Personalize scripture by rewriting it for yourself

September 2, 2023

Maria Meditation, Psalm 32 , Leave a comment

For me to meditate on scripture, I have to write it out in words I can understand. But lest you think I just make up words, I don’t.  I use the website, Blue Letter Bible.  There, I can see the Hebrew and the Greek (or Aramaic) words with their multiple shades of meaning.  Furthermore, I can check out where a term is used elsewhere in Scripture.  This app/website is rich in resources and I consult it daily.

To give you an example, here is how I personalized the following 4 verses from Psalm 32 this morning.  First, the original NIV translation:

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble

and surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him. Psalm 32: 7-10 NIV

After reading the verses, I spent some time investigating the different ways certain terms have been used, and where they pop up in other verses.  Next, I addressed myself, writing advice to Maria based on what I found in this segment of the psalm, but not in the order each verse appeared.

Verse 9:  Maria, don’t be like an unruly mule who must be controlled by the rider.

Verse 8: Choose, instead, to stay aware of and close by to Jesus, as near as possible so you can hear his instructions and catch his eyes that go along with his words.

Verse 10:  Why? For your protection and security and sense of well-being. For it is FACT that steadfast love surrounds those who position themselves close to the Lord. Not only does he want you that near, he actually walks about you.  All those who trust him, he guards with that attentiveness, giving them direction. You, Maria, little sheep that you are, this includes you, for you have learned to position yourself near your Teacher.

Then from verse 9, I responded to all this good news by writing TO the Lord:

Thank you, that you walk about me. I know full well that you are my refuge in times of trouble. And as you encircle me you shout and cry out words of deliverance. I can hear your voice in my mind’s ear.

How long does this take?  Not long at all.  I probably spent a good 10 minutes this morning pulling out some riches from these verses.  My particular way of digesting them is to write what I see.  You’ll also notice that there were some verse segments I didn’t even address.  This morning, what I most needed was assurance and comfort of the Lord’s nearness.

For me, this is both fun to do and deeply satisfying. But don’t worry if you are not a writer or a journal scribbler. I can also imagine someone simply doing this out loud. No need to pick up pen and paper.  I just find it easier to process through the writing process. Whatever causes us to slow down to savor the promises, will enrich us.

A dangerous question

October 12, 2014

Maria 1 Thessalonians, Disciplines, Genesis, Husbands, Idols, Philippians, Psalm 32 , , , , 4 Comments

“Mike, what would you say is my most precious, cherished sin?”

It took him a moment.  Not to think of the sin, but to be sure I was serious about asking for that level of honesty.

The answer didn’t surprise me, but it still produced an ‘Ouch!’ because it rolled so easily off his tongue:

  • Your obsessive routines of eating, exercise, sleep and reading!

Let me set the scene, so you can see WHY this is such a squirm-producing topic.

My friend Regina gifted me with a weighty tome by puritan William Gurnall  – Here’s the link on Amazon

William Gurnall's book

 

 

 

 

Gurnall wastes no time in getting down to business.  He reminds his readers of Abraham’s ‘Let’s get real about whom and what you love most’ test administered by God as recorded in Genesis 22:2 –

  • Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

Gurnall modified it to fit us!

  • Then God said, “Take your favorite sin, your most cherished sin, which you love  – X – and sacrifice it on the altar”

I’m aware of how often I sin, but to identify my FAVORITE sin, my go-to sin was hard.  So I asked the person who knows me best.

So there I was, face to face with THE QUESTION:

  •  Do I WANT to give up my routines that bring me such comfort?

Immediately the voice offered some reasonable words…

  • “Eating healthy, sleeping enough, exercising daily, READING….those are all good things!  Don’t be extreme”

The problem was, that wasn’t God’s voice.

Isaac bound on the altar

I read on in Gurnall.  In the very next paragraph he warned me that unlike Isaac who did NOT resist his dad’s securing him to the altar, OUR sacrifices will tend to crawl off the altar.

Satan facilitates the escape of the victim with a one-two soft punch:

  • What you do is not THAT bad…!

and the 2nd blow is….

  • Don’t rush or be too hasty.  Wait awhile.  Maybe you heard wrong.  Maybe your husband is just jealous of your self-discipline!

I talked this subject of idols over with one of my sons and his wife who is a true Christian sister to me. What we came away with was that prioritization is key.

  • Yes, it so happens that my habits of choice are healthy ones
  • But they can also become cherished control mechanisms for my ‘happy’ life now
  • It’s not an either/or situation that requires me to jettison them, but something easier to see but challenging to implement.

Jesus boiled down the Law to the 2-dimensional Law of Love

Love God, Love People

When my food, exercise, sleep and reading habits DON’T take away from concretely loving God and loving others, I can pursue them.  But loving God comes first and loving people is a way of loving God.

 

Practically it looks like this (I think!):

Priorities:

#1 – first part of my day I spend in Bible reading, prayer and medication on God’s truth – to get myself happy in God, which is my duty

  • Ps 32:11 – Be glad in the Lord and rejoice….
  • 1 Thess 5:16 – Rejoice always…
  • Phil 4:4 – Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!

#2 – whenever a person comes into my presence or NEEDS to be in my presence, spend time with her or him as appropriate (yes, we all have work to do, but work can become an idol as well!)  For me…..

  • that means remembering that my husband is my covenant partner AND BEST FRIEND
  • that means phone calls to family and close friends are more important than reading
  • that means that neighbors, students, colleagues and people along my daily path at the grocery store, in line at the PO at coffee hour at church are more important than reading something on my iPhone

The leftover time is what I get to invest in God-honoring ways.  If I choose to spend that time cooking or reading or walking or browsing Twitter and Instagram, I am free to do so.

 

Question:  Whom would you ask to help you see your most cherished sin?  And how painful would it be to keep sacrificing it in order to make room for more of God?  If this Gurnall book blasts away within the first 5 pages, I wonder what else is in store for me!

I’ll keep you posted.