In Christian meditation, we are re-aligning ourselves vertically. We're remapping our horizontal realities with a vertical view/perspective. Enabling us to embody that vertical perspective replaces anxiety and tension with a calm confidence.
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Jesus viewed the Psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures (what we call the Old Testament) as ultimately written by God’s Spirit (see Mark 12:36). He quoted from the Psalm more than from any other Old Testament book. He obviously immersed himself in the Psalm because he quoted them verbatim from memory. So I want to have the same view of the Psalms that Jesus had, and use them in my own meditation as Jesus did so often.
Psalm 147:1 ESV
“Praise the LORD!”
Psalm 147:4–5 ESV
4 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
Jesus said…
Matthew 10:30–31 NIV
And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid.
Psalm 147:11 ESV
…The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.
Psalm 147:20 ESV
Praise the LORD!
“The LORD” in our English Bibles is indicating that in Hebrew God’s name, Yahweh, is used. Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God’s name in the Hebrew scriptures is used more than any other term for God. More than “God” is used.
In Exodus 34 we read when God proclaimed his name, Yahweh, to Moses when Moses asked God to show him his glory.
Exodus 34:5–8 ESV
5 The LORD [Yahweh] descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD [Yahweh] . 6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD [Yahweh, Yahweh], a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” 8 And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.
When we survey the various truths associated with God’s name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized.
- HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe.
- HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always.
- HE IS the Eternal God.
- HE IS ALWAYS 100% present with you in every present moment (without being any less present anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite).
These four realities of what God’s name means are easy to memorize, and so to remember them when you “Praise the LORD” will help you replace anxieties and self-protective guarding with a calm confidence and peace.
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This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.