God Knows What He is Doing
Summer in the Psalms • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Of David. 1 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise. 2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness, for you have so exalted your solemn decree that it surpasses your fame. 3 When I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me. 4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, Lord, when they hear what you have decreed. 5 May they sing of the ways of the Lord, for the glory of the Lord is great. 6 Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; though lofty, he sees them from afar. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me. 8 The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands.
I’ve said it often as we go through the psalms together each summer: The Psalms are the prayerbook of the church.
I like what one of the early church fathers wrote, this from Athanasius, from the 3 and 4 century,
“The other Scriptures speak to us, but the Psalms speak for us.” Athanasius
They speak words of praise, of thanksgiving, of intercession, petition, adoration, but they also express despair, disappointment, anguish, and lament. In fact all of our human emotions find a place in the Bible’s prayerbook.
I say that because there may some of us here this morning who find a disconnect with this psalm. Admittedly Psalm 138 is exclusively positive about God and his intervention in the life of the psalmist. “I praise you, I bow down, you answered me, you emboldened me, you are exalted, you preserve me, you save me, you will vindicate me....” Almost everything about this prayer is hopeful, thankful, sunny, and secure.
But we must not forget that about 1/3 of the psalms come from a different place, sadness, despair, sorrow, and lament.
Having said that though, that does not mean that Psalm 138 is a prayer that only applies when life is sunny, or when everything is turning out positive.
Take v. 3 for instance:
3 When I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me.
You see, even in our distress, or even in our pain, when we call on God, he answers us, even in our despair and our worry, he emboldens us.
or v. 7
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me.
Even in the midst of trouble, we may know with certainty that the Lord preserves my life.
So I want to try something a bit different this morning. I want to reflect on this Psalm with you alongside a pastoral experience that I had in my previous congregation. And this experience ended up being very public. Everything I’m sharing with you was shared very publicly on a blog that was written by this couple in my congregation who in December 2006 received the very difficult news of breast cancer.
The couples name is Mendelt and Marisa Hoekstra-Vanderveen. Marisa was diagnosed in December 2006, she died in December 2007. They were both in their early 30’s. When she was diagnosed they had three young children: age 4, 2, and 8 months.
What I’d like to do is lay this psalm alongside the pastoral experience that I had while I journeyed with Mendelt and Marisa, and also with my whole congregation, as I said this experience was quite public and almost all the families in my congregation were reading this blog.
So you ask, why this couple, and why this experience? Good question.
My experience of journeying with them during that year and beyond was a very memorable and formative time.
As I was reading Psalm 138 I thought of this experience again and again. And you’ll see why when I share some of that story alongside the verses of Psalm 138.
Although Psalm 138 is quite “sunny”, I think it is a psalm in our prayerbook that can regularly be prayed even during times of difficulty and trial.....in fact let me say this: I don’t remember this psalm being a significant text during my journey with Mendelt and Marisa....I’m not sure we ever read it together....we read lots of lament psalms together..... but I saw much of their experience expressing the truth and power of this psalm..... I want to lay their story alongside Psalm 138 because I saw much of their experience expressing the truth and power of this psalm.
So, in order to lay Psalm 138 alongside my experience of journeying with M&M, I am going to read parts of the Psalm, offer commentary, and also read excerpts from their blog..... the title of it by the way was simply one word, “LIFE.”
Here we go....
1 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
Praise = “give thanks” “confess”, “declare”.....
[both are musicians....elaborate.... the blog became a kind of song.... Mendelt is a great musician but also a fine writer....his entries often had a poetic quality to them....
This psalm invites us to be both genuine and public....to be sincere and open with our faith confession. “All my heart”.....”before the gods”....expand....
More than that, the psalm invites us to anchor our experience in the gathered community of the Lord.....’before your temple’.....I honor you for your love and faithfulness....covenant words.... Covenant God and covenant community......
What I deeply appreciated about my expereince with M&M was how they explicitly leaned on God and on his people....
And as they did that....God answered prayer and they were emboldened.
