a party breaks out at the corner of 80th Street

The Word for today:
Psalm 79, 80

"Stand in the Rain" is a three-year Bible-reading program. So what are we going to do when the three years are over?

What we're going to do after "Stand in the Rain" is "Stand in the Rain" all over again!

I don't know if the blog will continue, but I hope so. Someday I would like to assemble about 7 writers, who would each be responsible for a day of the week. That would mean that I'd write, let's say, every Tuesday's blog. (Which would mean that right now I'd be at the park with my friend Stan, whose son's graduation party is in full swing as I type. But Stan won't mind. He's got those eyes that let you know he knows, full well, the cost of things.)

But blog or no blog, you must promise yourself to Stand in the Rain forever. You must never, ever "graduate" from the Bible. Because you starve yourself if you do.

The Bible isn't a book, like Moby Dick or Catcher in the Rye, that we read once. The Bible is an environment which allows us to grow. Shutting the Bible is to deprive a garden of water and light. In fact, that image is where "Stand in the Rain" comes from:
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return to it without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11)

We grow bigger on every trip through God's Word because there are always new levels of understanding to be reached. (Just between you and me, reading the Bible once is the equivalent of blowing the dust off the cover. Reading it the second time is the equivalent of skimming the Table of Contents. Reading it the third time is the equivalent of reading the Introduction. The fourth trip through is like lighting a match in the basement. Your fifth trip is when the party starts.)

Then the party grows, and the more the merrier.

The first time I read Psalm 80, I didn't know that Jesus was the Shepherd in verse 1. I was alone in Psalm 80, so I hurried right through. No reason to hang out there.

But by the third time I read Psalm 80, I saw Jesus there in verse 1. I'll never forget the rush of those first fleeting glimpses of him, and the gathering realization that he was everywhere!

Around the fifth time I read Psalm 80, I recognized that it was Jesus who (in verses 3, 7, and 19) is the face--what we see and recognize--of God. (1)

By this time, I couldn't wait to get to Psalm 80. It couldn't arrive fast enough.

It wasn't until maybe my seventh time through the Bible before I realized that in one verse--verse 17--Jesus appears as both the son of man and the son of God, at God's right hand:
Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand,
the son of man you have raised up for yourself.

Then on my tenth trip, while reading Genesis, I came to see that Rachel's little Benjamin was a picture of Jesus.

She'd died, on the way into Bethlehem, giving birth to him (2). Just before she died she named him Ben-oni, which means "son of my sorrow." But when Jacob looked upon him, he said, “No, we won’t call him Ben-oni; we’ll call him Benjamin, because he is the son of my right hand.”

So by my twelfth reading when I arrived at Psalm 80, verse 17, there were Jacob and his beloved Rachel. And there was little Ben-oni, son of sorrow. And there was Benjamin, son of power. And they were Jesus, who came to earth the first time as the Son of suffering, but today is at God’s right hand.

So now it's 5:30. I missed Stan's graduation party in order to write this blog article.

But as you can see, I have not spent the afternoon alone. I've held my own little party right here. I wonder who else I'll meet, here at the corner of Psalms Avenue and 80th Street, the next time I happen by.

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(1) see 2 Corinthians 4:6; (2) Genesis 35:16-19

...by the Greatest Story-Teller Ever! (part 2 of 2)

The Word for today:
Psalm 78: 40-72

mark this: Psalm 78:1-2 --
O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old.

 

The Bible has been called the Greatest Story Ever Told -- because it is! Do you know why it's so great?

Because the Bible is told by the Greatest Story-Teller ever, that's why.

As a Bible teacher, if I were allowed to give only one piece of advice to students who really want to understand their Bibles, this is what my advice would be:

If you want to understand the Bible, you must read it as one big STORY.

Today, at the beginning of Psalm 72, we hear a voice:
O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old.

That's the voice of the Great Story-Teller! This we know, 'cause the Bible tells us so:
Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
"I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world."  (Matthew 13:34-35)

***

Today concludes a two-part article about the the importance of seeing the Bible as, first and foremost, a story. If you haven't, I hope you'll look over yesterday's blog as well as this one.

Yesterday I quoted another writer on this important subject. Today I leave you with notes written for a Bible class I teach...

The Bible is a story. It's not history or philosophy or a manual for self-improvement.
It's not about creation, it's about the Creator.
It's not about redemption, it's about the Redeemer.
It's not about forgiveness, it's about the Forgiver.
The Bible isn't about salvation; it's about the Savior.

Even the Parable of the Good Samaritan is about a Samaritan half-breed--his mother a Jew, his father unknown--from Nazareth of Galilee.

