Tag: Psalms

Posted on

Access to the Bible grew, but did we grow?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

”I praise you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. I have recited aloud all the regulations you have given us. I have rejoiced in your laws as much as in riches. I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word.“ ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119‬:‭12‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It’s been quite a phenomena over the past five hundred years since Martin Luther translated the Bible into German and then began printing it. Imagine that. For centuries, people had no real access to read the Bible for themselves, in their own language. Yes, illiteracy was extremely high, so even if the Bible were available, only the educated could read it.

Today, the Bible has been at least partially translated into 3,658 languages, giving over 90 million people access to God’s word. In the U.S. we have about 900 English translations or paraphrases of the Bible! That’s come a long way since the 1611 publication of the King James Bible. The point is this. With the explosion of printed, and now digital versions of the Bible, has it permeated the lives of Jesus followers exponentially? Has our reading (or hearing) of God’s Word increased at the same rate as the Bible’s availability? It’s still the number one book sold! Has everyone who declares Jesus as their Lord and Savior spent a significant amount of time – daily – in the Book of all books?

The Psalmist cries out to God, that the Lord would teach His decrees, His regulations. Now that we also know that God has gone beyond writing His laws on stone, but now has written them on our hearts. Has our delight for the Bible increased with the overwhelming availability and access to it? Robin and I watched an old movie where Catholic Missionaries went to Japan to share the gospel. There, they found hundreds of believers (Catholics) with no Bibles, no church, no mass, no confession, no priests! And they were still willing to die for their faith when faced with torture and death. The Japanese leaders just wanted them to recant their faith, deny Christ and live, but they refused. This was also true in the early Church. Their only shred of belief is that Christ lived, died for their sins and came back to life. They had no Bible, they only had their faith!

It’s embarrassing and intimidating to think of millions of people who have been saved by faith alone and never even had access to the Word of God. We have an abundance of the Bible in every form and fashion of our wishes. We even have favorites translations (some great, some awful) of the Bible and we struggle to do what the Psalmist did – study, reflect and delight in God’s Word. There may come a day when the written, digital or audio Bible could be declared illegal or culturally cancelled, what would we do then? Have we been in God’s Word, or memorized enough of God’s Word to help us continue to obey and delight in it? Rather than guilt us, shame us or scare us into reading more of the Bible, it would be so much better to remind ourselves of the invitation to KNOW God through His Word! God already knows us, but how well do we know Him?

Prayer

Dad,
I would be lost without you! I would also wander away without regularly spending time with you in Your Word. It is my light, lamp and salvation! Your Word is the only anchor that holds me, secures me to peace and to do what is right. I love Your Word. It reveals so much about you and so much of the mysteries that I would never understand on my own. I do not ever want to take Your Word for granted, nor let my heart grow cold away from its power to keep me.

Posted on

Lord, help!

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. Psalms‬ ‭107‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬


The psalmist bursts into a crescendo of praise in this chapter. Yet, it follows with several circumstances of how we get ourselves into deep trouble. Still, the Lord comes and rescues us. It’s a pattern of us trying to get away from him, finding ourselves broken and alone, then God comes and saves us, bringing us back to himself. Is this how we are? Is this our cyclical way of trying to have our own way, and finding out that it does not workout well? The next several paragraphs all start with this word, “some.”

Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died.

Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery. They rebelled against the words of God, scorning the counsel of the Most High.

Some were fools; they rebelled and suffered for their sins. They couldn’t stand the thought of food, and they were knocking on death’s door.

Some went off to sea in ships, plying the trade routes of the world. They, too, observed the Lord’s power in action, his impressive works on the deepest seas. He spoke, and the winds rose, stirring up the waves. Their ships were tossed to the heavens and plunged again to the depths; the sailors cringed in terror. They reeled and staggered like drunkards and were at their wits’ end.

Each one of these scenarios are ways we try to distance ourselves from God! Some wander, some sink into despair, some rebel, some run – it all seems good until life collapses around us and we find ourselves away from God’s presence. Each one of these examples have us leaving and God pursuing. We go looking for better and find nothing but loss and misery. When will we learn?

What’s out there or over there seems so seductive, so alluring, but it’s a mirage. Even still, God comes after the wanderer, searcher, rebellious and runner. He comes for us. In every one of these attempts to get away from God, and finding pain, all it takes is this phrase that is repeated in every scene – “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.

