Tag: Psalms

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Untamable

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The floods have risen up, O Lord. The floods have roared like thunder; the floods have lifted their pounding waves. But mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers on the shore— the Lord above is mightier than these! Your royal laws cannot be changed. Your reign, O Lord, is holy forever and ever. ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭93‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The power of the sea. I can imagine that the Psalmist had access to vistas of either the waters of the great rivers of Euphrates and the Tigris, the pristine, Persian Gulf (both located by the city of Babylon) or maybe the beautiful Mediterranean Sea by Jerusalem. This Psalm was likely written by Ezra the Scribe.

There is nothing more ominously powerful than the oceans of the world. A massive 71% of our beautiful blue globe is water! I have often sat for hours looking out at the expansive vista of our own shores of the Pacific ocean. Mesmerized by the rhythmic power of the crashing waves, pounding the sand. The sight and sound is comforting.

But imagine the ocean as a tantrum-throwing toddler, raging with fits of fury. Its mighty, giant storms, tidal waves and tsunamis know no resistance strong enough to stand against it. The ocean is untamable. Ezra is in awe of our God that is magnificently, compoundedly more powerful than the sea! The sea roars, lifting its waves higher than an elevation of 1720 feet, a megatsunami in 1958 that hit Lituya Bay, in southeast Alaska. What could be mightier than the power and unpredictability of the ocean? It is God who created it!

Ezra’s love and respect for His mighty God and His Word declares and compares this awesomeness to the power of God’s royal laws. They cannot be changed. God’s Word cannot be swayed or subdued! Nothing can compare or compromise the capability of God’s Word. One my favorite verses concerning the durability and life-giving sustainability is found in Isaiah 40:8, The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever. Amen Ezra! Indeed our God and His reign is holy forever and ever.

Prayer

​Dad,
The vistas of the sea are my most favorite places to pray and think about your power and strength. With wind and sun, with white-noise sound of waves, I feel safe and at peace knowing that you are powerful enough to crush us, but instead invite us, in relationship, to know you. How ominous is your presence in those moments. Thank you for being expansively beyond what I can even imagine! Thank you for Your Word, which is enduring and powerful, to keep your promises and complete the work you are doing in me. I am in awe of You! Amen.

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Feeling the presence of God.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Turn us again to yourself, O God of Heaven’s Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved. You brought us from Egypt like a grapevine; you drove away the pagan nations and transplanted us into your land. You cleared the ground for us, and we took root and filled the land. Our shade covered the mountains; our branches covered the mighty cedars. We spread our branches west to the Mediterranean Sea; our shoots spread east to the Euphrates River. But now, why have you broken down our walls so that all who pass by may steal our fruit? The wild boar from the forest devours it, and the wild animals feed on it. ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭80‬:‭7‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This idea of God raising up a grapevine, nurturing it, watching over it and giving it a place to thrive and flourish is a popular theme in the Bible. I just wrote about Isaiah (chapter 5) giving an object lesson about the vine and the vineyard. The Psalmist writes about it while Israel is in Babylonian captivity. It goes along with another familiar phrase, “the root of Jesse,” which expresses the promise of a messianic king who would be born of David’s family. God is responsible to keep and protect this root of His vine!

Jesus even refers to Himself being the vine root and speaks of the fruit of that vine in John 15. And, Paul picks up the theme in Romans 15. Then finally, Jesus refers to himself as the root of Jesse in Revelation 22. This overarching picture of God following through with his promise even though Israel (and us as well) have consistently been unfaithful and failing to keep our promises in obedience to God’s Word. God is faithful to fulfill His promise and from that “root” He will raise up a whole new generation of children. These are the children of promise through the faithfulness, not of themselves, but of Christ alone.

In the verses following in this Psalm we hear the desperate plea for God not to give up on His people. “Come back, we beg you, O God of Heaven’s Armies. Look down from heaven and see our plight. Take care of this grapevine that you yourself have planted, this son you have raised for yourself.” (vs 14-15). I get the feeling that people generally know when they are close to the Lord or far off from Him. I know for me, when I have wandered or just been careless with my love and attentiveness to His presence, I definitely knew it. I felt similar to the Psalmist. I wanted to be close again and hear God’s voice, feel the Holy Spirit working in my life. I would never want to get used to being far from Him. I would never want to be so far from God that I no longer felt His face shining down on me. Jesus is the vine; we are the branches. Those who remain in him, and he in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Jesus we can do nothing (John 15:5).

