Episode 42: Psalm 33:12-22

Translation: Common English Bible (CEB)

3 Questions:

What word, phrase or image strikes you in this text?

Toward what is God calling you in this text?

What does your rejoicing heart say?

Additional texts:

Genesis 15:1-6

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Luke 12:32-40

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23

Transcript

00:00.25
Nathan Pile
Yes. Mm-hmm.

00:01.70
Kevin Shock
Friends, it's time to say yes to tending, yess, to tending your faith, our faith together.

00:04.56
Nathan Pile
yeah

00:10.39
Kevin Shock
ah Nathan and I are happy to be with you as we always are happy to be with each other as we discuss some scripture this week. So ah what we are looking at this week is Psalm 33 verses 12 through 22.

00:27.59
Kevin Shock
verse twelve through twenty two And the translation we are looking at is the Common English Bible, um which I think we know is the best translation that exists out there right now.

00:40.50
Kevin Shock
No, maybe not. don't know why I have such strong feelings about it.

00:44.35
Nathan Pile
Did you like buy stock in it over the weekend here?

00:45.32
Kevin Shock
I just really like it.

00:47.41
Nathan Pile
or what that you...

00:47.58
Kevin Shock
No, I didn't. know No, no, know what I did in reference to our last episode. I went and built a bigger barn so that could buy more copies of it and just all.

00:57.92
Nathan Pile
You'd have even more copies of the CEB.

00:58.91
Kevin Shock
yeah Even more copies of the CEB, right?

01:01.40
Nathan Pile
All right. All right. We got...

01:02.92
Kevin Shock
No, no, I don't know. I ah But this psalm, like many other readings, I just, there's something about the language of this translation drew me in.

01:13.23
Kevin Shock
So here we are.

01:14.45
Nathan Pile
Well, dude, when I saw you pick the psalm, I'm like, oh, what did what did Kevin like in this one? So I'm looking forward to our ah reading through it here.

01:22.74
Kevin Shock
Yeah, I thought that we hadn't done a psalm for a while, but then I was looking back at our list and I think about three or four weeks ago we did a psalm too.

01:26.60
Nathan Pile
Yeah. Yeah. couple weeks ago, you did one.

01:28.98
Kevin Shock
But anyway, yeah.

01:29.80
Nathan Pile
Yeah. Yeah.

01:30.84
Kevin Shock
um

01:30.93
Nathan Pile
So.

01:32.52
Kevin Shock
Yeah, so I thought it was time for a psalm. I did look in our special altar edition um to see what that translation would look like and it made it ah worlds more confusing.

01:39.51
Nathan Pile
Hmm. Hmm.

01:45.58
Kevin Shock
So and but I decided to go with the the stuff that

01:47.66
Nathan Pile
hey thanks Thanks for keeping it understandable for me today.

01:53.08
Kevin Shock
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right. Okay. So our three questions as we look at Psalm 33. What word, phrase, or image strikes you in this text? Toward what is God calling you in this text? And what does your rejoicing heart say?

02:06.75
Nathan Pile
o Some information about your hosts. We are men married to women in financially stable households, ah white firmly in our middle ages, ah college and seminary educated. We work in the Lutheran Church and were born and raised in Western Pennsylvania.

02:22.66
Nathan Pile
All of this affects how we read scripture and discuss it. But none of this makes us better able to read and discuss scripture than anyone else. We believe that the wisdom of Scripture is the whole community's compiled interpretation for life with God and one another.

02:36.89
Nathan Pile
So we want to know what you hear and think from your life experience.

02:44.24
Nathan Pile
Psalm 33. The nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom God has chosen as his possession, is truly happy.

02:56.87
Nathan Pile
The Lord looks down from heaven. He sees every human being. From his dwelling place, God observes all who live on earth. God is the one who made all their hearts, the one who knows everything they do.

03:11.38
Nathan Pile
Kings aren't saved by the strength of their arm- armies. Warriors aren't rescued by how much power they have. A war horse is a bad bet for victory. It can't save despite its great strength.

03:26.26
Nathan Pile
But look here, the Lord's eyes watch all who honor him. All who wait for his faithful love to deliver their lives from death and keep them alive during a famine.

03:39.54
Nathan Pile
We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. Our heart rejoices in God because we trust his holy name. Lord, let your faithful love surround us because we wait for you.

03:57.59
Nathan Pile
If you're meeting with a group, you can pause the podcast now and engage the questions on your own. Or you can listen here as Kevin shares what word, phrase, or image strikes him in this text.

04:10.11
Kevin Shock
It is ah the, those sentences about um essentially military might. ah Kings aren't saved by the strength of their armies.

04:22.29
Nathan Pile
Mmm.

04:22.94
Kevin Shock
Warriors aren't rescued by how much power they have.

04:23.09
Nathan Pile
Mmm.

04:26.32
Kevin Shock
A war horse is a bad bet for victory. It can't save despite its great strength. ah The thing that just swirls in my head as I hear that is that is, and we talked about this in the last episode too, the distinction between what God values and what human beings value.

04:46.44
Nathan Pile
Hmm.

04:47.29
Kevin Shock
Um, and it we even, oh gosh, even in our, uh, even in our praise, we, we really lend toward confusion about it. Um, because I think of, you know, like in our tradition, we sing,

05:05.39
Kevin Shock
some liturgical songs, especially as a part of the communion liturgy, or not just around communion, but for the whole liturgy, like the there's a song, a lot of Lutherans will know the song, this is the feast.

05:20.20
Kevin Shock
and And that comes, a lot of that text comes right from Revelation, but part of it is ah power, glory, strength, and might be to our God forever and ever, amen.

05:31.36
Kevin Shock
And um like, yeah, that's great, but this is, But also God operates on a completely different plane from what we understand power, riches, wisdom, and strength to be.

