Devotional Thoughts from the Psalms

February 22, 2007

Psalm 1: You chew on Scripture day and night.

The book of Psalms is the world's finest songbook. For centuries the Hebrews turned to the Psalms and chanted them as a part of their worship. Four part harmony hadn't been invented yet, but they had the themes of worship down pat. Not only are the Psalms worship songs, they are often prayers too. Not high sounding, polished prayers that we like to pray either. They are prayers from the heart, prayers reflecting the entire range of human emotion. If we know a few things about harmony and chord progression that the Psalmist didn't know, we have to admit that the Psalmist knew some things about absolute honesty with God that we need to learn. The first Psalm is a simple consideration of what kind of people God likes. Right at the heart of it is the fact that God likes people who "chew on Scripture day and night."  This goes way beyond doing my daily devotions and reading a bit of the Bible. It reaches out into my life as I take what I have read and consider how it applies to what I am doing throughout the day. Today, I am reminded that God likes people who like his Word. That's a powerful reason to allow it to permeate my life.

February 24, 2007

Psalm 4: I have...more joy in one ordinary day than they get in all their shopping sprees.

Now this is a current application of an ancient truth.  Possessions don't give true joy, but God does.  Our society is in love with "stuff."  People stand in line in the cold all night to be one of the first to own the latest toy.  When that expensive bit of plastic is six months old, do they still think it was worth all that discomfort?  I doubt it!  David reminds me that living an "ordinary day" in the joy of the Lord is better than having an extraordinary day without him.  The thing is that these people standing in line are doing so because they don't know any better.  They think that the latest X-box is the best life has to offer.  When I see them sacrificing so much for so little I am not to feel superior.  Instead, I am supposed to feel compassion.  By God's grace I know something they don't know and I have a commission to somehow show them that there is something better. 

February 26, 2007

Psalm 6: If you love me at all, get me out of here.

When I spend any time in the Psalms at all (getting beyond the 1^st Psalm, the 23^rd, and the 100^th) I find that they are not all about praising the Lord for his blessings and protection.  In fact, there is a lot of heartfelt pain.  In this Psalm David cries out to God, asking the Lord to let up on him.  He says he is black and blue...and tired of all this!   I find here, not only permission to speak to God frankly, from my heart, but I sense the whisper of the Holy Spirit reminding me that, if I do complain to God like that it had better be the real deal. That is, if I am truly hurting and broken and angry, then God wants me to feel free to express it to him.  If I am just complaining though, I need to be a man and get on with life, trusting God to see me through.  There is a big difference between my bringing my brokenness to God, honestly expressing my heart to him, and my just being a wimp who complains to God about every little setback in life.

February 27, 2007

Psalm 7: I'm feeling so fit, so safe: made right, kept right.

Don't you just love those "safe days"!  What a blessing to look inward and see a heart made right and kept right.  This brings up images of serenity; soft, easy-going days in which I relax in the assurance of God's pleasure with my life.  It's too bad that that's not the message of this Psalm at all.  David is under attack and he's running for his life.  He's been accused of all kinds of failure, including spiritual failure.  If his enemies get their hands on him he's finished.  This isn't a day at the beach, its war.  And it is in the middle of this war that David looks to God for help and vindication.  As some of his life's most difficult days rage all around him, he looks upward and finds hope.  He looks inward and there finds peace.  While I really do love soft "safe days" I know that the real test of God's work in my life is out on the battle field.  If I can sense his pleasure with me and find inner peace there, well, I can find it anywhere.

February 28, 2007

Psalm 8: Why do you bother with us?

In all of life there is a need for balance and in Psalm 8 we are given a nice example of this.  On one hand, I'm a mere speck in the Universe, practically invisible in comparison to God's wondrous Creation.  Honestly, sometimes I get this and sometimes I don't.  Rick Warren starts his Purpose Driven Life off with the words, "It's not about you" and I can read that and say, "Yes, I know!"   Other times I get caught seeing things only from my tiny perspective: "Why are they singing that song again?  I don't like it nearly as much as I like the others.  Let's sing some southern gospel, that's my kind of music!"  At times like that it doesn't hurt for me to remember that the worship service wasn't really designed for me in the first place.  Still, I know I can go too far with this humility stuff.  Back in the Stone Age, we church kids were taught to say, "God didn't make any junk."  I am definitely valued by the Lord.  Still, once in a while it's a good idea for me to look around and realize that everything isn't in orbit around me after all, and to join David in humbly asking the Almighty, "Why do you bother with us" at all!

