Tag: Flomaton

Lead Me To The Rock That Is Higher Than I (Psalm 61)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

PSALM 61

1 To the Chief Musician. On a stringed instrument. [A Psalm] of David. Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. 2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3 For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. 4 I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah 5 For You, O God, have heard my vows; You have given [me] the heritage of those who fear Your name. 6 You will prolong the king’s life, His years as many generations. 7 He shall abide before God forever. Oh, prepare mercy and truth, [which] may preserve him! 8 So I will sing praise to Your name forever, That I may daily perform my vows.

PSALM 61:1-8

LEAD ME TO THE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER THAN I

Where do you go when your heart is overwhelmed? Where do you go when your life is filled with stress? When there is too much on your plate? When you’re not sure which direction to go? When anxiety floods your soul? When you are on the run from your life and you’re not sure about what’s around the corner? Is it more danger?

David knew where to go. For all the blessings and success the Lord had given him, he was a man who was often on the run. He was on the run from Saul when he was younger and He was on the run from a coup by his son Absalom when he was older. There were moments that he was so close to death that it seemed impossible to avoid. Like when he walked into Goliath’s home town while on the run from Saul.

Where did David go when his heart was overwhelmed? Where did he go when he was on the run? Where did he go when the anxiety piled up? Where did he go when his life was in dissaray and he didn’t know which way was up or down? He went to the LORD.

Here he says, “Lead me to the ROCK that is higher than I.” God is a rock. A sure foundation. A place where David can stand without fear that his feet will slip. He is solid. He is immovable. He is strong. He is everlasting. He is above the pressures of the world and from that lofty vantage point He see’s everything. He is able to keep David from the floods that flow his way. He is safe and out of reach of the enemy that would nip and yap at him. David is preserved because God is a rock.

Where should we go when we face fear and anxiety? When the income is less that the outflow of expenses? When we get bad news about our health? When the our relationships are strained and the people we love the most are seeing things differently than we are? Where can we go? We can go to the Rock that is higher than I.

Indeed there is no other place to go! Go to Jesus! On Christ the Solid Rock I stand! All other ground is sinking sand!

PRAYER

Father, I thank you that I am truly and wonderfully only ever safe in you. You are the Rock that is higher than I. I am grateful that in the midst of my troubles, worries, anxieties, that I can go not to a place, but to a person… You! I am grateful that you know me and know what I need. I am grateful that in you my foot never slips. I am grateful that you are sovereign and work things out for my good and your glory! I am grateful that you are higher than my problems. You are bigger than my defeats. You are larger than anything that could ever come against me. You are my Rock and my Salvation. In you I will put my trust! 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.

My Heart Is Steadfast (Psalm 57)

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PSALM 57

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise.

PSALM 57:7

MY HEART IS STEADFAST

This Psalm is tied to the one we looked at yesterday. David was facing some serious crisis moments in his life. He didn’t necessarily feel like singing praise to God. Perhaps he was even sliding into a depression (you know stress can trigger that sort of thing).

Sometimes it’s hard to feel the weight of worship when we are so burdened by our present circumstances. We know that we should rejoice in the Lord for all of his goodness, his greatness, and for his glory, but our hearts just don’t feel it. Our present circumstances seem to fight against it. Some times in those situations we can look to other places to blame. Maybe it’s the music? Or the preacher? Or the church we are in? We blame something externally for the thing we feel internally.

The reality is the God hasn’t changed, regardless of how we feel, or the circumstances we face, He is worthy of worship! David recognizes this in his own heart and so chooses his attitude in worship (Did you know that you could do that?) It’s not being fake to let your will lead your emotions. It’s shallow to let your emotions lead your will! David doubles down on trusting God in the middle of his fear. He confesses that he is steadfast twice! He sings in the middle of his depression because God is worthy! In the next verse he even goes as far as to say he is waking up his soul to sing to God. Sometimes when we feel the most Blah, is the time that we need to sing to the Lord the most!

Who need this encouragement today? I’m publishing this on a Sunday morning. Are you going to church today? I hope you have an opportunity to go to church somewhere and worship the Lord, He is worthy of praise! Go even if you don’t feel like it. You may find in the midst of your blah feeling that being with God’s people is the exact place you need to be. Go with the attitude and intention of worship. Let your heart be steadfast today!