05:42.66
Nathan Pile
Yeah. Yeah.

05:43.65
Kevin Shock
um Yeah, that's what it is. Power, riches, wisdom, and strength. um Although glory is in there somewhere too. ah but And might is in there somewhere else too.

05:53.36
Nathan Pile
Yeah. A couple of times.

05:54.16
Kevin Shock
um Yeah.

05:54.43
Nathan Pile
couple of times.

05:55.77
Kevin Shock
But um yeah, so that... he I think that there would be kings who would argue, oh, we are absolutely saved by the strength of our armies.

06:07.64
Kevin Shock
And warriors who are who absolutely think they're rescued by how much power they have. um And nowadays, war horse might be a bad bet for victory, but um some intercontinental ballistic missiles and ah and and and drones are not necessarily a bad bet for victory.

06:28.98
Kevin Shock
um But it's not that it's not the kind of victory that God is interested in us having. It's not the kind of strength, the kind of power that God is interested in us having. it's It's things that are, these are things that are,

06:45.14
Kevin Shock
well, yeah, these are things, but also the the big thing, salvation, is something that's reserved for God alone.

06:57.29
Kevin Shock
deliverance, salvation, freedom, all of those things are just come from God.

07:01.63
Nathan Pile
Yeah.

07:01.87
Kevin Shock
We don't have any control over those things. We, we would, we might say that we do, we might, um, convince our, that's the word I was looking for.

07:08.61
Nathan Pile
Convince ourselves that we do.

07:11.08
Kevin Shock
Yeah. Convince ourselves that we do, but, but we do not. Yeah.

07:17.14
Kevin Shock
What about you, Nathan? What uh word phrase or image strikes you in this text?

07:20.98
Nathan Pile
Well, I was taken back um by that first verse um because last week we did talk about possessions a lot. Here, God is choosing possessions.

07:36.78
Nathan Pile
choosing people to be possessions.

07:38.54
Kevin Shock
I know. I know that. Yeah. Yeah.

07:41.25
Nathan Pile
And so that was interesting. Like, again, it was the first thing that I read, but, ah but again, with this translation, i was, it that became curious to me when God makes a choice for possessions, there's happiness.

07:57.64
Nathan Pile
Um, And what we talked a lot about last week was that our possessions sometimes um might take us away from um true happiness, at least.

08:08.80
Nathan Pile
um But here, towards the end of our time, we we had talked about that that the investment in people or the making deposits in in our relationships and our connections, um that that has that that's important. And so that would make sense here, that God chooses...

08:29.75
Nathan Pile
um people as possessions. God chooses us as the thing um that God wants more of, as opposed to what we choose um to have more of, which is more things usually, or nicer things, or bigger things, more barns, bigger barns.

08:34.06
Kevin Shock
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

08:56.27
Nathan Pile
um

08:57.16
Nathan Pile
So that I was just struck by that, that that here, a week removed from la- you know from what we heard last week, we have this image of

09:08.83
Nathan Pile
of God choosing people as God's possessions. And that it that it brings about true happiness.

09:17.16
Kevin Shock
Mhm

09:18.81
Nathan Pile
It brings brings about happiness. So, yeah, that's the that was the thing that kind of stuck out to me.

09:26.98
Kevin Shock
Yeah, well, and remembering what you were talking about last week too, where um but you know we talk about putting putting more, investing more in people than in possessions.

09:37.21
Nathan Pile
yeah

09:37.47
Kevin Shock
ah This is just another example of God completely taking language and concepts that are familiar to human beings and subverting them um that the that the the the possessions god's possessions are the people and that and that's what god invests in yeah yeah um and with so many other things yeah sure

09:50.99
Nathan Pile
Yeah. Yeah. True.

09:57.71
Nathan Pile
Yeah.

10:00.34
Nathan Pile
Yeah, yeah.

10:06.52
Kevin Shock
Yeah, I, it's weird to me. Well, I mean, it's completely, yeah, it's completely. and When you and I are sitting down and talking about scripture, Nathan, I find it weird. but But on any other like time of day, I understand it completely how human beings take human concepts and ascribe them to God because it's what we understand.

10:27.62
Nathan Pile
Yeah. Sure. Sure.

10:30.60
Kevin Shock
And, you know, I, I know I've shared on this podcast before and I, and I continue to think about it because I see it like a couple of times a week, uh, right off of the, and just north of the bald Eagle exit on, on interstate 99, uh, in Northern Blair County.

10:30.83
Nathan Pile
Right.

10:46.62
Kevin Shock
Uh, if you, if you get off there and drive north on old 22, 220, ah There's a house off to the left-hand side that has ah that has a banner there on the front porch that's been flying there for years that has this this verse, Psalm 33, verse 12 on it.

11:03.66
Kevin Shock
Happy is the nation ah who happy the nation who's, yet the yeah, blessed is, or the nation, as the CEB says it, the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom God has chosen as his possession is truly happy.

11:18.51
Kevin Shock
um But I think on the banner it says, you know, blessed is the nation who has the Lord as their God or something like that.

11:25.76
Nathan Pile
Something like that. Sure. Sure.

11:27.33
Kevin Shock
um And the background on that is an American flag. And when I think about that, especially as you and I are reading it here now, it's like, boy, that's completely missing the point.

11:41.46
Kevin Shock
It might have a cross on it too, but it but if it is, what you really notice is the American flag.

11:44.21
Nathan Pile
Right. Right.

11:47.31
Nathan Pile
Right.

11:47.42
Kevin Shock
it's not No, it's not happy as the nation who really like lifts up their flag and sees that as the most important thing. It's happy as the nation who loses their national identity apart from being God's possession.

12:03.89
Nathan Pile
Yeah.

