Psalms

(The most helpful books - no.4)

You won't sit down and read this one cover-to-cover (well, I doubt it) but James L Mays' commentary on the Psalms in the Interpretation Bible Commentary series is a stunner. He seldom fails to be deeply stimulating, is always reverential and is a great addition to any preacher's books on the psalms. From a Lutheran background, you'll also find his liturgical connections helpful and he always brings us to Jesus.

There are few commentaries I rate as highly as this one. And you can even try it out via Google Books! Tremper Longman III gives it a 5-star rating and he's not wrong to do so.

You might also want to look out for his work on the theology of the psalms, The Lord Reigns - another great resource.

Collected Writings of John Murray - Volume 1: The Claims of Truth

(The most helpful books - no.3)

A good friend bought me this for being best man at his wedding, back in 1986. What a gift! Murray forces you  to think and to think biblically, to reflect and to reflect slowly. Theology, deep and profound, wholesome and compulsive.

In time I bought the other 3 volumes, all very worthwhile, especially volume 2 (longer writings)  but this was the start for me and remains a long-standing favourite. So, thanks Pete!

praying for the world

Over many years now, scores of people have found Operation World a terrific resource for informing their prayers for the nations. There's a new edition of the work available but if you want easy access via your browser to the day's prayer needs, just bookmark this link.

I've added it to the bookmark bar on Google Chrome and it works a treat as a visible & constant reminder.

the way of learning

A great deal of scholarly attention has been given to the power of liturgy in forming identity and the shaping effect of narrative in our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. The way we learn something is more influential than the something that we learn. No content comes into our lives free-floating; it is always embedded in a form of some kind. For the basic and integrative realities of God and faith, the forms must also be basic and integrative. If they are not, the truths themselves will be peripheral and unassimilated.

Eugene H. Peterson, A Memoir: The Pastor, p.33

revival: some questions

In an earlier post, I mentioned a recent gathering to pray for revival. As always, such events leave me with questions in my mind about the subject. I'd be grateful for any interaction on them:

1. The basic premise seems to be 'the situation is so bad, we need God to act in revival; we can't do it on our own'. I want to ask: Do we need revival or do we need God? Are they the same thing? Is revival his only means of handling situations that seem desperate? If not, how do we guard against a 'revival or bust' mentality?

2. The scriptural basis for revival seems to hang largely, if not exclusively, on a selection of OT texts (from Psalms, Isaiah, Micah etc). How are we to view those requests for God to 'come down' in a post-incarnation, post-cross, post-resurrection, post-ascension and post-Pentecost world? Are there prayers for revival in the NT? What would such prayers look like with Jesus and his work firmly in view? How can we be Christo-centric in our prayers for revival?

3. Reprising my earlier post, how do we relate praying for revival with a longing for Jesus to return? Which ought to be the dominant desire in our hearts? Why don't we pray more for Jesus to return?

Job's experience of God

Jerry Sittser, writing out of his own experience of profound loss, comments on Job:

Job stopped asking questions not because God was a bully but because Job finally beheld God's unfathomable greatness in his immediate experience. He had spoken about God; then he came to know God. On meeting the real God, he simply had no more questions to ask. He discovered that God is the answer to all his questions, even questions he had not thought to ask. Job learned that behind the apparent randomness of life is the existence of God, whose greatness transcended Job but did not nullify the importance of Job's choices. Job ultimately found meaning in the ineffable presence of God, which he could not fully comprehend with his intellect but could only experience in the depths of his being.

Jerry Sittser, A Grace Disguised, pp.116/7