Tag: Flomaton

I Am Prone To Envy (Psalm 73)

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PSALM 73

A Psalm of Asaph. Truly God [is] good to Israel, To such as are pure in heart. 2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; My steps had nearly slipped. 3 For I [was] envious of the boastful, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4 For [there are] no pangs in their death, But their strength [is] firm. 5 They [are] not in trouble [as other] men, Nor are they plagued like [other] men. 6 Therefore pride serves as their necklace; Violence covers them [like] a garment. 7 Their eyes bulge with abundance; They have more than heart could wish. 8 They scoff and speak wickedly [concerning] oppression; They speak loftily. 9 They set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue walks through the earth. … 23 Nevertheless I [am] continually with You; You hold [me] by my right hand. 24 You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me [to] glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven [but You]? And [there is] none upon earth [that] I desire besides You. 26 My flesh and my heart fail; [But] God [is] the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27 For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry. 28 But [it is] good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, That I may declare all Your works.

PSALM 73:1-9, 23-28

I AM PRONE TO ENVY

I went on a vacation a few years ago at the beach. We checked into a nice condo. Everywhere I looked I saw nice cars and nice boats. We ran into some people who lived at the condo (part time) and I overheard them talking about how many nice things they had, nice dinners they ate, and the people they got to hang out with. I couldn’t help but hear about how they talked about all the folks who didn’t have what they had. Somewhere in the middle of their life of comfort and ease they had begun to think that they were self-made. I confess, before that trip I thought my life was pretty great, but then, even in the middle of a pretty great vacation I found myself becoming miserable. Especially when I internalized that I must have spent my life pursuing the “wrong things” because I didn’t have much to “show for it.”

Asaph confesses in this psalm that he struggled with the same ideas (Has the world really changed that much). He knew that God was good and that God was good to him, but when he let his heart be tempted towards envy he found himself in a bad place. He was also bothered that folks had taken the blessing of God for granted and appropriated it as their own effort or work… but can we really blame them? Do we not often do the same thing? How often do we thank God for the blessings we take for granted? I’ll be honest and say that sometimes I don’t recognize the blessings God has given me until they go missing? Like a healthy heart, etc.

What is the remedy for an envious heart? What is the remedy when we so clearly see the sins of God-forgetfulness in others who want to take pride in their position as if they had accomplished anything without God’s grace? It’s God! It’s pressing into the Lord and counting what you do have. It’s going back and doing the algebra of thankfulness. Gratitude in God combats envy all day long. It’s counting your blessings and naming them one by one and oh by the way don’t forget the biggest blessing of a real and right relationship with God himself!

Don’t miss it, Asaph has a lot to say in this whole Psalm! When God is all you have, you have everything you need. When stuff is all you have, stuff won’t last and you will find yourself boasting in emptiness. There is a day coming when what we believe and where we have put all our confidence will be made clear. On that day it is far better to have nothing this world has to offer and a relationship with Jesus than it is to have everything this world has to offer and not have Jesus.

So everyday, choose to count what you do have, not what you don’t have. Choose to be grateful not hateful. Choose contentment over envy. For it’s in contentment where joy is found not the seeming success or stuff of others. Some days we just need to adjust our attitude for gratitude.

PRAYER

Father, thank you for your incredible mercy and grace! You have been better to me than I have ever deserved. I confess that Along with Asaph I am prone to slip on Envy. I often see what others have and wonder that I might be missing some sort of blessing. Help me to recognize it as the same sin that caused Adam and Eve to eat the fruit. They lusted, coveted, wanted, and envied and here I am so many generations later still a product of the fall. I pray that you would let me find contentment in you! You are the give of good gifts. Help me to even recognize the many you have already blessed me with just by knowing you as my Lord. Guard my heart from envy, I want to honor you in all things! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

I’m reading and blogging the Psalms Through The Summer. I’d love for you to join me. You can find out a little more here.

A Good Government (Psalm 72)

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PSALM 72

[A Psalm] of Solomon. Give the king Your judgments, O God, And Your righteousness to the king’s Son. 2 He will judge Your people with righteousness, And Your poor with justice. 3 The mountains will bring peace to the people, And the little hills, by righteousness. 4 He will bring justice to the poor of the people; He will save the children of the needy, And will break in pieces the oppressor. 5 They shall fear You As long as the sun and moon endure, Throughout all generations. 6 He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, Like showers [that] water the earth. 7 In His days the righteous shall flourish, And abundance of peace, Until the moon is no more.

