Knowing How to Calm Down

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There are times when our striving over a thing reaches its proper limits.  When this happens we need to know how to quietly trust in the Lord.  That unanswered prayer, that stressful situation, that massive uncertainty we have in an area that we feel we ought to understand better – all these may be areas we need to deliberately give over to Him.

David understood this and offers his own example to us in a brief psalm.  He intentionally calmed and quieted his soul, knowing that some things needed to be placed in God’s hands and left there.  There is a beautiful peace and humility involved in this kind of intentional trust.

Psalm 131

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

1  Lord, my heart is not haughty,
     Nor my eyes lofty [or “arrogant”].
     Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
     Nor with things too profound [or “difficult”] for me.

2  Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,
     Like a weaned child with his mother;
     Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

3  O Israel, hope in the Lord
     From this time forth and forever.

Betta Fish

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Yesterday, Eliza, Krystiana and I bought some Betta Fish Along with some stuff to make them happy.  They really are beautiful and are supposed to be ultra-low-maintenance creatures. 

Their biggest claim to fame is that they like to fight.  In fact, one should never keep two male Bettas together in one tank, because without adequate space – like anywhere other than in the wild- they will almost certainly fight until one dies.  We have ours in two separate fish bowls next to one another and they almost constantly swim near that side adjacent to the other, looking at one another through the glass.  No doubt if they were together a battle would begin immediately.

There’s a lesson in this somewhere, but I’m still not sure what it is.

Betta Fish Site

Palmer St. Podcast: John 8

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This chapter starts with the story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery.  After that we’ll see an important discussion that includes major statements like the following:

  • I am the light of the world.
  • If you do not believe that I am He you will die in your sins.
  • If anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.
  • Before Abraham was, I AM.

Audio: John08.mp3 

Notes: John08.pdf

Putting the Past Behind Us

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When the Lord brought the Israelites over the Jordan and into the Promised Land, He instructed them to set up a memorial.  They were to take twelve stones, one for each tribe, from the midst of the Jordan and set them up as a reminder on the side to which they were crossing.

And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal. Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’; for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over, that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” – Joshua 4:20-24 (NKJV)

With slavery to sin and some major struggles behind us, we are free to enter the new life of faith.  New battles await us.  New victories need to be won.  We need not, in fact we dare not, go back to Egypt or to wandering in the wilderness. 

The Israelites arrived in the land only by God’s power.  But it would take just as much faith in Him to stay there.  In the same way, the Lord brings us by faith into a victorious Christian life of faith.  We dare not return to fight the battles of the past.