Tag: Psalms

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Just knowing God listens.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Praise the Lord! For he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭28‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It is interesting, when you are talking to someone, telling them about yourself or what you are going through, there is a connection. That moment where you feel seen and heard. It should go likewise when I hear someone telling me about their life, their struggles or joys. To think that although God knows us throughly, intimately, and still wants to hear us talk with Him, is just mind blowing. The Psalmist has recorded the content of his conversations with God for us! For us to know God, trust Him and hopefully, do the same in our relationship – talk to God and allow Him to speak and encourage us back. In those personal moments David writes a truth he has learned through experiences of walking with God. David had seen devastating lows, in depression and exalted highs in triumphs and celebrations. It is said that this Psalm was inserted into the collection towards the end of David’s life. And towards the end there is still a confidence – God hears his cries for mercy. God has and will be his strength and shield. And, these memories and moments all give David the confidence of trusting God all the way through to the end.

Can I count on God to see me, hear me and help me – all the way through to the end of my life here on this planet? I am determined to say YES all the way through. As a complete beginner, I trusted God in my teens. I tenaciously held on through my twenties and even thirties. In my forties and fifties I saw massive change and growth in my life, with tremendous highs and devastating lows. And now in my sixties, I am still talking to God and He is still listening. I am still crying out for mercy for myself and others, and He is still my strength and shield. I still trust Him with all my heart and know that He will continue to help me! Now, years down the road, my heart is still filled with Joy and I can burst out with my own songs of thanksgiving. His Word, His promises, His care is real and I am grateful.

Prayer

Dad,
I have seen your wonderful works in my life and I am thankful. I have seen enormous change in my world and in Your Church, yet I still believe. My experiences nowhere near matches the extraordinary drama of David, but I can appreciate the words recorded in these Psalms to learn from them and be comforted by them. Thank you for your Word as it continues to light my path!

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Where determinism leads.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night. You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong. I am determined not to sin in what I say. I have followed your commands, which keep me from following cruel and evil people. My steps have stayed on your path; I have not wavered from following you.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭17‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Whoa. The context of this Psalm is deeply disturbing. It was written concerning the story recorded in 1 Samuel 22:11-21. What a awful story of injustice and the power of a mad king – Saul. Saul ranted and raged against Ahimelech, because he had fed and housed David. Saul was so filled with anger and hatred towards David that he couldn’t see anything but subterfuge and betrayal. Saul ordered his men to kill Ahimelech and all the priests who served with him. Saul’s men refused the order, so Saul ordered Doeg to do the deed. What an horrific deed to slaughter the innocent! “Then the king said to Doeg, “You do it.” So Doeg the Edomite turned on them and killed them that day, eighty-five priests in all, still wearing their priestly garments. Then he went to Nob, the town of the priests, and killed the priests’ families—men and women, children and babies—and all the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats.” Hundreds of people were butchered, having nothing to do with Saul’s private feud with David.

This Psalm was recorded by David in response to him receiving the news, “Only Abiathar, one of the sons of Ahimelech, escaped and fled to David. When he told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord…” David felt responsible for their deaths! He carried the weight of responsibility when he had simply asked the priest for food and shelter. This Psalm doesn’t catch David’s arrogance of perfection, it lets us see his broken heart while trying to follow God and do what is right!

So often people blame God for the wackadoodle behaviors of crazed, rage-filled humans who enact unspeakable acts on others. It’s a fair question to ask, “why did God allow Saul (or Doeg) to do such a thing?” God didn’t ALLOW this brutal act. God gave us the gift of free will! These are the latent behaviors that exist in all human beings who strive to distance themselves from God, disobeying God and choosing to do their own thing, making up their own rules. One might say, “well I would never…” What? Kill? Become a maniac? It’s quite the discussion on social media platforms. The general consensus is, “Everyone is capable of murder.” Do we really know what we would be like if we truly followed our own will, desires and passions? Throwing off all constraints with a healthy dose of power and authority mixed with hate, anger or revenge, I think we would have to admit – we are all capable.

David’s prayer is all about following God and NOT his own bent, destructive will! David’s intent is to KEEP God’s commands so that he does not become a Saul or a Doeg! Sounds like a good confession to me.