12:04.40
Kevin Shock
I mean, that's what, that's what this is saying here.

12:04.52
Nathan Pile
Yeah.

12:07.35
Kevin Shock
This is not the nation who chooses military might, who chooses ah gross domestic product, who chooses all of these other things that we rate the importance of nations on.

12:19.05
Kevin Shock
Happy is the nation who, who has, who's, who's God has chosen.

12:22.64
Nathan Pile
Lost itself and has become gods.

12:25.43
Kevin Shock
Yeah.

12:26.01
Nathan Pile
Right.

12:26.38
Kevin Shock
Yeah. Yeah.

12:28.12
Nathan Pile
Yeah. Yeah.

12:29.43
Kevin Shock
yeah

12:31.49
Nathan Pile
and And it's, again, as you say it, it's just so countercultural to the world that we live in.

12:38.94
Kevin Shock
Oh my goodness. Yes. Yes. Right. Right.

12:42.44
Nathan Pile
We can't, we can't say, you know, I don't think we say it every week, but we say it a lot. God's kingdom is, is very different than our, our kingdoms, the way we, we think about and set up world.

12:55.10
Kevin Shock
who

12:58.02
Kevin Shock
Yeah.

12:59.89
Nathan Pile
Okay. So.

13:01.52
Kevin Shock
Yeah. and And when you think about like the things that are

13:06.94
Kevin Shock
I, I, yeah, I mean, I, the, the verse that just popped into my head too, is when Jesus is talking about, um, you know, when someone asks, uh, who,

13:20.23
Kevin Shock
whether it's lawful for the, the faithful to pay taxes and Jesus, you know, takes the coin with Caesar's head on it and, you know, give, give to Caesar what a Caesar gives to God's.

13:26.97
Nathan Pile
Right.

13:32.02
Kevin Shock
What is God's, a gift to God?

13:33.47
Nathan Pile
but

13:33.83
Kevin Shock
What is God's? And, um, And I mean, that that to me there is clear is that, you know, you can you can be a ah good and faithful citizen, um

13:45.32
Kevin Shock
not a prideful citizen, but a faithful one ah while being faithful to God. Because ah God, God gives you the call of an obligation and responsibility to your fellow citizens.

13:59.69
Nathan Pile
Yeah

14:00.57
Kevin Shock
but But this is not, we're not talking about lifting up. your own nation over another nation or, or, um, we're not talking about choosing, ah who you can care for and who you can choose not to care for based on, you know, their situation or national origin or whatever it is.

14:20.83
Kevin Shock
You're going to be, you're going to be a good citizen if you're a good follower of God. Um, but, But striving first to be a good citizen does not automatically make you a good follower of God.

14:35.05
Kevin Shock
It in fact puts barriers in your place to being a good follower of God, a faithful follower.

14:42.24
Kevin Shock
Yeah.

14:46.00
Kevin Shock
Well.

14:46.41
Nathan Pile
All right, let's do it a second time.

14:47.99
Kevin Shock
Okay. ah From Psalm 33, beginning at verse 12. The nation whose God is the Lord...

14:58.87
Kevin Shock
The people whom God has chosen as his possession is truly happy. The Lord looks down from heaven. He sees every human being. From his dwelling place, God observes all who live on earth.

15:10.52
Kevin Shock
God is the one who made all their hearts, the one who knows everything they do. Kings aren't saved by the strength of their armies. Warriors aren't rescued by how much power they have. A war horse is a bad bet for victory.

15:22.99
Kevin Shock
It can't save despite its great strength. But look here. The Lord's eyes watch all who honor him, all who wait for his faithful love, to deliver their lives from death and keep them alive during a famine.

15:35.62
Kevin Shock
We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. Our heart rejoices in God because we trust his holy name. Lord let your faithful love surround us because we wait for you. Nathan toward what is god calling you in this text

15:59.87
Nathan Pile
There's a... um I'm trying not to use the words that are in the actual verses um here, but ah my focus... calls it it God calls me to a focus on God in my life.

16:17.04
Nathan Pile
um And that... that focus will, um,

16:28.50
Nathan Pile
will make life more whole would be, um, the way that I would, um, surmise or the way I would say that.

16:39.51
Nathan Pile
And so the, having that focus of, of, uh, again, ah

16:48.84
Nathan Pile
not that that that there's something that I can, that ah that I'm the all powerful, that I'm the one that can make these things to happen, but with a focus towards God that brings about, um, life and, and the more holistic life that God intends for us.

17:06.59
Nathan Pile
Um, and so when I say that it's, you know, I believe God wants us to laugh and, and have fun in our lives, in our lives. God wants us to have, uh,

17:19.14
Nathan Pile
love and um and positive feelings about life. And so when we have this idea of of God is the that source that helps to bring about those pieces of life um here at the end of these verses, we get this idea of hope and rejoicing and and faithful love.

17:43.00
Nathan Pile
um And they all are wrapped up in God. They're not wrapped up in being a strong military. They're not wrapped up in being the king. They're not wrapped up in, in the things that our world would say would be the way that you would go about accomplishing, um, those things. No, it's in, in, it's, we live into that reality that we are God's chosen.

18:09.36
Nathan Pile
And so our attention, our a focus, our, um, needs to be, doesn't need to be. um our Our attention, our focus, um if placed with God, will bring about more life, more of the good of life.

18:38.73
Kevin Shock
So focus.

18:41.14
Nathan Pile
Yeah, focus was the word I would, I started with.

18:43.85
Kevin Shock
Yeah, boy, that's ah that's a constant struggle in this overly distracting world, isn't it?

18:51.01
Nathan Pile
I didn't say ah it was easy. You had just asked me what I felt called toward.

18:54.15
Kevin Shock
No, no, no, no, no. Right, right.

