I remember sitting in an Old Testament theology course with Dr. Gary Galliotti. He was a professor who not only stressed the academics, but every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:00 am, he gave us a powerful message that made me believe I could take Hell down with a squirt bottle. There was one phrase he consistently used that I have never forgotten:
“In order for your horizontal to be right, your vertical has to be right.”
I have thought about this phrase over the years, but this past week I have felt the brunt of it. While the week has brought us a horizontal view of chaos, it has also brought us a deeper look into our vertical view. The horizontal view is what appears to be in front of us and around us. The disruption of normal and the realization of expectations we had are no longer in place; the rhythms or plans of our structured life have been altered. The vertical view we have is a posture of humility that looks towards a Savior in Christ. It is from this view that we truly find the word abiding (in His presence) to be the place of better sight. The vertical view that begins with God’s position and love for His world and His people calms the horizontal view of our position and control.
A passage of scripture I’ve been focused on is Psalm 104:33-34. In this Psalm, we can turn our attention to the Lord in two ways, singing and meditation. The first is the discipline to sing aloud the praises of the Lord. When our intent is to speak or sing praise for who God is, then our vertical view becomes our focus. A voice of praise toward God overcomes a voice toward self. The second piece is meditation. We are instructed to have meditations (thoughts) that are pleasing to God. Pleasing meditations focus on what is true, God’s position in His world as creator and sustainer, your identity, forgiven and alive, as a child of God and God’s provision of faithfulness to His people (do not lose confidence: Hebrews 10). Take each of these to heart. It may take every second, every minute or every hour to apply this spiritual discipline, and that is alright.
This is a time when God is speaking to us about our vertical relationship with Him over our horizontal views. May this be a time that He finds us faithful in song and thoughts. What songs are you singing? What words of truth are you speaking to yourself and to others at this moment? Be encouraged! There is a global Christian community in the world, consisting of numbers we can’t comprehend, who are practicing singing and meditating over the greatness of God.
