Tag: psalms

Psalm 105:1-42

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            There are days when we all get up on the wrong side of the bed.  And there are days when we arise feeling refreshed and ready to seize the day.  Then there are most days – we are neither energized nor grumpy but “meh.”  Just as the necessity of a decent breakfast is important to get a good start to the day, so beginning the day with some good spiritual food is a must to fortify our lives and set them on a solid trajectory for success.  We cannot simply rely on feeding upon God when we feel like it, for then we will succumb to all the vicissitudes and variegations of life, becoming slaves to our own emotions. 
 
            One way of taking charge of our spiritual lives is beginning the day with the psalmist.  Psalm 105 calls us to give thanks to God; call upon his name; make known his deeds; sing to him; glory in his name; seek him; and remember his wondrous works.  As we orient our minds and hearts from sleep to work, we are to cultivate and tend to our spiritual selves like a garden that needs attention lest the weeds take over.
 
            God keeps his promises to his people.  As we recall and remember those promises, and realize that God remembers us, we can allow praise, singing, and thanksgiving to arise along with our bodies.  Perhaps before even getting out of bed in the morning, we can reach over, grab our Bible, tablet, or smartphone and read these words of Psalm 105 so that our day is formed around the positive promises of God and not the negative thoughts of our minds.  And at night, the same ritual could be done before falling asleep so that our day is bookended with remembering God’s works.  For the Bible is not simply some old book to adore from afar, but a living word from God to shape our minds and form our hearts.
 

God Almighty, you have remembered your people throughout the millennia with wondrous works and powerful deeds.  Today I give thanks to you for giving me your Son, the Lord Jesus, and accomplishing the mightiest work of all:  securing my deliverance from sin, death, and hell.  May the Name of Jesus be praised!  Amen

Psalm 27

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


We are in the Christian season of Lent, which is a time of repentance.  One of the greatest hindrances to repenting and believing is fear.  We reason in our heads that if I was to do the turn-around-thing that something bad or painful will occur.  We feel afraid in our hearts of what will happen if we take a repentant course of action, and we end up doing nothing but being stymied by fear.  
             The answer to fear is a robust faith in God.  The psalmist makes it plain that with attention and focus squarely on God, fear is tamed and exposed as a toothless beast.  “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?  The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?”  Even if embracing repentance leads to a change of life which others, especially family, do not appreciate and they heap abuse upon you, the Lord God Almighty will show you steadfast love and mercy.  “Even if my father and mother forsake me,” said the psalmist, “the LORD will take me in.”
             Getting to know God enables us to persevere with patience instead of scurrying about like scared rabbits.  When we practice repentance and hug faith in the Lord, a settled sense of peace and purpose begin to take hold so that we endure through suffering.  Difficult circumstances will not always be the norm.  “Wait for the LORD, take courage, be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD!”  Praying this psalm repeatedly through the trials of life can help us with faith and patience in those times when words fail us due to fear.
             Hear my voice, Lord God, when I call; have mercy on me and answer me.  “Come,” says my heart, “seek his face;” your face, Lord, do I seek!  Do not hide your face from me; do not repel me in anger.  You are my salvation; do not cast me off; do not forsake me, God my Savior!  Amen.

Psalm 17

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            This is one of David’s personal psalms of lament.  It is a prayer forged in the midst of adversaries who sought his life.  The psalm is a plea uttered with the hope that God would indeed vindicate him and subdue those who wanted to harm him.  It is a lament that wickedness exists and often gets its way; it is a grieving over the constant threats that swirled around David.
 
            It was David’s prayer that with all the heartless and arrogant violence that was continually in his life that God would keep him as the apple of his eye, and hide him in the shadow of his wings.  Indeed, perhaps no better prayer could be said in those times when there are people who make untrue accusations and only wish harm to be done to you:  “Keep me as the apple your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.”  It is in the times when angry simpletons spew their worst that we need to confidently know that the God watches over his people with affection and cares for them as a mother hen protects her chicks.
 
            You and I are precious to God.  We can run to him when there is trouble.  The Lord is a benevolent God showing firm commitment to those who seek truth, loving actions, and merciful words.  When going through a difficult time in which another or others accuse you of wrongdoing and you know you are innocent, the proper prescription is to pray this very psalm repeatedly at night before bed.  For we all know that sleep can be elusive and hard to come by in such circumstances.  Perhaps, along with David, you will be able to say:  “As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.”
 

 

            Arise, O LORD!  Deliver my soul from the wicked and subdue them!  I seek refuge in you, O Savior; show me your steadfast love as I cry out to you for help.  Incline your ear to hear me, and answer when I call through the name of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16

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


             I had a flashback today when I read today’s psalm.  My wife’s Grandma was a godly woman.  She raised five children in depression-era America, and it was not an easy life.  She had seen her share of hardship and difficulty.  By the time I met Grandma she was elderly and in the twilight of life.  Yet, none of the hard life she experienced had hardened her – she had an unmistakable sweet spirit.  In my first meeting with Grandma I read her this very psalm because it was her favorite.  As I read the beautiful words of God’s protection and watch-care over his people, the look on Grandma’s face was as if I was reading it to her for the first time.  She drank in its message and savored every word.
             Grandma has been gone now for decades, but her legacy lives on.  My wife, to put it delicately, was something of an ornery kid.  Grandma prayed for her, along with her other grandchildren, every day.  Today my wife is a godly woman, just like her Grandma.  And it is no surprise to me that her favorite psalm is Psalm 91.  
             What kind of spiritual legacy are we leaving for our kids, grandchildren, friends, and others?  The times of testing, danger, risk, and hardship are the opportunities to put trust in God into practice.  It is in such seasons that we can run to the Lord as our refuge and fortress, our shelter and our shade.  In doing so, the impact is not only personal but shows the way for others, as well.
             Watchful God, you are my protection and my strength.  I run to you because you are able to deliver and to secure.  I pray for all those in who need your special help and protection today.  May they know that you are able to save through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.