Journal Ps 126-127 (all references are from the ESV; changes in punctuation are mine)
Scripture: “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream…
Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations:
“The Lord has done great things for them!”
The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.” Ps 126:1-3
Observation: The Bible is more than a philosophical, moralistic textbook. It is the testament of the Living God. Sometimes I have to put a little thought, imagination, and talking through the Scriptures out loud to get the flavor, the timing, and the inflections right.
Don’t read the Scriptures flat. I will miss a ton of the Holy Spirit that way.
Analysis: It took a while turning the Psalm over and over in my mind and speaking it out loud to myself to get to a point of kind of understanding. At the end, I am convinced of what and how God would like us to react to his Goodness.
I see in myself a certain stoic-ness, a flatness, in responding to the Goodness of God. Maybe I will acknowledge things by nodding my head, whispering “thank you, Lord”, giving a little fist pump or something like that. I am losing my sense of expressive wonder of God. That is not what the Psalmist describes above.
Here’s how I filled in the blanks: “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion…(something astounding, out of the ordinary, came out of left field)..we were like those who dream…(caught off guard, struck like in a vision, a dream, an imagination)… Think of it as being dumbfounded, stopped in my tracks, overwhelmed with what I saw, heard, and perceived—total silence…jaw dropped.
And then “…our mouth was filled with laughter, shouts of joy, and declarations of what God has done to the nations…” the folks around us. It describes an irresistible reaction, an eruption of celebration, a “0 to 60” moment in a flash of an eyeblink; an “I can’t believe what just happened” response.
I cannot help but think this is a description of being AWESTRUCK at the Goodness of God.
Why don’t I have a reaction like that?
Prayer: Father, I remember when I did have reactions like what the Psalmist describes. I am depressed that I don’t—it makes me think that I have a hardening, an atrophied heart being developed. Stirring my heart into flame (or even smoldering) seems so difficult.
Fan my heart into flame, O God.
AMEN
Rick Sutton