For my family the
return to school signifies the end of summer. Even though it will still be in
the near record high temps in August, going back to school is a signal that the
sleep-in-late and no-homework relaxing days of summer are over. But, at the same
time, there is a sense of anticipation for something new, moving into a new
grade level, new classes and new people. Thankfully all my children kinda like
school, and I thank the teachers at Jonesborough Elementary, Jonesborough
Middle, and David Crockett for this. So, my two youngest are preparing to head
back into high school, my middle child is heading off (way off to Austin Peay)
to begin college, and my oldest son will return to ETSU.
I
will be back to work on classes for my ordination in August also, so school
plays a big part in our lives right now. I was thinking about this as I was
reading a Psalm this morning. I thought about all the teachers who have been so
instrumental in our lives and helped create, instill, and nurture a love of
learning and desire to make a difference.
Do
you remember the “3 R’s” of school? Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic? These
were actually listed together by St Augustine in his autobiography, Confessions. Augustine said,
“Even now I have not yet discovered the
reasons why I hated Greek literature when I was being taught it as a small boy.
Latin I deeply loved, not at the stage of my primary teachers but at the
secondary level taught by the teachers of literature called 'grammarians'
(grammatici). The initial elements, where one learns the three Rs of reading,
writing, and arithmetic, I felt to be on less a burden and an infliction than
the entire series of Greek classes.”
I
came across 3 R’s in Psalm 85 that I would like to share with you today.
Perhaps these will help you where you are now. Whether you are anticipating
with excitement something new that is getting ready to happen in your life, or
if you are looking at upcoming events or even current circumstances with a bit
of dread, fear, or trepidation.
Restore. The Psalm begins by
remembering how God had restored His people in the past, and the psalmist asks
the Lord to “Restore us again, God our
Savior” (verse 4). There is a promise here, that if God has restored us in
the past, he will do it again! Are you needing something restored to you today?
Is there something that you are missing in your life, maybe a relationship,
health, peace, or joy? Remember that you have not been forsaken and you are not
alone. Ask God, for He is a Restoring God!
Revive. “Will you not revive us again?” the psalmist goes on to ask (verse
6). This word means to restore back to life, consciousness, or strength, or to
give new strength or energy to something. I can’t help but start humming that
tune by W.P. Mackay, “Hallelujah, thine the glory, Hallelujah, Amen!
Hallelujah, thine the glory, revive us again”. Is there something in you that
needs to revived today? Or do you completely need a divine revival right now?
Our God is a reviving God. He brings people from death to life every day. Ask
for a revived spirit from our Lord today, and you will receive a fresh wind of
His Spirit.
Rejoice. The psalmist has asked to be
restored and to be revived for a reason. And the reason is so “that your people may rejoice in you”
(verse 6). We might think that the restoring and reviving is just for us, but
it’s not. The purpose here, at least in this psalm, is for the people to be
restored and revived in order to rejoice in the Lord, so that they might praise
God for His goodness (verse 12), for His faithfulness (verse 10), for His
righteousness (verse 11) for His peace (verse 8) and for His unfailing love
(verse 7). That’s a whole lot to rejoice in, but that’s because our Lord has,
in the words of Robert Plant, “a whole lotta love”!
Embrace
these 3 R’s today and live them out as you are embraced in the loving arms of
your Lord Jesus.
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