You Are My Vision

There are a few songs that have become very important to me. They teach me, encourage me and help me say focused on what’s important. This is one of them.

This song originated in 6th century Ireland – around 1500 years ago. I think it speaks as much truth as the Bible itself, so it has lasted through time and has been adapted into the versions we have today.

This is my favorite version – of course by an Irish group.

The lyrics:

You are my vision, O King of my heart.
Nothing else satisfies, only You, Lord.
You are my best thought by day or by night.
Waking or sleeping, Your presence, my light.

You are my wisdom, You are my true word,
I ever with You, and You with me Lord:
You're my great Father, and I'm Your true son,
You dwell inside me, together we're one.

You are my battle-shield, sword for the fight
You are my dignity, You're my delight
You're my soul's shelter and You're my high tower.
Come, raise me heavenward, O Power of my power.

I don't want riches or man's empty praise:
You're my inheritance, now and always;
You, and You only, the first in my heart:
High King of heaven, my treasure You are.

High King of heaven, when victory's won
May I reach heaven's joy, O bright heaven's Son.
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

Self-righteous Idiot

I had a couple of conversations in the past week that really bothered me. Thinking about them still makes me upset.

They both went the same way…

I met with a friends of mine who are not religious, Christian, whatever. I had intended to focus on them: How I could build them up and encourage them? How could I “bless” them?

They didn't respond as I had hoped. Instead, they insisted on listening and encouraging me - and I found myself wanting to be encouraged. I really appreciated their goodness towards me.

As I thought about it later on I got irritated with myself, and I realized that I’m a self-righteous Christian idiot at times. I think I have more to offer them than they have to offer me. If I’m brutally honest, I think I’m morally superior because I’m a believer – that in some subtle way I’m a better person.

I am not.

This huge hindrance to being the kind of person I want to be: someone who truly values what everyone has to offer.

The truth: God puts all sorts of people – all made in his image – in my life for all kinds of reasons. Being a Christian is not about being better than others - it’s about knowing that I am not, and seeing I need God.

This being “intentional” about my faith, while a great practice if my heart is right, can easily become a disaster if it’s not.

I can’t escape it – I’m the Pharisee in this teaching by Jesus:

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’  

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

God, help me.

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Saturdays | God desires obedience – I want to be obedient

- And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one

- Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God

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Psalm 23 - Sunday

I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

From the very end of the Bible (Revelation 21):

I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

The old order – what we experience now – will pass away, and will be replaced with something far greater. I’m looking forward to that. As Paul quoted:

What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him - these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

Yes God, by your grace and mercy, I will live with you forever.

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Sundays | God will set things right – I want to join him

- For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever

- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God

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Psalm 23 - Saturday

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life

I don’t think I've really considered this verse before.

“Your goodness will follow" me”, not “Your goodness with be with me”.

Here is the image I've come up with: God’s goodness follows in my wake – it’s what spreads out after me for the benefit of others.  My journey is not just for me.

I can start to see (just barely) why he has allowed me to be in the dark valley…

When we all stand before Jesus at the end of time (Matthew 25):

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

I can’t think of a better legacy: to somehow leave others with blessing from God in their lives.

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Saturdays | God desires obedience – I want to be obedient

- And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one

- Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God

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Psalm 23 - Friday

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

What does “anoint” mean? When King David was anointed, it was the ceremonial act to make him king. God had selected him.

I think the image of a cup overflowing is one of getting more than I know what to do with.

A merciful God has selected me and given me more than I can imagine. I believe that, and I believe he extends that to everyone.

But do these images line up with my life every day? No - at least not from how I see things. There are times where I’m in the terrible valley, and there are times when I experience overflowing goodness. These two opposing situations are in this very short Psalm – night and day. I think it’s why it has resonated with so many people over the centuries - it's reality.

This makes some sense of it for me (from John chapter 1):

In him (Jesus) was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood it …
… The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

God shines in the darkest places and makes me his child – to inherit all he has.

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Fridays | God desires mercy – I want to be merciful

- And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors

- Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy

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Psalm 23 - Thursday

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

God sets up the dinner table - He is in the roll of a servant here. I don't think the bible presents an image of God being a king and us exclusively serving him. It presents a balanced view, where there are times I serve him and other times he serves me. Sometimes he blesses me, other times I bless him. I seems to me to be the basis of a healthy relationship.

I get to sit down and eat while my enemies watch - I think this is the indented imagery.

Who are my enemies? My enemies are not people. I believe that if someone is alive – no matter who they are – God loves them and has an active plan to connect with them. I’m only called to love everyone, not speculate on their destiny, (and I have a long ways to go here).

In Ephesians, Paul says:

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  

My enemies are this whole other array of beings I often ignore. Our culture insists they don’t really exist (but they make movies about them all the time - go figure). At some point, I would like to write more about this whole topic - the unseen world.

God, even though evil comes my way – and it has – I’m safe with you. You will take care of me each day in the midst of it. You will “prepare the table” and fill me with good things.

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Thursdays | God will fill me with good – I want to be filled

- Give us today our daily bread

- Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled

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Psalm 23 - Wednesday

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

The images in the first three statements of this psalm are of me being a sheep and God being a shepherd.
   - It’s a picture of me being weak and vulnerable
   - It’s a picture of him having control over where I go and protecting me.

This gives me comfort: it’s not about where I’m at – good or bad, it about who is with me, protecting me, reminding me I will make it.

It’s very easy for me to pick and choose things out of the bible, in hopes to get the message I want to hear. Here is where God tells Jeremiah that he has a future for him:

This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

God says that when you come out of pain, loss, captivity – not that these won’t happen – I will bring you back and give you a future. Simply put: you will come out of powerlessness and inherit the earth I have planned for you.

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Wednesdays | God is in control – My influence is weak

- Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven

- Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth

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Psalm 23 - Tuesday

I feel like I am here right now:

Even though I walk through the valley of the the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.

I’m walking through a dark valley, along with my family. I guess I had always thought of this verse in terms of my own death. I wish it were that easy. I would pick that over my son’s death right now, no reservations.

It’s really easy to get scared of more evil that might come my way…

- Scared something else will happen.

- Scared my kids will not be able to deal with it in a healthy way.

- Scared this acute pain will not go away at some point – that I’ll never get back to my normal energy level.

- Scared I will forget details about Caleb as time goes on.

Any of these things may happen – but if they do, God is still with me.

God doesn't stop me from going into the horrible valley, instead he comes with me. Does he always let the bad things come? I don’t think so – there is a lot of good my world. Does he stop all the bad from coming if I sincerely ask him? Obviously not.

King David also said: I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my defense, he has become my salvation.

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Tuesdays | God is building a people – My relationships are broken

- Your kingdom come

- Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted

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