September 10, 2024
“O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might” (Psalm 54:1 ESV). “What’s in a name?” So asked Shakespeare’s Juliet of Romeo, the implication being that his family name was a mere arbitrary label and didn’t matter to her. Yet, David appealed to God’s “name” as the source of his salvation.
September 7, 2024
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10 ESV). After David repented of his sin of adultery, he prayed that God would “create” in him a clean and pure heart. The Hebrew word for “create” is the same as is found in Genesis 1:1 (בָּרָא, bārā’),
September 6, 2024
“Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire, around him a mighty tempest” (Psalm 50:3 ESV). The Psalmist reminded the people of Israel that offering sacrifices without a heart of true righteousness and thanksgiving was not acceptable to God. His apparent “silence” over their hypocrisy and sin would soon
August 28, 2024
“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” (Psalm 42:11 ESV). The psalmist searched his own soul to discover the source of his distress. When we look inward to find the source of
August 21, 2024
“I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread” (Psalm 37:25 ESV). Like the psalmist David, I can make the same observation. For I have never seen the righteous forsaken. Whether David meant this as a promise or a general rule, I’m
August 18, 2024 | Psalm 71:14-18 |
Grandparenting and parenting are two different roles that require different approaches. It can be confusing because grandparents are
still their grown children’s parents, but they are not their grandchildren’s parents. Moving from a direct role to a support role, from the decision maker to the influencer, from being in charge, to being an encouragement, is a challenging shift.
Does the Bible have anything to say about grandparents? In Psalm 71, David expressed his desire that in his old age God would help him pass on a godly legacy to his grandchildren. We can depend on the Lord to help us to pass on a godly legacy to our grandchildren. How can we depend on the Lord to help us pass on a godly legacy to our grandchildren.
August 16, 2024
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken” (Psalms 34:19-20 ESV). David wrote this psalm during a low period in his life. Running from King Saul who sought to kill him, he tried hiding among the
August 12, 2024
“Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found” (Psalm 32:6 ESV). David wrote of a time when his unconfessed sin weighed heavy on him. He finally decided to stop trying to hide his iniquity and to confess his sins to the Lord. When he did,
August 10, 2024
“Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love!” (Psalm 31:16 ESV). David requested God’s help based on God’s attributes rather than on his own worthiness. He didn’t negotiate with God, offering to make a sacrifice or some other payment. No, he based his supplications on God’s ability and willingness to
August 8, 2024
“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness” (Psalm 30:11 ESV). David knew what it meant to mourn a loss or grieve a disappointment. He had sat weeping in sackcloth to express his repentance for sin, crying out to God for forgiveness. David knew