Psalm 30

Psalm 30 begins with David calling to mind how the Lord has delivered him from his sins. David recalls that God has saved him from his enemies (vs. 1), healed him of his sickness (vs. 2), saved him from death (from his sickness)(vs. 3), and then he recognizes that God's anger passes quickly and turns to joy (vs. 5).

Then we find out what David's sin was in verse 6, "As for me, I said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved." David is guilty of the ridiculous thought that he is self-sufficient and than he has no need of God in his life. As the king of Israel, it was probably easy for David to look around at the land, the city, his palace, his army, the people they had conquered, etc. and think, "I've got it made and no one can touch me." Of course these thougths are all conjecture but there must have been something similar going through his mind. These thoughts are pretty natural for humans. When things are going our way we feel invincible. I think many times it happens without a conscious effort. We don't intentionally speak to God saying, "You know what, why don't you go ahead and take the day off - I got this one under control." While this may not be our inner stream of thought, it does become our outward, and if we are not careful our inward attitude.

David was one of the most prosperous people on the planet. He had land, money, power, servants - you name it. But David forgot how he had attained his position. Everything that David had was a gift from the Lord. He (God) took him from being the last of eight sons and a lowly shepherd boy to being the king over all of Israel, God's chosen people! Whether David was guilty of an audacious claim of self-dependence (probably not) or simply not seeking to involve God in his decisions or other daily events (more likely), he was still guilty before the God who had given him all of the gifts he possessed.

When there is unconfessed sin in our lives, as there was in David's, God will get our attention. Sometimes He gives us thoughts that we cannot have on our own and other times He may choose to punish us in whatever way He wills until the light finally comes on. And when it does come on we realize how gracious and merciful God truly is. David says, "Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime." That God's anger lasts only for a short time and for the good of the beliver is grounds for praising and worshipping Him. He does not keep a guilt list to throw in our faces once we have honestly repented, but welcomes us back into His presence with open arms always ready to love. His patience and love are infinite, but do not use that as an excuse to sin. David realized how close to death he was because of the sin in his life and he turned from it. Hopefully we will not have to go through the same experience as David but will learn from and be watchfull over our lives in the presence of a holy God.

Find a reason to have joy this week! If you're having trouble, read Isaiah 57:15. Ray

Psalm 29

Credit the Lord, people! Credit the Lord with glory and strength! Credit the Lord with the glory due to Him simply because He is God. Worship the Lord in full view of how Holy He is!

How powerful is this God you are commanded to worship? His voice is the wind on the waters. His voice commands the thunder. His voice is powerful and is the fullness of grandness and splendor! His voice is so powerful that it breaks the most giant of trees into teeny tiny pieces. His VOICE does this! He commands the movements of giant countries as if they are easily skipping about. His voice divides flames of fire, and shakes the wilderness! The voice of God is the neck of great leaders - he turns their heads and directs their steps. The voice of the Lord strips bare the forests. In the temple of the Lord, we are left with no option but to cry - GLORY! The Lord is enthroned over the flood - over the entire earth. He is the permanent, eternal, everlasting King.

(My own little paraphrase of Psalm 29...)

Doesn't this make you feel rather small? Rather insignificant? After all, He is the King. He's the one calling the shots - in nature, in mankind, in the Heavens...He's where the buck actually does stop. Nothing occurs on His earth without His permission. No babies born, no final breaths taken. Nothing.

And yet He is our God.

This God is power-FULL, and Psalm 29:11 says that this strong God gives strength to His people. The same God who divides flames of fire with His voice, this God blesses his people with peace.

When we read Psalm 29, How can we not love our God? How can our devotion be to anyone or anything other than Him? Psalm 29 is a Psalm that you cannot leave, having really taken it in, without being changed. Psalm 29 must be a turning-point Psalm in the life of a Christian. God - the Maker of mountains whose size make you appear a speck and of trees that reach as high as the heavens; the Knitter of life, who creates life out of two tiny cells; the God who forms each cloud and each wave by hand - This God loves us! He chose us - not trees, not animals, not waves, not waters, but us to give His strength and peace. Wow!

It gets even better. God, who chose to give us strength and peace, chose Jesus as the avenue for us to receive that strength and peace. Romans 4:25 says that Jesus was "delivered over to death because of our transgressions, and was raised to life because of our justification" (emphasis mine). The all-powerful God who grants His peace is the same all-powerful Son who is our path to peace. Because we are the transgressors and the ones in need of righteousness, God came down and met us in our need, gifting us with precious Jesus.

It makes God seem even more amazing than He did when you woke up today, huh? So ascribe to the Lord glory and honor and praise!

Blessings to you -
Kim

Psalm 28

Psalm 13 pretty much drained all the intelligent-theological brain power (if any in the first place) that I had stored up for the past 22 years, so I have been racking my brain/struggling to come up with something to put down for Psalm 28. I’m simply not that prestigious of a writer, so most of the time when I’m called on to write something regarding scripture, the only inspirations I have to draw from are my struggles or relations to whatever it is that I’m reading. By pondering on Psalm 28 over and over again for the past few days, this is what I finally noticed…

Since Sunday night, prayer has been a rampant topic floating around in my brain. And by sort of reviewing Psalm 28 specifically since then, it dawned on me that this passage sounds like David is praying! He may not have actually been “praying”, but to me, David’s words in this Psalm in particular are an exceptional example of a brutally honest, real, conversational, and meaningful prayer.

I like David. I seem to relate to his way of wanting to be real with God and to communicate in a meaningful way. As opposed to regurgitating spiritual phrases that we’ve heard everybody pray all our lives. Instead of just saying “bless me”, “be with me”, “watch over and protect me”, “forgive me of all my many sins”, etc etc… all the time, I hope God can mold my thinking to where I can automatically say real and meaningful things to Him. In this mysterious thing called communication with the God of the universe, I want to use real words, and not slip into these tired religious clichés that don’t mean anything to us and certainly don’t mean anything to Him. God isn’t looking for more of that. God wants people who are in connectivity with him, in a conversation, who are saying things to him that sound like what they would say to a friend or to a person of great worth in their lives.

While writing most of these Psalms, David’s heart and mind was one that said, “I get what God has done for me.” For those of us who have a relationship with Christ, I think a solid goal for our prayer lives could sound like this: “I want to fully grab a hold of power of the cross and the resurrection of Christ and the transformational power that those two things have in my life everyday. Therefore, as I’m talking to God, I want to pray prayers that reflect that back to him.”

Just read the first few verses of Psalm 28. David wanted to say stuff that was real, he wanted to get out of a rut, and perhaps he wanted to give God a break. I think God would be thrilled if we started a dialogue with him using real words that we actually thought about. What is it that we want from God? More importantly, what is it that we want to give to God? How do we want to converse with the creator of the universe?

Much Love,
Rob

Psalm 27: No Fear!

Does anyone remember the "No Fear" line of clothing that was popular in middle school? It was the kind of clothing Vans, quicksilver, and 26 Red that was associated with all the skater kids in school (If you were that kid, don't worry there is forgiveness in Christ!). Well I was the jock who wore my Michael Jordan jersey and shorts, full uniform, every Friday so I can make fun of myself now too. But that line of clothing is one of many things that comes to mind when I think about this psalm. Another memory is from college when I took a Psalms class and everyone was asked to write a 15 page paper on a psalm of their choice and present it to the class in sermon form. Psalm 27 was my psalm! I remember being so afraid to present this in front of the class but the very psalm I was preaching on calmed me down because of its message, which is simply, don't fear, don't fret, God will save you.

The image I got while reading this psalm is someone running with all his might from an enemy who is trying to capture him only to be saved by the Temple door which he flings open and slams quickly behind himself. He wipes his forehead and sighs a sigh of relief as he knows he is now safe in God's Temple. The first line of Psalm 27 says it all. "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?"
Knowing that the Lord will save him, David faces his fear with a simple question. Its a lot of the same flavor of the first line of Ps. 23. "The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want." Since the Lord is our Shepherd, we are in need of nothing. Since the Lord is our stronghold, we also fear nothing. Keep in mind that David's troubles, unlike so many of ours, were actually physical. In other words, David really did have armies encircling him and chasing after him during several points in his life. I've never known anyone who wanted to kill me, much less a whole army, but I imagine that I would be looking for a safe place to hide a lot. David found that place in the house of the Lord, which was most likely the Temple. The reason is because he knew that shelter and safety await on the other side of those doors. The lesson to be learned is that the power of the Lord to save His people is so great that no trouble is too much trouble for the Lord! Nothing is more powerful than the Lord. The Lord fights for his people.

Verse 4 is of the most beautiful verse in the Scriptures, which is why I will just let them speak for themselves. If you had one wish from God, what would it be? I can tell you what David's would be. David asked one thing from the Lord with three parts. Notice two things about this request. First, this request comes from King David a man who had all he would ever need and more. He had been there, done that, and had all the "no fear" T-shirts. He had everything, yet he knew what he really needed. The second thing is that he knew that his request was something to be sought after (vs. 4). He asked God 1) to dwell in the house of the Lord all of the days of his life, 2) to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and 3) to inquire (or meditate) in His temple. Life seems much simpler this way doesn't it? In here, all that matters is the Lord. In here, all David cares about is gazing at the beauty of the Lord. In Here, all David wants to do is fill his mind with things of the God. Life is indeed simple in this place. The world we live in can be the difficult place. I think if we spent time in God's presence, we too would realize the important things. Just like the old hymn says, "and the things of this world will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace."