Folks are willing to wander off God’s path with the curiosity of wondering, “what’s out there?” Be careful of what paths we choose and what doors we open! Not all paths lead to God. Not all doors of experimental experiences should be opened. Could God have stopped Saul, or Doeg? Absolutely. Shouldn’t God stop ALL OF US in our free will and decisions to pursue whatever we want. We are all capable of good and evil. And that choice is ours to make. We get to live in a world where we have the results of good and the consequences of evil among us. David was not perfect, not in the least bit! But neither are we, not yet. God will judge all things perfectly in the end. I am determined to follow God and believe His plans, His ways. Certainly not my own.

Prayer

Dad,
Not only have I come this far by faith, I am determined to go all the way. Nothing will stop me. Not my sin. Not my questions. Not offenses towards me. Not the evils all around me. I have set my course and I will not change my decision nor my destination. Heaven will be my home and you will forever be my God!

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Wonder and sustainability in how we care for the planet.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭65‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Written towards the end of David’s life is this deep appreciation for the way God cares for earth. David’s observation; how fortunate it must be for those who live on “the ends” where the sun rises and falls. Which we know is anyone who just walks outside with a clear view of the east and west!

What a joy it is to burst into singing to God as the sun rises or sit in silence as it sets. I love both! Whether I’m walking, or hiking (when I was younger) or driving directly into the morning sunrise – it is always invigorating and spectacular. Our family has a ritual, once a year on our getaway to Tahoe, to walk down to the lakeshore and watch the sun set over the western hills of the lake. It’s so peaceful and quiet. It’s breathtaking. The day begins and ends in a spectacular array of color and bursts of light across the skies.

David’s reflection of God’s wonder go on in verses 9-13. He details God’s care and sustaining work in keeping the earth healthy in its ecosystem. When I read this psalm it reminds me of two things: One, David’s son Solomon must have gotten his deep appreciation for nature from his Dad. Solomon, in all his wisdom knew everything about botany and zoology. Two, those who love God, who follow Jesus should be the best environmentalists – but not the political use of that word!

We believe God not only created the world, but he put humans in charge of managing it. Christians should be at the forefront of caring for and sustaining the wonder and beauty of the earth. Not to the point of valuing plant and animal life above humans, but to keep a better balance of how we care for the air we breath, the water we drink, the forests we use to build our homes and the way we care for the land and animals we need for food. We should recognize our outpaced obsessions and addictions that harm our planet. We should be better at curbing our wants and desires to be the best caretakers we can be. David did his best to live by God’s own environmental laws, in care of the ecosystem, to honor God. I for one, love clean air, water and food sources!

Prayer

Dad,
You have created and designed such a beautiful place for us to live and enjoy the wonder of this big blue planet. And the spectacular array of light and color from the Sun is beyond words to describe it. Thank you for this wonderful place. Help us God, to be better caretakers of what you have given for us to enjoy. This place may not be our permanent home, but we should leave it better than we arrived here!

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Consider God’s thoughts.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭15‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The most spectacular verses written by David. David records this prayer after being made king over all Israel in 1 Chronicles 13. The celebration was huge! But more than that, David made his first kingly decree, “It is time to bring back the Ark of our God, for we neglected it during the reign of Saul.” David invites the physical presence of God, represented in the Ark of the Covenant. It’s within the context of this moment, filled with joy and overwhelming emotions and the culmination of years of promise that led to that moment. It’s in those moments David writes this beautiful prayer.

The span of our human life – God sees it, saw it all before time even began. This is powerfully sacred! Have you thought about how God knows each one of us? How God sees us, individually? And what are God’s thoughts towards us, towards you? David is love-struck knowing that God’s thoughts towards him are precious and numerous. How can this be? How does that work? How is it possible? Never mind the mysterious details! Just grab that idea for a moment. God’s thoughts for you are precious and innumerable. Read Psalm 139:1-6.

We only have capacity to review our past and ponder our history. When and where we were born, thinking about our parents and our circumstances of growing up. We can only remember up to yesterday or the moment before this one. God’s thoughts, go out ahead of our life, beyond today. His thoughts go out to tomorrow and beyond the end of our life. God knows when and how we will come to the end of our life here! But even then, His thoughts continue towards us on throughout eternity. We have to admit along with David, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!” Yes, too great to understand. Yet we can know that it is true and God is trustworthy!

