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When the noise breaks, the Voice speaks

A Journey Through Psalm 34 (included at the end)

There’s something sacred about being undone.

Not in the way the world talks about coming undone…like a meltdown or a failure or a moment where everything spirals out of control. No, I’m talking about the kind of undoing where all the noise finally drops, where your white-knuckled grip on trying to manage everything loosens just long enough for the Spirit to get in.

David writes in Psalm 34, “I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.”

Let that sink in: delivered from all my fears.

Not avoided.
Not numbed.
Not suppressed.

Delivered.

David was in a cave when he wrote this. Not on a mountain. Not on a spiritual high. He was hiding. Escaping. Traumatized. Yet, in the shadows of the cave, he gives us a path to peace. A trail through the wild terrain of anxiety.

Here’s what this psalm whispers to our busy brains:

1. Seek.
David says, “I sought the Lord.” When anxiety rises, our instinct is to seek control. But the invitation is to seek Presence. Try this: Breathe in deeply and simply whisper, “Here I am, Lord.” Let that be your seeking. A posture more than a prayer.

2. Speak.
David says, “His praise will always be on my lips.” Praise in a cave? Yes. Not because the cave is good, but because God is still good in the cave. Speak gratitude out loud…list three things right now. Name them. Words have power to reroute our panic.

3. See.
“Those who look to Him are radiant.” What you gaze upon shapes your soul. Shift your focus. Turn your eyes from what terrifies you to what anchors you. Try this: Picture the face of Christ…gentle, unhurried, knowing. Let your soul make eye contact.

4. Surrender.
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.” You don’t have to fix yourself before God gets close. You just have to stop pretending you’re not broken. Lay down the armor. Let Him be close. That nearness is what heals.

5. Rest.
Not everything gets resolved in a moment. Psalm 34 is not a formula…it’s a rhythm. Return to it again and again. When the brain races, return to the words: “He delivered me from all my fears.” Memorize it. Whisper it like a lullaby for your soul.

When your mind runs in circles and your chest tightens with the weight of everything, come back to this:

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.”
(Psalm 34:8)

Refuge doesn’t mean retreat…it means safety. It means belonging. It means you’re not alone.

Even in the cave.

Psalm 34

Praise for Deliverance from Trouble

Of David, when he feigned madness before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.

1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
    let the humble hear and be glad.
3 O magnify the Lord with me,
    and let us exalt his name together.

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
    and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Look to him, and be radiant;
    so your[a] faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
    and was saved from every trouble.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
    around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good;
    happy are those who take refuge in him.
9 O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
    for those who fear him have no want.
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger,
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

11 Come, O children, listen to me;
    I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Which of you desires life,
    and covets many days to enjoy good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil,
    and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Depart from evil, and do good;
    seek peace, and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
    and his ears are open to their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
    to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears,
    and rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the broken-hearted,
    and saves the crushed in spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
    but the Lord rescues them from them all.
20 He keeps all their bones;
    not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil brings death to the wicked,
    and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
    none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

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Still Breathing: John 20:20-29

They had locked the doors.
For fear.
For shame.
For wondering if the whole thing was over.

All the promises.
All the miracles.
All the momentum.
Gone.

And then…
Jesus comes through the locked door.

Not past the lock.
Not around the lock.
Through it.

Like grace always does.

And what does He say?

“Peace be with you.”

Not, “Where were you?”
Not, “Why did you run?”
Not, “I told you so.”

Just… Peace.

Because the resurrected Christ doesn’t come to rub your failure in your face.
He comes to breathe life back into your lungs.
To restore.
To recommission.
To rehumanize the weary disciple.

Then He shows them the scars.

Not to horrify them.
But to heal them.

Scars are what resurrection looks like on skin.
Proof that death did its worst…
But love had the last word.

He breathes on them.
Just like God did in Genesis.
Just like He’s doing now.
To you.
To your calling.
To your people.

You might feel like your ministry is behind locked doors.
Like your prayers are hitting ceilings.
Like resurrection is something that only happens in other churches, other pastors, other places.

