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God’s Not Deaf

17 O LORD, thou wilt hear the desire of the meek; thou wilt strengthen their heart, thou wilt incline thy ear

18 to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

Psalm 10:17,18

Have you ever felt as though God didn’t hear your prayer? You know, like maybe He’s deaf? Sure you have. We all have at one time or another. But, trust me – God’s not deaf! He hears every cry and sees every tear. Then why so much suffering in the world you ask? There are two reasons that make sense to me, and the Psalmist understood them.

One – Because of our freedom, there are those in the world who are selfish, arrogant, and wicked who say, “There is no God” (V 4). In their greed they take advantage of the needy and oppress the helpless. All the while, the world asks, “Why God”. “How long O Lord?”

Two – As humans we fail to think of eternity. We see only our own time. If we languish year after year, we wonder why God doesn’t come and make things right. We think that somehow the world should be fair. But, the world isn’t fair, and God never promised us it would be. What he did promise is that in the end all wrongs will be righted. In the end, He will make the Lord’s enemies a footstool for His feet, and the last enemy to be conquered will be death (Ps. 110 & 1 Cor. 15).

The truth is God’s not deaf. God does care. The Psalmist knew that a day would come when there would be victory for the downtrodden and oppressed. That day is now. By the cross, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the enemy has been defeated, though evil is still loose to wage war for a time, until the day Christ steps back into this world to usher in eternity. When that Day of Lord comes, all wrongs will be righted, and all things will be fair.

There is no promise for God’s people that we will not suffer. In fact, it’s just the opposite. St. Paul tells us we are heirs with Christ, if we suffer with Him (Rom. 8:17). But, like the Psalmist, we too can live in hope, knowing that God is with us, that He does see and hear.

14Thou dost see; yea, thou dost note trouble and vexation, that thou mayest take it into thy hands; the hapless commits himself to thee; thou hast been the helper of the fatherless.

We know God hears, yet it may be that it still seem He doesn’t. The Prophet Isaiah teaches us to not just look at the whole world and blame all the wrong we see, but to examine our own lives as well. Perhaps our own sins have hidden us from God’s presence.

1Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
2but your iniquities have made a separation
between you and your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
so that he does not hear. (Isa. 59:1,2)

Praying the Psalms teaches us to think in eternal ways; they teach us how to understand the temporal ways of the world. They also lead us to repentance so that we know there is no separation between us and Him. Stay with me as we journey together and allow the Psalms to lead us in life; they always lead us to God.

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

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Name Above All Names

I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will tell of all thy wonderful deeds.

2 I will be glad and exult in thee, I will sing praise to thy name, O Most High.

Psalm 9:1-3

Psalm 9 offers the reader three themes that are recurrent in many Psalms: thanksgiving with a whole heart, telling the story of God’s wonderful deeds, and praising His Most Holy Name. These three themes are one of the reasons the Psalms make the perfect prayer book of God’s people. The writers of the Psalms were inspired to praise God in these three ways as the prophetic voice of Jesus. As our Messiah, Jesus showed us how to live by modeling the very prayers of the Psalms.

The inspiration of the Psalmist’s prayers seems to be the righteousness of God as He judges from his divine, everlasting throne, “4 For thou hast maintained my just cause; thou hast sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.” So too, as we pray through the psalms our hearts should be quickened to offer praise and thanksgiving to God as we remember and tell of his amazing grace extended in our lives.

Psalm 9 was originally written as an acrostic. The first word of each stanza was formed with a word using the Hebrew alphabet. No doubt Psalm 9 and 10 in most Protestant Bibles was originally one Psalm in the original Greek Septuagint version, which dates from 250 BC. This is why the numbers of the Psalms are off by one following the 9th in the Catholic Bibles, which use the Septuagint version for the Old Testament.

By using the Acrostic form of poetry, the Psalmist was giving praise to God with a view to the whole of life. As you consider the beautiful praise offered in Psalm 9 today, think about your life? How have God’s righteous judgments blessed and protected you from your enemies? How have you contemplated the holiness of His Name? St. Paul reminds us that the name of Jesus is above all names and given the highest glory in heaven, and that every knee shall one day bow to His great name (Phil. 2:10).

