we witnessed that day, by the stories we heard and by our own personal loss.

As I look at our church 10 years later, I see a group of dedicated believers who are beacons of peace and justice to the world around them. I see a community of faith alleviating pain and suffering now, but pointing to an earth made new. Together, we long for the day when loss of human life will be a distant memory when Christ puts an end to death, tears and suffering. His second coming and then ultimately the new earth He will create will bring to an end the suffering and sin of this world as the book of Revelation tells us.

On September 11, 2001, we were reminded that our world is a battlefield. Forces of good and evil are at war all around us, and innocent lives are lost. But we know that the hurt will end. Our hope is in our loving God and Savior, who shares our pain and has the solution for the problems we face. What a privilege to read about His plan of salvation in the Bible, the authoritative Word of God.

Whatever the battle -- and don't be discouraged if it appears that evil seems to gain the advantage for the moment -- let us remember that at the end God "will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces" (Isaiah 25:8).

My hope is that we will continue to be a church that unites in showing God's love to friends and neighbors, in times of joy as well as adversity. It's my hope that amid the memory of tragedy, we are sharing a message of hope as we look forward to Christ's soon return.

Let us all be encouraged and comforted in believing what God said in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Let's renew our personal and church efforts to share that hope with others in words and Christian service to God's glory.

Problem Solved

Image: nuttakit / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Despite the enjoyment problem solving brings, we need to remember that we never solve problems completely on our own.

I recently solved a software-related problem with my laptop.  Naturally, I felt good about getting the problem out of the way, especially considering I put a decent amount of time and effort into finding and implementing a solution.  With this success came the temptation to think that I had solved the problem on my own without any outside assistance.

My line of thinking soon changed when I realized that although I did not actively ask for help, my solution came from knowledge I had received from someone else.  Someone who posted a solution on a website.  Someone who had more knowledge about the situation than I did.

Even if I had not consulted a source other than myself, Someone did help me solve that problem.  As it is written,

Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  James 1:16-17

 So next time you're tempted to think too highly of yourself for solving a problem, remember that you didn't solve it on your own, Someone was there helping whether you realized it or not.

Spiritual Hotspotting

Can an innovative approach to dealing with people's physical health translate into the spiritual realm?

I recently watched a relatively short (13 min) video about a doctor named Jeffrey Brenner in New Jersey who has taken upon himself the task of dealing with the sickest people in his city of Camden.  He found these people through analyzing medical billing data and by doing so mapped out "hot spots" where people incurring the highest medical costs lived.  He developed the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers as a means of helping improve these people's lives.  While innovation is definitely needed in the healthcare system, should we implement such innovation in our dealings with people's spiritual lives?

First off, how would we determine people's level of spirituality?  Dr. Brenner found his high cost patients through analyzing medical billing records.  Similar records showing spirituality simply do not exist.  Sure, we could go such organizations such as The Association of Religion Data Archives and find all sorts of data on religious attendance and adherence, but as we probably all know, a high level of spiritual health and regular church attendance do not always go together.  We could go to the impoverished, high-crime areas in hope of finding those with the greatest spiritual need, but as I mentioned in a previous post, Jesus did not have many positives to say about the spiritual health of rich people.  Simply put, it is virtually impossible to get an accurate picture of someone's spiritual health by focusing on the externals.  Sure, a man who systematically abuses his wife is definitely not one who has a high level of spirituality, but Jesus made it quite clear in His famous Sermon on the Mount that it is what is on the inside that matters most to God.  So, since our lack of the ability to accurately determine spiritual health (even, oftentimes our own) prevents us from spiritual hotspotting, what about the One Who is able to accurately determine spiritual health, does He target only high-need individuals?

No, and Yes.  Jesus was the best representation of how God deals with people, and we read about Him dealing with everyone from the profligate Samaritan woman to the well-behaved Nicodemus.  God does not demonstrate a favoritism in regards to how He deals with people.  So, then where does the "Yes" come from?  The "Yes" comes from the fact that "all have sinned" and therefore all need to be saved.  "All" means "all", from the person who systematically commits open sins, to the person whose sinning resides only between their ears, nobody can save themselves, and therefore everybody need a Savior.

So if the temptation comes to deal with the spiritual needs of only a specific group, remember "hotspotting" may work for the physical life but does not work for the spiritual life.

Featured Post: Clutter and Newton’s First Law of Motion

This Featured Post comes from Erin Doland's blog Unclutterer, which "is the blog about getting and staying organized. A place for everything, and everything in its place is our gospel."

Clutter and Newton’s First Law of Motion

When uncluttering your home and office, chances are you’ll come across many objects you’ve thought about getting rid of dozens (maybe hundreds) of times, but never did.