March 1, 2007

Psalm 10: God's grace and order wins.

I imagine I am still reflecting on the book of Job, but I find more connections between Job and the Psalms in this reading of the Psalms than I have in the past.  Like Job, the Psalmist considers the inequities of life.  The wicked say, "God is dead" and continue down their evil paths.  The Psalmist seeks God, knowing God is just and tries to understand how a just God can allow injustice to continue.  He concludes that he hasn't seen the end of it all yet.  Sooner or later (and he hopes it is sooner) God is going to make things right.  When he does, he says, the "orphans get parents" and the "homeless get homes."   That doesn't mean we become fatalists who make no effort to right the wrongs in this world, but it does mean that we don't get overwhelmed by it all and give up in despair.  Our best efforts will make a difference in the lives of those we minister to in the Name of the Lord, but a day is coming when the Lord will square every single account.  "God's grace and order wins."

March 3, 2007

Psalm 16: I'm happy from the inside out.

David's testimony in Psalm 16 is absolutely inspiring.  He has made the decision to run to God, making him Lord of his life.  When he does that all the puzzle pieces of his life fall into place.  Because of his trust in God, he is drawn to the best friends he could ever have.  As he chooses the Lord, he is wonderfully surprised that, before he ever picks God that God picked him!  Now, day and night, his life confirms his decision and, when the end comes, he knows that his decision to serve the Lord will go with him into the world to come.  It sounds almost too good to be true.  But, know what, it is true: every word of it.  It is no wonder that David has a smile on his face!  I guess that's the reason Christians are so joyful too.  After all, our story is every bit as victorious as is David's.  In fact, we know more about it than he does.   We have (in Paul Harvey's words) "the rest of the story," -- the Incarnation, the cross, and the resurrection.  What's that?  You don't think Christians are all that joyful?  Well, shame on them...on us...on me!

March 5, 2007

Psalm 19: God's glory is on tour in the skies.

God speaks to us in various ways.  When I hear the phrase: "God's Word" I always assume that it is the Bible that is being talked about.  David, who thought of the written word of God as the Torah, reminds me that "God's Word" is much more than written words making up a leather-bound book or a rare and valuable scroll.  He says that Creation, itself, is the "Word of God."  Whether I am watching the sunrise or a starlit nighttime sky I am reading God's message of love and goodwill to me and to all human beings.  These things, David says, are roadmaps to God...roadmaps with easy to follow directions.  In all of life, God is speaking; I just need to learn to listen on a broader scale that I might more fully hear his message to me.

March 6, 2007

Psalm 23: God, my shepherd!

Some portions of the Bible are like the peaks of a great mountain range.  It is all awesome, but there are passages that take our breath away.  There are the beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer; in fact, the whole Sermon on the Mount.  Then there is John 3:16 and 1 Corinthians 13. Also, there is the great Hymn of Creation of the opening pages of our Bibles.  And there is the 23^rd Psalm.  Here we find such beauty and such comfort and encouragement that we return again and again, especially in times of pain or fear or grief.  I am reminded today that God inspired it and David wrote it.  This favorite Psalm is the result of a cooperative effort between God and man.  This mountain peak Psalm is not simply a product of David's creativity and it is not the result of the Lord acting unilaterally as he did in Creation (in other words it isn't a result of "God said 'let there be a Psalm' and there was a Psalm!").  As surprising as it is, the Almighty formed a partnership with a man and the result is Psalm 23.  In this I see not only how God desires to work in this world, but the great potential in such a partnership.  As I fully cooperate with God in my life he works with me to bring about wonderful results.  What happens may not be exquisite poetry like Psalm 23, but it will be something of value to the Lord and to me.

March 7, 2007

Psalm 30: I can't keep quiet about you.

