Joy in Discernment

Last night at Bible Study, one of the things that really stuck with me was what Jill had to say. She noticed that the fruits of the spirit, peace, patience, kindness, joy, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control, are fruits of the Spirit. The Spirit which is from God is characterized by all those things. I agree that I often forget to envision God as joyful and gentle. But as Jill said, "He is. He made puppies!" ;o)

And today I came to the scripture rather downhearted, seeking wisdom and discernment. But I was surprised by what I saw... praise and joy in the Lord. And the Psalm taught me of a new way to go about the decision-making process, to find the joy in discernment when guided by the Lord.

Maybe you need a little background about my situation. After the wedding in June where we were announced as O'Donnell Christoffersen, Brad and I discussed his name some more. He decided that he was uncomfortable with the name change, so only I would change my name. I went to the SS office to have my name changed to O'Donnell Christoffersen, but it was 3 letters too long to fit as a double last name. So we've been talking about whether I should stick with O'Donnell or change to Christoffersen, and this past week Brad said he preferred I'd take Christoffersen because he'd prefer to share a last name. While we still could share a name informally, him telling me that changes things, because he never told me he preferred that before. Yesterday the school has told me that for employment purposes it's better for me to change now than mid-semester. So, I came to the scripture this morning confused and wanting an easy answer.

But the Psalm gave me something much more precious...


Who God Is

1 Shout with joy to God, all the earth!
2 Sing the glory of his name;
make his praise glorious!

3 Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power
that your enemies cringe before you.

4 All the earth bows down to you;
they sing praise to you,
they sing praise to your name."
Selah

5 Come and see what God has done,
how awesome his works in man's behalf!

6 He turned the sea into dry land,
they passed through the waters on foot—
come, let us rejoice in him. (Psalm 66:1-6)

So when I just wanted an answer from God, when I was upset by the difficulty and seeming permanence of the decision, this Psalm reminded me of who I was going to for help. I mean, the God almighty who is deserving of every praise! He made the earth, so the earth bows before Him and is at His command. He not only controls the earth but also the seas, and He dried the sea for His people to pass safely through.

When I read these words, I was at first ashamed. I was coming to some 'god' with a small 'g' for an answer in the 'right now' sense... without realizing that I was really meant to come humbly before the GOD who is the Great I AM whose name for centuries was considered too powerful and amazing to be uttered. Perhaps that is why they held that tradition, so that they would remember, before coming before ____ that He is unlike the ones we can name. This amazing Lord who is our counselor and guide is the Creator of the Universe. And He cares for us! There is joy in the fact that our gentle Father invites us to come to Him, 'ye who are weary and heavy laden,' and 'cast all our cares upon Him.' Yet, there is more joy when we recognize who we are coming before.


What He Does

16 Come and listen, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me.

17 I cried out to him with my mouth;
his praise was on my tongue.

18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;

19 but God has surely listened
and heard my voice in prayer.

20 Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld his love from me! (Psalm 66:16-20)

This second part of the same Psalm is one that I have always appreciated, especially the first verse: "let me tell you what God has done for me." When we're confronted with a new challenge, a new difficulty, a new problem, a new decision, it's so easy to forget the past. We want to move on, solve the problem and get to the next problem as soon as possible. But I hear in this psalm this morning, the value of recounting what has happened in the past- the blessings, the times when God has listened to our prayer and what He has done for us.

Just recently, the director of the SLAT PhD program Dr. Waugh told me about an opportunity to be a Graduate Associate of Teaching for an introductory linguistics course. It seemed too good to be true, just the sort of thing I was interested in teaching some day, and at the moment when I was feeling unsure about my decision to enter the program. But God did indeed grant me this opportunity, and I feel so blessed. Graduate school is a blessing that is not possible for everyone, teach and earn an income is not an opportunity everyone has. And this opportunity to teach a subject I find fascinating is so good... and I know I have only to thank my Father for His good gifts.


What He Will Do & What We Will Do

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine upon us,
Selah
2 that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.

3 May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you.

4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples justly
and guide the nations of the earth.
Selah

5 May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you.

6 Then the land will yield its harvest,
and God, our God, will bless us.

7 God will bless us,
and all the ends of the earth will fear him. (Psalm 67:1-7)

And God will bless us. We don't know exactly in what ways, but at least in the ultimate way, the way we need most- His saving grace. And that is the most precious gift that we could ever ask for. So, we can rest knowing that we are abundantly blessed, even if we don't receive other blessings which we ask for.

And we have a part too, we are to praise the Lord, for He is good. And in our genuine praise, we are joyful.

Through reflecting on who the Lord is, what He has done for us, and what He will do, we find the joy in discernment. And we are ready to come before the Lord, humbly, joyfully, praising Him.