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Praise God

 

 

Psalm 125 is a praise song that the Israelites sang together while walking to Jerusalem for the Feast of Jehovah. This feast was celebrated every year. The people would make the trip so they could worship and celebrate together. Can you picture the scene?… a steady stream of people joyfully singing as they make their way up towards the city surrounded by mountains and hills. The temple sits at the highest point of the city so as they march up, praising God together with this song, their eyes are on the temple. The imagery is stunning and I get goose bumps thinking of the sound of masses of people praising God with this song on their journey. I wish I could hear the melody that goes with these words.

This tribute to God shows the people’s reverence toward His holy name. It speaks of His long-suffering, His goodness and grace, and it shouts thanksgiving for His everlasting mercy. These people had witnessed God’s faithfulness in the past. They were confident in His continuing goodness and grace toward them in the future. They recognized that God’s loving-kindness is unsurpassed and that His strength is matchless. They knew with certainty that God’s promises to His people last forever so they publicly and shamelessly raised their voices in this song to thank God.

 

“Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever. Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people, both now and forever.”

 

The promises in this Psalm are meant for us just as they were for the Israelites. We can look back through our own lives and see God’s goodness, faithfulness, grace, kindness and strength. We can recall the times He protected us, intervened on our behalf, and loved us beyond what we can comprehend. We should also look forward to the fulfillment of His promise to complete the good work He has started in all of us through Jesus. His promises last forever so He will not abandon us in our partially “finished” state. He will continue to shape us, renew our hearts, and complete the work of making us more like Him. This is praiseworthy! This makes me want to get to a mountaintop so I can shout out my thanks! There is hope for the things I am struggling with and the flaws in my person. He is working in me and changing me. He will complete the good work He has begun in me!!!

It’s Not About Luck

I’d rather be lucky than good, is the popular phrase.  While it is not true, it does acknowledge the fact that many things in this life are simply out of our control.  We try.  We try hard.  We learn, we practice and we push harder to become more.  It will never be enough.

This was certainly true for the Israelites.  Today, in Psalms 124, we witness the Israelites realization that God had been protecting them.  First, they realized that they were outnumbered.  Then came the sinking reality that they were outmatched.  Finally, they were overcome with fear.  I get the sense that they were ready to give up.  Thankfully, that is not how the story ends.  Instead of disaster, the Israelites are victorious.  It turns out that God was on their side.  He saved them from all of the horrible things that could befall them.

Of course, as I read these words,  I am struck that this is about us.  Just like the Israelites, are easily overwhelmed.  We are surrounded by accidents and assaults, illness and addiction.  Any of these can destroy our lives in an instant and there is nothing we can do about it.  It does not matter how good we are,  how hard we try, or how much we learn.  In the end, it is not about being lucky or good.  It is about claiming the victory that Jesus Christ has already ensured each of us.  He is the proof that God is on our side.   We would do well to praise him for that, right now.

Romans 8:31-34 (NLT) What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

 

 

 

 

 

Why Turning to God Makes Sense?

I have been contemplating pain and suffering and why God allows bad things to happen.

Psalm 123, our reading for today, has four verses.

1 Unto You I lift up my eyes,

O You who dwell in the heavens,

2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,

As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,

Until He has mercy on us.

3 Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us!

For we are exceedingly filled with contempt.

4 Our soul is exceedingly filled

With the scorn of those who are at ease,

With the contempt of the proud.

The readings and verses of the Old Testament of the Bible, Genesis to Malachi, are the depiction of God’s first covenant with man.  The Books are complex, the names hard to read, and sometimes, the sadness and outlandish nature of the stories are hard to comprehend.  Book after book in the Old Testament is about people suffering great loss, murder, famine, sadness, and devastation.

I find the brutality of stories in the Old Testament (sacrificing animals, death of children, destruction of cities and civilizations) makes it hard for me to relate and dare I say causes me to struggle to find meaning in my faith in God.   The Old Testament stories many times don’t seem to make sense.

With that said, Christianity has brought about standards and expectations of morality in our society, rights to women and children, and has advanced the betterment of society.  Yes, there are sinful Christians who do bad things.  But Christians know that our God does allow bad things to happen.  There are moments that tragedy stops us in our tracks.

Our brains are wired to try to understand and find meaning.  We cannot help but feel loss and devastation when we are hurt or sad.  We try to leave feelings of sadness and despair behind as quickly as we can.  Certainly, when family or friends suffer during a health episode or unfortunately, sometimes death, we yearn to find meaning.  We want to end the hurt and feel better with a sensible explanation.

Here is why I choose to turn to God during times of despair, suffering, or loss.  Pastor Andy Stanley stated in a recent sermon that “God allowed the worst possible thing to happen to the best possible person.”   Why should I question God’s judgement about terrible things?  God sent His only Son to experience grave and unimaginable suffering as a demonstration to us that if we believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, we will live in eternity in Heaven.   Yes, very bad things happened to our Savior, Jesus.  How can we expect that the God we believe in doesn’t have meaning or purpose for the bad things that happen?