It will come as a surprise to no one, but I confess that I am no David.  He lived larger than life.  I have the idea he was more passionate over his breakfast each morning than I am over the biggest events in my life.  When David was up, he was really up, filled with joy and praises and song.  That's not me.  The top of his roller coaster ride is far above mine!  I confess that I sometimes envy those "Davids" in my life, so full of life and passion.  On the other hand, when David was down, he was really down!  He didn't stop at being somewhat discouraged, instead, he felt absolutely abandoned.  He wasn't just frustrated; instead, he was filled with despair.  The bottom of the roller coaster ride for people with the "David personality" is far below mine and when I see them down there in so much pain I confess that I feel a little superior, or at least a bit glad that I'm not like that.  The neat thing is that God made both of us and he sees something of himself in each of us.  I have a long way to go, but in my personality, and in others who are wired like me, there is just a hint of God as the "solid Rock," our "firm foundation."  Then, when I am around a "David" I see something of God's passion and zest.  Of course in God we see it all without the flaws that are associated with the human versions.  It occurs to me that one purpose of the Psalms is to let people like me hitch a ride with people like David.  I won't make it to the top with him and I won't have to ride with him to the bottom, but I just might be stretched just a little and that's a good thing.

March 8, 2007

Psalm 33: Blessed is the country with God for God; blessed are the people he's put in his will.

In our Western culture we think in terms of the individual.  The Psalmist had no such view of the world.  He saw God as a national God and his nation as a people of God.  In that relationship Israel, he says, is especially blessed.  Their military has won major battles, not because of their strength, but because God picked them to be his people and was watching over them.  His nation has come to depend on that relationship (and later on would even take that relationship for granted - leading to their destruction).  Still, it is a dependable relationship that makes Israel a special nation on the face of the earth.  I know that people like to use this verse to call America to God, promising that if the nation comes to the Lord that it will be blessed in all kinds of ways.  No doubt, the great need of my nation is to come to God.  Still, there is a big difference between being a nation that chooses God and being a nation chosen by God.   

March 10, 2007

Psalm 35: Punch these bullies in the nose

This Psalm is basically one of David's Psalms of complaint.  All David wants to do is serve the Lord but his enemies are making fun of him and taking advantage of every downturn in his life.  David asks the Lord to act on his behalf and foil the plans of his enemies and ruin the fun they are having at his expense.  When all is said and done, David wants to hear his friends say, "see, everything works together for good for David, the servant of God."  We modern Christians are somewhat uncomfortable with David's attitude toward his enemies.  We know that the One we follow taught us to turn the other cheek.  It is probably reasonable that we filter our reading of Psalms of complaint through the Sermon on the Mount.  Also, it is helpful to view David's desires for his enemies in the broadest possible terms.  In other words, we may not join David in hoping God will strike down our enemies, but we can join him in longing for the day when God sets all wrongs right.  God is love, but he is also just.  When we experience injustice not only our lives, but in the lives of others it is acceptable for us to look forward to the time when God gives those bullies a punch in the nose!

March 13, 2007

Psalm 42: Fix my eyes on God - soon I'll be praising again.

When Peter walked on the water he did just fine until he got his attention away from the Lord and onto the storm.  It was then that he began to sink.  Hundreds of years before that, the sons of Korah wrote this Psalm dealing with the same issue.  As was quite apparent with Peter, they don't suggest that we pretend that all is well.  We are to admit that we are down in the dumps and maybe even feeling neglected by God, about to be crushed.  The solution they give us is the very same thing we learn from Peter's unforgettable experience on the water: we must fix our eyes on the One who loves us and has promised to be with us.  Even later in our Bibles we find the writer of Hebrews telling us, again, to "fix our eyes on Jesus."  Since we find this truth here in the Psalms, and then powerfully illustrated by Peter in the gospels, and then taught again in the book of Hebrews you would think that we would have such a firm grasp on this truth that it would be part of our spiritual DNA.  However, it seems that this lesson has to not only be learned, but then relearned -- maybe over and over again.  Sometimes I think we forget it because we tend to attempt to be self sufficient.  We want the Lord to be impressed with us, so we try to handle it ourselves.  Other times, the problem is that we are so "now oriented" that we can't see the bigger picture of God's faithful provision for us even in the storms of life.  Either way, the answer is given here.  When I look to the Lord, even in the harshness of life, in the words of Korah's sons, "soon I'll be praising again."

March 14, 2007

Psalm 48: Then you can tell the next generation.