For example, I’m allergic to Neosporin, yet I found six tubes of it when we were packing up for our move. I had regularly looked at those tubes in different parts of our house over the years — the medicine chest, the emergency kit in the kitchen, the medical kit in my gym bag — yet I didn’t get rid of them whenever I saw them and thought, “I should get rid of those.” I’m also not very sure how we came to own the ointment. My best guess is that my husband brought a couple into the house, maybe one or two came with a packaged medical kit, and one could have been left here by someone else.

In the case of the Neosporin, and all clutter, I believe Newton’s First Law of Motion can explain how it lingers for years in our spaces. An object (clutter) will stay at rest until a force (motivation) of equal or greater value acts upon it. The thought, “I should get rid of that,” is not a force of equal or greater value than the clutter. As unfortunate as it is, thoughts cannot move clutter. We can’t wish away our unwanted objects. We actually have to do something about them physically.

The other case of Newton’s First Law also applies here. An object (me) will continue in motion until a force (motivation) of equal or greater value acts upon it. Usually when I would see the Neosporin, it would be because someone or myself was injured. I was on a path to take care of the injury, not stop and deal with clutter. Then later, when maybe I thought about the Neosporin again, I could have been on a path to a meeting or to make dinner or to relax and watch a movie with my family. The motivation to clear the clutter wasn’t equal or greater than whatever else it was I wanted to be doing.

The only way to deal with the clutter in our lives is to break the patterns of inertia and muster up the motivation to do something about all the stuff we don’t want or need.

Surprisingly, the best way to create force (motivation) of equal or greater value to change the course of our clutter is to simply acknowledge that we have the power (velocity) to change the situation. After we think, “I should get rid of that,” the next thought should immediately be, “and to get rid of it I have to take action, now.” Then, take the action to get rid of the object. (Unless, of course, you’re dealing with an emergency. Deal with the emergency and then come back when you’re on a path to watch television or something equally benign.) Knowing that the object will not move itself and requires a force to act upon it can go a long way in helping you to clear the clutter you encounter regularly in your life.

It can be helpful to have five boxes in your laundry room or at the base of your closet when you’re just getting started on this process. Have one box for items to be returned to other people, a second box for items you wish to sell or Freecycle, the third box for charitable donations, the fourth should be a trash can, and the fifth box a recycling bin. When you come across a piece of clutter, pick it up and carry it to the closet. Decide which of the boxes is most appropriate for the piece of clutter, and then go back to whatever you were doing. When one of the boxes is full, deal with the items in all of the boxes. Take out the trash and recycling, drop off items to charity and to friends, and list the items you wish to sell or Freecycle.

The easier your system to handle clutter, the less force (motivation) it takes to get the unwanted objects (clutter) out of your home.

Hoping but Not Receiving

One of the reasons we don't receive God's power in our lives is that we are looking for the wrong kind.

The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.  Luke 24:20-21a

This statement comes from the conversation between Jesus and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (read it in its entirety here).  People often overlook this part of the conversation in a rush to focus on other aspects of the story like "the good part" where Jesus reveals His identity and everyone gets all excited.  However, we do the story a disservice by neglecting the hoping part because therein lies the reason for the "downcast" faces, and, in a way, the reason they were so excited after the reveal.  They misunderstood the reality of Jesus' mission, but why?

These disciples, along with most of the Jewish people at that time, which, sadly, included the twelve, thought that the Messiah was to come and deliver the nation of Israel from Roman bondage so that they could have the easy life like back in the good old days of David and Solomon.  Despite Jesus' many statements regarding the true nature of "the kingdom of heaven", and His refusal to be crowned as an earthly king, they couldn't rid themselves of the idea that He "was going to redeem Israel", and set up an earthly kingdom.  Sadly, that concept, and ones similar to it, still hold sway among many of the current professed followers of Christ.

One modern departure from Jesus' true mission on earth exists in "prosperity theology" which promotes the belief  that all one needs to do to receive anything is "name it and claim it".  Adherents to this belief system use texts from the Bible as a means to receive anything from good health to a new house.  Interesting thoughts coming from professed followers of one who was essentially homeless, and spoke of riches as a hindrance to entering God's kingdom after telling a rich man to sell all of his possessions.

A more subtle, and therefore more dangerous, variation on this theme also exists.  That being the concept that the life of a Christian should be for the most part, free from problems and sacrifice.  This view continues despite statements from Jesus to the contrary like the one found in Luke 9:23-24 which states that His true followers "must take up their cross daily."  Apparently many of his followers today suffer from the same tendency towards selective hearing as did His disciples back then.  I say this because prior to making that statement, He told His disciples, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." (v. 22)  It doesn't get much plainer than that, yet not long after hearing that statement, we find the two disciples walking to Emmaus all downcast and such, saying "The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped . . ."

In short, we don't receive God power in our lives because we look for His power to eliminate our problems (something He never said He would do) instead of to help us through them (something He often said He would do).

