THE PSALMS – A JOURNEY IN WORSHIP AND FAITH - January 8, 2015 - Day 145 - Psalm 145

We talk a lot about what we will do in heaven. Everybody seems to have their own little concept and usually we all want the things important to us here to be there. But the truth is the main point of heaven and of our very presence there will be to praise God. The psalms of the Bible are filled with praise but Psalm 145 may just be the ultimate praise psalm.

Psalm 145:1
A SONG OF PRAISE. OF DAVID. I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.

Not only has David decided to praise God for ever, he has humbled himself before God and made Him King of his life.

Psalm 145:2
Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.

David committed himself to daily praise. So must we. Make everyday Thanksgiving Day.

Psalm 145:3
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.

If we really believed verse 3 then we would never have to question Him. Why does God do this or why did God let that happen? God’s ways are greater than ours and sometimes the answer is just above our understanding, but God is good and all His ways are good as well.

Psalm 145:4
One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.

We must share the legacy of God with our young.

Psalm 145:5-7
On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

Take time each day to just mediate on God. Think about the creation and its beauty. Muse over the power of a simple atom and remember God spoke that into existence. Sing out the greatness of God.

Psalm 145:8-9
The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.

It is a testament to God’s mercy and grace that he has not just wiped us all off the face of the earth. Yet God even provides food and warmth and life to those who mock and ridicule His very existence.

Psalm 145:10-12
All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you! They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power, to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

One day every knee shall bow to Jesus. Why wait until it’s too late to do so on the wrong side of eternity?

Psalm 145:13-16
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. [The LORD is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.] The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.

God is so patient with us. If you are down and lying in the mud and slime of the pig pen He will raise you up.

Psalm 145:18-19
The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.

But God will not force Himself upon us. We must call out to Him in our need. To fear Him is to revere Him. If you call on Him and are willing to relinquish control of your life to Him He will hear your cry and save you.

Psalm 145:20
The LORD preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

Jesus is coming back and when He does there will come serious judgment. It will be eternal judgment.

Psalm 145:21
My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

David was as messed up as any man can be. His sins were many and they included murder, adultery, and lying. Yet God loved Him and called Him a man after His own heart. David knew God and understood the wonderful mercy and grace God is willing to give. So he repented and he devoted his life to praise. Let us carry on that work. Let us begin today and bless His Holy name forever and ever.

THE PSALMS – A JOURNEY IN WORSHIP AND FAITH - January 7, 2015 - Day 144 - Psalm 144

The history of America is an interesting story of a people who in the beginning believed God was behind their success. In God We Trust is the inscription that we see on our money which is in itself a bit of irony. Americans today for the most part do not trust God. It is the almighty dollar that drives every act of the American way. David wrote Psalm 144 and in it declares that it is in God that he would trust. We would do well as both a nation and as individuals to do the same.

Psalm 144:1-2
OF DAVID. Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle; he is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.

Study the American Revolution and behind the victory you cannot help but see God’s hand. George Washington was a great man of prayer. He was ready to concede defeat as he was watching his brave men die for what appeared a losing cause and it was too much for him to bear. But out of defeat God brought victory.

Psalm 144:3
O LORD, what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him?

David asks the question. Why God do you even care about us?

Psalm 144:4
Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.

We have nothing to offer God; all of it is His.

Psalm 144:5-8
Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down! Touch the mountains so that they smoke! Flash forth the lightning and scatter them; send out your arrows and rout them! Stretch out your hand from on high; rescue me and deliver me from the many waters, from the hand of foreigners, whose mouths speak lies and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

The power of man pales in comparison to God’s power. David understood this and rather than trust in himself or his army, he trusted in God.

Psalm 144:9-10
I will sing a new song to you, O God; upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you, who gives victory to kings, who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.

David was also a man of worship and praise.

Psalm 144:11
Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, whose mouths speak lies and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

Men are liars. Satan is the enemy and the father of lies. Our battle is a spiritual one. It requires spiritual warriors.

Psalm 144:12-14
May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace; may our granaries be full, providing all kinds of produce; may our sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields; may our cattle be heavy with young, suffering no mishap or failure in bearing; may there be no cry of distress in our streets!

