The Nations Rage
“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers conspire together against the Lord..:” (Psalm 2:1–2, CSB) What an appropriate psalm for our day and age. The psalmist could be describing Minneapolis or Portland… While the nations conspire against God, he remains […]
Detours on the Road
“God is indeed good to Israel, to the pure in heart. But as for me, my feet almost slipped; my steps nearly went astray. For I envied the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” (Psalm 73:1–3, CSB) “On the Road” we will run into detours. The author of Psalm 73, a man named […]
An Invitational Command
“Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.” (Psalm 134:1–2) When we started this study of the fifteen Songs of Ascent in the Book of Psalms, we began our journey in Psalm 120. […]
Good and Pleasant
“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes.” (Psalm 133:1–2) The key to good and pleasant company is given with a little disclaimer…we must be […]
“Instead, I have calmed and quieted my soul like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like a weaned child.” (Psalm 131:2, CSB) In this verse, David paints a wonderful picture for us of spiritual maturity. He has grown from his infantile dependence. A nursing child with a voracious appetite demands food and […]
How to be Happy
“How happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!” (Psalm 128:1, CSB) The first thing you notice when reading Psalm 128 is the word “happy.” It grabs your attention, doesn’t it? I mean, we all want to be happy! But how can you find happiness? On a lark, I googled the […]
De Profundis
“Out of the depths I call to you, Lord! Lord, listen to my voice; let your ears be attentive to my cry for help.” (Psalm 130:1–2, CSB) My mom used to say I was “trouble” with a capital T. It doesn’t offend me. Partly because it’s true. But also because trouble is a part of […]
Leaving the Lies Behind
“I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me. Save me, O Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.” (Psalm 120:1–2) Psalm 120 isn’t the happiest of psalms. The psalmist begins in “distress.” The psalm ends with the word “war.” But happy or not, it is honest…and quite relevant. We’re surrounded […]
The Lord is on Our Side
“if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us, then they would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger against us. Then the water would have engulfed us; the torrent would have swept over us; the raging water would have swept over us.” (Psalm 124:2–5, CSB) David gives us two […]
The Freest People on Earth
“I lift my eyes to you, the one enthroned in heaven. Like a servant’s eyes on his master’s hand,… so our eyes are on the Lord our God until he shows us favor.” (Psalm 123:1–2, CSB) Psalm 123 is all about freedom. That may sound strange as the song begins by comparing us to servants. […]
Work!
“On the seventh day God completed his work…” (Gen. 2:2) The Bible begins with work. God’s creation of the world is called work. Adam, made in God’s image, was created to “work it (the Garden of Eden) and watch over it.” (Gen. 2:15) I think work is a very important part of what it means […]
The Importance of Worship
“I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”” (Psalm 122:1, CSB) It was Winston Churchill who first said: “Never let a good crisis go to waste” in the context of forming the United Nations after WW II. With that in mind, I’m looking at this Corona […]
