January 26, 2023
“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?” (Psalm 22:1 NLT). This Davidic psalm begins with the question that Jesus cried out from the cross. The NLT chose the word “abandoned” in place of “forsaken,” but it has the same meaning. David surely
January 23, 2023
“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known” (Psalm 19:1-2 NLT). When David looked at the sun and blue sky by day or the moon and stars at night, he did not worship them. No, he saw
January 21, 2023
“He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters” (Psalm 18:16 NLT). David wrote this psalm to the Lord during the time when God had delivered him from the hand of Saul and his enemies. He felt like a drowning man that God had reached down and rescued. Have
January 14, 2023
‘The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do”‘ (Psalm 12:5 NLT). We tend to turn our eyes away from the helpless, fearing they may ask us for
January 6, 2023
“Return, O Lord, and rescue me. Save me because of your unfailing love” (Psalm 6:4 NLT). In weakness and affliction, David cried out to the Lord. He felt distant from the Lord, so he prayed that the Lord would “return” to him, as if the Lord had somehow moved away. He cried out for “rescue,”
January 2, 2023
“Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one” (Psalms 2:1-2 NLT). The Spirit inspired David to write these verses describing the futility of the world’s kingdoms conspiring against
December 28, 2022
GOD CALLS US BY NAME I’m on my annual study retreat, so I’ve been taking more time to star gaze in the evenings and consider God’s greatness. Since the launching of the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have observed that there are an almost infinite number of stars in the universe. In our own Milky Way
December 26, 2022
MEDITATING ON THE MAJESTY David was determined to “meditate” on the Lord’s “majestic glorious splendor” and on His “wonderful miracles.” The miracles seem obvious enough to consider. Whatever is beyond natural explanation, whatever seems to be an interruption or suspension of natural law, so that God is the only explanation, these are miracles, are they
December 24, 2022
ADVENT MEANS COMING O how the psalmist David cried out to the Lord! He held nothing back in his prayers. Like a child insistently crying for his mother’s attention, David made his complaint known to the Lord. He would not be content until the Lord answered. Have you seen a child in such a state?
December 15, 2022
BRING YOUR WORSHIP WITH YOU! Psalm 134 is the last of the 15 “Psalms of Ascent,” which were written to be sung by pilgrims as they climbed up Mount Zion to worship at the Temple in Jerusalem. Singing these worship songs made the journey more joyful and encouraged them to begin worshiping before they arrived.