July 20, 2015
This Psalm of David was quoted by the apostle Peter (Acts 2:25-36) as a biblical proof that Jesus Christ, Son of David, was prophesied to rise from the dead without seeing “corruption.” Peter preached this sermon on the day of Pentecost and 3,000 Jews from all over the world came to faith in Christ. David’s prophesy had come to pass. Now everyone who trusts in Christ can be assured that the Holy One who defeated death and the grave will not abandon us, but will raise us to life to dwell forever with Him.
July 17, 2015
David didn’t think it unmanly to sing to God. This warrior/poet/king was a worshiper. The shepherd king who slew a giant is also the author of most of the psalms. His harp playing and singing were so Spirit-filled that they calmed king Saul’s disturbed soul. David was once accused of being undignified in his worship. To which he replied, “I will become even more undignified than this!” Real men of God are worshipers. They sing!
July 10, 2015
The psalmist David wondered at the immensity and beauty of the night sky in comparison to the small stature of humanity. He posed a rhetorical question concerning God’s care for man, then answers it in the psalm with observations about man’s creation and authority under God. We can almost picture David gazing at the night sky and writing this meditation. Putting the words to music, he opened and closed the psalm with praise of God’s majesty. “O Lord, our Lord,” he wrote, moving attention from the great Creator (O Lord) to the personal Redeemer of Israel (our Lord). For the Lord God is both transcendent and immanent. He is omnipotent and holy, yet personal and present. The God who made everything cares for you.
July 4, 2015
This is a Messianic prophecy of Christ’s triumphal kingdom. It is a sober reminder on this day when we celebrate Independence Day in America 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.”
May 23, 2015
The longest chapter in the Bible and the one found near its very center is Psalm 119. It seems appropriate that the longest psalm in the Bible would be written as a meditation on God’s Word. Divided into 22 stanzas, it is an extended acrostic poem based on the Hebrew alphabet (Our word “alphabet” comes from the first two Hebrew letters: “aleph” + “beth”). In verse two, the psalmist wrote that the one who not only “keeps” the Word, but also “seeks” its Author will be “blessed.” In this verse, the psalmist refers to Scripture as “His testimonies.” As you read this psalm, how many synonyms can you find for God’s Word. As you number them, consider how you might keep them and seek the Father’s face as you do.
May 11, 2015
Psalm 107 opens with a call to worship inviting the “redeemed” to “give thanks to the Lord.” The psalmist then begins to remind them of God’s deliverance from Egypt. This call to worship is still relevant today. If we are among the redeemed, then we should “say so,” declaring what Christ the Redeemer has done for us and giving thanks to Him for our salvation.
April 23, 2015
Understanding that our days are numbered can motivate us to live life with a sense of urgent importance. “Urgent,” because putting off till tomorrow means eventually running out of tomorrows. If the Lord has put it on your heart, then do it now! And “important,” because we often fill our days with unimportant things. Prayerfully consider what is most important, then focus on those things every day. This is not a morbid state of mind, being aware of your limited days. This is wisdom, not wasting the time God has given you on planet earth. Don’t waste your life!
April 19, 2015
According to the inscription, this psalm was written by Heman, one of the sons of Korah, and possibly the grandson of the prophet Samuel (1 Chron. 6:14). Most commentators consider this the most melancholy of all the psalms, yet within this psalm of lamentation, there is a positive question: “Shall the dead arise?” Cried out in prayerful lament, the question clearly begs the response: Yes! The Lord will “work wonders for the dead!” God will raise the dead. The psalmist was full of despair and faced imminent death, yet he hoped for a resurrection. His hope was a future hope, in a time before the Christ had come and risen from the grave. However, our hope is a hope made more certain, anchored in the reality of Christ’s resurrection and return. We may cry out to God in lamentation in this life, but we do not grieve as those who have no hope (1 Thess. 4:13). For our hope is in the Risen Lord.
April 11, 2015
This is the repetitive chorus of Psalm 80, perhaps written after the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon (“broken down hedges” – v.12). The psalm is a prayer to God, begging Him to “restore us” to Him. They recognized their inability to restore themselves. They needed God to restore them, to bring them out of captivity and return them to Himself. This is a powerful prayer: God restore us. God show mercy on us. God save us. And He did answer their prayer, especially the part found in verse 17 about the “son of Man.” This points to the Messiah, Jesus the Christ, who is the fulfillment of their prayer for restoration and salvation.
March 30, 2015
This psalm is a prayer describing to God a determination to proclaim His salvation all the day, yet to do it in “the strength of the Lord.” And to never take credit for salvation, but to give total credit to God and His righteousness. This is my prayer today: To go out in the strength and power of the Lord and to declare His righteousness and salvation all the day!