The half Autumnal evening approached the frontscreen of my car, driving in the direction of home (wherever that is considered to be).
The usual thoughts, scattered and sporadic, quickly came and went as my surroundings lent to me their associative memories. In the switching on of my CD player, a Christian Worship compilation album played, mid song, with the words: "Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord..."
And the theological contemplation gate swung wide upon! Words, thoughts and ideas sped out as I pondered the consideration; 'do we actually need to wait upon the Lord anymore?'.
I realized in the moment of the song playing, that it was probably a Psalm and so thus probably written by King David. (found out afterwards it was actually from Isaiah though David does mention waiting on God). I also realized that so much of our songs come from the Psalms, and in communities of Jesus followers we so often go to the Psalms, we so often use them as vehicles of expression to God.
In what follows, i'm not intending to demean King David, nor Isaiah, nor to speak against finding the Psalms useful... but I am wondering, i suppose, at the base of our theological assumptions, whether our view of our connection (or disconnection to God) is hindered by an unhealthy leaning on the Psalms. If we are followers of Jesus, and therefore living in the new covenant (temple curtain torn/God with us/filled with the Spirit of the Lord) should our conversations with God be more than Davids conversations with Him?
I really do actually find the Psalms to be a real aid. I really do. Really.
David uses poetry and praise in word form, expressing both joy and depths of despair, so it's almost no surprise to be encouraged by these snapshots. And Jesus does say in 2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness".
My hesitation, or wondering, i suppose... is something around the area of Old Covenant versus New Covenant. I see many characters from the Old Testament being revered and whole sermon series being crafted around such individuals- even to the point of saying we should be like them. And I can't deny or affirm a generalized group of individuals I haven't specifically named, BUT, I feel a little hesitant in those moments, when Jesus Himself is put on the backburner as role model. I just...I find it disturbing.
If we are indeed Jesus followers, a people so entranced by the Divine Maker, given to Him and hungering to do His works, do we listen to His call to be like Him? To do the things He did and greater? Do we realize that is a wider picture than one part? Do we know that we are in a different position than before when we are face to face with God? Yes He is holy. But He is also our Father. We get to know Him in His complexities. We have that privelege, NOT by anything we have done, of course not, but it is all by His kindness and grace that we get the opportunity to enjoy intimacy with Him.
I heard someone once say, "isn't God actually the One waiting for us rather than the other way round?" We live in an age where the Holy Spirit has been poured out. We are not in a world where Gods voice was heard occasionally through picked out prophets in different generations. We get to have the Spirit of God living inside of us. That's like pretty crazy?!
And so, recognising the now-and-not-yet aspect of the kingdom of God, I just wonder whether we're missing out on a fuller picture of our relationship with God, and it's outworking in the world, when we build our picture of christianity out of the old covenant and its treasured, though broken, human adventurers.
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