Several years ago, I preached a sermon from Psalm 39:3, “My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue.” One Sunday morning last year, a close friend of mine and one of our fine teachers said to me just before Sunday school, “I’ve been musing a lot this week.” He smiled, I smiled because we both remembered the sermon, the verse, and the impact it had on us.
“Muse” is an old English word which means “to think.” The opposite of muse is amuse and that means to “not think.” Picture young people going to the county fair or Six-Flags. They are excited. Their grandparents might say, “You be careful at that amusement park.” They want you to think about your surroundings and the people you are hanging with. Why? Because they know at amusement parks you aren’t there to think, you’re there to have fun. Sound judgment (discernment) may not be on your radar in making decisions. I have personal experience with decisions such as this. There is no sane reason to ever ride Mo-Mo the Monster. I made that mistake by amusing and not musing.
If we are looking for a silver lining in the Coronavirus shut-down/slow-down, perhaps it would be that we aren’t traveling daily at the speed of light. Everyday all the items on our lists and in our minds have got to be accomplished until they aren’t during the pandemic. When those priorities on your list didn’t get done, the world didn’t end, did it? I tend to be optimistic about most things and perhaps the one thing I’m most optimistic about is that the Lord knows what He’s doing and all I need to do is trust him. I want to be optimistic like the man with a hole in his shoe. A friend asks him about the hole, and he says, “I’m back on my feet again.” How do we get this attitude? Look back at Psalm 39. The writer pens the words “I said, I will take heed to my ways (I’ll take an inventory of my life), that I will not sin with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.” Remember David is the king and people daily come before him for judgments and decisions. Some of these people are wicked and evil. He needs wisdom to make right decisions concerning these specific cases. Where will he get this wisdom? In God’s presence. He will sit before God silent. “I was dumb with silence, I held my peace” (39:2). We aren’t told how long David sat, but we are told the result of his silent musing in the presence of God. “My heart was hot within me…” (39:3a). The Bible is teeming with stories and verses about being quiet, still, and contemplative. Think back about Israel’s first king, Saul. When Samuel was about to anoint the young man as king what was said to him? “Stand thou still a while, that I may shew thee the word of God” (I Samuel 9:27). The Bible shouts at us “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
Take these days of opportunity to muse in the presence of God. What beauties, satisfactions and blessings there are when we get quiet and still, thinking on the Lord. Don’t sit, stand or run amusing, muse. We can start by remembering the attributes of God. We can remember the goodness of God in our lives. David thinks about his own mortality, the years of his life and simply says “my hope is in thee” (39:7). Think about answered prayers and friends God has brought our way. What about the cool in the summer and warmth in the winter at your home? That’s a blessing and a luxury often taken for granted, while most of the world can’t fathom shelter (homes) like ours. Muse while in God’s presence and before long the heart begins to warm, and the fire will begin burning. After spending time in the presence of the Lord, problems are easier to solve, and the calmness of the soul is a source for joy. Let’s muse together at the throne of God.