Ponder Anew – Week Two

Praise to the Lord, who will prosper your work and defend you;
surely his goodness and mercy shall daily attend you.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
if with his love he befriends you.
~Joachim Neander, Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

Have you ever noticed how quickly our perspective can switch? We can be looking at the same thing, from the same place, interacting with the same people, but something inside of us shifts, and everything is different. Some days the shift is toward the positive, and other days it’s a downward spiral. 

Years ago, I did a study on the Old Testament word translated as “lovingkindness.” I discovered that this particular aspect of God’s love, often highlighted in the Psalms, encompasses tangible and expressive love. Lovingkindness shows itself today, right now. It occurs when God intervenes in our circumstances or shines His hope into the midst of darkness and despair. 

Let me give you one example. In Psalm 31, David declares that God is his refuge. Even though his enemies are focused on destroying him, David finds strength in God. In this song of praise, the term lovingkindness is used three times. First, in verse 7, “I will rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness, because You have seen my affliction; You have known the troubles of my soul.” (NASB) God’s character brings comfort. David knows that God not only sees him, but He sees the struggle in the depths of his soul. 

Then in verse 16, David cries out for God to deliver him from the enemy, “Make Your face to shine upon Your servant; save me in Your lovingkindness.” Despite the distress he is experiencing, David has not stopped believing in God’s power. He knows that His God can work miracles, battle the enemy, and strengthen him in his weakness. 

Lastly, in verse 21, David praises God, crying out. “Blessed be the LORD, for He has made marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged city.” We don’t know what happened the day David penned this psalm, but we know that he experienced the tangible expression of God’s love in the middle of a siege. David shifted from focusing on the enemy to centering his eyes on God.

Recently, I find myself wondering about the pain and chaos in our world and the challenges in my personal life. It is easy to question where God is and doubt His goodness. But He invites you and me to recall His lovingkindness and place our hope in Him. 

I find this mindset takes great intentionality. We tend to drift toward the negative. Often we become numb, desensitized, or hopeless. Instead of anticipating God’s lovingkindness, our spiritual eyes are clouded. 

Jesus speaks to this in a famous speech known as The Sermon on the Mount. Listen to how The Message expresses this teaching, “Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a musty cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!” (Matthew 6:22-23 MSG)

I am always amazed at the parallels between our physical life and spiritual life. When our physical eyes are injured, dry, or have something in of them – it impacts our vision to a high degree. A few years ago, my eye doctor and I discussed my dry eyes. She suggested that I use eye drops every evening instead of waiting until my eyes are irritated. While I cannot say that my issues with dry eyes have disappeared completely, when I daily take care of my eyes, I no longer wake up so scratchy that tears are running down my face. 

In the same way, we have to take care of our spiritual eyes. If we want to have a bright life full of love and joy, we must continually look to our Heavenly Father. We need to remind ourselves of His character, trust His lovingkindness, and anticipate His goodness. Clear, open spiritual eyes today prepare us for the abundant life God has for each of us.