Stirred, Not Shaken

Ian Fleming’s fictional British Secret Service agent, James Bond 007, is well-known for many things, one of which is his martini order. Since 1964, Bond has ordered his martini to “shaken, not stirred.” According to the Official James Bond website, this particular phrase was selected in 2005 as one of the 100 most famous lines in films. I honestly have no idea what the difference is between a shaken and a stirred martini, and I’m pretty sure I don’t want either one. However, I have come across both of these adjectives in Scripture, and thought I might look at the difference between a shaken and a stirred relationship with Jesus. I believe, unlike James Bond, that I much prefer to be “Stirred, not shaken.”

King David affirmed, “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure” (Ps 16:8-9 NIV). This is the prayer of a man who knows where he stands, and he knows he is solely dependent on the Lord. He knows that as long as his eyes are fastened on God, he will not be shaken from his foundation. David states this confidence he has in God again when he says, “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken” (Ps 62:1-2 NIV). David also advises us to give our cares and burdens to the Lord because he will sustain us. “He will never let the righteous be shaken” (Ps 55:22 NIV).

What does it mean to be shaken? This word gives me a mental picture of an earthquake and buildings being shaken from their foundations, crumbling and falling to the ground in a heap of rubble. The Hebrew words translated in the NIV is “shaken” means “an instance of instability with sudden motion and loss of balance, which the resulting falling motion is then dangerous to the body” (DBL Hebrew 4573). Yes, sounds pretty much like a building collapsing into a pile of rubble in the middle of an earthquake. I do not want to be shaken down to my foundation in that manner. The good news is that as long as I keep my eyes and my focus on the Lord, I won’t be shaken, according to the psalms quoted above.

We don’t want to be shaken, so what does it mean to be stirred, and why would that be better than being shaken? Many things can be stirred up, most of which are not good. We can stir up trouble (Neh. 4:8), conflict (Prov 6:19), war (Ps 140:2), anger, (Prov. 15:1), and jealousy (1 Kings 14:22). But there are good things that are stirred up as well. The writer of Psalm 45 said his heart was stirred to speak poetic words of praise as he addressed the king. The Lord stirred up the hearts of the people who “came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God” (Haggai 1:14 NIV).

Think about another picture of stirring something up. If you have a fireplace (with real logs and kindling, not gas like we have) or a campfire and the fire is dying, you might use a fire poker to stir it up and bring the fire back to life. You might need to move things around or maybe add some kindling to the embers that are still glowing to get them to reignite before they are completely cold and extinguished.

Paul wrote to Timothy about his strong foundation in the faith, which was first cultivated in Timothy’s life by his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. Paul then told him, “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (2 Tim 1:6 NIV). The Voice translation renders this verse as, “This is why I write to remind you to stir up the gift of God that was conveyed to you” (2 Tim 1:6 VOI).

Anazopyreo, the Greek word translated as “stir up” or “fan into flame,” means to “reactivate, formally fan a flame, inflame, rekindle” (DBL GK #351), or “to re-enkindle: --stir up” (Strong’s Greek #329). Paul told Timothy, "Do not let that fire die. It must not go out. Don’t ignore your foundation of faith or the gift of God has given to you. Keep it fresh, keep it alive. Keep stirring up and re-kindling that fire."

When Paul gave these instructions to Timothy, I wonder if he had in mind the instructions given to the priests in the book of Leviticus. God instructed Moses, “The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out” (Lev. 6:12-13 NIV).

Sometimes we may feel as if we are being shaken. We may feel like the very foundation of our life is crumbling beneath us, and we are about to end up as a heap of rubble on the ground, good for nothing but being swept out of the way. At times like these, it is vital that our faith and our hope in God is stirred up and rekindled, that our eyes are redirected onto Him rather than the earthquake going on around us. The fire of our faith and the gift God has given us must not be allowed to burn out. Stir it up. Rekindle the flame. Keep it burning. Keep your eyes on the Lord so the fire will not go out and you will not be shaken.

May we continually stir up the flames of faith, keep our eyes on the Lord, and never be shaken. Let James Bond go with “Shaken, not stirred.” We will be “Stirred, not shaken.” 

Quiet Waters

I had been reflecting on the first few verses of Psalm 23 prior to a recent trip to Helen Hunt Falls (not the actress; part of North Cheyenne Canon Park here in Colorado Springs), so the passage was on my mind as I observed the falls.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul” (Ps 23:1-3a NIV).