Remember, the psalmist praised God from the midst of his tribulation. He didn’t wait until God delivered him to offer praise. Rather, he offered praise for the time when he knew he would be delivered.

13 Be gracious to me, O LORD! Behold what I suffer from those who hate me, O thou who liftest me up from the gates of death,

14 that I may recount all thy praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in thy deliverance.

What a difference it makes to praise God from the midst of our storm and not wait until after it passes. To praise God in the storm is to live by faith, and living by faith is the highest form of praise, for then, we are truly trusting in the name above all names.

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

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Who Am I?

3 When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast established;

4 what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou dost care for him?

Psalm 8:3,4

Perhaps the greatest of the first order questions in life is, “Who am I”? If we can get the answer to that one right, all other questions about life become much easier to answer. So, let’s ask the question as we pray through Psalm 8 – “Who am I”?

According to the Psalm, man is one who was made by God a little lower than the angels. He was made to have dominion over the earth and all that fills it (Vv. 4-8). But, if we fail to read the Psalm through a Christological lens, we will think that this is referring to you and me. After all, Humanity is the highest form of creation. We were made in God’s image, not the animals. We have the ability to reason (I know that seems questionable the way humanity acts sometimes).

However, there are two who are mentioned in verse 4, “man”, and the “son of man”. Here we must look the the original language, Hebrew. In it we see that man is the word ‘enosh’, and son of man is ‘adam’. Adam is the word we usually associate with humanity. Enosh, is the name of only one man in all of scripture, and it is rendered in English as Enoch. Enoch is recognized in biblical genealogy as a descendent of Christ. He is also one who was so close to God that he was translated into Heaven with out dying (Gen 5).

Hebrews 2 serves as the oldest existing commentary on Psalm 8 and according to the writer the ‘man’ of the psalm is Jesus Christ. If Christ is “man” in the psalm, then you and I are the “son of man”. It’s important to notice that the psalmist is giving glory to how wondrous and majestic the Lord is. Jesus is the original man from whose image humanity was created.

It’s so important for us to see that Jesus, (God made flesh) as the Son of God, eternally existent as the Creed reminds us, is the model for all that God wants us to be. The world is a wonderful and majestic place that shouts glory to God in every sunrise, every sunset, indeed every moment. But, the most majestic thing of all is that you and I are created to be like Jesus.

So, who are we? We are to be ‘Christians’, a word which when literally translated means, “little Christs”. How often do you think of yourself as a little Christ to world around you? Hopefully, through our journey in the Psalms, we will discover what life is all about – being by grace, what Jesus is by nature. Glory to God for his amazing grace.

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

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Libera Me, Domine

O LORD my God, in thee do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers, and deliver me,

Psalm 7:1

As we read and pray the Psalms, it often feels as if we are looking in a mirror. They so often reflect the various emotional states of our being, like fear, anger, and desperation. However, they also reflect the positive side of our emotions, things like hope and joy. The emotions of the Psalmist are much like our own. Every day we can and do exhibit such a roller coaster of feelings.

Seeing ourselves in the Psalms is important. The prayers for protection and deliverance balanced with praise, thanksgiving, and hope are spiritually forming ones, that lead us into righteous living. In Psalm 7, David is writing his feelings in response to a Benjamite, named Cush, who is most likely a servant of King Saul (from the tribe of Benjamin). Cush has apparently been persecuting David for things from which he feels innocent. David thus cries out to the Lord for deliverance.

While it is good for us to see ourselves in the Psalms, their real gift to us is to see Jesus Christ exalted in them. In Psalm 7, David’s claim of righteousness in verse 8 should make us feel uncomfortable. “8 The LORD judges the peoples; judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.” Who of us cries out to God to judge us according to our righteousness? Not me. Rather we cry out to the Lord to judge us with mercy for our sinfulness. Yet, there is one who is Righteous in all his ways. One who did not deserve the persecution that befell him – Jesus Christ.