PSALM 72:1-7

A GOOD GOVENMENT

I’ve been a few places outside of the United States and seen how a few different countries are governed. Sometimes the people have a voice in who will be the president or leader, other times they have no real voice. I’ve witnessed poverty in lots of places. Sometimes that poverty was caused by injustice that was unaddressed by the “rulers” and in some instances it was even caused by the “rulers.” Such instances should cause us to pause and consider what is a “good government?” Even in America there is turmoil and strife over how our country is run and for those who cry out for justice. It only makes it more evident that we live in a fallen world.

Solomon writes this Psalm calling out to God to bless him to be a good leader and ruler of his people. He doesn’t have a small job, it’s a big one. He is the first in the Davidic line of kings behind his father David. He wants to judge justly. He wants to honor God as king. And as we read through the scriptures we notice that he does several things right… but then we also note that he does several things wrong or not as rightly/ fully as he should. (It’s easy to see his mistakes from the outside, but I wonder how he felt when he was making them?)

The truth of the matter is that Solomon was a good king, but the end of his Reign not only had he built the temple to God, but he had build several places for idol worship in the land of Israel. We see he was wise and just, but he also had oppressed and perhaps overworked the people of the northern ten tribes to the point that they are willing to rebel when his son takes over.

We marvel at the Davidic line. How can someone who is said to be a man after God’s heart go an commit adultery and kill another man? How can a man be called the wisest man who ever lived and yet be at the center of rampant idolatry worship in Israel? We could probably say similar things about the people who have held office in our cities, states, and nations. We need a better leaders. We don’t just need sometimes godly leaders, we need God as our leader…. Enter Jesus Christ.

I’m convinced that our complaints of injustice can only be met when Jesus is king. Indeed we are taught to pray, “Thy Kingdom Come.” We are recognizing that as good as our politicians and leaders might be in their own generation, there is only truly ever good king and his name is Jesus. Only He can deliver us from sin, and death. He is the one who can undue the curse.

PRAYER

Father, Your kingdom come. Your will be done. I am asking for good and godly leaders for our nation. I am grateful for so much that has transpired recently in my nation with the supreme court. While I ask for your blessing on our leaders and for your will to be done and executed through good and godly politicians who would seek after you, I also know that no one will be as good for the world as Jesus. So I look to you and pray that in your timing, your kingdom would come, and those in Christ would be ready. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

I’m reading and blogging the Psalms Through The Summer. I’d love for you to join me. You can find out a little more here.

Worshipping God In My Old Age (Psalm 71)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

PSALM 71

I have become as a wonder to many, But You [are] my strong refuge. 8 Let my mouth be filled [with] Your praise [And with] Your glory all the day. 9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age; Do not forsake me when my strength fails.

… 18 Now also when [I am] old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to [this] generation, Your power to everyone [who] is to come. 19 Also Your righteousness, O God, [is] very high, You who have done great things; O God, who [is] like You?

PSALM 71:7-9, 18-19

WORSHIPPING GOD IN MY OLD AGE

In high school I ran track. Well actually I threw the shotput and discus, so I did the “field” portion of track and field. We were a small school and there was a meet where we didn’t have anyone running the 880 event. The coach asked me if I’d like to compete. I was relatively in shape and I thought to myself, “How hard can it be?” So I signed up to run. We lined up, the starting shot was fired and I took off in a full on dead sprint. I glanced behind me to see that I had taken a huge lead. I thought to myself, “I’ve got this in the bag.” Then as I was running out of steam near what I thought was the end, my team yelled to keep going!?! Come to find out the 880 was a two lap race… I had thought it was just one!

I wasn’t in such great shape that I could run two laps at a dead sprint, one was pushing it. So over the next moment as I pushed myself as hard as I possibly could to just finish I saw every other runner pass me. I came in dead last at a pace that was more suited for pulling a pan out of the oven than running a race. I learned a lot of valuable lessons that day. I learned to never count your chickens before they hatch and that it’s really not how you start the race that matters… it’s how you finish. You may faulter at the begging and still win, you may start out well and still lose.

The Psalmist discusses his youth and his age in Psalm we are looking at today. As I’ve crossed over the 40 year age mark I’ve begun looking more and more at the later laps of my life. I want to live well and run the race that God has set before me. That means that later laps matter!

