October 10 – Being Absent Is Being Present

 “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” – 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 (ESV)

Our promises found in our passage include one much the same as the words Paul wrote to the Philippian church toward the end of his ministry. This letter to the church at Corinth however, was not written while he was in prison. In these verses Paul was not saying he had absolutely no contact; there is prayer, the indwelling Spirit, and fellowship through the Word. Paul was expressing a strong yearning to be at home with his Lord. We find the Psalmist expressing the same sentiments in Psalm 23. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4) There’s no place that we go when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death where God absent from us He is with us. Heaven is where God is. “Surely … I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6)  So where is the house of the Lord? It’s where God dwells and that is in heaven. The hope of the psalmist was to be absent from the body to be present with the Lord.

 

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June 7 – It Requires No Deceit

“Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” -  Psalm 32:2 (ESV)

Come to think about it, an observant and sound minded person is able to notice quite a number of lies that are widespread in our world. These lies lay out, for those who choose to believe them, a way to cover their guilt from the consequent sins. If we also notice who it is that is propagating and spreading these lies, we just might come to understand the answer to the frequent question; “What in the world is wrong with our world today?”  We should be very cautious that we do not buy into these lies for they kill our happiness and extinguish our joy. Alistair Begg says, “Honesty is vital to the discovery of happiness. Joyful, contented people do not lie to themselves or to anybody else. We cannot deceive ourselves and enjoy genuine happiness; deceit and happiness don’t sleep in the same bed.” It is a wonderful promise from God that He will restore and bless us by forgiving us when we repent and confess our sinfulness. King David expressed his personal experience of receiving forgiveness in this Psalm. In a same manner so can each of us. 

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March 22 – He Truly Is

“Yahweh* is my shepherd; I will not lack for anything. In grassy pastures he makes me lie down; by quiet waters he leads me. ” – Psalm 23:1-2 (LEB)

We look today at a very familiar verse from a version that is not so common. Such comfort and truth are packed in this Psalm and it is well worth returning to it over and over again. Living like a sheep can bring you incredible peace of mind! The shepherd in Old Testament times knew his sheep. He knew each one and understood what foods were best for them, what they needed to thrive, and what dangers there were that could harm them. God knows us this way too. In the Gospel of John 10: 11,14  Jesus declares Himself explicitly to be the good shepherd two times. It is by His very nature that our Good Shepherd laid down His life for us. It is a promise from Him. He declares that He knows His own sheep and they know Him. We have a relationship with Him. This gives us reason to have absolute trust in our Good Shepherd and to value the nourishment that comes from more than anything else in our lives or in the world. Jesus did not simply identify as our good shepherd. No. He is by nature our good shepherd and cares for us always. 

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* The name of God, as revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures, is YHWH (the closest English equivalents to the Hebrew letters). Ancient Hebrew did not have vowels, so the exact pronunciation of YHWH is uncertain. The vast majority of Hebrew and Christian scholars believe the name to be Yahweh, pronounced /ˈyä-wā/, with Yehowah, pronounced /yi-ˈhō-və/, being the second most popular possibility.

The Lexham English Bible (LEB) uses the "formal equivalence" method of translation, resulting in a quite literal rendering. Reviewers have gauged the Lexham English Bible as slightly more literal than the New American Standard. The publishers of the LEB have strived to be as transparent as possible in the translation process, providing interlinear versions that keep the Greek and Hebrew words in their original order as well as provide root words and define each word contextually and noncontextually.

March 1 – Patient Resting

“Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.” – Psalm 37:7 (NASB)

Don’t we all remember when we went to school for the first time? For most is was Kindergarten. Some time during the day all in the class took a break from activities and rested. During the rest period we were told to “be still” which was difficult for some of us. Indeed, very difficult for most 5 years old children. The command we have in today’s verse is to “rest in the LORD” which is just as correctly rendered “be still before the LORD.”  Just as a 5 year old is not really resting if he or she is wiggling about, we are not truly resting if our concern and activity is fretting about those who seems to be “getting away” with their malevolent behavior. Many cheat, lie, steal, and run confidence games on good people and seem to escape legal consequences. The first verse in this psalm said it first. “Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers.” Our promise is that we do not need to fret. We actually do not gain anything if we become so obsessed over the evil in this world – and we miss the rest we need. 

