Today at work when I was reviewing the big stack of textbooks on the shelf looking for useful texts for writing tutoring, I ran across these interesting paragraphs from the book
Content Area Reading by Richard T. Vacca, Jo Anne L. Vacca, and I thought it perfectly applied to how we find answers to life’s questions in the scriptures.
A reader draws on two broad information sources to answer questions: information in the text and information inside the reader’s head. For example, some questions have answers that can be found directly in the text. These questions are textually explicit and lead to answers that are “right there” in the text. (Richard T. Vacca, Jo Anne L. Vacca, Content Area Reading, 5th ed., HarperCollins, NY: 1996, p48.)
When I’d get in a situation when I didn’t know what to do, often I’d open the scriptures and find a principle explicitly stated with I could apply to my problem and get a clear answer.
Other questions have answers that require students to think about the information they have read in the text. They must be able to search for ideas that are related to one another and then put these ideas together in order to answer the questions. These questions are textually implicit and lead to “think and search” answers (ibid).
Think and search. Doesn’t that sound like it fits so well with “search, ponder, and pray”? I think this passage has clarified for me just what can go on when I search, ponder, and pray. I can be pondering a question, then searching for the answer in the scriptures, then pondering how what I’ve found might fit together with my previous knowledge. And sometimes the Spirit brings to our memory some scriptural phrases that are applicable. And I pray for understanding when I'm really stuck.
Sometimes I try to think of scripture stories that are similar to the one that I am reading and then I think about how they are the same and how they are different. How is the story of Paul preaching to King Agrippa like or unlike the story of Abinadi preaching to King Noah? How is the story of Joseph helping Pharaoh understand his dreams the same or different from the story of Ammon helping King Lamoni out with the sheep? How is the story of Lehi leaving Jerusalem like or different from the story of the brother of Jared leaving Babel? How is the story of Joseph being sold by his brothers like or different from the story of Nephi’s relationship with his brothers? Is there anything we can learn from those differences or similarities?
Still other questions require students to rely mainly on prior knowledge and experience. In other words, responses to these questions are more inside the reader’s head than in the text itself. These questions are schema-based and lead to “author and you” and “on my own” answers (ibid).
So, when you get the answer “on your own”, the text has gotten you thinking and then you use your prior knowledge to answer the question.
I don’t know how far I’ve gotten into this kind of studying of the scriptures. Do any of you have experiences of this kind to share?
I spent a lot of Thursday through Saturday working on adding this new template to my blog. It was a lot of hard work and when I finished it last night I was so excited! (I’m sure my husband felt I was bouncing off the walls about it. He said it was making him tired just watching me. Of course we already were fasting, so he may have been in energy conservation mode.)
Now, getting a new blog template also has some perils that I’m recently discovering. For instance there’s the “Fear-of-not-being-able-to-write-anything-as-cool-as-the-blog-looks” peril, closely followed by the “Fear-that-everyone-will-be-freaked-out-by-the-sudden-change-and-stop-visiting-the-blog” peril. Of course, you know what this means. I just need to write something and post it no matter what, and the stupider the post, the better, so that I can just get over this hump and be normal again. (grin)
But anyway, I started thinking over the blog-template-changing process and I realized that there are some spiritual parallels between it and seeking for a change of heart.
I was pretty content with the way my blog was before until I was looking around online and I saw some blog templates that were really neat.
Similarly one of the best impetuses (impetii? impetium? impetusata?) of inner change in our lives is when we discover someone who is so good that we want to become like that. Ultimately the template we want to adopt is Christ, but good people in our lives can help us see how those attributes look in real life.
I realized that it might be difficult to change my blog template to something new. I didn’t know much about the process, and I realized that if I did it wrong, I might lose the content in my sidebar, which had taken me a while to collect in the first place.
Similarly, we don’t know too much about the process of change to become something we haven’t been before. When we change, we need to make sure that we don’t lose what good traits we have already acquired. Change can be a turbulent process.
