Foundations: Psalms - Day 26

READ: Psalms 60-62

As David was writing this psalms, other nations were gathering together as allies against him. Friendly nations were allying with enemy nations and David was standing alone with no allies to come to his aid. With nations aligned against him David cried out to God for victory. He felt rejected by God because of all the desperate times, yet he knew his only hope was in the Lord. While other nations were making agreements to fight against David, David was singing to the Lord about his trust in God to give him aid, because the help of men is worthless. It was David’s firm belief and confidence that unless God brings the victory there will be none – no matter how badly stacked the odds are. His best and only ally was God Himself.

Psalm 61 is a call to God from a man who is growing weak and possibly depressed. He teaches us a very important lesson about how to endure when life is overwhelming and we are slipping into a low emotional place. David says this is when he calls to God and asks Him to take him higher to a place where he can’t go on his own. Then he recalls the facts of God’s faithfulness in the past, first to give God praise, and second to remind himself there really is hope in the Lord. David puts his focus on things the Lord has done and on eternity. His looking back (remembering things God has done, and his family heritage of faith) helps him to look forward (to living in heaven with God forever).

In verse 9 of Psalm 62 David’s words are directed to the heart of one who is greedy and compares himself to others. He talks about upper class and lower class people. He explains how the lives of the lower class people are so short they are like a breath that disappears quickly. The upper class people don’t actually exist. Some translations say they are a lie. This is because their lives don’t last any longer or offer more value to the world than lower class people. This is why he then gives instructions not to extort money, or steal: it’s not actually going to change our value. He says even if we do get wealthy, our hope should not be in our finances or our material possession because all our belongings and financial net worth does not change a single thing about our value as people. But before we get discouraged about having so little value, David reminds us in verse 12 how much God loves us. Even though our lives are as short as a breath, God promises to reward each individual person for what he has done. Our vapor-like lives still hold God’s full attention. This makes His love for us even more incredible.

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1.   Ask God to show you if there is any situation or circumstance in your life where you are relying on the strength of friends, family, a boss, a co-worker, the government or anyone else, to help you instead of Him – especially if it feels like you will not get what you want or need without some sort of human intervention. It could be in connection to your finances, a relationship, making a purchase, getting a job – anything – big or small. If God brings something to mind, confess if necessary, and ask God to give you a clear understanding of His ability to help you. Ask God for what steps you should take in order to walk out the truth that He is your only hope.

2.   Have you ever been discouraged or at an emotionally low point? Take a few minutes to follow David’s pattern. Write out a list of things you know God has done for you. Then take a few more minutes and write out some of the great things you are looking forward to in heaven you will never experience here on earth. Spend time praising God for His faithfulness in times past and His hope for all eternity.

3.   Ask God to examine your heart and expose to you if there is anything in your heart that believes those with wealth have more weight with God, that those with less have less importance, or regarding your own pursuit of status. Ask God for a clear word, thought or picture about the value of the rich and poor. Confess any sin if necessary. Ask God if there is any action He wants you to take to help this truth sink in.

Foundations: Psalms - Day 25

READ:  Psalms 57-59

These three psalms were written by David when he was on the run from Saul. Interestingly, each psalm has a heading informing the reader these songs can all be sung to the same tune. It appears everyone would have known the song “Do Not Destroy”.

Psalm 57 is a song of praise. In it David recounts how he called out to God for mercy and safety and God came through. He explains he is in the midst of danger, yet chooses to praise God. In verse 6 he tells how his enemies were caught in their own snare. Because he is exalting God, we can see he gives God full credit for not only his safety but also the punishment of the wicked.

David has a clear and concrete understanding of God’s faithfulness and love. He is moved to song. David wants to sing and make music – and he is still in the midst of danger. He fully trusts God to save him from his enemies and to make him king.

Psalm 58 is one many might not enjoy reading. The words and content grate harshly against our North American political correctness. David is begging God to do terrible things to the wicked: to break their teeth, to make them vanish, to sweep them away and basically get rid of all the wicked. How can this be? Is David singing to the same God of love we serve today? It’s not hard to think what might happen in today’s news if we sang a song similar to this in our churches today! It seems so harsh and cruel to have a man after God’s own heart sing a song asking God to exact such awful punishment.

