“No if, ands or buts”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Friday, January 21, 2022
Psalm 31 (Forward, p. 84) CEV p. 572
Over the years I have constantly amazed by the older editions of Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. I have a copy, which I still use, that must be over fifty years old and in it is recorded every single word found in the King James Version of the Bible. Yes, even down to the point of ‘the’s’ and ‘but’s’ and ‘ands,’ and that without the benefit of computers and their capability to do word searches. You might wonder, as I have, what the benefit is of itemizing such seemingly unimportant and inconsequential words, words such as ‘but.’
However, in today’s passage, I could not help but notice the four occasions on which that small word showed up:
“I hate the worshippers of worthless idols, but I trust you, Lord” (v. 6);
“I hear the crowds whisper, ‘Everyone is afraid!’ They are plotting and scheming to murder me. But I trust you, Lord, and I claim you as my God. My life is in your hands. Save me from enemies who hunt me down” (verses 13-15);
“I was terrified and thought, ‘They’ve chased me far away from you!’ But you answered my prayer when I shouted for help” (verse 22);
“All who belong to the Lord, show how you love him. The Lord protects the faithful, but he severely punishes everyone who is proud” (verse 23).
In none of these cases is the word ‘but’ inconsequential or unimportant, for in each one of these the psalmist, David, has set up a contrast. The series of contrasts is quite stark, and quite telling, for he compares and contrasts a trust in God, a dependence upon God, with the alternatives:
a) Trusting in God, or in, as he puts it, ‘worthless idols’;
b) Putting his life, his future, in God’s hands, or allowing himself to be
afraid for his life and begin to despair because of the massive array
of foes plotting his downfall and destruction;
c) Remaining confident in the Lord’s presence, and protection, versus
despairing when everything seems to be going wrong and God seems distant;
d) Loving God, and remaining in a humble, respectful relationship with Him, versus being proud and puffed up and trying to manage entirely on one’s own, trusting in one’s own wisdom, strength and resources.
All of this comes down to a matter of trust, of choosing whether to trust in (or be swayed, and be upset or daunted) by the obvious, visible forces and entities of our world, forces and entities that are temporal and temporary and that ebb and flow over time, or to trust in Almighty God who, while unseen, still stands and lasts forever and who forever is trustworthy and true and keeps His promises. There are no ‘ifs, ands or buts’ about that. Amen.
Forward notes: “Love the LORD, all you who worship him; the LORD protects the faithful, but repays to the full those who act haughtily. Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD” (verses 23-24).
“I always want to win an argument, especially if I know I’m right about something. In the moment of argument, I’m less concerned about the details than I am concerned with the outcome, the win.
“When I sit with God’s grace and mercy, through scripture, I understand that I’m not being courageous if I am haughty and self-assured in my rightness. My courage comes from listening, even if I do not agree. Listening takes patience. Listening takes courage. As we wait for the end of their reasoning, we are waiting in patience. We are waiting on the Lord.
“I believe God will reveal what needs to be uncovered if we listen attentively to different perspectives. Maybe we will even learn something about ourselves.”
MOVING FORWARD: “Invite someone to lunch or dinner and listen to their story, without interruption.”
