March 29, 2021 -- Psalm 12 -- Addressing the double-minded and double-hearted

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Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone;
    for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
2 Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;
    with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips,
    the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,
    our lips are with us; who is master over us?”

5 “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
    I will now arise,” says the LORD;
    “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”
6 The words of the LORD are pure words,
    like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
    purified seven times.

7 You, O LORD, will keep them;
    you will guard us from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl,
    as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

Psalm 12

Enough said. It is like “mic drop” and walk away, that is how powerful and direct today’s psalm is. This is so relevant, it is like it was written with the whole Covid crisis in view. You can read how people tear against one another in this Psalm. Those who promote church-going over obedience to the government cry out “the faithful have vanished”. Those striving to obey their conscience and the government cry out against those who do not agree. Together Christians who disagree on various issues are united anyway in their crying out against the faithfulness of these times. Even while speaking out, Christians are prepared to ignore our own sins, and so our own heart’s double-speak is exposed, as we are agreeing with this one, fake agreeing with the other because it is not worth the argument that would follow

Notice that the LORD has His eye on His people (Psalm 11 taught us His eyelids test men—the merest blink of His eyelid is stronger than the greatest powers arrayed against Him!). He is, in this time, the Protector of the poor, the plundered, the needy and the displaced. Note, Christians, in these Covid times, are you offering your home and your finances, your heart and your surplus to those who are caught up in the maelstrom of these times? If not, hmm, ask yourself how can I be numbered among the faithful (James 1:26-27)?

The LORD’s word is pure. You can read it. You can argue against it. You can test it. You can hold it up and every. single. time. it holds up as true and faithful and excellent—it withstands the test of time. The words of the LORD cannot be thrown down—in every generation they rise up again as praise-worthy and noble in ignoble times. This is why the government seeks to silence the church in the Covid times, the believers of God have the words that are pure, are true, are refined and are life.

As in every generation, so in our generation, the righteous and the faithful will face fines and prison. Those who oppose the murder of pre-born children are counted as vile in our generation. Yet Christians I call on you to honour those who defend life. Christians, like the Delta Hospice in B.C., where the government confiscated private property because the hospice refuses to allow Medical Assistance in Dying. A person coming to the hospice knows in advance it is a Christian centre, but the B.C. government hates to allow the LORD to be master over them in this area. Do not be distracted and allow Covid to be the only hill to test one’s faithfulness. Are you, dear Christian, keeping yourself from being stained by the world? Are you actively praying for those who disagree with you? Are you eating up the word desiring to be fed on all its delicacies so that you are growing up into maturity in Jesus Christ?

The psalm ends with a plea—to the LORD Who is pure and Protector—keep us from our own sins and keep us from the sins of this generation. Wickedness, when it is a constant drumbeat in our society and in our world, can drag us down—guard us O LORD.

Who is a god like You O LORD God Almighty? Puny as we are, it is easy for Christians to cheer a multi-tasker, who can juggle several things at once. But the greatest among us who can do many things does not even begin to approach Your infinite power and might, Your dominion and gracious activity on behalf of the cosmos, Your creatures and all flesh. You care for the widow and orphan. You plant governments and overthrow leaders. You know the names of the starving in Yemen and the distraught pleas of the board of governors of the Delta Hospice. You, faithful One, oversee the lives of the seven and a half billion (a number which is second by second increasing) people. You know every child in the womb. You know the conflicts in the minds of border security guards and police who may on the one hand personally disagree with the edicts of the government while on the other hand are required to uphold justice. O LORD, our Protector, You know the cries of our own hearts even as we confess we are double-minded and torn in various directions. Lead us by Your Word. For the glory of Jesus Christ, place us in His safety. Send Your Spirit so that in our sphere of influence—at work, at home, in politics, in church, in our circle of friends, in our nursing home or from our hospital beds—we will place our trust in You alone. Amen.

March 28, 2021 -- Psalm 11 -- The King our Refuge

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In the LORD I take refuge;
how can you say to my soul,
    “Flee like a bird to your mountain,
2 for behold, the wicked bend the bow;
    they have fitted their arrow to the string
    to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;
3 if the foundations are destroyed,
    what can the righteous do?”

4 The LORD is in his holy temple;
    the LORD's throne is in heaven;
    his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.
5 The LORD tests the righteous,
    but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
6 Let him rain coals on the wicked;
    fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
7 For the LORD is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
    the upright shall behold his face.

Psalm 11 ESV

This psalm is made for these confusing days of tumult. The foundations are being destroyed—the Canadian government, at all levels are killing their people with abortions, Medical Assistance in Dying on the one hand, and then on the other imposing crazy restrictions against its own people with regards to economy, stopping compassionate visiting the ill and dying, quarantining healthy people and so on for a virus that is arguably less lethal than the common flu. Even the ‘now more virulent version’, which the state broadcaster of Canada declares is 60% more contagious (this means around 45-55 out of 1000 are likely to catch it (instead of 30 or so out of 1000).

Beloved children of God, look at the tremendous assurances given to the believer. The LORD is the refuge of His people—the government can never be the solution. No political party of any stripe can be a savior. Man-made solutions are always infected with hubris and folly. No political party can ever be the refuge or safety of people, only God the Father is the refuge of His Own—always has been, always will be.

