Tag: psalm

The Benefits of A Sheltered Life (Psalm 16)

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PSALM 16

1 A Michtam of David. Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. 2 [O my soul], you have said to the LORD, “You [are] my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You.” 3 As for the saints who [are] on the earth, “They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” 4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten [after] another [god]; Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, Nor take up their names on my lips. 5 O LORD, [You are] the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. 6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant [places]; Yes, I have a good inheritance. 7 I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. 8 I have set the LORD always before me; Because [He is] at my right hand I shall not be moved. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. 10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. 11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence [is] fullness of joy; At Your right hand [are] pleasures forevermore.

PSALM 16:1-11

THE BENEFITS OF A SHELTERED LIFE

We often use the term a “sheltered life” in a derogatory manner. We might say something like, “They have lived a sheltered life.” We are usually talking about someone who hasn’t seen many of the evils of this world. 

A sheltered life isn’t really that bad. If you could be preserved from evil, wouldn’t you want to be? Would you rather witness someone degraded into doing all sorts of things for the next high or be protected from such things? Would you rather your children be surrounded and influenced by wickedness or preserved from such things?

It’s not as though you can’t still work and do ministry among those who have been hammered by theirs sins and the sins of others, but that you are preserved from some sin and it’s effects. You can still minister among the homeless without being homeless. You’re eyes can be wide open to the severity of addiction in your neighborhood without being addicted yourself. To be sheltered in this sense it to be protected from the harm of sinful living.

Ultimately, a sheltered life is a protected life. You are sheltered from a storm of influences that have the potential to hurt you. In this sense, I want a sheltered life and I want my kids to have a sheltered life!

The way we have this type of sheltered life is to pursue the Lord’s commands. It is to seek what God has for us more than what we would want for ourselves. It’s learning to live within boundaries set up by our trust in God’s word. It’s found in delighting in the Lord. It’s found in being content.

PRAYER

Father, I confess that too often I have not sought shelter in you and have lives a less sheltered life than I could have. Too many times I have pursued things that have only brought me to a place of temptation, sin, and shame. Today I ask that you would set my heart right in you and that I would pursue the things that will be of greatest gain in my life. Help me to know you more through your word, be content in your provision, and know when to leave well enough alone. Let my heart find rest and shelter 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.

Who Can Dwell With God? (Psalm 15)

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PSALM 15

1 A Psalm of David. LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? 2 He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; 3 He [who] does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; 4 In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the LORD; He [who] swears to his own hurt and does not change; 5 He [who] does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these [things] shall never be moved.

PSALM 15:1-5, NKJV

WHO CAN DWELL WITH GOD?

I kicked a man out of my house one time. I told him, he had to go. He had gotten too comfortable with my family, it was late, he hurled a backhanded insult and I had had enough. Admittedly he was like a puppy breaking in his baby teeth, he didn’t know that his comments packed such a bite. He was intending it as playful, but it hurt and I let him know by kicking him out. It wasn’t acceptable to “play” that way in “my” house. When it comes to considering the house of the Lord, since we are all sinners, are there character issues at stake for who is welcome in the house of the Lord? Would he turn anyone away? Lots to ponder as we jump into this passage this morning.

This song address the question of what kind of worshippers are welcomed in the house of the LORD. It was sung by travelers with anticipation and education in mind. The children as well as the adults would have been involved in singing and meditating on God’s word all along the way. Their hearts were being prepared for worship. I think one of the things we miss by traveling the way we do to church these days is that we have little time to prepare our hearts for worship.  

The question that is asked in this Psalm is very real, but in a poetic sense is something like this, “Who can go to God’s house and be invited to stay as a guest? or, Who does God want to come over? or, Who gets to stay at God’s house?” 

Growing up my in-laws used to have all sorts of people over at the house. If you were going to come over and stay, you had to abide by a few simple house rules. They weren’t anything crazy, but if you were going to be there you were going to abide by a few ground rules. You had to wear a shirt to dinner, wait until after the blessing to eat, etc. In a much more serious way, this Psalm asks the question, “what kind of characteristics must I have if I am going to dwell in the house of God?” 

It is important to notice that these are not the means by which we are saved, but rather what it means to be saved (Sam Storms). It’s not what we do to get through the door, but what kind of company we are once we are saved. We are not saved by our good works, but we are saved to good works. The question isn’t so much, “who makes it into heaven?” as much as it is, “what kind of people are in heaven?” The answer flows in verses 2-5. We must be people of genuine integrity. This is the work the Lord must be doing in our lives. This must be the work we are willing for the Lord to do in our lives.