Some people hit a certain age and slow down. They’ve raised their kids to a point of self sufficiency or they retire from work and so they seek to retire from worship and ministry as well. Or maybe they just coast. Who would blame them, they are tired and weary. There are plenty of young folks behind them who bring so much more energy… They all but quit right before the race is over.

The Psalmist prays today. Lord, Do not forsake me in my old age… in a sense don’t put me out to pasture yet. If I’ve got life, I want to give it in worshipping the Lord. I don’t want to slow down on the last laps of life, I want to kick it up. I don’t want to wane in my devotion to the Lord, I want to maximize what little time I have left so that others see the supreme value of worshipping the Lord. I want to run the race well and I want to finish well!

I know that we each run the race set before us. When we get to the later years of life the struggles are real. The issues with our health, mobility, and sensibility may be broad and challenging. But we should each ask ourselves, “What does it look like to run this lap of my life well?” How do we handle our trials? Do we see them as there to BREAK us or MAKE us (James 1:1-4)? What sort of attitude do we pass on to others? Do we celebrate the work of the Lord wherever we see it or do we curse the next generation under our breath? The Psalmist asks God that he wouldn’t be forgotten and in a sense that he wouldn’t forget his opportunity to still celebrate and worship the Lord. We should run the race with endurance!

PRAYER

Father, Thank you for all the blessings that come with youth and old age. There are so many things we are able to do when we are young and so many things we know by experience when we are older and some where in the middle of it all we hit an apex of both ability and knowledge. But don’t let my inexperience of youth nor my decreased ability in my old age become an excuse not to pursue you with my whole heart! Lord I pray that you would have all of me for all of my life. Please Lord let the last laps of my life be the best laps, let what I may lack in strength be supplemented with desire and a humble attitude of worship! You are worthy of all praise, honor, and glory! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

I’m reading and blogging the Psalms Through The Summer. I’d love for you to join me. You can find out a little more here.

In The Fullness Of Time (Psalm 69)

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PSALM 69

But as for me, my prayer [is] to You, O LORD, [in] the acceptable time; O God, in the multitude of Your mercy, Hear me in the truth of Your salvation. 14 Deliver me out of the mire, And let me not sink; Let me be delivered from those who hate me, And out of the deep waters. 15 Let not the floodwater overflow me, Nor let the deep swallow me up; And let not the pit shut its mouth on me. 16 Hear me, O LORD, for Your lovingkindness [is] good; Turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies. 17 And do not hide Your face from Your servant, For I am in trouble; Hear me speedily. 18 Draw near to my soul, [and] redeem it; Deliver me because of my enemies. …

20 Reproach has broken my heart, And I am full of heaviness; I looked [for someone] to take pity, but [there was] none; And for comforters, but I found none. 21 They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

PSALM 69:13-18, 20-21

IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME

Timing is everything. My first hybrid-online class was a lesson in procrastination. I remembered at the last moment that I had an assignment due in just thirty minutes in the online portal for Hebrew class! I rushed to get to a computer, log in and remember as much Hebrew as I could before the clock expired. Sometimes we want to put things off, deadlines loom large, and we wish that the appointed hour wasn’t upon us. But then there are those moments that can’t get here fast enough. I remember being a kid at Christmas trying to pressure my parents into letting us open our gifts early! It seemed like the time between when the present was under the tree and we got to unwrap it took forever.

David knew a thing or two about timing. He was surrounded by his enemies. He had more enemies than he could count. As he figured it, the only way out of his situation was for the Lord to deliver him. Indeed the Lord was on his side, but he had to do the hardest thing which was to wait for the Lord. His timing is perfect. His deliverance happens at the exact right moment, He’s never late, but He is also never early! So David commits his prayer to the Lord and trusts in His timing.

In the meantime, David does more than he possibly knows. By penning his struggles of being chased down by Saul and others, he writes prophecy. While taking poetic license to his own struggles he actually vividly details a few of the details of the crucifixion of Jesus. David was in real trouble and needed a real deliverer, but one day God would bring a greater deliverance from a greater enemy!

God’s timing is everything. It demonstrates that our existence past, what we might call history, is in his hands. We might surmise that if our history is in his hands, then our existence future is also in his hands. Indeed we can trust that God has a purpose for us and is drawing all History to it’s rightful conclusion with Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords and that will all happen in His time. Not a moment too late or a moment too soon, God is always on time. Now we have to do the hardest part, which is to wait, but like David our waiting can be active praise for God who is always on time.

