Emotional Devotional


Every year, as the seasons change from Summer to Fall, I make an annual visit to that repository of theological tomes, Books-A-Million in York, or known loftily and perhaps sluggishly as BAM to purchase my new devotional for the next year.

BAM has quite a sparse Christian section. Oh, there are plenty of religious books, but not much in those books. Popcorn, snacky-snacks, air. Last years devotional was decent. Not bad, not great. A bit naive. A recent entry of false prophets said that they could have good motives. Huh? Stuff like that.

As mentioned the last couple of weeks, I have been on an unschismatic run recently of Catholic and Protestant translations of the Psalms. Last night's reading of Psalm 45 (Psalm 46 for non-Catholic translations) gave a great wording for a familiar verse, "Be empty and see that I am God." The Protestant translations use the word "Still" rather than "Empty." I rather like the usage of Empty. Empty just is more stark. What is man without God? Nothing. We can be still and yet be wavering and indecisive. Empty is zero and for Calvinists, like me, I think it is best to approach God as being empty. Remember Jesus says that without me you can do NOTHING.

The Psalms are speaking to me because I find emotional resonance in the words. If the Psalms were a box of crayons, it would  have every color.  EVERY EMOTION IS IN THE PSALMS. Black Depression, Blue Sadness, Red Anger or Passion, Yellow Happiness, White Peace. Although I think Blue is peaceful.

As I strolled out of BAM, I cracked my Devotional To-Be and opened to April 21. It is an exposition on Psalm 63:1-3 (New King James Version): A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. "O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water." David was thirsty for water and God.

 The devotional writer says, "Are you embittered by a personal tragedy that you did not deserve and cannot understand? If so, it is time to accept the unchangeable past."  I am at a point of life where my disappointments have piled up like old newspapers. I dig how the writer says that I have to accept the unchangeable past, no matter how much I wish that it could be different. The past is an account that is empty. It is closed. No withdrawals possible.

That spoke to me...I look forward to reading this devotional for the next year.
  


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November 7, 2020 at 10:57 PM
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