Yet in verse 10-11 we see this is fully within the scope of a God of Love. God loves the righteous passionately. He takes it very personally when one of His precious children are hurt or taken advantage of. He has promised to take revenge on our behalf – to be our Vindicator. So as David sings he is not singing just of the people who are on his case that day. He is actually singing for every single righteous person to ever live. He is singing out his encouragement, “Keep going! Don’t mind the pain right now because God is going to make it right in the end. These wicked people will be judged!” This chapter, although it may seem foreign to us, is actually one of hope and encouragement.

In Psalm 59 we encounter a very interesting verse. Verse 11a says, “Don’t kill them, for my people soon forget such lessons”. On one hand David is crying out for help and deliverance, yet here we see something different. David is actually asking God not to eliminate the enemy because it would be too easy to forget their need for God.

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1.   Has God given you a promise, or called you to something that hasn’t yet happened? Do you ever feel like David who was anointed king but spent the next many, many years running for his life like a fugitive? David shows us how to live in the in-between. Ask the Lord to review with you the promise or calling He gave you that hasn’t yet materialized. Then ask Him to give you an enduring promise and sense of His glory and goodness that will carry you through the toughest days of your life. Journal what He tells you.

2.   In the end of time God will judge all people – and it won’t be pretty. Our culture doesn’t like to think of The Judgment and the horrors of it. Ask the Lord to give you a clear understanding of how His justice is perfect, and how He will never, ever give anyone a punishment they don’t deserve. Write down what He tells you. Now ask Him to speak to you with a word, thought, picture or song regarding the blessing He has planned for those who follow Him.

3.   Is there a difficult situation or person that is just not going away no matter how much you pray? Ask God if this problem is supposed to stay there to help remind you to lean on Him. If yes, give Him praise! If not, Ask God to show you which situations in your life have proven to be the ones that created the most growth. Spend time thanking Him for giving you opportunity to grow strong in Him.

Foundations: Psalms - Day 24

READ: Psalms 55-56

Psalm 55 is another psalm of David. Again we read of David being pursued. His emotions are passionate and deep. The suffering he is enduring is most definitely overwhelming him. Most of us are not be able to relate to having people hunt us down, or whole nations and cities being against us. Yet this is David’s situation – and not even for the first time! He says in verses 6-8 he wishes he had wings so he could just fly away from it all. That is something more of us have experienced. David is longing for a break, for rest and reprieve from the constant running, hiding and not being sure whom he can trust.

In verses 12-14 we learn it’s worse than just enemies pursuing him. It’s a close friend. This brings him down more than all the enemies combined. We can see how David’s trust in others has been eroded. Instead of taking the wounding and betrayal of someone who should have loved him, and deciding then to trust no one at all, though, David gives us another testimony.

Starting in verse 16 David proclaims loudly how God is faithful. He knows God hears his voice no matter when he calls. In verses 20-23 David contrasts his friend’s betrayal to God’s steady sustaining power. In the midst of all this turmoil, it might make sense to us for David to have his trust in God waver. But David is rock solid. No matter what happens to him, his faith and trust is solidly placed in God.

Psalm 56 is one of both pleading prayer and declaration. David goes back and forth between pleading with God for help, crying out about the enemies who pursue him and then firmly declaring his trust and confidence in God. It almost seems as if David is making a very determined effort to remind himself, in the midst of the stress, that God will not abandon him and he will not abandon God. He is making the choice to trust in God and believe His Word. It’s evidently not based on his emotion, but as we see in verse 12, it is his vow to God to keep trusting in Him and to bring Him sacrifices of thanksgiving. We’ve seen David practice this before in previous psalms. He is crying out to God from the depths of his pain, but at the same time not allowing his heart or mind to believe anything other than the truth he knows: God is trustworthy, faithful, my deliverer, and my hope.

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1.  Have you ever felt like running away from it all (or flying away like David did)? Journal about a time you wanted to run away from all the stress in your life. Ask the Lord to speak to you about how He sustained you in that difficult time. If you are in that time this very moment, ask God to make Psalm 55:22 very, real to you with words, thoughts, pictures or a song. Thank Him for His faithfulness, even if like David, it’s more of a declaration right now than an experience.

