Today’s Lectio Divina: Excerpts from Psalm 108. (MsgB)
A David prayer.
I’m ready, God, so ready, ready from head to toe.
Ready to sing, ready to raise a God-song:
“Wake, soul! Wake, lute! Wake up, you sleepyhead sun!”
I’m thanking You, God, out in the streets, singing Your praises in town and country.
The deeper Your love, the higher it goes; every cloud’s a flag to Your faithfulness.
Soar high in the skies, O God! Cover the whole earth with Your glory!
And for the sake of the one You love so much, reach down and help me—answer me!
Let’s hear that one again, David. I never get tired of that one.
Folks in the music business who have the great fortune of having a big hit or two also have the problem that goes along with having a hit. Regardless of wherever you go with your music, at every stop, folks want to hear the hit song. Quite honestly, they don’t want to hear any of your new material. They just want to hear the song that made you famous.
The problem is that for the artist, playing that same hit song over and over again for all of your audiences makes you kinda sick of the hit song you made famous. As a result, many times you’ll see an artist almost grimace when the fans clamor for their favorite tune. In truth it becomes a love-hate relationship between the famous artist and the song that made them famous.
Some artists end up running from the problem, leaving the music business to go flip hotcakes at the local House of Pancakes. Others learn to adjust to the problem and actually go out and make a second set of million dollars singing their hit songs into infinity and beyond. Case in point? How many Beach Boys “Remember” tours have there been since the 1960’s?
As you study the Psalms like I have thus far in this blog series, you begin to notice that King David had a similar thing happen to him. In today’s psalm (Psalm 108) we find the same “Wake Up” chorus David used so effectively back in Psalm 57. Take a look.
Psalm 57:
I’m ready, God, so ready, ready from head to toe,
Ready to sing, ready to raise a tune: “Wake up, soul!
Wake up, harp! wake up, lute! Wake up, you sleepyhead sun!”
Psalm 108:
I’m ready, God, so ready, ready from head to toe.
Ready to sing, ready to raise a God-song:
“Wake, soul! Wake, lute! Wake up, you sleepyhead sun!”
I’m guessin’ just about everywhere King David went, folks were yelling to him up on the stage:
“Hey Davey…do that wake up song again, will ya?”
“Yo, King David, my girl and I got married with that sleepyhead sun song of yours…do it for us, will ya?”
Now granted, I’m only surmising this scenario, but I’m guessing that old King David never really got tired of singing his “I’m ready” chorus. I’m thinking that he was one of those musicians who knew that folks really got blessed when he sang that chorus and since his job was not to be about himself, but about God, I’m believing every time someone yelled out in the crowd asking for his “I’m ready” song, he obliged quite willingly.
As I see it, I’m guessing now that David is up there with the angels, he’s even taught of few of them this little ditty! Can’t you just see us all in heaven someday? King David strolls in with his harp; ready to do a new song he’s just written. But sure enough, before David can get a couple of measures of his new tune out there, some old angel stands up and yells out, “Hey Dave. Nice Song, but we came here to hear your Wake Up song!”
Oy Veh!
Some things just never change in the music business!
My prayer: Father, help me to never get tired of singing your hit songs. Amazing Grace. How Great Thou Art. Holy, Holy, Holy. Regardless of the tune, help me to always have a heart that is open to You regardless of how many times I’ve heard the song. Keep me fresh and alert to each time I hear You singing. For Your name’s sake. Amen.
My questions to ponder: So where might I have gotten weary of the old favorites? Have I allowed cynicism to form a layer of crustiness on my heart? King David obviously never grew tired of singing some of his favorite choruses? How about me? Can I allow a new spirit of freshness to fall on familiar God-tunes so I can once again be brought back to life?
So what is God speaking to you today as you ponder the Psalms?
Over a 50-week period, you and I will take a deeper look at The Psalms: God’s Songbook of Prayers. In order to keep all the blog sessions organized, we suggest you bookmark our Contemplating the Psalms home pagefor ease of use. Keep in mind that one of the best ways to explore the on-going applications of this blog series is to walk alongside a biblically-based, Christ-centered spiritual director who is familiar with how to make material like this part of your overall spiritual formation in God. Many of our directors in our Contemplative Activist network are available to companion you in your journey with Jesus. Click here for more info.
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