This Psalm is one in praise of the City of God, Jerusalem.  This, we are told, is a place where worship abounds, and with good reason.  Within its walls is the place of worship, the dwelling place of God on earth.  This city has been protected by the Lord even when powerful enemies came to destroy it.  Every time the song writer looks at Jerusalem, Zion, he is overwhelmed with the goodness of God.  Then he suggests a specific course of action.  He says people ought to carefully measure the city, to count its towers.  He wants them to make careful record of everything about this City of God.  Why?  So they can recount it all to their children.  In other words, it isn't enough for them to simply rejoice in the here and now in all God has done for them; they are to record it all and then tell their children and grandchildren about it.  We Christians have our own stories of God's grace in our lives and churches, our families and our nation.  It is good for us to rejoice when God delivers us from some near disaster.  However, we need to be more on purpose in passing our stories along.  Surely with all the technology available we can make a video or record an mp3 in which we tell the whole story, detail by detail.  Of course, beyond that, we need to have such conversations with our kids.  For instance maybe on vacation we can make a stop at the church where we attended as children and, there, in the sanctuary, tell our kids about what happened and why.  It may not be the same as Disneyland, and it doesn't have to replace such a destination, but it just might have a greater impact on our kids than we realize.

March 15, 2007

Psalm 51: Going through the motions doesn't please you.

This Psalm probably ranks in the top four or five best known psalms and it comes from the worst event of David's life.  He has sinned against God in his affair with Bathsheba and then tried to cover it up by engineering the death of her husband.  He never had a chance at success.  All the time God was watching as the whole ugly thing unfolded.  Then, God sends his man, Nathan, to confront David.  The King repents and this psalm is his prayer of confession.  The whole psalm is based on God's loving grace.  David pleads for mercy and forgiveness and asks for a changed heart.  There is no, "I'll try harder" in his cry to God.  He realizes that his greatest need is not better performance but that he be made new from the inside out.  I think the most powerful insight of the psalm is David's realization that God isn't nearly as interested in performance as he is in motivation.  The Lord isn't as interested in our behaving in some proscribed way as he is interested in our hearts.  When the heart is right, performance (within human limitations) will follow.  Otherwise, performance becomes for us, not a source of righteousness, but a source of pride. 

March 17, 2007

Psalm 63 I've worked up such hunger and thirst for God.

I often picture David as the shepherd boy out tending his sheep in some tranquil pastoral setting.  I see him playing his harp and composing songs of praise to God with only a congregation of sheep hearing his music.  That is more myth than fact.  I have recently read the psalm King David wrote after being confronted with his adultery with Bathsheba.  Now, in the 63^rd Psalm I find him out in the Judean wilderness, as he and his loyal band is on the run from his enemies.  The setting is far from tranquil and his audience is not sheep, but warriors.  Still, David's song is one of transparent praise to God.  He tells the Lord, "I can't get enough of you," proclaiming, "God -- you're my God."  It is hard to imagine, but I can only guess that David and his rag-tag army sat around the campfire singing, not "kum-ba-ya," but "here I am to worship."  I don't think I would want to be the person who wandered into that camp to tell these warriors that it is kind of sissy to sing such songs, and if I did, I would probably want to have a current life insurance policy!  Seriously, it is nice to be reminded that real men can really worship. 

March 19, 2007

Psalm 65: Silence is praise to you.

"Silence is praise to you" is an interesting phrase to be found in the world's most famous book of songs.  Songs are about, well, sound: music and singing, instrumentals and key changes.  Here, we are told that it doesn't always take some meaningful praise song to have legitimate praise.  David, that famous song writer and harp player, says that silence can be full of praise.  One of his examples is found in nature.  Not only does he see praise in the crashing of the sea but he also sees it when those things "come to a stop."  Also, he hears songs of praise in the stillness of the dawn or as dusk settles on the land.  Silence is a missing element in most of our lives.  We treat silence as a small child treats darkness.  In other words, we want a "night light" of sound, maybe the radio playing in the background.  Our prayers are filled with the sound of our own voices and when we run out of things to say we think that means our prayer is finished.  David reminds us that silence is a perfectly acceptable form of praise.  Learning to worship in silence is a powerful lesson for us to learn and it is an element almost completely absent from our public and personal worship experiences.

March 20, 2007

Psalm 71: I'll keep at it until I'm old and gray.

David's story is one of the "complete" stories of the Bible.  We know him as a child and then journey with him through his rich, full life even to old age.  This psalm is written in his later years and the long shadows of this evening portion of his life are quite plain in his words.  The early part of the song is retrospective.  David remembers his childhood and God's blessings.  Then, skipping his full life, David prays that now that he is in his senior years that the Lord will continue to bless him.  There are no more wars for him to fight, no more giants to be slain, but David is now in a fight that he will not win.  Is God only interested in young, energy-filled people?  Will he, as his vitality slips away, be put on the shelf and forgotten by not only man, but by God too?  David knows that is not so.  Even as an old and grey headed man he enjoys the faithfulness of God.  These days he isn't out taking on the enemies of God in battle, but he has plenty to say.  People need to be reminded of the story of God's goodness and they need to know what it means to truly worship.  Gray headed or not, David sets out to lift the Lord, showing the way to praise and worship. 

