Reflections on the Psalms (Psalm 10)

Why, Lord, do you stand far off?

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

Arise,Lord! Lift up your hand, O God.

Do not forget the helpless.

But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;

you consider their grief and take it in hand.

The victims commit themselves to you;

you are the helper of the fatherless.

You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;

you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,

defending the fatherless and the oppressed.

Why is it our response to God to feel like God is absent in our pain and suffering?  Jesus promised that discipleship would be full of pain and suffering.  We are called to follow Christ and a part of that involves pain and suffering.  The Bible is full reminders that God is on the side of the disenfranchised.  God takes sides with the alien, the orphan, the wide, the helpless, the broken, the afflicted, the oppressed, and those who cry out to Him.

I cannot begin to imagine what it would be like to be fatherless.  My dad played such a vital role in my upbringing and formation as a person.  I think my Dad did a great job at portraying and living our a godly example of a father.  For those who are fatherless they have the promise that God will be their father, that God will watch over and protect them.  This psalm is a good reminder that God is not absent in our pain or suffering, He is ever present.  He allows pain and suffering for many reasons and some we may never know.  When i think of my own son and the times he experiences pain, I realize that I allow him freedom to experience pain and don't always rescue him from it because it is in pain and suffering that we often learn the most from life.

¹⁸ 

Reflections on the Psalms (Psalm 9)

¹ I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; 

I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. 

² I will be glad and rejoice in you;

I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

¹⁸ But God will never forget the needy; 

the hope of the afflicted will never perish.

¹⁹ Arise, LORD, do not let mortals triumph; 

let the nations be judged in your presence.

²⁰ Strike them with terror, LORD;

let the nations know they are only mortal.

Thankfulness is a common theme or thread within the Psalms.  Its not a surprise that much of our music should begin and even end with a thankful heart.  As we sing we proclaim the mighty works and wonderful deeds of God through out history.  We have much to rejoice about because God has been faithful through history to his covenant with an unfailing love for his creation.

The Old Testament is chalk full or admonitions to the people to remember.  "Remember the Lord God who brought you out of Egypt".  We are prone to forgetfulness, we forget what God has done through out history and even in our very own lives.  Unlike us God never forgets.  He always remembers his everlasting covenant of love.  God remembers the needy and the poor, He gives hope to the hopeless, rest for the weary, He brings death to life and those in darkness to into marvelous light.

Its always healthy to be reminded of our mortality.  A healthy dose of the reality that we all will some day die gives us a right perspective on life, time, resources and everything else.  When we forget that we are merely mortal we begin to dream that we are like gods.  We believe that we are due all the glory and honor and praise.  We puff ourselves up with pride and look to be served rather than to serve.  A healthy fear of God is always a good perspective to ask for.

Reflections on the Psalms (Psalm 8)

³ When I consider your heavens, 

the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars,

which you have set in place, 

⁴ what is mankind that you are mindful of them, 

human beings that you care for them?

⁵ You have made them a little lower than the angels

and crowned them with glory and honor. 

Reflecting on the vastness of creation is always a very humbling experience!  It is especially remarkable when you look at creation on its most grandest scale, the grandeur of the universe and all its wonders.  And at the same time reflecting on the smallest particles like a single cell or the complexity it takes for a human body to live and operate.  A proper view of creation should always point us back to God our creator and make us fall to our knees in wonder and awe of a God who created all that we experience and see.

And what am I a single person in the midst of all of time and creation that God would even give me a glance or thought, that He the creator of all would think or reflect on my existence and be pleased with it?  Who am i that God would care enough for me to even love me, to want to have a relationship with me, to want to have conversation with me, to call me his child, to adopt me as his own, to raise me, to send his son Jesus Christ to die for me!?

God has made us in His image.  We are His craftsmanship made to reflect and show His glory an honor.  I don't know about you but I often feel like there are a lot of other parts of Gods creation that do that job way better than I ever could.  And yet we are chosen to show Gods image.  We are crowned with the glory and honor of God.  What a humbling, profound, scary, wonderful, joyous thought to reflect upon.

