What's so powerful about the Psalms are, as well as they're being gospel and songs of praise, they are also the blues.
- Bono
by Robert R. Pennington
Written to express modern dilemmas and entrenched issues with God, Psalms in the Night are meant as conversational prayers of faith and hope when both may be in short supply.
This labor of love is being developed to reveal the common bond people of faith share in a world of doubt. Standing on the foundation of the Biblical Psalms, and words of the patriarchs like Job and prophets like Jeremiah, this aspect of Modern Psalmistry is addresses the great mystery of the apparent silence and distance of God often using the Bible to do so. This series is an intersection where brutal honesty meets aggressive faith.
Psalms In The Night
With "Heaven to gain and Hell to loose" no wonder the Bible's full of fabulous promises and powerful examples of God's interaction with mankind. Modern Psalms in the Night are a way of exploring and sharing some of the thoughts, feelings and experiences God's people encounter when seeking Him. The road to enjoying His presence and power, provision and protection can be bumpy and filled with detours. Even so, it's clear we need to know our Creator and Savior in ever greater ways on behalf of ourselves, our families and others.
Faith is laying hold of God through the grip of hope. As do other Scriptures, many of the Bible's Psalms demonstrate that honesty regarding our failures and sins, fears and doubts are essential aspects of the process of growing in faith. As Peter's 2nd Great Confession can attest, even admitting our lack of love for God can be a key ingredient in developing and deepening our relationship with Him.
The Bible teaches that "hope does not disappoint" and that while "worldly sorrow kills, godly sorry gives life." Mourning, while never pleasant, can be an expression of brokenness and "godly sorrow."
Scripture places a high value on mourning. Christ Himself predicts that His church shall mourn His absence. In the Beatitudes He teaches it is those who mourn that are comforted. Fresh from His baptism by John in the Jordan and His being led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to fast forty days and be tested by the Devil, Jesus uses His first public sermon to reinforce God's concern for the broken hearted:
- "The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.'” Luke 4:17-19
The debut of Christ's mission to the world was no small event. The text picked by the Spirit through which to introduce Jesus to the world was carefully chosen from tens of thousands of other possibilities. We can be sure that these words from Isaiah truly describe the work and purpose of Christ. A larger excerpt from this passage from Isaiah reads like this:
- "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory. They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities destroyed long ago. They will revive them, though they have been deserted for many generations. Foreigners will be your servants. They will feed your flocks and plow your fields and tend your vineyards. You will be called priests of the Lord, ministers of our God. You will feed on the treasures of the nations and boast in their riches. Instead of shame and dishonor, you will enjoy a double share of honor. You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours." Isaiah 63:1-7
James' epistle explains sin can be another reason for mourning. He prescription is as blunt as it is relevant for Christians throughout all ages:
- "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." James 4:7-10
As a result of the modern world grows darker with temptation and the night deepening in sin, the love of many has grown cold. Fewer seem interested or even able to find God in as powerful a way a the New Testament describes. This being the case, we do well to consider Jesus warning that we should seek and serve God while it is day, "for the night comes when no man can work."
Precedent And Mandate
Clearly we have a precedent and perhaps even a mandate to wrestle with God for ourselves and family, friends and world. In fact there are many Scriptures revealing God is actually looking for such Prophetic Christians. Ezekiel chapter 22 is very bold, even more so when read in The Message:
- "Your priests violated my law and desecrated my holy things. They can't tell the difference between sacred and secular. They tell people there's no difference between right and wrong. They're contemptuous of my holy Sabbaths, profaning me by trying to pull me down to their level. Your politicians are like wolves prowling and killing and rapaciously taking whatever they want. Your preachers cover up for the politicians by pretending to have received visions and special revelations. They say, "This is what God, the Master, says..." when God hasn't said so much as one word. Extortion is rife, robbery is epidemic, the poor and needy are abused, outsiders are kicked around at will, with no access to justice. I looked for someone to stand up for me against all this, to repair the defenses of the city, to take a stand for me and stand in the gap to protect this land so I wouldn't have to destroy it. I couldn't find anyone. Not one. So I'll empty out my wrath on them, burn them to a crisp with my hot anger, serve them with the consequences of all they've done. Decree of God, the Master." Ezekiel 22:26-31
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