March 21, 2007

Psalm 73: I nearly missed it...I was looking the other way, looking up to the people.

Asaph is one of David's choir directors and 11 of the psalms are attributed to him.  The Bible also mentions the "sons of Asaph."  These are probably people who are disciples of this talented worship leader.  It is easy to see that Asaph and David are closely associated as the themes of their psalms are similar.  In this song Asaph declares the goodness of God and talks about how the Lord patiently led him even when he was "totally ignorant" of what was going on.  It is the opening part of this psalm, though, that gets my attention.  He declares the goodness of God but then confesses that he nearly missed seeing that goodness.  Why?  Because he was too busy looking at people to see God.  Asaph's attention was drawn to the seeming success of others, then, as he considered their success he saw that some were wicked people and he began to question God as to how that could be.  The truth is that I can fail to see God because I am enamored with the success of others.  However, I can also fail to see him because I am too busy telling the Lord what I think he should do.  In trying to help God out I am in danger of losing site of him altogether.  Sometimes I need to remember who God is and that he can handle the inconsistencies of life.  My main job is to keep my eyes on him and live in obedience to him, not to point out things I think he may have overlooked.

March 22, 2007

Psalm 78: He...commanded our parents to teach it to their children.

Asaph's longest psalm tells the story of Israel's failure and God's faithfulness.  In the opening part of the psalm he states that its purpose is to tell their story so that the next generation will learn to trust God.  Honestly, from Israel's point of view this is not a very flattering story.  Each verse of the song describes a failure of Israel and how God responds with compassion to rescue them from some mess they have gotten themselves into.  I don't know about you, but when I am telling the "next generation" about God I usually skip the "I failed" part and jump straight to the "God helped" part.  Maybe that is a mistake.  It might be that I am unintentionally saving face instead of teaching others to trust God more.  No doubt there are things in all our pasts that must be told carefully and at the right time, but there is likely a time for the telling.  If I am not careful I give the impression that I wised up and decided to give my heart to the Lord.  In doing that, I make God into a concerned bystander in my story, wringing his hands, hoping I will turn it all around and then pleased that I have done so.  It really wasn't that way -- and it never is.  It is God who graciously reaches down into the mess I have made and brings redemption.  Yes, I have to cooperate with him, but he is the one who ought to get all the credit.  I need to be sure that "my story" is truly "God's story."  A part of that is my, at the appropriate time and place, honestly admitting my failure.  That gives God the glory and also gives genuine hope to that one in the "next generation" who already has some spiritual failures of his or her own.

March 26, 2007

Psalm 84: "A Korah Psalm"

This is one of the Psalms written by the sons of Korah.  Actually, there is a lot of information on Korah and his descendents.  These psalm writing "sons" are really descendents of the Levite named Korah who challenged the leadership of Moses and Aaron way back in the book of Numbers.  He died at the hand of God in that rebellion, but it seems his descendants continued on and here we see that they were among those David assigned to be worship leaders.  It is good to remember that even though there is spiritual failure in our past (or that of our family) that we still have opportunity to be well used by God.  Great-great grandpa might have challenged God's chosen leaders (or might have been a slave owner or been hung a horse thief) but that does not make us of any less value in God's sight.  This kind of thinking sounds pretty old hat to me and my follow Americans.  We are all individualists anyway -- we think it is wonderful to be able to say, "I did it my way."  To people through most of history, the "my way" approach was unheard of.  They saw life from the group's point of view and spoke in terms of "our way."  That means that their culture saw grandpa's failures as the failure of all those descended from him.  In their way of thinking, the stigma of failure was passed down from generation to generation.  Every time we glance at the top of a Psalm and see that it came from Korah's clan we are seeing redemption at work!  In more current terms, these psalms remind me that God forgives my past failure and is very willing to use me as a worker in his Kingdom.

March 27, 2007

Psalm 84: These roads curve up the mountain, and at the last turn -- Zion!