Christ is the true voice of Psalm 7. When we read it, we should remember the many ways Jesus’ enemies hunted Him like a lion, until they finally struck Him down. Even from the cross, Jesus knew his Father would be faithful to save him. We can hear the echo of verse 10, “My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart.”, in Jesus final words as he gave up His spirit into the hands of His Father.

Where are you today in your journey of life? Are there enemies pursuing you? Are you feeling depressed from a shroud of darkness in the way things seem to be going. All these things were common to David as he wrote, and we can take comfort that they were felt by Jesus as well. But we need not fall to our dark feelings, for Christ is our shield. He will save those who hide themselves in Him and His righteousness. Our prayer in faith should always be, “Libera me, Domine”, deliver me, O Lord!

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

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Tears On Your Pillow?

O LORD, rebuke me not in thy anger, nor chasten me in thy wrath.

2 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled.

Psalm 6:1-2

Have you ever hurt so bad in your spirit that your whole being ached? It is one thing to hurt because of our own sinfulness as we endure the ugly consequences of our disobedience to God. But, it is another to hurt at the hands of others. To feel oppressed and terrorized is indeed a most fearful state, and to feel as such is common to all humanity at some time or other in life. However, it is precisely then the people of God have a refuge unlike any other in the world. Proverbs 18 says, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”

In Psalm 6, David cries out to God with the oldest prayer of God’s people – “Lord have mercy”. It seems his soul is burdened, though we are not sure just why. Perhaps because of his own sinfulness, yet he doesn’t confess his sin in this particular Psalm. However, he does confess to the Lord his weariness. His soul aches from all his troubles to the point where he can feel it in his bones (v 2,3). This Psalm is numbered among the so called, 7 Penitential Psalms (6,32,38,51,102,130,143) which offer contrition and lamentation along with a remembrance of God’s mercy and faithfulness, and a plea for forgiveness.

Are you hurting so bad you can’t even find the words for you pain? Or perhaps you’ve hurt so long, that you are now numb to the pain. Staying humble before God and crying out to him in the night is critical to not getting lost in despair. God’s people must never despair of hope. Though there may be darkness all around us, we must remind ourselves that “joy comes in the morning” (Ps 30). There is always hope for God’s people.

Even as David lamented to God of his pain, so too we can hear the cries of Jesus to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. They both knew the Lord heard their prayers (v 8,9). They both knew He would give them them strength to face another day. You can too. If your life is filled with tears on your pillow, lift your eyes to the Lord. His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting.

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

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Rise, Pray & Watch

Give ear to my words, O LORD; give heed to my groaning. Hearken to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to thee do I pray.O LORD, in the morning thou dost hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for thee, and watch.

Psalm 5:1-3

Are you one of those persons who wakes up grumpy? It’s hard for you to get up in the mornings so first thing you do is slowly roll out, stagger to the coffee maker, and wait till there’s just enough coffee in the pot to pour a cup in hopes that you’ll be able to function again in a few minutes. I confess. I was that person for many years – until my Cardiologist took me off all caffeine.

I was always a morning person, once I got started. I just needed a little help from my friend (coffee). I don’t know if they had coffee in Bible days, but David seemed to be a morning person. Often in the Psalms he speaks of rising early, before the dawn, and praying to God. Psalm 5 has been a part of the Morning Prayers of the churches of the Western traditions since the Rule of St. Benedict was formed in the late 5th Century.

In David’s words of Psalm 5 we can also read the voice of Jesus as he rises early to greet the coming day with reverence. Much of the Psalm alternates between His pleas for God to hear Him and lead His way throughout the coming day, and His recognition of His many enemies (vs. 5-13). And, in verse 7 we have a climax as David prophetically speaks of Jesus coming into the House (Temple) of the Lord to worship by the mercy and love of God, and in reverent fear. He even notes that He will bow down and worship in the direction of the Holy Temple.