Where is the LORD in all of this? He is in His holy temple! For us as New Testament Christians, this is even more powerful than it might have been for the Old Testament audience. King David’s great descendant, and His Lord, Jesus Christ has taken on Himself the punishment which our sins deserved. Jesus is now at the Father’s right hand, in the real temple, of which the temple in Jerusalem was a mere copy, He praying for believers, bringing righteousness and justice to their culmination. The believer need nor fear the arrows and calamities of the wicked. Notice the mighty power of God, His eyelids (yes, you read that right, in verse 4 His eyelids) test the children of men.

Think about this—your eyes are so delicate. How vulnerable your eyes are to having anything touch them, even the smallest grain of sand can make you so irritated and out of sorts, pained until it is removed. But the LORD is so powerful His eyelids, the merest blink, is enough to overthrow wicked people, baseless government decrees and armies of darkness. What many people might consider to be the most vulnerable and tender part of the body is, anthropomorphically speaking, for our Triune God, still greater than any power in the universe that could ever be arrayed against Him. Remember the LORD God is all powerful. He is Spirit. The psalm-writer is speaking “anthropomorphically”—he is applying human characteristics to God in order that we, small mortals that we are, can begin to grasp what is so beyond our knowledge and experience, which is the mighty, glorious, infinite power of our God.

Father of Glory, arrayed in splendour which is beyond our feeble comprehension, thank You for the terrible beauty of Scripture which directs the believer to begin to understand Who You Are. Blessed Savior, thank You for Your prayers at the Father’s right hand! Who, except for You, could rescue ruined and despoiled sinners so that we dare lift our eyes and our hands in prayer to You, the Triune Majesty, enthroned in righteousness and justice. Spirit of the Living God, increase our faith and imagination, so that our souls know themselves to be fully secure in the LORD God, our Refuge and in Christ, our Intercessor King seated at the Father’s right hand. Faithful God, heal Your fractured people. Jesus, our Great Bridegroom, help us, Your people, to know ourselves to be Your bride, being restored in beauty at Your command in glory. Enable us, Spirit of God, to live and act as Your people, unite from across the denominational lines and puny theological arguments which threaten to divide us, so that Your people, with one voice may declare: The LORD is King forever and ever. Amen.

https://youtu.be/NYe6EOIH1kY

March 22, 2021 -- Psalm 10:16-18 -- The LORD Who Is King inclines His ear to hear you

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The Lord is king forever and ever;
the nations perish from his land.
O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

Psalm 10:16-18 English Standard Version

Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920), the Dutch theologian, journalist and politician wrote: “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” Truly, as the psalmist had declared: the LORD is king forever, and all lands, every island and nation, every crag and every jungle—all the earth belongs to Him. Every courtroom, every journalist’s editing room, every police station and every prison, every church and all government buildings, all homes and hovels, castles and lean-to’s and every shelter for the homeless—all are claimed by the LORD.

All who are afflicted, all who cry out to Him will be heard. That in itself is powerful. How often have you thought to yourself—I just want to be heard—for someone to truly listen, not interrupt, not tell me their story or jump in when I pause for breath, but really listen to me from start to finish. The LORD hears. This verse has an anthropomorphism as well—God Who is Spirit “inclines His ear”—it is like He is turning His head in order that He is best positioned to hear you. How awesome is our God, the LORD, the King forever! He stoops from His mighty heavens to hear the faint cries of the lowliest people.

He will strengthen your heart. He gives you fresh courage to face the battle and every struggle.

Today’s prayer is the final paragraph of the prayer titled: “The Mediator” from The Valley of Vision: Puritan Prayers and Devotions.

Lord, grant that my religion may not be

occasional and partial,

but universal, influential, effective,

and may I always continue in thy words

as well as thy works,

so that I may reach my end in peace.

https://youtu.be/VU5e4GEz1t0

March 19, 2021 -- Psalm 9:1-4 -- Your Praise will ever be on my lips

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I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;
    I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you;
    I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

3 When my enemies turn back,
    they stumble and perish before your presence.
4 For you have maintained my just cause;
    you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

Psalm 9:1-4 English Standard Version

When you read verses one and two pause and then read verses three and four together something may occur to you. The writer of this Psalm is praising God His LORD in the face of very troubling and trying times. It is a common theme in the Psalms—praising the LORD, rather than rehearsing all that people are doing which we perceive (correctly or incorrectly) as wrong. How many times have you repeated the faults, failings and flaws of others? Especially when you are angry with that person!

When the LORD called His people to battle, a choir would be gathered (II Chronicles 20:21) praising the LORD their Warrior God. This praise choir would lead the people into battle and it would be obvious the victory is the LORD’s and His alone.

Think of Jesus Christ, at the final night of His ministry, hours before His betrayal, a betrayal He had already foretold, He and His disciples sang a hymn (Mark 14:26). How powerful the memory must have been for the disciples to recall the fact they were praising the Living God when Jesus is facing trials, beating, and suffering greater than any man ever has or ever would endure. He led His disciples in praise.

Remember this, Jesus’ suffering did not end. He still had to walk the road marked with suffering and pain, but the hymn of praise and hope showed the disciples, and us today as readers, His confidence rested securely in God His Father. What a testimony that is. For all who are in Christ, our hope and strength is found in God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Sometimes the trial will end and we find peace. Sometimes the suffering and pain continues, but we know peace because God our Father is nearer than a sigh. Sometimes the suffering ends in death, to which we can reply: for us to live is Christ and to die is gain.