Once I decided I wanted to change my blog’s template, I realized that I probably wouldn’t be able to change all at once. I sensed that I needed to test the template first and find out if it really had what I wanted before I adopted it. So, I created another blog as a test. I created one that looked somewhat like my other one and then tried to switch to my new template in it to see what it would look like.
As it happened, the first sight of my new template was terrible. It needed a lot of tweaking. To make it look as advertised, I needed to put in a lot of extra work, more than I expected, in fact. It didn’t have a number of features that I valued on my previous blog, In order to get it working the way I wanted, I needed to look at the HTML and CSS code and study it to figure out what pieces of code did what. This meant I needed previous knowledge of HTML to study the code. Thankfully, I had taken a web programming class… about six years ago. My memories were fuzzy, but I remembered enough to avoid making some silly mistakes.
Similarly, in my life, whenever I have made some significant changes in my life, my first attempts are usually somewhat feeble, because I’ve underestimated the amount of effort required. I find I have to do some serious thinking and planning ahead of how I should act or react. And often experiences from my deeper past provide just enough working knowledge of how to proceed.
I looked online for help in adding the features that I wanted. I found people who had faced the same problem and had figured out how to solve it. I also looked for people who were helping others fix their blog the same way I wanted to fix mine.
Similarly, one way that we get help when we are trying to change is by asking other people we trust how they have made the change in their lives that we want. We can also ask Heavenly Father, who knows all things.
I wanted to add the date to my blog entries, but the template didn’t do that. I finally figured out that there was code that was missing from my template.
In the scriptures, sometimes it doesn’t always say how we can get from point A to point B. We need to get additional knowledge through personal revelation, or from the prophet and apostles, or from our leaders.
As I worked on my template, I also found that there were things in there that I didn’t want, which weren’t supposed to be there. I was able to find parts of the code that I didn’t want and get rid of them.
In the scriptures, we can find descriptions of people who chose to disobey the commandments, and it is important that we try to remove from our lives the same negative things that they had and should have removed.
I made notes of everything I did as I made all the different changes to the template. This really came in handy when the template suddenly got really messed up and I didn’t know what had happened. I had to start all over with a fresh version of the template and redo everything I did before, and my extensive notes with pieces of code that I had used or removed helped me do that really fast so that I didn’t have to start looking for all the information on the internet again.
Similarly, our journals can be a record we keep of what we are doing so that we can go back and see where we may have gone wrong. I have used my journal this way.
When I finally got to the point that the template looked just as it should in my test blog, I took the plunge and implemented in this blog. It’s hard to describe my feelings of trepidation as waited for it to load (and it loaded soooo slowly that I was sure something had gone terribly wrong). And when it was finally saved and I viewed my new blog.. YAAAAAAY!!!!
The fruits of our careful righteous labors, whether temporal or spiritual, are certainly sweet, especially positive changes we make. Like I said previously, I was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement yesterday after a mere three days of work on this template. I can only imagine how happy I will be when I’ve fully implemented the template of Christ on my life.
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? (John 8:31-33)
26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.
27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and call things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself. (2 Nephi 2:26-27)
34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
(John 8:34-36)
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness….
even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness….
22 ….becom[ing] servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. (Romans 6:16-19,22)
And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives. (Mosiah 5:8)
Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written. (Ether 2:12)
For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth from them unto a remnant of your seed, that the covenant of the Father may be fulfilled which he hath covenanted with his people, O house of Israel; (3 Nephi 21:4)
20 And this shall be my covenant with you, ye shall have it for the land of your inheritance, and for the inheritance of your children forever, while the earth shall stand, and ye shall possess it again in eternity, no more to pass away.
21 But, verily I say unto you that in time ye shall have no king nor ruler, for I will be your king and watch over you.
22 Wherefore, hear my voice and follow me, and you shall be a free people, and ye shall have no laws but my laws when I come, for I am your lawgiver, and what can stay my hand? (D&C 38:20-22)
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. (Galatians 5:1)
1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:
2 And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. (2 Thes. 3:1-2)
(also see
Doctrine & Covenants 134 on beliefs regarding earthly governments and laws)
Image: from Bring the heat, Bring the stupid; http://xbradtc.wordpress.com/2009/06/14/happy-birthday/american-flag/
(Here’s an experience left over from last Christmas in Idaho..)