Are you a morning person? David and Jesus definitely were. Even without the aide of caffeine, I find rising to pray early in the morning is the best way to start my day. The early morning is the best part of the day. Everything is fresh and new. The dew is still on the grass and flowers. Everything is made new again. And so, regardless of the enemies we will face, we can begin with a fresh spirit, renewed not just by sleep, but by time with our Father. Even if your walk with Christ in the Garden is metaphorical, that is you may prefer the easy chair and a cup of coffee to a walk outside as you pray, the important thing is – to rise and pray.

Jesus said, “Behold, I am making all things new” (Rev. 21:5). He is the beginning and the end. Won’t you begin and end your day with Him? If you will, you’ll find yourself with Him a lot more through out the day as well. Jesus didn’t just rise and pray, he also said he would “prepare a sacrifice, and watch” (vs. 3). May our days and all that fills them be as a sacrifice to God as we “watch” for Him to move in our lives.

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

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The End Is Always Near

O men, how long shall my honor suffer shame? How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies? [Selah] But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him

Psalm 4:3-4

Have you anyone for whom you long to return to goodness and right living? Perhaps a wayward child or friend? They seem lost and you fear they shall not find repentance before the end of their days. David composed Psalm 4 as and ode to such feelings. He has confidence that God will hear his prayers and strengthen him in his distress, but still his heart yearns to see the return of his lost loved ones (vs. 1-2).

Prophetically, we hear the voice of Jesus calling out to the Father for His lost children. Jesus is the “Holy One” who was made “wondrous” (Septuagint version, vs. 4), the “godly” whose cry the Lord God always hears (Masoretic version, vs. 3).

It is a beautiful thought to know that Jesus is crying out to the Father for those who are lost. He knows the end is near. The end is always near for everyone. Whether Christ returns today to usher in the age to come, or if we die this day, our end is always near.

Are you one of His lost children? Perhaps you don’t even know how you got lost, you just woke up and found yourself far away from where you began. Take heart and know that Jesus is crying out for you to return to the Father. Have you any lost loved ones on your prayer list? Take comfort in knowing they’re on Jesus’ prayer list too.

There is a way to live that is righteous and good. Jesus says in the gospel the gate to righteousness is narrow and few are those who find it (Matt. 7:14). If you are struggling to make sense of life, won’t you tell your heartaches to your Father? God loves you and knows your concerns. Jesus is telling you it’s okay to be angry at the way things are going, but in your anger do not sin. Don’t blame God in your anger. Rather, lay down to rest tonight in repentance (vs. 4-5). Jesus will lead you in paths of righteousness. Remember, the end is nearer than when you began.

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

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No Evil Formed Against You

But thou, O LORD, art a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.

Psalm 3:4

Some days it’s hard to lift up our heads, isn’t it? The world seems to beat us up such that we feel we can’t go on – but we can! We can go on because the Lord is the one who lifts our head. He is the one who becomes our shield so that none of Satan’s flaming arrows hit their mark. The Lord does all this and more, but He doesn’t do it against our will; it remains for us to call upon the name of the Lord. And, the moment we do, all the powers of Heaven lift us up, shield us from the evil one and give us the glorious victory in Jesus.

In Psalm 3 we read how King David was having one of those days when he couldn’t go on. He was troubled by the amount of evil that was formed against him (vs.1-3. David’s own son, Absalom was trying to kill him). Yet, as he laments the attempts upon his soul, he is reminded he has a protector. David knows that God will defend him against all evil, because he trusts in God’s faithfulness. Notice in verse 6 how David didn’t let his fears paralyze him. He laid down and went to sleep knowing the Lord would be with him.

Although the Psalm was written by David, it is written prophetically of Jesus. We can hear Christ in his humanity crying out to the Father (vs. 5) in His most difficult moments, knowing the leaders of the people were seeking to kill him. In verse 9 we can hear His affirmation – “Salvation is of the Lord. And Your blessing is upon your people”.

What are you going through right now? Are these difficult times for you personally as you struggle to understand things that are happening to you or to those close to you? If so, read Psalm 3 as a prayer of confidence as you cry out to the Lord. He will hear you. He is the one who lifts your head. Then tonight, lay down your head on your pillow and know… no evil formed against you will stand.