PRAYER

Father, thank you for the invitation to salvation by grace through faith in you. Thank you that we are not saved by our works, but thank you that You do work in us to be more and more conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. I pray that I would fit the description laid out in this Psalm today. I need to be a man of integrity, reflecting your goodness to those around me. I want to feel comfortable in your house because I have been more and more conformed to the image of Jesus. Thank you again for your overwhelming grace and goodness. 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 New Song From Old Pieces (Psalm 14)

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PSALM 14

1 To the Chief Musician. [A Psalm] of David. The fool has said in his heart, “[There is] no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good. 2 The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. 3 They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; [There is] none who does good, No, not one. 4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my people [as] they eat bread, And do not call on the LORD? 5 There they are in great fear, For God [is] with the generation of the righteous. 6 You shame the counsel of the poor, But the LORD [is] his refuge. 7 Oh, that the salvation of Israel [would come] out of Zion! When the LORD brings back the captivity of His people, Let Jacob rejoice [and] Israel be glad.

PSALM 14:1-7, NKJV

A NEW SONG FROM OLD PIECES

One of the churches I used to serve had a woman who would make a “breakfast cake” every week and set it out in the foyer with doughnuts. Every week the cake was the same shape and size, it had the same general texture, but it was almost always a different cake than the week before. Sometimes it had a banana-nut taste, other weeks it was pumpkin, still other weeks I’m pretty sure I tasted bits of apple or pear, then there were weeks that it definitely had chocolate chips. Then someone told me the secret, the cakes she made were, “whatever is on hand cakes”. She used the same base of flour, eggs, oil, or whatever and then would see what she had “on hand” to make the rest of the cake. If it was baking with apples earlier in the week, we got an apple cake. If she had done a banana nut bread earlier, we had a banana-nut cake, etc., etc. Sometimes the cakes had peculiar combinations that somehow seemed to work really well (my favorite, banana-nut-chocolate chip!).

That’s kind of what we have with this Psalm here. It’s got the basic set up of a good Psalm. All the structure, theological depth, etc. is there, but it seems like many of the ingredients were borrowed. Not only that, but some of this Psalm is quoted later in the New Testament.

It reminds me of the first time I had a real conversation with a friend about Jesus. I had never lead someone to faith in Christ before. I didn’t know that there are different “approaches” to sharing my faith, we simply had a conversation and I presented the gospel in a way that I understood it and it made sense to me. It wasn’t a cookie cutter approach. We didn’t walk down the Romans Road, or go over the four spiritual laws (different approaches to sharing the gospel). I just simply quoted the verses I knew about the things we were talking about. It was encouraging to me because I was seeing how to apply scripture to a given situation and it was helpful to my friend.

David writes a new song with familiar words that in several generations will become an old song with familiar words. God uses the lyrics of this song throughout the scripture because they carry key truths about who he is and who we are. They are relevant for worship in every generation because they speak to the greatness of God and our desperate need of Him.

I can’t help but think of all the old songs, made new in my generation. I love it when a musician plays an old tune or sings an old lyric for modern ears. I can’t help but think of what Chris Tomlin has done with Amazing Grace, My Chains Are Gone.

PRAYER

Father, Thank you for this old song made new. We all truly stand in desperate need of you. Let us not brag on our positions in life as though we have achieved something great. Let us walk in humbleness and holiness because of your great work in our life. It is you the preserved the Nation of Israel in the Old Testament and it is you who preserve those who trust in you even now. We are saved by grace, through faith, not of our selves. So let us sing with confidence today of your great grace and goodness. 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.

Feeling Helpless But Not Hopeless (Psalm 13)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

PSALM 13

1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? 2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, [Having] sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? 3 Consider [and] hear me, O LORD my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the [sleep of] death; 4 Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; [Lest] those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved. 5 But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. 6 I will sing to the LORD, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

PSALM 13:1-6, NKJV

FEELING HELPLESS BUT NOT HOPELESS

Have you ever had a terrible no good, dirty, rotten day? Ever had a week of those? Every had a month? Dare I say a year like that?

It can be hard to see people. They want you to smile and say everything is fine, but the truth is it doesn’t feel fine. Things are broken and you FEEL it. Sometimes the temptation can come to push down those feelings, run from them, and try to hide them (Usually by hiding from people). You feel as though it is not an appropriate attitude to wear at church. 