2.   Have you ever been betrayed or mistreated by someone close to you who should have been on your side? Ask the Lord if there is any lingering effect from this broken relationship that causes you to trust Him less. Confess any sin of unforgiveness toward that person if there is any. Ask Him for healing in this area, and then a word, thought, picture or song to confirm this for you. Pray a prayer of declaration of your trust in Him even if this has not been an issue for you.

3.   Ask God to bring to mind a time when your emotions have not lined up with your belief or commitment to trust in the Lord. Ask Him to speak to you about your commitment to Him (perhaps your prayer of salvation, your covenant of baptism, your commitment to membership or ministry, etc) and whether or not you have kept that commitment even if you haven’t sees or felt the benefit, like David in Psalm 56. Ask God to give you 3-5 reminders now of how He has been faithful to you in hard times, then pray a prayer declaring your commitment to trust Him. Consider writing these reminders or your prayer of declaration on a 3x5 card or framing them on your wall to keep these truths ever before you.

Foundations: Psalms - Day 23

READ: TWENTY-THREE

Psalm 52 is a little bit different than many of the other psalms. Many psalms sing about how the wicked rise up at scoff at the righteous, and how the righteous feel like they are getting trampled on. We see David with almost a mocking tone say to the evildoers that their strength and wealth will not last because they do not honor God. He talks about the things God will do to bring them to justice. Verse 6 says the righteous will see and fear what God is doing. This is key! The righteous see God’s power and fear it, knowing He could pour His wrath on them as well. The wicked see God’s power and fight it, believing somehow they can stand against Him. The final two verses of this psalm are a personal declaration of faith and praise. David has seen the blessing of following God – even while being pursued relentlessly by enemies. He has benefited from being righteous. He can stand on the unfailing love and goodness of God. He has seen firsthand how God has handled the wicked. It is no wonder then, this testimony of praise would come from his heart.

Psalm 53:1 is a well-known verse. To say there is no God is the epitome of foolishness. How does this apply to us who say we are believers? When we continue to act and live as if there is no God, we live foolishly. Giving God room in our lives to speak and living as if He exists, makes a difference, affects our eternity, and ensures we live and die differently than the fool. 

Verses 2-3 in Psalm 53 are somewhat sobering, yet hopeful. God is looking on this earth for men and women who love Him and are devoted to Him. He is looking for people who seek Him. Yet the news isn’t good: everyone has turned away. Everyone does evil. It even says “not even one”.  This is sobering because it sounds like the days of Noah when God saw just one person He could entrust with Creation.  Yet it causes us to ask, what about our culture? What about our country? Would God find even one here?

These verses are hopeful in the sense that although there doesn’t seem to be anyone choosing to seek God, this is not the first time this has happened. Every time we see this happen throughout Scripture, we also see God rise up to save His people. God longs for relationship with people so He goes to great lengths to make it happen. When we compare this to our culture we can have hope in the Lord because He wants to find someone seeking Him. It also leads us to ask very personally, If God is looking on the earth today for a faithful person who seeks Him… will He see me?

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1.   Spend a few minutes writing out some of the big and small miracles God has done for you, even if you didn’t recognize the miracle when it happened. (For example: protecting me when I slipped on the ice, giving me a spouse, healing me, taking away cravings for nicotine, etc) Then spend some time personalizing the prayer in Psalm 52:8-9. Pray this for yourself, and keep it handy to pray through the week.

2.   Ask the Lord if there is a part of your life where you are living as a fool because you are either denying God access to that part, or you don’t believe He can really make a difference (He’s not really God… enough). Listen carefully to what He says, confess if necessary. Ask Him to break through and show you even more concretely that He is God.

3.   If God would searching the earth for a soul seeking Him… would He notice you? What exactly would He see? Ask God to speak to you about what He sees when He looks at your life. Is He pleased? Are you seeking Him?  Pray a prayer of commitment to faithfully seek Him even in difficult situations.

Foundations: Psalms - Day 22

READ: Psalm 50-51

These two psalms make a beautiful set of songs describing and explaining sacrifices God finds acceptable. Psalm 50 begins with a powerful description of God. Here we see raw power, fierce glory and strong justice in the very being of God Almighty.

God speaks to the people about their sacrifices. He says he has no problems with what they are sacrificing but He wants to remind them of something very, very important: they are not sacrificing animals so He can have them. No. That’s how we sacrifice for people: We give up what we have so others can have. But God says He doesn’t need anything we have to offer because He already owns it all. Our sacrifices should be about the attitude He desires to see in each of us.

