Ryan & Jordan

with Pioneer Bible Translators

Tag: Psalms

September 14, 2013

There & Back Again: not quite yet

by ryan

We’re interrupting our road trip recounting because our hearts are heavy.

Would you please pray for justice & peace in Syria?

Would you please pray for peace in Lebanon and in the nation-state of Israel?

This world is full of pain & sorrow, and yet in the midst of it all we can be surprised by Joy Himself.  Grace.  And in that moment God draws us closer to himself.  As the Syrian civil war has been raging, I have often been convicted about my priorities.  So often I am self-focused and running about because of things that don’t really matter much.

All of this reminds me of a conversation a group of us had this week with Brian Doerksen and Dorothy M. Peters.  Many of the Hebrew songs in the Bible come out of a state of anguish or lament (Psalms 3,5,6,7,10, 137 to list a few), yet we do not often sing these songs (ever listen to “Christian” radio?).   Often the Psalms are an intertwining of praise & faith in the midst of pain, or praise because God has delivered (Psalm 30 for example).  Let us learn from the psalmists, singing new songs to God in confident trust not hiding our tears or fears, knowing he is the Sovereign One.  Even in our pain & mourning.  His mercies are new each morning (Lamentations).  And his faithfulness?  Psalm 36.

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July 5, 2013

trials, faith & rest

by ryan

King David wrote a song that declares “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.”

His kingdom rules over all.  Over all.  And trials are a part of the “all”.  This week has been very challenging for Jordan and me.  We endured something quite evil.  But you see, God was not surprised.  He knows all things. God watched what happened to us, as King Solomon said: “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.”  And as he watched, his kingdom was still ruling over all.

Often hard things happen in our lives that don’t make sense to us.  And when they do, it is tempting to give up trusting God.  But we believe God is still on his throne, ruling the whole universe.  He always accomplishes his purposes, as the Prophet Isaiah has written:

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
    and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

God always accomplishes his purposes and they are good and just.

So at the end of a long week, Jordan and I are reclining & resting knowing that our God is faithful to us.  So we walk by faith, being faithful to him.

We know many of you are going through challenging times, and if you are not, you will.  And when you are, may you walk by faith,  finding peace & rest under the shadow of his wings.

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