PRAYER

Father, YOU are worthy of all Glory, Honor and Praise! You are worthy of all our worship. Sometimes my body feels tired and I don’t feel like singing your praise. Sometimes I am stressed and I find it hard to focus. Sometimes my soul is tired. Today Lord, let me be steadfast. I offer you praise because you are worthy, not just because I enjoy the company of my neighbors. I am leading my feelings with my will. I’m not allowing my feelings to run the show. So dear Lord please meet me as I gather to worship today! Please awaken my soul to your glory and your goodness! You are worthy of all my praise! 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.

Whenever I Am Afraid, I Will Trust In You (Psalm 56)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

PSALM 56

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.

PSALM 56:3

WHENEVER I AM AFRAID, I WILL TRUST IN YOU

David was on the run for his life from Saul. He ended up in the town where Goliath (the giant he killed) was from. It was a horrible situation. He certainly had cause for anxiety and fear. He is running for his life from the king of Israel and he ended up in the hometown of a hero to the Philistines, whom he happened to have killed. His life is in danger from all sides.

How do you begin to sing praise to God when you are afraid for your life? How do you deal with the mounting pressure that seems like it will never let up? How do you handle the stress of having so many enemies? Somehow David finds a place to pen this prayer and song to the Lord.

Verse three summarizes everything beautifully, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you.” David knows where to go when his life is filled with stress and anxiety. He goes to God confidently knowing that God is for him (see verse 9) and so his cause won’t fail. He is seeking God with his whole heart. We fight anxiety by faith in God. He knows that bringing his anxiety to God will help him face his fears.

And it worked. There would be other days of fear and anxiety in David’s life, but he knew where to take it all. He prayed and he trusted the Lord. God’s promises held firm. God’s word held true for David and it holds true for us today when we trust him.

What we read in God’s word is multiplied when we share it with others. Who needs this short verse of encouragement in their life today? Who can you encourage?

PRAYER

Father, I am grateful that you are “for me.” You have called me, chosen me, set me apart, that through Christ I might become on of your children. As Paul says in Romans, If you are for me, who could be against me? So today I am placing all of my fears and anxieties in your hands. When I feel afraid, I will trust in you. Let this be the one things my mind and soul cling to more than any other. Thank you for your overwhelming grace and kindness to me. 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.

Cast Your Burden On The LORD (Psalm 55)

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PSALM 55

1 To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Contemplation of David. Give ear to my prayer, O God, And do not hide Yourself from my supplication. 2 Attend to me, and hear me; I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily, 3 Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the oppression of the wicked; For they bring down trouble upon me, And in wrath they hate me. 4 My heart is severely pained within me, And the terrors of death have fallen upon me. 5 Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me, And horror has overwhelmed me. … 22 Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

PSALM 55:1-5, 22

CAST YOUR BURDEN ON THE LORD

I was at the beach the other day loaded down with all of our beach gear. I somehow had managed to try and carry/ pull an ice chest, along with some beach chairs, a bag of toys, towels, etc… I was barely making progress to the spot my wife picked out. I didn’t start out with the intention to get loaded down. I started out with the intention of having a fantastic day at the beach. As I loaded up I didn’t ask for help, I just started carrying everything (Which was so much easier when everyone was little). Finally my family must have noticed my struggle and before I knew it, everything was off of me and on to them and the journey became much more bearable.

Sometimes we go through life like that. Along the way we pick up burdens or problems and we think we have to carry it all. It’s at this point that David reminds us to cast all our cares on the LORD! We are given the freedom to give our problems over to God. Indeed, if we don’t take them to God, where are we taking them? We don’t have to carry our troubles on our own, we can cast our burdens on the LORD. We can trust Him to take care of our issues and challenges. He is more than able to handle it.

I know I feel a lot better about an issue after I’ve prayed over it and placed it in the Lord’s hands. I am grateful that he encourages us to carry our problems to him. We come to him not as perfect people who can carry everything, but as those changed and changing by grace who trust him to carry all of our burdens and challenges.