Even the Parable of the Prodigal Son isn't about the younger brother who went when he should have stayed, or about the older brother who stayed when he should have gone. It's about an Other Brother--who went to a far country to search for his lost brothers and sisters so he could bring them back home.

At its deepest level, the Parable of the Prodigal Son is not about the characters in the story, but about the storyteller--Jesus. At its deepest level, the Word of God, even when it might not say so, is about the Author.

The Bible isn't about the law, it's about the Lawgiver; it's not about judgment, it's about the Judge; it's not about prophecy, it's about the Prophet.

It's not even about the kingdom. It's about the King.

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The Greatest Story Ever Told...(part 1 of 2)

The Word for today: Psalm 78: 1-39

mark this: Psalm 78:1-2 --
O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old.

The Bible has been called the Greatest Story Ever Told--because it is! Do you know why it's so great?

Because the Bible is told by the Greatest Story-Teller ever, that's why.

As a Bible teacher, if I were allowed to give only one piece of advice to students who really want to understand their Bibles, this is what that advice would be:

If you want to understand the Bible, you must read it as one big  STORY.

Today, at the beginning of Psalm 72, we hear a voice:
O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old.

That's the voice of the Great Story-Teller! This we know, 'cause the Bible tells us so:
Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
"I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world."  (Matthew 13:34-35)

Over the next couple of days, we are going to emphasize the importance of seeing the Bible as, first and foremost, a story. And so I leave you today with remarks excerpted from the foreword of "The Jesus Storybook Bible."  (1)

I hope you'll read these remarks carefully and thoughtfully. And then I hope you'll run out and purchase a copy of the book itself. Then I hope you'll read it. Then I hope you'll read it to a kid.  I think that for everyone, whether child or adult, this little book serves as the best introduction to the study of scripture that I have ever found...

Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn’t do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn’t mainly about you and what you should be doing. It’s about God and what he has done.

Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you’ll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren’t heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose). They get afraid and run away. At times they are downright mean.

No, the Bible isn’t a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It’s an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It’s a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne - everything - to rescue the one he loves. It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!

…There are lots of stories in the Bible but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.

It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every Story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle - the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together; and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture.

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(1) Excerpted from "The Jesus Storybook Bible" by Sally Lloyd-Jones.

for crying out loud

The Word for today:
Psalm 77

mark this: Psalms 77:7-9
Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more? Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies?

***

"Lord, teach us to pray." (Luke 11:1)

What did the disciple mean when he asked Jesus to "Teach us to pray." I mean, who has to learn how to pray? Isn't that something that comes naturally, like breathing or blinking? What's to learn?

I'm not exactly sure what the disciple was asking. But if ever anyone were to ask me to teach him about prayer, I would refer him to the book of Psalms. And so to the Psalms I refer you.

***

Look at the Psalms like a textbook on prayer. Then ask yourself, "Do I pray like this?"

Do you? I'm afraid that I don't.

I don't often talk to God aloud (77:1).

I don't often stretch forth my hands toward him (77:2).

I don't relive the times he saved me in the past (77:5, 12-20).

I wouldn't begin to ask God the questions in the verses (Psalm 77:7-9) printed above.

Why don't we pray like that? I don't know, but I'll take a guess. My guess is that we've learned prayer from people who don't pray like that, so we in turn don't pray like that. Pity our children, who are learning from us not to pray like that!

But we can learn to pray like Jesus if we erase some of our customs and assumptions and start anew.

Begin by opening to the middle of your Bible--to Psalm 77, for example. Now start by reading this psalm as a prayer to God. You will have to slightly adjust the tenses to make it your prayer, but you can do it.

For example, turn this:
I cried out to God with my voice, to God with my voice; and He gave ear to me (77:1)
into this:
I am crying out loud, I mean out loud to you, because I know you listen.

Turn this:
When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at night I stretched out untiring hands
and my soul refused to be comforted (77:2)
into this:
I'm in trouble, deep. I've been looking for you,
literally reaching out to you all night,
but even that didn't work.

Now remember that you are crying out loud, so don't just think these lines, say 'em! And get a hand in the air. Don't forget to review the times he helped and saved you. And start asking him questions you wouldn't dare ask before.

OK, we're beginning to pray like Jesus. We're beginning to unlearn some of our old prayer patterns and habits.

God would not have put a prayer book right smack in the middle of the Bible if he didn't want us to pray just like the Psalms, just like Jesus.

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adopt the attitude

The Word for today:
Psalms 75, 76

mark this: Psalm 76:10 --
Surely the wrath of man shall praise You.

