Pastor's
Weekly Sermon
Lent 1B Feb 21, 2021
Psalm 25:1-10
God’s GPS
Neuroscientist Sue Barry wore a hat with a magnet in it every time she went out.
No, she wasn’t trying to deflect impulses from UFOs. She was hoping it would help her improve her sense of direction, which had always been poor.
Barry’s husband, who is also a scientist, rigged up the magnetic hat and set it so that it buzzed every time she turned north. After wearing the hat around town, she began to anticipate not just which way north was, but also “how things connect,” she says.
She eventually swapped her buzzing magnetic hat for a smartphone GPS app, also developed by her husband, that vibrates when facing north. These devices really helped her.
She began associating certain streets and landmarks with north due to the cues from the hat and the phone, and from there she could make connections about which streets were parallel and which ones intersected.
Her direction-finding skills improved dramatically with the help of these direction finding devices.
All of this is leading up to our look at Psalm 25, where the psalmist prays, “Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.” In effect, the psalmist is asking God to help him with his sense of spiritual direction and to build a spiritual map that shows him the Lord’s ways and paths.
To use a modern metaphor, the psalmist is praying for a spiritual GPS.
Traveling God’s path implies movement and direction, a response to God’s word, and a way of living that pleases God. In the Psalms, “path” often refers to the kind of conduct prescribed by the Scripture, especially in the laws of Moses.
The Mosaic laws and the books containing them, the first five books of the Bible, were called the Torah—The basic meaning of Torah is “instructions for living a happy and Godly life.”
So, by praying, “Make known to me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth …” the psalmist is asking for instruction in traveling God’s way.
Then Psalm 25 tells us specific things about the path to God.
First, it tells us that the godly path is not necessarily a way that we know intuitively.
When the psalmist prays, in verse 4, “Make me to know your ways … teach me your paths,” he seems to be acknowledging that the path of the Lord is not always obvious, but rather a direction that needs to be studied out, discerned, and discovered.
Sometimes, we learn about God’s path only when we have walked too far on another path and discovered that it led to trouble. So, we beat a hasty retreat, and finally call out to God for direction, and by doing that, we encounter Jesus as our traveling companion.
The psalmist acknowledges that God’s way is a path that sinners are always invited to walk: “God … instructs sinners in the way,” the psalmist says in verse 8.
And the good news is that the psalmist tells us, in verse 10, that all the ways of God are characterized by steadfast love and faithfulness for those who follow his instruction.
One thing the psalmist is sure about: The way of the Lord is a good way.
In Psalm 25, of course, the writer is speaking of the instruction provided by a loving God, so we, his children, can find the right direction in this confusing world.
The psalmist opens by praying, “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul”. Clearly the psalmist knew where the right trailhead to God’s pathway begins! The path begins by first stopping before we set our direction, and lifting our hearts and mind to God for guidance.
In his book about Inner Navigation, writer Erik Jonsson touts the advantages of the cognitive map, or an inner picture of our surroundings. He writes that it is a map that “is tailor made for us, showing only what we need to see.”
In contrast, “a street map,” says Jonsson, “shows mostly what we don’t need, and it takes quite a bit of practice in map reading to use it efficiently, to get past the wealth of useless information and find what one actually needs.”
Street maps and their intellectual equivalent — general knowledge — have their place, of course, and we draw from our general knowledge in living our lives every day.
But the way of the Lord is a special application of knowledge that is guided by the Holy Spirit. So we need God’s help to develop our spiritual abilities and orient ourselves on God’s path. That’s the task and goal of our Lenten journey—to orient ourselves on God’s path.
So how do we do that? Here are three ways:
First, make it a matter of prayer. “To pray is to change,” says Richard Foster, who has written extensively about the spiritual practices that help us grow. “Prayer is the central avenue God uses to change us,” Foster adds.
This answers the question about why we should pray, even when God already knows our needs. We should pray because God uses prayer to change us—to reorient us.
In fact, Foster says: “If we are unwilling to change direction, we will abandon prayer finding it useless in our lives.”
And in Psalm 25, the psalmist even gives us some words to use in these prayers: “Make known to me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth …”
If you find praying difficult — and a great many of us do, including me at times — you might try this during Lent: Spend some time reading and praying the prayers others have written. Sometimes it’s helpful and uplifting to browse thru a book of prayer or a daily devotional.