If some trouble has overtaken you, you know where to run. Let David's psalm comfort you.

"Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage. Wait for the Lord."

Psalm 26

Picture this: At the end of your last semester of your senior year, you walk into your teacher's office and challenge him to create the most thorough, excruciatingly detailed, no holds bar, everything goes exam. Every chapter, every lecture, every book, every footnote covered would be fair game for the test. This is no mere cross-section of material covered with an explicit study guide helping you prepare. Furthermore, no extra credit is going to be offered and an 100 is an A and a 99 is an F. On top of all that, you tell your professor that you have to pass this exam to graduate. Everything is on the line! And, finally, though some might view it as arrogance, before leaving his office, you confidently tell him to bring it. "Test me! Go ahead! Examine me to the fullest! I will pass!"

Psalm 26 is the first of three consecutive psalms which describe David entering into the house of the Lord in order to admire the glory of God (vs 8). This psalm has three major portions which can be clearly identified. David prays to be vindicated in vs 1, examined in vs 2, and redeemed in vs 11. Thus, I see the psalm breaking down with the first verse being David's prayer for deliverance, verses two through seven being David's prayer for examination, and finally verses nine through twelve being David's prayer for salvation.

Prayer for Deliverance (Vs 1)
David's prayer to be vindicated means there are charges against him which he obviously deems are false. David wants the Lord to judge him according to these charges and declare him to be exonerated. What criteria does David base his cry upon? His personal integrity and his single-hearted devotion the Lord.

Prayer for Examination (Vs 2-7)
David wants to be examined and tested. Can you imagine telling the all-knowing God to examine you? David is confident the Lord will clear him of all charges against him because the Lord's lovingkindness is always before him and he walks in His truth! David also knows that since he is innocent before the Lord he may proclaim the Lord's greatness and wonder.

Prayer for Salvation (Vs 8-12)
David expresses his love for the house of the Lord, namely the place where God's glory dwells. David fears that if his enemies were to prevail over him, he would be kept from the Lord's house. Therefore, his cry to be redeemed is a cry for salvation.

To wrap things up... We must strive after lives of absolute personal integrity. This can only be possible when the lovingkindness of the Lord expressed in Jesus Christ is ever-present before us. When we walk in the truth, we will become like the Truth. May it truly be our prayer today that the Lord "Vindicate us, Examine us, Test us, and Redeem us!"

Grace and Peace,
John Michael

Psalm 25: The 25th Psalm

Well the first thing I noticed about psalm 25 is that it is the 25th psalm of the Bible. That is some deep insight right there! Next I noticed that psalm 25 comes right after psalm 24 but just before psalm 26. I also noticed that psalm 25 has 22 verses in it. It contains 19 periods, 7 semicolons, 20 commas, 1 question mark and two exclamation points (in the NIV). Well that is my summary of psalm 25. Hope you all have been having a great week!

What if the above paragraph was all I wrote about psalm 25? You probably wouldn't get anything out of it. Me telling you that there are 7 semicolons in psalm 25 probably doesn't stir up the Holy Spirit in your heart. I imagine you weren't saying "Praise the Lord for the 7 semicolons!" Although I described psalm 25 in detail, one thing was missing...the Word of God! The Bible is not just a bunch of words on pages, it is the truth given to us by our loving Heavenly Father. That statement may seem obvious to you, but I think all too often we don't deeply pursue God's Word as the absolutely faultless truth that it is.

"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." Psalm 25:4-5

"Good an upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way." Psalm 25:8-9

As these verses indicate, we should ask God to show, teach, guide and instruct us in his ways, paths and truth. We must set aside our preconceived ideas that the corrupted world we live in has placed in our minds and we must desire to know the truth. We must not approach the Word arrogantly, thinking that we already know everything. Instead we should humble ourselves and let God's Word speak to us. If we do not have a humble approach to God's Word then it will not be effective. We must fully believe ever word that we read and we must let God's Word transform our lives. Everything that we need to know is contained in the Word. We are all sinners and we need God's guidance in our lives. Let us seek his guidance through his Word.

Before reading the Bible, it would be good to have the desire of Psalm 25:4-5 in your heart "Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me..."

Its not the intelligence of the person reading God's Word that matters, instead its that person's desire to learn God's way that counts. So have humility, seek God's instruction, have faith his Word is true, and put it into practice.

Bryan

Psalm 24: The LORD of Hosts Is His Name

So Amy and I have been reading this Karen Kingsbury book about the lost love of a high school couple. . .Uh yeah.

I admit that the book is of the girly genre of Christian fiction and definitely consists of over-the-top melodrama. But I’ll also admit that I am enjoying it.

See, Amy is a great reader so she always reads aloud, and quite frankly, I am a great listener. It works great. She never stutters, and I take in every word. We can easily get lost for an hour as we take two or three chapter bites at a time. We discovered a long time ago that if we flip the roles, if I try to read while she tries to listen, we are both asleep in ten minutes. Actually, Amy is asleep in like four minutes, and I don’t notice for another six minutes until I role over to kiss her goodnight because I am so sleepy myself.

I know what John Michael is thinking: "If you don’t notice that she is asleep until the ten minute mark, how do you know that she fell asleep at the four minute mark?" Well, I know because five or six minutes is the amount of time it takes for a good line of drool to attach itself to the pillow, and she usually has one. No, I’m just kidding; my wife never drools. Well, maybe now I’m kidding.

Anyway, the part we were reading the other night was about how this girl, Lauren, had unknowingly missed her daughter’s entire childhood because she thought that her daughter, Emily, died as an infant to pneumonia when really she didn’t, but Lauren ran away angry at the world over Emily’s supposed death, and never found out that she was alive, and now Emily’s eighteen, and Lauren’s a reporter in Afghanistan . . . I told you it’s dramatic.

But here’s the thing. It really made me sad, not because of the storyline so much, but because it made me start thinking about my own daughters. I started thinking about the horrors of ever being separated from them. I began to dwell on how much I want to be there to enjoy them and to protect them, and how time keeps slipping away. So there I was, midnight, in bed, and mopey.

But then the worst feelings came when I started thinking about how I could never protect my girls from all the evil that this world is going to hurl at them. Evil is unavoidable. Broken hearts are unavoidable. Injustice is unavoidable. Pain, hurt, fear, seclusion, all unavoidable. When it comes to a form of protection against the onslaught of wicked people, of a wicked world system, and of wicked principalities, a dad is not that powerful. In fact, I’m pretty weak.

So these thoughts make me truly sad. They make me long for a new world order, one in which evil does not exist, where a dad has forever to enjoy the beauty of his daughters, and where he knows they are safe. I desire a place of the Lord’s blessing and righteousness where his face is sought by all and his fellowship is experienced by all. But that is not the world in which we presently live.

Now what can possibly lift a Christian dad’s spirits when he is contemplating his own inability to protect his family and the reality of their oppressive environment? Well actually, the question is not a matter of "what?" but "who?"

Answer: The LORD of hosts.

Psalm 24:10 identifies the source of comfort. He is "the LORD of hosts." That’s the way the KJV and the NAS translate this title for the LORD. The NIV reads "the LORD Almightly." That’s pretty good too.

But I want to ask you a question. What comes to mind when you hear the word "hosts"?

Is it the starry hosts of the night sky?
Is it singing angels, as in "a multitude of the heavenly host" were singing praises in Luke 2:13?
Is it talk show hosts, as in Jay Leno, David Letterman, and Conan O’Brien?

The Hebrew word in this very common title for the LORD translated "hosts" is the word "tsava’." This word occurs primarily throughout the Old Testament as a warfare term. It means "an army prepared for battle." When combined with the name, "Yahweh," it means literally, "The LORD of armies" or "The LORD of war." So the term "hosts" in the KJV and NAS refers to God’s angelic armies. Angels can sing well, yes. But they can also fight. In 2 Kings 19:35, one angel took out 185,000 enemy men in one night. Pretty tough dude huh? God has hosts of them.

Now notice that Psalm 24 has three sections.

The first (v. 1-2) reminds us that the LORD is the omnipotent owner of all things because he created all things.

The second (v. 3-6) informs us that the LORD’s past creative act has a present consequence. The urgent question is, "How are we going to be in fellowship with this Creator God?"

The final section (v. 7-10) tells us that our condition in section two determines our future anticipation.

I love the language in this third section: "Lift up your heads, O gates; And lift them up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in." These are the words of triumphant procession. The psalmist cannot wait to experience the presence of his God and King. Essentially he is saying, "Get ready, whatever is standing between me and my blessed fellowship with the LORD. Pay attention, barriers, cause you ‘bout to get up out his way. My King is coming!"