We sometimes worry that media yesmen, or the yahoos next door, or the dipstick in the cubicle two down, or the smarter-than-thou professors at the local diploma mill can somehow knock Jesus down a peg with their criticism and disdain.

Scripture's attitude (and attitude it is!) says, "Bring it on. Pour it on. Because every criticism will in the end lift God higher. The spite and the hatred will bring honor and glory to his name."

If you are having a hard time understanding how the wrath of man will end up praising God, then I refer you to the cross...

What caused me to stand in awe of Jesus Christ's sheer bravery? The wrath of man:
So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. Then they said, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they struck Him with their hands. (John 19:1-3)

What causes us to praise his amazing grace? The wrath of man:
When they came to a place called the Skull, the soldiers crucified Jesus and the criminals -- one on his right and the other on his left. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, because they don't know what they are doing." (Luke 23:33-34)

What brings us to an understanding of his utter compassion? The wrath of man:
As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children." (Luke 23:26-28)

It was at the hands of his tormentors, subjected to their fists and their frenzied flogging, that he defined love:
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. (John 15:13)

So don't you fret when they say the awful things they say about Jesus. Adopt the attitude (and attitude it is!) of scripture. Tell 'em, "Bring it on. Pour it on. He's getting bigger with every puny little word you lisp."

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when the cold wind blows it'll turn your head around

The Word for today:
Psalm 74

I was at a church meeting on January 6th.  I live in upstate New York, near Buffalo.  The winter here isn't as as bad as its reputation, but on this particular day it looked just like winter in Buffalo is reputed to look.

We have devotions and prayers before our business meeting. We present devotions on a rotating schedule.  On that day, it was our pastor's turn. He chose to read from Psalm 74. He focused on 74:9--
We are given no miraculous signs;
no prophets are left,
and none of us knows how long this will be.

He taught us that the psalm was written after the temple had been burned to the ground by the Babylonians. He said that the psalm expressed "the winter of our faith."

Those of you who have recently been reading Ezekiel know that miraculous signs had ceased when the visible glory departed from the Temple; that no prophets were left because they were exiled, with the people, to foreign lands. God was gone, his prophets were gone: there was no one left who could tell them how long this would go on.

Bringing his teaching to its conclusion, the pastor directed our attention to 74:12--
Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.

Then he asked the others at the table for their thoughts and reflections.  But I didn't hear the rest. My eyes were out the window where winter was waiting, working.

***

Whenever you start wishing that autumn could skip right over winter to spring, turn to Psalm 74:12.  If Psalm 74 represents the winter of faith, verse 12 is the reason for the season.  In their forsaken desolation, through their forsaken desolation, God was working.

After devotions we prayed about various things.  After prayer a discussion about the church office telephone system went on for quite some time.  My eyes were still out the window and my head, on its own, started silently singing a song from long ago.  Just as a dream combines seemingly disparate elements, the song brought Jesus and winter and telephones and prayer and fire and ruins and Psalm 74 together:

Been walking my mind to an easy time,
my back turned towards the sun
Lord knows when the cold wind blows
it'll turn your head around
Well, there's hours of time on the telephone line
to talk about things to come
Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground

Won't you look down upon me, Jesus
You've got to help me make a stand
You've just got to see me through another day
My body's aching and my time is at hand
And I won't make it any other way

I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again.

According to three trustworthy sources -- Asaph (who wrote Psalm 74),  James Taylor,  and our pastor -- it may be that God makes inroads to a heart during its winter.  It may be that there's no other way, no other day, to work salvation there.

Because, Lord knows, when the cold wind blows it'll turn your head around.

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How good Thou art!

The Word for today:
Psalm 73

I used to be impressed by God's greatness. And I still am.

But God's goodness is even greater.

'Great' is a word that sets off fireworks. It's about remarkable things, big things. God's creation is great--the great mountains and seas, the limitless universe, the depthless delights of color and light.

But great doesn't hold my hand when I am confused about today and afraid for tomorrow. Great never got me through the night.

'Good' is a commonplace word. Good things warm the heart, while great things set the heart aflame. Perhaps I'm slowing down, but you can keep the blowtorch if you'll just lend me your lantern.

Psalm 73 starts this way:
Surely God is good.
It winds down this way:
It is good to be near God.
Its final line--
I will tell of all your deeds--
has become the desire and promise and prayer of my own heart.

I used to pray that I would be able to express the greatness of God. But the closer I get to him, the more I realize that his greatness did not take him to the cross.

His unfailing, never-ending goodness took him there. And so I've changed my prayer. Now I ask to be able to express the goodness of God.

Now sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
"How good Thou art, How good Thou art!"

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