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Practice

 

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. (Jeremiah 29:11)

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High…

The Lord reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment.  He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity. The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. Sing the praises of the Lord, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done. For he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted. (Psalm 9:1-2, 7-12)

 

This morning Biblegateway.com gave me the passage from Jeremiah, and my own plans were for Psalm 9. I’ve addressed the former comparatively recently, so I’m creating a pastiche or collage using the two passages. They  make a nice “cause/effect” pairing.

Our response to God’s knowing the plans He has for us, plans to prosper and not to harm, to give a future and a hope shouldn’t be a dry recitation of fact. Yes, they are facts, but there is in them a demand for response. It’s not that God is saying “Thou shalt respond,” but that if these things are facts, they demand a response. It’s like a stop sign requiring a response from you. You must either obey it and stop, or disobey it and risk getting a ticket or getting in an accident.

If God knows the plans He has for us and they are plans to prosper us and not harm us, plans to give us a future and a hope, we can reject Him and them. We can also doubt Him and them, which is being doubleminded. It’s like slamming on the brakes and the gas at the same time. It’s just not effective. We can accept and submit to those plans like the child who is afraid that if she doesn’t go along with what the adult wants, she’ll be beaten or sent to her room without supper. Or, she can jump up and down and say, “Let’s go Papa!”

As I took my walk this morning, I pondered these options. I like to think that I don’t reject Him or His plans, but I suspect I spend a lot of time in the doubting and frightened child categories. I’ve written about this before, and maybe if I write about it enough, I’ll move in the direction I want to, which Is the excited child direction.

But I have to admit, I don’t know how to be an excited child. There are a couple things that are happening that probably deserve at least a “Woo-hoo!” And that’s the reason I’m also sharing the Psalm 9 verses. I may not need to be avenged, but I need Him, and this is what I am going to say about Him. It may be an imperfect proclamation, but practice makes perfect.

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