Prayer

Dad,
I clearly see that you have done everything to keep us (keep me) close to you. You faithfully and consistently come after us, wooing us, forgiving us and loving us. My part is to stay close to you, connected to you. The most difficult part is not even my sin, which separates me from your presence. It’s the shame and embarrassment of continuing to return, constantly coming back in confession and repentance. It’s trusting that you forgive me and receive me once again. It’s the not giving up, not drifting too far – that’s the hard part. Your word promises that you are faithful and JUST to forgive me and clean me when I come to you. I never want to be without your presence. I never want heaven to be silent because of my unfaithfulness to you! Amen.

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Remember Meribah & Massah.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness. For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw everything I did. For forty years I was angry with them, and I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’ So in my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’ ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭95‬:‭8‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David writes this Psalm and it is put into the book of Psalms towards the end of his life. The Psalm starts with a burst of praise, a crescendo of thanksgiving, ”Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him.” Yet, it ends with this warning, to remember Meribah & Massah.

What happened in these places that was so egregious, that God took an oath to not allow the eldest into the promised land. Maybe there’s a hint in the phrase, “Rock of our salvation?” Meribah was the final straw of hard-hearted, contentiousness with the elders who were freed from Egypt, but their souls were still enslaved with bitterness. Gotquestions.org writes, “The incident at the waters of Meribah Kadesh is recorded in Numbers 20. Nearing the end of their forty years of wandering, the Israelites came to the Desert of Zin. There was no water, and the community turned against Moses and Aaron.”

The people held Moses & Aaron responsible for their lack of water in the desert. And, once again Moses & Aaron went to the Lord with the complaint/request. God told Moses & Aaron to gather the people at a rock in Meribah (which means strife or contention). God told Moses to speak to the rock, but apparently Moses had reached his limit of patience. The anger of his youth rallied and raised its ugly head. Moses took the staff of God and smacked the rock saying, “Listen, you rebels, must WE bring you water out of this rock?” (Numbers‬ ‭20‬:‭10‬). Uh oh. You can hear the exasperation in Moses’ words.

Water came out and the people were once again satisfied, but God took notice that Moses and Aaron (God held Aaron responsible as well) were disobedient to God’s command. “…the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them. The other place at the rock of Horeb, is found in Exodus 17:1-7, this time God had told Moses to strike the rock. Both times, the people were grumbling, and threatening towards Moses. In Horeb, God called the place, Massah (nasah), to test or quarrel with God. Is there a proper way to wrestle with the Almighty? Jacob did so and God displaced his hip so his limp would remind Jacob of a moment in the ring with His creator.

Here, the people also struggled with God with contempt, blame and bitterness. What strikes me is that David in this Psalm writes about these specific, named places where humans contentiously strived with God and clearly lost! God was also angry at them! They wandered in the desert, going in circles for forty years. And they never made it to the promised land. But neither did Moses, nor Aaron, their leaders.

The people who start with you on a faith journey, may not end with you. And if leaders aren’t careful, we might not see the promise of God fulfilled either! Remember your own places like Meribah & Massah, where we strived with God. Remember to be patient, humble and most of all obedient if we want to see the promises of God come to pass.

Prayer

Dad,
Is grumbling and complaining just a byproduct of aging? I used to think it was funny to see an old man or old woman just muttering muffled rants as they went about their life. Now, I don’t think it’s so funny. I don’t want to be a whiner, a complainer or finish my life spewing bitterness! Help me God to fight the disease of Meribah & Massah! Help me watch my attitude and my words. Help me hold my tongue and slow my witty words that are not godly. Deliver me from the bitter-soul syndrome that seems to come with seeing too much, experiencing too much pain and suffering around me. Help me have the necessary faith to see Your promises fulfilled. Amen.

