THE POWER OF KINDNESS

The display of decorated pillows and framed sayings near the front door at my local fabric store interrupted my “fast trip” in for a sewing project.  I had to stop and silently agree with the one that said, “Kind people are my kind of people.” In the past, I had tried to practice “kindness” to the clerks who had gotten to know me on my many trips in there. When one gave me extraordinary service, I asked for a customer comment card to express my appreciation about her to the powers-that-be. That wasn’t my first effort at taking the time to commend an employee at a store. But I know there’s power in expressing appreciation for kindness—and doing so is a kindness itself.

This past year I posted this verse on my computer monitor as a reminder to seek opportunities to live it out:

A kindhearted woman gains respect. –Proverbs 11:16

I could give you a long list of people in my life, some of them now deceased, who encouraged me and enriched my life through their simple acts of kindness. They came to my help when I was overwhelmed.  They encouraged me to persevere through difficult times. They commended me for a job well done or an honor earned. Sometimes they just put an arm around my shoulder and said, “I appreciate you.”

It’s no obscure secret that there’s power in kindness. So I wasn’t surprised when I read in the newspaper (Seattle Times, March 31, 2019, p. E12) this headline:  “Can acts of kindness improve your health?”  The answer was a huge “yes”!  The author went on:

Research shows that practicing loving kindness can profoundly affect your attitude, outlook and even your health.  Better yet, you can rewire your brain to be more present and kinder to others, giving your mood a daily boost.

FOCUS IDEAS
Their suggestions included:

This "kindness" saying hangs in my daughter's home.

*Times of quiet, contemplative focusing on warm, tender thoughts, possibly of a loved one.

*Doing intentional acts of kindness to relatives, friends and even strangers (even something as simple as holding open an elevator for someone). 

*Keep a gratitude journal, writing down things you’re thankful for.

These, of course, came from a secular source. But they reflect the Biblical truth that when we are appreciative of God's gifts and mercies to us, and are kind to one another, God brings about good stuff inside us.

A PSALMS 'WRAP-UP'

When I get a cold, bronchitis inevitably follows, no thanks to my history of asthma. This last time of illness, I took a second look at the wrappers for the cough drops I used. Of all things, they had “inspirational sayings,” something like fortune cookies for the unfortunately-unwell. I’d call most of them secular, generic pep talks:

It’s yours for the taking. Dust off and get up. Be unstoppable. Seize the day. Don’t give up on yourself. You’ve survived tougher. Go for it. Get back in there, champ. You can do it and you know it. Get through it. You can handle it.

Even though these wrapper-sayings contain some grains of truth, my favorite “inspirational sayings” this year came instead through the book of Psalms--namely the 48 chapters listed by pastor-counselor David Seamands (in Healing for Damaged Emotions) as helpful in times of “feeling down.” He just gave the list; my task was digging out the application for dealing with the negatives that had dragged me down over several years. I didn't realize the toll of these negatives until my annual physical revealed a possible life-threatening health issue. My doctor’s response was a strong prescription and strong words advising me to minimize contact with persons with problem behaviors.

This was hard for me, as I don’t like to upset people. But walking this trail of truth in psalms helped. The study reminded me that life is uncertain and sometimes just hard and messy….except for the care, protection and encouragement of the Lord Jesus.

BITTER OR BETTER
This past week marked a poignant milestone for me. My mother was born 100 years ago on May 20.  She died at 59 of cancer. Six months later, my dad died at 63 of a heart attack. At age 31, still single, I was orphaned. In those first difficult months and years, I faced the truth that loss can leave us bitter or better. I wanted to come out of it better.

Among the few belongings I saved from cleaning out their home was my mother’s copy of the Amplified New Testament.  As I read it, I treasured anew the verses she had underlined in red regarding "down times." Instead of the cough drop wrappers’ secular advice, I got God’s advice via Paul in this fresh translation:

I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am. I know how to be abased and live humbly in straitened circumstances, and I know also how to enjoy plenty and live in abundance….I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me—I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me, [that is, I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]. (Philippians 4:11-13, Amp)

Such was the “medicine” I got through my study of psalms—to trust and obey, in good times and bad. Or as a First century pastor put it, to experience how God’s grace enables us to live “self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:12-13 NIV).

And that pretty well wraps it up—God’s way.

P.S. The blog's psalms series began June 15, 2018. The index to the right can help you backtrack to the beginning.

PURIFIED PRAISE (Psalm 147)

(The final psalm in the list of 48 commended by pastor-counselor David Seamands for study during times of “feeling down,” from his book Healing for Damaged Emotions.)