O LORD, God Most High, I will remember and count Your various, wonderful deeds—what You have done in my life. When my heart is overwhelmed and there are so many things too great to endure I will remember what You have done in Christ. Spirit of God, bring to mind what You are doing in Your people, how Jesus’ salvation is unstoppable. You, Spirit of God, are working out Jesus’ salvation into every part of my heart and mind and life in real time against real heart-break and sorrow. Let Your praise, O LORD, ever be on my lips. Amen.

https://youtu.be/XZDyMJhd4Bo

March 16, 2021 -- Psalm 8:1-2 -- The Majestic Name of the LORD

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O LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.

Out of the mouth of babies and infants,

you have established strength because of your foes,

to still the enemy and the avenger.

Psalm 8:1-2 English Standard Version

After a few Psalms of lament the book of Psalms breaks into this glorious poem of praise. I wonder, do you just sing laments when you’re sad and give full voice to ascriptions of praise like this one when you’re feeling blessed and happy? Let me suggestion something. When you feel the pressures of anxiety and worry, when grief weighs you down and you wonder—now what—it is very appropriate to praise the LORD.

Notice that even babies and infants—those who are helpless and in need of total care—who are praising the LORD are stronger than the foes of the LORD and all enemies. It is not our power that saves us. It is the strength of the LORD. When we praise Him, we are giving over our problems and our fears to Him and letting His grace and power take over.

Fears will crush us. Fears will drive us from the sole source of help available to us. When a lion attacks a young wild animal, it will seek to separate the young one from its mother so that this vulnerable one will be easy prey. When the devil is attacking he will be like a lion, seeking to move you from the protection and love of God—the Warrior King Who is Majestic. Do not give in to fear. Christ the King has taken away our punishment. Christ has given to you His righteousness. The accusations of the enemy count for nothing. God’s glory, which is above the heavens, is the glory and the strength, which shine over His children. As you bless His Name you are looking up to Him Who establishes His strength in you.

Blessed are You, O LORD our Lord! Joyful or sorrowful, confident or anxious—no matter the state of our mind or hearts, may we bless You and know You as the Strength and the Song of Your people. Before You all fears evaporate like mist before the morning sun. Amen.

https://youtu.be/3KESHlBh8a8

March 11, 2021 -- Psalm 7:17 -- Tears of Lament and Unstoppable Hope

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I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness,

and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.

Psalm 7:17 English Standard Version

Remember that this Psalm began with lament. In fact, much of the psalm is filled with crying out the Living God. And this verse, the final stanza of the Psalm ends with the decision to praise. There are two possibilities. One is that the LORD has rescued the writer from all who pursued him. He is aware of the great deliverance of the God Who is His shield. Thanks be to the Living God, Who will rescue His people.

The second possibility is that the LORD has not yet rescued this one who is lamenting. The tears have gone out. The cries are still reverberating through the cosmos. The LORD on His throne has heard and the anguished one has vowed to praise the LORD. Whether his circumstances have changed right at that moment or not, the LORD has heard and He Who hears will act. Tears have given way to hope. That is the greatness of our God.

In fact bringing both this restoration of hope and enacting righteousness are what Jesus has done at the cross. All our wrongs have been placed on Jesus and He was punished for them in our place. At the cross where we formerly lamented when it seemed wrong-doers, enemies and betrayers have not been punished, we now plead for the salvation of our betrayers. Because He Who was crucified will return—as the Just Judge and the One Who makes all things right by His righteous judgments. Those who have not joined us in submitting to Jesus Christ and seeking in Him forgiveness will themselves bear the full weight of God’s wrath on their sins. This leads us to urgently pray, LORD, have mercy on them.

Man of Sorrow, Jesus our Savior-King—thank You for rescuing us at the cross! Thank You for bearing the full weight of God’s just anger against our sin. Thank You Father in heaven, that in Jesus, You call us beloved sons and daughters. Spirit of God, bring our enemies and betrayers to the full knowledge of Jesus’ redeeming work! Spirit of Truth rescue them from the hell of torments that awaits them, so that we, betrayed and betrayers, may kneel before Christ our King and in unison declare: “Hallelujah! What a Savior! May the thanks due Your Righteousness, Triune God, be declared in song and deed, praise and acts of holy service. Amen.

https://youtu.be/Q3F1Gq1IoLI

March 9, 2021 -- Psalm 7:1-5 -- The LORD our Refuge

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O LORD my God, in you do I take refuge;
    save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,
2 lest like a lion they tear my soul apart,
    rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.

3 O LORD my God, if I have done this,
    if there is wrong in my hands,
4 if I have repaid my friend with evil
    or plundered my enemy without cause,
5 let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it,
    and let him trample my life to the ground
    and lay my glory in the dust. Selah

Psalm 7:1-5 English Standard Version

Okay, it was very tempting just to skip over this Psalm—I mean, not another lament?! Then I realized a couple of things. One. It is the order of the Psalms and I want to respect this. Two. In these Covid times there are many people who are suffering greatly and the words of this prayer can give voice to something that might otherwise go unnamed. Three. This deals with the betrayal of a friend, or literally as it says at verse 4 in the Hebrew “one with whom I am at peace”. It is as if someone I trusted, who I could have expected kindness from or at minimum no harm, has turned and unexpectedly snarled and snapped at me causing pain.

Note that the LORD is the refuge of the Psalmist. He is first off expecting, as the Promise-Keeping God, the Covenant-Keeping LORD, a safe place to be protected, to bare his soul and to find mercy when no one else has a word of kindness for him. That is the important point, when you are wounded, do you turn to the LORD, your refuge, the One Place of Healing?

