Pause. Think. Pray.
Another Day Along the Way
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Another day,
You know the song. Whenever the opening notes begin playing, you are ready to sing along. Each word, each note. Well, for those of you who can hit the notes.
You know the commercial. The faces, the comments, the humor. Repetition reinforces scenes. You might forget the product being sold, but you remember the drama.
You know the movie. The conflict, the conversations, the conclusion. The final scene, though you've seen it so many times, still brings feelings of closure.
Familiarity might not always breed contempt. But it often embeds lyrics and quotes and moods into our brains. We might continue singing that one song for a few more hours. A phrase finds a home in the brain; it chooses to stay. So, we sing it, we think it, we repeat it.
But do we know the meaning? Do we learn a personal life lesson from a speech, or do we only memorize an appealing phrase or a few key points? Do we evaluate and resolve a song's true meaning, or just sing along without thought of content?
I'm not saying we should take each phrase too seriously. We need to relax a little more and not turn leisure into an obsession. Still, we might miss the wonder of a phrase if memorization without meaning takes the place of repetition and awareness.
Try this. Think again about an ancient song, poem, prayer. Many have heard the journal read to them. Many have read it themselves. Many have heard it read in a church service or a funeral or a wedding. Many have heard sermons about it. Many have memorized it and can quote it like the chorus of a song or the comments from a commercial.
It goes by the title Psalm 23. David wrote it as an honest, prayerful confession. The poetic journal became a song for a nation - a liturgical song which has lasted miles and centuries and wars and mistakes.
This week - actually, begin today and do this each day - read Psalm 23. Again. But slowly. Very slowly. Pause at a noun or a verb. See the scene. Feel the mood. Put yourself in the place of David; feel like a needy sheep depending upon a shepherd. Think of the shepherd providing, protecting, watching, directing.
The Lord is my shepherd, David prayed. I shall not want, he continued.
That is as far as I need to go today. Choosing to believe in One who watches over me, who provides for me - that is what I need to read, pray, and believe today.
Join in the reading, the repetition, the pausing, the asking, the seeking to believe. Ask yourself questions like: What stops me from believing? What past hurts have caused me to become so doubtful about a God who loves and cares? What lures me away from His protection?
As you pause to think, you might realize the phrase is worth memorizing and praying and singing and repeating. Proper familiarity to such a poem just might bring contentment.
Along the way,
Chris Maxwell
Poetic Song: God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.
(Psalm 23:1-3, The Message)
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Another day,
You know the song. Whenever the opening notes begin playing, you are ready to sing along. Each word, each note. Well, for those of you who can hit the notes.
You know the commercial. The faces, the comments, the humor. Repetition reinforces scenes. You might forget the product being sold, but you remember the drama.
You know the movie. The conflict, the conversations, the conclusion. The final scene, though you've seen it so many times, still brings feelings of closure.
Familiarity might not always breed contempt. But it often embeds lyrics and quotes and moods into our brains. We might continue singing that one song for a few more hours. A phrase finds a home in the brain; it chooses to stay. So, we sing it, we think it, we repeat it.
But do we know the meaning? Do we learn a personal life lesson from a speech, or do we only memorize an appealing phrase or a few key points? Do we evaluate and resolve a song's true meaning, or just sing along without thought of content?
I'm not saying we should take each phrase too seriously. We need to relax a little more and not turn leisure into an obsession. Still, we might miss the wonder of a phrase if memorization without meaning takes the place of repetition and awareness.
Try this. Think again about an ancient song, poem, prayer. Many have heard the journal read to them. Many have read it themselves. Many have heard it read in a church service or a funeral or a wedding. Many have heard sermons about it. Many have memorized it and can quote it like the chorus of a song or the comments from a commercial.
It goes by the title Psalm 23. David wrote it as an honest, prayerful confession. The poetic journal became a song for a nation - a liturgical song which has lasted miles and centuries and wars and mistakes.
This week - actually, begin today and do this each day - read Psalm 23. Again. But slowly. Very slowly. Pause at a noun or a verb. See the scene. Feel the mood. Put yourself in the place of David; feel like a needy sheep depending upon a shepherd. Think of the shepherd providing, protecting, watching, directing.
The Lord is my shepherd, David prayed. I shall not want, he continued.
That is as far as I need to go today. Choosing to believe in One who watches over me, who provides for me - that is what I need to read, pray, and believe today.
Join in the reading, the repetition, the pausing, the asking, the seeking to believe. Ask yourself questions like: What stops me from believing? What past hurts have caused me to become so doubtful about a God who loves and cares? What lures me away from His protection?
As you pause to think, you might realize the phrase is worth memorizing and praying and singing and repeating. Proper familiarity to such a poem just might bring contentment.
Along the way,
Chris Maxwell
Poetic Song: God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.
(Psalm 23:1-3, The Message)
5 Comments:
Chris,
Thank you for this word. Contentment in the familiarity of God's word is a wonderful gift. I'm looking forward to having even more of it in my life this year.
Personally, I've noticed that I sometimes find myself humming hymns I learned growing up and it's amazing to me that they "bubble up from within" just when I need them.
Have a great week. Thank you for contiuing to blog. It has encouraged me to finally launch my blog last month. It's www.cherylblemine.wordpress.com if you wanna take a look. I will always thank the Lord for meeting you early in my freelance writing life at the ACW meeting in Orlando.
Today God has me teaching Creative Writing to 6-8th graders. I love it AND I do this blog to keep my professional writing active. So, you're a part of that!
Great thought of awareness! The 23rd Psalm is so much more than mere words... Repeted repetitions... Thoughtful memorization...
Chris, thanks for the challenge to look at Psalm 23 with more care, more insight. I will.
Though I seldom leave a comment , be assured that your blogs are always welcome, and read carefully! Whether you are philosophizing, reminiscing, conducting an interview, giving words of comfort, or challenging us in our Christian walk, I appreciate your thoughts, and I appreciate that you take the time to do it. It is obviously a labor of love!
God is good ! Bob T
Boy, do I ever need that. I am always going and going. No promises about how I'll do but I'll try.
Someone sent this to me on Facebook. Just what I needed today and this week. Thank you very much.
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