Patient and Humble. (Psalm 79-821) – May 19

 Psalm 79  “How long, Lord?’  This is a question we all ask so often.  Right now, I am asking “How long will these shingles last?”  “How long will it take to get this account going?”  How long will it take to sell my car?”, and many other How long questions.  I get impatient and forget to just let things flow. I have a desperate need in my life to access the fruit of longsuffering, which is readily available to me from God.  There is really no need for this question in our lives.

Psalm 80 “Cause your face to shine and we shall be saved ” Three times Asaph makes this statement, which gives it extra emphasis in the Psalm and means we should really take note of what the psalmist is saying.  The word cause means to make something happen.  Asaph is not  writing about us finding some truth out as we read through the Bible.  This is God revealing it to us directly.  His face will shine in our dark places, into our souls, into our sin.  When  He causes that light to shine into our sin, we have the opportunity to ask forgiveness and be saved.  This is such a powerful verse.  I am so glad God causes His face to shine on me!

Psalm 81 “with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you”  God can provide for us where there seems no way for provision to come.  He can bring food from a rock if necessary.  Even the devil knows this!  When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, one of the ways the devil tempted HIm was by asking Jesus to make bread from the rocks.  Jesus never said He could not do it, He just said He would not do it.  He made wine from water, and fed 5,000 and 4,000 men with very little provision.  I never should worry about where my next meal will come from, because those who truly know Him also know a rock can be made into honey if need be!

Psalm 82 “Defend the poor and fatherless.  Do justice to the afflicted and needy.  deliver the poor and needy ” It struck be that th3e poor and needy are mentioned twice in these statements, along with the fatherless and affiliates.  God will take care of us.  He will defend us before our enemies. He will bring justice to our lives.  He will deliver us from trouble.  What is the key to all these wonderful benefits?  Humility, that’s the necessary element of our lives.  Oh, Lord, I need to be humble!

Let God Be God (Psalm 75-78) – May 18

  Psalm 75  “But God is the Judge.  He puts down one and exalts another>”  Who are we to decide who God will put down and who God will lift up? I often think I know who should be exalted, and who should be chastised by God,  I look at people’s actions and am often amazed that they are being blessed in one way ort another.  I always have to remember that God is a righteous judge, and if He decides one should be exalted or put down, I should only rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Psalm 76 “There He broke the arrows of the bow, the shield and sword of battle”  God siarms our enemy so that we should walk in victory.  But all too often, we put the weapons right back into the enemies hands by walking back into our sinful ways.  I’m tired of doing this.  God has done all the work to set me free.  Why do I continually want to be bound again?  Why don’t I just allow God t o bring me the victory, instead of handing myself over to an enemy that has already lost all His weapons?  This is the battle we face.’

Psalm 77 “Who is so great a God as our God” When we read the story of God in the Bible, we can’t help but be amazed at the wondrous works He has done, and the great victories He has brought His people.  Ever since He revealed Himself to Adam in the garden, He has shown Himself by the wonders that He does.  And still today, we see Him working miracles all around us.  I have seen many in my own life, and the life of my children.  There is no other god anywhere on this earth, who has been attributed with so many wonderful works. He is truly a great God!

Psalm 78 “Yet again and again they tempted God and limited the Holy one of Israel”  By continuing in any sinful practice, I not only tempt God, but I limit Him in my own life.  I tempt Him because I take advantage of His mercy, and he just keeps giving it.  I limit Him because, by continuing to sin, I am saying He can’t deliver me. He is the almighty God, and can do all things.  Why do I limit His influence in my life?  Why not take all he wants to give me?  That’s a foolish thing to do on my part.

Today’s readings are all Psalms of Asaph, and are Psalms that tell us God is all powerful and can defeat our enemies, if we will just allot Him to do so.  Too often, we allow our enemy a footstool in our life, and don’t just walk away with the victory God has for us.  It’s about time that I let God be God in my life!

His Right Hand (Psalms 50, 73-74) – May 17

Psalm 50 “For God Himself is judge.”  Wew like to judge people, deciding who is right and who is wrong, who is living right and who is living wrong, who is dressing right or dressing wrong, who is eating right and who is eating wrong, who is speaking right and who is speaking wrong..  All of these judgement calls are set in our own definition of what is right and wrong unless we have the heart of God, and most of us do not.  We like to think we do, but I would challenge you to listen to your thoughts when someone different walks into the room.  We must always remember that, in the last days, God is the judge, and His decisions are final. He always judges righteously.

Psalm 73 “But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”  JHesus said that in the last days, men’s hearts shall fail them for fear.  When God is the strength of our heart, we will not experience that fear.  We will realize that he is all we need, that he is our portion, and there is nothing else that can bring us peace except Him.  When He is our porti\on, we are always full!

Psalm 74 “Why do you withdraw your hand, even your right hand.”  Has God withheld His hand from you?  I can look at several things in my life and think them to be times God withheld His right hand of protection.  A detached retina, cancer, a messed up shoulder, an amputated finger, shingles.  if His right hand had been upon me, these things would not have befallen me.  Just as he did to Job, He does to us from time to time.  We should never lose our faith in Him over these trials but trust in His wisdom explicitly and in His unending mercy.

Today’s reading teaches us a little more about who God is, and the attributes he shows to us.  I am so glad the Psalms are full of word pictures that expose who God is to us.  This is how we learn what to expect from God.  He is so good to us!

