Day 15: Psalm 126

I have always found the passion and worship in the Psalms to be inspiring. In America, we are often reserved and rational, and the Psalms confront our civilized tone.

In 2 Samuel 6, David says that “He will become even more undignified than this,” in regards to worshiping God. As you read through the Psalms, you encounter this undignified state David has. He has no filter, no sense of embarrassment, he is leaving his dignity at the door. I’ve always loved Psalm 126, a song of ascent, which is a Psalm that weary travelers would sing as they would head to Jerusalem for a religious festival. Given the nature of Holy Week, it’s been on my mind.

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations,  “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us,  and we are filled with joy. -Psalm 126:1-3

I wonder why I can’t be more like this. They were this passionate over inheriting land, shouldn’t I be that much more so over Jesus’ resurrection? There is something about quarantine that makes us lose some dignity. We joke about it, but no one is getting a haircut, natural hair colors are showing, and sweatpants have become standard office attire. If this keeps going will we become even more undignified than this? Perhaps losing some of our dignity like David is a good thing. Maybe it will make us less inhibited when we come into the presence of God for worship or in private study. We often think of “deep Christianity” as someone who knows more, yet the Psalms teach us that it is those who can worship God with emotion and an emotional connection to what God has done who really get it.

In the quietness of your soul, or out loud, would you take a moment to declare “the Lord has done great things?”

Jared