08 December, 2010

Level Ground or Slippery Places?

Today I was reading Charles Spurgeon (the Baptist) on Psalm 26 in his wonderful work, Treasury of David. Spurgeon has these great helps for pastors with little theological training called, "helps for the village preacher." When I got to the "help" for verse 12, I was taken back a bit. What did he mean? What a wonderful help for this urban pastor to meditate on in my afternoon meditation.

Verse 12 reads: My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the LORD.

Now here's the help, and mind you, it is not a free sermon from Busy Pastors Dot Com; it really was intended to foster meditation: "Congregational Psalmody, and our personal share in it."

That's it.

That's the whole help for the village pastor.

In my meditation I considered the way that congregational psalmody really does leave us on level ground so that we can praise without being hindered. As a pastor, I have received numerous questions on the theology of certain hymns; or the writer of certain hymns; or questions about the unbelief of modern praise and worship musicians who continue to write; or comments on the Unitarianism of Isaac Watts...

There are so many questions!

Spurgeon tells the village... er... urban pastor... don't worry about all of these questions. Stand where your foot is level. Sing the psalms to God in His praise! Bless the Lord in the Great Assembly without all of the questions and confusion and ignorance. Praise Him with the use of the Psalter, and you will not have to worry about all of this other stuff.

So my question to you.... well, actually, Spurgeon's question to you:

Are you on level ground in your blessing of the Lord, or is your congregation's foot always slipping on new and unique ways of praise? Are you standing firm, or are you sliding into areas that are unseen? It's amazing how worship can do that. We become what we sing.

I want to be on level ground. We'll stick with God's songs.

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