The Lord leads us beside quiet waters. Okay. Quiet waters can be nice. Peaceful. Relaxing. Slow. Quiet waters makes me think of relaxing on an inflatable float in a pool or maybe floating down a lazy river on a big inner tube. These are enjoyable activities. We all need times of rest and relaxation. Time to rejuvenate.

But to be honest, quiet waters sound a little boring to me. What I really prefer is loud, fast-moving waters. I enjoy observing the awesome power of the water as it rushes over the rocks. I like listening to the roar of the water as it plunges toward to bottom of the falls.

As I sat listening to the sounds of the waterfall on this recent visit, I was reflecting on how the rushing water compares to the quiet waters mentioned in Psalm 23. Several observations came to mind.

Rushing waters are inviting. They promise adventure, fun, exhilaration. They beckon me to get in and brave the force of the water. They appear refreshing and invigorating. I find the power of waterfalls captivating to watch as from the safety of its banks.

Watching the force of the falls, I saw the fast-moving waters as symbolic of temptation. The sins that tempt us appear extremely inviting. They promise adventure, fun, and exhilaration. They call to us to enter all it has to offer. They may even offer us a challenge. How long can you enjoy this activity before you are swept away with the current?

That is the problem with the sin that beckons us. Like the rushing waterfall, we step into it, believing it will be fun, refreshing, and invigorating. We fool ourselves into thinking we can step back out of it onto the safety of the banks at any time. And sometimes, perhaps we can. But this is a dangerous gamble. 

Inevitably, at some point, the force will prove too much for us to stand and we will be knocked down and injured. We will lose our footing on the slippery rocks, and fall into the powerful, unstoppable flow. The force will carry us over the falls and plunge us to the bottom, perhaps even to our death.

The park ranger is well aware of these dangers. That’s why they post signs like this all around the falls:

God is also aware of the dangers of sin. This is why He posts danger signs as well. The park ranger is not trying to prevent us from having fun while visiting the waterfall, and God is not trying to prevent us from having fun when He gives us boundaries and tells us ‘don’t do that.’ The danger signs are there for our own protection, regardless of how fun, exciting, adventurous, invigorating, or compelling the rushing waterfall may appear.

After watching the waterfall for awhile, we went back downstream and stopped at a small inlet where the water was … yep, you guessed it. It was quiet. We put our feet in the cold pool, and we enjoyed a nice picnic lunch beside the quiet waters, admiring the beauty of the trees and mountains that were surrounding us.  

“He leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.”

P.S. I still enjoy watching and listening to waterfalls, but now they remind me of Psalm 23.

The Perfect Psalm for Today

If you have read any of my blogs this year, then you know I have been slowly going through the Psalms. Occasionally, I get frustrated with myself because I’m going so slowly. It seems that I am getting behind on some artificial, self-imposed mandate to march through one psalm per day. But then I read the psalm for today, and I realize the timing is perfect. I am not behind. I am right on schedule.

You may or may not know that my sister, Angela, has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. That is her in the photo with my daughter, Sabrina. Angela has been confined to a wheelchair for the past thirty-plus years. She has had a tracheostomy and been on a ventilator so she can breathe for maybe the past ten to fifteen years. She has been in and out of the hospital with pneumonia too many times to count. Each time feels like it might be the last. When she was diagnosed with MD in the 1970’s, the prognosis was that she would only make it to her late teens or early twenties, and she is now 46.

She is currently in the hospital again. This time with double pneumonia and a collapsed lung. As you can imagine, she is experiencing a great deal of fear and anxiety. Not fear of dying, but fear of the feeling of suffocation and pain. I would be too.

This morning, my first thought was that I might skip today’s psalm in order to read and pray over some other passage on healing or peace. But then I decided to go ahead and read the psalm for today anyway. Yesterday, I was on Psalm 55, so 56 was up for today. And it is perfect for today.

Would you join me in praying for Angela. Pray for a sense of peace and calm that can only come from God. Let’s pray these words from Psalm 56 together for her…

“When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.
I praise God for what he has promised.
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? ….
You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book. …
This I know: God is on my side!
I praise God for what he has promised;
Yes, I praise the Lord for what he has promised.
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? …
For you have rescued me from death;
You have kept my feet from slipping.
So now I can walk in your presence, O God,
In your life-giving light.” (Ps 56:3-4, 8, 9b-11a, 13 NLT)

Sing Praises!

