Tag: psalms

Psalm 124

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
 
           “Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.”  These are the words for which I begin nearly every worship service in church.  It is a call to worship the God who is above all and sees all – and can do something about all the adversity and trouble we face in the world.  When confronted with a new day, our attention must be arrested and directed in the positive way of acknowledging God. 
 
            Our ultimate help is in the Lord.  Our fears about the future, our insecurities of what will happen, and our anxieties about all of the upcoming stuff we must face can be transformed with the biblical perspective of acknowledging our need for God.  The Lord is our most prescient support.  That meeting you have been dreading; that conversation you have been avoiding; or, that deadline that has been looming over your head; these and all situations can only find their proper perspective in light of the God who helps.
 
            I am a big believer in making daily affirmations of faith in God.  That is, affirming the truth about God, even if I don’t feel like it, each and every day so that some solid robust theology is not only at the forefront of my mind, but that the attributes of God also sink firmly into my heart.  For faith does not simply come as a result of signing off on a checklist of beliefs.  Rather, faith arises as a response to the recognition that God is good – all the time – and that he helps those who look to him.
 

 

            Creator God, you are the One who provides everything I need for life and godliness.  I need your help today and everyday so that I can confidently do your will.  I stand in confidence because I serve the Lord Jesus, who is benevolent and always does what is right and just.  Amen.

Psalm 117

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            God’s faithfulness never ends.  Let that statement from the psalmist sink in and ruminate on it for a bit.  What does it mean?  How does it work itself out?  Is God faithful to me?  As a pastor, I can tell you that one of the most difficult things that I see people encounter is wondering if God can really do things in their lives like he does in other people’s lives.  Sometimes we have all the faith in the world for other people – that God will forgive, heal, help, and show up in their lives – but when it comes to me personally, it becomes an entirely different thing.  We wonder if anything can really change.
 
            God is good for his promises.  He will accomplish all that he has said he will do.  It certainly might seem like he is taking his time and is terribly slow in moving on our behalf.  Yet, it shall be done on earth as it is in heaven.  God does not just work in other countries with mass conversions; he does not only grow his church in other geographical locales; and, he does not limit himself to establishing his kingdom in receptive areas.  God can and does work everywhere and will show up in your life and your church, just like he has been doing for ages in all places in all times.
 
            Perhaps the most appropriate response is to praise God for what he is going to do.  That is, don’t just wait for him to do something astounding.  Look for it and give thanks ahead of time for the incredible work of saving, healing, teaching, growing, and transforming that God will do in Christ through the power of his Holy Spirit.  It isn’t just for others; it is for you, my friend.  How will you trust him today?
 

 

            Faithful God, I praise you for what you will do in my life this season.  Thanks for the answers to prayer that will come.  I give you gratitude for the people you will deliver from sin, darkness, addiction, disease, and suffering and the new spirit you will give to me and many others in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Psalm 98

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
Sing a new song to the Lord!
He has worked miracles,
and with his own powerful arm,
he has won the victory.
2 The Lord has shown the nations
that he has the power to save
and to bring justice.
3 God has been faithful
in his love for Israel,
and his saving power is seen
everywhere on earth.
4 Tell everyone on this earth
to sing happy songs
in praise of the Lord.
5 Make music for him on harps.
Play beautiful melodies!
6 Sound the trumpets and horns
and celebrate with joyful songs
for our Lord and King!
7 Command the ocean to roar
with all of its creatures,
and the earth to shout
with all of its people.
8 Order the rivers
to clap their hands,
and all of the hills
to sing together.
9 Let them worship the Lord!
He is coming to judge
everyone on the earth,
and he will be honest
and fair. (Contemporary English Version)
 
            I hope you don’t miss the point of the psalm:  sing to the Lord a new song.  Yes a “new” song.  Other than the fact we ought to bring fresh music to our worship of God, this is a summons to get an original voice.  Instead of going down the same ruts in our speaking and living, being attentive to God’s mighty deeds helps us break out into new vistas of living.  This attention to God’s works through a new song becomes so invigorating that everyone and everything on earth is encouraged to join into the imaginative expression of praise.
 
            We are to praise God in this present time because of what he has done in the past, always looking to the future when he will come again.  If we don’t make the effort to offer praise that is fresh, creative, and thoughtful for our present time, then we ought not to be surprised when a watching world gives a shoulder-shrugging “meh” to our tepid singing.  And if such vibrant praise seems foreign, then the time is past due for a renewed focus on the works of God in history because he really has done miraculous things for us.
 

 

            Mighty God, your holy arm of power has done incredible works in history.  What is more, you have done influential works in my life, especially through deliverance from evil and transformation of heart.  For this, and much more, I praise the gracious and wonderful name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord.  Amen.

Psalm 145:1-5, 17-19

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
I will praise you,
my God and King,
and always honor your name.
2 I will praise you each day
and always honor your name.
3 You are wonderful, Lord,
and you deserve all praise,
because you are much greater
than anyone can understand.
4 Each generation will announce
to the next
your wonderful
and powerful deeds.
5 I will keep thinking about
your marvelous glory
and your mighty miracles
17 Our Lord, everything you do
is kind and thoughtful,
18     and you are near to everyone
whose prayers are sincere.
19 You satisfy the desires
of all your worshipers,
and you come to save them
when they ask for help (Contemporary English Version).
 
            Wherever I go and whomever I speak with as I move about my congregation and community, there is a great deal of anxiety, even fear, about what will happen in our nation.  Certainly, our political process of the past year along with its spirited dialogue has spawned much apprehension of the future.  And, yet, there is this angle of the psalmist to consider.  We are to think about and carefully consider some solid robust theology.
 
            God provides.  He protects.  The Lord’s presence is continually with his people.  God is good for his promises.  He deals with injustice.  Yes, our God deserves all praise, glory, and honor because standing behind all the anxiety of a puny human election of candidates is a very large deity who does his own election based in his good pleasure and purpose.
 
            In these next days, I encourage you to read this psalm again and again.  Internalize it, and let its message and theology seep into the pores of your soul so that by next week your confidence will not be in the ups or downs of your candidate and political platform, but in the Lord God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
 

 

            Mighty God, along with the psalmist I will always honor and praise your holy name.  You are far greater than I can even think or imagine.  Let my trust in you be a strong ballast in the days and years to come, both for me and for the next generations of those who believe in Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.