PRAYER

Father, Thank you that we can cast all our cares on you. I am grateful that you hear me when I pray for those who I am worried about. I know I bring many requests each day for health and healing of loved ones, for those who don’t know you, and your grace to develop leaders. Thank you that you see and know the burden I carry and you have bidden me to cast my cares on you. I trust in you. 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.

Same Song, Different Tune (Psalm 53)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

PSALM 53

[Psa 53:1-6 NKJV] 1 To the Chief Musician. Set to “Mahalath.” A Contemplation of David. The fool has said in his heart, “[There is] no God.” They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; [There is] none who does good. 2 God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are [any] who understand, who seek God. 3 Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; [There is] none who does good, No, not one. 4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my people [as] they eat bread, And do not call upon God? 5 There they are in great fear [Where] no fear was, For God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you; You have put [them] to shame, Because God has despised them. 6 Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When God brings back the captivity of His people, Let Jacob rejoice [and] Israel be glad.

PSALM 53:1-7

SAME SONG, DIFFERENT TUNE

We had a pick your favorite hymn night the other night in church. Folks were glancing through their hymnals to call out songs for us to sing. I had one in mind (Come Thou Fount) and while I glanced through the hymnal I noticed two hymns with the same name; both sets of words started the same but there were some slight differences and one version had a whole extra chorus.

Remember Psalm 14? Most of this Psalm is repeated there. There are a few notable changes. 1. David gives the music director the “tune” to which this song is to be sung. 2. In Psalm 14, the name LORD (all caps, the English way of noting God’s divine personal name) is used, where as in Psalm 53 He is referred to as God (a less personal term). 3. Verse 5 is different.

So what do these changes tell us? It’s quite literally almost the same song, just a different tune. I guess in a very literal way there will be some folks who are fools and deny the existence of God either by their lips of their lives. Some perhaps will deny the personal God of the Bible and others have a beef with the idea of God in general, but they are both fools and they are both missing the richness of understanding the world as a work of it’s personal creator. Its the same song, just a different tune.

One of the biggest things that those who have no regard for even a general sense of God will face is a blinding anxiety. Without hope of God in this world, their actions will be driven by fear rather than faith. Their worldview will tend to peter towards the hopeless rather than the hope offered in a creator and sustainer. They will have no sense of purpose or place and so they will purpose to do things in their own heart that may drive them against the very purpose for which they were created. Similar to that guy we looked at yesterday who used his voice to demean God’s servant rather than reflect God’s glory.

PRAYER

Father, Thank you that you have revealed yourself in your creation, in your word, in Jesus Christ, through your church, and by your Holy Spirit. You are not without witness in my life. I am grateful for the abundance of evidence there is not only for your existence, but for the purpose of life, even my life. I pray that I would have the benefit and grace to point others to you today. I ask that you would open the eyes of the blind who cannot see you and will not see you apart from your sovereign 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 Doesn’t Need Me, But He Wants Me (Psalm 50)

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PSALM 50

7 “Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you; I [am] God, your God! 8 I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices Or your burnt offerings, [Which are] continually before Me. 9 I will not take a bull from your house, [Nor] goats out of your folds. 10 For every beast of the forest [is] Mine, [And] the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know all the birds of the mountains, And the wild beasts of the field [are] Mine. 12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world [is] Mine, and all its fullness. 13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of goats? 14 Offer to God thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High. 15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”

PSALM 50:7-15

GOD DOESN’T NEED ME, BUT HE WANTS ME

I’ve heard a few pastors or speakers get up and declare something that God ‘needs.’ “God needs faithful men.” “God needs his people to be consistent.” etc. etc. It’s always irritating when I hear that kind of language. First because God does NOT need anything! He is self-sufficient. He created everything. He has no need! There isn’t anything you can give God that He doesn’t already have! To think that God needs something from you is to completely misunderstand God! Indeed, it mislabels God. If God needs something from you, He is not God, you are!

God does not need so therefore He cannot be manipulated. You can’t withhold something from God in an attempt to get him to do your bidding. You can’t promise him something to get him to do what you want. There is no real bargaining with God (See the book of Jonah). You have no leverage…. on the other hand, everything you have comes from God. Your body, your life, your breath, your possessions, even your cat (I know I’m assuming your a cat person). In a very real sense weather you recognize it or not, you need God!

