Monday, June 21, 2010

World's Strongest Man - What a Joke



So this week is our longest Psalm yet - Psalm 18

As you all know, one of my favorite sports series ever to be invented is the World's strongest Man Competition. This might be because I could probably be labeled as one of the weakest men ever to walk the earth, or maybe it's just that I am fascinated with the fact that there is a man on this planet with a bicep larger than my head. With that said, it is miraculous how impressed people get when they see a man pull a train, tow a aircraft, flip a car, or throw massive objects a few feet in the air. No offense if your dream is to become one of these people, but seriously - it's not as impressive as I always thought it was. I mean, have any of these men calmed a raging sea? Have they pulled a man out of a wheelchair and told him to walk? Have they ever harnessed the power of an electrical storm or a tornado (which would just be awesome)? Or ... wait ... maybe they were the ones to create the entire universe and hold it in the palm of their hand. Oh yeah, that wasn't them - that was God.

Verses 1-15 It is remarkable how fragile the human body is. We, on a basic level, rely on air, water, and food - without which we cannot exist. There are several organs in your body that would cause you to die if they were absent - not to mention the thousands of diseases and illnesses that account for a majority of the deaths on this planet. Sometimes I consider it a miracle that I'm still alive today. The list goes on and on - just like you and me, each of the "strongest men in the world" are subject to the same sensitivity of life. Moving on, King David points out the fact that GOD IS STRONG. There is no word in the English dictionary to explain the power, might, and majesty that is the Father. This strength is your fortress, this might is your foundation, this power is your refuge. When I read verses like Romans 8:31 (For if God is for us, who can be against us ...), I consider the facts of who God is and what he is capable of. David says that God has thwarted the enemies, that they are no match for who He is ... but why? Well, let me tell you ... His breath is as fire, the Earth quakes at his presence, the mountains tremble at his glimpse, He is as swift as the wind - and apparently he can ride it too, He has authority over thunder and all of the Earth, hailstones and coal pour out from the power of his voice, the sea and the world give ear to his commands, and he loves us so very much. That's a God of power and of safety.

Verses 15-29 How true is this - that God has come to your rescue. No matter the predicament or situation, God has made it a point to pursue and protect those who eagerly follow him. When I graduated High School, our principal knew the severity of the sin that most of the guy students were struggling with. In all of our diploma's he placed his phone number and told us boys - "you get one call. No question's asked. Anytime. Anywhere. I will come to get you." As much as I appreciate it, I love how with God, the calls are endless - he doesn't just give us one chance, but he promises to come to the rescue as many times as we need it. Even the World's Strongest Man needs a rescue from time to time - it might as well be the mighty God we just talked about above.

Verse 30 I absolutely love this - and it's a verse I've been looking forward to sharing with you guys. God's way is perfect. There's nothing more to be said about it. In life, you will find things that bring you 80% happiness or maybe 60% joy ... But God's way has a guarantee of 100% satisfaction. I like this as well. A lot of people consider the word to be binding - like hand cuffs for the soul maybe. But I will tell you this, that the word will always prove true. If you give God's way a shot - truly pour all that you can into it - it will repay you with an overflow of joy, happiness, and contentment. Booyah.

Verses 31-50 I don't want to go too much longer, but this section reminds me of a verse from a song - "God is my victory, and He is here." All the triumph and glory that David received, he accredited to God. All the victories he had, he shared with God (after all, God was the reason for those victories). The fact of the matter is that God truly is all that this passage claims Him to be - are you relying on this or on something else. Is your fortress in God or in something else? Well you all know what the answer should be ... Nuff Said.

World's Strongest Man? We skipped over a lot in this passage. I encourage you to read it more than once - it's a very powerful chapter in Psalms. Over all, there are so many people in the world who put their trust in things like the World's Strongest Man. People are impressed that a man can tow an airplane, when the world he tows it on was made by a much much mightier God. Are you impressed by who God is and what He is capable of?


Boom! Explosion!
-Chris

2 comments:

Unknown said...

niceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
-ray matranga

Unknown said...

that is rally amazing