PRAYER

Father, Thank you that you are always on time. Too often, like a young puppy I want to run ahead of the pack, I want to know the answers before I’ve asked the questions. I’m not comfortable in persecution. I don’t enjoy it when others speak ill of me or are mean to me. But like Paul, I am learning to be content in all things. I rest content knowing that you are God and you are in control and you are always on time. So I actively wait for you Lord! You are worthy of all glory! Jesus’ Name, Amen.

I’m reading and blogging the Psalms Through The Summer. I’d love for you to join me. You can find out a little more here.

Make His Praise Glorious! (Psalm 66)

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PSALM 66

To the Chief Musician. A Song. A Psalm. Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! 2 Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious. 3 Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. 4 All the earth shall worship You And sing praises to You; They shall sing praises [to] Your name.” Selah

PSALM 66:1-4

MAKE HIS PRAISE GLORIOUS

What is your standard of worship? Are you phoning it in? I’m not just talking about Sundays either. I mean what kind of worship do you offer God throughout the week? Is it all out? Is it full of life, joy, and celebration or is it barely there, if there at all?

Sometimes in life we are tempted to put off things. We’ll say something like, “I’ll get to that tomorrow.” or we’ll satisfy ourselves with less than our best effort. We may say something like, “That will have to do.” We do just enough to skate by. We do just enough to check the box that says present, but we didn’t really learn anything from class that day because while our body was there, our mind was somewhere else.

Sometimes we do have to put something off or put in less than our best. Hopefully in each of those scenarios whatever fell short on was worth the sacrifice. Maybe we put off a chore for the sake of sleep because we came in tired from a long day.

But the one place we don’t need to cut any corners on is the praise of God. Because He is so worth it. Indeed one of the things we miss the most when we fail to praise God is we lose sense of His weightiness (and our relationship to Him). When we worship casually, distracted, or as an afterthought we tend to miss the big picture on who God is (and who we are). Our day, our week, our month, our year becomes all about us instead of His Kingdom come, and will be done.

The Psalmist reminds us today at the beginning of this psalm that we are to make His praise glorious! He is worthy of our best effort. He is worthy of a little more time. He is worthy of digging in past our skeptical attitude and finding the joy that He brings to our lives. If we really want to be honest with ourselves, we need it too! We were created to worship God and when our private and corporate worship flounder it’s a good indication that we are broken.

So I challenge you to make His praise Glorious. There are practical ways to do this. We can plan for corporate worship to help us be fully present. We can make sure our schedules allow us enough time to sleep so we will be refreshed on Sundays. We can lay out clothes the night before so we aren’t rushed to get there. We can meditate on the songs we sing and scripture that is read. We can discuss the sermon. We can come prepared to give and give sacrificially. We can offer our humble voices in the singing of the congregation or choir. We can amen the points of sound doctrine that the pastor offers from the pulpit. We can share with others what the Lord has done in our life that week. We can be prepared to fellowship with others and have them to our house (hospitality) or meet them somewhere.

Privately we can read his word. We can pray. We can work as unto the Lord. We can sing songs. We can seek to share about God’s goodness with others. We can use the gifts he has given us. We can simply recount the things we saw God do each day in our lives.

PRAYER

Father, Thank you for your word today. You are truly worthy of great praise and worship from me for all you have done. Though my body is often tired and my mind is prone to wonder, I pray that I save the best of me for worshipping you! You have done mighty things in my life. Your hand has been on mye from even an early age. You have been my sure foundation. You have guided my steps. Everytime the enemy thought to destroy me, you preserved me. I have been sick, but you have made me well. I have been sad, but you have restored my joy, I have been tired, but you have given me strength! You indeed are worthy or worship! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

I’m reading and blogging the Psalms Through The Summer. I’d love for you to join me. You can find out a little more here.

Chosen By Grace (Psalm 65)

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PSALM 65

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song. Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion; And to You the vow shall be performed. 2 O You who hear prayer, To You all flesh will come. 3 Iniquities prevail against me; [As for] our transgressions, You will provide atonement for them. 4 Blessed [is the man] You choose, And cause to approach [You], [That] he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Of Your holy temple.

