21 Days of Prayer in Psalm 119 (Day #7)

Read Psalm 119:49-56

"Remember"

Does God need to be reminded about what he has said? This stanza, where all the verses start with the Hebrew letter Zayin, makes it sound that way. Sometimes amid troubling our circumstances we can feel that way. The verses that stood out to me today in my devotions were verses 49-50,

“Remember your word to your servant,

    in which you have made me hope.

This is my comfort in my affliction,

    that your promise gives me life.”

When the psalmist asks God to remember the word of promise that he had communicated, he is not suggesting that God had forgotten, or needed to be reminded, but was taking a stand in faith. It was because he trusted the word of the Lord that he calls on the Lord to remember it. The concept of remembering seems to have been used regularly in the sense of “call it to mind and act upon it.” The psalmist was asking God to bring to pass what had been promised. This is faith that prays. What has God said to us? Trust him enough to ask him to bring it to fruition!

If we read a little further, hopefully, we see that the psalmist also remembered and acted upon what he called to mind.

“I remember your name in the night, O Lord,

    and keep your law.” (v.55)

Tonight, as you think about the promises we have in Christ, remember his name (his entire nature and character) and act on it by both obeying what he has commanded and by trusting what he has promised—for life is the result of his promises being fulfilled, in his name, on our behalf. Doing this is truly a blessing!  “Just Zayin!”

O Lord, remember who you made me to be, and what you have called me to do. I cannot accomplish it in my own strength. Let my heart be filled with songs of trust and praise when I think of you and may you bring to harvest the seeds of promise you have sown in my heart. Amen.

21 Days of Prayer in Psalm 119 (Day #6)

Psalm 119:41-48

"Steadfast Love"

This section of eight verses speaks of the psalmist’s determination to keep God’s Word and to deliver the Lord’s message even to kings (v. 46), for God’s Word was his delight (v. 47), but why was this his determination? We also should speak the testimony of the Lord, we should delight in what he has said, and we should be determined to keep his commands. But why? For the same reason as the psalmist that is found in v. 41-42 which is my focus today.

Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord,

    your salvation according to your promise;

then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me,
    for I trust in your word. (v. 41-42)

If we have received his lovingkindness or steadfast love (hesed) then we will have the courage to do what it takes to respond to that love. In this verse, steadfast love and salvation are used parallel to each other. Does this remind you of a verse in the New Testament?

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

If we know, beyond any doubt that we are loved by God then we will be emboldened to stand up against any taunts the world might throw at us. If we have seen the Lord’s faithfulness to his promise to send this love/salvation how can we do anything else but trust what he says all the more?

O Lord, the God who loves us faithfully—even unto your own death in our place—who seeks us out when we have gone astray and runs to meet us when we realize we have nowhere else to turn (John 15), may our hearts be set free to love you in return! May our souls be set on fire with a longing to know you more, to speak of you often, to obey you consistently, all because of the gift of your steadfast love to us. Lord, you walked among us as a man for over 30 years and you above all know how faithless we can be—let your steadfast love be pressed down into our soul in a way that we are changed and can love you and each other according to your steadfast way! (Read Romans 8:31-39)

It may not be easy, but it will be awesome—because that is the way you are! 

21 Days of Prayer in Psalm 119 (Day #5)

Photo by Vladislav Babienko on Unsplash

Psalm 119:33, 35-37

         "Your Ways"

³³ Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes;

    and I will keep it to the end…

³⁵ Lead me in the path of your commandments,

    for I delight in it.

³⁶ Incline my heart to your testimonies,

    and not to selfish gain!

³⁷ Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;

    and give me life in your ways.

Psalm 119 is unique. Almost every verse mentions the Word of God by one of several synonyms. So, in this psalm, we don’t look for the differences between these different terms (Word, Way, Law, Testimonies, Precepts, Commandments, Statutes, Rules, etc.) but look for the similarities. One other note, Psalm 119 is what is called an acrostic psalm. It is made up of 22 separate sections (of eight verses each) starting with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This means that all eight verses in the first section start with the Hebrew letter aleph, the next eight verses all start with beth, and so on.

The psalmist has the wisdom to ask the Lord not just to teach him his statutes but the way of his statutes. The Hebrew word is "derek" and it is used both literally and figuratively for the action of going or journeying (verb), for the actual path in which one goes (noun), and descriptively for the mode in which one might go (adjective). This word is used in both verses 33 and 37, with a synonym used in verse 35.

It is my opinion that many choose to live their life in opposition to God’s statutes which is to their own harm. Others, seek to live in obedience to God's statutes but sadly miss the way in which this is to be done and settle for a weak and often offensive legalism. Disciples of Jesus, seek not merely to obey the letter of God’s Word, but its spirit as well. This latter course is not the way of compromise, for it is a harder path to follow, for it stands against the external challenge of those who reject God’s revelation and against the internal challenge to relegate God’s Word to mere rules that only touch a part of our lives. Instead, it seeks to be fully present relationally with both God and mankind.

