Skip to main content

Psalm 4

Be angry,[b] and do not sin;
    ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
Offer right sacrifices,
    and put your trust in the Lord.

-------

This verse really struck my heart as I was reading. I have to admit, I'm an external processor. When I'm going through struggles or pains, I often project that onto other people and will often seek the advice of others. I think a part of me does that because it helps me navigate my thoughts, but when I really reflect on the root of it, I can't help but think that there is also a part of me that wants to tell people so they can feel sorry for me? I guess it goes back to my victim mentality. Something that's been really difficult for me to cast down is my desire to please people. Growing up, I was always lonely and so I would do whatever I could to get people to like me, even if that meant having people pity me. Getting older, though, it becomes clearer and clearer that it doesn't work like that. I just turned 28 and had this revelation that, shiz, I'm getting old. That means no more acting like a child. I think God has put this idea of "ponder in your own heart and be silent" in my heart for a while, but a part of me was being disobedient because I think I'm scared to actually face how crappy of a person I really am. Kind of like what our book is talking about in Chapter 1, I try to put on such a holy exterior because, yes, God has been doing some amazing work in me, but whenever I stumble, I automatically neglect my soul and try to resolve it externally. 

Lord. Thank you for being a faithful God that listens to your children's prayers. Thank you for being the God that meets us 90% of the way and asks up to meet you 10%. Holy Spirit, i pray for the courage and faith to take that 10% step. I pray that in those times, you would meet me there. I pray that we can start to have dialogue, not for more fruit in my life or more blessings, but more so for us to navigate my thoughts together. To sync up our hearts together. I pray that, this season, you would help me ponder my in my heart in silence. Amen.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Psalm 15 - SL

Psalm 15 - Righteous Manners v.2 "He who walks blamelessly ... and speaks truth in his heart..." v.4 "in whose eyes a vile person is despised..." v.5 "...He who does these things shall never be moved." A short psalm that speaks truth into what it takes to dwell on God's Holy Hill - or as I have put it - a psalm that speaks to righteous manners. This was a short list of Does and Does Nots, and then ends with a factual saying the one who acts in these ways won't be moved from that holy place. It was both a good refresher to read and fairly hard to digest because I don't pass the standards that I want to be passing. I know I don't walk blamelessly, and as much as I can put a check-mark on many of the other aspects, I am not satisfied - and I will not be satisfied/complacent - with not realizing a full and fruitful lifestyle. It's been easier for me to be okay with certain actions and thought processes because I am yoked by people w...

Psalm 12 - Juliano

Psalm 12 6 And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times. Even though it was not the point of the psalm, this passage really stood out to me. I had received an imagery like this before a long time ago. During one of the Ekklesias years ago, someone had a word for me like this before I went to start art school. That God would polish me like gold. I had an idea of what that meant, but it does seem to carry more meaning now. My younger self thought that I "already experienced all". That "what else can I experience that is new?". Unconciously that is. That's when the part it says "gold refined seven times" stood out to me. Realizing that refinement it's not a one go process. My sort of personality likes to get the hard part stuff first out of the way. And I always felt like going through the hard process for the "investment of the future" was always the right move. T...

Psalm 15

who keeps an oath  even when it hurts,      and does not change their mind; 5  who lends money to the poor without interest;      who does not accept a bribe  against the innocent. ------ Shucks, I missed the deadline... Got caught up with some business that kept me out until now.. sigh... anyways... In light of today's message, I feel like this is super powerful. For me, the hardest part has been the keeping an oath part. I was the one who always tried to look out for myself, even if that meant sometimes not keeping my word. It's funny though because it's not like they were blatant betrayals, but like Sung said, some of those sticky situations where I'd have to ask "well, is this really that serious?" Today's message I think helps us become more like the traits the Psalmist wrote. Having a holistic view of redemption and what the Cross means for us will better equip us with the tools to live the way the Psalmist said. ---- L...