Adventures in Bluegrass and Bible Studies: November 2014

Well, it’s time for me to get back into the groove. I’ve been absent from the blog long enough. This just seems to be the busiest time of year, not just for me, but for everyone. So, without further ado, let’s get immersed in God’s Word by taking a look at Psalm 3.

Notice, this Psalm is titled “A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.” If you’ve ever read 2 Samuel 15, it tells us of a time when Absalom, David’s son, wanted to be king, and he would stop at nothing to attain that goal. So, Absalom plotted to have David killed. His own son plotted his death, just so that he could become king. Powerful is the temptation of power itself. David finds himself fleeing Jerusalem to protect himself. Now, put yourself in David’s position. How would you feel if you own son was trying to kill you for a position of power?

David could have done what we all think about. He could have taken matters into his own hands. But, his faith allowed him to call out to God for help. Do we call out to God in our times of trouble? Sometimes the answer to that question is no. But, David provides us a simple prayer that we can sing out to God when we are facing troubles in life. Prayer begins when we realize that we cannot help ourselves. This Psalm can be broken down into four sections. Let’s look at each one.

The first section of this Psalm says,

“¹O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
²many are saying of my soul,
there is no salvation for him in God"

David is saying that his situation is so bad that his companions think that he is beyond God’s help. They didn’t feel that God was able to help him. Have you ever felt that your situation is so dire that God cannot help you? Or, that because of past sin, that you deserve this trouble? Do your friends fell like you are just getting what you deserve?

Now look at the second part of the Psalm:

“But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,

my glory, and the lifter of my head.

I cried aloud to the Lord,

and he answered me from his holy hill.."

Faith. That is what David had. He felt that his situation could and would be handled by God alone. David says that God is his shield. Like in war, if you’re under attack, you need a shield. It is your first line of defense. Notice, David isn’t asking God to be his shield. This is a statement of fact, that God is David’s shield. The image of God being out shield is mentioned several times in the Psalms. David goes on and says that he is the “lifter of my head.” David was recognizing that God is more than just his protection. God is the one that shows him glory. What do you find your glory in? Fame? Power? Prestige? Possessions? Beauty? Position? Achievements? David found his glory in the Lord. David cried out to the Lord. Charles Spurgeon said this, “Surely, silent prayers are heard. Yes, but good men often find that, even in secret, they pray better aloud than they do when they utter no vocal sound.” Do you cry aloud to God? Sometimes I have a hard time saying my prayers aloud. What if what I say doesn’t make sense to others? I know God hears my heart rather than what comes out of my mouth when I pray to him. But sometimes, I just find it difficult.

The third part of this Psalm says,

“⁵I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
⁶I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around."

David says that because God is able to sustain him, he is able to rest. David was under a lot of pressure. When you’re under pressure, you have a tendency of not being able to sleep, to toss and turn. David also points out that he was able to wake. When you’ve got a son out there trying to kill you, waking up is a blessing indeed. God is also makes it possible for David to be unafraid even when ten thousand people surround him. God makes it possible to stand against any foe or trouble that we may face. God will deliver us in our times of trouble if we turn to Him.

The last section of this Psalm says this,

“⁷Arise, O Lord!
Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked..
⁸Salvation belongs to the Lord;
your blessing be on your people!”

David’s faith was on what God had done in the past, this gave him the confidence of what God was going to do in the future. David isn’t looking for just protection, but victory as well. He knew that the victory was his if he relied on God to see him through. When you face a threat, who do you rely on?

What kind of trouble are you facing right now? Use this Psalm to help you pray to God for help in your troubled time. Place your trust in God to deliver you from your trouble. God is the source of salvation and blessing to His people.

Prayer: "Heavenly Father, you are a shield in times of trouble. Thank you for providing protection to me when I face trials and temptations. I ask that you continue your protection, even when I know I don't deserve it. As the Psalm says, "Salvation" belongs to you alone. Thank you for salvation from my enemies, from my troubles, and especially, thank you for your Salvation that was offered through your son, Jesus Christ. Give us, O Lord, strength to stand against the enemy. In Jesus name I do pray, Amen.

This past Saturday, our church had our first ever Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Packing Party. What is Operation Christmas Child, you ask? Well, let me try to explain. Operation Christmas Child is a mission of Samaritan’s Purse International Relief. Samaritan’s Purse provides spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Their mission is to follow the example of Christ by helping those in need and proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel.

Operation Christmas Child provides shoeboxes full of goodies to children around the world. “A small shoebox can teach a child about the love of God, lead him or her to faith in Christ, inspire pastors, and plant new churches. What goes into the box is fun, but what comes out is eternal.” - http://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/

We’ve been collecting items to go into these shoeboxes for the last few months. The idea is to get items that are fun, like toys, bracelets, and stuffed animals. But, we also wanted to include in our boxes hygiene items such as soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and deodorant. We included socks, mittens, hair bows, and hair brushes. And, let’s not forget, candy! We had a great turnout for our Packing Party.

This year we had a record of 159 shoe boxes filled. That’s amazing, especially if you consider the size of our church. We’re pretty small. We normally have around 80 people, which include children, in our Sunday School classes. We may have around 100 during worship service.

On a personal note, there were several times during the packing party that I felt the tears well up. I kept thinking of the children that might get one of our boxes. What kind of living conditions they face? Are they loved at home? Do they have parents? There are so many questions that I thought of while witnessing the packing of the shoe boxes. I packed a few boxes, but I mainly focused on taking photographs to share with our congregation, as well as trying to keep the boxes sorted (boys/girls by age group).

A few years ago, I went with our church to the distribution center in Boone, NC to help pack the boxes into larger shipping boxes so that they could be taken to their destination. It’s a humbling experience. There were so many boxes, and in some cases you can tell that people spent a lot of time preparing for these gifts. There were homemade toboggans and mittens. This makes me think, what can I do next year to let the child that receives my box know that they are loved. Not just by me, but by God Himself.

I hope that you and your church participate in Operation Christmas Child. It doesn’t just bring a child joy, but it also brings joy to the giver.

Here are a few photos from our Packing Party...