The Meditations of a Man (JustJeff

The Meditations of a Man

Psalm 104:33-34 (NKJV)
33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
34 May my meditation be sweet to Him;
I will be glad in the LORD.

One of the things I'm reminded of as I read the Psalms is that most, if not all of them, were authored by men - and one man in particular, David. The Biblical record credits David with being a King, a Warrior, a Businessman, etc. David seems to be the most manly of men, a guy's guy. We also have some insight to his flaws. He could be presumptuous. He could be self-serving. He could be ruthless. The point I'm making is that David was a man, a male, like me.

Our culture has no problem with men being successful, leaders, warriors. What's odd is that most rock stars are male too, and in our culture's odd way, they are celebrated for their "maleness" (booze, women, fights, all that "Behind The Music" stuff). Where am I going with this? Well, it's about guys...and worship. When I look out at our congregation on Sundays I would say there's only 10-15% of the men actually engaged in the "worship" (the congregational singing part of the service). By "engaged", I'm evening bringing it down to the lowest level of even singing along, let alone giving some kind of physical expression to their worship like lifting their hands.

I don't get it. I don't understand why men have trouble engaging. Most of the songs we sing are written by men. There's nothing more manly than declaring, "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise will continually be in my mouth." Talk about taking a stand. I think a real man isn't afraid of intimacy either. The same man who engages in the worship of his God will most likely be a better communicator with his spouse. Then why don't men worship?

I think it's a problem with what we (I) think about - the meditations of our hearts. Men are so easily sidetracked and at the same time can be completely consumed by his circumstances. It takes effort to guard our minds, and change our focus. I think David understood this challenge when he wrote, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer" (Psalm 19:14). Today, I'm taking these words not just as a mushy, "spiritual" comment, but instructions to men on how to keep their lives focused from a man who knew what it takes to be a God-fearing man and was taking on that challenge.

I want my meditations, the things that consume my mind and require my energies, to be pleasing to God - a continual worship. To praise Him while I'm engaged in the activities of my life. To sing to Him, as long as I live. And to find pleasure in worship...the true measure of my manhood.

Lord, I want my mind to be focused on You. Help me fill my heart with Your desires. And I wil be glad in You.

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Posted by Jeff on May 8, 2007 6:23 AM | Permalink

The Meditations of a Man

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