Month: May 2018

Today’s psalms offer lessons about the various forms worship of God takes. Do you want to draw near to God? Do you struggle to find Him enough? Worship is the means by which we can know Him so intimately that we find Him to be enough in every situation. He doesn’t want us just to know about Him, He doesn’t want us to know Him at arm’s length, but to dwell with Him – that implies a close relationship. That will result in our knowing that He is great, rejoicing in Him, and being glad in Him. He wants us to delight in Him, to experience mutual delight with Him.

These psalms open with a profound truth: praise is due to God. Pause a moment to let that sink in. Whether we acknowledge it or not, whether we feel like it or not, regardless of our circumstances, praise is due to God. Further, think about what precious realities God offers the one who dwells in close relationship with Him: if we dwell in intimacy with Him, we will be satisfied and have hope. If He can still the roaring waves of the sea, He can still the tumult of the peoples – how comforting this truth is to one who is weary of the drama of life.

Every time we read psalms that speak of worship, we are reminded that worship involves joy and gladness, such joy that we shout and sing. Glorious praise would be lavish praise. It is amazing that the writer can say that when he suffered God’s tying him as silver is refined and laying a crushing burden on his back. Given those circumstances, how could the psalmist say that all the earth worships God and sings His praise? There is a lot of evil in this world that does not look like singing God’s praise. But the reality is that all of His creation demonstrates God’s glory, as evidenced in the earth’s yielding its increase to feed and shelter us. One day every knee will bow to Him; that is so certain that we can talk about it as truth. This psalm reminds us that the end of the story of earth and time is that God wins!

That God wins is such a blessing for us because He is a God of steadfast love. Even when David’s circumstances were awful, with people gossiping about him, reproaching him, making fun of him, mistreating him and treating him unjustly, even when he was afflicted and in pain, he praised God for His steadfast love. One of the important truths about worship presented here is that we are to praise God even when we don’t feel like it. The passages from this psalm that were quoted in the Gospels remind us of our Savior’s suffering; in light of what He suffered, do we suffer so much? If He can remain faithful in that, when He had the power to call angels to rescue Him, then with His victory over death enabling us, we can remain faithful, too.

Note in Psalm 50 whom God was judging and why He was judging them. What were they doing right, and what did God want them to do? Then note who the wicked were and what they were doing that offended God. What is God’s desire for His people, according to this psalm? There are some startling statements in this psalm that can instruct us.

God was speaking to His people: He called them “my people” and Himself their God. Yet He was testifying against them. They were offering animal sacrifices continually before Him, which, given all we read about in the Law, would seem to be a good thing; however, God refused to accept their sacrifices. Instead of their animal sacrifices, He preferred their sacrifices of thanksgiving, their faithfulness to do what they had committed to Him to do, and their calling upon Him in the day of trouble. It appears that they were going through the motions of worship with their sacrifices, but neglecting what would further their intimacy with God. The substitution was unacceptable to God. Do we do the same?

He called people wicked who knew His statutes so well they could recite them, and who talked about a covenant relationship with God. They were wicked because they despised discipline and were not obedient to His words, despite their knowledge of His word. They demonstrated their wickedness by whom they spent their time with and by speaking deceitfully and slanderously. Does this challenge you at all? Do you suppose God sees you as a wicked person despite your knowledge of His word and claim to enjoy relationship with Him?

Psalm 53 points out that everyone is corrupt. How we need saving from our own corruption! As we learned from the previous psalm, God wants us to call on Him in our desperate need for salvation, and then do what the resulting covenant relationship calls us to do. Have you called on Him? Have you fulfilled your commitment?

Psalm 60 was written by David during the battles we read about yesterday. The accounts in II Samuel and I Chronicles made them seem like a piece of cake, didn’t they? This psalm gives us a different view. Are the two contradictory? Not at all; it’s that the historical accounts didn’t give the full story, but a quick news byte telling the outcome of the battles. This psalm was written during the heat of battle when the situation was desperate. Even when God gave those victories, all was not ease for the Israelites. The hard battle felt like God’s rejection. But happily, that wasn’t the end of the story. We can grieve in the hard times, but we must remember that they are not the end of the story. That is the power of thanksgiving: it helps us remember, putting our current situation into perspective.

Psalm 75 offers God that thanksgiving He desires. There is a precious verse in this psalm worth noting and remembering: “When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars.” Have you ever suffered a situation so difficult that it felt like your world had fallen apart? Or consider some of the awful things happening in this world that make it seem like it is falling apart. But God – He is steady. That is why He wants us to call upon Him in the day of trouble.

The horn spoken of in the psalm is a poetic reference to strength. There are different kinds of strength: physical strength, emotional strength, mental strength, positional strength…. Think about what this psalm says about horns in light of this.

We might be tempted to forget that the principles for which David praises God in these psalms are not promises, because we want to be able to claim them. Although we can’t claim these as promises, we can appeal to God on the basis of the principles He has demonstrated are generally true in His dealings with men historically. Aren’t we blessed that the principles He generally follows, and the characteristics He demonstrates fulfill the desires of our hearts?