18:56.76
Nathan Pile
Yeah.

18:57.53
Kevin Shock
Which I think is why we use the word toward in that...

19:00.77
Nathan Pile
hey

19:01.58
Kevin Shock
because we, we, we might be called to something, but it doesn't mean we're going to get close to fulfilling it.

19:01.75
Nathan Pile
No

19:04.91
Nathan Pile
but it doesn't mean, and unless we're being sucked towards it by, uh, the, that, that power, the power of God, ah we have a tendency to just continue to circle.

19:14.73
Kevin Shock
Mhm

19:18.90
Nathan Pile
Um,

19:19.18
Kevin Shock
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Hmm. Okay.

19:25.91
Nathan Pile
so yeah, but I, I think that idea of, of, of, um,

19:26.54
Kevin Shock
Um,

19:31.75
Nathan Pile
of focus of, uh, sometimes I use the, uh, the analogy of being in tune, seeking to be in tune with God.

19:39.59
Kevin Shock
Mm, mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

19:42.43
Nathan Pile
um the word focus popped into my head as, as you asked the question today.

19:42.49
Kevin Shock
Yeah.

19:48.27
Nathan Pile
um but it could be that idea too of, of, um, Like how do we, like if you're thinking about an orchestra and all of the the instruments are in tune together, it creates a ah bigger, more powerful, more resounding sound.

20:03.86
Nathan Pile
um And that it's not... This, you know, that my instrument in the orchestra is just one of many. I didn't write the song, but I, up I play along with the song.

20:15.55
Kevin Shock
Yeah.

20:17.01
Nathan Pile
So how can I, how might by living in tune or by by living in focus or, or with some focus toward God, um I live a fuller life, um a more holistic life, the life that God wants for, for God's people.

20:40.33
Nathan Pile
What about you? Toward, what di- did you do you feel like this passage is calling you towards?

20:41.38
Kevin Shock
yeah ah I think... um

20:49.41
Kevin Shock
I and I don't know if the word is to be on guard, but I mean, no, I think a better word is to resist.

20:53.64
Nathan Pile
Hmm.

20:55.21
Kevin Shock
To resist the um the temptation to confuse the the values of the world with God's values.

21:04.52
Nathan Pile
Hmm.

21:08.26
Kevin Shock
and And I say that because I think that it's it can be easy for people who hold strong opinions on things. I'm not saying that I'm one of those people, um

21:20.17
Kevin Shock
except that I am. ah um For us to think that our our opinions are right because they' they are they're they're rooted in God.

21:33.67
Kevin Shock
and And the weird thing is, is that people with ah conflicting opinions both believe that thing to be true.

21:40.73
Nathan Pile
Hmm. Hmm. Hmm.

21:42.06
Kevin Shock
um And so I think that there are times whenever I one to assert something that I believe is true or something that I think is important. And I um think it's good for me to examine

21:59.58
Kevin Shock
whether it's important to me because it's it's important to me or whether it's important to me because it's important to God.

22:09.54
Kevin Shock
And I think it's easy to get the two confused.

22:15.55
Kevin Shock
um I mean, that almost sounds weird when it comes out of my mouth, but I but i do think that's the case. I think it can be easy for us to just assume that something that's important to us is also important to God.

22:30.45
Kevin Shock
And and I, I think that comes because we we do, to some extent,

22:30.52
Nathan Pile
Sure. Sure.

22:35.44
Kevin Shock
all of us are, are guilty of the sin of creating God in our own image. I don't think that that's, I don't, I don't, I don't think that God is created in our own image. I think that there's, there are, well, what did I say? Like two or three episodes ago, I said something that about, um, Jesus not being at the top of the list of importance for congregations or for the church in general.

23:03.93
Kevin Shock
and um And I said, and usually somewhere higher on the list than Jesus is our our own idealized image of Jesus.

23:12.46
Nathan Pile
Hmm. Yeah.

23:13.59
Kevin Shock
and And I think about that when I think about my answer to this question, that it's it's easy for me to, and not just me, lots of people, to kind of put my own characteristics, values,

23:18.52
Nathan Pile
Sure.

23:33.77
Kevin Shock
long life choices, I guess is something I want to say to put those on Jesus and make them a part of who he is whenever it may not really be a part of who he is.

23:44.95
Nathan Pile
Yeah, yeah.

23:45.74
Kevin Shock
Yeah.

23:46.50
Nathan Pile
Well, and I think that's very, very human of us to do that, to, to take the images of our culture and our world and and our structures and say, well, this is, you know, this is this is how God should act or, you know, if God is God, then God's going to act this way.

24:10.11
Nathan Pile
um You know, even in the the verses that we read, we get this image of power. kind of thrust in there and that we as human beings say that this is this is what when you're God then you got this kind of power.

24:24.23
Nathan Pile
Kings. what was ah What was all of the war horse image? there was there Yeah.

24:29.54
Kevin Shock
Kings, Warriors, Warhorse, yeah.

24:31.36
Nathan Pile
yeah ah Strength of armies. That's what was the king's thing was.

24:34.71
Kevin Shock
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

24:34.78
Nathan Pile
was the Strength of armies. And so it's this idea of things that that as human beings we think are strong and that's what's, that's what's juxtaposed here against, um, or with God, you know, God is,

24:55.70
Nathan Pile
is, you know, is, is kind of put up against, um, though that, that very human, those very human images. And we would do, we would do things similarly today. We talk about presidents. We talk about missiles. We talk about,

25:11.16
Nathan Pile
um

25:11.90
Kevin Shock
Mm-hmm.

