Psalms 20-29

Psalm 20:7
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.


Selah- I saw this a couple of times today.  According to Wikipedia (the most reliable place on the interwebz,) Selah is difficult to translate.  It could possibly mean "stop and listen," or "pause and reflect."  Some people even say it is a means of signaling a musical interlude, since the Psalms were meant to be sung originally.

Psalm 22:1
My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?


If you know anything about the Gospels of Mark and Matthew, when Jesus cries out his last, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani!" you know this means, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"

Interesting that in the Gospels of Mark and Matthew, Jesus shouts out words from the book of Psalms.  However, in other gospels, Jesus says other stuff.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says, "Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit." (Luke 23:46).

Finally, in the Gospel of John, Jesus says, "It is finished." (John 19:30).  Earlier in John, Jesus also says, "I am thirsty." (John 19:28).

Why do all the gospels say something different?

Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation -- whom shall I fear?   The Lord is the stronghold of my life -- of whom shall I be afraid?


I'm reminded of the campfire song that we used to sing at Lutheran Memorial Camp.

The Lord is my rock and my salvation
The Lord is the strength of my light.
The Lord is my rock and my salvation
The Lord is the strength of my light.

Of whom shall I fear?
Of whom shall I be afraid?
Of whom shall I fear?
Of whom shall I be afraid?
Of whom shall I fear?
Of whom shall I be afraid?
Of whom shall I fear?
Of whom shall I be afraid?

Then the song continues in canon (or different parts singing the same thing at different times).  It was pretty cool when there were four different parts going on at the same time.  I can even remember the choreography to it.



EDIT:  I was reading Saturday March 24th's Our Daily Bread entry, written by David Roper.  Here it is.

Years ago when I was a student at the University of California at Berkeley, I developed a friendship with a fellow student who had suffered a terrible loss.  His child had died and his wife had left him because she couldn't deal with the pain.

One day, as my friend and I were walking down the street, we found ourselves behind a disheveled mother with a grubby little boy in hand.  She was angry at the child and was walking too fast, towing him at a pace his little legs couldn't maintain.

We reached a busy intersection where the child abruptly stopped and his hand slipped out of his mother's grasp.  She turned around, spat out a curse, and trudged on.  The little boy sat down on the curb and burst into tears.  Without a moment's hesitation, my friend sat down next to the boy and gather the little guy in his arms.

The woman turned and, looking at the child, began to curse again.  My friend sighed and looked up.  "Lady," he said softly, "If you don't want him, I'll take him."

So it is with our Father in Heaven.  He too has known great loss and loves us just as tenderly.  Even if our friends and family forsake us, our God never will (Ps. 27:10).  We are ever in His care.

______
I'm searching for an internship for my college curriculum.  I am required to complete at least 210 hours of work somewhere in my field, which is music technology.  Pray that I find one that will be beneficial to my future career.  Thanks.