 

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February 8 – A Matter of Foundations

“He established the earth upon its foundations, So that it will not totter forever and ever.” – Psalm 104:5 (NASB)

In vivid poetic detail, the psalmist writes this song of the Lord’s glory in creation. The first nine verses exalt the creation of the Heavens and the Earth. When God created the Earth He did so in such a way that it will not “totter forever and ever.” We can say that God created Earth in a permanent unmovable state. Continuing, we read about how the earth was covered or even wrapped in water. This may sound like but it is not a reference to the Great Flood but it about the creation of the Earth. Verse 7 tells us that it was by God’s word, His rebuke that the waters receded and the mountains rose forming valleys which sank down with a promise in verse 8, “To the place which You established for them.” God created our world and everything in it with a definite design and purpose. Verse 31 gives glory to the LORD God acknowledging that He was glad in the good work. We know that it is God who spoke the universe and the worlds into existence and He did it out of nothing and in a purposeful sequence.

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February 7 – Praise Is Good and Pleasant

“Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant and praise is becoming.” – Psalm 147:1 (NASB)

Today we have a verse found in an uplifting and encouraging Psalm. Specifically written for the people of Jerusalem after they returned from exile in Babylon to restore the Temple, rebuild the walls of the city, and secure its gates. Perhaps the Psalm’s author read again the hard questions God asked Job (Job 38-41) or asked Israel (Isaiah 40). Then turns those words of God into declarations worthy of praise. Singing praises to the Lord with thanksgiving for all that He had done results in encouragement. For we know that the God who speaks these assertions, is speaking to us as well. We can take great comfort in the promise of God’s greatness, strength, and understanding (vs 5-6). There is great value in fearing God and receiving His favor; along with those who wait for his mercy and steadfast love (v. 11). For all this we have great reasons to praise and sing praises to God from our hearts. It makes our days more pleasant. Fretting about our afflictions and the wicked who disrupt the peace of our lives is unprofitable. The LORD supports and will relieve us of our afflictions, it’s a promise (v. 6).  

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February 6 – Worshiping God Alone

“Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty,” – Psalm 104:1 (NASB)

Taking a moment today to think about and ponder on the greatness of our LORD God. To bless the Lord is to praise God for all that he has done. The creator of all is God and He is greater than His creation. This is why the Creator is to be worshiped, not the creation. We might think of the things in our lives that draw us away from focusing on God’s greatness. The first two Commandments make it very clear that God was not to be supplanted in our lives by anything we would adore more than Him. “No other gods before Me.”  There is to be no crafting of idols for ourselves. No serving anything or anyone or worshiping the same other than the LORD God. (Exodus 20:3-5) The manner or style of worship appropriate to only one Lord forbids us of any attempt to represent or capture His essence by use of anything He has made. Total condemnation of artistic expression was NOT the issue; but absolute denunciation of idolatry and false worship was the issue. Our LORD God is greater than we can conceive and He rightly deserves to command us to worship only Him. 

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August 16 – Eyes Opened By God

“Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law.” – Psalm 119:18 (NASB)

It was in 1895 that Clara H. Scott wrote the now traditional hymn “Open my Eyes.” It was inspired by more than one Psalm but the verse we have today likely inspired the first stanza of the hymn. If you are familiar with the hymn you know how it can stick in your mind*. Our verse brings to us the promise of wonderful things from God’s Word. But we need to have our eyes opened. Notice we say opened, not open. Even if we have our eye open, it is only when they are opened by God's Word that we can understand what God has in store for us. God’s Word is full of things for us to have to build our relationship with Him. If we looked at the next verse, we hear the psalmist plea that God’s commandments not be withheld from him. Our time on this earth is a sojourn. Our birth into God’s family by His grace and mercy makes us strangers to this world. We need God’s Word to navigate through. We ask God to “Open our eyes,” because without His help, we are blind to His way and His blessings.  