And he is coming "strong and mighty in battle (v. 8). In this psalm, the comfort of God’s presence is intimately connected to his ability to fight. He doesn’t just bring blessing and righteousness; he brings them through conquering the enemies of blessing and righteousness. His "holy hill" (v. 3) is not just a place of fellowship. It is a place of safe fellowship.

Well, where does all this leave me when I consider my bedtime sadness over my girls?

I remember that though the earth is possessed with evil, it is not the possession of evil. "The earth is the LORD’s, and all it contains" (v. 1).

I remember for my family the present urgency and benefits of seeking the LORD's face. "Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, And has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation" (v. 3-5).

I anticipate his coming to establish his lasting fellowship over me and my family while I trust in his ability to carry us there. I call on the name of the victorious King of Glory: "The LORD of hosts."

Of course, sometimes I like to just call him "Jesus."

Soli deo gloria,
Glenn

Psalm 23

It's interesting to me how often the Bible (OT and NT) uses the shepherding imagery to describe the relationship between God and men. But I think we often pass over many of these images too quickly without really understanding what we have read because we don't have the background of an ancient Middle Easterner. After reading Psalm 23 the verse I found myself going back to was the second half of verse 4, "I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me." I asked myself why the rod and staff of a shepherd would be comforting to a sheep. Unsatisfied with my own answers I did a little reading and here's what I came up with.

One of the uses of the shepherd's staff was that of discipline. When a sheep began to wonder off in search of "greener pastures," or was getting ready to eat something that might have been harmful, the shepherd would often throw his staff in the area of the wandering sheep to send back to the rest of the herd. The shepherd, desiring that none of his sheep be lost or get themselves into situations they couldn't get out of, disciplined his flock for their good. The majority of shepherd's staffs also had a hook which could be used to stop a sheep from going a certain direction or to rescue a sheep.

Another use of the shepherd's staff was to count and examine his flock. As the sheep would pass by the shepherd would stop each sheep. It turns out that while sheep can look like they are in good shape from their outward appearance, one must check the skin underneath the wool to make sure they are healthy and fit. Once a sheep was stopped the shepherd would use his staff to part the wool and see whether or not the sheep was sick or had been wounded.

The good shepherd would also use his staff for protection in times of need. The staff really was the only weapon a shepherd had available in biblical times. The staff was usually carved from a young sappling to ensure strength and longevity and could be used as a club or thrown like a spear. This was how the shepherd would drive off wolves and other predators.

Finally the staff of a shepherd was used to lead his flock. If some of the sheep began walking in a direction other than where the shepherd was leading them, he would come alongside the sheep placing the staff on the side of the sheep and gently apply pressure until the sheep were back on track.

I think these are the types of images David had in his head when he wrote this Psalm. The staff was a symbol of strength and power and was viewed as an extension of the owner's right arm. I'm sure most of you have already made the connection between the staff and the comfort it brings because it is in the hand of the Lord, but if you haven't, I encourage you to go back and read the uses of the staff and then apply them to how our God uses them for our benefit. God will discipline us when need be, rescue us, protect us from danger, and lead us to "green pastures" and "still waters" (vs. 2). As our shepherd He knows what is best for us and will see it through to completion on the day that we, as David, "shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (vs. 6).

Hope everyone has a great week and don't forget that everyone is an image bearer of God! Ray.

Psalm 22

I tried to go through this Psalm and analyze it intellectually and break it down. And I just can't. I relate so much to this Psalm that I feel like I need to just let myself, and you guys, feel the passion in it - the two seemingly conflicting viewpoints that come together to point in many ways to our Savior. Psalm 22 is one of the most famous Psalms, in a messianic sense. It is the Psalm that Jesus quoted on the cross, and it is a Psalm that prophetically points to Jesus' crucifixion, with details such as "all who see me mock me" (v. 7), "I am poured out like water, [...] all my bones are out of joint" (v. 14), "my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth" (v. 15), "they have pierced my hands and my feet" (v. 16), and "they divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing" (v. 18). This Psalm most definitely speaks of Jesus. All these details can be confirmed and are fulfilled in the crucifixion (read Matthew ch. 27). Yes, Psalm 22 points to Jesus the crucified. But guys - Psalm 22 also points to Jesus as the Redeemer of the downtrodden and the brokenhearted! It's so much more than a Psalm of suffering!

I will admit that I never read Psalm 22 this way until I went to read it for this blog. But upon reading it, I noticed a pattern - there is suffering, and then admission that God is sovereign and trustworthy; suffering, and then admission that God is caring and tender; suffering, and then admission that God is a strong tower and a deliverer; and finally, a hymn (of sorts) that sings of all of these beautiful characteristics of God again - that He is praiseworthy, merciful, a sovereign ruler, and that He is eternal. What a beautiful reminder for us!

I love the change of thoughts that David makes in verses 3, 9, and 19, specifically. In verses 1 and 2, David is crying out that he has been forsaken by God - and who was more forsaken by God than His own Son was on the cross - God's most beautiful, perfect creation, marred by the ugliness of our sin and abandonded by His father in the heartbreak. However, in verse 3, David focuses his attention on His redeemer - choosing in the midst of what must have been a horrible moment to change his thought, saying, I am broken, but You are enthroned on High, You are all we have to praise, You are the deliverer of our people, You are the only one we can trust (verses 3-5). The same change happens in verse 9. In verses 6-8, David's attention is drawn back to his suffering and his troubles - he is being insulted, and people are mocking him for his trust in the Lord. This also happens to Jesus - he is mocked by Jews and Romans alike, being told to save himself if he really is God. And yet David, like Jesus, turns his eyes back toward Heaven, saying I am surrounded and my life is threatened, yet You are the giver of life, You are the one in whom I trust, You are the one who chose me and marked me as yours from the beginning of life.

We see the same transition on final time, in verse 19. Verses 9-18 depict a very painful, physical suffering. I am no scholar and no expert on David, so I do not know if any of these physical insults actually happened to him. But we do know the story of Jesus: he was surrounded by many strong men, his bones were, in fact, out of joint; he suffered great thirst on the cross - and may I interject that this would seem like such a small detail, but God was painting this picture of Jesus so long before this moment - and there are no small details with God! Jesus did have his hands and feet pierced, and lots were cast for his clothing. All of these verses are very specific and very prophetic. At the end of this section of suffering, however, David once again turns to God. This time, his attention is locked on his Savior. First, David calls to God to be near and to help him. Verses 19-22 are dedicated to David's prayer for rescue. Verse 23 begins a beautiful song of sorts poured out to the Lord - singing praises to God for what has been and what is to come - for what He has already done and what He will do, even in future, as-yet-unborn generations. God has won this battle for David's heart, and He won the battle on the cross as well!

I have not suffered physically the way that Jesus or David suffered. But I have suffered in my heart in so many ways. And I know, and I am sure you do as well, that Jesus deserves praise even in the storm, even in the dark, even when it hurts. That doesn't mean it's easy. We see that here in Psalm 22 - David fights between focusing on his suffering and focusing on his Relief. But David paints us a beautiful example. Even when we lose focus, even when our mind drifts back to our wounds, we must move our thoughts back to the Healer of those wounds.

I was thinking of this Psalm as I was listening to "Blessed Be Your Name," the praise song written by Matt Redman. And the last verse of the song, which I always thought referred so much to the book of Job, struck me as the perfect paraphrase for this Psalm, so I wanted to post those words here again, just to remind you. It's something small that you can even pray if you can't remember all the words to Psalm 22. It's just something to bring your focus back to Him.

Blessed be Your name,
on the road marked with suffering;
though there's pain in the offering,
Blessed be Your name.

David suffered many things, and yet recorded his prayers even in the midst of it all so that future generations could see that God is faithful. Jesus walked the road marked with every suffering - physical, emotional, and spiritual - so that we could follow His lead. How amazing is our God!

~Kim

Psalm 21

Psalm 21 is a beautiful expression of one who is rejoicing over what God has granted him. I like to call this attitude "being overtaken by the blessings of the Lord" (see Deut. 28:2).

David has just experienced a victory of which he knows is from the Lord’s hand. He is overtaken with the goodness of the Lord and begins to verbally praise and thank Him. But David’s attitude is more than just, "Hey, thanks, God." David’s whole being, his whole attitude, has been radically caught up in thanksgiving. Listen to his words in verses 1-7. David is experiencing true joy in the victory in verse 1. He is acknowledging that God answered his heartfelt prayer in verse 2. He is enjoying living under the blessings of the Lord in verses 3-5. He is experiencing real gladness from just being in the presence of God in verse 6. And David realizes that all these blessings come from trusting in the Lord in verse 7.

Does not such thanksgiving strengthen one’s faith? Absolutely, Yes!

I think such experiences become those spiritual monuments on which our faith is strengthened and encouraged in the future. In fact, David continues his psalm in verses 8-11 by voicing his confidence in the Lord in the days to come. David then ends his psalm with a final exclamation of praise, "Be exalted, O Lord, in Your strength; we will sing and praise Your might."