It was winter when I turned in my Bible and reference books to Psalm 147, and I soon realized that the weather outside (snow!) was an appropriate illustration. Hundreds of years earlier, King David saw snow (rare in the Holy Land) as a picture for what needed to happen after his sins of adultery, deceit and murder. In Psalm 51 (discussed in this blog on Oct. 12, 2018), he wrote:

Wash me and I will be whiter than snow. (51:7)

In his repentance, David wanted to be restored to purity and fellowship with his God. It wasn’t much different for the circumstances behind Psalm 147. After David’s reign, Israel fell apart and divided under various kings, some good, many bad. Finally, God’s discipline came when Babylon brutally conquered the nation and dragged the people north as prisoners. Seventy years later, Babylon was itself captured, and the new Persian king allowed the Israelites to return. But their beloved homeland was devastated and their temple in ruins. The book of Ezra recalls their challenges in rebuilding a lesser temple. Then Nehemiah came to supervise rebuilding the city’s walls for critical safety. Psalm 147 belongs to the end of Ezra, when enough of the temple was rebuilt for a celebratory worship service. The psalm is a model for praising God for his purifying and redeeming Hand.

HE RESTORES

Like all the psalms that conclude the book of Psalms, it begins, “Hallelu Yah!”—Praise the LORD!  Doing so is “good,” “pleasant,” and “fitting.” What had just happened to them, well, just didn’t happen in ancient societies. Returning to the ancestral lands was likened to healing the brokenhearted and binding up their wounds (v. 3). Such an event was a God-thing.

HE REVEALS HIMSELF IN HIS CREATION

If you stop to think about it, just what happens every day around us in what we call “nature” points to an all-powerful creator God. Thus the psalmist looks at creation. (That reminds me of wonderful hymns like “Morning Has Broken,” “I Sing the Mighty Power of God,” and, of course “This Is My Father’s World.”) From the stars to clouds, to weather (rain, snow, frost, hail), vegetation, and animals, there’s plenty to remind us of God’s creative power and pleasure.

HE REMEMBERS US!

What pleases Him the most?

The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love. (v. 11)

The nation of Israel was lovingly planted, entrusted as a conduit of God’s laws and the lineage of Jesus, then disciplined severely with exile, finally—amazingly!--returned to its original lands. It became Exhibit A of God’s lovingkindness and longsuffering. Verse 20 emphasizes the uniqueness of it all: “He has done this for no other nation.” Even better, “redemption” isn’t limited to the ancients who returned to a broken-down city. The apostle Paul, explaining that “belonging to God” is now open to any, wrote, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26).

God comes to us in our brokenness and replants us in places of promise. That truth should make every day a Thanksgiving day. Yes, life is messy. We’re not slaves and exiles in the ancient sense, but often we’re enslaved by negative circumstances and emotions. Yet Jesus said, “I have come that they [us!] may have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

As I end this nearly year-long study of psalms for “feeling down” times, I almost wish there were more in Pastor Seamands' recommended list. The problems that inspired this series still exist, but I have a better, God-perspective for them. It’s human to want life perfect and comfortable, but this is earth. It’s not heaven yet. In John 9, a blind man was brought to Jesus. The crowd asked if the man or his parents sinned so as to cause his blindness. Jesus answered neither, but that “this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life” (John 9:5). 

The blind man saw right away when Jesus healed him. It’s my prayer that this series will restore spiritual sight to those who’ve struggled with life’s inequities and hard places. God knows about every one of them, and our appropriate response should be that which rings loudly at the end of psalms:

Praise the Lord!

JUST PTL (Psalm 146)

Yes, these are all sun glasses, not corrective lenses, 

but they're still a reminder of Psalm 146:8, that the Lord

also gives sight when we are spiritually blind. I hope

 this soon-to-end series on psalms for "down times"

 has offered you insight and hope for the journey

(Part of an ongoing series on the 48 psalms to study when you're feeling "down," as suggested in pastor-counselor David Seamands' book, Healing for Damaged Emotions.)

If your connection to Christianity goes back to your youth, you probably engaged in some “Praise” competitions. I mention this with some reluctance, but they went like this, using a short praise chorus:

First group (loud as they could handle): “Praise ye, the Lord”

Second group (even louder): HALLELUJAH!

First group (even louder): “PRAISE YE, THE LORD”

Second group (topping the previous effort): “HALLELUJAH!

The third effort was the loudest of all, ending in giggles. It may have been fun for the kids, but as I’ve matured in my faith, I wonder if it is an affront to the Lord to trivialize such a holy “chorus.” 

HALLELU JAH

The last five psalms, starting with this one, emphasize “Hallelujah” as a serious, holy expression. “Hallelu” means “praise” and “Jah” is short for “Yahweh” or “Jehovah,” for God. It’s one way to express reverence and love for God from a full heart. Recently in reading a book about the stories behind the hymns, I came across the background for the hymn “My Jesus, I Love Thee”:

My Jesus, I love Thee; I know thou art mine.