Imagine the change we could make as Christians if we returned to having big families. What if we brought up so many Christian children that our schools were dominated by the Word of Christ lived out in them? But what has happened is that we bought the lie of Satan. We are afraid to have children; afraid we can’t afford them. But what we are really afraid of is trusting God. We have put our trust in those coins and those bills that say In God We Trust, in reality we just don’t exercise our faith. In the mean time the Muslims have moved into our neighborhoods and are filling our world, our country, and our schools with false religion. They are having big families while the Christians have one or two. This is no accident. America will one day be dominated by the Muslim faith.

Psalm 144:15
Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall! Blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!

David knew and he is teaching us today. The only way to happiness is to make Jesus Lord. It is time to return to our roots. It is time to live it out and return to In God We Trust. It is time to be fruitful and fill the earth with the love of Christ.

THE PSALMS – A JOURNEY IN WORSHIP AND FAITH - January 6, 2015 - Day 143 - Psalm 143

If David were alive today I am sure he would be given the diagnosis of Bi-Polar Manic depression. Being one who possesses that title, I can relate to David. He suffers so often from despair. At times he seems about ready to give up. He sins and he knows it. He hates his sin and he longs for more for himself in terms of holiness. Often David feels alone. Often David feels desperation and fear. Yet in the blink of an eye he turns from his depression and seeks God. He worships and praises. He finds his solace in God and is a man of faith. He prays as if it’s the very breath he lives on. Psalm 143 is but one more example of why God calls David “a man after His own heart.”

Psalm 143:1
A PSALM OF DAVID. Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!

David does not appeal to God on the basis of his own righteousness but on the basis of God’s.

Psalm 143:2
Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.

Paul would echo this thought in Romans 3:10 saying “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.”

Psalm 143:3-4
For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead. Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.

Like David we have an enemy that persecutes our soul. Satan surrounds us and he tempts us into darkness. He reminds us of our sins and our failures. Satan wants us to be overwhelmed in spirit.

Psalm 143:5-6
I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands. I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah

When depression overtakes us and the enemy surrounds us we need to stop and remember Jesus. We need to remember what He did on the cross. We need to mediate on the many promises of scripture. We need to stretch forth our hands and thirst for the one who provides living water upon which if we drink deeply of will quench every thirst of our souls.

Psalm 143:7-12
Answer me quickly, O LORD! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD! I have fled to you for refuge! Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground! For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life! In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble! And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies, and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul, for I am your servant.

We need to pray like David did. David seeks God in the morning. It is wise counsel to make your first act of the day as you awaken to be prayer. Praise Him as soon as you wake up. Cry out to Him. Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you that your righteousness can only be His righteousness imputed to us by Jesus. Don’t even give the devil a chance to have your day. Give it to God first thing. Be a servant of God and then no matter what you face the rest of the day you can know God is right there and He will carry you through.

THE PSALMS – A JOURNEY IN WORSHIP AND FAITH - January 5, 2015 - Day 142 - Psalm 142

There are times in our lives when we just feel alone. These feelings can come up on us even while we are surrounded by people. Sometimes even the people closest to us seem to us as if they are plotting against us. Even if these are just unfounded feelings exasperated by a spiritual attack or if those closest to us really are out to get us, the result is that we get depressed and troubled. David wrote psalm 142 while hiding in a cave, all alone and with a physical enemy. But for us as Christians we know that our real battle is spiritual as Paul informs us in Ephesians 6:12 saying, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” The answer is the same for both David and us; prayer.

Psalm 142:1-2
A MASKIL OF DAVID, WHEN HE WAS IN THE CAVE. A PRAYER. With my voice I cry out to the LORD; with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD. I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.

A maskil is a psalm that instructs us. David instructs us here to not only pray, but in certain times we must cry out to God. There are times of prayer when we silently speak to God but there are also times when we should pour out our complaints through our spoken voices. This is how to tell your troubles to God.

Psalm 142:3
When my spirit faints within me, you know my way! In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me.

Like David we often have fallen deeply in despair feeling like traps are set before us. Sometimes it seems we can do nothing right. God sees that. He knows our plight.

Psalm 142:4
Look to the right and see: there is none who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for my soul.

David was alone. Loneliness breeds fear and despair.

Psalm 142:5
I cry to you, O LORD; I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living."

In truth we are never alone. God has promised to never leave us not will He forsake us.

