Psalm 25 – “Walking with Him … in the Storm.”

As I look back over this Psalm, I feel like I have learned a LOT. Probably the biggest thing I’ve learned though I would summarize under the heading of “walking with Him in the storm.”

Here’s the deal: One of my favorite stories in the Bible is Jesus calming the storm. The storm was raging, the waves crashing, and a bunch of seasoned fishermen were quite sure they were all going to drown. (In fact, to add to the drama, I have felt for the years that the storm itself was probably demonic. I strongly suspect that Satan thought he was going to drown Jesus and the disciples the same way he killed all of Job’s children with a single micro-blast of wind). What did Jesus do? He just stood and said, “Peace! Be still!” and the storm not only stopped, the Bible says, “There was a great calm.” Connection? I know that He can do the same with the “storms” in my life. All He has to do is say, “Peace! Be still!” and all my problems could be over. Any time. He has the power. And He might. I wish He would.

Working through this Psalm, David’s pain in one sense only reminded me of mine. I wish so much He would just say, Peace! Be still” and make it all go away. But as I finally worked my way down to the final verses of the Psalm, I realized that faith is by its very nature an unfinished business. David was praying that prayer, “The troubles of my heart are enlarged. Bring me out from my distresses.” But I know that, as the words finished coming from his mouth or he laid down his pen, the problems were all still there. Would they go away? Maybe. Eventually yes. But I have never really thought about the fact that most of the time we pray in faith, beg God for answers, for help, for strength, for deliverance only to stand up to live in a world that hasn’t changed at all. We go on in faith believing that God has heard us and that He will, in His time, in His way, give us what is best. But … that is unfinished business.

It would be wonderful to sit in that boat and actually see that “great calm.” What a rush that must have been. Storms don’t just “end.” They subside. Wow what it must have been like to sit there in that boat, knowing just a second ago there was a horrific storm howling and now … now the lake is completely calm. Yeah. Jesus. It would be so nice if that could happen in my life.

But I realized that isn’t usually the case. And faith must go on. Then I read that little quip, “When the Lord gives us a bitter cup to drink …” and I thought it would say, “He delivers us from it” only to read on and instead see “… He’ll give us the strength to drink it.” Now that’s different. “Strength to drink it.” Once again, I’d rather be delivered. But He gives strength to drink it, to face it, to go through it.

Then I noticed something I’ve never seen before. In at least one of those storms, Jesus had Peter step out of the boat and walk on the waves, on the storm, so to speak. I’ve never thought about what a rush that must have been for Peter – not just to be delivered from the storm, but actually to be able to walk with Jesus in it. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walked with Jesus in the fire. Peter walked with Jesus in the storm. Here’s my deal – I am sure, in a sense that neither Peter nor the guys wanted it to end. And all of a sudden, in my life, I’m finding a never before experienced sense of joy; a joy of walking with Him in the storm. The storm has really howled the last couple of weeks. The fire is definitely “seven times hotter.” Yet, as I’ve suffered through it all, I have been more aware than ever before that He is with me in it, that He is giving me the strength to face it, to keep walking through it. He is with me in the storm. And honestly, there is a very soul-deep sense of joy in that, a joy I can’t say I’ve ever really experienced before.

It still hurts. A LOT. This body gets exhausted. I almost can’t take it. But then, there He is. Like Phil 4:13, He is giving me strength. And a really, really strange thing happens. I almost don’t want it to end. If only He’ll keep carrying me, if only somehow He’ll keep making a way minute by minute, then in a sort of faint way I can see that “strength to drink it” is almost a better answer than “deliver me from it.”

This is NOT to say I’m asking for trouble. I do get tired and I do long for all of this  to be over. I still wish He’d just say, “Peace! Be still!” and calm the storm.

But having studied this Psalm, I am more aware than ever that He may not. But I’ve also made some kind of a step. I faintly see that higher plane. And my soul values it.

Another thought on it all – as I’ve been trying to live this: what got Peter? … while he was walking with Jesus in the storm? We’ve all read it. He stopped looking at Jesus and started looking instead at the wind and waves. That is exactly when I’ve been losing it. that’s when I’ve been getting irritable with other people, feeling hopeless, etc. … when I start focusing on the storm and forgetting Who I’m walking in it with. It’s like a mental discipline I have to keep practicing. The Lord is good. He is with me. He will “give me the strength to drink it.” It will end. I’m going through this with Him. There are definitely points where I am seriously struggling to stay up and I find myself praying, "Lord help me see You." I can only "make it" if I can keep seeing Him -- "with my gaze fixed on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith."