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Crescendo closing.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heaven! Praise him for his mighty works; praise his unequaled greatness! Psalms‬ ‭150‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

With the Jewish Temple being completely rebuilt and rededicated, the people of God felt like it a fresh start, a do-over. So much had happened, so many leaders had risen and fallen. With the kingdoms divided, the return to Jerusalem was bittersweet for Judah as well as the ten “lost” tribes of Israel. The northerners also built a temple on Mount Gerizim (sacred to the Samaritans) and installed Manasseh as high priest. The temple and the priestly appointment was considered illegitimate because Manasseh had married Sanballat’s (the Persian governor over Samaria) daughter. Remember Jesus’ discussion with the Samaritan woman at the well?

This Psalm not only captures the sense of celebration of this fresh start, it also becomes the crescendo closing of the book of Psalms. Ezra is likely the author, when he directs the grand opening band with all of their instruments. It must have been an explosive moment of praise and worship to God!

Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn;
praise him with the lyre and harp!
Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;
praise him with strings and flutes!
Praise him with a clash of cymbals; praise him with loud clanging cymbals.

The final words of a book filled with awe and wonder of God cries out, “Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!”

All we can do is agree and say Amen!

Prayer

Dad,
Of all the high points of celebration. Of all the critical moments of history and reflection, this one stands out as an amazing and eternal declaration of who you are! It is the defining moment of our lives before you – YES, let everything that has breath sing praises to You! Amen.

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Sophisticated Idols.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The idols of the nations are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, and mouths but cannot breathe. And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them. ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭135‬:‭15‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Many of today’s idols are still fashioned and formed by human hands. I see them in person or in pictures of places around the world. They stand or sit as statues. They hang from car mirrors or are positioned on stands or small niches on the houses in my neighborhood. I see them prominently and boldly greeting me at some restaurants and stores. I see their brightly colored adornments and painted eyes looking at me with a steely stare.

These are the common, well known idols that have existed for thousands of years. And, just as the Psalmist declared back then, they STILL have mouths, eyes and ears! They are just as silent today as they were in antiquity. People pray to them, talk to them, and many still leave gifts of food or money, tokens of gratitude or bribes to winsomely stay in good standing. You don’t want these statues to decide to curse you rather than bless you. This kind of idolatry is alive and well even today. And, someone is making a fortune selling them!

But oh, these hand-fashioned, or machine-made creations are not the idols of the “enlightened.” No, no, no… the “new” ones are not physical at all – they are spiritual beings, which of course means that they may not have mouths, eyes and ears, but they most certainly speak, watch and listen. Yes, these sophisticated idols are of the dark realms, ordered about and orchestrated by the evil one, the liar, thief and enemy of humankind – Satan. These neo-idols do not require tangible gifts or sacrifices left at their ethereal feet, they desire something much more valuable to us. They require your allegiance and your soul!

They whisper lies and manipulate human desires to not only dissuade people from believing in God but to convince humans to believe in themselves as their own god! These idols aren’t hiding behind plaster or plastic statues, they are openly and defiantly leading folks to follow their own truth, whatever their heart wants. With promises of riches, power, position or fame, they offer more than just protection. They gleefully offer an alternative to the mean, vindictive, judgmental, unfair, unjust, singular path God! It’s insidiously popular to simply convince humans that there are in fact “other” gods. There’s a choice, an option – no need to believe in a one true God. Their smooth, subtle whispers to just try it out, just sample their agenda, their options, their ways. Go ahead, these idols say, take a peek, open that door. Eat the forbidden fruit; they promise you’ll love it. And they can get you more of it, anytime you want.

Solomon, the ancient wealthy and wisest human ever, wrote this in Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” Beware the sophisticated idols, they are even more dangerous than statues.

Prayer

Dad,
It is so clear that there is a battle for the human soul. Even though we were created in perfection, with the capacity and capability of choosing to disobey and do what we want, you still love us. You still fight for us, for what is best for us. I am so thankful you continue to pursue the human heart – even at its most rebellious stage, you died for us! May your light and love continue to penetrate the darkness and disordered desires of our soul. Amen.

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Keystone of purpose.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see. This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Please, Lord, please save us. Please, Lord, please give us success. ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭118‬:‭22‬-‭25‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In the Psalms, there is a lot of reference and reflection on the daily activities during those ancient days. So, in these songs, that means there is quite a bit of time spent on conflicts in relationships, or over land and even buildings. There are numerous references to war. Also, family and relationship dynamics all in a “kingdom” motif. And if human struggles weren’t enough, there was also the pressure to gain and keep land, as well as build forts, castles, temples, along with walls and intricate systems to protect cities.