Shall the Dead Arise? (Psalm 144-145, 88-89) – May 16

Psalm 144  “That there be no outcry in the streets.”  I could have chosen the wonderful verses about God being our refuge and fortress, or the one that says why are you mindful of man, oh Lord.  But this one really jumped off the page to me.  It seems there is always outcry in the streets these days.  The Gaza war, gay rights, climate change, immigration – all of these have sparked outcry in the streets.  Imagine the peace we would have if these things were resolved in a mutual fashion, under the authority of God’s word.  Peace in our country would abound.  Don;t these protesters realize that they are robbing us of our peace by protesting for peace?

Psalm 145 “You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing”  Rain comes on the just and the unjust, and every living thing takes nourishment from the bounty of the earth. The sun gives heat to everyone, and the brilliant night skies are there for everyone to see.  The air is full of oxygen , which our bodies need to live, and the whole earth is full of the necessities of life.  God gives these things to all – there is none exempt.  God’s hand is open to all, and so few grasp it.  We are blessed to know where our provision comes from.

Psalm 88 “Shall the dead arise to praise you” I came across this verse a few years ago and a poem sprang up within me.  The dead shall arise to praise him!  Those who are dead in their sins will rise up with a victory shout when they accept the loving kindness and mercy shown on the cross.  Then will leap for joy when their sins are thrown away as far as the east is from the west.  They will be washed white as snow by the cleansing blood of the Land.  They will no longer be dead. but alive in Christ!  And they shall praise Him!

Psalm 89  “My covenant I will not break.”  In today’s world, it seems that treaties and promises are broken all the time.  The covenant of marriage is a farce to many,  and is not binding at all.  The world does not take covenants seriously, but God does.  The new covenant that Jesus gave us will endure for wll time, just as the covenant of the rainbow has endured since the days of Noah.  We can rest assured of this truth! 

Here is a link to my reading of the poem I wrote on Psalm 88.  I pray you will take the three minutes to listen to it.

Is he Leading? (Psalm 131, 133, 138-141, 143) – May 15

Psalm 131 “Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul.”  This is a practice we should all learn to develop in our lives.  It is in our quiet and calm times that we can hear the voice of God.  Personally,. I have been too busy with distractions lately to listen to Him carefully.  That needs to change in my life.  My writing, especially poetry, has al;l but ceased because I have my ear to other things.  Things that fill my time with nonsense and steer me away from His voice.  I have a deep desire to write more,. and to do that, I need to take the counsel of this verse.

Psalm 133 “”It is like the precious oil upon the head” for brothers to dwell in unity.  When the disciples and those with them were all of one mind and one spirit, the Holy Ghost came upon them in the upper room on nPentecost.  Wouldn;lt we all love to have that happen in our churches?  Unity is the key to revival.

Psalm 138 “You have magnified your word abo-ve all your name.”  To those churches who have excellent times of worship[ and who lift up the name of the Lord higher and higher, but do not follow His word, take heed to this verse.  To God, worship is nothing if we do not follow His word.  His entire word.  Yes, Jesus taught love, and God is love, but the sinner must leave their sin behind in order to truly please God.  Jesus accepts the sinner, but then He says “go and sin no more.”  His word is more important to Him than our worship.

Psalm 139 “You formed my inward parts”  This is my favorite Psalm, and I could write columns about this wonderful chapter.  Today, I will try to be brief. Verse 13 in the KJV says “You have possessed my reins.”  I love the way that is translated.  IUt gives the picture of a person riding a horse.  Most of the control of the horse comes from holding the reins.  Steering, speed and stopping are all in the reins.  I have studied this out, and, although I am no equestrian (far from it), I learned from the one time I rode a horse that the reins are necessary.  For God to possess my reins means that He gives me my direction. He tells me when to turn, when to speed up and when to stop.  I want God to have this kind of control in my life.  I want Him to possess my reins.  If I do not, then Psalm 23 (which is a favorite of most) means nothing to me. He cannot lead me to green pastures, or beside still waters, without holding my reins.  Lord, take the reins in my life!

Psalm 140 “I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted.”  I have seen this over and over again in my own life, and in the life of others. He is at their side, ever caring for them. He may not remove their affliction, but He will always walk through it with them, and will bring good out of anything we face.  This is a matter of trusting in the Lord, and of knowing that He will work all things out for our good.

Psalm 141 “Keep watch over the door of my lips.”  I want to say the right things and have fun in life.  But too often my words are mingled with my own self-indulgence and they come out wrong.  They hurt the one who hears them instead of being something to laugh about.  I need to pray this little prayer every day, because it is my words that will help people see Jesus in me!  Lord, keep watch over the door of my lips.

Psalm 143 “Cause me to know the way in which I should walk.”  I  sometimes make the decision to walk the wrong way.  This is happening less and less freu=quently, but it still happens.    To cause someone to do something means that I am being steered toward that task.  We often think of this as a bad thing. We cause accidents, we cause people to stumble, we cause calamity.  But God can cause us to walk in the Light, and to do good as well.  Let His mercy and grace be the things he causes us to do!

This is one of those days I wish we were just doing one Psalm at a time, and we had hours to discuss it.  Psalm 139 is so rich and full of direction and advice for our lives.  While the others have great words as well, Psalm 139 gives us direction into the workings of God in our lives.  May we stay in this Psalm forever!  “Lord, search me and know me