25:12.50
Nathan Pile
what we think is power and control. And, and then that's what God, you know, maybe it's money. Maybe it's, maybe it's, um, you know, having ridiculous amounts of wealth, um, you know, bigger barns the because we have the biggest barns. Therefore we, um, this is what, this is what would show us God. And and yet, um,

25:43.74
Nathan Pile
that's not it. That's not it. Like, again, the the the psalmist tells us that's not it at all. um That's not who God is. So, yeah.

26:00.99
Nathan Pile
Any other thoughts about this one?

26:01.50
Kevin Shock
No, I don't think so. Let's ah look at it a third time.

26:07.06
Nathan Pile
All right.

26:11.17
Nathan Pile
The nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom God has chosen as his possession, is truly happy. The Lord looks down from heaven. He sees every human being.

26:23.38
Nathan Pile
From his dwelling place, God observes all who live on earth. God is the one who made all their hearts, the one who knows everything they do.

26:35.43
Nathan Pile
Kings aren't saved by the strengths of their armies. Warriors aren't rescued by how much power they have. A war horse is a bad bet for victory. It can't save despite its great strength.

26:52.17
Nathan Pile
But look here. The Lord's eyes watch all who honor him. All who wait for his faithful love to deliver their lives from death and keep them alive during a famine.

27:06.85
Nathan Pile
We put our hope in the lord he is our help and our shield. Our heart rejoices in God because we trust his holy name lord let your faithful love surround us because we wait for you.

27:23.15
Nathan Pile
What does your rejoicing heart say, Kevin?

27:29.56
Kevin Shock
uh my um I I'm gonna start by saying I think my rejoicing heart is a pure heart so my rejoicing heart's voice does not um does not get through primary space all the time ah much of the time but if I

27:47.11
Nathan Pile
So sometimes you're saying, you so so you're only truly rejoicing if you're having a pure heart. Is that what you're essentially saying?

27:54.59
Kevin Shock
Well, no, I'm not, I'm not saying that I'm not saying that wholesale for everybody. What I, what I'm saying is I think um I am often um oftentimes the ah ah

27:58.54
Nathan Pile
Oh.

28:06.90
Kevin Shock
worry in my mind or something like that. Usually that's the voice that drowns out my rejoicing heart, um if that makes sense.

28:14.09
Nathan Pile
Hmm.

28:17.44
Kevin Shock
ah So I think when I think about my rejoicing heart, I think that I am, I'm grateful to God that all of this stuff that's named in the psalm is not up is not my responsibility to accomplish.

28:36.61
Kevin Shock
That this is, and not even if we're talking about nations and peoples, it's not even our responsibility to accomplish because God is the one who accomplishes it.

28:50.25
Kevin Shock
Salvation, rescue, uh, provision, ah you know, our help and our shield, all all of these things, that that's who God is for us.

29:01.12
Kevin Shock
and I'm And I'm grateful that God is those things for us because I cannot be or I cannot be for myself or we cannot be for ourselves those things.

29:20.12
Kevin Shock
I think that's what I'm saying.

29:23.68
Kevin Shock
Does that make sense?

29:24.92
Nathan Pile
So I think, so yeah, my, I guess my, I would summarize what you're saying is that, that God is God.

29:25.68
Kevin Shock
Yeah.

29:35.32
Nathan Pile
Like we need God to be God.

29:35.72
Kevin Shock
yeah Right. Right. Yeah. We need God to be God and we cannot, we cannot be God.

29:39.59
Nathan Pile
The infinite deity, the the the infinite singularity, the, the um we need God, you know God is the the and the deity that is able to do the things that we can't.

29:55.02
Kevin Shock
Mm-hmm.

29:55.11
Nathan Pile
We need God to be God.

29:55.64
Kevin Shock
Mm-hmm. Right, right we right. We need... Okay, right. So that's a different way to say it We need God in our lives. And um I think that it's really hard for people to... I mean, I think that people oftentimes develop a I can take care of this on my own thing.

30:16.25
Nathan Pile
Mm-hmm.

30:16.82
Kevin Shock
um and But we need God because there are there are always going to be things... But chief among them is our salvation for one and not just not just going to heaven when we die, but the ability to live in good relationship with one another and be and live so that we are free and and our actions make all of the people around us free as well.

30:40.45
Kevin Shock
um we're We're set free. um Those things are not in our ability. and And so in order for that to happen, which I think is a is a human need in this life and in the life to come, we need God to do that.

30:49.69
Nathan Pile
Hmm.

30:59.76
Kevin Shock
and so And so I'm thankful that God is god is not only present, but God is very willing to do those things. And God will continue to do those things, even when we say we can handle it.

31:15.29
Kevin Shock
um

31:15.87
Nathan Pile
Hmm.

31:17.94
Kevin Shock
I mean, it's it's pretty obvious that we can't handle it or else it would be handled.

31:20.38
Nathan Pile
Right, right. And God knows it and god knows that. Right.

31:22.85
Kevin Shock
God knows it, right. but But God continues to work with us and in us and among us to to bring these things about. Yeah.

31:36.57
Kevin Shock
And which I'm, I rejoice in because but I need those things. We need those things.

31:41.29
Nathan Pile
Right. Right.

31:42.46
Kevin Shock
Yeah. Yeah.

31:46.14
Nathan Pile
We need God to complete God-sized projects. Right. which are the things that the things that we can't do.

31:49.43
Kevin Shock
Yes. Yes. To use your language, which I think is helpful.

31:51.50
Nathan Pile
Yeah.

31:52.03
Kevin Shock
Yeah. Yeah.

31:52.92
Nathan Pile
Yeah.

31:54.06
Kevin Shock
Yeah. Um, so my rejoicing heart says, thank you God for being God and for reminding me that I am not. Okay.

32:01.36
Nathan Pile
Yeah. Well, and, and there you keep, please, please keep reminding me.

32:03.83
Kevin Shock
Please continue to remind me that I am not.

32:09.26
Kevin Shock
Yeah. Yeah.

