Psalms in the Key of Life: Part 3

In 1991 Tom Corchane wrote the song Life is A Highway and in 2006 Rascal Flatts brought the song back to life when it became a hit song on the Walt Disney soundtrack for the movie Cars. At this point in my life my wife and were celebrating 15 years of marriage. Our kids were 9, 11, and 13. Reflecting over the years, there are two observations I have about life; life is a highway and it is extremely difficult!

Life is hard, isn't it? 

Think about this for a moment. Throughout life we face physical sickness and death. Financial problems. Depression. Anxiety. Marital conflict. Family conflict. Stressful jobs. Abuse. Car problems. Infertility. Addiction. Trouble in school. Conflict with friends. Loneliness. Rejection. Miscarriages. Chronic illnesses. The list could go on and on.

Before you get too discouraged about this highway of life I want to remind you that in the midst of the enormous challenges, God offers hope. The writer of Psalms 84 has this to say in v5: How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion! 

We have seen this word blessed before. This is the same word back from our study in Psalm 1. As we worked through Psalm 1 we discovered that this Hebrew word "esher" has a strong connection with our understanding of happy. In Psalm 1 we met the happy man on a path. Psalm 84 identifies the heart of this happy man on a highway. The writer of Psalm 84 reminds us that our hearts are on the highway of life and it naturally follows the direction of our desires. Therefore we pursue those things that we consider to be life giving. Without God, our desires will always lead us in the wrong direction.

It is also important to understand that when we face obstacles and difficulties in life we run to that thing we believe will bring us blessing or happiness. Unfortunately, the highways of our hearts often create paths to stagnant diseased infested ponds which satisfy at first but wreak havoc later. These infested ponds are not to be misunderstood as the early rain of blessing identified in verse 6.

As you prepare to better understand this passage and work through the text on Sunday, I want to encourage you to do four things with this Psalm.
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1. Pray through Psalm 84: The Psalms were written to be spoken or sung. Read this psalm aloud. Take time to think about the words and how they represent your feelings and your life situation.
   
   
2.  Writing Psalms: The Psalms seem to invite us to express our own thoughts and prayers to God in a similar manner. Try writing your own psalm by giving testimony to your joys and pain or by responding to these questions in a written prayer: What would you like to say to God about the Highway of Life? What is making you happy or sad or afraid? How do you need God's help today?
   
   
3. Paraphrase Psalm 84: Take a few verses from this Psalm line-by-line and express each thought in your own way. When you are finished, read your paraphrased psalm to God aloud as your prayer.
   
   
4. Memorize specific verses of Psalm 84: When we memorize a Psalm we are planting God’s truth deep inside our hearts. In times of sorrow and deep need, we can draw upon the wisdom and solace of memorized scripture. Think about how encouraging it would be to memorize Psalm 84:11-12: For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in You!
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My prayer is that we experience the beauty of a happy life as we follow the life-giving direction of our Great God. I look forward to diving into Psalm 84 with you this Sunday!

Pastor Billy