The psalmist is thinking about journeying to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple.  Oh how the pilgrim looks forward to being in the Temple of God.  He can't help but think of how blest are those whose serve in that place day by day.  However, there is more than even that here.  The song writer finds himself thinking about people who are living their lives in the Lord, journeying with him along the dusty roads and through the lonesome valleys of life.  Not that there aren't some blest times along the way because there are some "cool springs" that refresh the weary traveler.  Then, there is one last mountain to climb, one last curve to navigate -- and then, Zion comes into view.   That "lonesome valley" journey is quickly forgotten as beautiful Zion is seen.  What a powerful picture he has painted.  Today, we thank God for walking with us on our life journey.  We thank him for the blessings of cool springs along the way and for his faithfulness to us even in the lonesome valleys.  For most of us the blessings far outnumber the trials.  But whether or not that is true for you in particular we all have this hope: one of these days we will climb that last mountain and round the final curve and our Zion will come into view.  As the old gospel song says, "Heaven will surely be worth it all."

March 28, 2007

Psalm 86: Put me together, one heart and mind; then, undivided, I'll worship in joyful fear.

I know that David has never heard of second blessing holiness.  Jesus' teachings about heart purity and Paul's writing on being filled with the Spirit are way out in the future as David writes these words.  Wesley, Bud Robinson, and a host of holiness preachers are yet to come.  With that in mind, I don't want to get carried away with David's cry for an undivided heart and mind.  Still, I see here an understanding of humanity.  While David has no thought of making a theological statement in this Psalm, he does make a human one.  He sees division in his heart and he believes God can unify his life.  I don't have to overlay the centuries of theology that are yet to come to identify with that cry of faith.  Today, the Christian who struggles with division in his or her life does well to start with this Old Testament prayer, asking God to "put me together."

March 29, 2007

Psalm 94: God will never walk away from his people.

A friend, who is in the middle of about five disasters, including a couple of big physical problems of her own, bravely says to me, "I know the Bible says that God won't let us face more than we can bear."  The unstated side of that is, "I don't know how much more of this I can take!"  In this psalm, we see a person who trusts in God questioning the seeming unending flow of painful events in life.  They see all that is happening and ask God, "How long will you let this go on?"  Then the song writer begins to answer his own question reminding us that surely the "Ear-Maker" hears what is being said; the "Eye-Maker" sees what is going on.  He states, "God will never walk away from his people."  There are times in life when we are left with nothing but our trust in God's love.  We believe that he hears our prayers, sees what is happening, and that he loves us with a never-ending love.  At times like that it is perfectly acceptable for us, on one hand, to proclaim, "I know it will be okay because the Lord is on my side" while, on the other hand to cry out, "Lord, how much longer before you act on my behalf?"

March 31, 2007

Psalm 100: He made us, we didn't make him.

Psalm 100 is just a few lines long but it's a good one!  The goal of this, what we would think of as a "praise chorus," psalm is to praise God for being God.  No doubt, there are many things the Lord has done for us that should lift us to praise but once in awhile it is good to remember that God is worthy simply because of Who He Is.  Strictly speaking, then, there is never a time when praise is out of order.  I say that carefully because I know that our humanity and the events of our lives can break the spontaneity of praise.  After all, we are also told to "weep with those who weep."  Still this psalm reminds me that no matter what winds are blowing in my life that God is still God and as God he is worthy of praise.  He is my Maker and my Good Shepherd.  His love and beauty, his faithfulness and grace never cease.  So, why not?  Let's sing a song of praise!

April 2, 2007

Psalm 103: As far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins.

I'm not sure concepts like this one impact us as they should.  David believes that God separates us from our sins and he picks the widest distance he can think of to describe just how far they are removed from us.  The testimony of a young woman comes to mind.  Although she was raised by a godly mother, she had messed up in several ways.  After some years as a prodigal daughter she came back to the Lord but was living a very different life than she might have lived without that disastrous detour.  In a church service I began to deal with the concept we find in this passage: how God casts our sins away as far as east is from west.  For everyone else in that service it was just another Sunday sermon, but the Holy Spirit spoke to her heart that day making that truth her personal truth that day.  Since her return to Christ she had carried the burden of her past, often aware of her failures.  However, on that day she realized that she had not only been forgiven by the Lord, but that he had also set her free from the guilt she was carrying.  From that day forward she had a new freedom and joy in the Lord.  Maybe this is the message you need today.

April 3, 2007

Psalm 105: All because he remembered his Covenant.