I wrote quite a few songs during the time I served in worship ministry in Texas, but I haven't written any since we left. I have been slowly going through the psalms every day, and I spent these past few days I reading Psalm 47. I found a song there.

As poetry that was originally written in Hebrew, the psalms don't usually hold such rhythm in English as I found in verses 6-7 --"Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise" (NIV).

I have certainly read these verses before, but this time they formed rhythm and melody in my head as I read them. What I "heard" was this song that is an invitation for all people to join in singing songs of praise to God.

This blog entry is really a song --- listen to the link below and join me in following the instructions given us in Psalm 47 and sing a song of praise to our God and King!

Sing Praises! (Psalm 47)

Chorus:
Sing praises to our God, sing praise!
Sing praises to our King, sing praise!
For our God is the King over all the earth
Oh, sing to Him a song of praise!

Verse 1:
Clap your hands, all you people
And shout to God with a joyous cry
Lift Him up, for He is worthy
How awesome is the Lord Most High
(Repeat Chorus)

Verse 2:
Our God reigns over every nation
He's seated on His holy throne
Every knee will bow before Him
The earth belongs to Him alone
(Repeat Chorus)

Bridge:
Lord, You are good; You are holy
You are righteous; You are just
You are mighty and full of mercy
You are worthy of all our praise
(Repeat Chorus)

(c) 2016 Sheri Tesar

A Timely Prayer from Psalm 45

Just last night, my husband and I were discussing with friends the current situation regarding all the caucuses and the political machinery that is marching towards the final choices for President that we will be offered this coming November. 

This morning, I opened up Bible Gateway to Psalm 45, where I “just happened” to be for today in my slow tour through the Psalms. Psalm 45 paints a picture of a godly king who leads with truth, humility, and justice. My Bible Gateway app also opened this psalm in The Voice translation, the version I “just happened” to using last night for something else. The Voice offered the following timely notes in the middle of Psalm 45:

“Whether we realize it or not, the overall wellbeing of a nation is tied directly to its leaders. When the leaders are just and make good decisions, then the welfare of a nation is secure. But when leaders are unjust and make poor decisions, and they pursue personal agendas rather than the public good, then nations suffer. This is why Scripture instructs those of faith to pray for all people everywhere, especially that those in authority would lead the world to dignity and peace (1 Tim 2:1-3).

Psalm 45 celebrates that rare breed, a godly king who pursues truth and justice…May the world witness a new breed of leader, fashioned in the image of this psalm.” 

In a season when many are concerned about who our next president will be and where our country is headed … at a time when many are wondering if they should even vote because of the choices that we are offered … it seems that Scripture calls us to pray for our leaders ---something that we should not neglect or underestimate. We need to pray fervently for whomever our next president will be.

Lord, I pray that you will fill Trump, Hillary, Sanders (or whomever else rises to the top of the list of candidates) with incredible wisdom…wisdom beyond their years, beyond their education, and beyond their experiences (James 1:5).

I pray you will give them the discernment necessary to know what is best for the people of this country (Prov 28:2).

I pray you will give them the strength and courage to do what needs to be done (Josh 1:7).

I pray you will give them the humility necessary to listen to you and to listen to those that you place around them who are able to guide them in a wise, discerning fashion (Ps 25:9).

As for this election, the future of this country and this world, I pray “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10).

I pray that each of these candidates and our future President will ultimately turn to you and serve you, the King of Kings, with their very lives and that they will speak your words and serve in your strength in order to bring you glory (1 Pet 4:11).

Finally, I pray that we will all “bring honor to your name in every generation. Therefore, the nations will praise you forever and ever” (Ps 45:17 NLT)

Amen.

Let Us Exalt His Name

This verse from Psalms sounds like it could be a formal call to worship, an invitation from the worship leader for the congregation to join him in singing songs of praise to God during the Sunday morning worship service. As a worship leader, this is my first thought. And of course, singing songs of praise together is a “fitting” thing for us to do (Ps 33:1). But when I read this verse this week, I began to contemplate what else that “let us exalt his name together” might mean for us.

“Exalt” is not a word that I generally use in daily conversation. According to Merriam-Webster, it means to “raise (someone or something) to a higher level; to praise (someone or something) highly; to present (something) in a way that is very favorable.”[1] According to this definition, exalting the Lord would certainly include singing songs of praise together, but what about that last part, about presenting something in a favorable way?