Notice that the psalmist, after claiming protection from God his Refuge, then examines his own conscience and actions. He is prepared to confess his own sins and the things he might have done which caused such betrayal. This is too important to just skip over. It is easy to know all the wrongs others have committed and rehearse these endlessly without ever considering one’s own complicity, or sinfulness. In this self-examination the psalmist is prepared to be humiliated and exposed.

Friends, people with whom there is peace because of Christ, what a glorious lesson is given here. Jesus is our peace. He alone was sinless. He alone had the right to cry out against all people who betrayed Him. Yet, He prayed for for all who wounded Him, who cheated Him and sinned against Him. It is the lesson of the cross. We are all debtors to the cross of Christ therefore, as such, we are freed to offer and receive from one another forgiveness and peace. Evil must still be redressed. Wrongs among the people of God must be righted. But it begins with forgiveness and then restoration of the relationship where possible, and will finally end with the now-reconciled giving praise to the LORD, the Most High God

Correct me, Spirit of God, so that I can see my own faults and failures. In view of the cross of Christ, give me a generous heart, ready to forgive. God of Salvation, restore among us fellowship with those whom I’d pegged as betrayers (whether they were so or not) so that together we can praise You, the LORD of Righteousness. All this is prayed on the basis of the powerful, accomplished work of Jesus. Amen.

https://youtu.be/ijsjA5Yf8XA

March 8, 2021 -- Psalm 6:6-10 -- Tears and Triumph

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I am weary with my moaning;
    every night I flood my bed with tears;
    I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eye wastes away because of grief;
    it grows weak because of all my foes.

8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil,
    for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The LORD has heard my plea;
    the LORD accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;
    they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.

Psalm 6:6-10 English Standard Version

King David seemed to me, in my youth, a valiant character beyond reproach. A mighty warrior who could face down any opponent and defeat any wild animal. He was a man’s man with no emotion except victorious exuberance and high joys. The Psalms bring us a far more intimate portrait of the man. He has weaknesses. He has profoundly deep emotions which I had not associated with battle hardened warriors. He experienced tears. He experienced grief. I guess that last one should be obvious, any warrior will lose fellow soldiers in battles. There would be grief. Near unbearable grief hard to understand by the ordinary people who have not fought side by side in the thick of battle with a man dearer than a brother only to lose him to an enemy. Yes, anguished grief must have been familiar to him.

Where does his resilience come from so that he can cope? His strength, even in weeping, is from the LORD. Twice in verse 9 the powerful Name is used, all in capitals, which indicates it is the covenant Name of God. The LORD will not abandon His people—that is His sure-fire promise. Everything we experience in this life, even the most painful hardships, are purposeful. For this reason, we have hope beyond the tears. The LORD has conquered sin. The LORD has set our punishment on His Christ and given us life that no battle can ultimately take. We are His. David also wrote: “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5b). What glorious hope is ours in Name of God.

Prayer hearing, tear-seeing, anguished grief-relieving God of Power, blessed are You. When weariness overwhelms us and grief wrings out the last drop of moisture from our eyes, thank You for the fact that You hear and accept the prayers of Your people—this is not based on whether or not we feel it—this is anchored in the accomplished work of Jesus. Spirit of God sustain us until joy returns. And when our strength is renewed and it is almost impossible to relate to the deep anguish of the Psalm-writer, move us to pray for those in our lives, in our congregation, in our circle of friends or coworkers to pray passionately, that such resilience as this psalm pictures will be granted them, in Jesus’ Name we pray it. Amen

https://youtu.be/0LNQMZykJBQ

March 5, 2021 -- Psalm 6:4-5 -- Save me, O LORD

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Turn, O LORD, deliver my life;

save me for the sake of your steadfast love.

For in death there is no remembrance of you;

in Sheol who will give you praise?

Psalm 6:4-5 English Standard Version

When I am feeling good, those who depressed and struggling against dire circumstances—like illness or financial ruin or betrayal by family—whatever it is, well, they’re able to pull you down into the whirlpool of their sufferings. It is tempting to stand far off and just enjoy my own good feelings far separated from the straggling strugglers.

This is perhaps why it is difficult for us to comprehend the great kindness of God our LORD. In the past, whenever the people of the LORD have struggled and grieved and lamented, the LORD answered. He did turn and He was gracious to His people, bringing them great deliverance. The LORD is not like a fair weather friend who leaves at the first sign of trouble. He invites His people to persistent prayer and repeating asking for deliverance. He does this so that believers know their salvation is wholly the work of God. He does this so that believers have cause to rejoice. He does this so that believers remember the horrors of past sins, if that is what is currently afflicting them. He does this so that believers will meet others who are struggling in the deepest pits of grief, or sorrow or pain, and believers can identity with fellow sufferers and point them towards their heart’s home—The LORD our God, our Deliverer.

Faithful Father, it is almost too hard to lift my eyes upwards to try and find You. As You have been merciful to Your people in the past, on that basis I am begging You, show kindness to me now. Forgive the times I have been unable to bear the tears and suffering of others. Forgive me for avoiding those who might seem capable of pulling me into the mud flats of their sorrows and for not wading in immediately help them by prayer and Scripture, in the power of Your Spirit, so that together we find the sure shore of Your steadfast love. This I pray in Jesus’ Name—the One Who is the lighthouse of Your eternal love. Amen.

https://youtu.be/L2QvFKKCzzs

March 4, 2021 -- Psalm 6:1-3 -- Tears again

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O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.
3 My soul also is greatly troubled.
But you, O Lord—how long?

