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Light, space, zest - that's God! So, with him on my side I'm fearless, afraid of no one and nothing. When vandal hordes ride down ready to eat me alive, Those bullies and toughs fall flat on their faces. When besieged, I'm calm as a baby. When all hell breaks loose, I'm collected and cool. I'm asking God for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long. I'll contemplate his beauty; I'll study at his feet. That's the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world, The perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic God holds me head and shoulders above all who try to pull me down. I'm headed for his place to offer anthems that will raise the roof! Already I'm singing God-songs; I'm making music to God. Listen, God, I'm calling at the top of my lungs: "Be good to me! Answer me!" When my heart whispered, "Seek God," my whole being replied, "I'm seeking him!" Don't hide from me now! You've always been right there for me; don't turn your back on me now. Don't throw me out, don't abandon me; you've always kept the door open. My father and mother walked out and left me, but God took me in. Point me down your highway, God; direct me along a well-lighted street; show my enemies whose side you're on. Don't throw me to the dogs, those liars who are out to get me, filling the air with their threats. I'm sure now I'll see God's goodness in the exuberant earth. Stay with God! Take heart. Don't quit. I'll say it again: Stay with God. (Psalm 27 The Message)
Our home as a boy in Kingsville stood on blocks. It provided a nice crawl space for boys even my size to crawl under and hide. And it wasn't just for hide and seek, sometimes it was to escape coming punishment from my Mom for something I had, of course, wrongly been accused. In the very hot summer days of Kingsville, that space was cool. Thinking back I never thought of spiders or snakes being under there, I just knew I had a safe space. The psalmist found such a space in his walk with God. The three words that start this psalm in The Message version of the Bible strike me as needed for our lives: Light, space, zest. Light because most of us don't want to hide in dark spaces; we want light. Space because we don't want to feel cramped into something; we want to be safe but we also want space, and sometimes that space between our fears and us is what we crave. And zest speaks of the excitement and joy of being with God. Nothing could faze the psalmist as he hid in the Lord.
The list he shares in this 27th Psalm could be our list as well; we may face vandals of all sorts, including illness or disease. We or our loved one could face bullies and toughs, but with God on our side, they fall down and can't carry out what they'd like. When deadlines and assignments are due, and the pressures that come with those mount up, in God we find the breathing room we need to complete and meet them. When it seems everything is falling apart, we can remain calm and collected. Yesterday as an example, we get an early morning call from our youngest who lives in Houston. We were not aware there was flooding there, but our daughter was trapped in the turnaround under the Interstate Loop. We asked if her vehicle was in water, it was not. There was water on the frontage roads on both sides of her, but not where she was. She was worried about getting her son to school on time and her to work on time as well. We told her to be calm, to turn off the car, and just wait. The water would recede soon, and her work and her son's school would understand. That calm and collectedness does not come from me; it comes from God. I ask for it all the time! There are far better things to do than be sick with worry. Look at David's list: Contemplate God's beauty; study of His word - "The only quiet, secure place in a noisy world, the perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic." God holds us and we should sing God's praise.
Our message for today ends the way the psalm ends: Stay with God! Take heart. Don't quit. I'll say it again: Stay with God.
PRAYER: Loving God, you know what is all around me and what scares me. You know what pressures me and what gives me anxiety - I turn all those things over to You and ask that You hold me and give me the assurance David had in You. I want to be safe, secure and blessed by You. I want light, space, and zest. I want to say with You and not lose heart. This I ask in Christ Jesus my Lord and Savior, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Here is today's YouTube link to see this devotional:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKdM7qHQlUU
