August 7, 2016
The word “ascribe” means to “give credit” or “recognize.” The Lord’s name is worthy of our recognition. We are to ascribe appropriate glory to Him. This call from David’s psalm is similar to the Lord’s Prayer which teaches us to pray, “Our Father who art in heaven hallowed be Thy name.” The first movement of prayer is the upward movement, we lift our eyes to the Lord, seeking His face. This moves us to consider the attributes of God. When we ascribe the glory due his name, we list His character traits and call on His many names as revealed in Scripture. When our view of God is thus enlarged, it moves us to worship and it reduces the size of our troubles in view of Him.
July 30, 2016
I wonder. Do sheep worry? Does concern for tomorrow steal their joy today? Does anxiety for food and shelter rob them of sleep? No. I think not. They trust their shepherd. He is their source and guide. They know his voice and they follow him. This is the relationship that the shepherd king David wrote of concerning he and the Lord. The Lord was “his” shepherd and he was the Lord’s lamb. The one who would humble themselves like a lamb and entrust themselves to God as shepherd, shall not be in want. For the Lord will meet all their needs. Are you in want today? Look to the Shepherd.
July 17, 2016
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Psalm 127
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parenting
Don’t you wish kids came with an owners manual? Many times, we try to parent in our own strength and not rely on the Lord for our wisdom and strength. In Psalm 127, Solomon wrote about the necessity of recognizing the Lord as the One builds families and watches over them, so that we receive our children and how to parent them from the Lord.
July 11, 2016
To Hebrew thinking, to know someone’s name was to know truly them. Those who know the Lord, know His character, know His power, and His promises. Those who know God have been brought into relationship with Him through Jesus, His Son. Knowing the Lord, they put their complete trust in Him. Knowing the Lord’s Name, they seek Him and are not “forsaken” (“abandoned, rejected, deserted, or left behind”). Growing in knowledge of the Lord, we grow in trust. The more we know Him, the more we trust and love Him. And the more we seek to know Him more.
July 7, 2016
David’s crying and groaning were directed to the Lord in prayer. His distress was expressed as an appeal to God. He did not complain to others, nor cry out to man, but to the One who could really help. He knew how to “encourage himself in the Lord” (1 Sam.30:6). Many wallow in their worries and seek solace in expressing their anxiety to others, but David turned his concerns into prayerful confession. Instead of anxious self-talk, he prayed to God.
Are you able to do this?
July 4, 2016
This is a Messianic prophecy of Christ’s triumphal kingdom. It is a sober reminder, as we celebrate America’s Independence Day, that all the world’s nations exist at the Lord’s pleasure. Do our nation’s leaders and judges “serve the Lord with fear?” Do they bow and “kiss” the Son’s hand in obeisance? Or have they become wise in their own eyes, calling evil, good and good, evil? Let us recognize our dual citizenship. As Americans, we are thankful for God’s blessing on America. We continue to pray for our leaders and judges that they will return to God. But as Christians, we are citizens of an eternal kingdom, one that was inaugurated at the cross and will be consummated at Christ’s return. We ultimately put our trust in Christ alone. He is the source of all blessing.
Yet, in the meantime we pray, “God bless America.”
June 28, 2016
The God of creation is also the God of revelation. Not only did He leave His fingerprints on the earth and the heavens for us to see, He spoke His promises and had them recorded for us to read. Do you doubt whether the sun will rise and set again tomorrow? Will the earth stop its annual journey through the seasons? Do you worry that the stars will cease to shine at night? God’s promises were spoken with the same voice that declared, “Let there be light,” and there was light. The same God who made everything, made the promises found in His Word.
June 23, 2016
David prayed that the Lord would help him control his tongue. He wanted to stop sinful speech. He understood the difficulty in taming the tongue and knew he needed help. Many is the sin that spews forth from the mouth, which in fact, expresses the condition of the heart. David was right to petition the Lord for a guard over his mouth, yet an even better prayer is to ask the Lord to deal with our hearts. And this is just what David did in the next verse of the psalm, saying, “Do not let my heart incline to any evil” (Psa. 141:4). Let us join David in praying today, “Lord, cleanse my heart and control my tongue today!”
June 9, 2016
We are to be thankful for our children as a “heritage,” as a gift. It is not just biology at work, for they are “from the Lord.” They are a “reward” to be desired, not a burden to be avoided. Yet, we need this reminder from God’s Word because sin would have us view God’s gifts as curses. Beloved, meditate on this verse as you consider our little ones.
June 3, 2016
Why did the psalmist look to the “hills” for help? No doubt he referred to the hills of Mount Zion upon which stood the Temple in Jerusalem. Psalm 121 is the second of fifteen “Psalms of Ascent” (Psalms 120-134). These psalms became known as such because of their use by Hebrew pilgrims making the three annual treks to Jerusalem for the required festivals. The pilgrims would sing these songs as they ascended to the temple mount in preparation for worship. During Jesus’ time there were fifteen steps to the Herodian Temple that approached the Double Gate. These psalms were sung on these steps before entering the gates to the temple. Today, the gates are sealed, but the steps remain. It’s good to start worshiping before one enters God’s house. And it’s good to remember, as the psalmist did, that our help doesn’t actually come from the “hills” where the church building stands. Rather, our help “comes from the Lord,” who made not only the “hills,” but also everything else in “heaven and earth.”