God wants to see our hearts sacrificed to Him. One thing He doesn’t take for Himself, but waits for us to offer Him, is our hearts. Verse 14 says He wants us to sacrifice thanksgiving to Him. God makes it very clear. Thankfulness is of utmost importance to Him.

As we continue in the chapter we see there is a lot God says to the wicked we can learn from as well. We can see from these verses how important it is to God that we accept His discipline, treat God’s voice with great value, stand against immoral behavior, guard our tongues and speak truth.

Sometimes we believe God is not punishing sin today like He did in Bible Times. We read of people who were killed for lying, or were swallowed up by the earth, or somehow immediately punished for sin. Perhaps we have begun to believe God no longer punishes sin the same way, so we think we’ll get off easy. Verse 21 reminds us though, even if God is silent, His holiness will still exact an account and a price for our sin.

Verse 23 says God loves a heart full of thanks toward Him. This is the sacrifice He loves. We don’t need an altar, or a herd of bulls and goats and sheep. All we need is to have a heart that offers thanks!

Psalm 51 grows this idea of sacrifice a little deeper. The psalm begins with a prayer of confession and repentance, which is a solid example of what someone with a broken spirit might do. God is specifically looking for people like this. They see the sin inside and recognize what they have been saved from, realize that without God condemnation is the only option. When we have a broken spirit we desperately long for forgiveness and restoration, and eagerly walk in repentance because we know firsthand the pain of our sinful nature.

This is what God is looking for: hearts that are fully devoted to Him in confession, repentance and thankfulness.

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1.   Ask the Lord if you have been consistently offering Him sacrifices of Thanksgiving. Confess any sin of withholding thanks. Spend 5-10 minutes writing down all the things – both good and difficult – you can be thankful for. Then pray a prayer of thanks from the depths of your heart. (Optional: Pray out loud standing up with hands raised in worship, or kneeling in humble submission.)

2.   Ask God how you are doing in these areas, then confess sin if necessary, and thank Him for helping you in the areas you are doing well.

a.  Accepting His discipline

b.  Treating God’s voice with great value

c.  Standing against immoral behavior

d.  Guarding your tongue

e.  Speaking truth.

3.    Ask God if you have been taking your sin lightly, excusing it, or indulging in it because you don’t see an immediate punishment. Ask Him to show you specific areas or sins where this may be a tendency. Confess if necessary. Pray a prayer of commitment to remember God’s holiness and ask Him to convict you quickly of sin so you can confess and repent.

Foundations: Psalms - Day 21

READ: Psalms 49-51

Psalm 49 is one of the “wisdom” psalms. As a culture, we have fallen into the very traps this psalm speaks about. Although it seems like it was written for North American believers, the first two verses break that theory by calling everyone to listen and pay attention, whether they are rich, or poor, important or not.

An interesting definition appears in verses 5-6. The evildoers, or the wicked, are those who trust in their wealth. This should cause us alarm and concern. When we struggle with having little, it is easy to believe everything would get better with just a bit more money. That amount is always out of reach. When we have much, our struggle is to experience our need for God.

The harsh reality is this: all of us will die, whether rich or poor. Businesses, property, estates, bank accounts and retirement funds may in fact last longer than the people who began them. If all we are gathering together is what we can touch, feel and count, our life and legacy will disappear when we die. Yet God offers to redeem us, and our legacy. This hope is sure! Verse 17 reminds us when God redeems us our life does not end when we die! It is not our wealth, nor our poverty, that saves us, but the redemption God offers.

Verses 7-9 speak about this redemption. No one can redeem the life of anyone else because the ransom for a life is too costly – especially to be redeemed into eternal life. This is out of reach even for the wealthiest person on earth. Yet this is our gift! We can have this redemption because the one who could save us has. He has paid that costly ransom price!

The final few verses again remind us of how wealth works. It attracts much attention here on this earth. We count ourselves blessed. Those who have money are high and lofty, the coveted ones. But are we really blessed? Is it a blessing when it cannot be carried into eternity? We cannot take our wealth with us when we die.