What a relief it is to see this Psalm. We must keep in mind that this is a song that was meant to be sung in worship. This Psalm made it to the Hebrew Hymnal because even in our depression there is a way to worship God. We need this and the conversations that it might provoke. We need to know how to approach God when it feels like He is absent!

David cries out, “How long” four times in the beginning of this song. He isn’t a kid in the back seat impatiently trying to wait for the trip to be over. He is feeling the absence of God. He wants/ needs God to move in his life. He needs to hear from Heaven. He feels like he is losing…. yet for all this feeling, he knows that God is not absent and so he prays further than his eyes can see and his heart can feel. He simply asks God to hear his prayer and enlighten his eyes. And he comes to settle on God’s mercy and his own testimony of how God has dealt with him in the past.

Sometimes that’s the best medicine for a troubled heart is to bring our brokenness to God in prayer and to understand that who God is through His word, and be reminded of his faithfulness both then and now. Sometimes it’s too easy to forget all that God has done for us and the blessings we have in Christ. It is good to practice remembering the answered prayers.

PRAYER

Father, Thank you that you are not just God in the mountains, but you are also God in the valleys. I’ve been through some harsh times of depression. I am grateful that even in the midst of my fears and worries that you are good and you are God. Thank you that even when you feel absent that I can call out to you with a confidence that you hear the prayers of your saints. Let me never tire of recounting the moments in my life where I saw you most clearly at work. I need this and others need it as well. 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’s Word is Consistently True (Psalm 12)

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PSALM 12

1 To the Chief Musician. On an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David. Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. 2 They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; [With] flattering lips [and] a double heart they speak. 3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, [And] the tongue that speaks proud things, 4 Who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail; Our lips [are] our own; Who [is] lord over us?” 5 “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, Now I will arise,” says the LORD; “I will set [him] in the safety for which he yearns.” 6 The words of the LORD [are] pure words, [Like] silver tried in a furnace of earth, Purified seven times. 7 You shall keep them, O LORD, You shall preserve them from this generation forever. 8 The wicked prowl on every side, When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

PSALM 12:1-8

GOD’S WORD IS CONSISTENTLY TRUE

We live in a world where it seems like it is becoming more difficult just to find someone who will tell you the truth. Gone are the days of decent, good and unbiased reporting. We have news stations that report down political lines and share mostly commentary. If you want conersvative news go to FOX News and read the Wall Street Journal. If you want liberal news go to MSNBC or CNN and read the Washington Post or the New York Times. The same event will take on two different meanings as everyone dissects it and talks about it from their angle. Everyone puts their spin on it. We quickly pick our sides and line up. 

Sometimes I think finding truth can be like going to a maze of mirrors at the carnival!  Some make you look tall, some make you look short, some make you look fat, some make you look skinny, some put your gut up in your chest, some make your head fat and lots more in between.  Somewhere in the middle of it all there is a real mirror, but you don’t know which one is telling the truth. We live in a culture that believes it can cut and resize the truth to its own liking. 

In the midst of such corruption we can wonder,  how do we get right side up again? What can we trust? Do we just buy any old lie or do we become so jaded and bitter that we refuse to trust anything that anyone says. What do we do? 

Have you ever been disoriented? David is looking for where to go when His world does not make sense.  I am told that there are conditions that a pilot can fly in that become very disorienting and they can’t trust your feelings. In those instances they have to trust their instruments. No matter what their gut tells them, the instruments are what will get them home safely.  

David looks to God. The pure promises of God’s Word are what will guide him home. He can’t put his trust in what others around him might say. This is the way out of this mess! God sees through it all! Through all the lies, the misinformation and the propaganda. God will preserve his people!

The other day our cat was watching TV. Our youngest daughter was watching Frozen and every once and a while you could see that cat jut out his paw as if he were trying to catch a snowflake on the television. For all his effort, he didn’t have any luck catching anything. There was a lot more between the cat and the snowflake than he could comprehend. 

David reminds us that though we live in a world filled with wicked falsehoods and it may seem that it is getting worse and worse. That there is a lot more between the lies that swirl around and the believer than we could even imagine. So while the wicked plot and prowl, God’s eternal purposes will be fulfilled. His word stands forever and he will preserve his people from falsehood.  

So What is Psalm 12 saying to us? 

  • Lets not look to our culture for truth.
  • Let’s not look to studies, statistics, science, (those things are useful tools, but not indicators of truth. 
  • Let’s not look to politics.
  • Let’s not look to our neighbors. 
  • Rather, Let us look to the Pure Word of God.

