A Psalm of Life

I went to Hwacheon this weekend, a city in South Korea that is only a few miles away from the DMZ, one of the most hotly contested national borders in the world.  The city itself was lovely, but it's location naturally meant that it was also swarming with soldiers.  In fact, I think that it would be fair to say that I saw far more soldiers in Hwacheon than ordinary citizens. 

It reminded me of Longfellow's poem, a Psalm of Life.  Life is real, he reminds us.  It is a battle, true, but we do not have to be the victims.  We can be the heroes!  Act in the living present, with God guiding you.  Do not be afraid - He will take care of you.

The Psalm of Life

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Tell me not, in mournful numbers, Life is but an empty dream!--
For the soul is dead that slumbers, And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest, Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting, And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no future, howe'er pleasant! Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,--act in the living present! Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime,
And departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another, Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing, With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait.

Isaiah 40:9-11

⁹ You who bring good news to Zion,
   go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,
   lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
   say to the towns of Judah,
   “Here is your God!”
¹⁰ See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
   and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
   and his recompense accompanies him.
¹¹ He tends his flock like a shepherd:
   He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
   he gently leads those that have young. 

He renews our strength

I'm sitting in a hotel room right now in the middle of downtown Seoul.  Forget about New York City being the city that never sleeps; this is the real city that never sleeps.  Almost the entire city is open 24/7.  Bars, coffee shops, shopping, bowling alleys, museums, amusements parks, you name it....whatever you want to do here in Seoul, you can do it anytime you want.

And yesterday, I was the person who never sleeps.  I went to bed after midnight on Thursday night, and was up by 4:00 am the next morning.  I took a bus from Goesan to Seoul, checked into a hotel, drove from Seoul to the DMZ, went to North Korea for a few minutes, drove back to Seoul, met and had dinner with the American ambassador to South Korea and several other embassy officials, walked around and explored the city of Seoul, and sang Korean's version of Karaoke with my friends - all in on day!  It was after midnight before I stumbled into bed, completely exhausted.  

But this morning I stumbled across this jewel of a verse in Isaiah chapter 40.  I am well acquainted with the latter half of verse 31, but have not often read it in the context of the surrounding verses.  But God's word assures us that everyone will get tired - except for Him.  He gives strength to the weary and power to the weak.  He renews our strength when we trust in Him.  He gives us the strength to run and not grow weary, to walk and not be faint.  No matter how exhausted we may be, the Lord promises to refresh us and to renew our strength, to let us soar on wings like eagles.  On a day like today, when all I want to do is sleep, what an awesome promise that is to take hold of.

Isaiah 40:28-31

²⁸ Do you not know?  Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹ He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
 they will walk and not be faint. 

Prepare the way

There's an interesting passage in Isaiah that talks about smoothing the paths and terrain to make way for the LORD.  These verses struck me as rather odd at first glance.  Why would you want to flatten the land??  Isn't that a big part of what makes up the beauty, the splendor, the uniqueness of it?  Where would we be without lush rolling hills covered in heather, without the fragrant blossoms peppering the crevices of the valley, without the craggy snow-covered mountaintops to look at and admire?

I've always loved mountains - their beauty,  their serenity, their tranquility....a mountain gives me a feeling of peace and contentment that few other places can match.  So when I was reading this passage in Isaiah, my first thought was, "why would we ever WANT to flatten the mountains?  Why is that considered a good thing?"

But then I read it again.  The author is talking about revealing God's glory to others.  And I realized something: uneven terrain makes travel and communication difficult.  Especially in Biblical times.  Rugged mountains can increase exponentially the effort and difficulty it takes to get a message across.  They may have been fun to look at, but in practicality they made the lives of the ancient Hebrews much harder.

So what does this mean for us?  Where is the spiritual bent to my little foray into cartography?  Have we created hills in our lives, mountains that make it difficult for the Holy Spirit to invade our lives?  Do we have obstacles that make it impossible for His messages to reach our spirits?  Wildernesses can exist not only in the physical world, but also in the spiritual one, as well.  Don't let your spirit dry up.  Don't block off God's advances to your heart.  Be sensitive to what He wants to teach you today.  Prepare the way for Him in your life, so that His glory can be revealed.

Isaiah 40:3-5

 ³ A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
⁴ Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
⁵ And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. 

For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” 

Something to shout about

Time doesn't stop.  Time doesn't slow down.  Don't you wish sometimes that it would?  Or, better yet, that it would go backwards?  How many mistakes have we made that we wish we could undo?  Have you ever wanted to freeze a moment that's simply so perfect that just the thought of it ending is painful?  Do you ever feel like life is spinning out of control, and you can't keep up with it?

That's how I feel right now.  I'm graduating from college in 25 days - when did THAT happen??  I'm looking for jobs, taking exit exams, trying to stay motivated in my classes.  I'll be going to live on the other side of the world in just a few short months.  In my mind, I'm still a little high school kid, with no bigger worries than what she's going to wear tomorrow.  It's scary and overwhelming being in the "real world".  But God is always there for me, encouraging me and lighting up my sky (see my post from yesterday).  Joshua 1:9 says, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."  It's exhausting being in the real world; but in my weakness, He is strong (2 Corinthians 12:9).  Isaiah 40:29-31 says that "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

God is so good.  When our world seems to be spinning out of control, we can take comfort in the fact that He's there with us.  He will give us strength, peace, comfort, and direction.  I don't know about you, but to me, that's something that I want to shout about :).