I Remember I Meditate I Muse


For several Wednesday evenings last fall, our Pastor, Dr. Howard Wilburn, directed our attention to Psalm 143. As the last of the penitential Psalms, it appears to have been written when David was in deep distress, fleeing for his life as Absalom had usurped the throne and sought the life of his father. Absalom apparently felt he had just cause for his actions having witnessed first hands the moral failures and overt favoritism of his father, and so in an act of treason he not only sought his father’s throne, but his life as well. Consequently, David was forced into hiding, and it is altogether possible that this Psalm was written from the depths of some cave. Despite the fact that he was being pursued, even sinned against, David openly acknowledged before God his own culpability in the entire situation. Then in verse 5, he changed his focus by uttering three simple sentences:” I remember; I meditate; I muse.” As David remembered, he likely turned his thoughts to what God had done in the past, e.g. the conquering of Goliath the nine-foot champion of the Philistines, or perhaps the times of deliverance from King Saul, such as the time he threw the javelin in an attempt to pin David to the wall, or even the early days of watching his father’s sheep when he killed a lion and bear with little effort through God’s power. As he remembered these incidents and more, he was then able to meditate on the greatness of his God, i.e. His attributes and Old Testament Names: Omnipotence, (Power over the animals), Jehovah-Nissi (The Lord our Banner) as he remember the Victory over Goliath and deliverance from the hand of the evil Saul. As David sat alone, he had these and more on which to mediate. Then he moved on to musing. Pastor noted that musing can take two forms: ruminating and applying the objects of his meditations or actually speaking forth those things which have sustained and encouraged him. I believe much of his musing is recorded for us in the book of Psalms.Now as these three statements are turned to application for my life, I consider “I remember, I meditate, and I muse.” I remember the desperation prayers delivered up on behalf of my mother when even the doctors despaired of her life. I remember the grace that sustained me when the Lord finally did call her home. I remember the nightmare of the dissertation and how the Lord ultimately brought it together. I remember the presence of God when it seemed as though I was all alone in various times throughout my life. Ashamedly I remember times of personal sin and failure. As I consider these and more, I meditate on His greatness, particularly on His attributes and names: Jehovah-Rapha (The Lord My Healer), who brought ultimate healing to my precious mother in Heaven, Jevovah-Roi (The Lord My Shepherd), my Shepherd who provided guidance through the nightmare of the dissertation, and Jehovah Tsdikenu, (The Lord My Righteousness), who gives me that righteous standing before God and Jehovah–Meqaddishkem , (The Lord My Sanctifier) who provides for me to live out that righteous standing before God. Ultimately, my meditations on Him enable me to face anything because He is Jehovah-Shalom (The Lord My Peace) and Jehovah-Shammah (The God Who is There). Wherever I am, God is already there and has been there. As I remember and meditate on these names, I muse. At this point, I must confess, my musing takes the form of writing, but then I suppose the platform really doesn’t matter as long as God receives the glory.

The Bricks and Mortar of Walled-Off Hearts

It began with a simple look of disdain,
Words I thought I heard,
And other life’s events . . .
Thus the building began with the bricks of bitterness
Bound together with the mortar of self-love
Until my heart was walled-off from all who might enter
Even the Healer of Wounded Hearts and the sun of His love.
As wall grew thicker, my pain deepened.
Until one day a Man with wounded hands
Commenced to dismantle the wall and at my bidding
Entered the garden of my heart
And the healing began.
The bricks crumbled as the mortar melted beneath His touch.
Thus, my walled-off heart was made new – and the flowers of thanksgiving and praise began to blossom
As the sun of His love shone through.