Start with obedience, finish with praise

Continually, I am learning that life is always moving.  Life is dynamic, changing, on the move.  Life does not stand still and is not static.

This may sound obvious.

But if you're anything like me, this is a tough learning.  I like it when things stay the same.  I like it when things are predictable, controllable, stationary.  And as long as we bring these sorts of static expectations to life, we will experience continuous frustration, annoyance, and a diminished ability to enjoy the flowing nature of life.

Life is always moving.  And so is the life of faith.  Faith is not something that stands still or never moves.  Faith is all about our relationship with God, and by definition, relationships are dynamic.  Sometimes the partners move towards each other, sometimes they pull back; sometimes things are going smoothly, sometimes they are very difficult.  Life within any relationship, including our relationships with God, will be dynamic and moving.

But that does not mean that the relationship is chaotic, or out of control, or without direction.  There is a direction to the life of faith.

And if we take the book of Psalms as a model for our lives of faith, the direction of faith may be from obedience to praise.

Psalm 1, at the beginning of the Psalter, reads "Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked...but their delight is in the law of the Lord."  According to Psalm 1, the life of faith is embodied in those who center their lives on God's teachings, who follow God's path, who are faithful and obedient.

The life of faith begins with faithful obedience.  We teach our children, "Do this...Don't do that."  Life begins in obedience and doing what's right.

But along the way, we realize that "doing what is right" is not, by itself, a fool-proof plan for a happy life.  We have all known people who were exceedingly scrupulous about following the rules, and who made themselves quite miserable.  Suffering comes, to all of us.  Suffering comes to us, whether we follow the rules or not.  Life is hard.

And so the Psalms wander through the full variety of emotional experiences -- joy, relief, anger, rage, horror, sadness, grief, thanksgiving.  As you read through the Psalms (not necessarily all at one sitting, but over the course of a month), you will experience the full range of life's experiences.

And then, at the end, you come to Psalm 150.  The last psalm in the book.  Psalm 150 ends in an explosion of praise -- nothing but praise.  "Praise the Lord!  Praise God in his sanctuary; praise God in his mighty firmament!  Praise God for his mighty deeds; praise...praise...praise...praise...praise... praise...praise...praise...praise...praise!"

The book that began with a commitment to faithful obedience has led to a complete abandonment of the self in utter praise of God.

That's where we're heading.  We can't force ourselves to praise; we must go through all the levels of emotional experience, from high to low.  But in the end, when all is said and done, what we will find is that life is all about praising and glorifying God.  As someone wise wrote long ago:  "The chief end of humanity is to glorify God and to enjoy God forever."