Prayer

Dad,
Thinking about you, thinking about me is wonderfully overwhelming! How could I possibly grasp all that means? I can believe it. I can accept it as true. And, like David and trillions of other souls that exist, I can reflect on that fact that you know me intimately and love me completely.

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The less I know, the better?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭131‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The longer I live, the less I know. Of course faulty and forgotten memories play a part, but it’s more than that. The game to be played and won is just not as important now. It’s no longer a push or a rush to be first, to win at all costs and to be the brightest and smartest in the room. Is that just a game for youth? I certainly don’t have much to prove anymore!

Oh, but there is one thing I do know and still hold onto – I don’t need to know everything. And I am absolutely learning that I don’t have control over much at all. Circumstances? Nope. People. Nope. Economy. Ha, no way. Outcomes of elections, senate bills or supreme court decisions. Definitely not. The Church or the local church? Nope, I am not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet!

This psalm was put in the book late in David’s life. It’s titled “pilgrim’s ascent,” but it’s really his reflections, looking back over the span of a complicated, tumultuous, successful life. I just want to hug these two amazing lines out of this psalm. “I don’t concern myself…” oh, what truth. With matters too great, or too awesome for me to grasp. There it is! Years of wisdom finally spoken in moments of blissful truth.

David’s anecdote to the poison of worry and control… “I have calmed and quieted myself.” This from a guy who saw more, lived more, had more money and more power than I will ever see. This from his humble, field beginnings, to one of the most powerful men of ancient times. My simple faith and trust in God and Him alone should suffice, it must, if I am to finish well.

If you are in your angsty thirties, or your self-aware forties, listen to David’s godly advice. Practice this: Do not concern yourself with matters beyond your control or too complicated to even begin to understand! Trust God. Obey God. This will bring a calm quietness to your soul. When peace like a river attendeth your way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever your lot, God hast taught you to say, “It is well, it is well with my soul.”

Prayer

Dad,
Reading one of David’s later psalms has given me hope. I don’t have to know or control everything. I simply must know you. I think about Paul’s powerful words to “know Christ and the power of His resurrection.” I should be far more content and at ease knowing that you know! You know me. You know everything. And, there is a peace that comes with the confidence that you are working all things out for good, mine and everyone else’s good, for those who know you, and have faith in you. What a mental relief to my soul! Thank you for all that you have done and all you are doing in my life today.

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Listen to the Korahashians.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Come, see the glorious works of the Lord: See how he brings destruction upon the world. He causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear; he burns the shields with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭46‬:‭8‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The sons of Korah bring this Psalm with specific instructions to sing it in soprano voices. It is about the victory of ​Jehoshaphat celebrated in the valley of Berachah (blessing). This Psalm of victory is a picture of the young king (35yrs old) steering the nation back to God, remembering who really fights and wins the battles.

I love the bold proclamation that is themed throughout the Old Testament-“be still and know that I am God.” It is followed with this truth: God will be honored by every nation and throughout the world! It was true then, it is still true today. God is at work! How helpful is it to be reminded of this? Us in our postmodern era of science, intellectualism and social snobbery. We start believing the cultural nonsense: “if there was a god, he is far off and completely disconnected from us.” We’ve suppressed the reality of spiritual happenings, even denying that we are spiritual beings ourselves.

Who’s wiser, Jehoshaphat and the sons of Korah, who believes, or our modern windbags preaching for us to look within and find our own god-ness? It’s embarrassing that the ancients were more in tune with reality than we are today! The Korahashians were far more reliable than the Kardashians! The ending refrain was sung back in response to these declarations and we would do well to remember it today – “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.” Look up, God is at work among us.

Prayer

Dad,
It is too easy to just look at all the things happening in our world today and to think that we are alone. To believe that no one is in control of the chaos of wars, physical and cultural. But we know better. Those who know you, love you and follow you understand that you are at work redeeming humans. Yes, there is an adversary, the liar, the slanderer. And, there is our own evil pursuits, bent on making our own happiness and purpose outside of your will. Neither of those will succeed. You will be victorious in all pursuits to accomplish your will and we can celebrate that fact! Thank you for being active and working in and through us today.