God does not need anything from you, that means he has no reason to manipulate you. He has no reason to tell you lies (That’s one thing by definition that God can not do). It means that everything that comes from Him, quite simply comes as a gift. There is nothing you can offer to purchase what God gives.

So if God doesn’t need anything from me, and I need everything from Him, how do I interact with God? The proper response to God is to show God gratitude (v. 14) and give Him glory (v.15). Gratitude is a recognition of His provision and gifts. Glory is a recognition of His greatness. These responses aren’t a payments (we could never repay God) they are praises. These are “offerings” from the heart, not just the flock (or checkbook). We recognize that even the offering itself comes from God, it’s the heart that expresses gratitude and gives glory.

There is much more to this psalm, especially as we contemplate sin and separation from God, but I found this section the most thought provoking as we consider our worship of God.

PRAYER

Father, I am grateful that you have provided all that I need. You have given me gifts great and small that are all greater than I can comprehend. I am limited in my ability to perceive the full depth of your provision. I am humbled today to think that you have no need of anything I could give you, but you should choose to hear my prayers. Forgive me for when I have thought that worship was transactional or when I misunderstood your gracious gifts as those things to which I was entitled. 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.

Beware Of Empty Treasures (Psalm 49)

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PSALM 49

1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, 2 Both low and high, Rich and poor together. 3 My mouth shall speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart [shall give] understanding. 4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will disclose my dark saying on the harp. 5 Why should I fear in the days of evil, [When] the iniquity at my heels surrounds me? 6 Those who trust in their wealth And boast in the multitude of their riches, 7 None [of them] can by any means redeem [his] brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him– 8 For the redemption of their souls [is] costly, And it shall cease forever– 9 That he should continue to live eternally, [And] not see the Pit. 10 For he sees wise men die; Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish, And leave their wealth to others. 11 Their inner thought [is that] their houses [will last] forever, Their dwelling places to all generations; They call [their] lands after their own names. 12 Nevertheless man, [though] in honor, does not remain; He is like the beasts [that] perish. 13 This is the way of those who [are] foolish, And of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah 14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave; Death shall feed on them; The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; And their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling. 15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me. Selah 16 Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased; 17 For when he dies he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him. 18 Though while he lives he blesses himself (For [men] will praise you when you do well for yourself), 19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see light. 20 A man [who is] in honor, yet does not understand, Is like the beasts [that] perish.

PSALM 49:1-20

BEWARE OF EMPTY TREASURES

I love going to the beach. We usually see a lot of wonderful marine life where we are. We see everything from hermit crabs, sand dollars, starfish and sea cucumbers, to sting rays, sharks, and dolphins. We also enjoy the sugar like white sands of the gulf coast. Often I see kids at the beach flying kites and building sandcastles. Sandcastles are the one thing I never really understood about beach life. You could build one today, but you know it would be gone in just a few hours when the tide comes in. It won’t matter how much work you put in, how many decorative shells you’ve placed on it, or how elaborate it all is, it will wash away in the tide.

There are a lot of our lives that are like that as well. There are things we can place our time and effort into that in the great grand scheme of things don’t really matter. When the great tide of death comes (and it comes for us all) it will wash away all that we have built with our hands. The Psalmist reminds us that to have a vast estate, a great amount of wealth, wisdom, or posterity in the end won’t really mean a whole lot when death comes for us. We won’t be able to think our way out of death. We won’t be able to buy our way out of death. We won’t be able to work our way out of death. We won’t have any influence or control over death. And when it comes it will render all of those things useless.

BUT GOD (see verse 15)…. The only one who can redeem us from death is God. So while this world pursues many worthless things, we are reminded to pursue God. He is the only treasure worth seeking after. Jesus said it this way in Matthew 6:33:“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

PRAYER

Father, keep me from pursuing worthless treasure. This world values so many things that in the end will not profit me anything. Teach me to be diligent with all that you have entrusted to me. I don’t want to waste my life or my time on things that don’t even matter. I am grateful for your salvation. Let me seek my peace, my hope, my souls redemption in you 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.