O Lord, teach me your ways, not just your words! Let me be more concerned about adoring you than about seeking attention for myself. May I be drawn by your love to plug into your life-giving word more than I am distracted by the “worthless things” that clamor for my time. You do not merely send me on a journey, but you walk with me along the way. In fact, you are the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6)! Lord, teach me about you so that I might more fully enter into fellowship with the Father! Amen

21 Days of Prayer in Psalm 119 (Day #4)

Photo by Tom Pumford on Unsplash

                "My Soul"

Psalm 119:25, 28

“My soul clings to the dust;
         give me life according to your word!” (v.25)

“My soul melts away for sorrow;
    strengthen me according to your word!” (v.28)

As I read this passage today, it is apparent that the psalmist is being honest with the Lord about the stress of the crisis he is facing. The idea that his “soul clings to the dust” describes a death-like experience. He is basically saying, “This is killing me!” but immediately transfers his fatalistic assessment into a prayer of faith, asking that the Lord impart to him “life according to your word” without which he could not continue.

Verse 28 continues the same sentiment regarding his soul, this time using the emotion of sorrow instead of the physical description of being laid prostrate in the dust. The result in both cases is the same—without the life/strength supplied by the word of the Lord—he is dying inside and out. But the hope we find in this passage is that the writer knew that God’s word does strengthen and give life!

I must ask myself, “Do I treat the Word of God as though it were a life-and-death issue for me?” If I am honest, I am faced with the truth that sometimes, I do depend fully on God’s Word, and sometimes I don’t—yet it is just that.

From as early as the Lord’s directive in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:16) to its reiteration to the Israelites on the eve of their entrance into the Promised land (Deut. 32:46-47), to the teaching of Jesus Christ himself as he prepared his followers for life in his kingdom, the message is the same.

• John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
• John 6:63, 68-69 “’It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life…’  Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.’”

When we “thrust away” the help that comes through God’s word we like the Jews who persecuted the Apostle Paul “judge ourselves unworthy” of the “eternal life” his word proclaims but regardless of our background our response to “the word of the Lord” is an indicator of our being appointed to eternal life (Acts 13:46, 48). Are we, like the psalmist, acutely aware of our need for the life and strength of God in our lives? 

21 Days of Prayer in Psalm 119 (Day #3)

Read Psalm 119:17-24 

                 "Revelation"

My focus today is v. 18,
"Open my eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law."

I am reminded that the Word of God is full of wondrous things, but also that I need the Lord himself to open my eyes to see them. It is not primarily of my doing, my cleverness, my intelligence, or even my will but of his gracious and loving revelation.

O Lord, I repent of trusting my own wisdom and discernment and I pray you would open our eyes that we might behold, in wonder, all that the law (and all of your word speaks of you); that it reveals you as you are not as I might try to make you out to be. May such a vision stir up a response of love in my heart so that I might be more like you!

21 Days of Prayer in Psalm 119 (Day #2)

Read Psalm 119:9-16

           "Whole Heart"

My focus today is found in verses 10 and 16,

v. 10 With my whole heart I seek you;
             let me not wander from your commandments!...

v. 16 I will delight in your statutes;
         I will not forget your word.

The psalmist’s confession is that he follows the Lord, seeking with his whole heart, but that there is also the risk of his wandering, hence he prays to be kept close. Not only does he pray to be kept close he reveals one of the primary ways of being kept close—delighting in God’s word and in actively remembering the loving things God has said. We will follow that type of person in which we delight.

Dearest Lord Jesus, as you have done all that was needed to capture my heart may I not forget. May I continue to treasure what you have done for me, spoken to me, and planned for me to experience in relationship with you. capture my heart 

21 Days of Prayer in Psalm 119 (Day #1)

In keeping with our Foursquare family of churches' 21 days of Fasting & Prayer to start the New Year with daily readings from Psalm 119, each day I will post the verse that stands out to me with a short response.

Read Psalm 119:1-8.

          "Led by the Heart"

My focus today is on verses 2-3, 

Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
    who seek him with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong,
    but walk in his ways!

Too often as Christians in the west, we think that we must start with our mind/intellect/will to follow the Lord when a more biblical model is presented here, one that begins in the heart as a love response to the love of God poured out in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5,8) Our will is sure to follow our heart’s desires.

O, Lord! May you capture our hearts today with your great love and goodness and your commitment to walking with us through everything we face. Our hope is not in our resolutions but in your revelation of who you are and how you are for us. Why would we want to walk in any other way but yours?

Psalm 33:4-5 "Oh, For The Love of God!"

