Tag: psalms

Psalm 25:1-10

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


             I admit there are things from my past I am neither proud of nor happy about.  Yet, thanks to God Almighty, that he has selective memory.  God remembers according to his nature and character (merciful and showing steadfast love) and not based on the stupid sins of our youth.  God freely chooses to forgive and has made the means available for us to experience daily cleansing and victory through the Lord Jesus Christ.
             Memory is a not a minor theme in the Old Testament.  Rather, remembering is a major focus that pops up again and again.  How we remember past events is of upmost importance to God.  We are to not dwell on and keep remembering any former indiscretions of either ourselves or others.  Since God does not hold the past over our heads, neither are we to do so.  On the other hand, we are to keep in mind and continually remember the great works of God, especially in redemption.  What has happened in the past either by us or against us is not the real issue; the most prescient issue is how you and I interpret those events.
             Today we can choose to remember in the way God remembers.  Thanksgiving meals with family and the holiday season with relatives are, for some folks, a sheer duty.  Even the best of families have those within their ranks that can make for difficult relations.  Paying attention to our memory and how we choose to remember can be a significant part of interacting with others.  If we like it that God has shown grace to us, then the least we can do is let that same grace flow from us to others who neither deserve it nor expect it.  Let’s give thanks to the Lord, for he is good in forgiving sin and showing infinite mercy.  And let’s express our gratitude through selfless words and acts of grace which reflect the nature of God.
             Gracious God, you do not hold grudges and always act according to love.  Even though you could have condemned me, you saved me.  Despite the fact that I have fallen short of your glory, you delivered me.  I remember your mighty redemptive deeds in Jesus, and I give you eternal praise and thanksgiving.  Amen.

Psalm 63

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Those that visit this blog with any regularity know that I believe the book of Psalms to be a vast untapped resource of devotion and prayer for many Christians.  In those dark times when we don’t know what to pray, how to lament, or what to say to God; in the joyful times when we want to proclaim praise, give thanks, or express our blessings and longings; in every season of our lives the psalms have something to offer us in our relationship with the God of all creation.
 
            Today’s psalm was originally uttered to God when David was roaming in the wilderness avoiding Saul’s malevolent intent.  David expressed his yearning, desire, and hope in order to connect with God and be led by him, step by step.  David praised God in his circumstance, longing to be satisfied with spiritual food and drink.
 

 

            Just as we are to pray the psalms, speak the psalms out loud, and meditate on the psalms, so we are to also sing the psalms.  The Psalter Hymnal of old, as well as many contemporary praise and worship songs are words from the psalms, meant to help, encourage, and give voice to our own current experiences.  Inspired by the psalms, take a few minutes today to listen to “God You Are My God” by Michael W. Smith, or check out a compilation of music from the psalms, for example, “The Psalms Project”, which aims to get all 150 psalms to music.  Maybe even make up your own tune to today’s psalm and sing it to the Lord.
 
            Whatever we do, let the psalms help form and shape a profound spirituality for us which helps to more deeply connect with the God we long to know more and more.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Psalm 113

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            When my firstborn daughter was an infant, I was a busy seminarian as well as working a job.  I did not have a lot of discretionary time on my hands.  Yet, I could stand over the crib of my beautiful little bundle of a girl for long stretches of time without ever thinking about all my responsibilities.  Whenever she awoke I would speak to her in that kind of baby talk that only a doting father can do.  I imagine that God looks at us in much the same way, as well as speaking and acting toward us in ways we can understand.
 
            Just as parents interact on a level in which their kids can understand, so God condescends and stoops to our level in order to help us.  “Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?”  God notices.  He looks at us with lovingkindness and seeks our best interests.  “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap.”  The divine condescension of God is a beautiful thing because without it we would be like a helpless baby.
 
            This psalm of praise to God celebrates how the Sovereign of the universe notices and acts.  We are meant to remember the great deeds of God – both those things which he has done contained in Scripture, and the things he has done for us, personally.  This is why journaling as a spiritual practice is such a good personal discipline because we have a record of the ways in which God has acted on our behalf.  Then, we can praise him all over again for what he has done.  And this will fortify our spiritual mettle for the times when we need encouragement.
 

 

            Praise the LORD!  You are a God worthy of adoration, for you have done mighty things.  Thank you for taking me from the ash heap of sin and raising me up with Christ so that I can experience the life that is truly life.  Amen.

Psalm 127

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


            When my wife was growing up her family had a prominent portrait of John Wayne in the living room above the television.  It spoke volumes about the family ethos.  They had horses and loved to ride and enjoy the outdoors.  Hard work was a daily reality of life, as well as a rugged individualism that often suppressed all else in order to engage in work.  Doing your best, striving for excellence, and learning responsibility are good things that mature people do every day.  But there is a fine line between hard work that provides and enriches, and lonely work that is frenetic and fueled by anxiety about the future.
             Today’s psalm gives us a wake-up call that all our work is useless, in vain, unless it is connected to the God who gives strength and sweet sleep.  “It is in vain that your rise up early and late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for God gives to his beloved sleep.”  The motives that lie behind why we burn the candle at both ends are just as important to the Lord as the work itself.  If we independently believe that our life is in our own hands and we work with worry animating our every job, then we have lost touch with the understanding that it is God who ultimately provides us with every good thing in life.  But if we begin to relax and let go of our stubborn independent streak, then we work hard with strength God gives and let him watch over us.
             This trust and connection with God is why work is connected to children being a heritage from the Lord.  Children worked with their parents in the ancient world.  Dad and Mom did not go it alone – it was a family affair, and a community endeavor.  Whenever we slip into the groove of worshiping individualism rather than simply taking personal responsibility, then we must come back to the inter-dependence that we were designed for as people.  The ethos that the psalmist is looking for is trust in God, reliance on others, and working together for the common good of all.  So, who do you need to help you today?  Will you ask for it?  How is God in your plans and your work?

Sovereign God, you created all things and in you everything holds together.  Preserve me with your mighty power that I may not fall into disconnection with you and others, nor be overcome by anxiety.  In all I do direct to the fulfilling of your purposes, through Jesus Christ my Lord.  Amen.