There is no wilderness where God cannot find us. No chains God cannot break. No depression God cannot lift. And, no depth at sea where God cannot rescue our soul. There is no place on earth where God will not hear our cries for help and save us from our constraints, our stress and distress. This is why we can declare, give thanks for God is good, His faithful love endures forever!

Prayer

Dad,
Why would we run? Yet, for so many reasons, we do! After we’ve wandered, explored, rebelled or sought some far off adventure, we find ourselves in trouble. It is then we discover – we’ve got ourselves LOST. My hope is that I am quick to not just realize my sin, but I am very quick to cry out to you for help! Help Lord! What a marvelous prayer. What a humble prayer. Because you are good and your mercies endure my foolishness, you will find me and rescue me. Thank you Lord! Amen.

Posted on

Better is one day.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

”How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.“ ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭84‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I remember when Matt Redman came out with this song in 1997. And the reason it was such a favorite in the “Passion Worship,” era of Christian music is that it also took me back to the early “Maranatha Worship” era. This song, like most of the old 70’s tunes were right out of scripture. I was learning scripture through song when I was young believer in Christ.

Learning scripture through song and melody is what the book of Psalms (songs and poems) is all about. The quickest and most durable way to teach something to a child is to sing a song with them! When I read this Psalm, I quickly remember every word and the accompanied melody in a snap!

Why is that important? Because when I am stressed, overwhelmed, fearful or raging with frustration, the absolute fastest way to lift my eyes to heaven and center my soul is to SING! Sing to the LORD a new song! Several Psalms say this: Psalms 33, 96, 98 all have a beautiful admonition to SING. Most of my favorite Bible verses are quickly accessible via song memory. They become an easy way to get my ruminating fixations or brain-racing doom off myself and onto God and His goodness.

The choir director Korah, scribes this psalm as a celebration to be in God’s presence, which at the time, was in God’s courts surrounding the temple. Psalm 100 – another song, gave instructions on how to do so, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful to him, and bless his name.” The gates, the courts were the gathering place for all to come and worship. Only the priests were allowed to go deep into the temple, and only the high priest was allowed into the holy of holies. But now, since Jesus, the giant curtain, blocking access to the holy of holiness, physically and metaphorically has been torn and removed so there is no longer a barrier to enter into God’s presence without permission. You and I are free to go directly to God and tell him what is going on in our lives. And as we begin to think about approaching God, like the OT gates and courts, our heart gets excited just to be with him! I sing this Matt Redman version of this Psalm and it puts me right there where God is!

Verse:
How lovely is Your dwelling place, Oh Lord Almighty
My soul longs and even faints for You
For here my heart is satisfied, within Your presence
I sing beneath the shadow of Your wings

Chorus:
Better is one day in Your courts
Better is one day in Your house
Better is one day in Your courts
Than thousands elsewhere

Prayer

Dad,
I am soooo thankful that many Bible verses and truths have been put to words and melodies! I am grateful to sing them out loud, so my ears can hear what my soul is feeling! I am glad to daily enter into your presence with singing. It makes my heart so happy. Amen.

Posted on

Elegant clarity of God’s Law.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭19‬:‭7‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

King David, one of the favorite patriarchs and most beloved leaders of Israel writes this extraordinary Psalm. David’s personal life was filled with drama, trauma, failures and beauty. David was a prolific songwriter and psalmist. His humble beginnings, heroic acts, desperate evasions running from Saul, rise to power, despicable behavior as the highest authority in the land and highly dysfunctional household all make for an honest story to tell in the book of Psalms.

This psalm was inserted at the end of David’s life, so there is no real way to determine when it was written. Maybe when David was young and hungry for nothing but God’s presence. Or, maybe looking back at God’s faithfulness, even though David’s life may appear to be a disaster. Either way, this psalm captures the elegant clarity and resilience of God’s Law.

These words like perfect, trustworthy, joyous, clear, pure, true and fair are abundantly descriptive of God Himself and reflected in God’s Law. These words immediately make me feel defensive of God when He is wrongly blamed for being evil, blind, slow, unjust or unmerciful! Since God is perfect, it surprises me that we, as warped, broken human beings can’t see that maybe, just maybe, all the atrocities we blame God for are actually not from Him at all. I know that causes us to scream, then “why does God allow evil to prevail?”