So if you start sensing the lack of God's power in your life, you should stop and ask yourself, "Am I looking for the right kind?"

Featured Post: The Revolutionary Power of Words

This featured post comes from Jeff Goins whose blog, Jeff Goins: Writer is "a blog on writing, ideas, and making a difference in the world."  Jeff is also the author of The Writer's Manifesto: Stop Writing to Be Read & Adored.

The Revolutionary Power of Words

Never, ever, ever underestimate the power your words have.

Take today, instance. In America, we call July 4 “Independence Day”, because it marks the beginning of our freedom.

Photo credit: Flickr (Creative Commons)

And just how did this revolution begin? With a Declaration, of course:

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

Powerful, right? I like that scene in National Treasure where Nicolas Cage says, “People don’t talk like that anymore.”

I wish they would. It’s time to reclaim the revolutionary power of words.

Whoever said “talk is cheap” is a liar.

Words are powerful, painful, awful, and amazing tools. They can hurt, help, hinder, and heal. But they are not cheap. They are quite expensive.

Words cost something. Like your time and money. Sometimes, they even cost your patience or self-worth. Words have a price tag.

Words can change the world.

They have before. Here are some examples to remember:

• When Martin Luther tacked his 95 theses to the church door.
• When Gutenberg created the printing press and gave the power of thought back to the people.
• When JFK asked us what we could do for our country.
• When MLK wrote letters from Birmingham.
• When Gandhi spoke and staged nonviolent protests.
• When Jesus gave a little speech on a hilltop.
• When Neil Armstrong took his first steps (and spoke his first words) on the moon.

Words matter.

You know this already. You have felt it. Sometimes, it was subtle, but you knew it was there.

The potency of words. It’s immeasurable and unmistakeable.

If you listen to your life you can recall moments when you felt the brutal sting of words:

• When the other kids called you “fat.”
• When that boy dumped you for no reason.
• When your dad called you “stupid.”
• When you received that letter of rejection.
• When your boss told you that you were fired.
• When someone told you that cancer is “God’s will.”
• When your wife asked when you were going to get a real job.

You personally know the impact words can have.

It’s your turn now.

Say something worth saying. Don’t give in to the temptation to just fight back, to return an angry voice by raising your own. Don’t join the crowd of hurt people hurting other people.

Instead, use your words for something else. Something powerful, something subversive.

Better yet, let the words of your mouth reflect the actions of your life. Act first, speak second. But please, speak up. Say something.

Silence has often ushered evil into the world. There is a reason why Hitler gained power so quickly. He could speak. And there is a reason why he didn’t win the war. Someone else spoke up.

Be the person who says something when no one else is. Be brave. Dare to speak and have something worth talking about. Start a revolution with your words.

Talk is not cheap. It doesn’t have to be, anyway. Talk can be valuable. Talk can be rich and worthwhile and a gift to the world.

So do us all a favor and open up your mouth.

Speak.

Some Things to Remember

Psalm 117  ¹ Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.  ² For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.  Praise the LORD.

The shortest chapter in the Bible makes some important points.

No need to put a link so you can read the entire chapter because all two verses, and twenty-nine words, of it is written above. However, as most of you who are familiar with the Bible know, a lot can be said with just a few words. There are two main points I would like to mention.

First, God's love toward us is great. I know that sounds like something we've heard so many times, but it's something that we often forget. When things are going our way, I mean really not going our way, it is easy to forget His great love for us, but we need to remember that reality. It is that reality that will keep us from giving up, from being overwhelmed by the forces assembled against us. The list  of benefits of remembering this reality could fill pages, and can be summed up in this. Remembering this reality will have a positive effect on every aspect of our lives.

And the second is like unto it. His faithfulness endures forever. Remembering this could also benefit our daily lives. Everything man-made, and some things that are natural, on this failing earth is temporary to varying degrees. Our emotions are often up and down like a roller coaster, making us dizzy and nauseous. God is the only constant thing in the universe, and that constancy is available to us 100% of the time. All we have to do is take hold of it.

So as we go about our days, let the shortest chapter in the Bible remind us of these all-important attributes of God, and may remembering them bring lasting change to our everyday lives.

Learning From the Past

Psalm 106:6 We have sinned, even as our fathers did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly.

Those who fail to learn from the mistakes of others are destined to repeat them. That saying, in various forms has stuck in my mind for quite some time. So long, that I don't even remember the first time I heard it. However, that phrase could easily be the theme of Psalm 106. Like the previous psalm, this one gives some history of the Jewish people, but unlike Psalm 105, it focuses on the people's rebellion rather than on God's providence.

We, as human beings are prone to forget, and because of that forgetfulness we are also prone to wander from Him and His leading. As I was thinking about this concept the song "Prone to Wander" by Chris Rice came to mind. Some of the lyrics are as follows.