Upon my first reading of Psalm 21, I very quickly identified with the attitude of David. There have been those times when I have been so overtaken by the presence and working of the Holy Spirit in my life that I am caught up in thanksgiving and praise to the Lord. Those times have without a doubt been the sweetest times of my life. During Old Testament days, the Israelites were often called to build a stone monument to remember the faithfulness of the Lord. I, too, have a monument but not one made of stones. My monument is made up of powerful, spirit-changing occasions when God blessed me with a touch of His presence. It has been in those times that I am reminded that He is my all-sufficient God. He is all I will ever need. He alone grants me the deepest desires of my heart, everyone of them. He makes me glad!!

By the way, these times have come for me when I least expected them. In fact, more often than not, I am overtaken by the blessing of His presence when I am going through a valley. And every time, the joy of experiencing God has overshadowed that thing that is plaguing me. He is so amazingly good!!!

Can you identify with David? There is nothing sweeter than the presence of the Lord. Trust in the unfailing love of the Most High. Eternal blessings await you, and you will not be shaken.

Amy

Psalm 20: Pride or Trust?

before you read this psalm today I really encourage everyone to ask themselves a question. Am I too proud to cry out to God for help?

people in our society come to God in many different ways. Some come to God skeptical. Some come to God with doubts or with hard questions looking for an answer. Some people come to God looking for what they can get out of Him. Most of the time its an answer to a certain prayer. You see, when people are forced into a corner with a difficult question about life or a problem that is too big for them, everyone, in some way, goes to a higher power, mainly, their version of God. I want David to challenge all of our thinking with his words in this Psalm.

The Way you come to God or, said differently, the way you approach God in prayer is very important. Consider what James tells us about prayer. He tells us , "but let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways." The reason that he is unstable is because he really does not believe that the Lord is who he says he is. In fact, if you think about, it makes no sense to pray to the LORD and then doubt because what makes Him Lord is the fact that He can do anything. So let me ask you now. are you unstable? Do you approach the Lord of the universe flippantly? Do you approach the King with the mindset of David. The mentality that knows, not doubts or even thinks that the Lord is a God who answers prayers. Have you really thought about that before. God is a God who answers prayer! David says, "he will answer from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand."

People during Jesus day had the same problem we did. they doubt when coming to Jesus. consider some of them. there were the Pharisees. They approached Jesus with doubts as to who He was. They questioned him with the intentions to trap him. Some came to Jesus attempting to justify themselves, like the rich young ruler. Some came simply looking for a show or a display like king Herod. Some wanted to kill him. either way Jesus Knew the intentions of their hearts and exposed them all. But there were some who came to Jesus knowing His power like the blind man, the Centurion or even the woman who washed His feet with expensive perfume. Two blind men cried out to Jesus, "Lord Save Me!" this is the way we should approach God, knowing, not thinking that he can save you. Again, either way God knows you heart.

Do you really believe God saves? Do you really believe God answers your prayers? or are you in you little spiritual boat being drivin and tossed by the wind?

Read what David says. "may the Lord answer you in the day of trouble." My he grant you your hearts desire and fulfill all your plans." May the Lord fulfill all your petitions (which is just a fancy word for prayer.

Verse 7 is the meat of the Psalm when David says, "some trust in horses and other in chariots (not to be confused with carrots) but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."

Do you really trust? One thing I think would help us would be to consider in our past when God has answered your prayers and think about those times. This time last year we were praying for my little brother to be saved. this year he is! God is a God who answers our prayers.

"May He answer us when we call"

I hope this encourages you all. sorry I'm late. I prayed God would make all of you think it was really the 20th. we'll see if he answers that prayer or not!

Psalm 19: The Art of God

First, I would like to remind you that I am only a humble girl before God, writing to you what I believe He has put on my mind.

When I read Psalm 19, I picture David to be meditating. Meditating on God's creation, on his word...the law, meditating on his own sinfulness, and ending the psalm by pointing to salvation.

Psalm 19:1-6 is what I call the Art of God. As you all know I love art, and maybe what you didn't know is my favorite artist is Monet. I appreciate Monet. To me, his creations on canvas are absolutely beyond brilliant! The way he used colors, light, shadows, etc. to his advantage is incredibly hard to recreate! I believe he could create a painting for every mood or feeling there is. Just at a glance his paintings seem like they're just a bunch of messy brush strokes thrown on canvas...but in reality each brush stroke was intentional and had a purpose. His creations pointed to what a perfect artist Monet was. His creations are testimony of what a perfect artist he was. His creations are evidence of what a perfect artist he was!

Now, if one simple painting can say that much about it's creator, what does the world and everything on it say about our Lord?? Verse 1 speaks of declaring and proclaiming. Even though creation cannot verbally speak, it does speak! David says that it "declares the glory of God." I think it is awesome that David uses physical ways to praise an invisible God. I am a very visual person, and the way that David writes puts pictures in my mind. I like v.3-4 because it says that even though "there is no speech or language" among God's creation, "their voice goes out into all the earth." I believe he is saying that even in those remote places on earth, where people have not heard the word of God proclaimed, they should still recognize a creator simply from the creation in which they live. Even though I admit that I don't fully understand that concept, how awesome is it that's God's glory and perfectness is displayed on this ENTIRE earth?!!

In Psalm 7-11 David is speaking of the law...or the word of God. Now, I still look at this as the Art of God. The analogy that I gave you before is that Monet's paintings point to their creator, they are evidence of the perfect artist. The word of God was DESIGNED to point to Him. It is a tool that the Lord gave us to know him, to know his character, to know his heart, to know his will for us! I think it is great how David presents the law to us. We have been talking in our Sunday night bible study group how the law is freedom...and David gives us reasons why it is our freedom. He tells us that the law "revives the soul...gives joy to the heart...gives light to the eyes...endures forever." If you saw those phrases by themselves, wouldn't you want to know how to get those things? David assures us in v.11 that in keeping the law "there is great reward."

I believe in v.12-13, David is talking to the Lord of his own sin. Because of the law we therefore know what sin is. We are such fallen creatures that I think sometimes we are not even aware of the great amount of sin in our lives. How many times have we gone through a day and not asked God for forgiveness of anything? We most certainly were not perfect that day, yet we were not aware enough of our sin to ask forgiveness. This is what David is expressing in v. 12. "Who can discern his errors?" And then he asks for forgiveness in a generality..."Forgive my hidden faults." Isn't it awesome that we are forgiven by grace?!! I think that sometimes we know our sin and feel guilty of it, and sometimes that guilt drives our actions to be better...which is a good thing. However, because of God's grace we cannot let sin or guilt cripple us. I believe David also recognized this in v.12 where he says, "may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of transgression."

I believe v.14 is ending with a reference to salvation. Psalm 19 began with creation, moving to the law, then to sin, and now that David's asked for forgiveness he is seeking the Lord. He wants to be "pleasing in his sight." He acknowledges with the very last word of the psalm that the Lord is his redeemer!

I hope that you all have had a fabulous week and I will see you tomorrow!
Love you guys!
Em

Psalm 18

I miss yall and have been praying for you each today!

Psalm 18 is the first mega-psalm we've run into in our reading. This is actually the second time this psalm has been recorded in the Bible. Where is the other time you might ask? 2 Samuel 22 records this same psalm because the psalm is a description of the life of David. The 50 verses in the Psalm are a whole lot to take in during one sitting without forgetting everything read within 2 minutes of finishing. So I was thinking that I'd try to just simply break the psalm up into multiple sections to help everyone in their reading. I'll add in some commentary here and there on the many verses which stand out for their beauty and their profoundness.

Vs 1-3
David begins the psalm with praise to the Lord. The list of "my ...." statements is an awesome expression of love and trust for the Lord.

Vs 4-6
With death surrounding David on all sides, he cries out to the Lord for help to save him from his enemies.

Vs 7-15
The Lord responds! David uses some incredible language to describe the Lord's response on his behalf. Stop once again here and tremble at such a description of the Lord. He shakes the most unshakeable things (mountains) and He controls the most uncontrollable things (lightning). Vs 15 even says that God exposes the earth by blowing on it through His nose!

Vs 16-19
Possibly the high mark of the psalm. Linger on verse 16 for a second. After the unbelievable description of the Lord in all His might in the preceding 8 verses, David says in vs 16, "He reached down from on high and took hold of me." Stop and pray to God using this verse to describe your salvation.

Vs 20-28
The Lord delivers David according to his righteousness. Ray does an awesome job focusing upon this same issue in Psalm 17, so I reference you back to his post. Vs 25-26 would be an excellent memory passage for us as a group. Are you pure, faithful, and blameless? Or are you crooked?

Vs 29-42
The Lord is ascribed all the glory for the victory over David's enemies. Notice vs 41 and the extreme difference between the unanswered cries of David's enemies and this very psalm.

Vs 43-45
The people are subdued and now submit to David.

Vs 46-50
The Lord is again praised and given all the glory!

One last thing for you all to do. Read back through the psalm as a description of the life of Christ. Surely, the Lord conquers His enemies through the triumphant work of Christ on the cross.