Psalm 6:1-3 English Standard Version

Seriously, we’re here again? Didn’t we just go through a bunch of repenting and crying out? I hear you. I just want something happy-clappy to get me through the day. The reality is that our lives are not mountain peak to mountain top experiences of wondrous rapture all the time. Instead, there are many days where we wonder “what is going on?!?”

It may well be that the psalmist is struggling with illness. As someone who battles depression, I can so relate. There are many days my bones ache and my heart is heavy. There is no unconfessed sin (that I am aware of, else I’d confess it). And the days can be long stretches where my languid body and slow mind just cannot fight the inertia.

Where else can we go in our struggle? When sin threatens us, it takes the mercy of LORD to break it. When grief floods us so only our nostrils and lips are barely above water and we are inhaling water sprays wondering can I go on? The LORD can pluck us out of the raging waters. He can put me on the Rock of Safety. He hears those who cry out to Him. When we feel betrayed by our dearest and closest ones, it is the LORD knows the lament of our crushed soul and He hears us. This is the glory of the Word of God—to show over and over again the patient, listening, love of God.

Jesus was forsaken at the cross so that we, when we cry out to the LORD from the depths of our troubles, would have profound assurance. Jesus has carried away from us the punishment of the LORD so that we can receive the peace and healing of God. What the psalmist longed for and ached for is clearly displayed in Jesus Christ. Cry your tears, whisper your anguished prayers with the confidence, God hears.

Be kind to me, God. I don’t know the right words. Am I supposed to kneel when I speak to You? Do I have to speak the right words, because I am empty—too flattened by everything going on to know how to say much more than this—help me. I ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

https://youtu.be/yETRxtYIL-E

March 3, 2021 -- Psalm 5:11-12 -- Semi colon because the story is not done

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But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;

let them ever sing for joy,

and spread your protection over them,

that those who love your name may exult in you.

For you bless the righteous, O LORD;

you cover them with favor as with a shield.

Psalm 5:11-12 English Standard Version

In case my parents are reading this, be assured I’m not getting a tattoo. Okay, that is out of the way. If, hypothetically, if I did get a tattoo, it’d be a semi-colon on my wrist. Others with the same struggle I have will immediately recognize it and those who are informed or taught will understand. A semi colon ( ; ) indicates a pause in a sentence. It is a symbol to declare the one so marked has paused and reconsidered the act of suicide. It means the person has decided his story is not done.

The psalmist began this Psalm lamenting, belly-aching grief poured out in prayer before the LORD. He has prepared his sacrifice and watched. Perhaps his attentiveness on the LORD has lasted a long time with no sense of the LORD’s nearness or love. The story is not done.

Whether or not the LORD responded, the psalmist has preached to his own soul. Let all who take refuge in You rejoice. This is a decision. There is a prayer and plea—spread your protection over them. It is a vow of trust. It might well be that before the LORD has acted in faithfulness, in advance of God’s responding to the prayer of His servant, the servant, recalling past evidences of the LORD’s goodness, remembers this: “For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as a shield”—and the psalmist will not let his groaning overwhelm him, he will watch in attendance on the LORD. There is no better refuge. The story is not done. He will live to write again.

https://youtu.be/979JrZs1log

Psalm 5 is the song and prayer today. It is very much a lament, yet the tune offers some hopeful notes as well. Hope it is a blessing and inspiration.

Listen to my words, O LORD; Know the whispered things I say.

Heed my crying out for help—God, my King, to You I pray.

Hear me in the morning, LORD, When I lift my voice on high,

Setting forth my plea to You, looking out with watchful eye.

 

For I know that You, O God, Find in evil no delight;

Evil cannot dwell with You, Nor the proud stand in Your sight.

You hate all who practice sin. You destroy the one who lies;

For the LORD abominates Those who schemes of blood devise.

 

Yet in Your abounding love, To Your house will I drawn near,

Bowing to Your holy place, Worshiping in rev’rent fear.

Since, O LORD, my enemies All around me lie in wait,

Lead me in Your righteousness; Make Your way before me straight.

 

In their mouth there is no truth; All their heart destruction seeks,

Like an open grave their throat, Whole their tongue with honey speaks.

Make them bear their guilt, O God; Snare them in the things they planned!

Cast them out for all their sins, Rebel who against You stand.

 

Yet let all who trust in You Sing for joy through all their days.

Guard all those who love Your name; Let them give You joyful praise.

Blessing to the righteous one, You, O LORD, will surely bring;

With your favor, like a shield, You will give him covering.

 

Joseph Parry, 1879 tune Abertystwyth 77.77.D

The ARP Psalter

March 2, 2021 -- Psalm 5:9-10 -- Discerning what's around you

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For there is no truth in their mouth;
their inmost self is destruction;
their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongue.
Make them bear their guilt, O God;
let them fall by their own counsels;
because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.

Psalm 5:9-10 English Standard Version

After the soaring words of verses 7 & 8 our text today seems like quite a come down. It is very damning against false flatterers and the forked tongue peoples all around. When you engage the text one thing you’ll notice is a sense of the dialogue—first between the Psalmist and God and then a sense of dialogue cataloguing something in the Psalmist’s own heart.

As the Psalmist recognizes there is no truth in their mouth and hears the false flattery of such people around him, he is making the distinction Psalm 1 spoke of—blessed are those who do not walk with the wicked or stand with sinners or sit with scoffers. A Psalm 1 man or woman, who desires to be blessed, carefully discerns the words and actions of the people all around. Sometimes you meet someone who seems well-intentioned, but the more time you spend, the more you realize how deep is their perfidy. When you hear and realize the wicked intentions of the heart and understand the speech for what it is, then leave that person and situation and delight in the Law of God.