I was sitting in the Rexburg temple chapel yesterday waiting for the endowment session to start and I was very much impressed by the stained glass window that was in the front of the room. It was a geometric design and for some reason it reminded me of a ladder. I have no idea whether the designers of the window intended it to look like a ladder, but that’s what it looked like to me. I know that many things in the temple are symbolic and are meant to teach truth, and I thought hard, trying to remember where a ladder is talked about in the scriptures. I thought, “Oh! That must be like Jacob’s ladder!”
I couldn’t remember much about the ladder that the patriarch Jacob saw in a dream, so I took one of the Bibles that the temple places plentifully around pews and opened to Genesis. I tell you, I had no idea where in Genesis this story of Jacob’s ladder was found, but somehow I opened right to it—Genesis 28. (Really, the temple is a place where I’ve so often opened the scriptures right to where I need.)
10 ¶ And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran.
11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. (Genesis 28:10-12)
The stained glass window in the temple’s chapel was divided into two identical panels. I looked up from my reading and studied it, imagining angels climbing down one side and climbing up the other. And, to use a scriptural phrase, the eyes of my understanding were opened and I saw that the angels who were descending were coming to earth to be born, and the angels who were ascending were leaving the earth at the end of their mortal life and returning to God to receive their judgment. Essentially Jacob saw a visual representation of the answers to the questions “Where did we come from?” and “Where are we going?”
This must have been something that Jacob had been wondering. He must have wondered just what he had done to get himself into this predicament. Early in chapter 28 he had been sent by Isaac to Padan–aram to take a wife and he was on the way. His brother Esau hated him after the birthright-supplanting incident. Jacob may have been feeling like an outcast and a vagabond and wondering if he had anything to look forward to and wondering what would happen to him with no family around to back him up. (I suppose Jacob's life situation would be similar to a homeless man's.) He must have been wondering if he'd ever be able to return home and see his family in peace. This dream of the ladder gave him a wider view of how his life fit into eternity. His ultimate goal was to return to his Father in Heaven in peace.
There was more to this dream.
13 And, behold, the Lord stood above it [the ladder], and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. (Genesis 28:13-15; bracketed words are mine)
With the angel ladder answering the questions of where he came from and where he was going, the question of what he had to look forward to was answered with the Lord's promise that Jacob would one day inherit the land he was sleeping on, have numberless descendants, and be a blessing to everyone on earth. This promise makes up the Abrahamic covenant of property, progeny, and priesthood. (One of my religion teachers at BYU called them “the 3 Ps”.)
16 ¶ And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.
17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. (Genesis 28:16-17)
Why did Jacob call that place the “house of God”? Because the Lord had made a promise to him and instinctively he recognized that any place where you happen to see the Lord and He makes you a promise is special, and must remain sacred to the memory forever after. A place where the Lord is willing to appear can become a temple, a dwelling place.
Why did Jacob call that place the “gate of heaven”? From his dream of the angel ladder, he realized that earth was the halfway point to returning to God and that the covenant that God made with him was necessary for him to return to heaven.
Why was he afraid? He realized that where much was given, much was now required, and having received greater light, if he sinned against it, he would receive the greater condemnation.
18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
19 And he called the name of that place Beth-el [house of God]: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. (Genesis 28:18-19, bracketed text is mine and comes from the footnote in front of Bethel)
Okay, the above stuff has been sitting in my flash drive for months, because I’ve been puzzled about something. The part that I have been confused about is what comes right after the above verses:
20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
21 So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God:
22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
(Genesis 28:10-22)
The thing that confused me is that here Jacob has just had this dream in which he’s seen angels and he’s seen God and God has made him this great promise, and when he wakes up, he makes a promise that seems backward. “If God will do all these things for me, then He’ll be my God.” He still asks to return to his earthly father in peace, and he’s asking for the blessings before he will give his allegiance. He’s making a deal with God. Highly irregular, if you ask me. You just don’t
do that with God! How could he do that?!
