ECHO CHAMBERS

Psalm 40:1-3- "I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord."

Many people are alive today for whom today never dawns but yesterday rules.  They are stuck in an echo chamber from their past.  David is a character in the Bible who suffered much at the hands of men before entering into his call and destiny.   The good news is that he was still able to escape his bad past and then enjoy the peace and blessings God made him for.  Here are two keys that David used so as not to be hindered by his past…..

1)     HE TORE DOWN THE ECHO CHAMBER

An echo is a residual sound of an actual event.  An echo chamber is a place where noise is multiplied and repeated over and over again.  This can be created by a room, hills, mountains, or structures.  God’s voice is lost in those who are hearing echoes that are made from “high things” that need to crumble.   (II Corinthians 10:5- …casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.)

·      Satan is very good at echoing voices and events but adding distortions that make them bigger than they are.   David was stuck in an echo chamber as he was being pursued by King Saul who wanted to kill him.  In Psalm 40 David writes, “He lifted me out of the slimy pit”.  These words are translated from Hebrew and actually mean “a room of noise”.  The anecdote for David is found in the same verse which goes on and says, “I waited patiently for the Lord”. 

·      The walls of the echo chambers in our soul are built either by a fear of being disassociated with past successes or a fear of duplicating past failures.  Several years ago a single woman in our neighborhood lost her son in a car crash.  This young man was a decorated veteran of the Army.  His mother was very proud of his accomplishments.  Shortly after his death, the mother put a picture of him in full Army attire in the front picture window.  A few months went by and a cross with his name and dog tags was placed in the front yard.  After a few more months a large wreath was placed on a stand in the front yard with his picture in the center.  This precious mother was living in an echo chamber built by the event of her son’s untimely death.  She was doing all she could to keep the memory of him fresh in her mind, thus new monuments to him were being displayed every few months.  Sadly, about a year after his death, the young man’s mother committed suicide.  The echo chamber and its deafening sound had proved to be overwhelming for her and she lost the will to live.  

·      Every revival and move of God has begun by a voice of faith that rises from the Lord and shatters the echo chambers.  (Psalm 29:3- the voice of the Lord is over the waters)  The body of Christ has been blessed by the ministries of Joyce Meyer and Dave Roever.  Joyce was sexually abused by her father as she grew up in Missouri.  Dave was severely burned in Vietnam as he fought in the war there in the 70’s.  Both of them had natural reasons to become stuck in an echo chamber of hurts, wounds, and fearful images.  Thank God that the walls of those chambers came tumbling down when God invaded their lives with His love, power, and healing work.  

2)    HE MOVED OUT OF THE BASEMENT

·      There are three areas of our mind that we can choose to spend most of our time in.  These are illustrated by a house with a basement, living room, and rooftop.  Each of these has a function but two of them should be avoided as our primary place of residence. 

·      Those who have basements in their home have found that it is a good place to store things; some are valuable and some are junk.  It becomes a clearing house for our past.  You will often find such things as old Easter baskets, stuffed animals won at State fairs, the cages of dead pets, and the remnants of forsaken hobbies.  When we invite a guest to our house it is unlikely that the first place we will take them is the basement.  God wants us to keep our past in its proper place.  Yet many people are quick to drag people into the basement of their souls and rehearse the pains, disappointments, and wounds of the past. 

·      If you have seen the movie that starts Tom Hanks called “Forest Gump” you might remember that his girlfriend was childhood sweetheart, Jenny.  In one scene Jenny is now in her twenties and she and Forest are walking together in their old neighborhood. The two of them arrive at Jenny’s childhood home which is now abandoned, in need of repair, and run down.  Jenny immediately becomes enraged at the sight of the house. She picks up rocks and begins throwing them at the house, breaking a window.  All the time, with tears in her eyes, she is screaming, “No!  No!  No!”   Jenny had undoubtedly suffered at the hands of an abusive father; sexually, physically, emotionally, or all three.  Tragically, Jenny’s soul had taken up habitation in the basement.  Feeling angry, unworthy, dirty, and worthless, this young lady had turned to drugs, wandering, free sex, and a hippie lifestyle with an abusive boyfriend before Forest rescued her.

·      When it says in Psalm 40:1 that David “waited patiently for the Lord”, these words are translated as “cheerful endurance”.  This is the place in our souls that is like our living room.  This is where we spend most of our waking hours in our homes.  Most normal living rooms are filled with up-to-date furniture, modern colors, décor, and electronic equipment and they are well-lit and in order.   Usually, the living rooms of those who are not “cheerfully enduring” are just the opposite.  David enjoyed many victories against his enemies because his spiritual living room was in order and he drew strength from God. 

·      The rooftop is where we go to gain greater vision, more perspective, and receive some good fresh air.  All of us need some rooftop experiences where we meet with God alone, allowing Him to recharge our spiritual batteries and draw us nearer to Himself.  However, those who try to live on the rooftop can be seen by others as a bit weird.  It was David’s rooftop experiences that kept him from dwelling in the basement where his brothers belittled him, the giants taunted him, the king tried to kill him, the sin of adultery and murder vexed him and his dead sons haunted him.  Let’s also press on not to let our past hinder our future.  God redeems the time, heals broken hearts, and sets captives free.   He is a destroyer of the echo chambers in our hearts!