Faith grows through challenge.  Faith grows through sacrifice.  We appreciate the good times more when we have experienced the bad.

 

Sunday Ascent

Cereal all down the front of the nice shirt – the only one ready and clean. The dog’s surprise accident right as you need to walk out the door. Breaking up a bickering argument between siblings. Every red light. Agh, the realization you forgot your wallet at home. Slamming on your breaks, spilling coffee, to avoid the vehicle that just cut you off 3 blocks away. Ding – a notification on your phone that you click on and learn bad news.
Does anyone else’s Sunday mornings ever feel like this? When Paul tells the church in Ephesus to be aware of the wiles of the devil, he’s not joking! Satan seems to pull out all the stops on the sabbath and throw us off physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It really does take the full armor of God to get out the door, and a mental reset on that walk into the building. The times I’ve had to ask my family and God for forgiveness for losing my patience on the drive in: E N D L E S S. Anyone else with me?
Our crazed trek into town and “up” Towanda Barnes Road to get to church hardly feels like what David is talking about in Psalms 122. This actual ascent to Jerusalem to come together and worship is one of joy, anticipation, and desire. They’re excited to worship together and pray for peace. There are fifteen psalms written about this Ascent, each laced with a contagious desire to be together. They were climbing physical elevation to get to Jerusalem, which was no small feat. But they did it with joy, together singing all of these psalms.
In the spring of 2020, the instant loss of physically gathering for church was really felt. It was another blow and change we were dealing with. Then as summer came it seemed like a lot of us had almost gotten used to this form of church. And don’t get me wrong, I am so grateful we had virtual church and everything made available to us to try to bring community into our families and homes. But… It’s definitely not the same.
Like everything pandemic related, we all had a difference experience. I talked to some people who liked doing it at home as a family and avoiding the wiles of Satan on those crazy Sunday mornings. I talked to others who felt really lost and out of sync not having that physical community. Some were torn – really missing the normalcy of church but not ready to come back yet.
So, does it matter?
As employees everywhere are showing how they’re able to do their job from home, it might be easy or tempting to make the leap that we can continue church at home as well.
From the beginning of humanity, God put in our heart a desire for community. He knew it wasn’t good for us to be alone, and provided a way for this physical gathering. All throughout the scriptures we can find examples of believers coming together, worshipping together, learning together and encouraging each other. And yes, there were seasons of improvising – like when Paul was in jail, he was sending off snail mail. But, oh how his heart desired to be back together with fellow Christ-followers!
I believe it does matter. I believe we were designed to come together, pray together, worship together, learn together. There’s something about the physical presence of being joined with a body of believers. It’s not about the bricks and mortar, but about the fellowship. The first time back to in-person church was an amazing experience. My heart was overflowing and I didn’t realize how big the impact would be. I hope I never take for granted the opportunity to gather – especially when brothers and sisters around the world do not have this privilege. And how much of this opportunity is actually a responsibility? What maturing of my faith does God have for me, that’s possible through church community? And how would the Lord want to use me if I were present?
Here are some themes that inspired me this week to make our Ascent an anticipated event:
Jesus went to church regularly and participated. Luke 4:16 What an example for us!
Stir up each others hearts, don’t neglect meeting together. Hebrews 10:24-25 Be encouraged and be an encourager!
 
We are all different parts, but come together to form one body. 1 Corinthians 12:12 We all have a designed role!
 
Gather together in Jesus’ name when issues come up. Matthew 18:15-20 He guides us through troubles together! 

Going Out and Coming In (Psalm 121)

Where are you going today? Chances are, unless you’re injured/ill (in this case may the God bless you and keep you) you’ll be going somewhere with plans to return. May God bless you and keep you in your journeys.

Have you heard the song “The Blessing” by Kari Jobe? She sings “He is with you in the morning and the evening and your coming and your going”. Our family listens to and sings this song over and over (don’t ask for a recording, we’re not so vocally gifted). I still can’t get over the little tears that well up when I hang onto every lyric (especially the live version or when we sing during worship at church). The song really impacts me because I sense the Holy Spirit and have come to believe every word as truth; the song itself is a blessing!

I brought up the song because of the following verse in today’s reading of Psalm 121:

The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. (Psalm 121:8)

Instead of “keep”, other translations use the word “guard” (MSG) or “keeps watch” (NLT). Do you sense his presence in your coming and going out? Do you sense his presence keeping watch over you right now? I pray as I write, for God to bless you dear reader. Pause and reflect that even this moment was planned as you read this post; I pray also that you are seeking His face, His will, His forgiveness, and you are actively receiving his love.