32:09.84
Nathan Pile
and not God.

32:10.82
Kevin Shock
Yeah. Don't, don't stop. Don't stop reminding me.

32:13.67
Nathan Pile
Yeah. Yeah. and And your um summary there, the the how you summed it up, is I think is deeply rooted where I came out of the, as I answered this in my own head.

32:26.54
Nathan Pile
um As I asked you the question, I was answering in my own head. But what does your what does my rejoicing heart say? I would say it's gratitude. Like that's the thing that if I'm, and and I liked the, and and I appreciated

32:37.31
Kevin Shock
Mm. Mm.

32:42.21
Nathan Pile
your um

32:47.58
Nathan Pile
your, I don't even know what to call it. At the beginning of your reflection, you kind of said in a pure heart, my rejoicing is. And I, and I appreciate that because sometimes my heart wouldn't be pure, but I would agree with the sentiment that if I'm, or the thought, with the thought that if I'm, if, if I'm truly rejoicing, it's, ah there's, there's, it's gratitude, it's thankfulness.

33:13.50
Nathan Pile
um for what God has done because there's, there's, um, because whatever the, that, that moment of, of like, when I think about true rejoicing, um, for me, for when I'm truly rejoicing, it is, um because in that moment in time, um the realization, um, has come about or has come upon me, um,

33:46.00
Nathan Pile
that God has done something wonderful for me. And so my my rejoicing is is truly about um giving thanks for that which God has done.

33:58.67
Nathan Pile
And again, there's there's the big things that God has done and there's the little things that God has done. And my rejoicing would be the same either way. um whether it that it it is the gift of that is eternal life, um, which to me is a big thing.

34:15.11
Nathan Pile
Um, or if it's simply the, the, uh, inspiration of a moment here at camp doing something, um, and I feel God's presence in that moment, um, both would bring about gratitude, um, and a level of thankfulness, uh, that I would rejoice in that I would, um,

34:40.61
Nathan Pile
you know, deeply appreciate one of my favorite stories that I tell lots and different, and I'm probably in three years, I've probably told it at least once on here. So this will be a repeat. Um, but you know, uh, walking in the stream with the campers, um, when we're doing a Creek hike and one of the kids stops us in the middle of a, of the Creek hike and, and, uh, points at the water and says, look at that.

35:03.65
Nathan Pile
And um I thought maybe there was a fish in the water or something, but all it is is ah the the camp's water is really clear. The stream water is crystal clear. And so you can see through the crystal clear water, there's sun coming through the trees and it's those hit together. And you can see all of the rocks on the bottom.

35:20.13
Nathan Pile
And it's just a, it's just a beautiful little nature scene. um And, and the kid turns in and is like, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

35:30.96
Kevin Shock
Mm.

35:31.42
Nathan Pile
you know and And in that moment, gratitude, rejoice, like my heart is leaping out of my chest.

35:31.54
Kevin Shock
Mm. Yeah.

35:36.75
Nathan Pile
Like it doesn't get any better than this moment um because I'm sharing this moment with this camper who is um is is being inspired by God in the moment.

35:37.65
Kevin Shock
Yeah.

35:48.44
Nathan Pile
And so it's a little thing to me. That's a little thing that, you know, it's not on the same level as God. Yeah. ah saving our souls and, and, and, or giving us the gift of the Holy spirit.

36:00.09
Nathan Pile
Like those are the big things that God does too.

36:00.71
Kevin Shock
Mm-hmm.

36:02.67
Nathan Pile
um But that those little things are still a part of life um also causes my heart to rejoice and, and all of it is wrapped up in, in, in gratitude.

36:16.27
Nathan Pile
I think probably the thing that this question um are, you know, kind of depicts for me is how do I make it, how do I how do I keep rejoicing? How do I keep gratitude and thankfulness a part of of um of my days?

36:37.81
Nathan Pile
um And it not just be those um

36:43.54
Nathan Pile
those moments when I'm when I'm overcome by um gratefulness and gratitude. How might I be intentional about thinking because there's lots of things to be thankful for little and big every day.

36:57.25
Nathan Pile
Um, but how do I intentionally think about and reflect upon that so that I might be rejoicing more often?

36:57.87
Kevin Shock
Sure.

37:04.17
Nathan Pile
Um, because I think a rejoicing heart would be a wonderful heart to have.

37:11.83
Kevin Shock
Yeah. Um, well, yeah, I'm, I don't know.

37:14.13
Nathan Pile
So,

37:16.27
Kevin Shock
That makes me think all that makes me think about, um,

37:22.45
Kevin Shock
what, uh, how, how much of an uphill struggle this is. Uh, not that I, I mean, I don't think that that doesn't mean it's not worthwhile.

37:29.89
Nathan Pile
Yeah.

37:32.74
Kevin Shock
And I, and I also don't think, oh gosh, Nathan, I'm just trying to, I don't want to make this like, it's really hard to be faithful. Yeah, of course it is. Um, cause we have so many things competing for our attention and our affection.

37:46.67
Kevin Shock
Um, but you know, you, you and I we haven't said this phrase on the podcast in a while, but we used to say it all the time, uh, that the, the formula is easy, but, but living it out is hard.

38:02.67
Nathan Pile
Yeah.

38:03.77
Kevin Shock
And, and, um, I don't know. There's, there's the idea here of, so yeah, ah when, whenever I'm like, whenever I'm hitting rock bottom in one way or another, or maybe not rock bottom, but you know, whenever things are tough,

38:22.73
Kevin Shock
gratitude, like, especially if it's, if it's something that shocks my system, like there There are times where my my being just kind of shuts down says, okay, I need to like, I need to pray.

38:40.14
Nathan Pile
Hmm.