At first, I thought about how difficult it must have been to get, keep and maintain both relationships and structures back then. Then I realized, we do similar today. There are still massive relationship struggles, some are power based, some just dealing with position, or betrayal. And, we may not all be dictators, leaders, presidents or monarchs, but we all have a place in society, all have some sense of responsibility and desire to move upward in power, position or even purpose. So, although we don’t currently speak in terms of war, subterfuge or kingdom maintenance, we all still struggle with human relationships and our plot of dirt, owned, rented or leased.

When Nathan is chastising King David and restoring him after repentance, David writes this Psalm bemoaning the difficulty in leading even after conquering all those who sought to take his kingdom, and capturing Jerusalem itself. In all this, David prophetically speaks of this special stone that goes in the foundation and becomes the most important structural piece of the entire building. The cornerstone. It wasn’t just a ceremonial brouhaha, like the picturesque shovel-shot when construction begins. No, it was the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. It was both physically and metaphorically important to get it right.

Here David, somewhat referring to himself as the rags-to-riches, shepherd to sovereign story, sets the unusual significance of the moment. No one expected a field boy to become the critical component for the nation’s success! But this phrase, “stone that the builders rejected” became the prophetic picture of Christ. The normal, if not below average guy from Nazareth, who would become the anchor, THE cornerstone. The reference by which all human beings since the beginning of time would be placed in this world determined by Jesus.

Our lives, our future is not determined by accident, nor by our whim or choice. Our purpose is not discovered, nor achieved by just throwing a stone into a building, wherever we feel like it may fit. Our stone, our life, our mark is made in direct positioning to Christ and where God determines where we should be placed. Our absolute joy and purpose is only found, can only be found, in position to where Christ is, as the keystone of all humanity.

Prayer

Dad,
I may not completely understand the architectural necessity and meaning of the cornerstone, but I do understand my place according to who Christ is! I have found not just who I belong to, but also where I belong in this life and the Kingdom of God. I have been placed for a purpose! I gladly serve at your good pleasure. Lead me, use me wherever you see fit. I am thankful to submit to all that you have for me. Amen.

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Access to the Bible grew, but did we grow?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

”I praise you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. I have recited aloud all the regulations you have given us. I have rejoiced in your laws as much as in riches. I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word.“ ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119‬:‭12‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It’s been quite a phenomena over the past five hundred years since Martin Luther translated the Bible into German and then began printing it. Imagine that. For centuries, people had no real access to read the Bible for themselves, in their own language. Yes, illiteracy was extremely high, so even if the Bible were available, only the educated could read it.

Today, the Bible has been at least partially translated into 3,658 languages, giving over 90 million people access to God’s word. In the U.S. we have about 900 English translations or paraphrases of the Bible! That’s come a long way since the 1611 publication of the King James Bible. The point is this. With the explosion of printed, and now digital versions of the Bible, has it permeated the lives of Jesus followers exponentially? Has our reading (or hearing) of God’s Word increased at the same rate as the Bible’s availability? It’s still the number one book sold! Has everyone who declares Jesus as their Lord and Savior spent a significant amount of time – daily – in the Book of all books?

The Psalmist cries out to God, that the Lord would teach His decrees, His regulations. Now that we also know that God has gone beyond writing His laws on stone, but now has written them on our hearts. Has our delight for the Bible increased with the overwhelming availability and access to it? Robin and I watched an old movie where Catholic Missionaries went to Japan to share the gospel. There, they found hundreds of believers (Catholics) with no Bibles, no church, no mass, no confession, no priests! And they were still willing to die for their faith when faced with torture and death. The Japanese leaders just wanted them to recant their faith, deny Christ and live, but they refused. This was also true in the early Church. Their only shred of belief is that Christ lived, died for their sins and came back to life. They had no Bible, they only had their faith!