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Some things you just never forget.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you. With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever, for your love for me is very great. You have rescued me from the depths of death.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭86‬:‭11‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

King David, former shepherd, former Saul’s melody-muse, former man-on-the-run, reflects on his past as much as he does his future. From humble fields to giant-killer fame, to promised heir-apparent, David lived the full gamut of a colorful life. But in those bold snapshots of highs and lows there is a common theme – he always loved God and wanted to please him.

From his confident bravado on the battlefield, and awkward patience waiting for Saul to die a natural death. His rise to power, and then colossal failure as a man, a husband and leader. He always held onto his relationship with God. It’s admirable to understand that God wanted us to know so much about this man. It feels so authentic to see the circuitous paths it took to get David to be a “man after God’s heart,” and be able to judge his behaviors thousands of years later.

This psalm, in the book of Psalms, was inserted towards the end of David’s life. It reminds me of this struggle to be a faulty human AND be good. Not just momentarily human or situationally good, but to be both over a lifetime. Who really can judge us properly? Who can see the totality of earnest desire to be pure, to be good, yet consistently fail at it. What small slice would be observed in my life, or yours? The good slice of a worthy moment, where I served, loved and chose well? Or the humiliating one, where I selfishly or angrily lost my sense of perspective and choose poorly? Which moment would I chose to be remembered by, judged by? The good of course!

David’s prayer encourages me to keep choosing to believe, to pray like this psalm, “teach me, grant me purity of heart… so that I may honor God.” I too must hold on to the moments God rescued me, saved me. But I must also hold on to the moments where I made good choices, not bad. Moments where I pursued God, not failed him. So that I can also praise God will ALL my heart.

Prayer

Dad,
To be human means that I carry both memories of wretched failure and soaring sainthood. Through all the moments of highs and lows, you were always there. Whether proud or patient, you saw it all. In fact you see the beginning, the present and tomorrow all in an eternal moment of now! You see my choices tomorrow and how my life here eventually comes to an end. After all that is sorted, I hope you know that I do love you and I am so very grateful for everything you’ve done in my life. Your mercy and kindness to me has been overwhelming and unending. Thank you.

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The view on the road back home.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.” Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy!” Psalms‬ ‭126‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What’s it like coming back home or reconciling with family and friends after you’ve left, drifted or stormed off in anger. It’s tough. I have no understanding of Israel’s forced captivity in a foreign country as a disciplinary action from God. They were marched out of their land and into Babylon where they were immigrants for 70 years – that’s a long time! And while they were gone, their beloved homes, city and temple were all ransacked and destroyed.

They only small comparison I have is being given up for adoption at four years old. My world, my home, my toys, my neighborhood friends all gone. I was placed with a new family, in an unfamiliar apartment and never did returned home. All that was left for me was fragments of memories, like an assortment of puzzle pieces that do not fit together to make a picture.

For Israel, the journey back was humbling and difficult. Everything they remembered had to be rebuilt – their homes, their city wall and their temple. Ezra, the priest, convinced them to rebuild God’s house before doing anything else! And, it made sense because it was the neglect of God’s house and His commandments that put them in the generational time-out to begin with.

When things go wrong, it’s hard to figure out this concept still today. Am I being disciplined by God? Is this just life in a broken world? Or, am I being targeted and harassed by the devil? Oh, you didn’t know that God still disciplines either putting us into timeout or allowing it to happen? Sorry to break it to you. God loves us enough to come after us, even if it means putting us into situations that require us to look up and reevaluate our decisions!

This Psalm captures the hope, the joy of not just returning, but the giddiness of rebuilding. Rebuilding a life, a home, a church or a city is certainly difficult, but it beats captivity! It’s a wake up call to remember what freedom is really all about – freedom to do right, not do whatever we want. The Psalmist, Ezra, declares “YES! The Lord as done amazing things for us! What joy!” It’s honest and real after being gone for so long.

