The story that God has woven throughout creation, as evidenced in Scripture, speaks to the work of God in the lives of earthen vessels. Creation was perverted by the curse of sin but the grace of God purposed to restore that fellowship long before it was ever broken. God is at work in the lives of mankind and He has given us everything that we need to survive. God offered up Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins and then He tabernacles within us through the Holy Spirit. We are richly blessed beyond all measure and comprehension. Oh that the story ended at this moment with the war over but the truth is that sin still rages in its lost battle causing as much collateral damage as possible. Continue Reading…
Tag Archive - Psalms
A question of legacy and posterity: Psalms Summary
You are without excuse, yet restored, will you praise the Lord: Psalm 150
There is nothing more important in our lives than God. Have we been blessed by God? Do we see God’s hand providing for our every need? The truth may startle us when we realize that whether we acknowledge God or not He is still the one who is upholding our lives. “Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty expanse. Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness.” Psalm 150:1,2 We are without excuse for our condition in life but by the grace of God we have been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!” Psalm 150:6 Will you praise the Lord? Continue Reading…
God is sovereign, sinless, and pure: Psalm 149
How can worship and wrath coexist? In Psalm 149 we are given two pictures by the Psalmist; verses one through 4 speak of worshiping God with a new song while verses 5 through 9 speak of wrath falling upon God’s enemies. Can we make a connection between worship and wrath? “Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise in the congregation of the godly ones… Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand…” Psalm 149:1,5 The key to remember as we seek to understand how worship and wrath can coexist is God alone. If we focus on ourselves we will never reconcile seemingly polar opposite ideas but once we remember and acknowledge that it is God who is sovereign, sinless, and pure we can know that in this sin tainted world the things that are at odds with each other are actually in harmony. Continue Reading…
Will you join creation in praising God: Psalm 148
Have you become consumed and overwhelmed by all of the prohibitions of life? We are told consistently to not do this thing, never think about these other things, and to never place a toe out of line. All the rules, regulations, and laws that we are told to follow are for our best and the collective best of society but there is a drain to our lives when we live in consistent negativity. How often are we told to wholeheartedly without limit do something? The psalmist in Psalm 148 is exhorting creation as a collective whole to praise God, “Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven. And He has lifted up a horn for His people, praise for all His godly ones; even for the sons of Israel, a people near to Him. Praise the Lord!” Psalm 148:13,14 Will you join in the praise of creation as you seek to praise the God of heaven and earth? Continue Reading…
Will the collective resources of the world afford you salvation: Psalm 147
When we become utterly tired and weary from the concerns of life what do we hope in? In the morning and strength of our youth we can overcome every insurmountable obstacle that lays in our path but as time, worry, and fear erode our strength and resolve we face a moment of crisis. Will the collective resources of the world afford us the salvation we desire? Is our strength enough? Is there truly hope? It is easy to believe that money, possessions, and friendship can enable us to overcome any problem but we are sadly deceived. God is the wellspring of fulfillment that we crave but there is absolutely no way that we can achieve His grace and favor through any merit of ourselves. Continue Reading…
Who do you admire, look up to, and strive to imitate: Psalm 146
There are a multitude of people that we can desire to imitate and mimic throughout our society. Who do we desire to be like: Movie stars catch our interest by the roles that they portray in their movies, musicians catch our interest as we marvel at their talent, skill, and sound, the rich and wealthy become icons of power that we fantasize about, and members of our families often turn into the people that we desire to mimic. No matter who we choose to imitate we will never have any more wholeness in our life because humanity is flawed and under the curse of sin. There is no one on earth who can save themselves from the curse of sin. Continue Reading…
Is God worthy of your praise for all eternity: Psalm 145
Why would we want to praise God for all eternity? There are moments when praising God continually seems like it could be a tiring endeavor but in those moments we supersede our will and expectations upon our eternal relationship with God and we easily find our selfish desires fighting aggressively against the authority of God in our lives. “I will extol You, my God, O King, and I will bless Your name forever and ever. Everyday I will bless You, and I will praise your name forever and ever.” Psalm 145:1,2 David is encouraging us in Psalm 145 to desire to praise God above everything else we could and do desire. It is easy enough to talk about praising God forever and ever but we often are left desiring a reason for our desires and actions. Continue Reading…
Is God your all encompassing everything who sustains you: Psalms 144
“My lovingkindness and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and He in whom I take refuge, who subdues my people under me. O Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You think of him? Man is like a mere breath; his days are like a passing shadow.” Psalm 144:2-4 Have we forgotten the love for God that was encompassed in complete awe and wonder because of God’s sufficient faithfulness? Listen to David’s words in Psalm 144; God is David’s lovingkindness, fortress, stronghold, deliverer, shield, and refuge. This list of who God was for David is all encompassing to every corner of David’s life. There is no area within David’s life that God was not intimately present in. God by our limited human understanding should have no desire to interact with us but His grace is greater than our inability. Continue Reading…
Give up the pretense of striving to be good and cling to God: Psalm 143
How are you feeling today? Is your life marked by an eternal perspective or has your perspective wavered as you fight, strive, and toil against your sinful nature? We claim to fully acknowledge our helplessness before God but our thoughts and actions often tell a different story. We consider ourselves to be good but are we living and embracing the grace of God? The grace of God is to be consistently abided in, clung to, and treasured above everything else in our lives. We must give up our pretense, full of our striving to be good enough, and cling to God in our weakness. We cannot make a way through our but God is more than able to help us. “Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; for I trust in You; teach me the way in which I should walk; for to You I lift up my soul. Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies; I take refuge in You.” Psalm 143:8,9 David knew that in the despairing moments of life it was only God who could move to bring lasting deliverance. His enemies were surrounding him but despite the imminent danger David clung to God. When all you see is despair will you cling to God? Will you give up you attempts to save yourself and let God save you?
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Will God be enough: Psalm 142
When we are confined and cornered by the worries of life, will God be enough? In Psalm 142 David was pursued by Saul as he was forced to take refuge in a cave. David’s life was in jeopardy and there was no avenue of escape. What did David do? He cried out to God telling Him all the burdens of his heart. When we are in need of help do we find that God is enough for us? Do you pour out your heart to God as you tell Him everything that concerns you? “I cried out to You, O Lord; I said, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living. Give heed to my cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me. Bring my soul out of prison, so that I may give thanks to your name; the righteous will surround me, for You will deal bountifully with me.’” Psalm 142:5-7 Continue Reading…