3 When I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me.
On January 4, 2007 I visited them along with Kim. They had heard by this time that the cancer had already spread from her breast to her liver…which is not good. And they were about to embark on 6 - 8 months of chemo. I felt compelled to read the story of Jesus walking on the water and the disciples in the boat thought he was a ghost and were very afraid.....Jesus says, “Take courage, it is I, don’t be afraid.”
Later that day they wrote on their blog...
January 4, 2007 in Uncategorized | 10 comments
Some of you may remember the time when Jesus walked on the water and the disciples in the boat freaked out because they thought they saw a ghost? Then Jesus said “Take courage”. Well that is what Marisa and I are going to do for the next 6 months. Marisa starts chemotherapy this coming Tuesday for 6 months. The docs want to see the cancerous parts shrink and then remove them through surgery. After Kim and Andrew prayed with us today we said to each other no less than 50 times today, ‘take courage’.
Thank you to all who left comments, this lifts Marisa up.
I like the word that the psalmist uses.... you greatly emboldened me.... often we read and saw how the Lord emboldened Mendelt and Marisa and increasingly this blog was a kind of river of healing and encouragement, and a kind of minstry of mercy....
When I call you answer me.......
The prayers of God’s people became an incredible source of strength.... in many ways they were a kind of lifeline.
January 9, 2007 in Uncategorized | 28 comments
Today is the day that Marisa starts chemotherapy through an IV at the Cancer Clinic. I told Marisa this morning that God is hearing her name hundreds of times this morning. Please help me make that statement true. Thanks again to all who wrote us, we source much strength from it.
Trying to take courage,
A bit later in the psalm he talks about walking in the midst of trouble..... Yes, he confesses the nearness of the Lord, yes he sings about the glory of the Lord being great!....but he still finds himself walking in the midst of trouble.....
How often isn’t that an experience that we go through… knowing the nearness of the Lord and also finding ourselves in the midst of trouble.
Oftentimes, things that Mendelt would write made all of us pause.
January 9, 2007 in Uncategorized | 25 comments
We walked into the Cancer Clinic this morning and I thought to myself ‘how did we end up here? From a pretty good life, great kids, loving relationship, fulfilling jobs, very few bumps until today, walking into a clinic of cancer’. whew. hopefully one day we’ll know why.
For those that have been through chemotherapy or seen a loved one go through it you’ll know what I am referring to. There are so many sick people. Each person is there not because they want to, but because they are sick. It’s a bit overwhelming. I walked through the chemo rooms (its actually one huge room with many stations) and prayed that each person in that room would heal. The lady in her mid 40’s, the man in his 70’s, the kid in his teens or early 20’s and Marisa; the 32 year old sweetheart with three kids and a husband who usually can’t find his own socks let alone remember that Zion needs a snack in his backpack when he goes to school. (watch out, soon I’ll be so domesticated that I’ll have my own show)
After spending over 5 hours in the clinic, Marisa left feeling okay. Tired for sure but her stomach was feeling strong. And her spirit was hardly bent. We surely felt the peace that you all prayed for yesterday and this morning. Thank you. And please keep it up. With chemo, the longer you are on it, apparently the ‘worse’ it gets.
Thanks again, and for all those people that have posted comments on this blog, we can’t tell you how much strength we get from it. We don’t respond to the comments but they surely help.
The Lord looks kindly on the lowly.... though he is high and lifted up....he sees them....
February 18, 2007 in Uncategorized | 20 comments
Today our message was titled ‘Amazing Grace’. Pastor Andrew mentioned that this very blog has been a source of grace for some. None more than us.
Near the end of the service, the musician that was playing, seemed to be unfamiliar with the last song “Our Friends, May you Grow in Grace”. Because Marisa and I were sitting beside the piano, I offered to play it for him. He willingly accepted.
Then instead of myself, Marisa played it. Her hands. Her fingers. Her amazing, graceful fingers. The fingers that 10 days ago couldn’t lift up her own fork to eat. The fingers that 10 years ago caught my ear, eyes and then my love. (For all the musicians: she even nailed the double third riff that is in that song, a tough feat during normal circumstances)
This was a moment of strong encouragment and hopefulness for our congregation. Seeing Marisa play and singing our hearts out that we would grow in grace....