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

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The Truth About Wisdom and Fear

 

Serve the LORD with fear, with trembling, kiss his feet, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 2:11-12

Wisdom is highly valued in every society. But, what is wisdom really? Is it the accumulation of much knowledge? Perhaps in a sense it is. Or, is wisdom the ability to use common sense in everyday life? Some people are said to be wise in “street smarts”, or from the “school of hard knocks”, where they were educated in such common sense wisdom. Whatever wisdom is, it must have a beginning, a time when we really begin to learn. Proverbs 9:10 tells us that the beginning of wisdom is when we “fear” God.

Psalm 2 teaches us just why fear of God is where all wisdom begins. In the Psalm, the Lord (vs. 2) is God the Father, but the voice of the Psalm is Jesus, the Son who was begotten of the Father (vs. 7). The Father has given the world and all that is in it, kings and kingdoms, rulers and authorities, over to the Son as His inheritance. Fear of God will always lead us to love Him, because we will see how much He has loved us through the giving of His Son.

It seems there are many to fear in this world; criminals, terrorist, evil rulers. Yet, in all of these things there is really only One whom we must fear, One who is greater, One who rules with all wisdom and authority because the world is His and He made it:

“Thus you shall say to them, “The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens. It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens.…” Jer. 10:11-12

So, how do we live in this world and not fear the, “terror that stalks by night, or the arrow that flies by day” (Ps 91)? By learning to develop a healthy fear of God our Father, which only comes as we grow in relationship to Him as He is revealed to us in His Son, Jesus Christ. And, by learning to know Jesus as the Good Shepherd how watches over His sheep (Jn 10). In verses 11-12 the Psalmist admonishes us to, “be instructed” and to “lay hold of His instruction”. If we fail to learn from Jesus we may, “perish from the righteous way” (vs. 12).

Do you have a healthy fear of God? Are you being instructed by Him as you walk through your everyday life? I hope so. Fearing God and learning from Him are the hallmarks of an intentional disciple of Jesus. Remember, “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”, for they are truly wise.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Brad

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The Embrace of Truth

“…and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:32

“God, having placed good and evil in our power, has given us full freedom of choice; He does not keep back the unwilling, but embraces the willing.”

St. John Chrysostom

 On the fourth day of July, each year Americans gather to celebrate their independence. We pause to thank God for things like freedom and the high price that was paid by so many through much war and strife so that we can live in such freedom; free from the fear of tyranny. But, freedom by itself, when left completely unchecked is not a good thing. In fact, freedom if not properly appreciated and kept in proper perspective will always lead to slavery.

Perhaps, we have come full circle in America today? In the 1700’s we rebelled against total tyranny. We were a governed people with no voice in the governance. Now, 240 years after throwing off such tyranny, it’s not hard to imagine tyranny reigning again in our future by both camps, the right and the left. Both are pulling our nation in polar opposite directions. It seems the pendulum swings hard these days. Freedom is rarely found in extremism. Rather, freedom is always found in truth. Now more than ever we must labor for truth.

Perhaps, we need to hear again voices of long ago? No, not the voices of our founding fathers, rather the voices of the ancient fathers of Christianity. St. John Chrysostom said that God placed both good and evil within the grasp of humanity; it is our choice how we wish to live. He delivered those words in a culture that was free to indulge in every kind of decadence that can be imagined, including adultery, pornography, the lavish wasting of wealth and resources. Ancient Antioch even had streets made of marble and lined with pure golden statues. Yet in it’s freedom, Antioch could not endure it’s own decay from within.

The Lord Jesus, in John 8, when speaking to those who would believe, reminded them they were free to believe or not, but it was in choosing to believe they would find true freedom. True freedom is only found in truth; “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32). Truth is the only thing that will check the extremes of unbounded freedom.

So where is truth today? How can we find the truth that will set us free from the extreme pull of the political pendulum? Alas, truth is still where it always was and always will be, in Jesus Christ and His Word. As St. John Chrysostom said, God embraces the willing. Are we willing to seek hard after truth? As willing as we were to fight for freedom? Let us remember, God will not hold back those who are unwilling, but He will embrace those who willingly seek after truth.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Brad