Reflections on the Psalms (Psalm 7)

⁶ Arise, LORD, in your anger; 

rise up against the rage of my enemies.    

Awake, my God; decree justice. 

⁹ Bring to an end the violence of the wicked 

and make the righteous secure 

You, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts

¹⁴ Whoever is pregnant with evil 

conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment. 

¹⁶ The trouble they cause recoils on them;    

their violence comes down on their own heads.

Its easy to think of God as love or Gods as an angry wrathful God.  What I think is harder is to think of God as just.  God is a God of justice he seeks for people to be righteous and do the right things.  And yet God is also patiently unjust!  For if He chose to be just all the time we would all get what we deserve which is death through our sin.  God is also a God of mercy, grace and forgiveness.  God is also not just like our modern day court system defines justice.  God is actively on the side of the poor, widow, orphan, offended, fatherless and those who are considered the least of these.

What we do know is that in God's justice he seeks for and end to all violence.  We know that as early as Cain and Abel violence enters the word through broken relationships.  God seeks restoration, redemption and reconciliation all which stand opposed to the violence of this world.

My wife is pregnant with our third child so the metaphor in verse 14 really hits home right now.  When someone is pregnant with evil its something they live with, something thats dwelling inside them.  Often when we allow sin to live with inside us we give birth to something that is a lie and we become disillusioned.  We are led astray by our own sinfulness and desires.  As a result we often bring negative consequences upon ourselves.

Reflections on the Psalms (Psalm 6)

⁴ Turn, LORD, and deliver me; 

save me because of your unfailing love. 

⁵ Among the dead no one proclaims your name.

Who praises you from the grave?

God's word tells us that no one among the dead proclaims His name.  While that may seem like an obvious statement think about it for a second.  God's word also says that before we are in a saving relationship with Him we ARE the walking dead.  We are dead in our sin, we are the walking dead.  When God does something amazing in your life you die to your sin and are raised to Christ.  

So its no wonder when people see Christians worship they don't understand it.  In some ways reflecting on this helps me as a worship leader.  It reminds me that sometimes there is nothing that I can do to get someone to sing the praise of God.  No song, or setting, or number of people, or right arrangement can do that.  It must be God moving that person from light to darkness, from death to life, from a slave to sin to a slave to righteousness, from the walking dead to a risen child of God.

And the promise comes in the previous verse.  When we cry out to God to deliver us, to save us from ourselves He will.  Gods love is an unfailing love.  It is steadfast and true.  Finally, I am reminded that as the church its our job to call these people from death to life by living and proclaiming the gospel.  So while our songs of praise may sound strange to the ears of the dead, its all the more reason to sing them.  Songs that proclaim our story, our testimony and our praise.

Reflections on the Psalms (Psalm 5)

³ In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; 

in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. 

⁷ But I, by your great love, 

can come into your house; in reverence 

I bow down toward your holy temple.

¹¹ But let all who take refuge in you be glad; 

let them ever sing for joy. 

Spread your protection over them,

that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

Its funny, we often think of prayer happening at bedtime right before we go to sleep.  Its a little strange at first to think of morning prayer time before we even get out of bed.  But it makes sense that we should begin our day with prayer and then wait in eager expectation for how God will speak to us through the rest of the day.  

Interspersed between this Psalms plea for justice is also a heart for worship.  Its interesting how we see in verse 7 the progression.  First, we recognize its only by Gods mercy, grace and love we can come to worship in the first place.  Second, worship postures itself in a attitude of reverence and right perspective of who we are in relationship to God.  Third, we see an action involving the entire body, bowing down.  Finally, we see that we can then stand in confidence and sing with joy and rejoice over God and what He has done for us.

Reflections on the Psalms (Psalm 4)

"Know that the LORD has set apart his faithful servant for himself; 

the LORD hears when I call to him. 

Tremble and do not sin; when you are on your beds, 

search your hearts and be silent. 

Offer the sacrifices of the righteous and trust in the LORD."

