Author: Dave Dishman (Page 251 of 474)

In my twenties I often signed a note to a friend (when I wrote one) with my name and underneath added a verse reference—Psalm 137:9. Rarely did anyone look up the verse references that appeared in various letters, so I got creative. I received few comments on this one, confirming my hunch.

So what does Psalm 137:9 actually say?

Blessed is he who seizes your little ones and dashes them against the rocks.

Wait—that’s in the Bible?

Psalm 137 is a song of lament. It starts, by the waters of Babylon, we sat and wept. The writer describes the agony of being conquered and enslaved. After living through the destruction of the city, the rape and murder of loved ones, the weary march into Babylon, their captors gleefully forced a chorus of happy songs.

The writer retaliated with his pen, wishing the same cruelty on his new masters.

Does God really condone smashing babies? No, but the Lord does allow us to express our pain in as honest a way as possible. There’s no need to tiptoe. Frustrations, doubts, anger, rage, the Lord handles them all—in fact, welcomes them.

The Lord, who’s honest with us through his word, welcomes our candor in return. Don’t hold back. Talk with him often. He can handle whatever you have in mind.

Psalm 137 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Álvaro Serrano

The handiest added feature of my mobile phone? Not the camera or the GPS, although both are great. It’s the flashlight. When I’m in a dark places that little light proves invaluable.

Peter points out this feature of the scriptures, especially those written by the prophets: We have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place.

When I go to God’s Word to light my path, I turn first to the Psalms, and next to the Gospels. I rarely get around to the Prophets.

But Peter underscores their power: No prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Wild-eyed mouthpieces spoke and recorded divine words burned into their souls. Listen to Jeremiah describe the feeling: But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.

That blaze within Jeremiah’s inner core now lights our outer paths. In the Old Testament prophets we uncover hot spots ready to flare into wildfires. John Brown the abolitionist and Martin Luther King Jr. drew sustenance and power from the prophets.

Today may these combustible words continue to shine in dark places, including the deep recesses of our own hearts, moving us beyond ourselves and into the world.

2 Peter 1 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by De an Sun

Sometimes during a stressful day I think back to the old ad – Calgon take me away!

The pitch plays on my desire to escape the frustrating circumstances of life, an impulse that emerges in all of us from time to time.

Jeremiah faced a crowd looking to escape. A band from Judah, looking to flee to Egypt for safety and peace, came to Jeremiah for advice. Jeremiah inquired of the Lord on their behalf and received this message in return—they shall have no remnant or survivor from the disaster that I will bring—Egypt was a trap.

They skipped down south anyway and suffered terrible consequences. Why did they even ask?

This story makes me wonder—what is my Egypt? Where do I look to escape when the challenges of life press in? What appears on the horizon of my mind, beckoning me in its direction? New stuff? New job? Binging on TV or food or drink? Mirages tantalize my tired hopes and pull me towards desert spaces.

One thing I’ve noticed is that my problems tend to follow me, because I’m the source of most of my problems. No matter where I’m at, it’s usually better to work things out with the Lord than run away.

But nothing wrong with a bubble bath along the way.

Jeremiah 42 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Cristian Palmer

It’s good at times to pause and think about the descriptions of the Lord we find in scripture. This one strikes me:

He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.

Take a long look at the image above from the Hubble space telescope. A sparkling star field found near the center of the Milky Way, this massive collection forms only a tiny part of our universe. Astronomers discover more and more stars as our telescopes peer deeper and deeper into space.

Not only does God calculate the number of the stars flung into space, he understands each intimately, knowing their make-up and composition. Every star bears a name known only to the Lord. God is so much more than my feeble mind comprehends.

Along with acts of creation, the psalmist reminds us that the Lord heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Do you ever wonder, as I sometimes do, if the Lord is really present and paying attention? And even if that’s the case does he really care? Does he truly heal and bind up?

One answer it to look at the stars. The Lord knows their names, and the Lord knows my name and your name. He sent his son not for the stars, but for you and I.

The stars may appear cold and distant, but they glide above to remind us of the presence and warmth of the Lord.

Psalm 147 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo from NASA