Psalm 125

[DeanZF]

Sometimes I hear a phrase or a portion of Scripture and it provokes a whole new train of thought, taking me where I’ve never been before. Today was one of those days and one of those moments.



Bishop has been preaching the Psalms of Assent. Today was Psalm 125 and his take on it was all about trust, and the difference between belief and trust. Belief is a head thing. Trust is a foot thing, putting action to the belief. He made me smile with a comment about how so many Christians talk the talk but when it comes to walking it out, we act like atheists. Do we trust Him? There is a sign over the doors into the nave that asks a tough question, “Do you really believe that what you believe is really real?” What a question, but isn’t that the thrust of trust vs. belief?



As we read down through the psalm, there was my moment. “Those who trust in the LORD are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.” If I really do trust Him, I become immovable! That’s amazing enough, but to recognize that in addition to that, those mountains that surround me are nothing less that God Himself surrounding me with His immovable Self. It was the beginning of a “wow” moment for me. I could see myself as a rock with my triune God dancing around me, Mountains moving in harmony about the mountain that is me. So long as I stay within the circle, I can be the immovable mountain!



I think that somewhere deep down, most men want to be solid and stable. Women, too, I’m sure, but for the moment, I can only talk to my own morning’s experience. I want to be a rock for my wife and those in my life who might depend on me for things. I want to be immovable on the things that are important, things that are of eternal significance. Now the thoughts began to string together. God’s intention is for me to be that rock. He is doing that “calling things into being” thing again! Just as He sent an angel to prophesy to Gabriel that he was a mighty man as he cowered in secret, just as Paul wrote in Romans 4:17, “God who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist”.



So, He wants me to be that rock. Hmmm. My mind ran to Jesus talking to Peter and changing his name from Pebble to Rock. I knew that Peter was anything but immovable at that point in the story, but he did indeed become the rock that Jesus prophesied. More important perhaps was the recollection of teachings about Romans 12, not to be conformed to the things of this world, but rather to be transformed through the renewing of my mind. Transformed into what? Phillips’ translation says, “Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.” The teacher that introduced me to that translation and this verse explained that the point was that Jesus was the mold, and that God’s plan for me was so that I would be always in the process of being conformed to the image of Jesus, more and more like Him with every breath.



For Peter and for me, Jesus was and is the Rock. And if I am to be conformed more and more into His image, isn’t part of that image for me to be more and more conformed to Jesus the Rock?

[mmitch47]

In the beginning of the Zondervan version of the amplified Bible, the editors used the word believe to explain what the amplified version does with its parentheses, with words inside and explanations. I will not take the space here to regurgitate it word for word but here is the Mitchell gist (jist).



Believe means to hold onto, lean on, trust in, obey, embrace, do what He CALLS you to do. There is one more thing but I cannot remember what it is but it is the most intense of these things. Can't find my Amplified Bible right now but will correct my gist when I find it...rev