Prayer

Dad,
Oh my heart just breaks for those who knew you, loved you and then for so many different reasons, decided to walk out. Whether is was some awful experience in life or the church or just wandering off, looking for something else. It’s still painful for me to watch. So many friends, so many family members who walked away from you. I don’t plan on leaving your presence, even when I’ve been exiled in a holy timeout for my own good. Where would I go? You are the author of life. You have given me so much. I cannot deny nor turn away from that. However, I ask that I do not become the “elder brother” in the prodigal story, comparing my life to others and thinking I need a big party celebrating the fact that I never left. No, help me to always be the father in that story. The one who daily goes out waiting, watching for those who’ve decided to come home!

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God sees and hears you.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭40‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It is really powerful and supportive when someone not only knows you are in hard times, but reaches out with a simple text or phone call just to say they are with you. Oh, to be seen and to be heard is actually comforting. It’s mysterious and welcomed. This was a Psalm David wrote himself. We don’t know when he wrote it, but it was placed among the poetry prayers in the collection towards the end of his life.

He writes about waiting for God’s help. Waiting while in physical or mental distress is extremely exhausting. They tell us that pain causes our mind to lie to us and tell us that the present circumstances will be permanent, like there will be no end to it. We just want out of it. We want to get back to normal, back to easy, back to joys of living and loving.

This Psalm is so powerful because David most likely remembers a moment when he was just a shepherd boy, tending his family’s sheep. As a shepherd, it was common for sheep to wander into these mud holes after a rainstorm in the open pasture. These holes looked shallow, but they could be deceptively, dangerously deep. The sheep would step in and sink down, deep into a mud so thick it was like wet cement. The shepherd would hear the cries of the sheep, immobilized in the muck. These holes could also be large enough that the shepherd could not reach the sheep with the crook of his staff. The shepherd would have to climb into the hole, wading in to the depths to wrap his arms around the muddy, scared sheep. He would have to pull the sheep out slowly while the sheep struggled by kicking, even biting at the shepherd. The shepherd’s rescue meant the sheep would be saved!

David sees his own life, filled with his own deep muddy holes and rejoices that God, the great shepherd heard him, turned to him, climbed into the muck and mire, wrapped his arms around him and lifted him out – saving his life. David sees his life as a series of rescues when God continued to set him on the rock of solid ground. David, then in response, lifts his own song of praise to God, thankful that God sees, hears, turns and lifts him out to safety. This is what God does in our life. He sees, hears, turns and rescues us.

Prayer

Dad,
How many times have I found myself in a muddy hole of life? How many times did I wander off? How many times was I trapped? How many times did I feel that I could do nothing to set myself free, rescuing myself? Many times! I also waited. I also cried out. You saw me, heard me, turned to me and lifted me out of the muck! Thank you! I remember and give you praise!

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Voice of God.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea. The God of glory thunders. The Lord thunders over the mighty sea. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭29‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David reflecting over his entire life, remembering the peaceful times in the pasture while tending his father’s sheep. The early entry into the limelight, becoming the giantkiller. Through the rapid rise to fame and possibility as the heir apparent to the throne of Israel. Running and hiding from Saul, Israel’s first king. To the forty years of being king. A circuitous life to notoriety, writing 73 out of the 150 Psalms. Having 8 wives and 18+ children. He lived to 70 years old.

David writes about the powerful voice of God. The voice that created all that exists. God’s voice louder than the roar of the sea. His voice making the earth itself shake and dance. And finally, God speaking in the temple, where the people respond GLORY! What a theme to think about as he reviews his own life.

When we look back on a year, or three or thirty, what do we reflect on? What memories fill our mind? Is it on our own life, family or kids? Is it on career choices or the ups and downs of decisions made in our past? Or, is it on local and global events we’ve experienced and remember the “good-ol-days” even though we know they had their own troubles? David reflected on God and His powerful voice directing the earth and human affairs. Maybe we should consider the same as we look back or better yet, look forward. May The Lord reign as king forever and give his people strength. And, may the Lord bless them with peace.

Prayer

Dad,
Every human will eventually, clearly hear your voice and either be shaken and convicted because they ignored your grace and mocked your love and mercy. Or, they will be overjoyed, comforted by the sweet and familiar sound of being welcomed home. I love your hearing your voice in the quiet sound of correction or the calm sound of peace to my soul. I want your voice to heard as you speak justice, righteousness and truth over the nations of the world. Speak Oh Lord, we need you now.