Well, today the thought came to me that Jacob had grown up in the midst of the Canaanites with all their false gods and idols, so maybe he was testing to make sure that the Lord really had power before he would serve Him. But wait, he knew enough to value the birthright blessing, so he surely he already had a testimony. Maybe he was making the promise out of desperation in the moment of extremity. Hmmmm… It may be that we just don’t know exactly what Jacob was promising to change about himself to make the Lord his God, besides paying tithing, and making Bethel a shrine to God.
Of course, the thing about testing God is that He often tests you right back to see if you will do what you promised to do, even if it is hard, once He has done for you what you wanted. The Lord gave him Rachel and Leah and a numerous posterity and much cattle and riches and then… tested his faith as Jacob was about to meet Esau again. (Remember, Jacob left Esau when Esau was in a jealous rage. This is Esau who was coming now to meet Jacob with an army of 400 men and who could very well wipe out Jacob’s entire family and pillage all he had gotten.) It’s not quite clear what this threat to Jacob and his family had to do with Jacob's promise to have the Lord as his God, but it might have something to do with Esau’s previous hostility to things of the Spirit as manifested by his scorn of the birthright and his marriage outside the covenant. Perhaps Esau was strongly “anti” and had no scruples about using force to get his way. (Perhaps the test for Jacob was this-- would he try to conciliate his brother by turning his back on God, or would he cling to God even though his brother appeared to be determined to kill him for it?) It is in this context of uncertainty and danger that Jacob wrestles with an angel (!) for a blessing (!) and wins in spite of getting his leg pulled out of joint (!) and receives the blessing (!) and is given the new name of Israel (Genesis 32:28) which memorializes how he has prevailed with God. Happily, when he meets Esau, all bad feeling seems to have abated. (And certainly, giving massive gifts of cattle to Esau before they met didn’t hurt Jacob’s case.)
Amost as an afterthought, as Genesis 33 ends with Jacob settled in Shechem, we get this little verse:
And he erected there an altar, and called it El-elohe-Israel . (Genesis 33:20)
El-elohe-Israel means “El (God) is the God of Israel”, according to the footnote. God had done all Jacob asked, so Jacob was keeping his end of the deal to give his allegiance to God, sealing it with a sacrifice on an altar named specially for the occasion. (But this was probably only a formality, because the real work had been done by the trial of his faith.)
So what does this teach me? I think it has taught me that it
is permissible to promise to do something for the Lord if He will do something for me. We are used to the idea that if we do what the Lord asks then He will bless us, but we don’t have much experience with promising the Lord something if He will do something for us. Perhaps we need to become more acquainted with this. I know this had made me do some serious thinking. It’s certainly not something one enters into lightly. How about you? What do you really want? What would you promise to do for the Lord for it?
Image credit: 2007 Intellectual Reserve, Meridian Magazine, http://www.meridianmagazine.com/arts/080211temple.html.
I’ve made a discovery which I probably should have made long ago, but which is finally sinking in. The self-defeating thoughts that come to my mind are not from God. They’re from the devil. The thoughts that come into my mind that buffet me about my past sins which I have already repented of are not from God. They’re from the devil. The thoughts that try to make me think that I’m worthless are from the devil. The thoughts that insist that I have screwed up my life and that nothing good I try will work are from the devil.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:11-12)
The principalities and powers that Paul talks about in this verse belong to Satan, the prince and ruler of darkness.
I’m beginning to learn the difference between how Heavenly Father talks to me about my past sins I’ve repented of and how Satan talks to me about my past sins I’ve repented of. Heavenly Father reminds me of the past only to gently warn me from future mistakes, and He’s very mild about it so I’m not pained. Satan knocks me down with past mistakes and beats me with a nail-spiked board until the guilt pools like blood.
It’s Sunday and you’d think I’d be able to rest right? Wrong.
3:30pm and I have been brought to tears by some gritty thoughts that I have no worth. (Even after those fabulous
Ensign articles about the worth of souls!) I cry in my husband’s arms for a few minutes.