Hebrews 13:5
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

 Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to live in us when He ascended back to heaven.

 John 16:7
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

Psalm 142:6
Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low! Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me!

David understood what Paul teaches us in 2 Corinthians 12:9
“But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” The first step is humility; admission of our utter helplessness.

Psalm 142:7
Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name! The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.

When I read these words of David I cannot help but think of the church. We need to be involved in a good church. It has taken me years to understand this wisdom; I will never find the perfect church. I will disagree with some doctrine and some policy. I probably won’t think all the decisions made by the leaders are right. If I look hard enough I could find plenty of excuses to church hop. But if I find a church and seek out the friendships of the saints I will always have encouragement. Christ lives in each and every believer. I must leave my cave and spend time with the saints for they are one way God answers prayers of despair. They may not always look righteous but if they are Christians they, like me, are righteous by the covering of the Blood of Christ.

So today if you are in a cave: cry out to God. Give thanks to His name. Ask Him to send the righteous to surround you. Let God be your refuge. Amen.

THE PSALMS – A JOURNEY IN WORSHIP AND FAITH - January 4, 2015 - Day 141 - Psalm 141

In Hebrews 4:16 we are told to come boldly to the throne of grace. The word used in that passage speaks of our approaching God with confidence and assurance. The second half of that passage explains why we should dare to approach our creator with such audacity. It is so that we may obtain mercy and find grace in our times of need. God wants us to come to Him in prayer. Prayer is simply talking to God. David’s relationship with God transcended the way of the Old Testament which allowed only the High Priest to approach God and in a very specific way. David was not a priest by the order of Aaron as required by the law. David had a faith that took him past that and into the way of the New Testament made way by Jesus at the cross.

Psalm 141:1-2
A PSALM OF DAVID. O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you! Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

David came boldly and simply to God offering prayer that was so pleasing to God it was like the sweet smell of incense and with the reverence of a sacrificial offering.

Psalm 141:3-4
Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies!

David came with a repentant heart seeking God’s power to change his heart for he knew if his heart was right his behavior would follow.

Psalm 141:5
Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it. Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.

Most of us cringe at rebuke. We do not want anyone to criticize us. David asked God to send someone to him to bring correction. This is why God could look at such a man with so much sin in his life and still call him a man after God’s own heart.

Psalm 141:6-7
When their judges are thrown over the cliff, then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant. As when one plows and breaks up the earth, so shall our bones be scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

David prayed for his enemies and he let God be their judge. We need to follow this way for it is what Jesus commands us to do. We are to stay away from evil but we are to pray for the evil man to be saved from God’s wrath to come. It is God’s work to bring vengeance on the wicked. It is our work to be light to them.

Psalm 141:8-10
But my eyes are toward you, O GOD, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless! Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me and from the snares of evildoers! Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely.

David was not having a blind eye towards evil. Wicked men were chasing him but rather than asking God to give him the ability to destroy his enemies he asked God to just keep him safe from their plots. David sought refuge in God and part of resting in God is allowing God to be the judge and the one who brings the judgment.

The secret to living out this life for us as the Disciples of Christ is to take refuge in Him. Have faith in God and trust in His timing for the Day of Judgment will come. We must spend our days in bold prayer. We must learn, like David, to be praying that we don’t fall into the traps of Satan, which are designed to drag us into the gutter with the evil ones and to be filled with the same rage and anger they are. Our hope is in His mercy and in His grace.  

THE PSALMS – A JOURNEY IN WORSHIP AND FAITH - January 3, 2015 - Day 140 - Psalm 140

It is a violent world we live in. There are people who want to hurt you and take your things. When David wrote Psalm 140 he also lived in a violent world. As we should do, David called on God for protection.

Psalm 140:1-6
TO THE CHOIRMASTER. A PSALM OF DAVID. Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men; preserve me from violent men, who plan evil things in their heart and stir up wars continually. They make their tongue sharp as a serpent's, and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from violent men, who have planned to trip up my feet. The arrogant have hidden a trap for me, and with cords they have spread a net; beside the way they have set snares for me. Selah I say to the LORD, You are my God; give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O LORD!

Though we live in a literal world of danger the true battle is not physical but spiritual. Though our enemies appear to be simply men in reality scripture teaches us that there are spiritual realms we cannot see and though modern man denies their existence, there are demonic beings which are behind the plots of man. Ephesians chapter six enlightens us to this fact.