The City Of God (Psalm 48)

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PSALM 48

1 A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Great [is] the LORD, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, [In] His holy mountain. 2 Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, [Is] Mount Zion [on] the sides of the north, The city of the great King. 3 God [is] in her palaces; He is known as her refuge. 4 For behold, the kings assembled, They passed by together. 5 They saw [it, and] so they marveled; They were troubled, they hastened away. 6 Fear took hold of them there, [And] pain, as of a woman in birth pangs, 7 [As when] You break the ships of Tarshish With an east wind. 8 As we have heard, So we have seen In the city of the LORD of hosts, In the city of our God: God will establish it forever. Selah 9 We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness, In the midst of Your temple. 10 According to Your name, O God, So [is] Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness. 11 Let Mount Zion rejoice, Let the daughters of Judah be glad, Because of Your judgments. 12 Walk about Zion, And go all around her. Count her towers; 13 Mark well her bulwarks; Consider her palaces; That you may tell [it] to the generation following. 14 For this [is] God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide [Even] to death.

PSALM 48:1-14

THE CITY OF GOD

I love going to a wedding or graduation party where someone in the family has put together a slide show of an individual growing up through the years. You get to see someone as a smiling infant, a toddler taking first steps, a child playing sports, family moments, etc. And then you glance at them live and in person reaching a fulfillment of all of those pictures. There they are and they have graduated or they are married and the inference of the slide show is clear. Those moments recalled to our minds and imaginations were the steps leading them to where they are today! It’s a glorious celebration of the creativity and sovereignty of God!

I get that picture when looking at this Psalm. Not of an individual, but of a city. We are looking at Jerusalem, the city of God. A place where God has chosen to put his foot stool. He has chosen to put his manifest presence among man. It began with a tabernacle on the hill, it moved to a temple that was destroyed and rebuilt, it was fulfilled in Jesus who walked and talked among mankind, it was where the Holy Spirit was first received on the day of Pentecost and it will be a place where God again dwells with man in the New Jerusalem…. It is God’s Holy city all grown up. Every step, no matter how small. leading to see the fullest expression of God again with his people, no separation, no sin.

At this point I am reminded of a song that I sang in church as a child, “He’s still working on me.” As I see this Psalm rejoicing in the growth and maturity of the city of God, I cannot help but see God’s work in my own life. He has been faithful to save me, call me, set me apart for his kingdom and his glory. I may get frustrated sometimes, I may want to quit or give in to temptation, but I am reminded today that these battles in my own life are but birth pangs leading to something greater.

PRAYER

Father, Thank you for your incredible patience. I am grateful for this Psalm and all it teaches us about the city of God. I am grateful that you are sovereign and see the end from the beginning. I am grateful that you haven’t given up on me and that by your grace one day I might look back and see how far you have caried me along. I want to grow in you and mature in you 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.

God Disciplines And Delivers The Ones He Loves (Psalm 38)

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PSALM 38

1 A Psalm of David. To bring to remembrance. O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure! 2 For Your arrows pierce me deeply, And Your hand presses me down. 3 [There is] no soundness in my flesh Because of Your anger, Nor [any] health in my bones Because of my sin. 4 For my iniquities have gone over my head; Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. 5 My wounds are foul [and] festering Because of my foolishness.

PSALM 38:1-4

GOD DISCIPLINES AND DELIVERS THE ONES HE LOVES

David has two problems that he shares in this psalm. 

The first is that he has sinned against God. He knows it because he is experiencing the discipline of God. The chief aim of discipline is for our good! Discipline may hurt temporarily, but the aim is to protect and shape us. A toddler might receive a sharp, “No” or a small slap on the hand for trying to touch something like a hot stove. The word, “No” and the sting on their skin may hurt for a little while, but that isn’t the end purpose of discipline. It is ultimately to save such a small one from hurting themselves in a much greater way.  

The second problem that David faces is that his enemies have multiplied and are ready to attack. They are ready to kick him while he is down.  He needs deliverance.

The Lord, like a good shepherd provides both discipline and deliverance in the life of David. I still can’t help but think of sheep and the patience of a good shepherd from back in Psalms 23. Sometimes we get in trouble because it’s our own fault. We sin, we stray, and at the end of the day when we wonder why we are in such a mess the only one we have to look it is ourselves. How kind is a good shepherd to pursue and find a lost sheep, to bind his wounds so they will heal, to correct his error, to discipline so that he’ll know not to go that way again.