Think about it, the God of the universe, the creator of Heaven and Earth, is with us wherever we go. It is so hard to grasp that he could be with billions of people all at the same time, no matter where we are. As you walk out the door, interact with others, wait for the traffic signal to change, wait for the medical appointment, stand in grocery store checkout line, the walk through the park, bringing the kids to school, travel to other cities and everything else we are able to do – God is with you.

In your going out and coming in today, pause again and say a little prayer of gratitude; acknowledge Him for his presence and praise him for his never-ending love for you! This same God with you is the one who sent his only son Jesus to live in human flesh, to die on a cross, and to live again – all to reach us, to save us from our sins.

“the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:25-26 ESV)

Ahhh-men… Ahhh-men, ahhh-men….

Psalm 120

Our text for today is only 7 verses long.  Don’t let the length, however, shortchange the impact of its message.  The Psalmist is calling out to God for help overcoming the impact of slander.

Slander – words falsely spoken that damage the reputation of another (vocabulary.com).

One of the hardest things about dealing with the impact of slander is that you don’t even know it has happened until after the damage is done.  Have you ever experienced this?  I have, and I will attest that the scars run deep.  It is an incredibly hard experience to overcome especially when the perpetrator was someone you trusted and/or thought was on your side.

As I was preparing for today’s post, I consulted my Life Application Study Bible to see what insight it had on Psalm 120.  Its message was just what I needed to hear today.  Rather than focusing on the sin and its harmful impact, the notes for this chapter focus on a God-honoring response – peacemaking.

Peacemaking is not always popular.  Some people prefer to fight for what they believe in.  The glory of the battle is in the hope of winning, but someone must be a loser.  The glory of peacemaking is that it may actually produce two winners.  Peacemaking is God’s way, so we should carefully and prayerfully attempt to be peacemakers (Tyndale House, 1996).

Deciding when to fight for what is right and when to simply pursue peace, especially in the face of slander, isn’t easy.  On one hand, you don’t want to be perceived as a pushover.  But on the other hand, you also don’t want a bad reputation, to be seen as confrontational or viewed as closed-minded.  This may also mar your reputation.  I know peacemaking is supposed to produce two winners, but I will attest, it still feels like losing a lot of the time.  My fourteen year old daughter and I often talk about “taking the high road” and “turning the other cheek”.  It is hard in junior high, but even harder as an adult.  Think about it, the stakes are higher when a bad reputation has the potential to impact things in which you’ve made long-term investment (like your career or long-term relationships).

The Bible gives Christfollowers clear direction on how we are to respond to those who sin against us – return good for evil.  Turns out this is even harder than turning the other cheek and walking away!  Fortunately we have a God who is willing to help us do the right thing even when we don’t feel like it.  Can making peace with those who have sinned against you help repair your reputation?  Perhaps.  Even if it doesn’t though, obedience to the ways of the Lord will always produce a better outcome.  It may not change your reputation, but it may change your heart.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil.  Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.  On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:17-21).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Psalm 119

Located in the middle of the Bible is Psalm 119. It is the longest Psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible. It is written as an Acrostic poem and it is broken down into 22 sections. Each section starts with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet and each verse in the section starts with the same letter. Of course this is more noticeable in the original Hebrew writing, but it is significant because this structure made it easier for people to memorize and pass along to others.

Each verse in Psalm 119 could stand on its own. Matthew Henry, who was a Bible commentator in the 18th century, grew up meditating on a verse per day from Psalm 119. His father taught him to do this and told him, “That will bring you to be in love with all the rest of the scriptures”. Perhaps this is why Matthew Henry went on to write Bible commentaries. We become very close to what we meditate on every day.

I thought of this while I read through all 176 verses of Psalm 119. Almost every verse mentions God’s Word.  The author refers to the word as precepts, commands, principles, laws, commandments, ways, truths, and decrees. He is constantly redirecting all things back to God and His truth. There are verses of praise, anguish, despair, trial, and blessing. And after each proclamation of these human feelings there is a reminder that God’s word is the firm foundation that we stand on in the midst of struggle and praise. It is the answer to all things if we will recognize it and ask God for help.

Psalm 119:25-32 “I lie in the dust, completely discouraged; revive me by your word. I told you my plans, and you answered. Now teach me your principles. Help me understand the meaning of your commandments, and I will meditate on your wonderful miracles. I weep with grief, encourage me by your word. Keep me from lying to myself; give me the privilege of knowing your law. I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your laws. I cling to your decrees. Lord, don’t let me be put to shame! If you will help me, I will run to follow your commands.”

Do you hear yourself in any of the above verses? There is hope when we take all of our cares to Him and look for His guidance and not our own. There have been many opportunities to draw close to Jesus over the past year. It has made all the difference in my life. I pray the same for you!