Secondly, the Psalmist, in noting all these things is calling down the consequences of God on the heads and life of the transgressors. Why? Is it because he thinks he’s better? Not at all. Instead, the Psalmist realizes, unless one sees the full weight of his sin and knows how odious it is before God and the people of God, such a person will wade deeper and deeper into the foul sewage of his life. By allowing someone to see the consequences of their sin, to understand that sin is in fact sin, one is faced with a choice, either to go deeper or to cry out for help from God, Who displays the magnificence of His rescue story in Jesus Christ.

Great LORD, my King and my God, give me a discerning heart today so that I will recognize sin at its first appearance and when the first tendrils of temptation seek to entangle me at that exact moment by Your Word and Spirit help me to run from evil. Triune God of great compassion make the sinners all around bear their guilt so that they will be driven into Your arms for rescue. Thank You, Faithful God, that You delight to save in the powerful Name of Jesus. Amen.

https://youtu.be/9Yr48Berkqc

March 1, 2021 -- Psalm 5:4-8 -- Wicked rags or righteousness wrapped

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For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;

evil may not dwell with you.

The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;

you hate all evildoers.

You destroy those who speak lies;

the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

Psalm 5:4-6 English Standard Version

There are enough people who proclaim the God of the Old Testament is angry while Jesus proclaims love. However, even a cursory reading of the New Testament will reveal statements like: “Woe to you [Pharisees]! For you are like unmarked graves, and the people walk over them without knowing it” (Luke 11:44). When Jesus pronounced “woe” He was speaking of the curse of God against the actions and attitudes of the wicked.

Who can stand up under the scrutiny with which Jesus examined the lives of the Pharisees? Who can declare his heart clear of all such sins are are described in the text today? Not one of us. This is why the Bible describes God as “God our Righteousness”. When we are confronted with the vicious words we’ve poured out against others immediately we realize this passage is cutting open our own heart and attitude. A passage like this either makes us turn away and sigh—”at least I am not like that person” or it will reveal again, with great precision, the urgent need we have for the cleansing work of Jesus.

Aware of his own great sin and the greater mercy and forgiving love of God the psalmist then declared his sure hope. Hope which for him looked forward to Christ and for us is anchored in God our Righteousness, Jesus—Whom the Spirit has revealed. This is our prayer today:

“But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,

will enter your house.

I will bow down toward your holy temple

in the fear of you

Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness

because of my enemies;

make your way straight before me.”

Psalm 5:7-8 ESV

https://youtu.be/UiJiDphZvbs

February 26, 2021 -- Psalm 5:1-3 -- Grieved groanings or giving glory

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Give ear to my words, O Lord;
consider my groaning.
2 Give attention to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you do I pray.
3 O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

Psalm 5:1-3 English Standard Version

Strange, isn’t it, how the Psalms seem to go from mountaintop experiences of blessing and joy, to valleys of grief and sadness. How truly this reflects our daily experience. Psalm 4 ended with that sense of peace and sleep and security and now Psalm 5 opens with emotional turmoil and upheaval. Makes sense to me. That is how life is lived. Right now the province where I has incredibly low numbers of Covid cases—yet the provinces is still in orange—a very restrictive stage. There are nattering fears expresses by the media and health officials that there will be a third wave, worse than the others. It is as if the government is shouting “there are lions in the streets of Moncton, everyone stay indoors.” (This is a reference to the Proverbs 22:13)—there is no real danger, there is no lion, but it is the cry of the sluggard who refuses to engage in the work necessary for full and active living.)

Rather than remain mentally locked on the source of his groaning, the Psalmist looks to the LORD his God He prepares the morning sacrifice. Among the people of God a morning and evening sacrifice were always offered at the temple of the LORD. As New Testament Christians, we offer the sacrifice of praise. Such sacrifices orient our vision from merely looking at our circumstances or our helplessness to seeing with faith the glory of our God and King Who rules over all. We watch to see the salvation of God which will unfold, no matter the machinations of sinful man. The LORD is our King! He directs our feet and our path and our future. Blessed be His Name.

O LORD, God of our fathers and mothers through-out the generations, You Who guarded Your people and by Your Spirit led them into the righteousness of Jesus Christ—hear our groaning. As we are Covid-weary and in news-overload help us all to serve You in our homes and workplaces, in schools and family activities, restrictions or no restrictions. We will run in the way of Your commanded blessings when You enlarge our hearts. May the light of Your glory shine from us in this day! May Jesus Christ receive the glory due His Name until the whole world sees the Hand of God at the Dreadful Day of Judgment where God the Triune will make all things rights by His just and holy judgment. Hallelujah. Amen.

https://youtu.be/KpMCE1G3N7Q

February 25, 2021 -- Psalm 4:8 -- Peace which no chaos can disrupt

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In peace I will both lie down and sleep;

for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 4:8 English Standard Version

Remember when Jesus was in a storm-tossed boat with His frightened disciples? What was He doing? He slept. (Mark 4:35-40). While in prison, the night before his big trial, Peter was sleeping even while he was chained to two guards (Acts12:6). When the beloved child of the Father is where he or she is supposed to be, nothing can shatter the experience of peace.