38:40.62
Kevin Shock
I need to and need to pay attention to what God is doing. I need to put God in the right place in my life and and help to regain focus. To use that word you used earlier, all kinds of things that I can say.

38:52.93
Nathan Pile
Yeah.

38:55.74
Kevin Shock
um But on it on a daily basis, whenever things are going like I expect them to go, or or when whenever things are bad but not too bad, then it's so easy for me just to rely on my own understanding.

39:02.39
Nathan Pile
Hmm.

39:08.05
Nathan Pile
Yeah.

39:13.44
Nathan Pile
Hmm.

39:14.28
Kevin Shock
and um And that, yeah, on a day-by-day basis, if we're not being intentional about putting God in the place that God deserves in our life,

39:27.45
Kevin Shock
and and being honest with ourselves about what we're capable of then we're we just we're just going to keep letting that other stuff slip in and and our rejoicing heart is going to be drowned up by our prideful heart or our self-assured heart or what you know whatever it might be um so I appreciate that you said that you know this is like this is an everyday thing

39:48.68
Nathan Pile
Yeah.

39:55.90
Kevin Shock
that we're talking about.

39:56.03
Nathan Pile
Yeah.

39:57.20
Kevin Shock
And yeah, in some ways, whenever things are going really bad or you know or we're really aware of our lack of, don't want to say agency, but our lack of ability to really to really control things,

40:14.77
Nathan Pile
Sure.

40:15.03
Kevin Shock
um

40:15.27
Nathan Pile
Yeah.

40:15.79
Kevin Shock
um it's it's almost easier to like fall back and say, okay, God, you take care of it because I can't.

40:18.09
Nathan Pile
Yep.

40:24.87
Nathan Pile
Yeah.

40:25.04
Kevin Shock
but it's all the other stuff that, that we should be saying, okay, God, I can't take care of this. So you're going to have to, and that's not, I don't want to, I think that that can sound like we're being, um,

40:38.27
Kevin Shock
mmm, complacent or, or, or passive about our relationship with God. I don't think that that's the case at all. I think that it just means that we're being honest about the, you know,

40:53.99
Kevin Shock
who God is and who we are and, and our respective abilities to actually do something about something. Um, I don't think that that means that we don't continue to strive for good and holy things in every way that we know how to, and, and, and, and serve others and, and advocate for people who are on the margins. I think, I think that that's all part of putting God in the right place.

41:22.26
Kevin Shock
Because that's stuff that we do that is for the sake of someone else. And that's stuff that we do that reflects God's nature into the world. um I think what we're talking about here is getting things our own way.

41:36.12
Kevin Shock
And um

41:36.45
Nathan Pile
Yeah. Well, and that spiral is hard to get out of right? When we're in that, when we're in that, um, that thought vortex or that, that, um,

41:41.14
Kevin Shock
it's really hard to get out of. Yeah. Mm-hmm.

41:51.05
Nathan Pile
that funnel, like you're just going with the current and you're just like, I can't swim against it. So this has got to be you guys. just I don't have the strength anymore. I don't, you know, there's a feeling of helplessness.

42:03.76
Nathan Pile
Um, even, even if we wanted to swim to, to save ourselves, there's ah this thought of like, a what else can I do here?

42:04.15
Kevin Shock
Mm

42:14.08
Nathan Pile
God? Um, in the, in that kind of a moment. and And yes, there's times that we need God in those moments to, but also some of it is a ah reflection of, can we, can we shift our mindset instead of, of feeling helpless might gratitude help us recognize that God is around and working and, and, um, accomplishing things.

42:45.43
Kevin Shock
Mm-hmm.

42:46.38
Nathan Pile
Um, And we're just not, we're not seeing it. We have our, we have our own blinders on. We're too tired to see it, but being able to kind of take, take a moment to,

43:01.24
Nathan Pile
um

43:04.37
Nathan Pile
to reset, to turn down the negative or helpless voice in our mind, and say, wait a minute. How is God present here in this moment?

43:16.15
Kevin Shock
Mm-hmm.

43:18.21
Nathan Pile
Um, can we shift that moment of hope, helpless, helplessness or hopelessness and, and be able to kind of see that there is hope that there, that God is present, that God is alive at work, um, changing the world around us.

43:40.91
Nathan Pile
Um, you know, just because we feel like we have failed or, or, uh, made a misstep or, um, that whatever we were trying to control that we realized we don't have the power to control. It doesn't mean that God's not working in that moment.

43:56.66
Nathan Pile
Um, and being able to change that perspective.

43:56.95
Kevin Shock
Yeah.

44:00.76
Nathan Pile
And, and I agree with you. That's hard. Um,

44:03.69
Kevin Shock
yeah

44:04.51
Nathan Pile
you know I would say there were there were a couple of hours yesterday afternoon. I was feeling a little like, oh God, like doesn't matter what I do. It doesn't matter what I pray for. This just doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

44:18.89
Nathan Pile
um But some stepping away, some some ah conversation with God one-on-one, some quiet time allowed different perspective to to begin to settle with me. And, and of course, a good night's sleep also helped me wake up with a different perspective today.

44:41.07
Nathan Pile
Um, but, it, but you don't say, uh, but I do like like that idea of rejoicing is, is, um, it's an interesting,

44:42.65
Kevin Shock
You don't say.

44:57.52
Nathan Pile
um

45:01.67
Nathan Pile
And it's an interesting way to to seek to live life.

45:07.33
Nathan Pile
and And reminding ourselves that we're seeking to see that. um You know, there could have been a thousand successes yesterday and there were one or two negative things.

45:20.16
Nathan Pile
And the one or two negative things outweighed all of the ah thousand positive things because I allowed that to be

45:29.34
Nathan Pile
you know, the headline of the newspaper in my head, wasn't the headline of any newspaper, but the headline in my head, um, was how dear God, we just can't get anything right.