PSALM 65:1-4

CHOSEN BY GRACE

“Chosen.” Here is a word we don’t like to hear sometimes. We often kick against it or try and get it to mean something other than what it means. But it’s all through the scriptures and so it must mean something and we do well to seek to understand this word and the truth it reveals about God.

We often think that God gives us “grace” and we choose if we receive it. We like to think that we are independent and able in our own strength and ability to choose God. But if you think about it, you really can’t choose to receive grace. It’s not up to the receiver on if they get grace or not, its up to the giver. It’s kind of like a getting hit in paintball. The one doing the shooting does the choosing. If you get hit by the paintball, for all your choosing or lack of choosing, you are struck. Grace is given independent of how it is received otherwise it’s not grace… you have merited it by your response (see how hard we play this game to take even grace out of the hands of God?)

Grace is more radical than you might imagine because grace does all the work. Indeed we can’t “choose” grace because grace by it’s nature has chosen us! The fact that you even WANT to “choose” grace is a GIFT of God’s grace (see verse 4). Read Ephesians 2:8-10 with me:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.“

What is the gift? Grace? maybe… but maybe it’s also “faith,” that ability to trust in the Lord. What does it mean? Our lives (including faith) are a work of God’s hands! We are His workmanship! He is working faith in us! Read with me what Paul says in Philippians 2:12-13:

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for [His] good pleasure.

We are to work out our salvation, but why? Because it is God doing all the work! Grace isn’t a purely external work, it is internal. Grace causes me to WANT to worship God. Grace fixes me from the inside out. Grace changes everything!

It’s early in the morning when I publish these posts and so it may be difficult to grasp, but God’s choice of you or me is a far greater gift of grace than many can even imagine. It is more real and more weighty than what we often give God credit for. It’s blessing after blessing poured out over and over. It’s a cup running over. It’s a heart seeking missel that can’t be shaken. David saw it and was provoked to praise the LORD. We should be too!

One of the best ways to understand grace is to give grace. Grace doesn’t mean that you just don’t hold a grudge. It means that you seek to bless a person no matter what.

PRAYER

Father, Thank you for the grace upon grace that you have poured out in my own life. Thank you for your word that is truth. I am amazed this morning as we examine your utter and complete sovereignty. There is no better place for my future than in your hands. I am confident that you work all things for your glory and my good! today I marvel at your goodness poured out to even cause my heart to believe. I rest in the arms of your grace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

I’m reading and blogging the Psalms Through The Summer. I’d love for you to join me. You can find out a little more here.

God Bless Us… Let The Nations Be Glad (Psalm 67)

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PSALM 67

To the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song. God be merciful to us and bless us, [And] cause His face to shine upon us, Selah 2 That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. 3 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. 4 Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously, And govern the nations on earth. Selah 5 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. 6 [Then] the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. 7 God shall bless us, And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.

PSALM 67:1-7

GOD BLESS US… LET THE NATIONS BE GLAD

I took my daughter to a splash pad the other day. She had the time of her life getting soaked in cool, fresh water on a hot day. She kept begging me to come and play. There was more than enough water and she wanted me to join in the fun. Her joy would be multiplied by my participation in the artificial precipitation!

While we were there I couldn’t help but notice one particular feature of the splash pad. There were two cone shaped buckets suspended in the air being filled with water. The axis by which they were attached was just off center so when the bucket filled it spilled out on to everyone bellow. I couldn’t help but think of how God blesses us and our blessings flow to bless others as well.

God blesses us to be a blessing! The Old Testament nation of Israel had a peculiar promise and mission from God. It was through them (via the covenant God made with Abraham) that all the nations of the world would be blessed (Genesis 12). They were blessed, but the blessing wouldn’t be just for them, it was for all the nations. There would be excess blessing (this is how God blesses!) And in watching the overflow of blessing in others, they would be even more blessed!

When God blesses us, it isn’t just for our enjoyment, it’s also for the joy and blessing of others. The overflow of our cup not only blesses others but it increases our joy and celebration as we see God’s blessing continue to cascade to others! This should provoke us to prayer and praise as the Psalmist does here… “God bless us… let the nations be glad!”

There are some who have taken a pause at saying things like, “God Bless America.” I don’t know where the pause comes? Truly you should pray that God would bless your country (regardless of your nationality) and others would be blessed by it. Indeed its from the overflow of God’s blessing on Israel, that we are blessed! In that, we all have something to sing about!

