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“Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time on and forevermore. For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, so that the righteous might not stretch out their hands to do wrong. Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts. But those who turn aside to their own crooked ways the Lord will lead away with evildoers. Peace be upon Israel!” –– Psalm 125
Many of you are planners, and I often covet your organizational mastery. Tending toward the intuitive, I am more of a frustrated planner. I like organization, respect a process, and can follow a flowchart, but sometimes life calls for a quick shift in direction and process to continue toward the intended destination, echoing the moves of a running back juking his way around defenders to get to the goal line. He’s not rejecting the plan or the process, just adapting it to the conditions on the ground. That frustrates some folks to no end, and through the years I’ve sent more than my share of people to the dentist to keep them from grinding their teeth down to the root.
You probably recall the old joke –– How do you make God laugh? Tell God your plans. I can appreciate the wit of that, but I assume many of you find no humor there at all. The thought that our Lord may be indifferent to the genius of your plan is nothing short of heresy. You not only know where you will vacation this summer, you know where you will eat, what hour you will tour the museum, how you’ll navigate traffic between points B and C, and how many hand wipes you’ll need to pack for the picnic in the National Park. You’ve got the Waze app on your phone, the list of what art masterpieces you cannot miss, and which review to trust for dinner at the bistro for which you have already confirmed reservations. You won’t even listen to the Beatles because John Lennon had the temerity to suggest that, “Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.”
Sensors shy away from untested paths while Intuitors enjoy contemplating different routes to the destination. Sensors prefer Victor Hugo –– “He, who every morning plans the transactions of the day, and follows that plan, carries a thread that will guide him through a labyrinth of the most busy life.” Intuitors prefer Mike Tyson –– “Everybody's got plans... until they get hit.” Wisdom, more than likely, resides somewhere between the two. Thus, Sensors need Intuitors and Intuitors need Sensors to make progress toward their destination. However, even if you manage that balance, it is not enough to get you where you need to be.
Psalm 125, posted above, is one of 15 Psalms of Ascent grouped together in the book of Psalms. This collection was integral to the experience of pilgrims as they made the three required annual pilgrimages to the Temple in Jerusalem. This was the destination and goal of the pilgrimages because Jerusalem’s Temple was the place where God was present to God’s people. As with the journey of life, these pilgrimages were fraught with risk, danger, and challenge, and as with the journey of life, the hope of reaching the destination depended not solely on the pilgrim’s individual strength, nor on the community’s collection of talent alone. The hope of reaching the destination was grounded by a shared trust in the strength, light, and protection of the Lord –– “My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121)’; “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when our enemies attacked us, then they would have swallowed us up alive” (Psalm 124); As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time on and forevermore” (Psalm 125)
I am particularly intrigued by verse 3 of Ps. 125 ––“For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, so that the righteous might not stretch out their hands to do wrong.” Whether we are in the camp of Victor Hugo or Mike Tyson, our capacity to reach the destination, that place of peace and wholeness, is dependent on a strength beyond any individual or group, because somewhere along the way the “thread” of the plan will be cut; somewhere along the way, we will “get hit.” As Jesus said, “In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!” And so, we pray as Jesus taught –– “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
The Psalmist, like Jesus, knows that the biggest obstacle or threat on the way to peace often comes from within. Paul knew this –– “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do … Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
It is worthwhile to plan for the journey, and it is good to have the flexibility to adapt the plan to the situation, but it is essential to trust in the Lord who is our strength, refuge, and salvation. ’Tis grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”
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