 

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is with me, I will not be afraid; what can anyone do to me? 7. It is the Lord who helps me, and I will see my enemies defeated.  8 It is better to trust in the Lord than depend on people. 9 It is better to trust in the Lord than depend on human leaders.

I’m not sure what you have planned today.  Maybe you’ve just had a chance to read this, and your day is coming to a close.  In either case, you, as I reflect on Psalm 118, I’m reminded that as we believe and trust in the Lord, it is quick to lose sight that no matter time of day or task at hand, our Heavenly Father is always on our side.  When you truly believe and trust Him as the center of your life, you can live without fear. How awesome it is to know right now we can live every moment without any worry when we live in obedience.

Often, my lack of trust and wisdom throughout years and even in recent moments have led me down many dead-end roads. Times of complete self-absorption that goes opposite of where the Lord is asking me to be. He takes me through hills and valleys that remind me of my desire and need to put more trust in Him for every aspect of my life. Along this journey that includes being a parent, He has led me to a daily prayer asking the Lord to have His will with my life and to help me to show His love for Him in my actions and words. More Him, less me!

I think of the father in Mark that was asking Jesus for help with his son. He says in Mark 9:24 Immediately, the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”  — Help me in any unbelieving time Lord. Or times where I think I have it figured out without your

The people-pleasing days and moments can come calling daily.  Pray, Listen, and take the next step. He is by our side!

Have a blessed day.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Hebrews 11:6

1 Corinthians 2:5

Power in brevity

John 11:35 

Jesus wept. 

This is the shortest verse in the bible.  It has some of the most powerful imagery and connotation that can be given in the Bible.  This is one of the most excruciating moments in Jesus life.  It is summed up in two words.

I have in the past miscounted the simple terms and phrases, but as I reflect on these items I have found they are the most profound.  I have also miscounted the sequences of name and events of their importance.  This is something that we have been conditioned in our society to do.  We have associated brevity as something simple and non-complex.  We have associated the last as the least of the group.

But Christ has changed the system completely.  In the simplest items he has given us the most complex entity  :  Blood :: Salvation. He has also changed the way we see order.  The Spirit of God is not the least of the persons of God, but the unifying presence of the Father and the Son.  The Spirit also unifies time: The Spirit was there in the beginning; in the creation of man; in the conception of Christ; in the resurrection of Christ; in the conversion of Paul; and in us today.

Psalms 117 

Praise the Lord, all nations!
    Extol him, all peoples!
2 For great is his steadfast love toward us,
    and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!  

This psalm is the shortest chapter in the Bible. It also is the exact middle chapter of the Bible.   It is so powerful in many ways.  Let us not discount this chapter due to its brevity, but let us mediate on this to see how powerful and amazing God will use this chapter in us.

Let this be our anthem for the week; the summer; and the remainder of the year.

Be Blessed

Praise and Worship

Psalm 116 is a personal song of praise and thanksgiving to God.  It celebrates the writer’s deliverance from a difficult experience that caused him great distress.  We don’t know for sure who the author is, but this Psalm could have been written by any of us.  We can all relate to crying out to God in the midst of a difficult and distressing situation. 

When I first read through this Psalm earlier this week, I was moved to tears.  

I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;  he heard my cry for mercy.  Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.  

Psalm 116:1-2

Last Thursday, my husband and I were involved in a freak car accident.  A tire from an animal trailer came loose and catapulted across the road into the front of my SUV.  The firemen who arrived on the scene said they had never seen anything like this.  The tire made a 2 foot indention into the from of my car.  My brother-in-law who is an ER nurse also confirmed that accidents like this don’t usually have a good ending. If the tire would have hit an inch higher it would have gone straight through the windshield of my car with a horrifiic outcome.  It is a miracle we walked away from the scene of this accident with only sore upper bodies from the airbags and seat belts.  Moreover, we walked away with a tremendous feeling of overwhelming gratefulness to God.

The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me;  I was overcome by distress and sorrow.  Then I called on the name of the Lord:  “Lord, save me!”

Psalm 116:3-4

In this Psalm the writer expresses his love for the Lord because God hears and answers His children when they call to Him.  He recalls the many troubles and sorrows he has already encountered and how gracious and compassionate the Lord has been to him.  

As the Psalmist remembers the merciful kindness and patient grace of the Lord towards him.  He then cries out…

What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me?

Psalm 116:12

The Psalmist knew that there is nothing we can do to repay the Lord for all His grace and love towards us.  There is no payment or reward that we can offer to God that would pay Him back for all of the wonderful things He has done for us.  

There is nothing we can do except offer Him our sacrifice of praise.  We can pour out our heart of gratitude to Him for our salvation.  We can tell others of the wonders of His grace and mercy.  We can seek to do His will with a willing and obedient heart.  We can let His love flow through us to others.

I am praising God that my husband and I have another day to worship God and tell others that Jesus loves them.  

I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord.

Psalm 116:18