Or you can make your quest for a spiritual map a matter of Scripture reading. During Lent, select a passage each day of no more than 10-12 verses from the gospels or psalms. Read it not to focus on what the passage meant to the original audience, but what God might say through it to you.
As you read, notice if a word, phrase, or verse stands out to you about your life right now. Pastor Lynn usually says some word or phrase is “shining” at her; and she stops to pay attention to it. If you find something “shining” at you, trust that Shining and pause and appreciate the insight, feeling or understanding, and realize that what you’ve just noticed is likely a landmark or a sign post on your inner journey. You’ve just found something that will help you find the Lord’s way as you travel.
Now, mark that passage. Yes, it’s OK to write in your Bible. I like to highlight and date Scripture verses that seem to speak to me.
Then go back and read the passage again because it will have a fuller meaning the second time thru. Pause again and think about what happened. And then follow your contemplation with prayer of thanksgiving.
This exercise has a name. It’s called “Lectio Divina” which translates as “Divine Reading” or “Spiritual Reading”. It isn’t reading to gain knowledge, but it’s reading that will help you have a conversation with God. It will help your spiritual way-finding skills, as one of the psalms tells us: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). We’re using God’s word as a light on our path to illuminate the way forward.
Third, this being Lent, consider how fasting might help you in your spiritual orienteering. As you probably know, there are several levels of fasting. You can go without all food--but not water-- for a set period or you can do a partial fast, perhaps omitting a single meal one day a week, with many other possibilities in between.
Whatever level you choose, the point is to consider how the fast helps you focus on matters, (besides food,) that you might not have focused on otherwise … to help you hear things from God you might not have otherwise heard.
If you want to improve your ability to find your way on the streets and highways these days, you don’t have to wear a magnetic hat. Wearable devices, like GPS and smart watches, can provide you with directions on the streets and highways.
But for finding the Lord’s path for your life--You can’t beat prayer, Bible-reading and fasting. Please give them a try for the 40 days of Lent and beyond.
If you do, you’ll find God’s pathways opening up before you!
Amen!
Psalm 25:1-10
God’s GPS
Neuroscientist Sue Barry wore a hat with a magnet in it every time she went out.
No, she wasn’t trying to deflect impulses from UFOs. She was hoping it would help her improve her sense of direction, which had always been poor.
Barry’s husband, who is also a scientist, rigged up the magnetic hat and set it so that it buzzed every time she turned north. After wearing the hat around town, she began to anticipate not just which way north was, but also “how things connect,” she says.
She eventually swapped her buzzing magnetic hat for a smartphone GPS app, also developed by her husband, that vibrates when facing north. These devices really helped her.
She began associating certain streets and landmarks with north due to the cues from the hat and the phone, and from there she could make connections about which streets were parallel and which ones intersected.
Her direction-finding skills improved dramatically with the help of these direction finding devices.
All of this is leading up to our look at Psalm 25, where the psalmist prays, “Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.” In effect, the psalmist is asking God to help him with his sense of spiritual direction and to build a spiritual map that shows him the Lord’s ways and paths.
To use a modern metaphor, the psalmist is praying for a spiritual GPS.
Traveling God’s path implies movement and direction, a response to God’s word, and a way of living that pleases God. In the Psalms, “path” often refers to the kind of conduct prescribed by the Scripture, especially in the laws of Moses.
The Mosaic laws and the books containing them, the first five books of the Bible, were called the Torah—The basic meaning of Torah is “instructions for living a happy and Godly life.”
So, by praying, “Make known to me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth …” the psalmist is asking for instruction in traveling God’s way.
Then Psalm 25 tells us specific things about the path to God.
First, it tells us that the godly path is not necessarily a way that we know intuitively.
When the psalmist prays, in verse 4, “Make me to know your ways … teach me your paths,” he seems to be acknowledging that the path of the Lord is not always obvious, but rather a direction that needs to be studied out, discerned, and discovered.
Sometimes, we learn about God’s path only when we have walked too far on another path and discovered that it led to trouble. So, we beat a hasty retreat, and finally call out to God for direction, and by doing that, we encounter Jesus as our traveling companion.