6:55pm. I am finishing my dinner and thinking about the lesson I taught the CTR 8 class and I find myself worrying that I was not talking enough to people in church. Soon I am feeling that I am too selfish. Then thoughts begin to come to my mind about a difficult stage I went through a year and a half ago. My past mistakes (already repented of) start replaying in my mind and I am beginning to feel like a terrible person.
(Resistance is futile…) Then somehow it comes to me that I don’t deserve the torture since I’ve already repented, and I think to pray.
Heavenly Father, PLEASE help me resist the bad thoughts! Peace comes immediately.
7:00pm. I am sitting on the couch thinking about how nice it was to be in primary today. The children were so happy and innocent. Then some bitter thoughts creep in and I find myself wishing I could be back at that age again, before I ruined my life.
(Resistance is futile….) WHAT?! I haven’t ruined my life! This is Satan again, trying to make me think I have done something wrong when I haven’t. I pray again for Heavenly Father to help me resist the bad thoughts and I immediately feel peace again.
I’m sure it sounds very much like I have done something terrible, that I’m suffering guilt that is deserved, and that I’m denying that I deserve it. I want to tell you that it is possible to be buffeted by Satan even when you are guiltless. I think Paul knew about this, which is why he wrote about wrestling with Satan and about putting on the armor of God. (If you want to see read about someone else in the scriptures who had to deal with "thought ambushes" from Satan, check out Nephi in 2 Nephi 4 with his "oh wretched man that I am" ruminations.)
In particular, I want to call attention to one of the items Paul listed—
the helmet of salvation. (teacher voice) Class, where does a helmet go? (On the head!) Very good! Class, where do thoughts happen? (In the head!) Very good! So when Satan directs vicious fear-choked thoughts at our mind that tell us that we are lost forever (when we have repented), we must remember that we have repented and that Christ has already covered our sins. We’ve been saved! * pa-TING! * Hear that? That’s the sound of a fiery dart bouncing off the helmet of “I’ve-already-repented-so-I’m-safe”, which is commonly known as the helmet of salvation.
How can I be sure that I don’t deserve suffering from these nasty deprecating thoughts? This is why I need the rest of the armor.
Loins girt about with truth. Knowing correct principles and following them takes care of a lot of doubt that I am in the wrong. Also, being honest and telling the truth to myself and to others “covers my butt”.
The breastplate of righteousness. Living the correct principles I know to be true gives even more conviction and firmness to my living. Further, since it is impossible to commit a bad act and a good act at the same time, living righteously all the time means there is no room in the inn for wickedness.
Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. There are principles that I am imperfect at living, but I am preparing to do better, and I know Heavenly Father will help me, so I can have peace knowing that I will become a better person by following the gospel.
The shield of faith. Heavenly Father won’t give me more than I can handle. It may be more than
I think I can handle, but it won’t be beyond my capability. For every doubt, there is a shield of faith that can meet it.
The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. As it has been pointed out in the Doctrine and Covenants so many times, the word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword to the dividing asunder of both joints and marrow. But this isn’t a sword that you commit hari kari on. It’s for cutting to the heart of a problem. It’s for morally dissecting temptations as if they were a fetal pig in biology class.
To conclude, we must be aware of the source of the opposition we face and realize that Satan is behind it. It takes time for awareness to come, and we don’t know from what quarter we’ll be hit next. So, we must be sure we are..
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints (Ephesians 6:18)
Image from Children of Narcisus, http://www.arachnoid.com/ChildrenOfNarcissus/media_portrayals.html
I am a piano player who is fairly proficient. I like to play to entertain myself every so often. It is also an emotional outlet when I’m frustrated or sad or feeling down.
I have a piano that seems to get out of tune about every six months when the seasons change. The temperature change causes the piano innards to expand or contract and a few pins in the pin block start slipping, causing the tension on the strings to loosen. Soon there are a few notes with strings that have slipped down a half step. The musical result is a discordant mush, especially when the notes that have slipped are around the middle registers. Those notes are always being used and they are very important.
In the past I have tried to get by with having the piano tuned every year, but as I said, strings start sliding out of tune right around the six month point and soon I can’t stand to play because it sounds so terrible.
