From time to time I will have a series of guests contribute as we dig into the Psalms. This week we will hear from my dear brother Joel Brown from Mars Hill. Joel and I have been working together at Mars Hill in one way or another since I came to Seattle 9 years ago. He is a record producer, drummer, guitar player, singer, songwriter, sound engineer, the leader of MH band “Red Letter,” and currently serves as my “Director of Band Development.” If that weren’t enough he’s also in our elder process. Here are his thoughts on Psalm 3...

What’s going on in Psalm 3?

This Psalm begins with a note of context: “A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.” David wrote this prayer to the Lord while under an incredible attack on his kingship in the land of Israel. There is far too deep a plot to explain here, but the story (see 2 Samuel 13-19) is well worth the read and gives us a great perspective on Psalm 3. We see David’s abdication as a father, the rape of his daughter Tamar at the hands of her half brother, followed by David’s son Absolom’s fury over the event, and the drama that ensues as David flees Jerusalem from Absolom’s hostile takeover of the country.

At this time, despite his fear, conviction, and shame, David unwaveringly trusts in God. As he’s leaving town, people are throwing rocks and dirt, cursing him saying, “there is no salvation for [him] in God.” David knows that God holds the cards and will deal what he will (2 Samuel 16:5-14). David has a peace in God’s sovereignty. He cries out to the Lord and, freeing him of his anxieties, the Lord allows David to rest in comfort.

David is not our ultimate example

Though David ultimately trusted in God, looking to him as our example is unsufficient—our ultimate example is Jesus, as in all things. Jesus had far greater foes rise against him than David could have imagined. I am reminded of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane praying “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus, living by the Spirit in full submission to the will of the Father, had nothing to fear in what was the most terrifying of human experiences. He was abandoned by everyone. He was wrongfully tried and sentenced to the most gruesome punishment man has conceived. Most importantly, the Father turned his back on the Son and laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6). What could be more terrifying? What could be a heavier weight to carry?

Yet, despite his circumstances, Jesus identified deeply with David’s prayer, “I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.” In complete trust in His Father, He walked in silence to His death, like a lamb that is led to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7)! All of this was brought upon him not as a result of his actions but out of the Father’s wrath, which Jesus willingly accepted in spite of asking that it be removed.

I wrote about this in my song “One Righteous Man,” inspired by Isaiah 53.

Learning how to be more like Jesus through the Psalms...

My first reaction to this Psalm was: Who are my foes? If I’m really honest with myself I don’t really have any ‘foes’ to speak of. Not in the David-against-Absalom/Nation sense anyway.

There isn’t anything inherently wrong with this approach, but if Christ is the center of the scriptures (John 5:39-40), I have to look deeper. Seeing Christ here allows me to have the perspective that God intended when He inspired David.

David’s trust in God is a calm reminder to us all that true rest and peace only comes from God (Matthew 11:28-30; Ephesians 2:14). We often pour ourselves out in an effort to find comfort in created things, but nothing created ever lasts (Isaiah 40:6-8). In thinking about this, I realized that true worship—living every aspect of our lives in full submission to the Father’s will—is comfort and rest and peace and all things that we most deeply desire.

Looking at Jesus’ example, “The fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom” has new meaning (Proverbs 9:10). If you truly fear God you needn't fear anything or anyone else. God is sovereign over all and with complete trust in Him, fear of created things no longer exists. Wisdom is where the fear of the Lord begins and the fear of creation ends.

Father,
Thank you for Your salvation and blessing! Thank you for Your love and steadfastness! Thank you for Your wisdom, which transcends human understanding!
Help me to not fear man and seek comfort in created things. Help me to seek You in all things. Allow this to affect my heart so deeply that I would even willingly and fearlessly go to my death if Your will required.

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“One Righteous Man” written by Joel Brown, performed by Red Letter, taken from the album “Death to Life” available early ’09 from Re:Sound (Resurgence music)

We can assume that Jesus practiced regular times of meditation since He was known as a brilliant teacher with amazing insight and often spent time alone with God the Father. Personally, I wonder if Jesus spent His forty days alone in the wilderness preceding His temptation by Satan meditating on Deuteronomy; He responds to Satan’s temptations by quoting from Deuteronomy, which was obviously at the forefront of His mind.

Meditation has also been a common practice of all branches of Christianity throughout the history of the church. For example, the Puritans were masters at meditation. The lengthy Puritan sermons normally only explored a verse or two of Scripture but did so in a deep and thorough way in an effort to help people learn to meditate deeply on Scripture for themselves. Some Puritan pastors even said that they were more interested in how much Scripture their people understood and obeyed than how much Scripture their people read. They were not discouraging Scripture reading, but acknowledging that sometimes people read too much too fast and remember and apply too little. Slowing down to meditate can be beneficial.