Grace and peace,
John Michael

Psalm 17: Purification of Prayer

First of all, according to the calendar, Ray was supposed to do Psalm 16, but he did psalm 17. Now because I am a merciful guy, I'm not going to send out a funny email about that, however I am going to post the novel I wrote about psalm 17. So I guess you all get a double dose of this psalm.

Psalm 17:1 "Here O Lord my righteous plea..."
Psalm 17:3 "Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin."
Psalm 17:6 "I call on you, O God, for you will answer me..."

The thing that stood out to me about David's prayer in psalm 17 is his pure motive for his request to God and his confidence in God's answer. Notice in verse 1 that he describes his plea as "righteous". Also notice in verse 6 his confidence that God will answer his plea. I think the fact that David has a righteous motive for his prayer is a big reason why he has confidence that God will answer him. This relates to 1 John 3:21-22 "Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him."

When you come across something in God's Word that you don't understand or a question about how God works in the world, don't just dismiss it! People often avoid asking the difficult questions and would rather just not think about them. However, if you want to grow then you have to ask the difficult questions that you don't understand and you must search for the answers. You may be confused at first, but continue to seek God for understanding.

The reason I brought that up about searching for the answers to the questions that you don't understand is because this psalm brings to mind a difficult question about God answering prayers. The way that God works through prayer and how in his wisdom may grant some requests and not others is very mysterious. There are many verses in the Bible that say something along the lines of Mark 11:24 "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Now first off I want to note that just pulling a single verse out of the Bible completely out of context is very dangerous, especially with a verse like that. We know that many people have prayed for things and not received what they asked and clearly that promise of a guaranteed answer to prayer has restrictions if placed in context. I know that God's Word is true and therefore there are things to pray for that God will guarantee to grant your request. The difficult question is how to have prayers to God that you can have complete confidence that he will answer you and grant your request. For more clarification, lets look at John 15:7 "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you." Notice the condition for receiving whatever you ask is that you remain in Christ and his words remain in you. As Christians we have the written Word of God and we also have the Holy Spirit inside of us. I know that any promises that God has made to us in his Word, we can pray for that and be certain that we will receive it if we do not doubt.

But I also know that there is another amazing way that God answers prayers that are made through the Holy Spirit within us. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and the Spirit of God is the will of God. If a person prays and the Holy Spirit is truly speaking through them, then that means that the words that are coming out of their mouth may very well be the very things that God intends to accomplish. God places desires on our hearts of things to pray for and the Holy Spirit moves us to pray for these things. God then hears the prayers made through the Spirit and answers the prayer. Everyone who heard the prayer request and then witnessed God's answer is filled with praise for God. This is perhaps how God Sovereignly works through the prayers of his people for his own glory.

Now we must have humility in our prayers because we do not know what God plans to do in any given situation except that which he has revealed to us. That is why we must pray for his will to be done and for him to be glorified. Only God knows in what way he can receive the most glory. Don't try to tell God what is best for him to do, instead let him tell you what is best for you to do.

Also look at James 4:3 "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your own pleasures." I wonder how many times our prayers go unanswered because we have wrong motives? The true motive behind our requests should be for the glory of God. That is why when Jesus prayed he said "Yet not as I will, but as you will." If we pray for God's will to be done, then we know that request will be granted because God's will is always done. Now when I refer to his will, I am referring to the perfect plan that he is carrying out.

Sorry if all this has been a little confusing, but I don't even fully understand it all myself...of course it doesn't help that its after 2 in the morning right now. The point I think you should take from all this is that we must purify the motives of our prayers. We must stop praying for our own sinful pleasures and instead pray for things that are pleasing to God. A great truth in this is that if you let the Spirit rule in your life then the things that are pleasing to God will also be pleasing to you.

Bryan

Psalm 17

When I read Psalm 17 there is a part of me that thinks, "Man, David can be pretty arrogant." In the midst of calling to the Lord, David says that his lips are free of deceit (v. 1). He also asks the Lord to search him (David) and that once He does He will find no fault within him! These are extremely bold claims in my mind. I don't know about the rest of yall, but I often do not feel confident enough before the Lord to say that I am without fault - even in situations where I don't think I am! But David goes to the Lord in just this manner. So is this arrogant? While my sinful mind leads me to think it is, in reality it is not. David is not approaching God on the basis of his own goodness. David is not perfect or sinless. We know David is a sinner from reading other parts of scripture; case and point - Bathsheba. But in this specific event of injustice David can say before a Holy God that he has not sinned and rouse Him to deliver him from his present circumstances. All of David's boldness comes from following after God. He says in verse 5, "My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped." God promises to protect and deliver those who belong to Him and remain steadfast and David wholeheartedly takes God at His word. If God has promised something, guess what? He will do it! The only valid questions are "when?" and "how? "If" is not even in the picture. David is not looking for personal vindication in these instances. When God makes promises His name is at stake. Though He has never been obligated to make any promises to sinful human beings, He does so. And when God does make a promise His name is at stake. If He didn't come through on a promise He wouldn't be God. But David knows that when God says He will do something that's exactly what happens.

Do you know that God is faithful? Do you live like God is faithful? Does your prayer life reflect that God is faithful? David's did. The only way he can approach God as he does is because he knows God is true to His word.

Hebrews 10:23 - "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for he who promised is faithful."

Sorry this is a little spiratic - more than half of it was deleted b/c my internet went out. Hope everyone is having a great week and see you Sunday, Ray.

Psalm 15: What Is Needed

We talk a lot about the gospel: gospel music, gospel preaching, gospel sharing . . . But the question is, "What is the gospel?" Well, the short answer is "the good news," but then we may ask, "What do we mean by good news?" So maybe the better question is, "What is the essence of the gospel?" What makes it good news?

A pretty good place to look for answers is the Bible. So here are a few biblical definitions of the gospel.

Isaiah 61:1 and Luke 4:18-19 - "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor."

Here the gospel is defined by its relationship to the poor and needy. The essence of the gospel is that it changes their situation from unfavorable to favorable.

Mark 1:15 - "The time has come," [Jesus] said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

Here the gospel is defined by its message about the kingdom of God. Its essence is that it can bring near what would seem by all appearances to be very far away, the kingdom.

Romans 1:16 - I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

Here the gospel is defined in terms of rescue. Its essence is its ability to save all men.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 - Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you . . . For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

Here the gospel is defined in terms of the work of Christ on behalf of sinners. Its essence is substitution, fulfillment, and victory. He died "for our sins." This happened "according to the Scriptures." And he "was raised."

Ephesians 3:6 - This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

Here the gospel is defined in terms of promise. The essence of the gospel is that it provides all people with the ability to share in the promises that God has made in Christ, even those who most seemed alienated from God.

Well, now we need to ask, "What is common to all these biblical definitions?" or better, "What is in there that makes them all gospel definitions?" Here are my observations:

1. Man’s desperation. In all of the above verses, a human problem is addressed: sickness and poverty, distance, need for salvation, sin, alienation.

2. Surprising change. In all of the above verses something unexpected happens: The sick are healed. The kingdom is brought near. Salvation is made available. Sin is paid for. Alienation turns to promise.

3. God’s initiation. In all of the above definitions, God is the one who has effected the surprising changes: The LORD has anointed the preaching to the poor. Jesus has come near to represent the kingdom. The "power of God" provides salvation. Jesus died for sin. God includes the Gentiles in his promises.

4. Man’s benefit. In all of the definitions, something happens for people that is very good. People receive the healing. People are brought near to God’s kingdom. People are saved. People have their sins paid for. People are brought back under God’s promises.

5. Christ work. In all of the definitions, the benefits that come to men are effected by Jesus. Jesus proclaims good news to the poor and binds up the broken hearted. Jesus brings the kingdom near. Jesus demonstrates God's power to save. Jesus dies for sin. Jesus makes God's promises available.

So taking those observations here is my suggestion about the essence of the gospel: The essence of the gospel is that in Christ, God has surprisingly changed people's desperate circumstances into great joy.

Now, the reason I am in the middle of a gospel discussion for a post on Psalm 15 is because I was struck by the desperate problem for man that Psalm 14 and 15 present when read together.

Here’s a little recap of Psalm 14:
They are corrupt.
Their deeds are vile.
There is no one who does good.
All have turned aside.
They have together become corrupt.
There is no one who does good, not even one.
You evil doers frustrate the plans of the poor.

And now here’s Psalm 15:
Who wants to enjoy relationship with God and never be shaken?
He whose walk is blameless.
He who does what is righteous.
He who speaks the truth from his heart.
He who has no slander on his tongue.
He who does his neighbor no wrong.
He who casts no slur on his fellowman.
He who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD.
He who keeps his oath even when it hurts.
He who lends his money without usury.
He who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

Joyful yet? No way! Psalm 15 tells us God’s standard for acceptance is perfection while Psalm 14 has just told us that man’s level of holiness is rock bottom. The Bible is saying that if I want to enjoy God’s favor, I need to be perfectly holy, but it is also saying that I am far from that standard. The combined effect of these two psalms is not joy, no way, never, impossible. It is discouragement. It is fear. It is desperation . . .