PRAYER

Father, I confess like David, I need help! It seems a lot harder these days to know who is telling the truth and integrity has gone out of style. I ask for your wisdom and discernment in my life. Help me to see the truth in every area of my life. I cling to your word and ask that I would walk with integrity because I know it and I know you through it. I pray that you would preserve me from the wickedness of my generation. 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 Enemy Is Still Out There (Psalm 10)

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PSALM 10

2 The wicked in [his] pride persecutes the poor; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised. 3 For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire; He blesses the greedy [and] renounces the LORD. 4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek [God]; God [is] in none of his thoughts. 5 His ways are always prospering; Your judgments [are] far above, out of his sight; [As for] all his enemies, he sneers at them. 6 He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved; I shall never be in adversity.” 7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; Under his tongue [is] trouble and iniquity. 8 He sits in the lurking places of the villages; In the secret places he murders the innocent; His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless. 9 He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den; He lies in wait to catch the poor; He catches the poor when he draws him into his net. 10 So he crouches, he lies low, That the helpless may fall by his strength. 11 He has said in his heart, “God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see.” 12 Arise, O LORD! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble.

PSALM 10:2-12

THE ENEMY IS STILL OUT THERE

Psalm 10 is a broken psalm. It doesn’t have an introduction. It is written in an acrostic style that somewhat completes psalm 9 but it has letters missing and out of order. Even in the chaos of it’s organization it reminds us that we live in a broken world. There is much that needs to be fixed. 

In verse eleven we get a glimpse into the sinister mind of the wicked man. He thinks God doesn’t know or doesn’t care about what he does. He uses the seeming inactivity of God as a reason to figure and devise more wicked schemes. 

At this point we have to ask ourselves why does the psalmist feel so much need to give us so much detail about the wicked man? Why is he so concerned that someone is out there prospering by doing wicked things and setting his heart against God? He is reminding us that we cannot coast because the enemy is still out there!

History is filled with moments where a city was under siege or a war was being waged, but those in official power were drinking and celebrating their victories early. They fell into laziness or unconcern and later lost the city or the war because they celebrated before it was all finished. The psalmist is saying, “We can’t truly celebrate yet because wickedness still prevails!”

Part of the point of this Psalm is to register such a dissonance that we cannot slumber on wickedness. We must remember that our lives are always at odds with the wicked and how they would live. Isn’t the news we hear of wickedness winning in our own day something that drives us to prayer? When we hear of those who have taken advantage of others, doesn’t that drive us to intercession? 

 The Psalmist cries out to God to put things right. We know that there will come a day and time when God will set all things right. All injustice will be settled in him. We know that day is coming. Sometimes it just seems so far away. 

Notice the prayer in verse 17 for the orphan and those who are oppressed. “Prepare their heart” or strengthen their heart. Even when we don’t see justice in this moment or in our day. Set it right in my heart that I might bear up until I see your final justice. Give me grace and strength and hope in YOU until that day comes. 

PRAYER

Father, thank you for this psalm and all the chaos it presents. It doesn’t wrap up neatly in a bow and it reminds me of the messiness of life apart from you. In the celebration of your goodness it can be easy to forget we still live in a sinful and fallen world. Help me not to be content while wickedness prevails around me. Guide me in my community and my moment in history to stand against wickedness and intercede for victims of injustice. Don’t let me be idle while others are suffering. Thank you for your grace in bringing this to our attention to read and meditate on 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.

He Hears The Prayers of Troubled Hearts (Psalm 6)

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PSALM 6

1 To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. On an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David. O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure. 2 Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I [am] weak; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled. 3 My soul also is greatly troubled; But You, O LORD–how long? 4 Return, O LORD, deliver me! Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake! 5 For in death [there is] no remembrance of You; In the grave who will give You thanks? 6 I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears. 7 My eye wastes away because of grief; It grows old because of all my enemies. 8 Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping. 9 The LORD has heard my supplication; The LORD will receive my prayer. 10 Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled; Let them turn back [and] be ashamed suddenly.

PSALM 6:1-10

HE HEARS THE PRAYERS OF TROUBLED HEARTS

Grief is never an easy thing. It turns us into a mess. Our world is suddenly disordered as we try and make sense of the chaos that has entered our lives. It comes at us irrationally. It invades our thoughts with terrible anxieties and causes us pain in places we didn’t know that we could hurt. What must God think of our grief stricken prayers? We know they aren’t very eloquent, we don’t have time or sense for how our words should form sentences that are pleasing to the ear. We just hurt, so we weep and we wail. We know that the theology of our words is probably off center. We want to understand God aright, but all we can see of his beautiful world is the brokenness this side of eternity and so it is with teary eyes we look up to see a blurry vision of who He is?