This happened again today. I sat down to play a particular song that particularly required certain notes, two of which had sunk out of tune, and I found it sounded wretched. I tried to compensate by using a different octave, but that didn’t work. I needed those notes. I had to stop. It hurt to listen to the sound being made.
As I sat there looking at the keys with a fair amount of resentment, the Spirit pointed out to me that Heavenly Father feels the same way about us when we have things that are out of tune in our lives and He tries to do something important with us that especially requires those particular characteristics that we have allowed to slip. Other righteous characteristics can’t compensate for the ones that are out of tune, so that particular “song” goes unplayed until we get ourselves back in tune using repentance.
I thought my piano could get by with a tune-up every year, but it looks like I’ll have to tune it up more often, perhaps every six months. In our lives, how often do we get a repentance tune-up? Annually? Semi-annually? Weekly? Wouldn’t it be best if it were daily?
Tomorrow I’m substitute-teaching the CTR 8 class on the lesson of forgiving one another. I realized that I had a lot of forgiving to do, even though I did a fabulous job of hiding the resentment from myself. I control my anger pretty well (would those qualify as famous last words?) and it is usually on the level of irritation which I can squelch without too much hoo-ha, so I thought I was okay, but today I realized that even though I might not even say anything, and even though I try to forget about it,
I still have to forgive. The wounds
have to be healed.
What in your life is out of tune? I’m not asking you to tell me about it. Just think about it and do some praying about it. What are you allowing to slide in your life that you need to work on?
Image: Piano Tuning in Clay West Virgina, http://gregsgoodsandservices.com/piano%20tuning.htm
48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. (1 Samuel 17:48-50)
I was reading the story of David and Goliath recently and I was impressed by these verses. Goliath, with his six-cubit-one-span height, his helmet, his 5,000-brass-shekel-weight mail coat, his leg shields, his shoulder shield, his weaver’s-beam-like spear and enormous shield (see 1 Samuel 17:4-7) plainly expected that whoever would fight him would fight on his terms with the same weapons. King Saul seemed to be bound by the same expectation, since he tried to arm David with a sword and armor and helmet. How wise of David to say “I cannot go with these, for I have not proved them.” (1 Samuel 17:39) He had not fought that way before so he wasn’t used to it. That wasn’t his area of expertise.
Along with his stunningly profound faith that the Lord would deliver him, David went to face Goliath with the weapon he was comfortable using and had proven to work. This was so unexpected that it seemed laughable, even insulting to Goliath, who expected a high-prestige affair with high-prestige weapons.
One stone. One sling. But the stone hit so hard it broke through Goliath’s skull (and I’ve always wondered whether it went through the helmet as well.)
Nobody knows how much practice David put in, but no doubt he did practice, day after day while herding the sheep. (Read more about the use of slings
here) Likely he never expected to use his skills against a giant. But when the time came and he saw Goliath defying Israel, he was so ready that he didn’t hesitate.
…Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. (1 Samuel 17:32)
What I get from this is that we each have our gifts and abilities that we practice in quiet moments, sometimes in privacy, sometimes in small groups. But we never know when the Lord will call on us to use those gifts at times when many other people feel the obstacles are insurmountable.
Another thing that occurs to me David wasn’t there all those days (40 of them (which may be an exact number or it may be symbolic of a very long time)) when Goliath was insulting the Israelites or blaspheming God. There was a dynamic between the Israelites and Philistines that had been going on for quite a while and which was at an impasse. He was ignorant of the dynamic, so he wasn’t tied to it, and he used his abilities to make a difference.
The Lord can use us to change the dynamics of the situations we enter, and sometimes our ignorance makes us that much more effective, since we haven’t learned to fear what others might be fearing. With Heavenly Father’s help, we can use our talents to make a big difference. Dynamics are changed when we get new callings. Dynamics are changed when we move. Dynamics can be changed when we substitute teach classes at church. Dynamics can be changed in meetings and activities we attend and participate in. Dynamics can be changed in the families we visit teach or home teach. Dynamics can change in our families. Dynamics can be changed in the workplace. We may never know in this life how much of a difference we made in a new situation just by doing our duty and using our talents.
