I Will Praise You Before Other "gods"

Hong Kong has idols everywhere...more than I've seen anywhere in China. You can smell the incense outside of bakeries, noodle stands, money exchange shops, throughout the hallways of apartment buildings (including mine)...you'll even occasionally see loads of incense burning on a crowded street.  People here really want the gods' attention!

My first night in Hong Kong, I stayed in Mong Kok, at a hostel whose lobby was lit up with a bright red lamp burning before an idol (like so many places are).  The only difference with the place I'm staying in right now is that, it's not just dedicated to one god.  There are many idols here...the place is packed!

David was surrounded by nations who worshiped false gods.  To me, Psalm 138:1 has a sense of gloating, as if David wanted to say, "I will sing to You before the other gods...to magnify You, because You're awesome, and to irritate them, because they're dumb...(and, incidentally, I hope to destroy them all)."

So, even in a building full of idols...I'll sing.

Addendum: I wanted to share some historical notes/reflections.  I imagine that when David wrote Psalm 138, he was probably in the Tabernacle, which he had built to minister to the Lord's presence, especially through song.  The Lord said in Amos 9:11-12 that this tabernacle (which no longer exists) would eventually be the key to bringing many nations under His kingship.  What I get out of these verses is that, the more that God's people minister to His presence through song, the more nations we will see come to Christ.

¹¹ “In that day

“I will restore David’s fallen shelter —
    I will repair its broken walls
    and restore its ruins —
    and will rebuild it as it used to be, 
¹² so that they may possess the remnant of Edom 
    and all the nations that bear my name,”
declares the Lord, who will do these things.

Earthquakes and Dancing

In late August last year, I was in the Prayer Room at the Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace.  During an intercession set one afternoon, we were praying for the new interns who were about to start the fall internship (the same program I did Spring 2011).  I can’t explain why, but I had been carrying these young people in prayer, and whenever I thought of them, I felt a spirit of prayer that made me groan and cry out in intercession.  I didn't even know them, but I knew that something really important was going to happen with that particular group.

So, while we were praying for this incoming intern class, I lay prostrate on the floor, praying fervently.  Others were praying on the microphone.  Then, God whispered to me (in my "mind's ear") to get up and start dancing.

You know how it is: ”Wait, what?  Is this really God?”

As far as I could tell, it was.

“Dance? Really?”

The Spirit was speaking gently, but somehow urgently.

So, finally, I stood up, and walked to the back of the room, where nobody would really notice.  I don't really know how to dance, so I just started stomping around.

And I just kept jumping.  And as others prayed,  I was overwhelmed by feelings both of joy and…well, desperation.  I was filled with great hope for this particular group of young people.  But at the same time, I felt desperate for God’s blessings over them, for all they would experience in their lives.  Perhaps it was a little bit of what God felt for them, of the desire God had to fulfill His plans for them.

So, I was jumping, and shouting, and groaning, and rejoicing...all at the same time.  And we were praying for people we didn't really know.

And then there was an earthquake, and everything started shaking.  The lights rocked back and forth, the musicians stopped, and everyone looked around, wondering what was going on.

And me?  I kept stomping around, dancing awkwardly as the earth rocked back and forth like a rowboat under my feet.

And as the earth shook, my only thought was, “Of course the earth is shaking…all creation is crying out for the sons of God to be revealed (Romans 8:18-21).  And this isn’t the last time it’s going to shake (Haggai 2:6).”

It was a pretty intense experience.  And at 5.8, it was pretty intense for a lot of people.  "It is estimated that approximately one-third of the U.S. population could have felt the quake, more than any earthquake in U.S. history." (Wikipedia, 2011 Virginia Earthquake)

But while it was happening, the only response that felt appropriate was to dance, with hands lifted, and to pray for mercy.

I think that this generation—and in a special way, that group of young people—will see things that nobody in history has ever seen before.  It will be glorious!

Looking back at what happened that afternoon, I'm reminded to continue crying out on behalf of this generation.  Looking forward, to the end of this age, I'm reminded that everything will be shaken, and we will be welcoming Him with a loud cry: “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:17)