But Jesus isn’t stopped by fear, or failure, or fatigue.
He still walks through walls.
He still breathes on broken leaders.
He still sends out wounded disciples.

And He still says:
“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

You.

Not a perfect version of you.
Not a more spiritual, more rested, more certain version of you.

Just… you.

Your scars and all.

So, inhale deeply today.

You’re not alone.
You’re not disqualified.
You’re not done.

He’s still breathing.
And so are you.

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SUBTRACTION

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Stress is killing us…literally.
BUT-God has a plan to de-stress and infuse you with real life.
I am about to launch a 6 week conversation about God’s divine subtraction plan that will de-stress and re-vitalize your soul.

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You Become Like What You Pursue…

As I look around me I am overwhelmed by the variety of things we are pursuing.  Things like: The perfect house…the right career…the right guy or girl…escape from life’s realities through books, film, poetry…

We pursue justice…vacations…accumulating stuff and things…the American dream…passions…health goals…life goals… financial goals…pleasure…money…power and control…recognition…family and independence…

We are tired and weary from the elusive pursuit, yet every day we get up and the race begins all over again.

What are you chasing after…who are you becoming?

The reason this is an important question to ponder and ruminate upon is because we become like the thing we pursue. The things that get our time, energy and focus are what we slowly shape-shift into becoming. Generally, the things we pursue are not actually what we truly desire, there is something deeper, but we have invested so little time into our souls that we are deaf to her cry.  Out the soul’s deepest longings are desires that would bring about life, beauty and joy.

The soul is timid, powerful but timid. The energy-draining-crashing-around we exhibit as we pursue something generally causes the soul to stay in the shadows, waiting for a quieter moment…but the moment passes us by as the volume of life drowns out the soul’s whisper.

Psalm 34:14 in the Amplified translation notes:

“Depart from evil and do good; seek, inquire for, and crave peace                  and pursue (go after) it!”

Interesting…I wonder what our world would be like if instead of pursuing global-economic primacy nations instead pursued peace. I wonder what would happen in our neighborhoods if instead of one-upping the Jones’ we chose peace and received contentment. I wonder what our soul would sing if we chose to live a lifestyle that pursued peace and not all the stuff and things that we think will bring us peace.

King David was a man that longed for God’s peace yet lived a life where peace was as tangible as a steak at a Vegan seminar. Wars, subterfuge, marital conflict, adultery, betrayal and constant criticism nipped his heels daily. Yet his words seem to lock in on something beyond…something fascinating…something beautiful…something his soul was crying out for: Seek after…inquire for…and crave peace…then by all means make that your pursuit!

The greatest gift God has given me is an otherworldly saturation of peace in the midst of storms. A feeling so powerful and so real that I have wondered what it was, where it came from… and then, I pray it will never leave. It is more than peace though…it is God’s own Spirit unleashed in our soul causing her to sing in such a way that all those other pursuits fade on the sidelines of life.

To pursue peace is to become peace. Your presence will affect the people around you. Your countenance will be a calming reality and a contagious morsel. Your eyes will radiate a sense of God’s power and presence that is beyond the normal human pursuit.

You see, when we pursue peace and embrace it we are allowing God’s Spirit access to the control center of our life. As The Spirit slowly begins to lead us, there is something forming, growing, expanding and bringing even more peace with it and that is the very life of Christ Himself. The Spirit’s role is to form the living Christ in us by faith.

Jesus was called the prince of peace…the bringer of peace…so to pursue peace is to pursue the author and embodiment of peace, Jesus.

When we run around trying to experience a feeling we never quite get there because peace isn’t a feeling, it’s a person.

Let’s choose to pursue Peace at work; at home; in our communities of faith; in our storms; in our goals and in our soul.

Jesus said it this way:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

Jesus gives us peace by giving us Himself…no formula…no hoops to jump through…no major clean up in order to deserve it. No, He offers us His peace in and of Himself…to hold Him is to have peace…Isaiah said the the punishment that brought us peace was taken on by Jesus. (Isaiah 53:5).

May you be fascinated by Him this week, and may you experience peace as you pursue it in the face of the Messiah.

~Monty