August 16, 2015
David wrote this psalm during a low period in his life. While hiding from King Saul who sought to kill him, he stooped to playing the madman to escape the Philistine king, Abimelech. Yet, in spite of all of his afflictions, no bones were broken. Clearly, David must have borrowed this turn of phrase from the instructions given in the law concerning the Passover lamb, which was to be sacrificed without breaking any bones. Both the Passover lamb and David are Christological types, preparing us for the Righteous One, who was sacrificed for our sins, yet not one of His bones was broken.
August 11, 2015
Have you ever felt as David did when he wrote this psalm? You’re crying out to God in prayer, but you don’t feel His presence? Perhaps this dark night of the soul has come in order to increase your thirst for the Lord. It causes you to grow in awareness of your ultimate dependence on God. And this has become more acute as you desire to hear His voice and experience His touch. When we pray like this what may have begun as a litany of requests becomes a singular desire: “God, I only want You!”
August 9, 2015
This Psalm of David teaches us to choose gladness and worship, while giving our troubles to God. David wrote that God had “considered” his trouble. In other words David had stopped thinking about his troubles and had given them to God for His consideration. This is how the disciples prayed too, “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness” (Acts 4:29). When we continue to consider our own trouble it leads to discouragement and worry. But when we give them to God, it opens the way to gladness and rejoicing.
August 4, 2015
Among our phobias, fear of the unknown, or of something that overpowers or overcomes us, or of our own death are prominent. David said that God was his “light” (exposing the unknown), his “strength” (empowering and supplying his need) and his salvation (saving him from death). In this way God gave him faith in the place of fear. What do you fear today? Replace your fears with faith. Look to a specific character trait of the Lord and choose to focus on Him rather than living in fear.
August 1, 2015
Today’s constant prayer: Show me, teach me, lead me… I’m waiting. Not passively, but actively. Not without moving, but as I move today, being fully present looking for You, O Lord.
July 28, 2015
David wrote this Messianic psalm that predicted not only what Christ would say on the cross but the manner of His death as well. Centuries before the Romans devised the torture of crucifixion, David described it in this psalm. Jesus, the Son of David took our place. He took our sin, our separation, and our death. He offers us His righteousness, His relationship with the Father and eternal life. He that had never experienced a moment of separation from the Father was forsaken for our sakes. So, He cried out in anguish, fulfilling the Scripture and expressing His real agony. Yet, the Father raised Him up, and in the same way He shall raise up all those who believe in Him in the Last Day.
July 20, 2015
This Psalm of David was quoted by the apostle Peter (Acts 2:25-36) as a biblical proof that Jesus Christ, Son of David, was prophesied to rise from the dead without seeing “corruption.” Peter preached this sermon on the day of Pentecost and 3,000 Jews from all over the world came to faith in Christ. David’s prophesy had come to pass. Now everyone who trusts in Christ can be assured that the Holy One who defeated death and the grave will not abandon us, but will raise us to life to dwell forever with Him.
July 17, 2015
David didn’t think it unmanly to sing to God. This warrior/poet/king was a worshiper. The shepherd king who slew a giant is also the author of most of the psalms. His harp playing and singing were so Spirit-filled that they calmed king Saul’s disturbed soul. David was once accused of being undignified in his worship. To which he replied, “I will become even more undignified than this!” Real men of God are worshipers. They sing!
July 10, 2015
The psalmist David wondered at the immensity and beauty of the night sky in comparison to the small stature of humanity. He posed a rhetorical question concerning God’s care for man, then answers it in the psalm with observations about man’s creation and authority under God. We can almost picture David gazing at the night sky and writing this meditation. Putting the words to music, he opened and closed the psalm with praise of God’s majesty. “O Lord, our Lord,” he wrote, moving attention from the great Creator (O Lord) to the personal Redeemer of Israel (our Lord). For the Lord God is both transcendent and immanent. He is omnipotent and holy, yet personal and present. The God who made everything cares for you.
July 4, 2015
This is a Messianic prophecy of Christ’s triumphal kingdom. It is a sober reminder on this day when we celebrate Independence Day in America that all the world’s nations exist at the Lord’s pleasure. Do our nation’s leaders and judges “serve the Lord with fear?” Do they bow and “kiss” the Son’s hand in obeisance? Or have they become wise in their own eyes, calling evil, good and good, evil?
Let us recognize our dual citizenship. As Americans, we are thankful for God’s blessing on America. We continue to pray for our leaders and judges that they will return to God. But as Christians, we are citizens of an eternal kingdom, one that was inaugurated at the cross and will be consummated at Christ’s return. We ultimately put our trust in Christ alone. He is the source of all blessing.
Yet, in the meantime we pray, “God bless America.”