Let me ask another question that is much more complex, “why does God let us choose anything?” “Why does God give us free will?” For God to rid the world of evil, wouldn’t that also mean ridding the world of YOU, or ME… and our choices! We are really addicted, obsessed and fixated on our own free will. We love our choices to do what we want, when we want and do not want anyone telling us differently. Anyone ever think that evil and awful atrocities have something to do with US and not God? We are quick to say, “they shouldn’t be allowed to __.” But we think twice about someone stopping us from doing what we want. Choices! We have them and we do whatever like. Why doesn’t God just stop the really bad things from happening? Hmmm, what would those “really bad” things be? Murder? Mayhem? War? Infanticide? Genocide? Cruelty? Racism? The list goes on.

At some point we should see the problem with eliminating some choices, but allowing others. And that’s just with humanity alone. This doesn’t even account for a real, living entity called Satan, the rebellious angel that hates humans and wants to destroy every single one of us! What about that? What about Satan’s free choices? Should he be allowed to do whatever he wants?

Back to God’s law and His perfection. Looking at God’s way, His rules, my hope is that we can see that God is good and His love for us is good as well. When I can’t see the “why” behind a tragedy, a diagnosis, or an atrocity – I can still trust that God is good and absolutely knows the person, circumstances and struggles behind each situation. God is eternal, and wise – our perspective is so limited and our understanding of all things is bound by those limitations. My trust in Him is resolute, no matter what I see or feel.

Prayer

​Dad,
I am so limited on what I know, see and feel. My trust in you, however, secure. I have seen your work and will among us for much of my life and I am convinced that you are exactly what this broken king David said you are – perfect. And your law, rules and ways are perfect as well. Thank you for continued mercy and patience with me and all of us who wait for sin to be no more and justice to prevail over all things.

Posted on

When heaven is silent.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

You don’t let me sleep. I am too distressed even to pray! I think of the good old days, long since ended, when my nights were filled with joyful songs. I search my soul and ponder the difference now. Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be kind to me? Is his unfailing love gone forever? Have his promises permanently failed? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he slammed the door on his compassion? Psalms‬ ‭77‬:‭4‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The psalmist, Asaph, records this Psalm while Daniel was in the midst of Babylonian captivity. As you can see, the author was under great distress over the state of the nation of Israel and left with a ton of unresolved questions. These types of psalms are raw, unfiltered, yet for the reader’s sake, find a commonality in suffering.

Praying to God, begging God for sleep, kindness, love and to follow through with His promises. We have the advantage of history and the whole story, but for folks that lived through the 70 year experience- it must have been a nightmare to find God when heaven was silent.

The psalmist asks questions that many people ask when going through difficult times. Has God rejected me? Will I ever see good times again? Is God’s love, His presence, mercy, grace and compassion GONE? When one is in the dark, it is so thorough, so permeating that it feels like it will never end. This is the shadowed world of darkness, the desert fathers and mothers post New Testament termed it, “the dark night of the soul.” And many of them concluded that God invites some into this season. Jesus faced similar, the Apostle Paul was blinded for three days and spent a month out in the desert sorting out his soul. It looks frightening and most I know would think it crazy to be in a situation like this let alone take up God’s beckoning to go willingly. Yet, we all know folks who are suffering. Those who have been given a death diagnosis, those who have lost everything, those who feel lost and abandoned.

I was just reading Job yesterday, not an easy book nor life lesson to comprehend. Job suffered immensely and survived heaven’s silence. Did God reject the psalmist? Was God’s love lost forever? Did God’s promises fail or did He forget to be gracious? No, No, No and No. But it was so real and lasted long enough for the psalmist to lose sleep and run out of words to express the deep trauma he felt.

We are promised in so many places in God’s Word that we are never far from His presence, and there is no place on earth where one could hide from Him. David declared that even in the valley trail that leads between the mountains of Israel, a canyon so deep and long that some places never see the sun. When one walks through this valley of shadows taking on the appearance of death, that one should fear no evil, because God’s shepherd’s rod and staff are still very much with us. Thou art with me! It’s the most important lesson to learn! In Psalm 139:11-12, “I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.” The truth to hold onto is that Heaven may be silent for the night, but God’s presence is very much near and very much real. The sun will rise again. And the Son did rise from death’s darkness! May joy come to you in the morning! Ps. 30:5.

Prayer

Dad,
I have been in some very dark moments, terrifying, soul shattering situations. Yet, even though I sat in the long lingering of night and darkness that felt like it would not end, I never felt alone. Quite the opposite! I physically felt your comfort. Your peace was palpable even when I could not sleep and words did fail. The sheer panic of feeling trapped and left with no options, was unnerving. I held on to you and you held me tight. You were with me in the darkness. Thank you for your everlasting presence. Thank you for your mercy to carry me when I felt like I was drowning in darkness. You are so good to me. Amen.