Psalm 105 is one of those "remembering great things" psalms.  The events retold in the song happened hundreds of hears in the past.  As we read the words we relive the events of the book of Genesis and Exodus, from Abraham to Moses.  The plagues that came upon Egypt are given considerable attention and we are told that it all happened because God remembered his Covenant with Abraham.  I can imagine the boys in the congregation grinning to one another as the song talks about frogs in the bedroom of the king and flies filling the air.  That's the kind of imagery that gets a boy's attention!  Something else happened as that psalm was sung.  Even as they thought about flies and gnats and frogs they learned the story of God's faithfulness, how he kept his promise and delivered his people from Egyptian slavery.  Thus that old story became their story.  Someday, they will be the grow ups leading the worship and it will be their boys getting a kick out of the "frog story."  Thus another generation takes ownership of the story of God.  We have the same opportunity.  Our children need to know of the faithfulness of God.  Stories that seem like the same old stuff to us are brand new to these little ones.  We owe it to them to tell it to them with the same conviction and wonder and celebration that it was told to us.  As we do that we connect them to the God who keeps his promises no matter what.

April 4, 2007

Psalm 107: If you are really wise, you'll think this over -- it's time you appreciated God's deep love.

Each verse of this song tells a story of God's love and deliverance.  In one verse we hear the story of those who wandered for years in the desert.  When they called out to God he rescued them.  In the next verse, the focus is on those locked up in prison.  Once again, God saves them.  Another verse tells the story of sickness and we are told that God "spoke the word" and they were healed.  Then we think about sailors out to sea and caught in a mighty storm.  As in all the other verses, they call out to God and he rescues them in the nick of time.  The last verse sums up all that God has done for them, destroying evil and blessing his people.  Then the Psalmist sums it all up by saying we ought to think about all this and appreciate God's deep love for us.  I don't have a dramatic story like those told in this psalm but, in a sense, that is a story of rescue too.  Which is better, to have nearly drowned in my sin or to be rescued early in life and not have the ugly scars of sin?  My story is also a story of God's deep love.

April 9, 2007

Psalm 119: Every word you give me is a miracle word.

Even with the excellent effort of Eugene H. Peterson in bringing us the paraphrase that is The Message we don't have much chance of grasping what is happening in Psalm 119 without some outside help.  This is the longest psalm, having, I am told, 22 parts.  If the shorter psalms can be called ancient praise and worship choruses, this one might be called a full blown cantata!  Now I am only repeating what I have been told as I am no expert in Hebrew (or English, for that matter) but the reason we miss the neat thing that is happening here is that it is all about the Hebrew language.  The 22 parts of the psalm are based on the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.   Each section is built around one of those letters, working through the alphabet.  Then, in each section, there are eight lines, each beginning with that letter.  So, what we have happening here is along the line of "'A' is for 'apple'" and "'B' is for 'boy'" and so on.  Then eight lines of verse, each beginning with the letter "A" before moving on to "B" and right on through the alphabet.  Now, you may be wondering what this has to do with blogging devotionally.  Well, not much really!  Here's my best shot: as I read this and realize it is a big, long, acrostic I am reminded that we too can be original and creative in what we do for the Lord.

April 10, 2007

Psalm 122: When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy.

I know we like to take this verse and use it to describe people waking up on Sunday morning, thrilled at the prospect of going to church, but this psalm isn't really about that at all.  This is a song sung by pilgrims as they journey to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple there.  From across the country God's people set their faces toward Jerusalem to worship.  The song writer describes the decision being made to make that journey: someone says, "Let's make the trip to Jerusalem for the Passover this year."  The response is one of joy, "Yes, let's do it!"  Thus plans are made for that long journey, quite likely several days of walking, traveling up to Jerusalem.  As they walk they sing, and this is one of their songs.  While I'm okay with using the opening words of this psalm to celebrate our opportunity to attend worship services at our nearby church I think we somewhat shortchange the application of it.  The journey described here is not necessarily a short drive bringing us to 9:45 Sunday School and 10:45 Worship.  A better application is our journey to the New Jerusalem.  That journey is not by land or sea, but through life.  The best use of this passage for us is to see it as an expression of the joy of our walking together with God's people through life and our anticipation of entering the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, at journey's end.

April 11, 2007

Psalm 127: Don't you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves?

