21 Days of Prayer in Psalm 119 (Day #12)

Read Psalm 119:89-96

     “Appointment”

The verses that caught my particular attention this morning were verses 90-91,

Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
    you have established the earth, and it stands fast.
By your appointment they stand this day,    for all things are your servants.

As a result of the conservation movement in the last half-century, we have become very aware of a number of endangered species of wildlife and plants and have taken pains to preserve them for future generations. In some cases, animal populations have bounced back so vigorously that they have been removed from the endangered list. This passage today is reminding us that not only will God’s word never pass away, but that the faithfulness of the Lord will never become “endangered.” It endures the world’s faithlessness and touches all generations with the abiding promises of God.

This reflection of God’s faithfulness leads me to consider that to which his faithfulness extends. It is because of the Lord’s decree, or as the ESV translates the Hebrew word (מִשְׁפָּט mishpâṭ) “appointment” that the earth and all things stand fast. He is the solidity of the universe. He is the creator and sustainer of all things...including us.

 As Paul writes to the Colossians about the preeminence of Christ,

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Col. 1:15-17)

Everything in creation does that which the Lord appointed it to do…with one exception. Human beings chose to do what they wanted and broke the perfect harmony in creation through their self-love and desire for autonomy. Will we choose to step out of the rushing current of fallen patterns of existence to truly begin to live in the light of Christ’s marvelous grace? The psalmist does just that. He renounces ownership of himself and repents of any human pride and self-sufficiency. He knew whose he was and what he needed, “I am yours; save me...” (v.94).

O Lord Jesus, you who through your complete obedience made salvation possible for those of us who fall short, we recognize that we are yours and put our trust in you alone. Please keep us from making up ideas about you that are contrary to your word. Quicken our delight in your word because it tells us more about you, your care for all of creation, and your loving plan for us. Soften our hearts to respond to your direction as the psalmist, “I am yours” and strengthen our hands to serve you faithfully as part of your new creation! Amen.

21 Days of Prayer in Psalm 119 (Day #11)

Read Psalm 119:81-88

     “Longing”

For what do we long? The things of heaven or the things of earth? In today’s stanza, we see an increased longing on the part of the psalmist for God to deliver him, to save him, from those who were actively persecuting him (mentioned 4-5 times). This longing is seen in the first two verses,

“My soul longs for your salvation;
              I hope in your word.
My eyes long for your promise;
             I ask, “When will you comfort me?” (v. 81-82)

Trusting God is no guarantee that you will get whatever you want right now. If fact it is often quite the opposite. However, he is with us right now in the midst of any trials we are facing. It is in the tough times that we can learn from the psalmist’s testimony. When facing persecution, he does not turn from the Word of God but hopes in it and keeps it all the more faithfully. May we have the same resolve when we are pressed.

This passage causes me to look ahead to Revelation 12:10-11 where John describes the great age-long battle between the dragon and the people of God.

"And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the
kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death."

My fear is that our deep longing is not tied to our love for Christ and his Word but has become more focused on the earthly things that make for a comfortable life. I hope we would be able to stand “not loving our own lives even unto death” but I have my doubts.

O Lord, you know the desperate requests of your people around the world, the things they need to stay alive and to stand firm. I pray that you would fulfill their sacred longings even now. Please save, even those who don’t yet realize that they need to be saved. Please comfort the bullied, vindicate the persecuted, and embolden the harassed. Bring truth and justice to light along with the mercy available to us through the promises of your Word fulfilled in Christ! Enable us to stand in faith because you stood for us. Amen.

Psalm 19:12-14 "Hidden Faults & Presumptuous Sins"

Psalm 19:12-14

Who can discern his errors?

    Declare me innocent from hidden faults.

Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;

    let them not have dominion over me!

Then I shall be blameless,

    and innocent of great transgression.

 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

    be acceptable in your sight,

    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Comments:

In this great psalm about God’s revelation, there is something so real and personal about these verses. The psalm starts with a hymn declaring the natural revelation of God (in creation) that testifies to God's glory (v.1-6). Then it speaks of the special revelation of God (in the Bible) that shows me the way of salvation (v.7-11) poetically describing the Bible and how it benefits us (i.e., reviving our heart, making us wise, bringing joy, enlightening our eyes, lasting forever, completely as we should be, bringing a great reward). 

Having considered these two revelations of God, the psalmist looked inward and found his own unworthiness. I don't know about you but I am constantly praying that my "personal" revelation...what I say and do will be found to be in harmony with both the natural and the special revelations of God! Because of this, it is in verse 12 that I find my focus today.

 

The psalmist’s declaration, “Who can discern his errors?” tells us that we are generally unable to accurately view our own sinfulness. When we consider our own lives, we gaze through a window that is more distorted than a fun-house mirror (Jer. 17:9) and dirtier than a window after a house fire. We normally see the sins of others fairly clearly, but tend to see our own only through a more nuanced filter.