For Thee all the follies of sin I resign.

My gracious Redeemer, My Savior art Thou,

If ever I loved Thee, My Jesus, ‘tis now.

If you envision the author of these lyrics as old, maybe gray around the temples, you’re in for a surprise.  William R. Featherston was sixteen when he wrote this poem celebrating his conversion to Christ. He lived in Montreal, Canada, and sent it to an aunt in California whose connections led to its publication in a British hymnal in 1864.  Featherston would live only eight more years, dying at 26. Little else is known about him. But his expression of “hallelujah”—“if ever I loved Thee, My Jesus, ‘tis now”-- has inspired millions.

Likewise, the “beginning of the end” of Psalms—numbers 146 to 150—seek to inspire us to declare “hallelujah” to the One who has no beginning and no end, and is worthy of all praise. We don’t worship our national rulers (the “princes” of v. 3) who will someday die. Instead, we worship the Eternal Creator God (v. 6); the Caring God (vv. 7-9a), who holds close to His heart those impaired in body and circumstance; and the Holy God (v. 9) who “frustrates the ways of the wicked.” 

“Hallelujah” is how to say, “God of all, my happiness doesn’t depend on my circumstances, or my fluctuating emotions, but upon Your character.” The concluding verse offers this raised-hands-worthy proclamation:

The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. (v. 10)

And “all generations” includes youthful believers like William Featherston, whose four-stanza hymn-poem ended:

In mansions of glory and endless delight,

I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright.

I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow

If  ever I loved thee, My Jesus, ‘tis now.”

MORNING'S HOPE (Psalm 143)

Landscape near my "high-desert" hometown. David probably looked

out on similar desolation (without the telephone poles!)

(Part of an ongoing series of psalms to study when you're feeling "down," as suggested by pastor/counselor David Seamands in his book, "Healing for Damaged Emotions.")

“Joy comes in the morning…” The hope expressed in that song took on a personal meaning when my friend Dan Miller was privileged to sing it for a Bill Gaither music video. Dan’s not your run-of-the-mill Gospel singer. The summer after he graduated from high school, he was one of the last victims of the polio epidemic of the 1950s. The vaccines hadn’t yet made it to small towns clutching the Columbia River in north central Washington. His athletic body was decimated by the virus. His right arm was left virtually useless, his left, less impaired, and his once strong legs a whisper of their former selves. But Dan went on to fulfill his dream of becoming a physical education teacher (with lots of adjustments), later a school principal, then an inspirational speaker. He loved to play a guitar in his unique “adjusted” way and sing about hope after the darkest night: “Joy comes in the morning.”

MORNING BLESSING

I think of Dan when I read Psalm 143, especially verse 8, which I memorized through the NavPress “Topical Memory System” early in my Christian walk:
Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust; cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.(KJV)

In the version I now use (New International Version) it continues to remind me that the night is not forever:

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.  Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

When we look to the Lord for help, the nights of emotional and personal darkness are not forever. Like the first rays of the sunrise, God has a way of giving us hints that hope is on its way. That, I think, is the enduring message of Psalm 143.

Like the previous psalm, also by David, it has a heavy and sorrowful tone. David is on the verge of giving up as the enemy continues to hunt and taunt him. “My spirit grows faint within me,” he says, “my heart within me is dismayed” (vv. 3-4). What keeps him from giving up altogether is remembering God’s help in the past:

I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. (v. 5)

In a posture of worship and yielding, he holds out his hands. I understand that, as I have done that in my prayer life when I saw no answer and had to trust God with all my being.

Not surprisingly, this was a lesson David had learned before. In Psalm 30, he had exclaimed:

Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)

COMFORT V. CONFORMED 

It’s not just a matter of waiting a day or so for God to make things happen. God has His own, best timing for working out the problems we face. Sometimes the problem stares back at us in the mirror! He usually has things that need correcting inside us. That’s the other emphasis of Psalm 143, which is named as one of the seven “penitential” (confessional) psalms. (The others are 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143.)  But what may take weeks or months or years is all part of His perfect plan. His ultimate goal isn’t our comfort but being conformed to the image of Christ.  

In the midst of wishing he could be free of his enemies’ taunts and threats, David recognizes that his suffering has a higher purpose of building character:

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. (v. 10)

Joy will come in the morning—not necessarily the 24-hour cycle when the sun rises again, but when the Morning Star (Rev. 22:16), Jesus Christ, shines forth into our hearts. Left to our own devices, we’re like a wilderness of sagebrush. His character is built into us through the polishing and maturing knives of adversity. Though Psalm 143 begins with lugubrious notes of despair, it ends with sweetness: “I am your servant” (v. 12).