Lord, to You have I fled, teach me to do Your will, for You are my God.
Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies! I have fled to Thee for refuge! Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God! Let Thy good spirit lead me on a level path!
Psalm 143:9-10
One of the things I love most about summer camp is looking up at the stars at night. We don’t see stars as much in the cities in which we live, because of the bright lights, so it is a treat when away from home, to be able to look up and see the bright stars against the dark night sky without the influence of city lights. To look at the stars requires us to look up. We won’t see them looking down, or while looking at another person. In a sense, in order to see the stars, one has to stop looking at everything else and just look up.
In this Nativity season, as we hear the Nativity story once again, we are encouraged to put ourselves into the story. What would it have been like to be one of the shepherds and hear the first singing of the Doxology by the angels. What would it have been like to be one of the Magi, following the star for two years not knowing where it would lead. Imagine being one of the Magi, riding on a camel, and when the camel got tired, probably walking a bit. Imagine traveling over deserts and perhaps through some forests. Imagine the dangerous animals one would encounter, and the extreme heat of the desert or the cold of winter. No rest stops, or restaurants, or five-star hotels with pools and spas. No GPS to tell how long the journey would take. No idea if they were ten percent to the goal or ninety percent of the way there. In order to keep from getting stressed out, or despondent, or confused, the Magi had to keep their focus on the stars above.
In Matthew 2:10, we read that “when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” Again, let us put ourselves in the position of the Magi. In the midst of fear, confusion and perhaps even sadness, they found a source of joy, and it came not from looking around, but looking up. This is great advice for us today. When we look around, we might feel tempted to be negative. We might look around with jealousy that people have things we don’t. We might look around and be stressed at all the work we have to do. We might look around and be angry because we don’t like the politics or the economy or the weather of the day. However, if we look up to the majesty of the heavens, we will realize that there is a greater source of power in the world than us, a greater purpose, and a greater source of hope than anything we will see when we look around. When we look up to our Creator because we are praying, or worshipping, or even trusting and letting Him guide us, like the Magi let the star guide them, we will be able to find a source of joy even in a time of stress.
Today’s verses from Psalm 143 are great verses to read when we are unsure of what to do. People will consult polls and politicians, friends and family for direction. But the place to go for direction is directly to the Lord. It is to stop looking around and start looking up. Where do you feel in times of sadness or confusion? Is it to your phone, your pillow, a box of tissues, a bottle of alcohol, a carton of ice cream, or to the Lord? Psalm 143 reminds us that the place to go when we are confused is to the Lord. The story of the Magi reminds us that we are supposed to look up for inspiration and direction rather than only looking around.
A good question to meditate on today is “who are your stars?” Who do you look to for guidance? Who do you look up to? Who do you look to for inspiration? Hopefully Jesus Christ is at the top of that list.
We’ve already discussed the desire to learn and to apply what we’ve learned. Today’s line from the Doxology reinforces this by having us pray for the Lord to teach us to do His will, and implicitly, for our hearts to be open to learning, our minds to comprehend His will, and for the rest of our bodies to see, speak and serve in a way that honors His will. For to claim him as our God, as this line of the Doxology says, means that He is placed on top of everything. He is not a consultant that we call in when we feel we need it. He does not fit around our lives. He is at the center of them, and we revolve our lives around Him.
Finally, if He is our God and we trust in Him, then in our moments of stress, we never feel that we have nowhere to go and no one to whom we can go. He is our refuge, our rock, our hope.
Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my supplications! In Thy faithfulness answer me in Thy righteousness! Enter not into judgment with Thy servant; for no man living is righteous before Thee. For the enemy has pursued me; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead. Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled. I remember the days of old, I meditate on all that Thou hast done; I muse on what Thy hands have wrought. I stretch out my hands to Thee; my soul thirsts for Thee like a parched land. Make haste to answer me, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not Thy face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the Pit. Let me hear in the morning of thy steadfast love, for in Thee I put my trust. Teach me the way I should go, for to Thee I lift up my soul. Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies! I have fled to Thee for refuge! Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God! Let Thy good spirit lead me on a level path! For Thy name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life! In Thy righteousness bring me out of trouble! And in Thy steadfast love cut off my enemies, and destroy all my adversaries, for I am Thy servant. Psalm 143
Don’t be so busy looking around that you forget to look up. Because the real joy in life is found in looking up and finding God and letting Him be our guide!