One of the definitions of the word holiness, means to be set apart for God. God calls us to be holy like he is holy, to be set apart and different than the world. The psalmist reminds us that we are called to be a holy people set apart for God.

I am reminded of Hillsong songs lyrics that say "search my heart, search my soul. There's nothing else that I want more. Without you I am nothing.". These words ring true in the Psalm as well. The other two things that hit me are that we are called to spend time in silence and we are to give a sacrifice of ourselves. In a culture that is full of busyness and sound we are called to be still and listen to the still small voice. That's no easy task in a culture that's full of sound! Last we must offer a sacrifice of righteousness. We are the living sacrifice giving praise and glory to God through our lives. (Romans 12:1-2)

Reflections on the Psalms (Psalm 3)

"LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! 

Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.”

But you, LORD, are a shield around me, 

my glory, the One who lifts my head high. 

I call out to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy mountain.

I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. 

I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side."

If you haven't been there you will someday trust me.  Its that point in life when you feel like all the wheels have fallen of your car of life.  You are surrounded on every side with enemies and the walls are caving in around you.  If you are not claustrophobic you will at least feel like it.  In times like these our relationship with God is put to the test. Who or what will you run to for deliverance?  In whom or what will you seek comfort?  Who or what will become your savior?  Many will mock you and several others will stand in disbelief.

Its not easy to stand firm and proclaim "God is my shield and my glory" in times like this.  But its exactly at times like this when we should, and when we do, God is given all the glory because He delivers us with Hs mighty hand and others can't help but stand in awe.  This happens over and over in the Old Testament.  The Bible is flooded (sorry Noah) with stories of this happening.  God will not always protect us from the pain, discomfort, persecution and trials of this world  But He does promise to be our rock, that which sustains us.  Because of that we rest assured without fear of our enemies that God is in control and His glory will ultimately be made know through lives circumstances.

Reflections on the Psalms (Psalm 2)

"Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. 

Serve the LORD with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. 

Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, 

for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him."

Leadership is no joke.  There is a huge responsibility on your shoulders when it comes to leading others.  It becomes especially more difficult in situations like the church or other contexts when you are working with volunteers.  I once heard a leadership quote that said if you are leading and nobody is following you, you are really just out for a stroll.  I think we can learn a lot from looking at the way Jesus led his disciples.  Jesus lead with authority and yet with humility.  He led with passion, self control, righteous anger, empowerment of others, but most of all He led with his life.  Jesus was not only the King of the Jews, he was/is the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings and ultimately the lamb who was slain.  

The Psalm reminds us that the beginning of our worship and wisdom comes from a healthy of of perspective.  Perspective concerning who we are in light of who God is.  Leaders of the earth draw lines in the sand of Gods little sandbox called earth and then defend their territory as if it was not all a gift in the first place.  A proper understanding of leadership always includes a big dose of humility in the fact that all we have and are is a gift from God. Its when we recognize that, we are able to embrace the gift and take refuge as the psalm says in God.

Reflections on the Psalms (Psalm 1)

Psalm 1:2-3
"But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers."

As I reflect on this passage, I am reminded of the importance of Gods Word in our lives. The text says we are to firmly plant ourselves in God's Word and it will wash over us like a stream of water. What a refreshing metaphor (literally). Gods word has a way of speaking into our lives in a fresh and new way through the Holy Spirit that lives within us. I know that one of the temptations or easy habits to fall into after being a disciple of Christ for any amount of time is to feel like you don't want or need to read the Bible anymore. You tell yourself you have read the book several times, what else is there to learn? While it's true that we often need to do more "living out of Gods Word" than "reading it", we can't stop reading. Using the same metaphor it would be like digging up the tree by the stream and moving it away from water. Eventually the tree would die or be extremely dehydrated.

The second point I enjoy is that the text says the tree will yield fruit in its season. It's important to remember that we go through seasons in life! People talk about finding balance in life but I have come to believe balance is a myth. It's better to understand life in seasons. We will have high points where we feel like worshipping and there will be times when we lament. The promise is that in the proper season we will yield fruit for the glory of God.