How can I be so prone to wander
So prone to leave You
So prone to die
And how can You be so full of mercy
You race to meet me and bring be back to life

As I was searching for those lyrics, I found the lyrics from a more familiar song which go:

O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart Lord, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above

I don't like wandering because I usually wander to places I should not be. If you feel the same way, the best way to keep from wandering is to learn from past mistakes; those of others, and those of ourselves.

Remember the Wonders

Psalm 105:5-6  ⁵ Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, ⁶ O descendants of Abraham his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.

Once again, the psalmist reminds us to remember.

As much as Psalm 104 was a natural psalm, Psalm 105 is a historical psalm. In this psalm, as in a previous psalm, the author uses history as a teaching tool. In this psalm, he retells some major historical points in Israel's history. He begins with Abraham and end with God's provision for His people in the wilderness following the exodus from Egypt.

The concept of retelling historical events resonates with me because I am somewhat of a history buff (one of my favorite channels is the History Channel), but this psalm is retelling history for a purpose other than just remembering facts. People tend to forget where they come from especially in regards to God's leading in their lives, and that is a tendency that needs to be broken. Along those lines, Ellen White wrote

"We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history." --Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, p. 196 (1902).

However, as we remember how God has led us in the past, we need to avoid the temptation to become nostalgic. John Eldredge had this thought on the matter,

"The most unredemptive kind of remembering is what many people call 'nostalgia.' How sad to visit elderly friends and relatives to find them sitting around listlessly, pining for 'the good old days.' They have no life in the present and little vision for the future, because they are locked in the past." --The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God, p. 207 (1997).

So as we take the time to remember our history, let us keep in mind that it is a place of reference, not a place of residence.

Hearing the Groans

Psalm 102:18-20 ¹⁸ Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD: ¹⁹ "The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, ²⁰ to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death."

Even though God is in heaven, He is not immune our suffering down here on earth.

Psalm 102 is and interesting psalm. The subtitle is "A prayer of an afflicted man. When he is faint and pours out his lament before the LORD." It is a mixture of suffering and salvation. I'm focusing on my chosen passage mainly because the author of the psalm wanted people to remember the statement recorded there. It is much like a person today giving a speech and saying, "If you remember one thing, remember this." We are a people prone to forget, so I hope that by focusing on this text, we may remember it a little more easily.

The thought put forth is an important one, and one that is often forgotten when we are suffering. It is that the God in heaven is affected by our suffering here on earth. Not only does He hear the groans of those who are literally prisoners and condemned to die, but He also hears the groans of those who are prisoners of sin and condemned as a result. He has compassion upon us and will release us from our bondage.

God is not, as some people have said, a sort of heavenly watchmaker who wound up this world and left it to its own devices. He personally cares for each and everyone one of us down here. That fact alone should give us hope. That fact alone should give us peace. That fact alone should give us a reason to praise the Lord. We are not alone.

Acknowledge Him

Psalm 95  ¹ Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. ² Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. ³ For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. ⁴ In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. ⁵ The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. ⁶ Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; ⁷ for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice, ⁸ do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert, ⁹ where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did. ¹⁰ For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways." ¹¹ So I declared on oath in my anger, "They shall never enter my rest."

In order to worship God we must first acknowledge, or, in many cases, remember who He is.

The act of worship is a powerful thing. It shows that the object of our worship is greater than us. When we get too full of ourselves, than our worship suffers. The psalmist here is reminding the reader/hearer exactly who God is. He is the greatest of all gods; the One who created and controls the natural world. It is only after stating those things is the concept of worship mentioned. We worship Him because He is our God, and we are under His care.

The psalmist then puts in a warning encouraging us not to be like those in the past who have hardened their hearts. He brings out a rather popular story from Jewish history found in Exodus 17:1-7 in which the people grumbled and complained due to the lack of water. They lost sight of the fact that God is in charge of the natural world, and the fact that He loved them enough to provide for their physical needs. The psalmist makes a direct correlation with this attitude and the fact that this complaining generation did not enter the rest of the Promised Land.

Help me Lord to truly and consistently acknowledge Who You are, and who I am, so that I may have an attitude of worship and not one of complaining.

Dealing with Doubt

Psalm 77:7-12 "Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?"Selah Then I thought, "To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High." I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.

When we have doubts, a key word to know is "remember".

In this psalm I find Asaph having a rough time. He is crying out to God, losing sleep, refusing to be comforted, etc. Then he ask questions that many of us may have asked at one time or another. We start to doubt whether God is really out to help us or not. Thankfully, Asaph gives a solution to this problem, and that is remember. Remember the deeds of the LORD. Remember the miracles of long ago. Think about all that He has done. The psalm continues for many more verses in which Asaph remembers how God really is.

So, when I have a rough time, when I start to doubt, I need to remember who God really is, and then my perspective will change dramatically.