The psalmist acknowledges that God’s way is a path that sinners are always invited to walk: “God … instructs sinners in the way,” the psalmist says in verse 8.
And the good news is that the psalmist tells us, in verse 10, that all the ways of God are characterized by steadfast love and faithfulness for those who follow his instruction.
One thing the psalmist is sure about: The way of the Lord is a good way.
In Psalm 25, of course, the writer is speaking of the instruction provided by a loving God, so we, his children, can find the right direction in this confusing world.
The psalmist opens by praying, “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul”. Clearly the psalmist knew where the right trailhead to God’s pathway begins! The path begins by first stopping before we set our direction, and lifting our hearts and mind to God for guidance.
In his book about Inner Navigation, writer Erik Jonsson touts the advantages of the cognitive map, or an inner picture of our surroundings. He writes that it is a map that “is tailor made for us, showing only what we need to see.”
In contrast, “a street map,” says Jonsson, “shows mostly what we don’t need, and it takes quite a bit of practice in map reading to use it efficiently, to get past the wealth of useless information and find what one actually needs.”
Street maps and their intellectual equivalent — general knowledge — have their place, of course, and we draw from our general knowledge in living our lives every day.
But the way of the Lord is a special application of knowledge that is guided by the Holy Spirit. So we need God’s help to develop our spiritual abilities and orient ourselves on God’s path. That’s the task and goal of our Lenten journey—to orient ourselves on God’s path.
So how do we do that? Here are three ways:
First, make it a matter of prayer. “To pray is to change,” says Richard Foster, who has written extensively about the spiritual practices that help us grow. “Prayer is the central avenue God uses to change us,” Foster adds.
This answers the question about why we should pray, even when God already knows our needs. We should pray because God uses prayer to change us—to reorient us.
In fact, Foster says: “If we are unwilling to change direction, we will abandon prayer finding it useless in our lives.”
And in Psalm 25, the psalmist even gives us some words to use in these prayers: “Make known to me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth …”
If you find praying difficult — and a great many of us do, including me at times — you might try this during Lent: Spend some time reading and praying the prayers others have written. Sometimes it’s helpful and uplifting to browse thru a book of prayer or a daily devotional.
Or you can make your quest for a spiritual map a matter of Scripture reading. During Lent, select a passage each day of no more than 10-12 verses from the gospels or psalms. Read it not to focus on what the passage meant to the original audience, but what God might say through it to you.
As you read, notice if a word, phrase, or verse stands out to you about your life right now. Pastor Lynn usually says some word or phrase is “shining” at her; and she stops to pay attention to it. If you find something “shining” at you, trust that Shining and pause and appreciate the insight, feeling or understanding, and realize that what you’ve just noticed is likely a landmark or a sign post on your inner journey. You’ve just found something that will help you find the Lord’s way as you travel.
Now, mark that passage. Yes, it’s OK to write in your Bible. I like to highlight and date Scripture verses that seem to speak to me.
Then go back and read the passage again because it will have a fuller meaning the second time thru. Pause again and think about what happened. And then follow your contemplation with prayer of thanksgiving.
This exercise has a name. It’s called “Lectio Divina” which translates as “Divine Reading” or “Spiritual Reading”. It isn’t reading to gain knowledge, but it’s reading that will help you have a conversation with God. It will help your spiritual way-finding skills, as one of the psalms tells us: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). We’re using God’s word as a light on our path to illuminate the way forward.
Third, this being Lent, consider how fasting might help you in your spiritual orienteering. As you probably know, there are several levels of fasting. You can go without all food--but not water-- for a set period or you can do a partial fast, perhaps omitting a single meal one day a week, with many other possibilities in between.
Whatever level you choose, the point is to consider how the fast helps you focus on matters, (besides food,) that you might not have focused on otherwise … to help you hear things from God you might not have otherwise heard.
If you want to improve your ability to find your way on the streets and highways these days, you don’t have to wear a magnetic hat. Wearable devices, like GPS and smart watches, can provide you with directions on the streets and highways.
But for finding the Lord’s path for your life--You can’t beat prayer, Bible-reading and fasting. Please give them a try for the 40 days of Lent and beyond.
If you do, you’ll find God’s pathways opening up before you!
Amen!
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