In thinking about what exalting the name of Lord means, I began to think about the flip side --- what does it look or sound like when we don’t exalt or lift up His name? We have phrases in the English language relating to the opposite of lifting or exalting someone’s name. If someone does something we don’t like, we may say that their name “is mud.” We may speak of dragging someone’s name through the dirt or the mud, which is when we “tell people about something bad that someone has done so that people will have a bad opinion of them.”[2] Do we ever drag God's name through the mud?

My first thought about this was the use of God's name as a curse word. In our culture, we often hear people calling for  God to condemn whatever displeases them. However, I don’t really think that people who use this word fully expect God to bring down curses on the car in front of them in traffic, or their frustrating circumstances, or whatever they are angry about, nor do I think it makes those who hear it think less of God.

While I do not like to hear the Lord's name used as a curse word, I think a more damaging way that we drag God’s name through the dirt instead of lifting it up is by saying things that are contrary to the truth about His nature ---when we say things like, “God is not really good, because if He was, He wouldn’t have let this happen” … or “God loves other people, but He doesn’t really love me or I wouldn’t be in this situation” … or maybe we say “God hates gays” (or women, or people with green hair, or whatever group). None of these things are true, and they certainly don’t invite others to think more highly of God.

While it is fitting for Psalm 34:3 to be used as an invitation to sing songs of praise together, I believe it is also an invitation to speak highly of God --regardless of our circumstances, regardless of our frustration level, and regardless of our personal opinions of others. This may not always be easy to do. As the writer of Hebrews put it, “let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise –the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” (Heb 13:15 NIV).

Whether sung or spoken, whether in sadness or in joy, may our words about the Lord be filled with praise, and may we be intent on lifting up His name in the sight of others, rather than dragging it down to our own level. May we constantly speak about how good, how loving, how faithful, how patient, how merciful, how creative, how holy, and how amazing our God is, especially in front of those who don’t know Him, and so I say…

“Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together” (Ps 34:3 NIV).

---

[1] Merriam-webster.com, “exalt”

[2] idioms.thefreedictionary.com

The Secret in Psalm 23:1

I have been slowly working my way through the Psalms, and I recently made it up to Psalm 23. This is such a familiar passage that it would have been very easy to just roll right through it without stopping to contemplate its great meaning and depth. After all, I've had it memorized since childhood. I decided to go through it very slowly, but I didn't think I'd be this slow. I was stopped at the very first verse ----

I lack nothing. Nothing? Do I really believe that there is nothing I lack, or do I constantly have a long list of things that I think I need?

“The Lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need” (NLT).

Is everything that is on my list actually a need, or is it mostly wants?

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (ESV).

I shall not? Is being able to say “I lack nothing” just a matter of will? Can I just decide that I will be satisfied with what I have and not beg God for a long list of more and more?

Psalm 23:1 reminds me of the apostle Paul's very well-known statement that he “can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Phil 4:13 NIV). Paul is not saying that he can accomplish every goal that he sets for himself, but in order to see what it is that he can do and how this verse reflects Psalm 23:1, we need to back up to verse 12.

It had never occurred to me before, but it appears that Paul’s statement in Philippians 4:12-13 can be seen as a restatement of Psalm 23:1. Paul says, 

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Phil 4:12-13 NIV). 

In other words, I think Paul is saying, The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing –I have all that I need –I shall not want.

Paul says that he has learned the secret of being content in any circumstance. How do we learn his secret ---this ability to be content, the ability to honestly say "I lack nothing," the ability to be satisfied with what we do have –especially in a culture where we are daily bombarded with all the stuff that we “need”?

Whatever our current situation – whether we have very little or very much –we can succumb to an attitude of discontentment and of always wanting more. If I’m not content when I have more than enough, might God take it away until I have learned to be content in Him, trusting Him as my shepherd and provider? In the same way, if I’m not content when I have little to nothing, might God leave me in that situation until I have learned to be content with what I have and not constantly be searching for and desiring more and more?

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing –I have all that I need –I shall not want…I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…”

The secret to being able to say "I lack nothing" seems to lie with trusting the Lord as my shepherd --my guide, my provider, my master, my strength. While I can’t say, like Paul, that “I have learned the secret…” maybe I can say “I am learning the secret of being content and of being able to say "I lack nothing."