So that’s the biggest thing I think I’ve learned. To walk with Him in the storm … and actually find a joy in it.

Hmmmm. Wow. He gives such good gifts. I suppose I started studying this Psalm maybe hoping I’d learn something that could somehow end the storm. Instead He gave me something better. Something I didn’t even realize could be a gift, to actually know joy in the storm.

I’m so glad that it will all end some day. I wouldn’t mind if He decided it was today. But then again … maybe I’d rather keep working on this thing, this walking with Him in the storm.

May He give me the strength. May I really know what it means, “My grace is sufficient for thee.”

To whoever stumbles across my feeble thoughts, may it encourage you some way too. May you know Him, walk with Him, know His love and loving Him. Blessings on you.

On to Galatians I think. Hope to study it with my good old friend John Eadie. He always lifts me to praises beyond what I’ve known before. Looking forward to it.

Psalm 25 – “Structural Thoughts on the Psalm as a Whole”

Having studied through the entire Psalm, here is my literal translation. I’ve inserted some lines to break up what I think are the major sections and also indented to indicate what I think is the logical progression. YHVH is the four letters for the Lord’s name “Yahveh” or “Jehovah,” the great “I Am.” Words in [ …] do not appear in the Hebrew but I have inserted them in an attempt to make sense in English. I also underline pronouns which are emphatic in Hebrew. My intent is to translate as close to the Hebrew as I can, for study purposes, not necessarily to make it readable. Here we go:

Psalm 25

¹[Given] to David: To You, YHVH, I lift up my soul.

²My God, I trust [recklessly] in You. Let me not be ashamed. Do not let my enemies triumph over me.

³Also, do NOT let ones waiting for/hoping in You be ashamed. Let be ashamed ones dealing unfaithfully without cause.

⁴Cause me to know Your ways, YHVH. Train me [in] Your paths.

⁵Cause me to travel in Your truth.  Train me because You [are] the God of my deliverance. On You I wait/hope all the day.

⁶Remember Your mercies YHVH and Your loving-kindnesses because they [are] from [the] ages.

⁷Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellions. According to Your loving-kindness may You remember me, in answer to Your goodness, YHVH.

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⁸Good and upright [is] YHVH, therefore He will teach/shoot sinners in the way.

⁹He will cause humble ones to travel in discernment, And He will train humble ones [in] His way.

¹⁰All the paths of YHVH [are] love and faithfulness to ones keeping His covenant and His testimonies/warnings.

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¹¹In answer to Your name YHVH, even forgive my perversion because it [is] great.

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¹²Who is this, the man fearing YHVH? He will teach/shoot him [in] the way he should choose.

¹³His soul shall lodge in good, and his seed shall possess [the] land.

¹⁴The confidential conversation of YHVH [is given] to ones fearing Him, and to cause them to know [His] covenant.

¹⁵My eyes [are] always toward YHVH, because He will bring out my feet from the net.

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¹⁶Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I [am] alone and afflicted.

¹⁷The troubles of my heart are enlarged. Bring me out from my distresses.

¹⁸See my affliction and my misery and lift off all my sins.

¹⁹See my enemies for they are many and [with] violent hatred they hate me.

²⁰Guard my soul and deliver me. Do not let me be ashamed because I take refuge in You.

²¹May integrity and uprightness guard me because I wait for/hope in You.

²²Ransom, O God, Israel out of all his distresses.

First of all, some thoughts about the structure of the Psalm: It is an Acrostic as noted by everyone, although it departs in a few places from a perfect acrostic order. Verse 5 would be the vav but instead starts with aleph-vav. Verse 18 should start with Pe but instead both vv 18 & 19 start with resh. Verse 22 starts with a Pe which is not acrostic at all. However, verses 1 (first),11 (middle), and 22(end) would spell aleph. Some scholars suggest that these deviations from the perfect acrostic order should be attributed to the text having been corrupted down through the years. Personally, I rather think the deviations are deliberate and intended to provide emphasis.

What do I mean? I’m not sure why v5 starts with aleph-vav rather than just vav. However, it is interesting that, as one would read down through the Psalm in Hebrew (or listen to it recited), it would be notable that suddenly verse 18 has a Resh, not a Pe, which would cause one then to notice that the next verse also starts with Resh – two in a row, only to come to the “end” of the acrostic in verse 21, then suddenly to hear the missing Pe. It is as if David is saying, “I never intended to leave out the Pe. It was coming. I just wanted you to think about verses 18&19.”

