Jump Start # 3851
Psalm 123:3-4 Be gracious to us, O Lord, be gracious to us, for we are greatly filled with contempt. Our soul is greatly filled with the scoffing of those who are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.”
In our verse today, the Psalmist reveals that his soul is filled. Twice the expression, “greatly filled,” is used. We often hear in sermons the need to be filled with joy or to saturate ourselves with the word of God. But, much too often, before we can be filled with the goodness of God, we must first empty our souls. What filled the soul of the Psalmist in our passage was not good things. His soul was filled with contempt. His soul was filled with the scoffing of others. He was holding in his heart the awful things being said. And, we do the same. We’ll forget a compliment, but we’ll remember criticism for decades.
Sometimes our souls are stuffed full, like a belly on Thanksgiving Day, with worry. And, worry quickly leads to fear and fear always invites doubt to tag along. When things do not go well, we tend to think the worst, not the best. And, because our souls are filled to the brim, there just isn’t any room for joy in our hearts. We sit through sermons hearing about the importance of being filled with spiritual things and we wonder why our lives are not like that. It’s very simple. There just isn’t any more room in our souls. We must empty our souls of the stuff that holds us down, so we can then fill our souls with righteousness and love of the Lord.
Now, just how does one empty a soul? Sounds good in theory, but how is it done? I can empty a bucket of water. I can empty a bag of M & Ms. Some days, I empty my wallet of what money I had in it. But, how does one empty their soul?
First, it begins with trusting the Lord. When we focus upon our problems, that is all that we see. Our problems can seem greater than we are. When we dwell upon the hateful things some say about us, we just can’t think of anything else. But, when we realize that the Lord is greater than any problem we will ever face, then a peace and a calm begins to fill our souls. We pray that our problems go away. God doesn’t always answer that prayer the way we want Him to. There are times when it is in our best interest to travel through those long, dark valleys. There are lessons we learn there. They make us rely more heavily upon the Lord. We have no idea what tomorrow will bring to us. However, God is already in tomorrow. And, as long as I am with Him, I’ll get through it. We want to have all the answers. We won’t. We want to know outcomes. We often will never know. We demand to know why, and there are times when we won’t know why. Trusting God is the beginning of emptying your soul of the stuff that doesn’t need to be there.
Second, shifting your attention from the contempt and scoffing to the goodness of the Lord begins a rapid emptying of the junk that has filled our soul. God hasn’t scoffed at us. God hasn’t let us down. God hasn’t been mean to us. Why do I care what others say? Why do I care if others like me? God does and He is the one that will bring me safely home to Him. Part of this mental, emotional and spiritual shifting is accomplished through prayer. This is what Psalm 123 really is. The chapter begins with, “To You I lift up my eyes.” Then, “Our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He is gracious to us.” The filled soul is found twice in this chapter. The graciousness of God is found three times.
When we focus upon the meanness of others, we tend to start thinking mean things in return. Our hearts and our minds do not soar with the Lord. Instead, we think of saying things in return that are intended to hurt. We spread gossip. We get in the mud with those who are not walking with the Lord. Our souls quickly become filled with anger. The graciousness of the Lord. The help of the Lord. Filled with those things, and your spirit, attitude, hope changes.
Third, understanding the ways of the Lord leads to a soul filled with the love, hope and peace of God. In our passage, the soul of the Psalmist was filled with things that the proud and those who are at ease were saying. Yet, those who are at ease are living on a house built upon the sand. Things are smooth in their lives. Things are good, at least for now. We know where walking with the Lord takes us. We know that the way of the Lord is right. The proud do not listen. The proud believe they have things all figured out. We know better. We know it’s the heart of the humble that seeks the Lord. We know that the humble can learn, change and help others. The proud is too good for others. The proud is only interested in self. And, it is that false path that the proud walk down that will take them away from the Lord. The proud never realizes until it is too late that a house built upon the sand cannot withstand the storms of life. His house crashes and he has nothing to hold on to.
Empty your soul so you can fill it with the things of God. It is not enough to just empty your soul. Walking about with an empty soul is not much better than having a soul filled with the wrong things.
Be gracious to us, O Lord.
Roger