Posted on

No secrets in heaven.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you. Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness. Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise you. Psalms‬ ‭51‬:‭12‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If our lives were portrayed in a book, a memoir containing the entirety of our life and legacy, what should be written? The early years, of course. The backstory to who you are, or were growing up. The “origin” story, they call it. Many have wonderful childhoods, solid families and lots of great memories. Those would make it into the book, right? Some have difficult family stories, filled with dark traumas and secrets not whispered.

It is believed that David wrote half of the 150 Psalms! And, in all those writings, we find a plethora of emotions – high highs and devastating lows. Psalms is the best for teaching folks to not only spend time WITH God in his Word, but also to be genuine and honest in our conversations with Him. Maybe even using some of David’s language as “training-wheels” to find our own authentic expressions of praise, frustration, anger, depression or repentance!

Psalm 51 is unique, even among David’s gut-wrenching epitaphs. It’s a whole chapter dedicated to an open confession and admission of guilt! Would we write a memoir that contained a chapter of our worst decisions, our biggest failures and our deep cries for forgiveness? David did.

David spends time translating FEELINGS into words, a talent few men have access to. Getting away with sin and regret is harder than we think. Our rebellion, our determination to protect self-will and desire is so strong, yet hiding sin has awful side effects and outcomes. Doing sin is just part of the process. But hiding it, masking it, scheming to cover our tracks, so to speak – that’s where our consciousness gets the best of us. Running, hiding, covering, lying and maintaining secrecy is the weapon of darkness, Satan himself. Keeping sin in the shadows eats at us. It consumes us, swallowing life and light around us. We can bury it, but sin’s wretched smell reeks and leaks no matter how hard we suppress it.

David knew sin is the joy sucker of life! He pleaded with God to restore his joy because JOY was missing, marred under the blackened ooze of fear and the hubris pretense of denial. He writes, FORGIVE ME! Whether we write a life legacy or just live one, we cannot escape or outrun our sin! It will come out. It will be revealed. There are no sin secrets in heaven. Get em out while we can.

Prayer

Dad,
Wow God! I don’t think David was trying to be a pseudo-psychologist or social scientist, but his godly wisdom is spot on. I am both convicted and convinced when I read this Psalm to see that MY sin is nasty and destructive. And, by holding onto it, being haunted by it, sucks joy out of my life and my walk with You. Please, forgive me of my sin. But also, forgive me for trying to manage or manipulate it away. I confess my sin to you so you can properly dispose of it, cleaning my soul and restoring what has been wasted and stolen from me. Thank you for your forgiveness and mercy. Amen.

Posted on

Daniel’s extraordinary experience in Babylon.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Let this be recorded for future generations, so that a people not yet born will praise the Lord. Tell them the Lord looked down from his heavenly sanctuary. He looked down to earth from heaven to hear the groans of the prisoners, to release those condemned to die. And so the Lord’s fame will be celebrated in Zion, his praises in Jerusalem, when multitudes gather together and kingdoms come to worship the Lord. Psalms‬ ‭102‬:‭18‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

To read the full story about Daniel and his rise to power, serving as an advisor to King Nebuchadnezzar, as well as rising above the evil subterfuge and plans to have him killed, you need to read the book he wrote about his life in captivity. A quick search of “Daniel in the Bible,” will give you the quick summary of his life.

One commentator summarizes it well, Jack Zavada writes, “Daniel was a young man of Jewish nobility taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar in the third year of Jehoiakim and renamed Belteshazzar. He was trained in the king’s court and then elevated to a high rank in the Babylonian and Persian kingdoms. Daniel the prophet was only a teenager when introduced in the book of Daniel and was an old man at the close of the book, yet never once in his life did his faith in God waver.” Another writes that “Daniel was the most learned man in the Old Testament and most thoroughly trained for his important role in history and literature.” Daniel had revelatory dreams, he also interpreted dreams and was an advisor to several kings during Israel’s captivity.

This Psalm captures the deep heartache that Daniel carried for his beloved people. Even though he lived most of his life surrounded by the elite, wealthy and powerful politicians of Babylon, he was not swayed nor distracted by their success. He kept his heart pure and his mind focused on God! Daniel writes this Psalm as Israel prepares to be released after 70 years of captivity.

Now, as the nation faces going home to complete devastation of their city and their homes, they are free but have to rebuild and start over. Their temple had been rebuilt, but it was nowhere near the glory of their first one. Nehemiah oversaw the miraculous rebuilding of the city walls, so they would be safe. But there was so much to do and the entire nation had to come to the realization that they had seriously sinned and God had disciplined them severely for it.