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1.   A spirit of poverty is one that often causes us to feel poor, whether we really are or not. Even a wealthy person can have a spirit of poverty. It can be what drives a person to rely on and gain wealth. This psalm makes it clear we cannot trust in wealth. A spirit of wealth, on the other hand, is one that can cause us to demand blessing or prosperity. It can cause us to trust in our possessions or abilities rather than God. Or it can cause us to demand things of God and limit our submission to Him based on our perceived blessing. Ask the Lord if you have either, or both, or none of these. Let Him speak openly and honest with you about this. Ask Him plainly: Jesus, do I fully trust you to provide for me everything I need? How much do I truly believe that you are all I need today and ever? Let the Lord speak to you about this. If you sense a spirit of poverty or wealth that is burdensome, or has been passed on to you through generational bondage, consider making a personal ministry appointment.

2.   Verse 18 talks about how people treat wealthy people differently and praise them when they prosper. The opposite is also true. We often treat people as less-than when they are poor or experience financial difficulty. Ask the Lord to bring to mind a wealthy person you have honored (perhaps even secretly) because of their wealth, and someone you have treated poorly (perhaps secretly) because of their poverty. Ask God to speak to you about their true value. Confess any sin and ask Him for a step of obedience to demonstrate biblical honor that is not based on wealth.

3.   Since we cannot take our wealth with us when we die, what does the Lord want you to be investing in today (your time, energy, money) so that a genuine legacy will last into eternity? Listen carefully to His answer and ask Him to give you the next step in accomplishing that task.

Foundations: Psalms - Day 20

READ: Psalms 46-48

Psalm 46 is a psalm of encouraging us as we hurtle toward the last days. This psalm gives clear explanation of where our safety and hope will be in those days when everything around us is falling apart. We will not fear – no matter what. We see the stability of heaven in verses 4 – 5 in stark contrast to the instability of the nations of the earth. God has it all in His hand. A mere word from Him and the earth would melt. We can have confidence in God to be our refuge and to mete out justice. Verses 8 – 9 are an invitation for us to get a sneak peek into how God will handle justice in the end. It will not be a pretty sight. In the middle of it he extends yet another invitation: Be still and know that I am God. In the midst of the mayhem, we can step into His presence and know Him. Such great hope we have!

Psalm 47 is a song of praise! When God has done so much for us we can’t help but give Him praise! This psalm commands us to praise God in song. Often in our quiet times we forget how significant singing is to our souls, and how important it is to God. Even in corporate worship, which is likely the setting for this psalm, singing is not just ‘part of the service’ but an outward expression of the gratitude experienced in our hearts.

Psalm 48 is another song of corporate praise. Two of the most compelling verses in this psalm are verses 12 – 13. They remind us to check out, measure, take notes on, and fully comprehend Zion. What is Zion? Zion is the city that God has reserved for Himself. Zion is a symbol of God’s great strength, care and attention to detail. The reason we are given is so we can tell the next generation. This process of telling the next generation is critical for our churches and our families today. It is imperative we talk about, measure, take notes on, and fully comprehend what God is doing today in our lives. What is He doing? What has He done? We need to know the details – down to the measurements and amounts – so we can pass the God-stories on to our children, so they can see God’s faithfulness for themselves.

Without the details of the stories of God we have to share with the next generation, they will not have confidence in Him when their going gets tough. They also have a journey to walk, and our prayer is they walk it in faith and obedience, trusting God Almighty. They need to know these things so they can sing verse 13 together with us.

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1.   Many of us don’t like to think about, study or talk about the last days or even persecution. We are filled with fear. Ask the Lord to speak to you with a word, thought, picture or song, about His ability to be your refuge when times get tough. Journal this and refer back to it over the next few days as the Holy Spirit roots this deep into your heart.

2.  Corporate worship is something God really, really loves! Ask God to speak to you about what He feels, thinks, or wants from your worship of Him. Does it melt His heart? Is He thrilled with it? Does He want more from you? Listen to His heart, write it down and the next time you are worshipping corporately, make a note (perhaps set a silent or visual alarm on your phone or iPod?) to worship in such a way that God’s heart will swell with pride.

3.   Do you ever get tired of hearing someone recite the good things God has done, especially if they seem excited about the details? Confess this to God, and ask Him for a heart that longs to hear about the good things He has done. Ask the Lord to remind you of something He has done that He wants passed down to the next generation of believers. Write it down and make a commitment to share God’s glory!