Psalms

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“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1 ESV)

March 3, 2016

Three divine attributes that we experience when we go to God in times of trouble: “Refuge”, “strength,” and “very present help.” God is our “refuge,” our shelter, shielding us from the storms of life when we trust his protection. God is our “strength,” both materially and physically, supplying and empowering us to survive during troubling times. And He is easily found when we call upon Him because He is a “very present help.” He is always only a prayer away. Of course, we know that God is always present with us, yet during times of trouble His presence seems intensified (or at least our awareness of God is intensified). Have you experienced these attributes of our God during times of trouble?

“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” (Psalm 42:1-2 ESV)

February 26, 2016

David described the longing of his soul for God. The brilliant French physicist and philosopher, Pascal, proposed that such a longing was present in every human heart, saying, “There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus” (Blaise Pascal, Pensees). People try to fill this longing with other things, which explains the misery of many. But the human soul can only find its fullest satisfaction in Christ.

“The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives” (Psalm 27:21 ESV)

February 19, 2016

Righteous hearts have generous hands. How we handle money and possessions reveals much about our hearts. The righteous not only repay their debts, but give generously to those in need. The wicked avoid even repaying what is owed, much less giving to others. You have received Christ’s generous gift of salvation in your hearts, but has it affected the generosity of your hands?

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1 ESV)

January 29, 2016

This Davidic psalm begins with an announcement of God’s ownership of everything and everyone. Believing that God is owner and that we are stewards, servants of God caring for His creation, is a life-changing principle. Many Christians claim to believe this, yet they behave as if their stuff is really “their” stuff. One of the great sins of American Christianity is the idolatry of materialism. Our happiness is attached to our possessions. This is the sin of greed. What is the antidote? Giving. Live a life of the open hand, tithing from your first fruits and giving sacrificially to any need that the Spirit shows you. In this way, you acknowledge God’s ownership and your stewardship.

“ He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3 ESV)

January 28, 2016

From David’s famous shepherd psalm. Those that follow the Lord are led on right paths by Him. God does this for the sake of His own Name. God’s purpose is to make us righteous like His Son, who declared “I am the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11). In this leading, God cares more for our character than our comfort. He is not working in us for our pleasure, for our name, but for His Name. Therefore, we do not fear when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, because the Good Shepherd is with us, and His purpose is sure. God is making us like His Son (1 John 3:2).

“…a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots” (Psalm 22:16-18 ESV)

January 26, 2016

This psalm of David begins by crying out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psa.22:1). And goes on to describe in great detail the crucifixion of Jesus. Written 1,000 years before Christ, long before the Romans or their cruel invention of crucifixion, this psalm is astounding in its prophetic power. Some commentators point out that there is even more detail here when one considers that the word translated “encircles” might also be translated “crowned,” describing the crown of thorns. Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 are the two most powerfully prophetic descriptions of the Suffering Servant who would come and die for our sins. Yet, when Jesus was treated just as David and Isaiah prophesied, only a few believed.

“O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch” (Psalm 5:3 ESV)

January 5, 2016

This is more an expression of resolve by the petitioner than an expectation that the Lord will hear the petition. “O Lord, in the morning [and every morning thereafter] you [will] hear my voice.” The psalmist David is expressing his determination to begin his days in prayer. He uses metaphoric language in the Hebrew to describe how he will pray. He speaks like an archer, saying “I will send my prayer towards You and to You alone, and watch to see that it hits the target.” Or like a priest, David plans to “prepare” his prayer like a morning “sacrifice,” arranged carefully upon the altar, and then, to watch the smoke arise to the throne of heaven. David is determined to begin his days in the offering up of prayers to God. These will not be sleepy, memorized mutterings, but carefully considered and arrayed prayers… prayers aimed at the heart of God.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1:1-2)

January 1, 2016

“Blessed” (Happy, fulfilled, satisfied) is the one who doesn’t follow the counsel and way of the world, but instead finds direction from God’s Word. The person who follows the “law of the Lord,” which is the Word of God, follows a narrow path that few find, yet is available to all who would delight in it. This blessed life is marked by meditating on the Word, moving it from the head to the heart through reading, studying and internalizing it day and night. This life is like a “tree planted by streams of water,” drawing on the life from the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, who is revealed by the written Word.
How will you begin this new year 2016? Whose counsel will you follow?

“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth” (Psalm 145:18 NKJV)

December 26, 2015

Many important questions are answered by this verse:
– Where is the Lord? “Near.”
– How can I know Him? “Call upon Him in truth.”
- What is truth? Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
You may feel far from God today, but He is only one call away. Just dial J-E-S-U-S!

“Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?” (Psalm 144:3 NKJV)

December 25, 2015

The psalmist David looks to God and finds in Him everything, but looks to man by comparison and finds next to nothing. He wonders how God can stoop to know and acknowledge lowly humanity. Yet, God not only stoops to know, He humbles Himself to become… “the Son of Man.” God sent His Son to become like us, so that we might become like Him. This is the gift behind every gift. Merry Christmas!!