45:34.84
Kevin Shock
Yeah, right. Yeah, right.

45:42.30
Nathan Pile
Or why isn't this going our way? Um, instead of saying, a thousand things went right today. um and And lots of successes, but instead you know fretting about or and getting so bound up in the negative um soundtrack of um those one or two missteps horror or mistakes um that caused me to kind of be in a different mood by the end of my day yesterday than

46:16.49
Nathan Pile
than where I wanted to be at the end of the day yesterday. So, so yeah, it isn't easy.

46:27.90
Nathan Pile
So,

46:30.69
Kevin Shock
All right, and any other thoughts?

46:30.98
Nathan Pile
all right. Anything, anything? No, I don't think so.

46:34.65
Kevin Shock
Yeah, okay. Well, let's talk about some additional text then for This week, we look at related to Psalm 33, Genesis 15, verses 1 through 6. This is God's promise of a child for Abraham and Sarai.

46:52.73
Kevin Shock
Now there, Nathan, that's a great example of ah people trusting in God and then figuring that, oh, maybe maybe

46:59.33
Nathan Pile
and Not trusting in God.

47:01.17
Kevin Shock
Well, yeah, no, I mean, right. People trusting in God and then like getting getting cold feet in their trust toward God.

47:06.29
Nathan Pile
Yeah. Yeah.

47:07.84
Kevin Shock
and That's not part of this reading. This reading is just the promise. But we know soon after that Abraham takes matters into his own hands and Sarai does as well.

47:16.92
Nathan Pile
Well, Sarai, Sarai as well. Right.

47:19.85
Kevin Shock
Yeah.

47:20.10
Nathan Pile
Yeah.

47:20.86
Kevin Shock
um And then God clearly tells them this this is not the way this was supposed to work. I told you how it was going to work and Yeah. And, and, and though it's, though it is comical, it also, when we really unpack that story, it's harmful. It's harmful to people.

47:38.44
Kevin Shock
Yeah.

47:38.56
Nathan Pile
Yeah

47:38.68
Kevin Shock
It's harmful to Hagar. It's harmful to, to um Ishmael. ah Yeah. It's, it's harmful.

47:45.03
Nathan Pile
Yeah

47:45.07
Kevin Shock
um But yeah, but it is, it is a good example of, right. God's faithful people deciding they're going to be faithful to themselves. And cause because, because God's right.

47:53.83
Nathan Pile
they They'll figure out a way. God made this promise, but I'll figure out a way.

47:55.81
Kevin Shock
Because, Right. Because God has been silent for 10 seconds. And so, you know, we like we got to figure something else out now.

48:02.93
Nathan Pile
it's not It's not on my timeline, God.

48:03.07
Kevin Shock
Yeah. Right. Right. And then from Hebrews chapter 11, verses one to three and eight to 16, talk about the absurdity of scripture.

48:14.30
Kevin Shock
So here a model for us, Abraham's faith in a new home given by God. So the model is Abraham's faith, who also is ah is a failure in a life of faith.

48:18.93
Nathan Pile
yeah.

48:24.13
Kevin Shock
Um, but you know, but, but I, there, that's, that's what the, uh, all of the quote unquote heroes and heroines and, and, uh, and people we lift up in the Bible who are examples of faith are not perfect people.

48:24.25
Nathan Pile
yeah yeah

48:39.10
Kevin Shock
They're faithful people. There's, there's a difference.

48:40.46
Nathan Pile
right Right.

48:42.07
Kevin Shock
Um, okay. And then Luke, Luke 12, 31 to 40. Um, after the um after the after the parable about the man building all of the things, the bigger barns, God will give you the treasure of the kingdom.

48:56.71
Kevin Shock
Sell all that you have. Oh, just like, just easy like that. Okay.

49:02.38
Nathan Pile
Easy peasy.

49:03.26
Kevin Shock
Yeah, right.

49:03.83
Nathan Pile
Get rid of it all.

49:06.23
Kevin Shock
um And then our our readings are from the semi-continuous series that show more of ah Hebrew scripture from Isaiah chapter one, verses one and then 10 through 20.

49:18.14
Kevin Shock
ah Learn to do good, seek justice, and rescue the oppressed. And then Psalm 50, verses 1 through 8 and 22 and 23. To those who go the right way, I will show the salvation of God.

49:34.08
Kevin Shock
So those are texts that you can all look at to have continued reflections and thoughts about... what God is speaking to us. And if you want to send us ah you through email or on social media, ah the the ways that you're rejoicing or and things that your rejoicing heart is saying, we'd love to hear them.

49:54.96
Kevin Shock
um Nathan, I think that the Psalm has made me think that I don't, ah maybe I need an accountability partner whenever I'm trying to do things my own way. I just, maybe I just need to call you and say, talk me off the ledge.

50:06.23
Kevin Shock
Remind me that God is good.

50:06.38
Nathan Pile
Take me off the mind we got is good and and I'm I'm trying to probably be God in this moment.

50:08.17
Kevin Shock
Yeah. Yeah.

50:13.40
Kevin Shock
Yeah, well, right. There you go that's That's really what it comes down to. I'm trying to I'm trying to take God's place in this moment.

50:20.04
Nathan Pile
Yeah.

50:20.34
Kevin Shock
I'm trying to be God. Yeah.

50:21.62
Nathan Pile
Yeah.

50:22.12
Kevin Shock
So, um yeah, um I'm gonna I'm going to try to keep reflecting on this and do it every hour, every minute of the day so that I get better at this. um

50:32.82
Nathan Pile
Hmm.

50:33.72
Kevin Shock
But in the meantime, friends, we hope to tend our faith with you again soon. Grace to you.

50:39.16
Nathan Pile
And peace.