Does He think we are pathetic? Does he refuse such supplications based on their lack of clarity? Does he tell us to dry up our faces and come back and try it again?

To be honest, sometimes in our grief, He seems silent. A little voice creeps in and whispers, “He doesn’t care about you!” Sometimes it says, “He has abandoned you.” Some times it tells us that we must have brought this all on ourselves, we are to blame for the trouble we see today and if that is the case, why would he ever care to listen to our prayers anyway?

David sees past all these voices that call out to him from the dark night of his grief and trouble. He prays with tears, but also with confidence that God hears his prayers. What a great encouragement it is to know that when we come to God, in the midst of our grief, that He has a way of still hearing our prayers.

PRAYER

Father, thank you that in the midst of our grief and anxieties that you hear our prayers. Thank you that in the moments where I feel near and in the moments that I feel far away that you are present. Give me grace to trust you further than what I can see. Give me grace for the good days when everything is going well and it looks like victory is around the corner. Give me grace for the bad days and sad days when I feel alone and rejected. More than what I feel, I need you to hear my prayers. Thank you the confidence that you do. Thank you for your word that reminds us of who you are on days we are prone to forget. In Jesus Christ, 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.

Start Looking For God’s Will Early In The Morning (Psalm 5)

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PSALM 5

1 To the Chief Musician. With flutes. A Psalm of David. Give ear to my words, O LORD, Consider my meditation. 2 Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray. 3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct [it] to You, And I will look up. 4 For You [are] not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You. 5 The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. 6 You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. 7 But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple. 8 Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight before my face. 9 For [there is] no faithfulness in their mouth; Their inward part [is] destruction; Their throat [is] an open tomb; They flatter with their tongue. 10 Pronounce them guilty, O God! Let them fall by their own counsels; Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions, For they have rebelled against You. 11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. 12 For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as [with] a shield.

PSALM 5:1-12

START LOOKING FOR GOD’S WILL EARLY IN THE MORNING

In one of my jobs I was tasked with assembling a large desk for our office. I unloaded the boxes got all the pieces sorted and made sure we had the tools we needed to start. Then I laid the plans aside and started to put the desk together. It wasn’t until about midway through that I realized we were in trouble. I thought we were going by the plans, but I was just eye balling the pieces and putting them together, I wasn’t checking for the important letters and numbers listed on each piece. Somehow I had placed piece J where G should be and to further complicate it I had H on backwards… We had to undo most of our work to go back and set it up right.

I reckon some of us try and go through life like that. We get all the pieces together and try to figure it out. We know enough about God’s word to assume we’re ok. But to say that we were looking for God’s will for our lives in any given situation might be a stretch.

David says here that he isn’t taking anything for granted. He is seeking the Lord in the morning. He is seeking after God’s will. He doesn’t want to make a mess of things and then go back and have to figure out how to straighten it out. He wants to follow the Lord’s will from the get go. There is too much at stake to not seek after God.

“I’ve got so much work to do today that I must spend at least three hours in prayer.”

Attributed to Martin Luther

What a great sentiment and it rings truer than we’d like to admit sometimes. Our days start off better if we are grounded in God’s word and Prayer. I learned the hard way that the instructions are there for a reason and there is an order to things. We should look to the instructions first and then construct the desk. Yet so often we attempt to live our life eyeballing the pieces thinking we don’t have time to pray and seek the Lord’s will and guidance. The truth is that when we are busiest we need to seek the Lord the most.

PRAYER

Father, thank you for a full schedule. It is a blessing to have so much to do. I bring my schedule to you today and ask you Lord for your hand of guidance on my life. You know what is most important here. You know the details of this day before it has even happened. So I ask that you would guide my steps. Keep me from temptation, use me for your kingdom and your 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.