It’s embarrassing and intimidating to think of millions of people who have been saved by faith alone and never even had access to the Word of God. We have an abundance of the Bible in every form and fashion of our wishes. We even have favorites translations (some great, some awful) of the Bible and we struggle to do what the Psalmist did – study, reflect and delight in God’s Word. There may come a day when the written, digital or audio Bible could be declared illegal or culturally cancelled, what would we do then? Have we been in God’s Word, or memorized enough of God’s Word to help us continue to obey and delight in it? Rather than guilt us, shame us or scare us into reading more of the Bible, it would be so much better to remind ourselves of the invitation to KNOW God through His Word! God already knows us, but how well do we know Him?

Prayer

Dad,
I would be lost without you! I would also wander away without regularly spending time with you in Your Word. It is my light, lamp and salvation! Your Word is the only anchor that holds me, secures me to peace and to do what is right. I love Your Word. It reveals so much about you and so much of the mysteries that I would never understand on my own. I do not ever want to take Your Word for granted, nor let my heart grow cold away from its power to keep me.

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Lord, help!

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. Psalms‬ ‭107‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬


The psalmist bursts into a crescendo of praise in this chapter. Yet, it follows with several circumstances of how we get ourselves into deep trouble. Still, the Lord comes and rescues us. It’s a pattern of us trying to get away from him, finding ourselves broken and alone, then God comes and saves us, bringing us back to himself. Is this how we are? Is this our cyclical way of trying to have our own way, and finding out that it does not workout well? The next several paragraphs all start with this word, “some.”

Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died.

Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery. They rebelled against the words of God, scorning the counsel of the Most High.

Some were fools; they rebelled and suffered for their sins. They couldn’t stand the thought of food, and they were knocking on death’s door.

Some went off to sea in ships, plying the trade routes of the world. They, too, observed the Lord’s power in action, his impressive works on the deepest seas. He spoke, and the winds rose, stirring up the waves. Their ships were tossed to the heavens and plunged again to the depths; the sailors cringed in terror. They reeled and staggered like drunkards and were at their wits’ end.

Each one of these scenarios are ways we try to distance ourselves from God! Some wander, some sink into despair, some rebel, some run – it all seems good until life collapses around us and we find ourselves away from God’s presence. Each one of these examples have us leaving and God pursuing. We go looking for better and find nothing but loss and misery. When will we learn?

What’s out there or over there seems so seductive, so alluring, but it’s a mirage. Even still, God comes after the wanderer, searcher, rebellious and runner. He comes for us. In every one of these attempts to get away from God, and finding pain, all it takes is this phrase that is repeated in every scene – “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.

There is no wilderness where God cannot find us. No chains God cannot break. No depression God cannot lift. And, no depth at sea where God cannot rescue our soul. There is no place on earth where God will not hear our cries for help and save us from our constraints, our stress and distress. This is why we can declare, give thanks for God is good, His faithful love endures forever!

Prayer

Dad,
Why would we run? Yet, for so many reasons, we do! After we’ve wandered, explored, rebelled or sought some far off adventure, we find ourselves in trouble. It is then we discover – we’ve got ourselves LOST. My hope is that I am quick to not just realize my sin, but I am very quick to cry out to you for help! Help Lord! What a marvelous prayer. What a humble prayer. Because you are good and your mercies endure my foolishness, you will find me and rescue me. Thank you Lord! Amen.

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Better is one day.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

”How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.“ ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭84‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I remember when Matt Redman came out with this song in 1997. And the reason it was such a favorite in the “Passion Worship,” era of Christian music is that it also took me back to the early “Maranatha Worship” era. This song, like most of the old 70’s tunes were right out of scripture. I was learning scripture through song when I was young believer in Christ.

Learning scripture through song and melody is what the book of Psalms (songs and poems) is all about. The quickest and most durable way to teach something to a child is to sing a song with them! When I read this Psalm, I quickly remember every word and the accompanied melody in a snap!

Why is that important? Because when I am stressed, overwhelmed, fearful or raging with frustration, the absolute fastest way to lift my eyes to heaven and center my soul is to SING! Sing to the LORD a new song! Several Psalms say this: Psalms 33, 96, 98 all have a beautiful admonition to SING. Most of my favorite Bible verses are quickly accessible via song memory. They become an easy way to get my ruminating fixations or brain-racing doom off myself and onto God and His goodness.