The wise king Solomon is credited with writing both this psalm and the 72^nd as well.  And there is considerable wisdom here.  He reminds us that unless God builds the project will produce nothing worthwhile and unless God guards a city all other efforts at defense are a waste of time.  It is the next phrase that gets my attention today, "It's useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone.  Don't you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves?"  Since it is true that God is the One who builds things that last, we can relax a bit at building our own little kingdoms.  Without the hand of God all that we accomplish by working 16 hours a day will be exhaustion.  It isn't that we have nothing worthwhile to do.  The Lord graciously invites us to labor in his fields and be coworkers with him, and he goes with us out into our daily lives with an agenda of his own.  The reminder of this psalm is that our Master also enjoys giving us time off for rest and, especially, to enjoy our families.  As we have heard many times, no one, at the end of life says, "I wish I had spent more time at the office and less with those I love."  Remember, the direction given in this psalm is from the wisest man who ever lived!

April 12, 2007

Psalm 133: How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along!

Here's one of those "praise chorus" length psalms, just a few sentences long.  It's another of those songs sung by the pilgrims as they made their way up to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple.  The topic of this short chorus is "unity."  I wonder if it was sung by families as they walked the dusty roads hour by hour.  Maybe the kids got a little tired and irritable and started picking on one another so mom and dad started singing this song about getting along!  Okay, I admit that my imagination is getting carried away here!  As they journeyed to Jerusalem the pilgrims anticipated not only worship, but the deep fellowship they would enjoy with their fellow worshipers.  They had come from the four corners of their country to worship together and that was a beautiful thing.  In this dry, arid land, the imagery of the first High Priest, Aaron, being anointed with and overabundance of oil sounded refreshing to them, so they used that and the picture of abundant dew falling on the parched ground to describe the refreshment they felt in their souls as they joined with God's people in worship.  As we go through our weeks, dealing with everything life throws at us, we too anticipate the time we have with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  That, too, is refreshing to our souls.

April 16, 2007

Psalm 138: Thank you! Everything in me says, "Thank you!"

In this psalm David immerses himself in thanksgiving.  God has been good to him and he is filled to overflowing with thanks.  He imagines the angels of heaven stepping aside and stilling their voices to hear his song of thanks.  That grateful spirit drives his worship and gives him strength.  If David, without the story of Good Friday, hundreds of years before some unknown person dreamed up doing executions on a cross, can be overwhelmed with thanksgiving then I ought to at least be ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with David and join him in this song of praise.  So today, David's song of thanks becomes mine.  Thank you, Lord -- thank you from the depth of my being -- thank you with all my strength.  Angels step back. Listen as I call out to God my song of thanks.

April 17, 2007

Psalm 139: Your reassuring presence, coming and going.

It's no surprise that this is a favorite psalm for many of God's people across the years.  It is a celebration of God's connection to our lives.  The writer doesn't have any concept of an absent tee God who spun the world up to speed and then became occupied with other things.  He doesn't think of God as aloof and disinterested.  His God is an involved God, deeply connected to our lives.  The hand of this involved God is seen when he looks back at the events of his life and he has no doubt that the Lord will continue to be connected to him.  David imagines his playing a game of "hide and seek" with God, not that he wants to be hidden from God for a moment, but that he wants to be sure of God's knowledge of his life no matter where he might be.  In this imaginary game, David goes mountain climbing, and then spelunking in the depths.   As he arrives at those remote, hidden places it is no surprise to him that God is there waiting on him when he arrives.  The psalmist finds that God always finds him in both the extremes of life and the common days as well.  This psalm speaks to all of us, his people, who love the Lord and don't want to live for even one moment outside his grace and mercy.

April 18, 2007

Psalm 150: Praise with the blast on the trumpet.

This journey through the Psalms has been nothing close to exhaustive.  I have found it challenging to write devotionally from material that is already devotional in the first place!  I can get my teeth into a passage that has a story in it but scripture like the Psalms is more challenging to me.  Because of that I have hopped and skipped my way along and I know I haven't done this book of the Bible anything close to the justice it deserves.  Today, I find myself looking at this final Psalm and it stirs a good memory.  When I was in high school I was a member of the band and at a banquet for the band I was asked to bring a short devotional (yes, we did stuff like that in public school back in the olden days!).  I picked this Psalm and had fun reading about all the instruments that can be used to praise the Lord.  After the banquet one of my fellow band members complained to me that I didn't mention his instrument, the saxophone.  We laughed about it at the time, but here I am 40 years later remembering that event and being reminded that there are all kinds of ways to worship: playing the trumpet, drama, singing, preaching, and even by playing the saxophone!  The psalm writer sums it all up by saying, to put it in my own words, "Just do it!"