Prayer for an Angry Son (Psalm 4)

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PSALM 4

1 To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David. Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in [my] distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer. 2 How long, O you sons of men, [Will you turn] my glory to shame? [How long] will you love worthlessness [And] seek falsehood? Selah 3 But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The LORD will hear when I call to Him. 4 Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah 5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the LORD. 6 [There are] many who say, “Who will show us [any] good?” LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us. 7 You have put gladness in my heart, More than in the season that their grain and wine increased. 8 I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

PSALM 4:1-8

PRAYER FOR AN ANGRY SON

Three pastors were gathered together to share their perspectives on the best position for powerful prayer. There also happened to be a fellow from the phone company working in the background of the office where they were meeting. The first pastor said, “I think the best position for prayer is to have your hands pressed together pointing upwards.” Another pastor interjected, “That’s good and all, but I’ve found that I’m the most powerful prayers I’ve prayed are when I’m on my knees!” The third pastor said, “I used to pray on my knees, but I’ve had a lot of success lately in getting on my face and laying on the ground before God in prayer.” … finally the phone guy couldn’t stay quiet any longer, he said, “The most powerful prayer I ever made was when I was dangling upside down by my heals, from a power pole, suspended forty feet from the ground!”

David finds himself in a “dangling upside down from a power pole,” type situation as he pens this song and prayer. He is on the ropes from Absalom. He is in danger of losing the kingdom, his son is leading an incredible rebellion against him, and there is no really good outcome that can come from any of it. Where else could he go, but to the Lord.

The fourth verse really stands out as David reminds us that sometimes anger is legitimate but it does not make our sin acceptable. Anger is never an excuse for sin. David confesses that there are things that may have happened to provoke his son to anger, “be angry.” But that our flared tempers shouldn’t lead us to sin, they should lead us to contemplation and meditation upon the character of God who will one day right all wrongs. We should put our trust in the Lord to lift up our faces from anger. Who knows, but perhaps David remembers moments of his life where he was right to be angry and was about to sin, but a calmer voice prevailed (1 Samuel 25).

PRAYER

Father, there are many things in this world that make us angry. Sometimes we are angry because we we misunderstand a situation, but sometimes we have a legitimate right to be angry because injustice has been done. I pray that even in the midst of righteous anger that we would not take in our hands that which belongs in yours. Keep us from sin in our anger, give us wisdom and grace to go to you in the midst of our angered and anxious minds that we might fine peace to sleep by trusting in you to guide our paths. We seek your will in every area of our lives, even our emotions like anger and how it is expressed. In Jesus Christ, 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.

Help for Troubled People (Psalm 3)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

PSALM 3

[Psalm 3:1-8 NKJV] 1 A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son. LORD, how they have increased who trouble me! Many [are] they who rise up against me. 2 Many [are] they who say of me, “[There is] no help for him in God.” Selah 3 But You, O LORD, [are] a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. 4 I cried to the LORD with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah 5 I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me. 6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set [themselves] against me all around. 7 Arise, O LORD; Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly. 8 Salvation [belongs] to the LORD. Your blessing [is] upon Your people. Selah

HELP FOR TROUBLED PEOPLE (Psalm 3)

The other day my daughter had a bad day at the ball park. She fell on her scooter and scraped her knee. Then on her way to get help, someone borrowed her scooter and she couldn’t find it. So finally she fell down and just started to cry. I found her, picked her up, and helped her figure out if she was just scared, hurt, or anxious (seems like she is all 3 when blood is involved). I bandaged her up, walked her through her emotions, and found the kid who borrowed her scooter and thanked them for watching it for her.

There is no telling what would have happened if I hadn’t intervened. Perhaps she’d still be crying. She’d probably be bitter. There is no telling if she’d have ever found her beloved scooter, etc. But because I helped her she didn’t face any of those things alone, she had an advocate that met her where her needs were and walked with her through the trama.

We all get hurt sometimes. We all have bad days. There are moments where it seems like the world is out to get us. On those days, especially, we need an advocate. We need a safe place to go. We need shelter from this world, someone who understands our pain and help us see things the way they are. We need Him every day, but especially on bad days.

David was having a bad day. He was crying in the dark because his son Absalom was after him. He had fled Jerusalem. He had been mocked. Many of his trusted royal friends had betrayed him. And on top of that his son had made himself his enemy. There was no real way to get through this without tears. So he called out to God, the God who saves, and he put his hope in God.

Prayer

Father, thank you for psalms like this where we are freed up to just pour our heart out to you. Sometimes the world doesn’t make sense and this side of heaven we are sure to face sad days where we are uncertain about what to do. Sometimes it feels like we are stuck in a no-win situation. I am grateful that you meet us in the midst of our adversity, dress our wounds, and heal our hearts. Thank you that you aren’t just a God of the mountains, but that you also lead your people through the valleys. Strengthen us today as we draw our hope 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