The choir director Korah, scribes this psalm as a celebration to be in God’s presence, which at the time, was in God’s courts surrounding the temple. Psalm 100 – another song, gave instructions on how to do so, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful to him, and bless his name.” The gates, the courts were the gathering place for all to come and worship. Only the priests were allowed to go deep into the temple, and only the high priest was allowed into the holy of holies. But now, since Jesus, the giant curtain, blocking access to the holy of holiness, physically and metaphorically has been torn and removed so there is no longer a barrier to enter into God’s presence without permission. You and I are free to go directly to God and tell him what is going on in our lives. And as we begin to think about approaching God, like the OT gates and courts, our heart gets excited just to be with him! I sing this Matt Redman version of this Psalm and it puts me right there where God is!

Verse:
How lovely is Your dwelling place, Oh Lord Almighty
My soul longs and even faints for You
For here my heart is satisfied, within Your presence
I sing beneath the shadow of Your wings

Chorus:
Better is one day in Your courts
Better is one day in Your house
Better is one day in Your courts
Than thousands elsewhere

Prayer

Dad,
I am soooo thankful that many Bible verses and truths have been put to words and melodies! I am grateful to sing them out loud, so my ears can hear what my soul is feeling! I am glad to daily enter into your presence with singing. It makes my heart so happy. Amen.

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Elegant clarity of God’s Law.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭19‬:‭7‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

King David, one of the favorite patriarchs and most beloved leaders of Israel writes this extraordinary Psalm. David’s personal life was filled with drama, trauma, failures and beauty. David was a prolific songwriter and psalmist. His humble beginnings, heroic acts, desperate evasions running from Saul, rise to power, despicable behavior as the highest authority in the land and highly dysfunctional household all make for an honest story to tell in the book of Psalms.

This psalm was inserted at the end of David’s life, so there is no real way to determine when it was written. Maybe when David was young and hungry for nothing but God’s presence. Or, maybe looking back at God’s faithfulness, even though David’s life may appear to be a disaster. Either way, this psalm captures the elegant clarity and resilience of God’s Law.

These words like perfect, trustworthy, joyous, clear, pure, true and fair are abundantly descriptive of God Himself and reflected in God’s Law. These words immediately make me feel defensive of God when He is wrongly blamed for being evil, blind, slow, unjust or unmerciful! Since God is perfect, it surprises me that we, as warped, broken human beings can’t see that maybe, just maybe, all the atrocities we blame God for are actually not from Him at all. I know that causes us to scream, then “why does God allow evil to prevail?”

Let me ask another question that is much more complex, “why does God let us choose anything?” “Why does God give us free will?” For God to rid the world of evil, wouldn’t that also mean ridding the world of YOU, or ME… and our choices! We are really addicted, obsessed and fixated on our own free will. We love our choices to do what we want, when we want and do not want anyone telling us differently. Anyone ever think that evil and awful atrocities have something to do with US and not God? We are quick to say, “they shouldn’t be allowed to __.” But we think twice about someone stopping us from doing what we want. Choices! We have them and we do whatever like. Why doesn’t God just stop the really bad things from happening? Hmmm, what would those “really bad” things be? Murder? Mayhem? War? Infanticide? Genocide? Cruelty? Racism? The list goes on.

At some point we should see the problem with eliminating some choices, but allowing others. And that’s just with humanity alone. This doesn’t even account for a real, living entity called Satan, the rebellious angel that hates humans and wants to destroy every single one of us! What about that? What about Satan’s free choices? Should he be allowed to do whatever he wants?

Back to God’s law and His perfection. Looking at God’s way, His rules, my hope is that we can see that God is good and His love for us is good as well. When I can’t see the “why” behind a tragedy, a diagnosis, or an atrocity – I can still trust that God is good and absolutely knows the person, circumstances and struggles behind each situation. God is eternal, and wise – our perspective is so limited and our understanding of all things is bound by those limitations. My trust in Him is resolute, no matter what I see or feel.

Prayer

​Dad,
I am so limited on what I know, see and feel. My trust in you, however, secure. I have seen your work and will among us for much of my life and I am convinced that you are exactly what this broken king David said you are – perfect. And your law, rules and ways are perfect as well. Thank you for continued mercy and patience with me and all of us who wait for sin to be no more and justice to prevail over all things.