Tag: Psalms

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To Where Does Your Heart Run?

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure.

10 For thou dost not give me up to Sheol, or let thy godly one see the Pit.

11 Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence there is fullness of joy, in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.

Psalm 16:9-11

The Old Testament people of God didn’t have a developed theology of resurrection. There was an understanding that when a person died they descended to ‘Sheol’ (Hebrew) or ‘Hades’ (Greek), a place for the dead. Gradually they understood Sheol to have two sides, one for the righteous who were somehow comforted by God, and the other for those who were not; theirs was a place of darkness and suffering. As we pray with the Psalmist in Psalm 16, we see that he believed the Lord would not abandon him to the ‘Pit’, the dark side of Sheol for the unrighteous dead.

In this Psalm we can hear the voice of Jesus as David prays prophetically. He prays in faith, knowing His Father (the Lord) will not abandon him after death. Jesus always knew His road would lead to the cross. Whenever the knowledge of such impending suffering would overwhelm Him, He took comfort in the Lord’s leading. Ultimately, He knew the “path of life”, lead to “fullness of joy” and “pleasures for evermore” (v. 11).

To where does you heart run when you’re overwhelmed with the pain and struggles of this life? As Christians we can take comfort in knowing our Father will not abandon us to the Pit. We too can know the promises of God are of joy and peace for evermore. St. Peter reminds us that in this life we will have times of trial and testing, but if we will “cast our anxieties on Him”, we can be assured He cares for us, “And after you have suffered a little while, The God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you.” (1 Ptr. 5:7,10)

So today, no matter where the day takes you, let you heart be glad, let your soul rejoice, and know that your body will dwell secure (v 9), for there is no good apart from God (v 2). Let you heart run to the promise of resurrection.

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

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The Greatest Question?

O LORD, who shall sojourn in thy tent? Who shall dwell on thy holy hill?

Psalm 15:1

There are several of what can be called ‘first order’ questions. Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? And of course, What’s the meaning of life? Those questions often precede us in our journey to faith in Christ. All people ask them eventually.

But, for the Christian the greatest question changes. Once we become spiritually aware of our journey with God in this world, and that it is leading us toward another world, we realize we’re not fit for the life with God in the next.

There is an interesting paradox discovered by all the saints of the ages. The more we grow in the Spirit of Christ, that is the closer we get to God, the less holy we feel, the more sinful we see ourselves. This is because we realize more and more how infinitely holy God is. Our goal post is always moving further away the closer we think we get. We can never be completely like Jesus Christ. But, Thanks be to God He gives us his grace to redeem us and purify our hearts so that our intentions may become pure towards Him. This is what it means, to use St. Paul’s words, to be “sanctified entirely” (1 Thess. 5:24).

It is in the realization of this paradox the Psalmist, David, asks the greatest question of the human heart – who can live on Your holy mountain, O Lord? The question is asked many times, in many different ways, and by many different people throughout scripture. But, the answer is always a variation of the same thing.

We must live blamelessly before the Lord. Verse three tells us our blameless ways must flow from our hearts. To live a holy, sanctified life, we must have a pure heart that issues forth into the works of pure hands. Then, we can do the works of righteousness He prepared for us before the foundation of the world (Eph. 2:10).

Where are you on your journey with the Lord? Have you come to place of asking that greatest of questions? Have you heard His answers? I hope so. Know this, the journey never stops, we never fully arrive in this world. God will always take you further than you ever thought you could go. There may even be more questions. But, the Spirit of the Lord is ours in ever increasing measure if we ask Him to accompany us along the way.

Shalom,

Pastor Brad.

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Agony

How long, O LORD? Wilt thou forget me for ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

Psalm 13:1

Have you ever suffered such intense pain that you despaired of living, that you felt you physically couldn’t go on? I hope not. But, sadly such agony of suffering is quite common to our humanity. It is in a very real sense, something we instinctively try to avoid at all cost. However, for the Christian the call of Jesus is the call to die. St. Paul said he was ‘crucified’ with Christ, so that he would no longer live to himself but that Christ would live and reign within him (Gal. 2:20).

At the time of my writing this devotion, it is only hours from learning that a dear friend, the child of a dear friend, died of tragic circumstances. I arose to read Psalm 13 today and immediately felt the need to call out to Jesus for my friends who are dying inside at their loss.

We often think of this ‘death to self’ as a metaphor for having made a decision to follow Christ. But, is that all it is? Not really. The call of the Christian to die is nothing less than a call to agony and suffering. Not a suffering we go looking for, but the kind that comes to us in all forms from this broken and sinful world. And when it comes, our response is to die upon the cross of our suffering when it presents itself. Crucifixion and agony go hand in hand.

