Living in the Spirit
August 22, 2018
Scripture Reading: Psalm 84
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
Happy are those who live in your house,
ever singing your praise. –Psalm 84:3-4
The word translated “happy” here could also be translated as “blessed”. I think it fits the Merriam-Webster* definition of having the feeling arising from the consciousness of well-being. The song, It is Well with My Soul** captures the idea.
When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well, with my soul
It is well
With my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul
The challenge is to make this sense of well-being our steady state through good times and bad. When we rest in the love of God we are much better prepared to deal with the trials of our lives. Jesus dedicated time to be nurtured by God and his Disciples made a point of recording that fact in the stories they left for us in the scriptures. When the inevitability of evil seems to surround us, we need to remember to be still and know that God is God (Psalm 46:10) and nothing else really matters.
Prayer: Lord, be my river of peace when I grow weary of life’s challenges. Amen.
*http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/Happy
**Verses one and two of the hymn It is Well with my Soul by Audrey Assad see at https://www.google.com/search?q=it+is+well+with+my+soul+lyrics&oq=i+si+well+with+&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0l5.5456j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8