Daniel writes a key phrase, “let this be recorded for future generations.” It was tough, but God brought them through. It was humiliating, but God rescued them once again. Daniel wanted the future children to remember. Not the struggles, not the groanings, not the heavy load of accountability for their behaviors – no. Daniel wanted them to remember God saw them, God delivered them and God would restore them! God is worthy of worship!!!

This is a lesson for us who have lived and seen the marvelous miracles and historical moves of God on our nation and in His Church. Whatever discipline, whatever chastisement we have deserved, God is faithful to see us, deliver us and restore His Church to be that spotless, wrinkle-free bride before Jesus returns! God has shown Himself worthy throughout our human history and He will continue to do so.

So for us, we can take Daniel’s advice, his admonition, to gather together as followers of Jesus, as His Church, and come to worship the Lord! I believe a spiritual revolution is coming! So I want to be REUNION READY for those who will come home, those who will turn their hearts toward God and believe!

Prayer

Dad,
I am, we are as the Church, being prepared for you to pour out Your Spirit on this beautiful blue globe, in our nation, states and cities. We are waiting for you to pour out Your Spirit of truth, lifting the blindness from our eyes that promise unfulfilled lies. We will witness the supernatural move of Your Spirit once again – maybe for the last time before Jesus returns for the final days of justice and end of all things here on this planet. May Your fame be celebrated throughout the earth! Amen.

Posted on

Doeg must die.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

O Lord, oppose those who oppose me. Fight those who fight against me. Psalms‬ ‭35‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David writes this Psalm while reflecting on the horrific slaughter of innocent men, women and children in the ancient city of nob. David himself, a shepherd turned warrior, is in the unique position to understand when a man breaks from reality, from a sense of morality, and a code of honor even in times of war – it is devastating.

Doeg also went from a being a shepherd, to being Saul’s chief shepherd. Then suddenly in a moment, with little warning, he gets caught up in Saul’s obsessive rage to pursue David at any cost, and Doeg becomes a mass murderer. The story is all in 1 Samuel 21 & 22. David finds refuge, some food and the famous Goliath sword at the tabernacle in Nob, where Ahimilech served as priest. Doeg also happened to be at the tabernacle at the same time as David and his men. Doeg immediately reported the incident to King Saul. Saul then summoned Ahimilech and his family to the palace to hold him accountable for what he considered to be treason. When Saul asked Ahimilech why he harbored and abetted a criminal of the crown, Ahimilech told him the truth – he said, You mean David? “Who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, and captain over your bodyguard, and honored in your house?” Ahimilech was openly declaring his innocence.

Saul became enraged and ordered the palace guard to immediately kill the priests of the LORD – all of them, while standing there in the court. But the guard refused the King’s direct order! Saul then turned to Doeg and ordered him, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod.”

But Doeg wasn’t done.

For some reason, he didn’t stop with slaughtering innocent priests. Doeg then rode off, back to Nob, the city of the priests, and killed every man, woman, child and baby. He even killed the city’s animals, the oxen, donkeys and sheep. Whoa. Doeg, like his King went full on demonically mental to become a mass murderer.

David, feeling remorse and responsibility for their deaths, writes this Psalm, pleading with God to bury Doeg. Doeg became known as the “priest slayer.” Jewish legend says that David himself took Doeg’s life.

The backstory to the Psalms are so full of triumph and tragedy. They are all reflections of the good, bad and ugly of our human nature and the beauty of God’s mercy and justice. Only God is perfectly capable of wielding both. When we don’t understand the why behind the stories we see or hear about, there is often a backstory. God knows what He is doing!

Prayer

Dad,
The Old Testament is filled with such raw voracity, a hunger for evil. It reveals the true nature of what sin can do to the human heart – anyone could be a Doeg! I hear about the rampant evil currently accelerating in our cities and I think, “Dear God, we need you!” We need you to pour out your Spirit, confronting the anarchy, corruption, suffering and brokenness in our dark hearts. Help us Oh Lord! Answer our cries for peace in our communities and countries. We repent of our self-determined wills that rise up against you. We repent of our lusts for more. Hear our prayers today God. Have mercy to soften and turn our hearts towards you once again. We don’t want to be a Doeg. Amen.

Posted on

Adversarial distress much?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

”God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! Interlude“ ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭46‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Blue Letter Bible says that this Psalm was written after Jehoshaphat wins a battle in 2 Chronicles 20. However, this Psalm begins with an ominous reminder for all of us over the span of history here on the earth. We are not the only ones groaning in anticipation of finality!