Christians know there will be trials and persecutions and suffering. Jesus clearly foretold it. The world will hate believers in Jesus because the world hates Jesus Himself, their Master and Teacher (John 15:18). Such trials come to test your faith. Hatred and enmity hurled at you cannot overcome the greater love and peace which pour down on you because you belong to the King of kings and LORD of lords. The world can take every single thing we own—but one thing it can never take from us— our strong and unshakeable faith in Jesus Christ.

When Jesus suffered, He experienced agony, pain beyond description and grief—but Hebrews noted: “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross despising its shame” 12:2). What was the joy set before Him? It was pleasing His Father in heaven. It was the steadfast assurance of Psalm 1 that the LORD watches over the way of the righteous. It was the joy that Father has the full weight of eternity in His hand with which to bless His people. Jesus knew His suffering, greater though it was than what any person in all of history ever has or ever will suffer, would bring many sons and daughters into the knowledge of the safety of belonging to God.

O God of our Righteousness, You are blessed and true. This day we confess all the things that trouble the waters of our peacefulness—things like our agitation at what other Christians are doing. To our greater shame before Your throne we confess we get angry so that instead of praying for them and encouraging them we tear and bite at them. We confess we hear the voices of mocking—from friends, our own inner thought life and enemies alike—and allow ourselves to be weighed down. Lift up the light of Your face on us, O LORD, that we may be, by Your Word and Spirit, restored to the peace which has been so richly given in Jesus Christ. Help us now, more than ever in these chaotic Covid times, to live as Christians who love one another truly and richly in Christ and who seek to press in ever closer to Jesus in Whom we find our great unity. Amen.

https://youtu.be/5UvBH9lPU1I

February 24, 2021 -- Psalm 4:4-5 -- Righteous anger without sin

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Be angry, and do not sin;
ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the LORD.

Psalm 4:4-5 English Standard Version

The root verb for “be angry” is to tremble or quake. You can just see how it is the root of anger. Someone can be so angry that their body shakes with rage—and now notice the command which follows it: do not sin! Why combine these two verbs? In order to make a change, a deep and true and lasting change in one’s life, you need to hate sin so much you tremble in rage against it and hate it—whether it is your own sin or the sin of others. And then you need to control this anger so you are not so blinded against this one sin that you turn and in hot rage pursues another sin.

Pondering such on your bed is to keep you from renewing your devotion to the sin which just caused the trembling. How often have I said in my heart “I am never going to sin in that way again?” Only to pick up that exact sin in the morning again. Psalm 1 told us the path of the righteous, those who delight in the Law of the LORD and on His Word meditate day and night.

Why are Christians so neutered in these pandemic times? It is because Christians are posting silly memes against this person or that leader. Unless Christians hate the sins of their own life and the sins of this generation and the sins of government and tremble with rage against them—against the sins of our lives, the sins of our communities and the sins of our government and land—nothing will change. Then ponder the power of God. Then day and night go to the throne room of God, bringing His Word and His promises to Him. It is the LORD our God Who places leaders in power and it is the LORD Who overthrows them so that great is the splash of their fall. Steadfast Christian—pray. That is the most powerful weapon the LORD has placed into your hands.

Be silent. Stop gossiping. Stop berating the various leaders on social media. It is a useless peeing against the wind to do so (the author of Ecclesiastes has a more eloquent “vanity, vanity, a chasing after the wind”). Into the times of quiet, remind yourself of the precious promises of God and the power of His Word and salvation shown so clearly in Christ. Notice, an editor felt it appropriate to call readers of the psalm to stop, reread and reflect (in silence so the heart is correctly oriented towards the LORD).

Finally, offer the sacrifices of praise—that is what Hebrews 13:15 describes as right sacrifices—the fruit of lips that openly profess Jesus’ Name. It is the work of the Spirit to recalibrate hearts in this way. If you find you are trembling with rage against this person and that situation and against brothers and sisters in the LORD, slow yourself down, be silent and ponder in your heart the might and magnificence of God. Sing praises to the LORD your God—this is the right sacrifice and renews your trust in the LORD our God. He knows the end from the beginning—God’s got this!

Prayer—portions of Psalm 104

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

O LORD my God, you are very great!

You are clothed with splendor and majesty,

covering yourself with light as with a garment,

stretching out the heavens like a tent.

I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;

I will sing praise to my God while I have being.

May my meditation be pleasing to him,

for I rejoice in the LORD.

Let sinners be consumed from the earth,

and let the wicked be no more!

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

Praise the LORD!

Psalm 104:1-2,33-35 English Standard Version

https://youtu.be/J1QTJvGtoQA

February 23, 2021 -- Psalm 4:2-3 -- Forgiven and Forgiving

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O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
3 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
the LORD hears when I call to him.

Psalm 4:2-3 English Standard Version

Got an email recently. It was unexpected. This email is from someone with whom I’d had a sharp falling out. So it was necessary last year to guard my heart and set a watch over my mouth so that I didn’t diss him publicly nor do so in my heart. Thinking of that email brought home the psalmist’s words as particularly pertinent to me.

While feeling the sting of rumours and gossip started by this person against me, I must ask myself how often have I been the source of such things against others? It is easy to lick one’s lips against the sins and wrong-doing of others all the while holding tightly to one’s own as-yet-undiscovered wickedness. No wonder the Spirit causes the godly to pause, reread and reflect on these words and examine his own heart before going on. [Selah is the musical expression used to call the reader to pause, reread and reflect on what has just been read.]