PRAYER

Father, Thank you for grace upon grace poured out in blessing upon your people! Thank you for the blessings that have been poured out in my life. I rejoice to see how you have blessed my by the overflow of blessing on others and that you have used me as a vessel of your blessing to others! I rejoice in your goodness and celebrate your sovereignty today! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

I’m reading and blogging the Psalms Through The Summer. I’d love for you to join me. You can find out a little more here.

Taking My Complaints To God (Psalm 64)

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PSALM 64

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation; Preserve my life from fear of the enemy. 2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity, 3 Who sharpen their tongue like a sword, And bend [their bows to shoot] their arrows–bitter words, 4 That they may shoot in secret at the blameless; Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear. 5 They encourage themselves [in] an evil matter; They talk of laying snares secretly; They say, “Who will see them?” 6 They devise iniquities: “We have perfected a shrewd scheme.” Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep. 7 But God shall shoot at them [with] an arrow; Suddenly they shall be wounded. 8 So He will make them stumble over their own tongue; All who see them shall flee away. 9 All men shall fear, And shall declare the work of God; For they shall wisely consider His doing. 10 The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and trust in Him. And all the upright in heart shall glory..

PSALM 64:1-10

TAKING MY COMPLAINTS TO GOD

Sometimes the things that other people do upset us. Then when we are upset, we are tempted to complain. Complaining may not always be wrong, but it depends on how and who we complain too. When we complain, we may just be fishing for someone to agree with us that injustice has been done and certainly the world is filled with injustice. Sometimes we need to hear that what has happened to us was wrong and then hopefully our counselors point us to the Lord.

Sometimes though, we want to harm people by our complaints. We campaign and spew venom against them. The people we complain to may have nothing to do with the situation, but they appear to be a sympathetic ear. We envision that they’ll look at the people we’ve complained about differently now that we’ve bent their ear. This is gossip and it’s not godly.

There is one place we can go with out complaints though… We can go to the Lord who hears every idle word we speak anyway (Matthew 12:36). He is able to hear our complaints and He is the only one who is fit to truly judge the hearts and actions of men. He sees and knows the injustices we have suffered and he sees and knows our hearts.

When he does render judgement, it will be right, true, and holy. But we should note that the justice that He renders will come in one of two ways. Either we will pay with our souls forever in a place called hell or He will have paid for our sins by the shed blood of Jesus on the cross.

David knew where to go with his complaints. He took them to God. He knew that God would hear, see, and know the acts of the wicked in his life and give them a just penalty. Indeed, David noted that often those who do pursue wickedness in laying a snare for others often spring a trap on themselves. God is big enough to carry our prayers of complaint about the wickedness of the world.

PRAYER

Father, You are holy, pure, and just. You can hear our complaints against the wicked and judge rightly. We know that you alone are able judge the actions of men. We don’t always see things rightly. Forgive me of where I try to take things in my own hands. Guard my lips and posts on social media. Guard my heart from pride or folly. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

I’m reading and blogging the Psalms Through The Summer. I’d love for you to join me. You can find out a little more here.

In A Land Where There Is No Water (Psalm 63)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

PSALM 63

A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You [are] my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. 2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. 3 Because Your lovingkindness [is] better than life, My lips shall praise You. 4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise [You] with joyful lips. 6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the [night] watches. 7 Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. 8 My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me. 9 But those [who] seek my life, to destroy [it], Shall go into the lower parts of the earth. 10 They shall fall by the sword; They shall be a portion for jackals. 11 But the king shall rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him shall glory; But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

PSALM 63:1-11

IN A LAND WHERE THERE IS NO WATER

The first time I remember buying bottled water was years ago and I was in rural south Asia. It was unsafe for our digestive system to drink the water that everyone else (who was accustomed to the water and whatever it had in it) was drinking and so our water had to be boiled or bottled. It was in the middle of summer and so there were many moments where we looked for the opportunity to buy water. I never knew how much water I truly drank until that trip and I had to purchase it daily. I wasn’t in the country for long, but I was there long enough to learn how to negotiate the price of water in the local language. My need was a great motivator to learn at least that much of the language!

David speaks of his soul as being thirsty (for God) in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. In his travels and fleeing from Saul, certainly there were moments that he had lived this experience in the wilderness. He knew what it was like to be physically thirsty because there was no water, but here He is spiritually thirsty, longing for the presence of God in his life. But it seems like God isn’t to be found in the land! He is desperate for the Lord and so he is willing to rise up early and to meditate late into the night. He goes to the sanctuary. He looks in the places where he can get his thirst quenched. He longs for His God!

