NO STRINGS ATTACHED (Psalm 61:6-8)

6 Increase the days of the king's life, his years for many generations. 7 May he be enthroned in God's presence forever; appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him. 8 Then will I ever sing praise to your name and fulfill my vows day after day. (NIV)

“If you love me” is a phrase my wife and I mutually agreed to ban from our relationship early in our marriage. It smacks of manipulation and conditional love because something is always going to follow “If you love me…” You wouldn’t leave your dirty underwear on the bathroom floor. You wouldn’t use my razor to shave your legs. You’d do the dishes without being asked. You’d understand why I have to work late. The list goes on. The love we receive from God is unconditional, given freely and graciously, with no strings attached. His love is more than a gift; it’s a model for how we are to love others. So no “If you love me’s” allowed around our house. However, verses six through eight in today’s psalm almost sounds like one of these statements. The psalmist petitions God to give the king and his descendants’ long and prosperous life and then seems to promise that if God follows through, he’ll reciprocate with worship and the completion of his half of the bargain. While it my sound like an “If you love me” moment, there’s a fine line between manipulation and motivation. Instead of trying to manipulate God into answering his prayer, the psalmist is actually motivated by what he is already confident God will do according to his request in verses six and seven. He is so sure that God is listening, responsive and willing to give us what we ask for that he wants God to know how he will respond – with praise and by being as faithful to God as he is sure God is faithful to him. Our confidence in God adopts a new catch phrase into the household vocabulary: “Because I love you” replaces “If you love me”.

YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU (Psalm 61:5)

5 For you have heard my vows, O God; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. (NIV)

One of my favorite bumper stickers is usually seen adorning the rear of a sports car or an R.V. and reads, “We’re spending our kid’s inheritance.” I guess I’ve always liked it for two reasons (besides the fact that it’s funny): First, it applauds enjoying life now. In my opinion, too many people are waiting for that elusive day when they’ve dotted the last of their “i’s” and crossed their final “t” to start living life. I’m very much a carpe diem type of guy. Second, its message flies in the face of the idea that we ought to leave our wealth, if we have any, to our children so they won’t have to work as hard as we did. Sure, we all want our kids to have a good life, but a financial inheritance doesn’t guarantee that. Besides, in today’s passage the psalmist is not speaking of wealth regarding the bequest he’s received from God. Heritage includes both inheriting the land promised to God’s chosen people and the enjoyment of the benefits from living the covenant life. When you consider the blessings of being a child of God, a follower of Christ, you can’t put a price tag on forgiveness, joy, God’s kingdom, eternal life and living a life full of grace. They are treasures beyond value. Which would you rather bequeath to your children, friends and neighbors – money which will flow like water through a sieve or faith that will have an eternal impact on countless lives? Spend your inheritance, but leave behind a legacy.

ROAD TRIP (Psalm 61:4)

4 I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. (NIV)

Nothing is as long as the drive of a family vacation or a cross-country road trip. No sooner than you’ve started down the road than someone is hungry, thirsty or has to go to the bathroom. The miles drag by until “I spy”, license plate tag and twenty questions have lost all their limited appeal. As much as dads want to set a new land speed record between home and the “happiest place on earth” they still come in a sad second to the excited and impatient kids cooped up in the back. They’ve anticipated, dreamed about and yearned for this adventure for weeks or months and even if you had access to the starship Enterprise’s transporter it still wouldn’t be quick enough for them. We’ve all heard, and dreaded those four little words on trips before and cringe in painful anticipation of the mantra we know is pre-programmed into their little heads. Finally, in a moment of quiet, pregnant with boredom, they whine “are we there, yet?” One inquiry is not enough so it is reiterated with regular frequency, a metronome ticking off the miles, testing patience and shortening fuses. You can sense this same urgency and yearning from the psalmist’s words in today’s verse. He is fed up with the now, with the waiting, with being told “someday”. He wants to be there already, in the presence of and living with God. Not just to escape the trials, difficulties, sadness and hardships that assail him, but to be in that happiest of places, to be with God. It’s not enough to only be in the same place with him, though. The psalmist longs to be permanent roommates, to know the comfort and intimacy of having God’s wings hug him. When you think about it that way, doesn’t your heart cry out “are we there, yet?”

HIGH ENOUGH (Psalm 61:2, 3)

2 From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3 For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. (NIV)

In 2005 the world watched in horror as Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, Louisiana. Eighty percent of the city was flooded with some parts under 15 feet of water. Words failed me as I watched hurricane winds and rising flood waters hungrily consume New Orleans and her surrounding neighbors. My chest tightened and tears threatened to stream down my face as I watched hundreds, thousands, of people flee their ruined homes. I gazed numbly at my wife and children as news anchors shared story after story of those that didn’t survive and loved ones forever separated. In an effort to avoid the deluge victims looked to higher places for refuge – trees, cars and rooftops – only to find them, too, disappearing under the ever-rising waters. The lucky ones were shuttled off by boat or snatched into the sky by rescue helicopters even as murky water lapped at their feet. We’re reminded by today’s verses that God is our harbor; he is our sanctuary. When life’s waters rise, when all we once thought was so important is washed away, God will always be there, taller and more dependable than any storm raging around us. While we may be tempted to rely on our own strengths, our own abilities and our own wisdom we can be thankful for the hurricanes of trouble that, if nothing else, serve to remind us that there is one who is higher than us.