Summer in the Psalms - Psalm 124

When I Need to Be Refreshed

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Psalm 124 is where we’re starting this summer and though I’ve chosen this, seemingly by happenstance, simply picking up where we left off from last summer, I don’t believe this is a matter of happenstance.

I believe it’s a Psalm our hearts need to ponder.

Perhaps I’m projecting my teacher days a bit here, but summer is often looked at as a time of refreshment. Not just because we can beat the heat by splashing in a refreshing pool of water with friends, but because the days are longer, our schedules a bit more flexible. We vacate, even if not physically to a new location, we vacate to a less stressed, more relaxed state of mind.

Or at least, we long to.

And what I know to be true is if we want to feel this refreshment mentally - have less to do’s and to be’s on our minds- and physically - our shoulders moving away from our ears, our guts finding healthy rhythm once again... If we want to feel this refreshment emotionally - less weight to carry... Then, we must be intentional to seek this refreshment spiritually. In other words, if we want to be refreshed mentally, physically and emotionally, we have to bring these things to God.

The Psalms are just that. A collection of times when people who lived before us have brought “their things” to God. Like any collection - take a collection of music, for instance, there are different genres in our collection. Pop, Rock, Country, Jazz, Holiday. What makes us select one song over another? It’s simple. We select a song based on the day we’re experiencing. The Star Spangled Banner or R-O-C-K in the USA may be on the July 4th playlist but rarely if ever have I played it on February 4th. 

My point is, it’s the same with the Psalms. But, how will we know which Psalm our heart needs to hear on THIS day, how will we know which Psalm our heart needs to pray on THIS day - if we don’t first spend time learning about the collection given to us?

My experience with refreshment has been God refreshes me with the comfort of heaven, then He brings someone along who is walking a similar path so I can then help refresh them with this comfort I have received. It’s a wave on wave of refreshment. But it’s not just a me thing. This has been true for thousands of years. People brought their cares to God and He refreshed them. As we read their words of thanksgiving, lament, praise, wisdom, trust and prophecy, we then are refreshed for our day. As we are refreshed, the wave continues. We then can help refresh another.

It’s my hope and my prayer Summer in the Psalms is like pulling out those old vinyl records, a time of dusting the dirt off an old collection and being refreshed by the Spirit of God. 

Psalms, much like the music we listen to, is rooted in the emotions we’re feeling and experiencing. But what makes these Psalms so powerful and necessary is the Psalms never stay stuck in the emotion like we are prone to do. The Psalms may confess some very dark and painful times, but always point back to the goodness and faithfulness of our God.

And Psalm 124 is no different. It starts with a question, one I believe is coming in beautiful timing for us, one we may neglect to ask but one we desperately need to ask. A question we need to ponder. If you're curious, Psalm 124 would be in our thanksgiving collection. And no, that doesn't mean we should keep it shelved until November. Rather, the thanksgiving playlist should be our go-to. It's our Spotify Wrapped List every year, the station that plays as soon as we get in the car, the tune our Amazon Alexa recommends and asks if we want to hear again. This psalm leads us to ask,

What if God had not been on our side?…What if God had not been there for us? -Psalm 124:1-2

As I sit with this question and reflect on what God has done and what my life, just even the last year or two years would be like had God not been on my side, a somber reality hits deep. The things I hold most precious and most tenderly - for me, my husband Will and our new baby girl - would these blessings be ones I would now hold had it not been for the grace, for the heavenly protection of the Almighty God?

Will and I are so grateful to celebrate 2 years of marriage this week, and neither of us take this gift lightly. Don’t get me wrong, we have had a blast and so much fun together. Living life with your best friend is one of the greatest gifts we share. But, the enemy is no respecter of persons. The enemy is against all marriages because marriage is a covenant between two people and God. The enemy is going to try every means possible to try to separate and destroy what God has brought together. It's a tale as old as time, truly from the tree in Genesis and continues now.

I don’t have to look far to see the enemy wrecking havoc in marriage and families around me. Though I don't know the details of others, I do know our story, so this is the one I tell: God led Will and I to godly counseling and to Celebrate Recovery. God did the work and gets all the credit, our role was to both individually commit and be obedient to pursue healing in the midst of the rising tide. Many seek help later on. Life is busy. We hope things will calm down on their own. But, I've learned this is foolishness. When you feel the nudge from God to do something, don't delay. Do it. When starting Celebrate Recovery which is a ten-month commitment, I had no idea God knew what was ahead for us, the twists and turns we would come to and God also had a plan to use this time in His Word and with His people to help us and show us Jesus, our Friend and Savior, and the Holy Spirit, our very present help in time of need, is in the boat amidst the rising waters with us.

We have chosen to bring these pressures and difficulties to the light of God’s Word and to wise people who are following His Word to help us. Our circumstances in ways have changed and in other ways have not, but the difference Will and I know, the miracle we praise God for is the change in us. We have both experienced a change in perspective. The difficulties may continue but the way we look at these are now different. In doing so, we are different. We are changed.

“What if God had not been on our side? What if God had not been there for us?” What if we had tried to navigate these rising waters with what made sense in our own minds, based on what our emotions were telling us? What if we had not humbled ourselves to know God is above these waters and Jesus is in the boat with us?

The answer is one I don't want to entertain.

The truth is: God's grace has held us and is holding us. As Psalm 124 ends,

For the same God who made everything, our creator and mighty maker, he himself is our helper and our defender. - Psalm 124:8

Oh may these verses be like lyrics to our favorite song, words which play over and over again, words we sing for no reason but because our heart knows them, and more than just knowing the words, our hearts know them to be true.

Amen, my friend. So be it.

Now, It's Your Turn!

I challenge you to take a moment to pray, then read or listen to Psalm 124 today. Think about what stands out to you. Consider writing down an statement of faith. It may help to think of this as an I-statement.

I will call upon the name of the Lord. He is my helper and my defender.

Then, jot down a question to think about today. Maybe yours is similar to the one in verse 1 and 2 - What is it in your life? What if God had not been on your side? How have you received help that could only come from Him?

May this reflection lead our hearts to gratitude and praise today and may we stand in victory against the tactics and schemes of the enemy.  Amen!

And praise God for refreshment as we are intentional to spend a summer in the Psalms together, for if we want His truth to ever be on our lips, it must first be planted in our hearts.

Our strength grows as we rely on strength from above. Our joy grows as we see God transforming us from the inside out. Our peace grows as we spend time in God's presence, and we find rest when we intentionally seek the Lord first in our lives, for the Lord is ever our portion.

The good life, well it starts with a good day. Then another. Then another. Let's choose to live #TheGoodDay one day at a time.

I love hearing from you, so go ahead. Leave a comment. Be brave. Maybe your comment will speak life into someone else!

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