September 12, 2016
More than a motto on our money, this is a declaration of faith. Trust in God above all others. Written by the one who slew Goliath, it is not hyperbole, but a tested conclusion, i.e. “since God is greater than man (even giant ones), I will not fear man, because I trust in God.” Wherever there is fear, especially fear of man, there is lack of faith.
September 11, 2016
On this 15th anniversary of 911, it is good to be reminded that God hears our heartfelt prayers. This Davidic psalm speaks of the spiritual discipline of praying three times a day. Just as we eat three meals a day to sustain our bodies with bread, so we should commune with the Bread of Life in prayer to feed our souls. David started with “evening” prayers because the Jewish day began at sunset. He arose at daybreak to morning prayers and paused at noon for midday prayers. Prayer times marked his days more than meal times. Do you have a spiritual discipline of daily prayer times?
September 10, 2016
“What’s in a name?” So asked Shakespeare’s Juliet of Romeo, the implication being that his family name didn’t matter to her. Yet, David appealed to God’s “name” as the means of his salvation. He recognized the power expressed in God’s name, as he wrote in another psalm, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower” (Psa. 18:10). For God’s name is the manifestation of His character, revealing His divine attributes. And what is the “saving” name of God by which we might call? As Peter preached to the Jerusalem council, that name is JESUS, “for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The name “Jesus” or “Yeshua” means “God’s salvation.” God has given Him the name “above every name” (Phil.2:9). Jesus tells us to “ask anything in His name” (John 14:14). What’s in a name? In the name of Jesus, everything.
September 9, 2016
The psalmist David wrote that God is continually looking for one that would seek Him with understanding. The implication was that there were none among the “children of man” that truly sought God. They might seek a place or a theology, or even God’s hand. But who was seeking the Lord’s face with understanding? David didn’t see anyone. And so, he exclaimed, “Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!” (Psa. 53:6). David’s prayer was answered when God sent Jesus. For it was Jesus who clarified what it meant to seek God with understanding. He said that God is seeking those that would worship Him “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24). Then, He revealed Himself as the Christ, the One by whom we might be born again in the Spirit, and the One who is the Truth by which we might worship God with understanding. God is still looking. He is looking to see what we will do with Jesus.
September 7, 2016
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, bera), “In the beginning God ‘created’ the heavens and the earth.” David wasn’t asking God to clean up his heart. He was asking God to give him a new and pure heart, one that would have a “right” and steadfast “spirit.” He longed to have a heart that would please God. This is a prayer and a spiritual longing that has been answered in Christ. Those who come to Jesus are made a “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17).
September 6, 2016
The Psalmist reminded the people of Israel that offering sacrifices without a heart of true righteousness and thanksgiving were not acceptable to God. His apparent “silence” over their hypocrisy and sin would soon pass and He would come in judgment. The fact that they were children of Abraham did not necessarily give them the right to say, “The Lord is ‘our’ God.” They needed more than circumcision of the flesh. They needed a “circumcision of the heart” (Rom. 2:29) in order to be children of God. God has not kept silent. He has spoken through His Son, Jesus, so that we might believe on Him as Savior and become children of God. And God will not keep silent. He will soon speak again through Jesus as Judge. He will clothe Himself in the terrible robes of justice, like a devouring fire and a mighty tempest, He will come to judge the living and the dead. God does not stay silent.
September 4, 2016
Thinking on God’s “steadfast love” is an appropriate act of worship. What kind of love is this? The Hebrew word is “chesed,” which may be translated “lovingkindness” or “covenantal love.” In the Greek New Testament, the word “agape” would be its equivalent. This kind of unconditional, unmerited, and unchanging love is worthy of our meditation. The psalmist spoke of his meditation of it in worship, yet it’s supreme revelation isn’t found until the cross of Christ. It is in Jesus that we see God’s steadfast love made manifest. As John said, “This is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). Beloved, think on this steadfast love of God revealed in Jesus Christ!
August 30, 2016
The Psalmist reflected on the stories told by their fathers of God’s miraculous deeds in bringing them out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. Although those stories were from “days of old,” the author still leaned on them in faith to give him hope for the days ahead. These faith stories, although not experienced first hand, yet inspired hope. Remembering the hand of God in the past, we too can be encouraged as we face the future.
August 28, 2016
David addressed the spiritual emptiness of his own soul by expressing his feeling towards God. His soul’s thirst for God was just as real as a deer’s thirst for water. His psalms are like prayers recorded in a spiritual journal. They reveal the heart of the man that God Himself called a “man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22). David knew that only God could satisfy his soul’s deep longing. Many today don’t recognize this need. Sure, they feel the spiritual emptiness, but they vainly attempt to fill it or medicate it with worldly things. Yet, only God will satisfy. As Augustine once said, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”
August 22, 2016
The Lord is our salvation. Those who have believed and received Christ as Lord and Savior have been saved from sin’s penalty, are being saved from sin’s power and will ultimately be saved from sin’s presence. However, this salvation does not mean that his followers will not experience trouble. In fact, Jesus warned his disciples that “in this world there will be trouble” (John 16:33). Yet, He is not only our salvation, but our “stronghold,” our fortress of protection and defense. When storms of tribulation come, run to Him, for He has overcome the world.