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*Open My Eyes the first stanza and the chorus.

Open my eyes that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.
        Silently now I wait for Thee,
        Ready, my God, Thy will to see;
        Open my eyes, illumine me,
        Spirit Divine!

Listen:  

 

August 14 – Whole Hearted Commitment

“Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!” – Psalm 119:2-3 (ESV)

Psalm 119* is longest of the psalms and chapters in the Bible. Like Psalm 1 and 19 it exults God’s Word. We cannot be certain who the psalmist is since he is not identified. Each verse contains the author’s reverence and love for the Word of God (using eight different terms**), we take each of the statements as an affirmation of the promises God has given us regarding the effectiveness of His Word. We find again the use of the word “heart” which  refers to our intellect, volition, and emotion. When we say we are seeking God with “all my heart” what we are affirming is that we have a complete commitment to God and to His Word. We don’t use it occasionally or when our circumstances are desperate and we are driven to seek God’s will in His Word. We don’t use it conveniently or only when we think about it. Our promise is that as we keep our commitment to what God has instructed us in His Word, it will keep us from doing wrong. It will keep us on the path He has made straight before us.  

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*This is an acrostic psalm composed of 22 sections, each containing 8 lines. All 8 lines of the first section start with the first letter of the Hebrew (language). alphabet; thus the psalm continues until all 22 letters have been used in order.

** Every verse includes a reference to one of these terms referring to Scripture. The terms occurring throughout the psalm are: 1) law, 2) testimonies, 3) precepts, 4) statutes, 5) commandments, 6) judgments, 7) word, and 8) ordinances. 

Other acrostic psalms are Psalms 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 145.

July 10 – God’s Visual Testimony

“The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge.” – Psalm  19:1-2 (NASB)

Today we consider a promise for us from God’s Word that He is here. With an objective look at the world around us and especially, as in today’s verse, looking up to the sky day and night, we see the evidence that God exists. He has given us a testimony in the heavens and their expanse; both are vital elements of God’s work in creation. Observing we know without hearing a voice because creation itself is telling and declaring this truth; both emphasize the permanence of these corresponding revelations. The psalmist, who is David the King, uses an anthropomorphism (ascription of human attributes to God) to illustrate God’s great power in creation of the universe. God has placed these evidences of His existence and work so that we can know without excuse that He exists (Romans 1:18-20). God has done this for our benefit and for His glory. He is perfect in every way, powerful without any weakness and worthy of honor and praise from us; we are His creatures made for this purpose. This is the sense and urgency behind David’s words in this Psalm. Today, let us see God in His creation and rejoice with thanksgiving.

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March 17 – When Nature Trembles

“The waters saw You, God; The waters saw You, they were in anguish; The ocean depths also trembled.  The clouds poured out water; The skies sounded out; Your arrows flashed here and there.” – Psalm 77:16-17 (ESV)

There is a historical context for this Psalm of Asaph. Verses 19 and 20 indicate that it is regarding the crossing of the Red Sea during the Exodus. It is when we recall the time when the power of God intervened in our lives with a result that could only be the power and mercy of God.  It is interesting that the psalmist attributes emotion to the waters and the depth of the Red Sea saying they were in anguish and trembling. It is vivid poetry applying imagination to what happened.  Apart from the poetry of the description, the mention of rain and thunder and the quaking of the earth might surprise us.  But it comes from the narrative in Exodus 14:24-25 where such sever weather effects were a part of the event in the way the pursuing Egyptians were mired in the sea bed and perished.  Our God is a powerful God and able to do everything He choses to do without hinderance from the laws of nature.  God is not bound by the natural laws as we are. Afterall the laws of physics and nature were created by God for our purpose.     