It is the Word of God that sounds like a foghorn through the self-deception of our sin. It is the Word of God that the Holy Spirit often uses to search out our hearts. The law shows us where we have fallen short and how much we need God’s deliverance. Salvation starts working in us when we have our eyes opened to see that we actually need to be saved and that we are unworthy of it. In the New Testament, the Apostle John wrote in opposition to those who denied having a sin nature and having personally committed sins saying,

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:8-10)

If we realize we have sinned, the best course of action is to admit it (confess) to God. Why would we do that? We would confess our failures, weaknesses, and rebellions because God has always loved us and desires to forgive us and cleanse us from all our sin. Salvation has never been about our worthiness (which is compared to filthy rags or a polluted garment—Isaiah 64:6) but about receiving God’s mercy.

The palmist’s second statement in v. 12 is along the same lines as something John or Paul might have written hundreds of years later. “Declare me innocent from hidden faults” is not a request that God would declare that he had done no wrong, but that God might forgive any wrong that he had done. That is the heart cry of all who know the heaviness of their own sin and the hopelessness of trying to atone for it ourselves.

We receive forgiveness by the gift of God in Christ. But the psalmist understands that his desire to bring his life into alignment with the natural and special revelation of the holy and loving character of the Lord needs to issue forth in a new way of living. A way of life that requires the continuous work of the Lord in our daily thoughts and actions. A person who has been set free from slavery has a healthy fear of ever going back into that oppression so too it is with sin.

"Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;

    let them not have dominion over me!" (v. 13a)

This line reminds me of how Jesus taught the disciples to pray, 

       “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:13)

As I have said in the past, God is there and he has spoken (a Francis Schaeffer title) both generally in creation, specifically in the Bible, and finally in Christ. It is by use of his Word that we can stay on track, free from presumption, and living into the calling and blessing that we have in Christ. His word transforms my mind and emotions as I see his love poured out. My affection for Jesus changes my behavior...not the other way around.

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

    be acceptable in your sight,

    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." (v.14)

This prayer cannot be answered until we confess our need for forgiveness, and put our trust in the Lord himself to make our forgiveness a reality, and the love of Christ has captivated me.

But this passage is not merely true of us as individuals...but should be viewed collectively.

• Can we as small groups, congregations, denominations, and movements discern our own errors? Disunity.
• Can leaders see their own tendency to be corrupted by the very power, privilege, and influence which they wield?  Distrust.
• Have we the insight to see how we look down on others from our position of education and economics (by what rubric do we assign value to our fellow humans)? Disrespect.

You tell me…

I tend to think that we still need the witness of the Word applied to our collective life and path to see where we have sinned against those within and without. We still need the grace of God to bring healing where we have even unintentionally caused hurt. We still need the more biblical leading of the Spirit to not fall into the same bondages that litter our collective past. We still need to follow Jesus in the way of the cross (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23).

Even the prophet needs a prophet, or our hidden errors become presumptuous sins.

Psalm 91 "Who You Gonna Call?"

Psalm for Today 91:15-16

"When he calls to me,
I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
              With long life I will satisfy him
                                      and show him my salvation"

Comment: What an amazing promise this is, among many that are found in this psalm! This passage is often considered a psalm of protection... but that doesn't mean we won't go through troubles.

What it means is that our Savior meets us there! Wow!

As we cry out to the Triune God, trusting in his steadfast love, we will find that…

• It is God who will answer. 
• It is God who will be with us in trouble. 
• It is God who will rescue us.
• It is God who will honor us. 
• It is God who satisfies us with life in Him.
• It is God who saves us.

Wait. He will do what? That seems like entirely too much...to have God so honoring toward us, doesn't it? If we are honest, we know we want to be honored by others, but likewise, we know that we don't deserve to receive it from God. Nevertheless, he honors the ones who call on Him. Our notions of self-sufficiency stand in the way of our receiving honor from God rather than furthering our standing.

This psalm says so much about God's great protection of the faithful, but I wonder if even greater than the promised protection from harm is the gift of being heard, answered, and honored by the presence of the Lord himself. 

Who is on your speed dial today? Who are you going to call when all hell breaks loose around you? Hopefully not some goofy movie guys or a book from the self-help section at Powell's.

In moments of crisis, will "Jesus Christ" be merely an expletive of frustration on our lips or a desperate prayer, the cry of an honest heart?

I think I'll opt for prayer. Join me!

Psalm 79 "Former Iniquities"

Psalm for Today = 79:8-9 

"Do not remember against us our former iniquities; 
let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low. 
   Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; 
deliver us, and atone for our sins,  for your name's sake!"

Comment: 
Verse 9 is a perfect example of what is called "Synonymous Parallelism," where the two lines poetically say the same thing using different words. There are three parallel parts to each line.

   Help us,    O God of our salvation,    for the glory of your name; 
          A                            B                                             C
deliver us,   and atone for our sins,     for                   your name's sake!"
         A'                            B'                                             C'

When we see this kind of parallelism, we are to look for what it says as a complete thought rather than emphasizing differences between the two lines.

As the psalmist continues with the theme of lament over the destruction of Jerusalem, there comes a corporate confession of the sins of their nation. It is always good when approaching God to confess your need... after all, he is God and we are not. He is righteous, and we are not. 

I think that our country has a few things that we all ought to confess because we have enjoyed the present benefits of past unjust acts and unjust structures. 

Any takers?