Psalm 33:4-5

For the word of the Lord is upright,
    and all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice;
    the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

Comments:

"Oh, for the love of God!"

Perhaps you have heard someone say, "Oh, For The Love of God!" in exasperation at one thing or another...or maybe said it yourself. But what if we use it as a prompt to get us thinking about the things that God loves. This passage might put a new spin on it for us. Yes, he loves the world (John 3:16), but what does he love to see in the world? In times like this, it is important for us to realize how important righteousness (innocence) and justice (for all) are to God. This is what he loves to see, for it is what is best for his people. I once posted these verses and commented, “Who could have a problem with such a God as this? My point exactly!” But of course, in a fallen world there will always be those who would have a problem. In this case, the ones who would find fault would be those who are crooked, unfaithful, and committed to injustice. Verse 1 encourages us to "Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright” It is fitting for us to praise God--like custom-made clothes! Will we choose to see God's faithfulness and love at work in the world today with awe, or just pollute our lives with complaining and discontent because its not all about us?

We need to look for God at work in the world. Yet we also see injustice rear its ugly head in moments of acute oppression, not only in places like Kabul, Paris, Munich, New Orleans, Dallas, where the violence is shockingly senseless, but also in the routinely unjust systems that keep the marginalized and powerless down and out. How can we stop the violence? How can we defend against an attack? Where do we look for solutions? Too often our first response is to arm ourselves and fight back. To some extent this approach is effective, in the short-term, in keeping our power and standard of living. However, such methods of avoiding death are not effective in actually providing life.

We are infected with sin and the weapons and ways of the world are of no use in combating a spiritual attack. Later in Psalm 33, the author makes this clear,

v.16-19 "The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine."

Where is our trust? I have been doing some freelance writing this summer on the life of King David from 1 & 2 Samuel, and have been impressed with his settled conviction to trust in the Lord for his deliverance. Sure he was a great soldier, but it wasn’t in weapons and strength that he ultimately put his trust. While he would defend others, he did not defend himself or raise himself up despite being "the Lord's anointed." In fact, it is possible that David wrote this very psalm (though untitled, it is sandwiched between two other psalms by David). Continuing on through the history of Israel recorded in Kings & Chronicles the two nations, Israel & Judah, made a habit of looking for someone/something else to trust other than God. It didn't work out so well for them. I would much rather hope in God, even during a famine!

v. 20-22 "Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.

Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you."

As we hope in the Lord together, may we stop defending our own actions and motivation in favor of listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit directing our efforts to advocate for justice for others.

Psalm 32:5,8-9 "Confession & Counsel"

Psalm 32:5

"I acknowledged my sin to you,

and I did not cover my iniquity;

I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,"

and you forgave the iniquity of my sin."

Comments:

The first five times (out of the six) that I commented on this psalm (back in the pre-blog Facebook days), I focused on v. 5 and the importance of confession in the process of forgiveness. Here are those brief comments, rescued from the digital dust heap of news feed oblivion.

1. Forgiveness always begins with confession. We can't be saved until we admit that we need to be! (2/2010)
2. Our forgiveness starts with our confession to the Lord Jesus that He is right and that we have been wrong, and then as a matter of integrity we extend the forgiveness we have received from him to others who have sinned against us. It is the path to freedom and joy! (8/2010)
3. Confession is always the path to take with God...since covering, concealing, and complaining are completely ineffective, not to mention stupid, considering who we are trying to convince. What a blessing it is to be forgiven! (3/2011)
4. I am so glad that I don't have to confess all my faults and failures to another person but can go directly to the Lord. I am also glad that when I do confess the Lord doesn't reject me but cleanses me, hides me from danger, preserves me from trouble, and surrounds me with deliverance! (9/2011)
5. The more we know Jesus, the more we know that we are not Him. Yet he loves us. Remember "a bruised reed he will not break" (Isa 42:3) but those who are stiff-necked in refusing to confess will be broken. (3/2012)

Then in May of 2013, I changed it up and commented on v. 6-7 instead…

Therefore let everyone who is godly
    offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
    they shall not reach him.

You are a hiding place for me;
    you preserve me from trouble;
    you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

Comment: The tsunami of circumstances and of crisis will not overwhelm the one who prays in the days of peace (preparing for a crisis before it happens). I wonder if we listen really close if we can hear a bit of God’s "shouts of deliverance" surrounding us? (5/2013)

Now, three years have passed since I last commented on this psalm but for today I will pick up where I left off and briefly consider Psalm 32:8-9.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
    which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
    or it will not stay near you.