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February 22 – His Eyes Upon Us

“The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.”  Psalm 34:15-17 (ESV) 

This Psalm of David is noted for being written shortly after he had feigned insanity before the Philistine King of Gath. He did so to avoid any reprisal for what he had done. It was the hometown of the giant Goliath whom David had killed. Using the sword of Goliath, David cut off his head after knocking him out with a rock from his sling. (1 Samuel 17:1–51)  This psalm, and others, were written while David hid in a cave with his men. King Saul was hunting David to kill him. We are apt to forget sometimes that our God is very near to His own. David was conscious that the Lord was watching over him and ready to help him at all times. But we note that David was talking about righteous people and you may wonder if this applies to you. Be assured that if you have believed in Jesus as your Savior, then God has declared you to be righteous. That is what we call justification by faith. So this applies to all who believe through faith. God’s eyes are on every movement we make and He is listening to hear our call. 

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February 21 – Sowing Tears, Reaping Joy

“He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.”  Psalm 126:6 (ESV) 

After seventy years as captives, the Children of Israel were allowed to return to their homes in Jerusalem and the country surrounding what was, and is called Mount Zion by many.  This psalm is a song of Ascents. It is a song of praise to God by the Hebrew people who had come back from their captivity. We can understand how those who had been away from their homes as exiles were thrilled to be back ascending the mountain to Jerusalem. Their mouths were full of happiness, joy, and praise to God. We may not have been exiled from our earthly homes but we can praise God for the great things he has done for us by bringing us into His family. We were strangers to His family but He has made us His children. Has not He shown us so often how much He loves us and how He will take care of us? We may have been weeping as we tended to the tasks God has given to us.  He promises that the result will be wonderful.  Like those who sow seed with tears of sorrow, God promises we will return with joy at harvest time. 

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February 17 –East Never Meets West

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:11–12  (NASB)

Have you ever asked yourself just how great God’s love for you is? You do realize that there is no way for us to measure the extent of what God has done for us and continues to do each day.  In this Psalm of  David these questions are posed and examples are given in an attempt to compare the greatness of God’s love with something we might have some concept about the great extent. These comparisons don’t bring us any closer to truly measuring God love for us but they underscore how far beyond our limited understanding God reaches out for us. Who knows how high the heavens are above the earth? Do we even know when the heavens begin in our world? The experts tell us how many light years away certain stars are, but they keep on finding more on beyond. Even the measurement of ‘light years’ is actually an educated guess and not proven. So how great is His love? It’s immeasurable, beyond comprehension. And His forgiveness of our sins is cached in terms that are beyond our finite brains’ ability to understand. 

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February 15 – Remember, Strengthen our Faith

“You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant:  ‘I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.’  Selah”  Psalm 89:3-4 (ESV)

This psalm is not a Psalm of David. It is identified in the title as A MASKIL OF ETHAN THE EZRAHITE.  Looking for a blessing from God in your life? Then let’s remind ourselves of scriptures that give God’s promises of His blessing. In our chosen verses for today, we have a prayer that God would honor the covenant he made with David when he was King. God is praised for the covenant He made with King David.  That promise was for eternal representation by the lineage of David on the throne. It will be fulfilled when Jesus takes the Throne one day on Earth. This has some significance as we think of when in Israel’s history it was written. Before this Psalm was written, Israel, the Northern Kingdom, had been decimated and no longer existed. Judah, the southern kingdom, about two centuries later, had most of the professional, educated, experienced, and skilled population exiled to Babylon. Ethan reminds God of what He said to David. He does so to bolster his own faith in God’s promises.  When we waver in our faith it is always good to remind ourselves by stating what God has promised already. 