That is, unless there is a gospel solution, one in which in Christ, God surprisingly changes people's desperate circumstances into great joy.

Perhaps David was writing prophetically? Perhaps the Holy Spirit was here predicting God’s surprising actions that would come through Christ? Perhaps David had joy because he was already living under the benefits of that later activity? Perhaps in Psalm 14 and 15, God was preaching the gospel?

Now with Psalm 14 and 15 fresh on our hearts, let’s consider one more biblical definition of the gospel.

Colossians 1:21-23 - Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation . . . This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven.

Here the gospel is defined in terms of transformation and relationship. Its essence is its ability to produce radical change in a person’s moral condition in order to produce reconciliation with God. In Christ, God has surprisingly acted in order to change men’s desperate circumstance of unrighteousness into holy, blemishless joy.

In other words, Paul says that because of Jesus, Psalm 14 people can become Psalm 15 people.

That's the gospel.

Soli deo gloria,
Glenn

Psalm 14 - Maranatha!*

Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!

When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people,

let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

Psalm 14:7

I can remember the saddest day of my life. I was at a funeral for a very dear friend who died too young, succumbing to the evil that is cancer. I sat at his funeral, listening to people talk, all of whom sounded brokenhearted and dejected; after all, we had spent years praying for victory, only to see the brokenness of this world seemingly win. All that sadness led me to pray fiercely and fervently that Jesus would come back that very instant - that He would return, and take us all, and spare His people the pain of living in such a very broken world. I had never, until that moment, prayed that so so sincerely.

I hear that same urgency coming to us from the psalmist in Psalm 14. He is looking around at the depravity around him, and is crying out for God to deliver his people - to send salvation from Zion. So what was the situation back then? There were people all around who denied God's existence (v. 1). There was no one who did good(v. 1, 3). No one was seeking God. The world was full of corrupt evildoers. This Psalm depicts people who live as if God did not exist and therefore as if they can act in any way they please without consequence. The psalmist calls these people fools - and not fools in the sense that we think of. The word fool here in Hebrew is "nabal" (thought to come from the story of David and Nabal in 1 Samuel 25). This "nabal," this fool, is not a stupid person or a person who does not have reason. This is a person who, for whatever reason, incorrectly assumes that God has no power in his life.

Sound familiar? It sure does sound like 2008 in America today. We live in the midst of a society that is full of people who deny God and who profane His name. So many people - even people who bear the name "Christian" - deny God and deny that God is truly active in the lives of His children. They laugh at the thought of heaven and hell. They ignore God's instruction and "follow their hearts." Just turn on the news and you will hear scores of stories about evildoers, who must say in their hearts "there is no God" to do the evil things that they do. Men and women across the world are being persecuted as a result of vile men who "devour [God's] people as men eat bread."

What then, should our response to this corruption and depravity be? Psalm 14 tells us that we can and should take refuge in the Lord, that He is present in the company of the righteous. The psalmist tells us in v. 7 that salvation for Israel (of which we are a part!) will come out of Zion, and that the Lord will restore the fortunes of His people. Praise God for this promise to us!

When we are overwhelmed with the depravity of the world around us, when all seems broken and unfair, when we are overcome with what sin has done to the human race...salvation is what we should be asking for. And may we remember to thank Him when the day comes!

*Maranatha is a word found in the New Testament that means, "our Lord is coming," or, alternatively, "Come, Lord!" Let this be the cry and prayer of our hearts today.

~Kim

Psalm 13

Sorry, couldn't think of a cool, hip title like everybody else...

Be honest with yourself for a moment. It seems that every one of us has asked some version of the question “How long, O Lord?” at one time or another, and every follower of God has felt neglected by God, or at least has waited a long time for God to do what needs to be done. Notice that David asks “How long, O Lord?” no less than four times just in the first two verses. The frustration in David’s heart came from a sense that God had forgotten him and that God was distancing Himself from him. Don’t worry; asking God this kind of question is OK. It shows an honest desire for rescue, and possibly a sincere sadness of the heart. But keep in mind; it is incredibly easy for someone’s sincere desires to turn into impatience. Of course, God did not forget David. God did not hide His face from David, but David felt like it. When we have such strong feelings such as these, the feelings create their own reality. David felt God had forgotten him, and felt God was hiding. So, in a sense, it was true for David, but true according to feelings, not according to fact.

There’s got to be a balance in life when it comes to feelings. Some people ignore feelings, and think that feelings should have nothing to do with our relationship with God. This is an extreme, because God has given us feelings as an expression of His image in us. We can feel anger, love, care, pain, and many other feelings, because God can feel those feelings. In this sense, feelings are a gift from God and a sign that we are made in His image.

On the other side, some live their lives ruled by feelings. We believe whatever reality our feelings present us. The problem with this is that though we have feelings because we are made in the image of God, we come to find that our feelings are affected by how much we stumble. We can’t trust our feelings because of this. It was all right for David to feel these feelings, and good to take them to God, but he should never accept the reality of feelings as “real” reality.

Note: No wonder David was discouraged! “How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day, have sorrow in my heart?” Thinking about our troubles is hard work. When I am discouraged and depressed, the answer is not looking inside myself, but in looking to the LORD

David had the wisdom to know that though he felt powerful feelings, he wasn’t seeing reality. His vision was hazy and dark, so he cried out to God, “Enlighten my eyes...!” This is an excellent prayer! We need the light of God to shine on us and to give us His wisdom and knowledge. No matter what problem we are in, we should cry out with all our heart, “Enlighten my eyes.” Check out Ephesians 1:17-19; Paul’s version of this prayer.

After this prayer, David came to a place of confidence and trust. It is as if he remembered that he really did trust God. God had cleared away the haze and enlightened his eyes. David was still in the realm of feelings (“My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.”). But he directed his feelings instead of having his feelings direct him. If he could be delighted in nothing else, he could delight in the salvation God gave him. This is solid ground for any believer. With enlightened eyes, David sees God’s goodness. As David thought about it, he had good reason to be happy and sing because God had been good to him. If we will only think about it, every person on this earth has a reason to be happy, because in some way God has been good to everyone.

What a change! In the beginning of the Psalm, David was overwhelmed by his feelings and frustration and believed that God forgot him and was hiding from him. He had trouble with God and with himself. Yet now he saw how God had been faithful. Because his eyes were enlightened, David could now see God’s goodness.

Before God can enlighten our eyes, we must admit that we don’t see everything. We need to realize that our feelings are not giving us full and accurate information. But if we will do this, and cry out to the LORD, “Enlighten my eyes.” He will indeed do that very thing and bring us from a place of despair to a place of trust, joy, and confidence!

Much Love. Robert.

Psalm 12: Where is the faithful man?

No matter what generation we are in, faithful men are few and far between. This psalm reminds me of a lot of scriptures throughout biblical history. If you recall the days of Noah, the Lord sends a flood because all of their thoughts were only continuously evil. Sodom was perhaps worse. We are all very familiar with the ups and downs of the Israelites which this psalm was written in the mist of and begins with "Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man." Romans reminds us of how the Lord deals with a generation who suppress the truth, do not honor God, exchange God's glory for other things, and engage themselves in dishonorable sexual acts. When thinking of our generation I don't even know where to begin. WHERE IS THE FAITHFUL MAN?!!!

In case you are wondering, my goal with this psalm is to paint a very bad picture of the history of the human race so it would "lead us to the rock that is higher than we are." So when we think of mankind as a whole we should think of the word unfaithful. when we think of Jesus Christ, the word faithful should come to mind. Our sinfulness leads us understand that we need a Savior.

Ok as I read this psalm, Proverbs 6:16-19 also came to my mind. I encourage you to read this list with Psalm 12 open and if you do you will find that they are very similar.

16 There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

Wow the Lord must have really hated the wickedness of David's day. Listen to how the wicked act. They lie with flattering lips and hidden motives. They boast,

and let me just pause to talk about boasting in general and then in this specific case. All boasting is evil before God because when you boast you are saying that you possess something that you did not receive directly from God. Humility is just to opposite. It is to understand that everything you have is from the Lord. He is the supplier and we are the dependent receiver. In specific, there obviously were some wicked men who thought that they did not need God. They would say with their lips, "Who is master over us?" They seem to have been rich (vs. 5) not suprisingly. Vileness is exalted among them, not faithfulness. And then there is King David. Faithfulness comes to your mind when you think of him right? Not really. actually unfaithfulness should come to your mind. So what is the difference between David and these men? David desires the higher rock and understands that salvation can only come from the hand of God. How does David know this? How do we know this? We know this simply because GOD SAID HE WOULD! God is not a man that he should lie. In fact, "the words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground seven times purified." In verse 5 the Lord says, "I will now arise and place him in the safety in which he longs."

The word of the Lord, unlike the lies of wicked man, are something to be trusted. So when God offers salvation to all those who place our trust in His Son, namely that of forgivness of sin and eternal life, we should believe it. David did and so should we. God's words are pure truth and can be trusted. Remember God's promises today. Let your hearts be filled with thankfulness.