Psalm 140:7
O LORD, my Lord, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle.

As people of faith God has provided us armor for protection. The Helmet of Salvation as spoken of in Ephesians 6:17 speaks of something much greater than a physical helmet. It speaks of our secure position in Christ that provides a future guarantee of eternal life with God. This guards our minds and protects them from mental breakdown due to worry and anxiety because it means that man can do nothing to us on this earth other than move us closer to Jesus. We need not fear what mortal man can do to us if we wear that helmet.

Psalm 140:8
Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked; do not further their evil plot or they will be exalted! Selah

David prayed his enemies would not be successful in their evil plots. Then he prayed what we call an imprecatory prayer.

Psalm 140:9-11
As for the head of those who surround me, let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them! Let burning coals fall upon them! Let them be cast into fire, into miry pits, no more to rise! Let not the slanderer be established in the land; let evil hunt down the violent man speedily!

David lived in the age of law; we live in the age of grace. Our desire right now should be that of our Lord Jesus which was to take the power of the Gospel to the wicked and vile of the world. Our prayers are that they find salvation in Christ.

Psalm 140:12-13
I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and will execute justice for the needy. Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall dwell in your presence.

Psalm 140 ends with a glance at the future. Jesus is coming back and when He does He shall bring the sword of justice and judgment will fall upon those who reject Him. David lived amongst evil and violent men. So do we. Until Christ returns He expects us to growing past our fear and growing past our pain and our anger and to heap coals of fire on our enemies through love and through the Gospel. This requires faith. Look to Jesus today for the faith to be like Him, the one who even while dying on the cross was pleading with the Father to forgive the very ones who mocked Him, beat Him, and murdered Him.

 

 

THE PSALMS – A JOURNEY IN WORSHIP AND FAITH - January 2, 2015 – Day 139 - Psalm 139

We have all played hide and seek as children but sadly there are times when we think we can hide from God. We cannot. Psalm 139 is one of the most beautiful scriptures of the Bible and in it we see a glimpse at just how awesome God is and how important we are to Him. In it we learn that He not only knows where we are at all times; He knows what we are thinking. But even better we learn that He truly is with us no matter where we are.

Psalm 139:1
TO THE CHOIRMASTER. A PSALM OF DAVID. O LORD, you have searched me and known me!

We are so important to God that he searches us out and studies our very being.

Psalm 139:2
You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.

He knows our thoughts.

Psalm 139:3
You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.

He knows our actions.

Psalm 139:4
Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.

He knows what we are going to say even before we say it.

Psalm 139:5
You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.

We cannot escape God. He is omniscient.

Psalm 139:6
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

We should stop trying to explain God and simply enjoy Him.

Psalm 139:7-8
Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

We cannot run away from God’s presence. Even death will not remove us from His presence. He is omnipresent.

Psalm 139:9-10
If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

Man likes to think he is in control. “I am the captain of my own destiny” men say. God says no. We cannot take one single step that God has not allowed us to take.

Psalm 139:11-12
If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night," even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

We like to think the darkness will cover our sins. The light of God exposes us.

Psalm 139:13-15
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

God made me. He made you. He knows every bit of our being. Sometimes we think we need to change who we are so we can be like someone else. But God made us in our own uniqueness. The only person we need to be more like is Jesus. Our life should be about becoming like Jesus not some movie star or athlete.

Psalm 139:16
Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.

The sovereignty of God is complete. Our finite minds are unable to understand how this works. We like to speak of free will. We should be speaking of His will.

Psalm 139:17-18
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.

There is no end to the depths of God and His thoughts. Yet each of us is on His mind constantly. He is with us.

Psalm 139:19-22
Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain! Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.

Again we cannot understand all of God’s ways. We want God’s enemies to be destroyed. And it is right to hate evil.

Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

But hating evil and hating people are two different things. We must ask God to search out the truest motives of our hearts and reveal them to us. Then we must die to our selfish ways and let the love of Christ dwell within our hearts. We must resign the captaincy of our destiny and let God have the wheel. This may mean our ships will travel through storms at times. But in the end when we have let Him take the wheel we will come out of the storm with a deep and abiding faith. He will lead us in the way everlasting.