We could do the same thing in English. Our “poetry” is written specifically so that there is a notable “rhythm” and the ends of the lines rhyme. One way to make a line stand out (for emphasis) would be to break that rhythm or have a line that suddenly doesn’t rhyme at all. It would have the same effect – the perfect order is very pleasant to our ears but it can also be hypnotic, to where we aren’t really “listening” to the words, just enjoying the flow. To break the flow would definitely cause us to “wake up” and say, “Hey! That isn’t right!”, only to “get their drift” when we see they’ve made a significant point. I guess I’m suggesting that the departure from a perfect order might be very deliberate and intended for emphasis, not a result of transmission errors.

The other thing, as far as order is that it seems clear to me that the Psalm can be broken up (as indicated by my lines and indentions) as verses 1-7 (General Requests), vv 8-10 (Statements of faith about YHVH), v11 (the middle verse and a Request), then vv12-15 would correspond to verses 8-10, only now they’re statements about the “one fearing the Lord,” then verses 16-22 would correspond to vv 1-7, only now they are very specific and personal requests. It strikes me that this order is very logical. As I noted in my study, faith is the fuel that keeps altar-fire of prayer burning. So it makes perfect sense that this “prayer” is a mixture of requests and statements of faith (which would support those requests). It is also logical that the first “round” of requests are more general, while the latter get very specific and personal. It also strikes me as logical that the first round of faith statements concern the character of God Himself, while the second concern the believer living under that God.

The Hebrew words included in the Psalm are most colorful. All three major words for “sin” appear, along with a wide assortment of words for “affliction.” The name YHVH appears ten times. Verse 7 and 11 notably repeat the phrase “In answer to Your goodness (v7)/name (v11), YHVH.” Also the words for “way” or “path” appear six times.

This all probably sounds quite tedious but as I sit back and look at the Psalm as a whole, I feel like I understand it better, seeing this structure. I think I will plan to write one more post (when I’m able) summarizing my thoughts as I look at it as a whole.

Psalm 25:15-22 – “The Unfinished Business of Faith”

Here is my literal translation of these verses:

¹⁵My eyes [are] always toward YHVH, because [only] He will bring out my feet from the net.

¹⁶Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I [am] alone and afflicted.

¹⁷The troubles of my heart are enlarged. Bring me out from my distresses.

¹⁸See my affliction and my misery and lift off all my sins.

¹⁹See my enemies for they are many and [with] violent hatred they hate me.

²⁰Guard my soul and deliver me. Do not let me be ashamed because I take refuge in You.

²¹May integrity and uprightness guard me because I wait for/hope in You.

²²Ransom, O God, Israel out of all his distresses.

I think the Lord has taught me something through these verses. It’s one of those things that I could say, “I already knew that.” But then again, did I?

In this world, faith is an inherently unfinished business.

I have truly enjoyed every line of this Psalm, this string of pearls, this series of heavenly cordials. As is often the case with the Psalms, this one so perfectly expresses the deepest thoughts of my heart. In my own life, like David, I feel nearly overwhelmed by the sense that my feet are “in a net,” that “the troubles of my heart are enlarged,” that I know too well what it means to feel “alone and afflicted,” that I need the Lord to “lift off all my sins,” that “my enemies are many, and they hate me violently.” My soul knows all of this far too well.

On the other hand, I enjoy every statement of faith David expresses. I do want to “lift up my soul to the Lord.” I do want Him to “look on me and be gracious to me.” I do believe that He is “good and upright” and that “all His ways are love and faithfulness,” that “only He will bring out my feet from the net.” Only He can “lift off all my sins.” I believe all of these things, and, as I ponder them, I find His comfort, His refuge.

But as I read these last eight verses and studied them, I found myself deeply frustrated. The verses themselves acutely increase my awareness of my afflictions and I find I feel them even more deeply. On the other hand, the verses remind me of the victory of faith, of how good God really is, of how much it is true that He alone is the God of my deliverance. They drag me down to hell, as it were, and lift me up to Heaven. But … and here is where I found myself frustrated: having dwelt a few moments in the secret place of God, I emerge to find all the problems still there. The sea is not calmed. The leprosy is not gone. My dead are still dead.

Having faced the troubles of my heart, having sincerely expressed my faith, having begged the Lord to deliver me, nothing has changed. I go out today to live in the same world, to suffer the same pain.

My soul didn’t like that. So I would study the next verse, hoping for some kind of deliverance. But nothing changed. So I would study the next verse, hoping for some kind of deliverance. But nothing changed. Finally I studied verse 22 and the Psalm is over. But nothing changed. The sea is still raging. I still fear we’ll all drown. My evil doubting heart wants to say, “Lord, don’t You care that we’re all going to drown?”

