Always Reforming

I was doing dishes this past Tuesday and, as is a prerequisite, I was listening to some music.  This particular evening I had surveyed my CD collection and selected Hybrid Theory, Linkin Park's groundbreaking album from '00.  Mind you, I hadn't listened to this album in its entirety for at least the better part of a decade, and, I assure you, the nostalgia was strong.  I have never been a huge Linkin Park fan, but I own a couple of their albums and I have always liked them.  I suppose they're one of those bands you don't quite realize just how many of their songs you know and love.  So when I heard that Chester Bennington had passed , I was saddened.  I was more than saddened; to my surprise, I was truly mournful.  Chester, as he was often simply known, had a unique voice, the type of voice that became synonymous with a musical era and formed the soundtrack to so many of our adolescent adventures. Moreover, he was still creating good music and touring ...

Psalm 4:1-8     Very briefly, I would like to look through these verses to learn a few lessons about prayer, persecution, and peace.  Beginning with verse 1: Read verse 1.   David begins his psalm with a request.  He asks God to hear his prayer.  He begs God to acknowledge him and to answer him.      David does not take for granted God’s willingness to hear and answer prayer, and yet, he knows that His God will hear and respond.  He knows this from past experience.  “You have given me relief when I was in distress,” he says.  When seeking deliverance and provision from God, David often meditated on previous answers to prayer.  You could even say that he reminded God of them.      Many times towards the end of his psalms he reassures himself that his prayer will be heard and his petitions granted.  Sometimes he thanks God for answering his prayer before he’s even finished praying i...