The godly are not perfect. The godly are not faultless. The godly are the ones set apart by God who have experienced His profound forgiveness. The godly know how deep is the need for the LORD’s mercy so that they are ever appealing to the LORD for such mercy. And such mercy received should result in mercy being extended to those who have fallen out—in the form of praying for such persons. In a heart ready to forgive. A life that is prepared to call out sin for what it is: sin. And having called out sin, to deal with it in light of the spacious grace, love and kindness of God poured out on all who repent. The psalmist is reminding us here on earth, the Father in heaven Who has forgiveness us in Christ has created every opportunity for restoring community and fullness of life among all fellow believers. What a glorious goal and hope.

With the hymn-writer it is stirring to cry out to You, God of my righteousness—”My sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul.” Spirit of God, having applied the righteousness of Christ to the hearts of all who cry out to Jesus, please now guard the hearts of Christ’s flock so that we do not on the one hand accept forgiveness and on the other hold out resentments against those we perceive are wronging us. Triune God, give us the wisdom from on high to withstand evil, the mercy to negotiate forgiveness with those who hurt and wrong us, and serenity to accept whatever we cannot change. Let our hearts ever sing Your praises for the relentless tides of Your mercy and love and patience exercised on each of us. Amen.

https://youtu.be/0nJ6wQpLmuo

February 20, 2021 -- Psalm 4:1 -- Answer Me, God, When I Call

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To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

4 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
    You have given me relief when I was in distress.
    Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

Psalm 4:1 English Standard Version

Dear people of God our Righteousness—didn’t you just read Psalm 3 and hear the psalmist cry out to God in turmoil because he was surrounded by many enemies? Yes you did, and now Psalm 4 has the psalmist crying out to God again asking for relief. Life for Christians is not an unbroken series of trouble-free and bliss-full steps tiptoeing lightly through flowers fields and tulips until one finally achieves eternity. Not at all! Life as a Christian is hard-slogging and difficult because the one who seeks to serve God is at odds with everyone else on the planet.

Fellow Christians find in one another a refuge-place of joy and peace because only fellow Christians know the anguish of living among a planet of full of people who hate God—the very Father Who gave ungrateful people life, breath, intelligence, the splendour of creation to declare His glories every single day and the Word which reveals Him so the heart delights and the soul swells with anticipation of eternity in uninterrupted worship and adoration of His magnificence. Fellow Christians point each other to the throne room where God the gracious brings relief and life. Fellow Christians remind the wounded, weary brother or sister that sins do not have ultimate victory, instead, Jesus Christ has removed God’s wrath from them and given His extravagant forgiveness and peace.

Fellow Christians sing—note this Psalm is for the choir-master and meant to be sung. Why? Music is like a brain worm. It wriggles in and out of the grey matter so that all the day long hearts are filled with a song that describes the difficulties of life but more importantly, shouts the mighty Glory of God the Gracious Who is bringing His relief. Tomorrow is Sunday. Plan on getting to a place of worship. Petition the government, church is essential.

Thank You, God of Salvation, that Your Word accurately reflects the things your people encounter and Your Word leads in the way of salvation, life and victory. Thank You for the fact that Your people, who cry out in distress and weep in frustrated confession while in sitting the ashes of old familiar places where their sins are overwhelming them—these same Christians find Your forgiveness and restoration over and over again until the day when sin shall be no more and the victory of Jesus will become sight. Spirit of God, sustain us this day in God, the God of my righteousness Who has been perfectly revealed, finally revealed, in Jesus Christ. Amen.

https://youtu.be/vFVFV4jfHSc

February 19, 2021 -- Psalm 3:7-8 -- The Warrior King Strikes His Enemies

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Arise, O LORD!
    Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
    you break the teeth of the wicked.

8 Salvation belongs to the Lord;
    your blessing be on your people! Selah

Psalm 3:7-8 English Standard Version

The expression “arise, O LORD” at the start of our reading today is one often used when Israel is going to war. It is the LORD Who is “a man of war” (Exodus 15:3). Jesus is called “Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war” (Revelation 19:11). As New Testament believers you know your lives are filled with all kinds of warfare—political leaders celebrate abortion, the murderous practice that stops a beating heart. Chaplains in various positions in Canada are commanded not to proselytize—that is, chaplains paid by the government cannot actively evangelize the people with whom they are working. So much wickedness promulgated by government—overwhelmed, the psalmist cries out to God—Save your people!

The Psalmist has personally felt the attack of enemies, the taunts and mocking of those arrayed against him and prays—strike all my enemies on the cheek. The verb strike includes a range of meaning from hitting with force to incapacitating and on to striking so that someone dies. The writer is crying out to the LORD Who is the just judge to apply the force He knows is right so that the enemy will be vanquished or will be converted to be a fellow follower of the the LORD the Warrior-King.

The Psalmist finally knows he needs the LORD to conquer the most persistent enemy—the soundtrack of his brain—the very taunts of his enemies which have become the verbal sticks and stones which are crushing his bones and grinding his hope into dust “many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God”. Once again the writer asserts the Living God will bring His salvation. Any and every enemy will be defeated. Oh, take new courage believers—the LORD is the God of Salvation and Victory The eyes of faith see this. Read this psalm, pray it until the truth of God’s victory moves you to new boldness in His holy Name.

Our prayer today is Psalm 3.

O LORD, how many are my foes!
    Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul,
    “There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah

3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me,
    my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the LORD,
    and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah

5 I lay down and slept;
    I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
    who have set themselves against me all around.

7 Arise, O LORD!
    Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
    you break the teeth of the wicked.

8 Salvation belongs to the LORD;
    your blessing be on your people! Selah

ESV

https://youtu.be/juPIwHavIq0