Then it occurred to me that, in this world, faith is an inherently unfinished business.

Some won great battles and received their dead back to life. But others wandered about in goatskins and sheepskins, destitute, afflicted. They all trusted the same Lord. They all felt the same pain. They all cried out to Him in their distresses. Sometimes He granted their requests and sometimes He didn’t. Pain goes on … and faith goes on.

I think way down deep in my heart I want faith to be a finished business. I have longed for years to hear Him say to my storm, “Peace, be still,” and there be suddenly a great calm. I know He can do it. He’s done it before. But so far He hasn’t. Instead, He calls me to come out and walk with Him on the raging waves of the storm. The winds howl, the waves crash, the boat heaves and rocks, and there He stands with His gentle loving eyes, beckoning me to step out and join Him. Me and Him. Walking on the storm. My heart is telling me right now, that is the greatest victory of all, the greatest deliverance of all, to walk with Him on the storm. The storm will end. There will be a great calm. But until then, His love will be my refuge.

Whether the storm rages or not, whether today or tomorrow He grants me relief, may my heart never leave His side. May I never look away from the warmth of His gaze.

In this world, faith is inherently an unfinished business.

Faith must go on.

Psalm 25:16 – “Alone and Afflicted”

Here is my literal translation of this verse:

¹⁶Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I [am] alone and afflicted.

“…alone and afflicted.” The first thing I note is how these two travel together. Is it not too often true that to be afflicted is to be alone? The word translated “afflicted” is the same word as back in v9 where I noted it means to be crushed, beaten down, conquered, afflicted, etc. When we get “beaten down” by whatever it makes us very aware of who around us really cares. To realize that, really, no one cares, only adds to the pain. Then sometimes it is true that there are people who really do care very deeply but simply cannot do anything to help, besides offer their sympathy and kindness. Though perhaps they care deeply, still we find ourselves seemingly alone in the sense that we suffer with no one to deliver us.

As hopeless and despondent as this may sound, yet is it not true that it is at these very times we most realize our utter dependence on God? David here prays to the Lord, “Turn to me and be gracious to me …” because clearly there is no one else to help him. Either no one cares to or no one is able. Either way, in this world, he is very painfully alone.

I want to interject at this point that sometimes there is something someone else can do. It occurs to me that we should all strive to be more aware of when people around us are hurting and there really is something we could do to “help.” God help us all, as we realize how deeply it hurts to suffer alone, to do all we can to be the kind of friends who really are “there” when others need us.

But then, going in another direction, studying this verse reminds me that, as much as I may care, as much as I may want to help, it will too often be true that I simply cannot help them. I can’t get away from work, don’t have the money, simply don’t know what to do, lack the expertise, etc. All I can offer is my sympathy and love. As valuable as that may be, it still leaves the other person “alone.” But that is not all bad. There simply is a time when we all have to realize that other people need God too, that we cannot take His place, that when human resources are spent, even people we love must, in a sense, be left alone to nurse their relationship with the only One Who really can help. It would be great to go to someone and say, “I desperately need $50,000 to pay some bills that are crushing me,” and have them say, “Here’s a check. Go take care of it.” But can we say it is in the end a far greater privilege, realizing there is no one, to find our souls grasping Heb. 4:16 and going boldly to the Throne of Grace, to “obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need,” only to find there that we truly have known communion with God, have known the comfort of His presence, have savored the little cordials of love from His gentle hand, and perhaps, eventually, even enjoyed one of His great miraculous deliverances?

I think I can honestly say, as much as it hurts to suffer alone, as much as it hurts to live with no earthly deliverance, yet I’d rather go on suffering only to one day die and be able to say, “But I have known God.”

So I guess both are true. On the one hand, God give me the eyes to see the pain in others’ lives, to do all I honestly can to relieve that pain and to at least be sure they don’t suffer alone. But, on the other hand, if all I can give is my love, may I give it, while at the same time releasing them to know God themselves, praying to that end for them. God give me the wisdom to know the difference.

We all so desperately need for God to be gracious to us. Note that, once again in Hebrew, the “I” is emphatic (which is why I underlined it). Interesting that, on God’s side of the ledger David asks Him to be gracious. On David’s side of the ledger he says, “As for me (I), all I have to offer is that I am alone and afflicted.” No merit. No “You really should help me …” It’s just, “I need You.” Here is where the blood of Jesus shines. Dirty wretched rebels getting far less than they deserve can crawl to the Throne of Grace and say, “I need You.” And if God be for us, who can be against us?

For whomever may stumble across this blog,

The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

Shalom, my friends.