Carpe diem
Recently, I completed a Master’s degree program at California Baptist University; as I journeyed through the program, I experienced the genius of the professors and their wonder within the courses they taught. Their passion often reminded me of one of my favorite movies from the 80s, Dead Poets Society. Countless quotes filled the dialogue, one of my favorites, “There is a time for daring, and there is a time for caution. And a wise man understands which is called for.” Another favorite is “Just when you think you know something; you have to look at it in another way. Even though it may seem silly or wrong, you must try.”¹
To give some insight, as a high-schooler, I loved the movie so much that I spent many in-class moments wishing that John Keating was my teacher. While I mundanely annotated fables, fiction, mythologies, and mysteries, I thought it would be so cool to be interrupted while a teacher boldly stood on a desk and encouraged me to ‘carpe diem,’ “Seize the Day.” [if only this daydreamed action could have been paired with the high-energy song from the movie Newsies by the same name.² #mymindwouldbeblown]
David is a great Biblical example of the importance of seizing the day, and the book of Psalms is a great place to reference this ideology. For example, there are Psalms of praise [some examples: 9, 29, 48], Psalms of lament [3, 6,31], even Psalms of thanksgiving, confidence, kingship, remembrance, wisdom. These Psalmic chapters permit us to focus on the present, appreciate the value of every moment in life, and avoid postponing things unnecessarily because every life eventually comes to an end. In Psalms, there is a time for everything — and the wise man David understands the importance of embracing them all.
One of my favorites Psalms is chapter 32. In his commentary³, Matthew Henry breaks down the Psalm into three sections, “The happiness of a pardoned sinner. (1,2) The misery that went before and the comfort that followed the confession of sins. (3–7) Sinners instructed, believers, encouraged.” I love this Psalms because it’s a marriage of many rightsized emotions. It’s not only a Psalm of lament since David isn’t working through a problem and asking for God’s help with its words. It’s not merely a Psalm of praise even though David does praise the Lord in it. This “Maskil Psalm” (there is debate on the definition of maskil) is a psalm of David giving instruction. The entire Psalm 32 text is full of instruction and contemplation; the meat of the text is worthy of meditation, reminding us that happiness consists of God.
Read Psalm 32 with me from The Message Translation:
Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be — you get a fresh start, your slate’s wiped clean. Count yourself lucky — God holds nothing against you, and you’re holding nothing back from him.
My bones turned to powder when I kept it all inside; my words became daylong groans. The pressure never let up; all the juices of my life dried up. Then I let it all out; I said, “I’ll come clean about my failures to God.”
Suddenly the pressure was gone — my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared.
These things add up. Every one of us needs to pray; when all hell breaks loose and the dam bursts, we’ll be on high ground, untouched. God’s my island hideaway, keeps danger far from the shore, throws garlands of hosannas around my neck.
Let me give you some good advice; I’m looking you in the eye and giving it to you straight: “Don’t be ornery like a horse or mule that needs bit and bridle to stay on track.” God-defiers are always in trouble; God-affirmers find themselves loved every time they turn around. Celebrate God. Sing together — everyone! All you honest hearts, raise the roof!
Friends, the writer of Psalm 32, David, knows the terror of secret sin and the joy of being forgiven. Through his words, David breaks the sin tradition, stands on our classrooms’ desks, and teaches us that forgiveness is real. He leads us to see that confession allows God’s great salvation to affect our lives. His blood is powerful, and his love is eternal, and not only does he ever intercede for us, but he also advocates on our behalf. 1 John 2:1–2 (New Living Translation), “we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the truly righteous one. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins — and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.”
Count yourself lucky — you get a fresh start, your slate’s wiped clean.
Count yourself lucky — God holds nothing against you, and you’re holding nothing back from him.
Friends, we can shout for joy! … and seize the day