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February 11 – Mercy on Me

“Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.” Psalm 57:1 (NIV)

“Mercy me!” These days it is the name of a band and/or the name of a song sung by a different band. It is an exclamation with the same meaning as the words David wrote in this Psalm. He was calling on God for mercy and for protection. Twice David had an opportunity to dispatch King Saul who was hunting to kill him.  What is interesting about this verse is the fact that when David wrote this song he was recalling when he was hiding in a cave where he had an opportunity to be rid the threat of death by killing Saul and being rid of him permanently. Instead, David hid in the cave and trusted God. David, anointed to be King after Saul, knew his own need for a refuge for his soul, and he found that in God. He could be secure and safe spiritually. He didn’t have to kill Saul. David chose to trust in God who promised to keep Him safe forever. We need and have the same refuge. God has promised us a safe place with Him for our souls, for eternity. So we can say with David, “We have our refuge in our God."

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June 13 – A Divine Confidence

“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”  -Psalm 138:8  (ESV)

When we believe the promises that God has given us and see their fulfillment, it is good for us to take the time to express our confidence in the promises.  Earlier in this Psalm the author, David claims that when he called, God answered his call and gave him the needed strength.  Our promise here is that our LORD God will do the same for us fulfilling His purpose for us.  His purpose, not necessarily our purpose unless we are in alignment with God’s will.  We believe David was in alignment and desired God’s purpose in his life.  Another translation says, “The LORD will accomplish what concerns me.”  And yet another renders the words “The LORD will vindicate me.”  Whatever God’s purpose for each of us is, our God will fulfill it, He will accomplish all that concerns us, and if we need vindication, He will do that as well.  All in all we depend on God fulfilling His promises and He never forsakes that because his love is steadfast, His mercy is forever. God will not walk off the job of fulfilling His word to us leaving it unfinished. We have divine confidence because He has promised.

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January 29 – He Knows Us Fully

“You have searched me, Lord,  and you know me.  You know when I sit and when I rise;  you perceive my thoughts from afar.”  Psalm 139:1-2  (NIV)

These words of the psalmist remind us that we do not live our lives by ourselves.  With us all the time and even in our though processes is our Lord God.  The writer of Psalm 139 had learned how much the Lord was involved in his life and we believe that God is very closely involved in our lives these days also.  Our Lord knows what each one of us is doing every day and what each one is thinking about.  He knows our motives for each action and He can help to purify our motives in order to make them pleasing to Him Let's be sure that we respond to His attempts to do that.  Let's thank the Lord for His involvement in our lives and for the attention and wisdom He has.  It is a promise of protection and comfort from God who is our creator. 

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October 31 Trusting His Faithfulness

“Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.” Psalm 119:89-90 (ESV)

The longest song we have in the Bible is Psalm 119. It is full of praise to God and His Word. These verses have truths for us to keep in mind at all times. We can read God's words in our Bible today because when He has spoken in the past His word has been recorded. He was speaking not only for the people who lived at the time, He was speaking for us too. We believe that God is eternal and our verse underscores that His word is also eternal. It will always be true. This includes the promises which He gave and were recorded in the Bible. He made these promises for people long ago and was was faithful to keep them. Today, He remains faithful to keep each of these promises for us too. We have a wonderful God who we can trust so let's trust his promises today. 

June 5 – Immeasurable Love

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;” Psalm 103:11 (NIV)

We are often reminded that when the Bible speaks of fearing God, it means showing him proper respect and awe. So if you are one who respects and revers God, these words are a promise for you.  Yes, it is true that God's love for us is so great that it can't be measured. Our verse mentions the distance between the heavens and the earth and that is something that has never been measured for certain. We look at the stars on a dark night and we are told that there are heavenly bodies which we can't even see. They are too far out in space and would take hundreds of thousands of light years to reach. The greatness of God's love for us cannot be measured but because it is right here with us, we can experience it. It is too great for us to comprehend and yet it is right here with us and for us. Now, that's great isn't it?