The Apostle Paul wasn’t a scientist nor a meteorologist, but he knew the signs of the times when he wrote, “For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” Romans 8:22. It is interesting that adversarial distress or “trouble,” as the Hebrew word, “tsarah,” suggests, comes from more than just the evil and brokenness of our human relationships. When we sinned, past tense, as in the first couple; when we still sin today, several relationships are damaged and continue in a fractured state.

Our relationship with God was broken, our relationship to other humans was broken, and our relationship with the earth itself was broken. Anyone that has spent even a few years with their marriage mate, family or close friends should immediately realize – relationships are TOUGH. Love is a choice, but it’s also a battle of wills, expectations and constant forgiveness! God gave us the job of tending to the earth itself, but she’s not always a happy camper, right?

Flip on the news and watch the global devastation of volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, fires and funnel clouds. Our own San Diego, California was just shockingly overwhelmed with this random rainstorm and flooded! The psalmist reminds us, even when we battle to regain the beauty of the eden moments, the earth is a wild, untamed beast!

But we should not fear, God is still our refuge and strength. God is willing and able to help us even in these tribulative times of trouble. Even in the chaos of fractured moments with God, each other and the angry earth, God is here among us! God is for us, not against us. God moves towards us, not away from us. God leans in when we recognize our brokenness and humble ourselves before Him. In that holy space of prayer, confession, praise and thanks – God is near and we should not fear. Let the mountains crumble, let the ground tremble, let the waters surge- God is at work redeeming and restoring us and all of creation to himself!

Prayer

Dad,
We are certainly surrounded by stories of human devastation as well as local and global disasters. We sense the tension in our relationships with each other and this beautiful planet we were commanded to care for. We ache and groan for the completion, the finality of Your Kingdom coming and setting all things right. Our relationship with you, each other and the earth. The work, the ransom price for our sin has been paid, so now we wait. Maranatha – Come quickly Lord Jesus. Amen.

Posted on

God is listening.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help. Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God. Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly. Give me happiness, O Lord, for I give myself to you. O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help. Listen closely to my prayer, O Lord; hear my urgent cry. I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble, and you will answer me. Psalms‬ ‭86‬:‭1‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What would you like to say to God? What do you want to tell Him?

David, the beloved King of ancient Israel was no saint. It’s hard to say, but likely he was a way better sinner than you or I will ever be! Sure he was brave (or arrogant). Sure he was confident (or cocky). Sure he was charismatic (or manipulative). But, David gave us more insight into his own life AND a more authentic prayer life than any other character in the Bible!

David was prolific in being real before a Holy God! This Psalm is one of many where David is hurting and afraid, yet it does not stop him from pouring out his heart and soul to God. “Bend down, hear me, answer me – I need your help.” It’s raw and unfiltered, he’s certainly not pandering for spiritual points, trying to make it look like his life is all together!

It’s because these prayers, these pursuits of conversations with God that we too can let it all out, say what we’ve got to say, and know we are safe in our relationship with God. There is SO MUCH to learn from Psalms like this one. My question is, “do I talk with God with as much unpolished presence as David?” God is listening! I can’t say that God is waiting around, fretting about our prayer life. But I can confidently say this – God wants to hear from us when we are at our best and our worst.

When things are good, give God a shoutout of praise. Thank Him for His mercy and grace, blessing and favor. And when things are bad, TELL HIM. If you need some help with verbalizing or converting a mess of emotions into words, then PRAY David’s prayer in this Psalm. Don’t just read it – PRAY IT – OUT-LOUD. God knows our heart, He is willing to hear the wrestling in our soul. Talk to Him while driving through traffic. Talk to Him when you wake up in the night. Greet Him in the morning. And, say goodnight before you close your day. Just pray – He is listening. Maybe He will speak to you in the storm, in the quiet, in the battle, in the confusion or raging anger. Get it all out, then quiet your soul and listen.

Prayer

Dad,
I know you hear me when I pray! I know you answer me when I feel trapped, surrounded, overwhelmed or afraid. I am so thankful for your love and patience with me. I am so grateful that you know my sin and my frailty. I love everyone one of the moments when we talk. I pray, you listen. I listen and you speak to me through Your Holy Spirit. I am comforted by Your presence and have never regretted our time together. Plus, I can’t wait until I see you face to face and spend all of eternity with you and the people who love you. Amen.