The Heart's Cry: Psalm 81

Psalm 81

There are times when we think everything is going ok and then the voice of God finds a way to break through to us and we begin to realize that no matter how good things are, they were meant to be better.

This Psalm begins with a call for a shout of praise to God, a call for every instrument to be joined to a mighty chorus, there will be praises in Israel tonight! But then there is a voice, an unknown voice, the voice of God. Let that sink in for a moment, things are going so well that it is time to praise God and then the voice of God speaks and no one recognizes it, no one recognizes it. So often we find ourselves in this same place, ready to praise a God that we don't take the time to listen to with enough regularity that we might know the sound it. We praise God on the mountaintop, at the pinnacle, when everything seems to be going so well, that is when we want to thank God. But God wants us to listen on the mountaintop, in the valley, and in every step of the journey in between.

The call to praise goes out and then the voice of God is heard and the voice reminds the people of all the times God has taken care of the people and asks why they didn't listen to God more. God would have protected them, partly by God's hand and partly through God's commands, following God always leads us to the better life. Jesus echoes this when he tells us that he has come to give us life and life to the full, this is not a empty phrase, it is a phrase that promises if you follow Jesus your life will be lived to a greater extent than if you do not follow him. Jesus's teaching leads to a better place, Jesus's love leads to a better place, Jesus's grace leads to a better place. But we would rather do what we want, love how we want, show grace to whom we want. We do that and sometimes it still leads to good things and good places, but, as the psalmist reminds us, it will never reach the heights and depths as it would have if we would have just chosen to listen.

+ How has choosing your own path brought you both joy and sorrow?

+ How do you think God will protect you if you choose to follow God more closely?