I often wonder, do we thirst for God like that? When you are thirsty you are willing to go out of your way and be inconvenienced to quench your thirst. Are we willing to rise early to study God’s word, or study into the night? Do we show up in the sanctuary looking for God or have we started looking for something else.

As I was contemplating this Psalm this morning it struck me that this is a song of David’s heart. Over and over again you find him panting for the grace, mercy, love, refuge, or presence of GOD! This is the one note that he plays over and over, “Only God will satisfy!” I wonder what David would think of all of our love songs that play on the radio these days? Songs that don’t even smack of romance anymore but are filled with inuendo and panting for physical desire?

I think our culture is so far removed from God, yet still so thirsty for his presence in our lives that we pant after physical affection (in our songs), but miss the relationship completely… like the kid who is so spoiled on Kool aide that he can’t drink the regular water anymore. Jeremiah hit the nail on the head when he penned: “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, [And] hewn themselves cisterns–broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13).

PRAYER

Father, Thank you that you are the ultimate thirst quencher! You and you alone satisfy what my heart truly needs. I feel some days that I’m in an dry and thirsty land. This land has many idols. There are many broken cisterns that we have created songs for. We imagine toys, relationships, status, success, and money will satisfy our deepest need, but these are just dry wells. We were made to live for more! We were made for you! Quench my thirst in Jesus Christ today! You told us that anyone who was thirsty could come to you and would never thirst again! You indeed are living water! You said that blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

I’m reading and blogging the Psalms Through The Summer. I’d love for you to join me. You can find out a little more here.

God Alone (Psalm 62)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

PSALM 62

1 To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. Truly my soul silently [waits] for God; From Him [comes] my salvation. 2 He only [is] my rock and my salvation; [He is] my defense; I shall not be greatly moved. 3 How long will you attack a man? You shall be slain, all of you, Like a leaning wall and a tottering fence. 4 They only consult to cast [him] down from his high position; They delight in lies; They bless with their mouth, But they curse inwardly. Selah 5 My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation [is] from Him. 6 He only [is] my rock and my salvation; [He is] my defense; I shall not be moved. 7 In God [is] my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, [And] my refuge, [is] in God.

PSALM 62:1-7

GOD ALONE

David lived among nations that had a plurality of gods. If the people didn’t get what they wanted, they would ask a different god. They might try and play the god’s off of one another or they would try and increase their opportunities by bringing offerings to multiple gods. When “magic” was involved they would try and get the names of higher powered ‘gods’ to manipulate the lower powered gods or vise versa to come as an intermediary for a request. (We’ve seen that enter parts of Catholicism where folks pray to Mary or a saint who will talk to Jesus on their behalf. As one of my friends put it, “Mary is Jesus’ mother, he has to listen to her!”)

The God of the bible is different than all of those other gods. He is real. He isn’t dependent upon the offerings we bring, we are dependent upon him. He cannot be manipulated or cajoled into doing something for us. He is God alone and the only way to come to him is as God alone. We don’t pray to God and all the angels or apostles or saints. We don’t make offerings to creation (the tings he has made). We go to God alone. We deal with him alone.

God alone is the only one who can save us from our enemies. Not God and Pharaoh’s army or God and the Philistine chieftains. God alone is the one who saves. Sometimes he divides the water where we can walk through on dry land and drown Egyptian armies, or thunderstorms to bog down chariots, or trumpets, clay jars, torches and confusion, or even just rumors from back in Assyria. Whenever God saves, is is God alone who saves and so David waits for God alone.

David learned early on that God was the only safe place to go when the battle got strong and the enemy appeared even stronger. When David faced Goliath he didn’t go with his confidence in God and Saul’s armor. He went with God alone and trusted that God could use a small sling to put down a big giant.

PRAYER

Father, Thank you that you alone are our refuge and our strength. We don’t need horses and chariots or the flashy things of this world, all we need is you. Thank you for being the fortress that we find shelter. You are a firm foundation, a rock, a solid and unmovable place. We put all our hope in you. Not in our strength or our pawer, but in you alone. Thank you for your grace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

I’m reading and blogging the Psalms Through The Summer. I’d love for you to join me. You can find out a little more here.