January 6, 2021
HAS GOD REALLY TURNED AWAY FROM YOU? In weakness and affliction, David cried out to the Lord. He felt distant from the Lord, so he prayed that the Lord would “turn” towards him, as if the Lord had somehow moved away. He cried out for rescue, asking the Lord to save him because of His
December 28, 2020
STAR GAZING AND GOD’S GREATNESS 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 18, 2020
LONGING FOR HOME AT CHRISTMAS Jerusalem had been overthrown by the Babylonians and its Jewish citizens had been taken captive. As they were force marched from Judea to Babylon, they were allowed to rest for a while by one of its rivers. Yet though their bodies were in Babylon, their hearts remained in Zion. And
December 11, 2020
WHO CAN STAND BEFORE A HOLY GOD? The psalmist asked a rhetorical question of the Lord, that begs an answer from each of us. “If the Lord kept record of all our sins, our impure thoughts, motives and actions, if He decided to judge us according to that record, who could stand and be declared
December 6, 2020
IMMANUEL – GOD WITH US One of the 15 psalms of ascent, written to prepare the hearts of worshipers as they climbed up to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Entourages of pilgrims like the one that traveled from Nazareth with young, 12-year-old Jesus, would have sung these songs as they came to celebrate Passover.
November 28, 2020
WHEN IS IT TIME FOR GOD TO ACT? The psalmist saw the people of the world becoming more and more rebellious, ignoring the law of God. He called on the Lord to take action. This call was made especially acute by the fact that Psalm 119 was written as an ode to God’s Word. Usually
November 24, 2020
DO YOU SEEK THE BLESSING OR THE BESTOWER? The psalmist declared that the Lord Himself was his portion, his reward. He sought not the Lord’s hands, but His face. While others seek blessings, he sought the Bestower of blessing. Remember the parable Jesus told of the prodigal son? He said to his father, “Give
November 23, 2020
A PRAYER FOR GOD’S PERSPECTIVE The psalmist asked the Lord to help him turn his eyes from “worthless things,” so that he might be “revived” by following God’s perspective. He recognized his temptation to focus on things that do not last and to spend his life pursuing them. And in the process of pursuing them,
November 10, 2020
DO YOU HAVE A HEART FOR GOD? David declared the steadfastness of his heart toward God. In other words, David had set and established his heart on God. He had fixed his focus on God alone. Having made God the object of his heart’s desire and confidence, he declared his intent to sing and give
November 9, 2020
IF YOU KNOW SO, SAY SO! The psalmist David encouraged the redeemed to “say so!” If we have been redeemed (bought back, ransomed, delivered from the penalty of sin) by the Lord, the Word encourages us to “say so!” We can never repay the One who gave His life as a ransom for us, but