Comments: In verse 8 there is a change of voice. It is no longer the psalmist proclaiming blessing (v.1) or giving his testimony (v.3-5) or declaring his faith in God for deliverance (v.6-7). These two verses record the offering exhortation to the congregation to seek the Lord. This is the Lord speaking to the psalmist and the people alike with the instruction of wisdom. We would do well to be teachable to the instruction of the Lord. He is not the cosmic killjoy many have made him out to be. He is the one who restores joy, protects us, and surrounds us with” shouts of deliverance” (v.7).

While he may deliver us with a shout he desires to counsel us with his eye. While we are not an overly quiet family, we live near a family that seems to shout all the time. God’s family is not that way. He doesn’t constantly shout at us out of anger and frustration. Instead, he wants us to know him so well that we will respond to a simple look. For this to be the case we must know God well enough to understand and respond. This comes only by spending consistent time reading through the whole of the Scriptures, meditating on them, and listening in our times of prayer as well as speaking.

I remember hearing a message in Beaverton about 15 years ago, by Brooklyn Tabernacle’s Jim Cymbala, where he spoke about two ideas in v. 8. The first idea being that the Lord says “with my eye upon you” in the sense that there is never a moment when he will take his eye off of us. We are never out of his loving sight. The second idea he shared was that the Lord says, “I will counsel you with my eye” meaning that by the very movement of his eye we will know his leading. However, if we are like the metaphorical horse in this passage then we need a bit and bridle to control us. 

Do we have that kind of eye-to-eye intimacy with our Father that we can clearly understand his counsel? Is it our great desire to please him because he has loved us so well? Or does God have to use the “bit and bridle” of emergencies and crises to bring us close? 

Our honest confession to the Lord, and obeying the Lord's gentle counsel to us brings both forgiveness and freedom!

Psalm 84:5-10 “I’d Rather be a Gatekeeper!”

This post was originally posted on my pastoral blog at Our Long View

Text: Psalms 84:5-10

5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

    in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

6 As they go through the Valley of Baca

        they make it a place of springs;

    the early rain also covers it with pools.

7 They go from strength to strength;

        each one appears before God in Zion.

8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;

                              give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah

9 Behold our shield, O God;

    look on the face of your anointed!

10 For a day in your courts is better

    than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

    than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Comments:

On Sunday, I wasn’t the scheduled preacher, but as we transitioned from singing our praise to the Lord to a posture of listening to the encouragement of the message, I read briefly from the Psalms and made a couple of simple devotional points that I would like to share here.

Our songs emphasized our desire to be in the presence of the Lord and our need for Christ to set us free from the chains that bind us—be they spiritual, emotional, or physical.

I read from Psalm 84 that gives voice to much the same sentiment. It was written by the “Sons of Korah” who are typically concerned with being in the presence of the Lord.

Verses 1-2 give voice to their desire to be in God’s presence. It really wasn’t about their being in the temple, but that by being in the temple they were in the presence of God. It was a place designated as a place of prayer for all the nations and was illustrated by the nesting birds in the temple compound (v. 3-4). However, this week I focused on v. 5-12 for a couple of reasons.

First, in verse 6, the psalmist describes the transforming pilgrim attitude of those who seek the Lord, 
"As they go through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs." 
Literally, the “Valley of Baca” means “Valley of Weeping,” but pilgrims of God, or disciples (as we describe them in the New Testament), dig wells and pray for rain in a way that benefits those who come behind them. Hopefully, we have all listened to speakers who have done this well—sharing from their own seasons of dryness and how the Lord delivered them. It is what we all should be doing. We all have a history and it is with the comfort that we have received from Christ that we can turn and comfort others—not as perfect people, but as those who are flawed, have been wounded, but who also have received the comfort of Christ. As Paul wrote,

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. (2 Cor. 1:3-5)

Secondly, in Psalm 84:10 the Sons of Korah express that they wanted to be in the temple,

For a day in your courts is better

    than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

    than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Often we focus on the comparison between the one day and the thousand, for something is to be said about the quality of the day, not just the quantity. However, what jumped out to me this week was the phrase in v. 10 “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God.” What we need to remember is that the authors of this psalm had been assigned as doorkeepers (1 Chron. 26:1, 19).

What I am saying is that there is something about being where God wants you, doing the job that he has given you to do, which is more significant than we realize. Doing that job brings a sense of fulfillment and joy. Even the “outside” times of discomfort and labor as a part of God’s mission are far better than dwelling inside and at ease but surrounded by those who are wicked. Our jobs are appointed by the Lord so let’s rejoice at an opportunity to perform our daily duties as worship to the Lord and as service to his people. 

Remember, this desire on the part of the Sons of Korah was not one of withdrawal from the world, but rather it was one of engagement through their assigned role. For them, all of life was sacred when lived unto the Lord. Their work was fully integrated into their faith.

Let’s allow the Lord to use us whether in the "Valley of Weeping" or in the "Door of his House", to bless those who might come behind us.