One of the ways that we as a congregation experienced the grace of God was in how he grew in us a burden for prayer. .....
February 7, 2007 in Uncategorized | 20 comments
(this is what I took from Pastor Andrew’s message on Sunday. Paraphrased by me)
Most of us know the story. Jesus is about to meet His betrayer, be arrested, disowned, mocked and crucified. He knew what was going to happen.
Before all that happens, as recorded in each of gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) Jesus goes to pray. He knows what is going to happen, he is Jesus. But he still goes and pray.
If anyone needs a reminder that prayer is worth the time, effort and learning, this is the perfect example. Jesus, who knows what is going to happen, who knows that He is going to be crucified still stops to pray. God decides that Jesus should stop to pray. God chooses to have Jesus pray.
God chose for Marisa to get cancer. God now chooses for us to pray.
God sovereignly determines that He chooses to need our prayer.
take courage,
Mendelt
“You will preserve my life....you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes....with you right hand you save me.”
April 8, 2007 in Uncategorized | 74 comments
Dear cancer:
You probably thought of the nights and how they would trouble us. Because that makes sense.
You probably thought of the sadness we have wondering if we are going to be able to teach our 10 month old how to hit a three pointer. Because that makes sense.
You probably thought of the physical suffering we are going through. Because that makes sense.
You probably thought of our psychological and cognitive suffering. Because that makes sense.
You probably thought about our parents and how the idea of their child leaving before them must shake them to their core. Because that makes sense.
You probably thought about our four year old who asks “when is cancer finished?” Because that makes sense.
However………
You couldn’t have thought of a guy named Jesus who went through all of this and more and who goes through all of this and more with us. You couldn’t have thought of that. Because that doesn’t make sense.
You ain’t going to win, cancer. You ain’t going to win. Easter made sure of that.
MdH
Share how things progressed.....saw improvement, but then by about August or September we heard news that one of the tumors in her liver was no longer shrinking but growing, and other spots were appearing in her lungs....
Experimental drugs were started....
Prayers continued earnestly....
Describe funeral service...... “Are you at this time going to restore the Kingdom to Israel? Yes, but not in the way you are expecting.”
The disciples thought that Jesus would stretch out his hands against their enemies with a sword… he did it on a cross....
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me.
Elaborate on this.....
January 7, 2008 in 1 | 21 comments
Many people have marvelled at the way Marisa and I have made our lives so open in this blog. Many people have said that they would not have been able to invite ‘the world’ into their lives the way we did.
This is what I have experienced through suffering.
Suffering burns up bullshit. It takes pride and cripples it. It swallows people who are self centered. It invites you to find your maker and make decisions. Suffering forces perspective. It shows you what things are worth. It thrusts responsibility upon you. Suffering causes nakedness.
But that is only if you listen to suffering.
I still have much to hear from suffering because I believe that my suffering is not going away. I believe that my suffering is just going to have to live inside me, speak to me and become a part of me.
And if I listen the correct way, I believe that I will honour two people, my Maker and my Marisa.
I wish you good ears.
MdH
December 17, 2007 in 1 | 26 comments
Today I received a letter in the mail. It was from a lovely woman named Carolyn. I don’t know her very well, but well enough for her to send me a letter. I’d like to quote from the letter.
The letter said,
“Mendelt, I do not know what you are going through. However, your experience makes me so much more aware of what I have…I hug my kids a little longer before they go to bed, or on the bus, I do not take for granted having a loving husband to help me raise our two boys, and am so much more aware of the little things in life that I usually take for granted.
I pray those never fade or become dull or routine.”
4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, Lord, when they hear what you have decreed. 5 May they sing of the ways of the Lord, for the glory of the Lord is great.
I don’t know about all the Kings of the earth being impacted by this experience in the Niagara region, but I will say that many of us experienced the glory and power of the Lord at work among us. And we knew deep within our spirits that the LOVE of the Lord endures forever and he will NOT abandon the work of his hands.
God knows what he is doing.