I love you all. God bless.
Matt

Psalm 11: Are We to be Road Runners???

Possibly my favorite cartoon growing up was Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner. The Road Runner always did what he did best...RUN! Aaaaand the Coyote always did what he did worst...try to catch the Road Runner with some outlandish plan with the help of some Acme device (although he did finally catch the Road Runner in an episode...seen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJJW7EF5aVk). In some ways, it must be nice to be the Road Runner. He's just fast enough, just clever enough, just lucky enough to never wind up duped by his counterpart. As a Christian, I sometimes feel like if I was just a little bit faster, smarter, wiser, luckier, I would be able to avoid being trapped by the besetting sins that seem to constantly attack me.

In Psalm 11, David seemingly receives the advice from a friend to run like a bird to the mountain. The enemy is too strong, too fast, too powerful. David's told his only hope is to flee to the mountain, which presumably refers to Jerusalem. His only hope is that he'll be able to outrun his enemies and hopefully find protection behind the walls of the city.

David responds to this "friendly" advice with the full affirmation that the Lord is his refuge. David does not turn his back upon the Lord and attempt to find his own refuge in the mountain. David proclaims confidence in his Lord. Though the wicked bend their bow in the darkness of night, the Lord's eyes are beholding the entire situation in perfect clarity. The Lord is on His throne in His holy temple. The wicked are not ruling this world. The wicked want to shoot arrows upon the righteous. However, the Lord will rain down upon them fire and brimstone.

David refuses to take the advice to flee like a bird, because he trusts the Lord. First, David trusts that the Lord is sovereign. He is in heaven. He is ruling. He sees everything that is going on, and He will respond! Second, David trusts that the Lord is righteous. David appeals to the Lord's righteousness here because it would be an unrighteous action of the Lord to turn His back upon those who trust in Him. So by crying out that the Lord is righteous, David is crying out that the Lord protect all those who find their refuge in Him.

For us today, we need to recognize the false advice to become "Road Runners" in our Christian life. Many times, our supposed friends will give us advice to get out of the difficult situation we face. Oprah is going to tell you to rely upon the power source from within. Addictions are going to tell you that you can sooth your hurt with just one more taste. Colleges are going to tell you that your education is going to result in a great job which will get you plenty of money so that you can be comfortable and safe. However, all of these options truly do not provide for our greatest need. The only refuge that we have is in the Lord, who is in heaven! When the enemy of this world comes at us, we must not flee to our "safe" zones and the places of refuge we have created for ourselves. We must trust in our sovereign, righteous Lord to protect us and guide us.

Oh that we too might proclaim with David, "The Lord loves the righteous, the righteous will behold His face!"

Grace and Peace,
John Michael

Psalm 10: The Riches of His Glory

Why does God allow wicked people who reject him to prosper in their evil ways? Can't God wipe those evil people from the earth and bring judgment upon them?

I think the above two questions come to mind when reading psalm 10. The answers to those questions reveal great truths about God's plan.

First lets establish a few principles.
1. God is Sovereign. (He is in control of everything)
2. In all things God is at work for the good of those who love him.
3. In all things God works for his own glory.

By combining these three principles we can come to some powerful conclusions. By combining principles 2 & 3, we know that it is for our good as Christians that God be glorified. This conclusion is true because it says in Romans 8:17 "Now if we are children, then we are heirs- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." God's glory is in the best interest of believers in Christ because we will one day share in his glory!

Now lets combine principles 1 & 3. We know that God is Sovereign and that he works in all things for his own glory. So how does this fit in with our initial questions? How is it for God's glory that the wicked people who have rejected him are currently prospering in our world today? Lets look at Romans 9:22-23 to shed some light on this. "What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory." These verses distinguish two categories of people on the Day of judgment: the objects of his wrath (those who have rejected Christ), and the objects of his mercy (those who have received salvation through the blood of Christ). Right now God is having great patience with the objects of his wrath. Why is he doing this? One reason is because he takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked and he desires that the wicked turn from their evil ways and live. Another reason is given in the above verses from Romans 9, "to show his wrath and make his power known". For those who continue to reject Christ, there will come a day when God's wrath is poured out on them and God will make his power known to everyone. Verse 23 of Romans 9 further explains the significance of this, "to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy."

Imagine the day when you are standing before the Lord and completely by his grace you are allowed to enter the kingdom of heaven. You are allowed to enter because you put your faith and trust in Christ who sacrificed himself for your sins. You know that it is by grace that he worked in your sinful heart and transformed you so you would believe in him. Now imagine that after you have entered the kingdom of God completely by grace, that you are now witnessing the judgment of those who have rejected the Lord. You will witness firsthand the wrath of God being poured out and you will realize that should have been you. You deserved that wrath because of your sins, but Christ saved you from it. Your heart will be filled with praise for God. "The riches of his glory" will be made known to you as you see the destruction that God spared you from. Praise the Lord for he has saved us! The ultimate result will be that the objects of God's mercy will have a greater appreciation for Christ's redemptive work. So next time you start to wonder why God is currently allowing the wicked to prosper, just remember that God has a perfect plan and he knows what he is doing.

"The Lord is King for ever and ever..." Psalm 10:16

Bryan

Psalm 9: The LORD Will Remember

There are a couple of ways that people get to thinking that the LORD has a poor memory.

First, many people believe in a God who simply forgets about sin. One idea along this line is that God, for the sake of mercy, just forgets all the bad things, all the rejection of him, all the arrogant pride, all of the wasteful living, and all of the injustices that a person commits. Such a God of love values people so much and feels so sorry for them that he would never conjure up an old list of sins against them.

Another idea along this line is that God’s memory about sin can somehow be out-witted. In other words, some people seem to operate with the notion that somewhere down the line, if they ever have to stand before God and answer for their deeds, they will be able to reason around their sins: "But God I was really trying to accomplish this good end." "But God I didn’t know that you thought that was wrong." Who knows, maybe God will come around and say, "Really, my bad. We’ll just forget about that one."

Another idea along this line is that God is just not that powerful to remember all the individual sins of every person, much less to judge them. Such people may claim to believe in God, but the actual thing they believe in is not God at all. It is some whimpy, non-niscient being who can be ignored without consequence. If you were to ask such a person about the relationship between his actions and God, he would say, "Sure, I believe in God. So what?" Of course, such a statement is completely ridiculous, but for such people it balances the tension between the undeniable reality of a Creator and their indomitable resolve to live however they want. Consequently, they exalt themselves above God as though they were more than mere men.

Second, many wonder if God sometimes forgets about righteousness, and who I have particularly in mind here are the righteous. The fact is that godly men who earnestly seek the LORD and desire to please him with their lives can often struggle with feeling forgotten. This statement is especially true in oppressive environments. A persecuted believer is sometimes a struggling believer. He may wonder if God has really noticed his repentance, his dependence, his good works. He may wonder if any of his righteous longings ever truly registered with God: "Maybe God has forgotten about me."

Psalm 9 addresses both of these false notions about God’s memory.

First, notice the righteousness of the psalmist in contrast to the sinfulness of his enemies.

David’s righteous passions are evident from the first line: "I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart." In fact, the first two verses contain four statements of his personal resolve to magnify the LORD. Then in verse 4, he refers to his cause as, literally, "righteous." In verse 10, he identifies with those he describes when he says to the LORD, "Those who know your name will trust in you." In verse 11, he gives the righteous exhortations to "sing praises to the LORD" and to "proclaim among the nations what he has done."

However, David is in conflict with "wicked" men. In verse 3 and 6, David just flat calls them his "enemies." In verse 9, he is "oppressed" and in "trouble" by these men. In verse 13, he considers himself persecuted unjustly. In verse 15, he refers to the "pit they have dug" and the "net they have hidden." Finally, in verse 18, David is "needy" and "afflicted."

This psalm from beginning to end shows a contrast between sin and righteousness. The two are in conflict, and the side of sin is the aggressor. The wicked have forgotten God (v. 17) and have targeted his people, but notice that David does not give even a hint of discouragement in this entire psalm. The attitude throughout is triumphant. Why?

He remembers that God remembers.

David knows that God will not forget about the wickedness of his foes. Though the wicked have forgotten God, God has not forgotten them. They will be judged in due time. In fact, David reveals an essential aspect to godly comfort in times of oppression: Godly comfort trusts in a day of vengeance upon God’s enemies. In verse 12, David puts it this way: "He who avenges blood remembers." In other words, "The LORD does not forget about sin." He is keeping track.

Revelation 20:12 confirms this truth in its description of the day of judgment: "The dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds." Now of course, God does not need record books, but in case anyone was wondering, he has them and is going to use them. And in psalm 9, David even longs for this day to come. He says at the end, "Arise, O LORD, let not man triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence. Strike them with terror, O LORD; let the nations know they are but men."

David also knows that God will not forget about the righteousness of his servants. Several times in this psalm he refers to the LORD’s memory of his righteous ones. Consider the following statements: "You, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you" (v. 10). "He does not ignore the cry of the afflicted" (v. 12). "But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish" (v. 18). In these statements, David reveals that he is triumphant because he knows the LORD will not forget the righteousness of his servants. In the end, God will set everything aright.

