Suggested Scripture: Psalm 132: 1 – 18 John 8:12 – 20
Text Emphasis: Psalm 132: 17……….Here (in my Dwelling Place) I will set up a lamp for my anointed one.
Psalm 132:17 “Here ( in my dwelling place ) I set up a lamp for my anointed one.
“Fear not, little flock, whatever your lot,
He enters all rooms, “the doors being shut,”
He never forsakes; He never is gone,
So count on His presence in darkness and dawn”.
Refrain:
“Only believe, only believe;
All things are possible, only believe;
Only believe, only believe;
All things are possible, only believe.”(2)
But what is the foundation of that ‘BELIEF, and where is that foundation laid? Can ‘Belief’ be dismissed as being just another academic pursuit, with a network of psychological roots in societal and familial influences, or is ” Belief” something more PRIMAL than that, something akin to the mystery of ‘a beating heart,’ or breathing lungs; something related to the mystery of LIFE itself?
Since earliest times human beings have wrestled with ‘beliefs,’ and how to express them in cognitive terms. Many theories, seeking to explain the unsolved mysteries of the natural world were unsatisfying. There were always new demands for further investigation.
The inclusion of ‘Deity’ in ancient Greek culture, as well as in the records of the Hebrew Prophets, very early, become a key component in the demands concerning ‘Belief. ” Belief” in the Olympian gods and the God of the Hebrew Prophets becomes indispensable in engaging with the unsolved mysteries of life.
Perhaps, then, we may not be too far afield, if in our inquiry into the genesis of “Belief,” we begin right there with a consideration of the God, of Whom the Hebrew Prophets concluded: ” In The Beginning God.” We may well discover that ‘Belief’ is a natal gift that binds humankind to God, to prepare them to live as His Children here on earth.
Many parents are completely surprised when their child speaks about God and heaven; often happening at the time when the child is just starting to talk. Is it unreasonable to conclude that such ‘tiny expressions’ of belief are not at all ‘ chance expressions’ but, may well be the tiny seeds that are meant by God to germinate into an expressive and revealing “BELIEF?”
A careful reading of Psalm 132 of the Old Testament may prove helpful in our inquiry of ” Belief.”
I acknowledge that far greater minds than mine have undertaken to enlighten others, concerning the mystery of God, and our belief about our relationship with Him. I offer no profound scholarly evidence in this matter. I submit only that which I believe to be true, and which has helped me in my faith’s journey!
It is noteworthy that Psalm 132 begins with the biographer of David, presenting him as trailing clouds of glory, into the presence of God. The biographer quotes David, “I will allow no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.” We, therefore conclude that It is a previous encounter with God, that results in David’s cognitive response, in commitment and love towards God. It is equally God’s initiative that incites a similar reaction within the boundaries of distant communities. While in the fields of daily labor, there is felt a sense of urgency to respond to God’s Presence: “Let us worship at the Lord’s footstool.” (vs. 5-7)
It is thus made abundantly clear that the Holy One, Himself, is an integral part of this creation that uniquely bears His Image. And there is evidence that a spark of the Divine dwells in every human.
But there is yet more! Human beings never reach the state of being ‘ finished products. ‘ As long as we are inhabitants ” of this vale of soul-making” we remain incomplete. Of all things in the created order, it is humans, alone, who remain in God’s workshop until the end.
The spark of the Divine within one’s spirit will always be subject to the fierce winds of opposition in the world. The spark could be subject to extinction if it were not for this one fact about God, made clear to David: ” Within My Dwelling Place, I have set up a lamp for you.” As it was for David, so it remains the truth concerning each one of us. The spark of eternity God gives to each child as a ‘Coming To Earth” gift, is from the lamp that God has set for us within His Dwelling Place.
Every morning as we face a new day, the Divine Light Keeper replenishes the light within us, so that throughout our waking hours we may perform Heaven’s duty, to build the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. Every evening, as the darkness claims the day, God tends to our lamp once more, so that in confidence and in peace we may lie down and sleep.
One day God will finally claim the spark that has served Him here on earth and will use it to supplement the light of our lamp that is always burning in our Father’s dwelling place.
A PRAYER TO FOLLOW THIS MEDITATION
O Jesus, Light Of The World,
Come, with Your searching rays, into my life this day.
Prepare me, that I may continue to build on the Foundation You have laid, for the fortress of Peace, in this noisy and frightening world.
Quicken my hearing, that I may hear the veiled threats of shrewd leaders, whose words and deeds move this world further away from ever resembling Our Father’s Kingdom.
Open my eyes, that I may see the evidence, that inside the restless, wandering crowds the promise is surviving still; that one day there will be ONE People, Under One God, Inhabiting One world, where justice and love reigns.
Open my mouth, so that I may overcome my timidity to speak the truth. Enable me to use my voice to amplify, with urgency, Your expression of the need for more laborers to come and join with us in the gathering of Your harvest.
Open my heart, so that with an enlarged capacity for faith, I may assure the world that:
Where there is hatred, Love will yet reign; Where there are tears, Joy will follow in the morning; Where there are injustices now, the star of Hope will never set; Where there are people standing alone and afraid: We will walk together as brothers and sisters towards God’s glorious Light. And all for Your love’s sake, Amen.
HYMN: BE STILL MY SOUL
EDITORIAL NOTES
1. To gain a deeper understanding of the meditation that follows, you are encouraged to begin with a careful reading of the suggested Scripture text.
2. Fear Not, Little Flock Lyrics by J. G .Dailey
3. Photo: “The Lighthouse” taken in ‘Friday Bay’ during a recent day on the bay, with Jody and Joanne Woolfrey, in Newfoundland.
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