Practically, there are some steps that can be helpful for Christian meditation:

1. Pray for the Holy Spirit to teach you Scripture, convict you of sin, and give you a heart to lovingly obey Jesus.
2. Memorize a word, verse, phrase, chapter, or scene of Scripture that bites you.
3. Write it out in your own words, seeking to grasp the full meaning of what is said.
4. Ask yourself what is revealed about God.
5. Repent of any sin that the Holy Spirit convicts you of.
6. Pray for anyone or anything that the Holy Spirit brings to mind.
7. Determine what God would have you to do in obedience to His Word.

Summary

Meditation is not complicated or mysterious. It can be done anywhere at any time by anyone with a heart to know God better and become more like Jesus. The result is that God the Holy Spirit will honor our time and make the written Word become for us a living Word that transforms our hearts, minds, and lives.

Pastor Tim Interviews Lecrae from Mars Hill Church on Vimeo.

It's cool to see people reaching their culture for Jesus in whatever way they can. You can tell that Lacrae is passionate about seeing Jesus worshiped and lives changed. When I went to see him perform live, I felt slightly uncomfortable jumping up and down with the rest of the crowd, but, when I looked around me and saw hundreds of people praising Jesus and they were preaching the Gospel in a way the whole crowd grasped—I was amazed.

Who are the people around you that need Jesus?
What does it look like to be a comic book geek for Jesus? A Nascar Dad for Jesus? A YMCA volunteer for Jesus?

More:
Doxologist: Acoustic Jam / Hip-Hop Jam

On March 25-27, 2008 Resurgence held our 2008 National Conference titled Text & Context at Mars Hill Church's Ballard Campus. Mars Hill's worship pastor Tim Smith had the chance to sit down with Bob Kauflin, who is the Director of Worship Development for Sovereign Grace Ministries. In between sessions, we had the opportunity to take advantage of our studio and record some interviews. Please watch and enjoy this interview with Bob, as Pastor Tim asks him about his life and his church.

You can see all of the interviews here as they become available.

On March 25-27, 2008 Resurgence held our 2008 National Conference titled Text & Context at Mars Hill Church's Ballard Campus. Mars Hill's worship pastor Tim Smith had the chance to sit down with Bob Kauflin, who is the Director of Worship Development for Sovereign Grace Ministries. In between sessions, we had the opportunity to take advantage of our studio and record some interviews. Please listen and enjoy this interview with Matt, as Pastor Tim asks him about his life and his church.

You can see all of the interviews here as they become available.

Registration is now closed for the Text & Context Conference. For those of you who are coming, here's a taste of the Building Missional Worship Bands session.

John 4:16-26

If people are spiritually asleep you have to shock them, startle them, scandalize them, if you want them to hear what you say. Jesus was especially good at this. When he wants to teach us something about worship he uses a whore. "Go call your husband!" "I don't have a husband." "That's right. But you've had five, and the man you sleep with now is not your husband." She was shocked. We're shocked. But Jesus simply sits there on the edge of the well with his hands folded, looking at the woman with razors in his eyes ready to teach us about worship.

The first thing we learn is that worship has to do with real life. It is not a mythical interlude in a week of reality. Worship has to do with adultery and hunger and racial conflict. Jesus is bone-weary from the journey, hot, sweaty, thirsty--and he decides: "Yes, even now, just now I will seek someone to worship God--a harlot, a Samaritan adulteress.

On September 17 and 18 Mars Hill Church hosted the Resurgence Fall Conference title: Continuous Worship. In this, the fourth of four main sessions, listen as Pastor Tim Smith walks us through how it looks to live lives of worship that focus on Jesus and seek to redeem the culture around us.

On September 17 and 18 Mars Hill Church hosted the Resurgence Fall Conference title: Continuous Worship. In this, the fourth of four main sessions, watch as Pastor Tim Smith walks us through how it looks to live lives of worship that focus on Jesus and seek to redeem the culture around us.

Question 122 - What is the first petition?

Answer - Hallowed be Thy Name. That is: Grant us first of all that we may rightly know Thee,¹ and sanctify, glorify, and praise Thee in all Thy works, in which shine forth Thy almighty power, wisdom, goodness, righteousness, mercy, and truth.² Grant us also that we may so direct our whole life-- our thoughts, words, and actions-- that Thy Name is not blasphemed because of us but always honoured and praised.³

¹ Jer. 9:23-24; 31:33-34; Matt. 16:17; John 17:3. ² Ex. 34:5-8; Ps. 145; Jer. 32:16-20; Luke 1:46-55, 68-75; Rom. 11:33-36. ³ Ps. 115:1; Matt. 5:16.