Tag: psalms

Psalm 20

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            We place our trust in things and other people every day.  We trust the chair to hold us up when we sit down; we trust the grocery store will be open when we go to it; and, we trust people to keep the promises they make to us.  Yet, we have all had the experience of something breaking on us when we sat on it; a store being closed when we went to it; and, someone not following through with what they said they would do for us.  There is a difference between lesser trust and ultimate trust.  If we place ultimate trust in things and people other than God, then we will be the most miserable of people because they will all let us down at some point. 
 
            The psalmist lets us know where our ultimate trust must be firmly placed:  “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”  It is part of the human experience to be disappointed and let down by others.  Discouragement is only exacerbated exponentially into paranoia if our ultimate trust rests on chariots and horses, that is, in a more contemporary rendering, military technology and lots of tanks, planes, and weapons.  If security and peace of mind is measured by the systems and staff we put in place, then it will never be enough and we will continually be looking over our shoulder.  But if our faith is solid in God, then the constant angst of the election season and the forebodings of news media outlets will not shake us and cause us to collapse under the worried strain.
 
            There is nothing wrong with keeping up with the news and latest events.  There is, however, something wrong with looking at those events through a sub-biblical lens as if God were not sovereign in the world.  There is nothing wrong with expecting others to keep their promises.  There is, however, something wrong with treating them as if they are little gods who must pander to the demands of me, the constituent.  Psalm 20 is available for us to read and pray as much as we need to, in order that our worldview can stretch to believe in the ultimate trust of God.
 

 

            God Almighty, you reign supreme over all nations and all people.  There is no threat too serious, no situation too dire that you are unable to deal with in grace and power.  I place today my ultimate trust in you, knowing and believing that you are always good for your promises through Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Psalm 32

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment


             “Because I kept silent, my bones wasted away; I groaned all day long.”  There is perhaps no better description of depression than this statement by David in the midst of his emotional pain.  David had every reason to feel deeply about the circumstances of his life.  He had been both victim and perpetrator in all kinds of very troubling situations.  But, as a leader, he kept the stiff-upper-lip of stubbornly holding everything inside.  In fact, the word “depression” literally means to depress the emotions and keep them tightly held within and not allowing them to see the light of day.
             There was a time in my past in which I was so good at stuffing my feelings that one night when our neighbor had a blow-out of a party at 2 in the morning, I actually felt no anger.  Just so you know:  that’s not healthy.  I had an anger problem.  Not the kind where you explode, but just the opposite – the kind where you stuff every negative feeling in the book.
          Recovery for me meant first recognizing that I had a lot to be angry about.  Next, I began to let myself feel the past situations of my life, and I need to tell you that what was inside me wasn’t at all pretty.  Like a wound that needs peroxide, dealing with depression hurt like hell.  But I couldn’t heal without it.  I couldn’t go around it, or avoid it; I had to go through it.  Finally, I learned to not only identify my feelings, but to take charge of them.  I discovered I could choose to say how I feel without apology, and I could say it all in a way that helped others, as well as myself.  Like David of old, I had to get what was inside on the outside.
Gracious God, your stamp of approval is on the penitent – those who are brutally honest with the inner self and receive your mercy.  I will not keep silent.  I will declare to you the current state of my life and not run away from the ugliness within.  Through the gracious Name of Jesus I pray with thanksgiving.  Amen.

Psalm 39

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            God is a pretty big God.  He is big enough to hear whatever is on our hearts.  It really does no one any good to have pretense with God.  The psalmist initially thought he had to hold back in speaking with God:  “I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse.  My heart became hot within me.  As I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue….” The psalmist goes on to speak openly and honestly to God about what was really on his heart and mind.
 
            Sometimes we might get the mistaken notion that we need to be guarded with God – that somehow we should treat him like we do with other people – coy, hesitant, keeping a respectable distance in conversation.  Maybe that ought to happen sometimes with other people, but it is silly to approach God in such a manner.  With God, we ought to be brutally honest about how we are really doing and how we are actually feeling.  God is not going to move mountains for us if we aren’t willing to admit there is one right in front of our faces.
 
            I’m quite sure that God has literally heard it all from people in the long millennia of human existence.  He isn’t going to be surprised by any of our thoughts and words.  So, why hide them?  It may be a radical thought to say that we can say anything to God and express our deepest emotions to him, but it is nonetheless true.  God wants to help us move along in this pilgrimage of faith we are on, but he will only do so if we are up front with him about our current location.
 

 

            God of the Ages, you are above all and know all things.  Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears!   I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my forefathers.  Look away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more!  My hope is in you; without your abiding presence I am nothing.  Come, Lord Jesus, come.  Amen.

Psalm 63:1-8

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            The psalms are not just some nice ancient poems and songs about David and Israel; they are prayers which are still alive with the potential to connect us with God.  I sometimes personally like to contemporize the psalms so that I have before me a prayer which I can lift again and again to God in the midst of my own wilderness experiences.  Today’s psalm was crafted by David before he was king and was on the run from King Saul in the desert.  Here is my take on this psalm:
 
O God, you are my God; I’m putting all my effort into seeking you;
            my soul is thirsty for you;
my body is weak looking for you,
            like in a desert where there is no water.
I am no stranger to you because I have seen you work before,
            and I have gotten a glorious glimpse of your power in the past.
I have experienced that your steadfast love is better than life itself,
            and I now bank on those times and praise you despite my trouble.
I choose to keep on remembering you and blessing your holy name;
            In the mighty name of Jesus I will lift up my hands in praise, even if it looks weird to others.
 
I know that my soul will be satisfied in you, just like when I get a medium rare T-bone steak and sweet corn;
            and I will use my mouth to praise you with joy, no matter the circumstances,
when I remember you on my bed and can’t sleep,
            and meditate on your crazy good grace as I lie there with my eyes wide open;
for you have always been my help,
            and sitting on your lap I will be supremely confident and sing for joy.
Oh, my soul clings to you through this trial;

 

            and your mighty hand upholds me.  Amen.