But then there are the binds we find ourselves in that are not of our own making. We are in a bind because someone has set their heart against us. They have laid a trap that we walked into. The seek to destroy us. And how kind is a good shepherd in that instance. He comes running to the rescue. He steps between the predator and the sheep.

Then there are the moments where both seem to be at play. We do something stupid and the enemy sees a chance to kick us when we are down. It’s comforting to know that in such moments that the shepherd doesn’t abandon the sheep and say, “Well you brought it on yourself. You deserve it.” But to think that He still steps in, maybe even with more haste (if that were possible) because he knows the direness of the situation.

Today I am marveling and praising God all the more for the times he has disciplined and delivered me. I am grateful for how he moves in my life despite my failures and mistakes. I repent of the times I believed lies about his character. The times that I thought he would abandon me because I deserve it. I am confronted now with the truth that he loves us enough not only to discipline us, but to deliver us.

PRAYER

Father, Thank you for your discipline and deliverance. I am grateful that even in my sinfulness, my mess-ups, my mistakes, that you love me enough to deal with my self caused pain. Thank you for the grace that is poured out in how you love me and take care of me. I humbly ask that I’d have that same grace to show others and pour out in their lives. 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.

How The Wicked Miss The Joy of The LORD (Psalm 36)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

PSALM 36

1 To the Chief Musician. [A Psalm] of David the servant of the LORD. An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked: [There is] no fear of God before his eyes. 2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes, When he finds out his iniquity [and] when he hates. 3 The words of his mouth [are] wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise [and] to do good. 4 He devises wickedness on his bed; He sets himself in a way [that is] not good; He does not abhor evil. 5 Your mercy, O LORD, [is] in the heavens; Your faithfulness [reaches] to the clouds. 6 Your righteousness [is] like the great mountains; Your judgments [are] a great deep; O LORD, You preserve man and beast. 7 How precious [is] Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. 8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. 9 For with You [is] the fountain of life; In Your light we see light. 10 Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright in heart. 11 Let not the foot of pride come against me, And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12 There the workers of iniquity have fallen; They have been cast down and are not able to rise.

PSALM 36:1-12

HOW THE WICKED MISS THE JOY OF THE LORD

Sometimes it seems like the bad guys are getting ahead. It seems like they have more money, possessions, power, privilege, charisma, stuff…. you know, the things that this world uses to figure out who is ahead. Some days it seems like they have it all. Some days it even seems like they have it all together. But they are missing one very important thing. If they don’t know the LORD, they are missing out on grace, love, kindness, goodness, blessing, and a whole lot more that comes with the LORD.

David is reflecting on the wicked who have set their heart against God. They may seem like they have a lot going for them, but they are missing the biggest blessing they could ever have. They may seem like they have it all together, but if they don’t have the LORD, it’s all going to fall apart. The wicked may have fun for a moment, but only the LORD can provide real and lasting Joy.

David then rightly goes into meditating on the character of God and everything the wicked are missing out on. The will never know what it’s like to have their sins forgiven. They will never know that free grace and mercy of God because they have hardened their hearts against him. They will never know what it is like to be loved by someone who never gives up on you,,,, They will never know.

And that should give us pause, especially on days when we are prone to want to be like them in some way. We don’t really want to be like them, if being like them means we don’t know God’s love and mercy. We don’t really want to dabble with the dark stuff if it means abandoning truth and grace. We don’t really want to pursue what they are pursing if it means we don’t get the LORD in the mix.

Knowing God is way better than anything the wicked could ever offer. Indeed what makes them wicked, is their failure to see the value of knowing God. The wicked are missing out on the joy of abundant life now and eternal life forever.

PRAYER

Father, I confess sometimes my heart is tempted to want the things of this world so much so that I would admire those who have all the things this world offers, but they don’t have you. Help me to see their severe poverty. Help me to know that what they hold on to is temporary and fleeting. Help me not to miss the riches of your grace and mercy. Help me to be grateful for the extreme kindness that has been shown to me in you. Help me note that they don’t have the one thing that matters. You O’ Lord are worthy of all my praise and affection. Thank you for the deep well of your mercy and 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.