Now, if you are a thinking Christian, you might be sitting there saying, "What is all this appealing to personal righteousness about? The Bible teaches that ‘there is noone righteous, not even one’ (Rom. 3:10). Isn’t it Christ’s righteousness that should be our appeal?" And of course the answer is "Yes!" But do not forget that his righteousness becomes our righteousness when we unite with him. It is imputed or reckoned to us (Rom. 4).

Consider Hebrews 6:10: "For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints." Did you catch that? The author of Hebrews appeals to God’s memory concerning his reader’s works. He is saying, "Don’t give into discouragement because God will remember your righteousness."

Now, does the author of Hebrews believe that a man is saved by good works and not Christ’s righteousness? No way! Hebrews 10:19: "We have confidence to enter to holy place by the blood of Jesus." Then what is he saying in 6:10? He is saying that the work of Christ in them has produced real, living righteousness that God has really noticed. Their deeds of faith done in the power of the Spirit are truly righteous, and God does not forget the truly righteous.

And he will not forget you, righteous Christian. So be encouraged. Sing with David, "I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High."

Soli deo gloria,
Glenn

Psalm 8: God is Great!

I love Psalm 8!

My life application Bible states the theme of this chapter like this - "The greatness of God assures the worth of mankind." Awesome statement!

How do we see the greatness of God in Psalm 8? David begins by declaring that the Lord’s name is majestic in all the earth. There is no greater name! Then David continues through the rest of the psalm to describe aspects of God’s greatness. I was struck with how many times David used the word "You." Everything is created and orchestrated by God. He calls the shots! In His dominion He decides where creation is placed and how it is to function. No outside opinions offered. David finds himself pondering the greatness of God as he reflects upon all God has created. Have you ever been there?

And what is David’s response? He is humbled, humbled by the fact that God made him a ruler over his creation - not because he deserved it or asked for it but because God had ordained it. He is humbled by the fact that a majestic God whose glory is above the heavens would be mindful of and care for him, a creation. He is humbled by the fact that God who alone is worthy of praise would crown him with glory and honor.

How does this assure man’s worth? This question is appropriate because in one sense it is correct to see man’s unworthiness when pondering the greatness of God. We are nothing in and of ourselves. We are created beings just like a worm is a created being. And it gets worse when we see and ponder our sinfulness before the Lord. But under the greatness of God, it is God-glorifying to see our worthiness as well. He chooses to love us, to take care of us, and to offer salvation to us. This is worthiness.

So next time you begin to feel unworthy because you didn’t make the grade you wanted, your job is not what you expected, you keep making the same mistakes over and over again, and you can’t handle the pressures life throws at you with grace and perfect faith, take a moment to step out and look at the sky. Ponder His greatness, and let the reality of His enormous and determined love for you be the basis of your worthiness and the foundation of your adoration of Him. Your outlook will be changed. All else pales in comparison to the greatness of our God.

"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your Name in all the earth!"

I love you, guys.
Amy

Interesting Note: The writer of Hebrews mentions Psalm 8:4-6 in chapter 2:5-9. We are obviously not the perfect rulers of this earth. Everything is not perfectly "under our feet". But Jesus fits that role perfectly and by becoming the perfect God-man, He has provided salvation for us. Check it out!

Psalm 7

In Psalm 7 David gives us a great example of how we should approach God in the midst of our struggles. Right off the bat David admits that this situation is out of his hands and that his enemies are too strong for him to overcome. David writes that his enemies will "tear [him] like a lion and rip [him] to pieces with no one to rescue [him]" if God does not intervene. In this psalm David humbles himself before his God and admits his absolute dependence on Him and Him alone. And it is this kind of dependence that results in deliverance: dependence = deliverance! This flies directly in the face of our American culture which says that you have to be independent to be successful, or to be free, or to get things done right. We live in a very "me centered" society. But this is not the life of a committed Christian. We cannot live interdependent (dependent on ourselves and God) lives. We must be wholly dependent on God who is Sovereign and has our best interest at heart at all times.

Notice also that David appeals to God for justice. David has scrutinized his attitude and actions toward those at peace with him and his foes (vs.3-4) and found that he has acted righteously and has not sinned before God. On this premise he provokes (positive sense) the Lord to come to his aid and rescue him from his enemies who are unjustly seeking to destroy him. David prays that God will judge the people according to their wickedness of injustice. David does not take the role of judge in distributing justice, but instead, appeals to The Judge of all people. "Let the LORD judge the peoples." Because God is righteous David can rest in the fact that He will judge accordingly. God will not let the guilty go unpunished. Those deserving of judgment may or may not get it in the time frame we think will be best because God does not operate according to our way of thinking - thankfully.

What I think we can take from Psalm 7 is that when approaching God we ought to do so in a humble and reverent manner relying on Him completely in all situations, even the ones that aren't urgent or life-threatening. Also, we must take refuge in, and rest in the God who will judge everyone, whether in this life or the one to come. And even though we don't need to worry about justifying ourselves for God's sake, like David we should still take these issues to Him in faithful and faith-filled prayer.

Hope everyone is doing well. I'll be praying for you! Ray.

Psalm 6: A God Who Disciplines

Greetings to all of you psalm readers and a special thanks to Glenn who showed me how to log in like a child.

For all Christians God's wrath is something that we will never see because of the wonderful sacrifice on Christ's part to die for us. All of God's wrath was emptied upon Christ during the few hours he hung on the cross. Its difficult to imagine that, if we get right down to it, we are saved not just from the result of our sin in general but from God's wrath. At its core, the gospel is the good news that we are saved from God himself! Thankfully this wrath is something that believers will never experience because the Bible says that. Question....what if our Bible did not say that? I mean King David, when writing this psalm did not have Romans 3:25-26 to comfort him. Romans did not exist. All of this to say that when David speaks to God and pleads with him to not discipline him in his wrath, he means it. For all David knew, having God discipline him in his wrath was a viable option. To David, God really could unleash His wrath on him and be just in doing so. I wonder how any of us would react after sinning if God's wrath was really an option for us? I imagine we would cry just like David, "Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing!"

The point that I am making is this. I think it would be good for all of us to consider, just for a moment, God's wrath. Let it soak into you to the point where you are scared to sin and then remember Christ blood for you to the point where it causes you to praise him.

Reliving the gospel in our heads will only make us stronger and a lot more grateful.

God bless,
Matt

Psalm 5: An Invocation to Worship

Somewhere in reading Psalm 5 the past few days as I've been preparing to write this morning, I was struck with how beautiful this Psalm of David could be if used as an invocation to worship (or an other words a call to worship or in just plain terms what one might pray right before he comes to worship). My goal this morning is that we might be able to use Psalm 5 as a pattern for each of us to pray as we prepare to worship this Sunday morning.

The first two verses contain three requests for the Lord to hear David's prayer followed by one specific reason for the Lord to do so. I was caught by the variety of descriptive words used here. David didn't just begin his prayer, "Dear heavenly Father, I thank you..." David desired the Lord to hear his cry and his groanings for help. The specific reason David gives at the end of verse 2 is marked by the key word "For." David says, "For to You I pray." David singles out his trust in the Lord as opposed to all others whom he might rely upon. In other words, David says, "Lord, hear me, because I have no one else whom I rely upon. You only do I pray to."

I think verse 3 is what really started me thinking about Sunday morning worship. Notice the change in the verb tense. David now says, "In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice." Maybe in your time of prayer this Sunday morning, after crying out to the Lord to hear your prayer because He alone is whom you trust in, you might say something that expresses your confidence that the Lord will hear you and that you eagerly watch to see Him work.

Verses 4-6 contain words that don't often accompany modern prayers. However, David quite often focused upon declaring to the Lord that which was true of Him. Notice what I said there. David declares to God the nature of His character. David says, "You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness." Spend some time praying to God and telling Him about His character, especially the nature of His character in response to the sin and evil in this world.

After focusing upon God's response to sin, I want you to see, sit, stare, revel in, soak up what David says in verse 7. Maybe you don't move any further in this Psalm, that's ok. If you stop right here and just stay a while, you will be more than richly blessed. The "But as for me" is absolutely astounding to me. Why? Because I am a man who can be characterized by the things in verses 4-6 and thus I am a man who is rightly deserving to have God take no pleasure in me, to not stand before His eyes, to be hated, abhorred, and ultimately destroyed by God for my sin. YET, BECAUSE OF GOD'S ABUNDANT LOVINGKINDNESS, I WILL ENTER HIS HOUSE! Revel in His grace toward you this morning. Though you were dead in your trespasses and sins, God made you alive in Christ. God has allowed you to enter His house through Christ and to know Him and worship Him.

(I'm going to have to stop there for now because of time, but like I said, this is one goooood place to have to stop. Later this evening, I'll come back and edit this so that I can finish the rest of the Psalm. Love you guys and praying for each of you by name today. ~ JM)