Psalm 25 examines the one whom the Lord teaches His ways. Are you interested in being one who is taught the ways of the Lord? Taught not just head knowledge, but trained so that you are transformed by the truth? The only way to learn that is from God – not from any teachings of man. So to what kind of person does God reveal His ways in that manner? Why not make a list from this psalm?

Psalm 29 waxes poetic about, of all things, the voice of the Lord. Why His voice? What is so special about His voice? Think about it as you go through this psalm. Who can do such things with just His voice? What does that indicate is true of God?

Psalm 33 opens with another invitation to be joyful. The shout for joy is a powerful expression of joy, and the psalmist said it is fitting for the upright. What else is fitting? To sing a new song. What does that mean to you? The psalm justifies the powerful joy and singing of a new song with his descriptions of the Lord. If you make the effort to make a list of all the psalmist says about God, you will be moved to joy yourself. What describing words does he use? What nouns does he use? What actions of God does He list to describe Him?

Psalm 36 uses imagery to describe God’s greatness, so the meaning in this psalm is gleaned by understanding the imagery. Look up on a sunny day or a clear night to understand the vastness of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. Contemplate the mountains to understand His towering righteousness. Consider the depths of the oceans to understand His judgments; we can never fully understand such deep ideas. Imagine the tender safety that chicks find in the softness of their mother’s wings and understand the refuge available to us in God’s care. Think about the abundance of a river flowing through dry land and understand the refreshing and satisfying delights God offers. Do these images offer you a better appreciation of God’s greatness?

Does God sometimes seem “deaf or blind or absent or afar,” so that you doubt His faithfulness? Circumstances can wear us down; they did some of the writers of the psalms, and God included their musings in His word to warn us and encourage us. Today’s psalms are wonderful reminders of God’s faithfulness.

Do you see Jesus in Psalm 89? “What man can live forever and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?” The only possible answer is “No one.” But Jesus! He changes everything! So where is God’s steadfast love of old which by His faithfulness He swore to David? The psalmist didn’t see it happening at that moment in his life, but can you see how senseless it is for him to imply that God is not faithful because of the present circumstances in which he finds himself? Our present circumstances are not the end of the story any more than his circumstances were. God’s faithfulness to fulfill the promises of which this writer spoke, was demonstrated in ancient history; does that give you hope in His faithfulness to fulfill His good promises to you?

When the writer of Psalm 96 tells the reader to sing a new song to the Lord, what does that imply? I encourage you to think about it. Is God doing new things in your life and heart on a regular basis? The psalmist gives us many reasons to praise God: new works He’s doing, His day-to-day salvation, His glory, His marvelous works among men, His splendor and majesty and strength, and (one of my favorite reasons to praise Him) His promise to judge all people in righteousness and faithfulness.

While you are reviewing the praiseworthy works of God in these psalms, I encourage you to consider what praiseworthy works He has done in your life, both of old and those new works. Could you offer Him your own psalm of praise today? Perhaps it can be something you think about throughout the day.

I won’t often take time to do word studies for this blog, except that the distinction between unrighteous people as in Psalm 1:1 was the subject of a conversation we had just last week at church! The word choices in the original Hebrew are interesting, given the warnings in this psalm. The blessed one, who is firmly rooted like a tree, bearing fruit reliably, does not conduct himself according to the ways of the ungodly, those who are morally wrong and actively bad, who are contrasted with the righteous. They are compared to sinners, one who sins habitually, in whose ways the blessed one does not stand. Mockers are those who are proud, whom God sees as fools; the blessed one does not lounge in such company. So whose ways do you follow today? If the examples you set before yourself are from Hollywood or Wall Street, you are not building a firm root system and will not be fruitful as God intends for you to be.

Psalm 22 directs us to Jesus because the first lines are words He cried out while suffering on the cross, and the psalm is quoted several times in reference to His anguish. The opening question is a common question suffering people ask of God: where are you in the midst of my suffering? The answer to that question is that He is in the same place He was when His beloved Son was suffering on the cross. Was He helpless or distant or uncaring in the midst of Jesus’ suffering? What if He had intervened to cut it short? Then He would not have died for the redemption of our sins, nor would He have risen again to overcome sin. He would have come to earth for nothing! What a sad waste. But happily, the Father did not prevent the completion of Jesus’ work on the cross. This psalm reminds us how perfect God is, even when we suffer; He won’t mess up by letting us suffer one minute longer than we have to, and He will go with us to help us and give us everything we need for life and godliness so that we will get through it. He will be with us as we emerge from the suffering, a refined soul and hopefully more devoted to Him. Isn’t the truth of this psalm a great help in difficult times?

Psalm 24 speaks powerfully of that which has imprisoned us so that we have no hope of freedom. Ancient doors speak of something that has been immovably in place since before anyone can remember – it has always been this way. Do you have a sin issue in your life that has been there so long that you don’t think you could ever be free? Or a wound from sin that has been handed down from previous generations so that you can’t comprehend that there even exists healing for it? How does an ancient door move? Not very well. But in God’s presence, for the sake of His entrance, that door will open itself. That’s power. That’s the power God has to apply to your seemingly immovable door that keeps you imprisoned. If there is a matter you need Him to open, please don’t hesitate to ask Him to do what is needed. He wants to be your rescuer! If you have experienced the freedom He gives, please don’t hesitate to praise Him for what He has done for you.