Agony is defined as the final stages of a painful death, or as extreme physical or mental suffering. Whatever can be said of agony, it carries such a finality and extreme pain that few can bear it for long without giving up. It is precisely at this moment of giving up that we hear the Psalmist cry out in the prayer of Psalm 13. In the voice of David, we can hear the voice of Jesus as he faced the greatest agony of His life in the Garden of Gethsemane. And, it is precisely at this point of giving up that we realize we are not alone – Jesus is with us!

Though the pain and agony Jesus endured were excruciating, to the point of sweating drops of blood (Luke 22:34), we know He was able to cast His extreme burden on His Father. Verse five tells us He trusted in the steadfast love of the Father, whose love never changes and whose mercies never end.

Whatever suffering and agony you face today, know you’re never alone. Even though all your friends may forsake you, remember, there is one who sticks closer than a brother (Prov. 18:24), and His name is Jesus. Call upon the name of the Lord, for there is power in the name of Jesus. Is there anything greater we can do in the midst of our darkest circumstances than to call upon the name of Jesus? I don’t think so. Perhaps listening to this song will help strengthen your faith today so you can call upon the name of the Lord.

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

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Whose Words Will You Believe?

7 Do thou, O LORD, protect us, guard us ever from this generation.

8 On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

Psalm 12:7,8

The feeling of living in a vile generation has been common to all ages, for sin is common to all. However, having said that, it still feels as though things are headed in the wrong direction in today’s modern culture. The psalmist felt as if there was no truth left among the people in his day; the godly seemed to have vanished and it seemed everyone was full of lies (v 2).

Words have always been important because in them the truth is spoken. However, it can be very challenging to a society when the culture decides to change the meaning of words in order to fit a new agenda that is counter to timeless truths. Today, we are living in an age that is not only changing the meaning of words but is rejecting the very truths at the heart of the words. When a society loses all sense of objective truth, then what is considered truth becomes relative to the whims of those who can command the most attention.

The psalmist says the wicked seem to be on every side (v 8). The breakdown of truth we are experiencing in our culture today is not a new thing – it’s just new to us. The psalmist felt it in his day. Jesus felt it in His day too. But, the good news is found in verse 6; the promises of the Lord are as pure as silver that’s been purified seven times.

The righteous have not been forsaken, though it may appear so at times. The Lord will arise (v 5). He will rescue the righteous with His salvation. God will always rescue those who stand with Him and the truth of His Word.

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away”

So, whose words will you believe? The culture around you that is saying wrong is right, that there is no sin? Or will you stand with God and His words? Before you decide, be sure you hear the words of the prophet Isaiah on this very subject…

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!… Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom go up like dust; for they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts, and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.” (Isa. 5:21,22,24)

Rather than be discouraged about the way things seem to be headed in a culture that wants to re-define words at every turn, be strong in the Lord, and in His words. Don’t let go of His words…His truth. He has promised to protect the righteous in every generation.

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

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The Safe Place

4 The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven; his eyes behold, his eyelids test, the children of men.

Psalm 11:4

When we pray Psalm 11, we here the voice of the Church as the true body of Christ proclaiming the only real safety is, “in the Lord” (v 1). He is the only completely safe place. This is a frequent theme of the psalmist. He knows that in the Lord he will find shelter and refuge.

As we journey through this dark and dangerous world, we can know…we must know, that the Church of Jesus Christ (the Body) is our place of refuge; the righteous run into it and are saved (Prov. 18:10). The Church is the “holy temple” (v 4) from which Christ reigns, and it extends from the reaches of Heaven to the ends of the earth.

The psalmist doesn’t need to flee to the mountains to escape the evil that is chasing him (v 1) and neither do we. We only need to stand strong in the name of the Lord. Jesus Christ is the true “upright in heart” (v 2), and when we stand strong in the power of His might (Eph. 6:10), we are more than conquerors.

The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked (v 5), but we know we can pass the test, not in our strength, but in His. Are you feeling the test? Sometimes we just want the tests to go away. I’m sure the psalmist did too; you can hear it in his voice. But like the psalmist we must keep praising the name of the Lord. We must not give up. No matter what happens, each day we must lose ourselves in his mercy and grace. Just as God was faithful to save Lot from Sodom and Gomorrah, so too He will be faithful to rescue us from the coming storms of fire and brimstone.

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

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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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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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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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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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