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Category Archives: Psalms

“Psalm 1” by Kim Hill

19 Nov

“Psalm 1” by Kim Hill

Blessed is he who will follow the Lord
He will not stand in the path of the sinner
He will not sit in the seat of the scoffer
For the law of the Lord is his delight

In his law he meditates, day and night
He will be like a tree planted by water
He will yield his fruit in its season, his leaves won’t die
In whatever he does, he will prosper

Blessed is he who will follow the Lord
He will not stand in the path of the sinner
He will not sit in the seat of the scoffer
For the law of the Lord is his delight

For the lost, they are like chaff that the wind drives away
They are not safe at any time their life could perish

Blessed is he who will follow the Lord
He will not stand in the path of the sinner
He will not sit in the seat of the scoffer
For the law of the Lord is his delight

The Lord holds the plans, and the paths of all who follow him
The righteous will stand secure and last forever

Blessed is he who will follow the Lord
He will not stand in the path of the sinner
He will not sit in the seat of the scoffer
For the law of the Lord is his delight

Dear God, this is the second Kim Hill song I’ve thought of over the last couple of days, and there probably aren’t many people who remember her music enough to think of two songs by her in the span of three days. I guess I have a unique knowledge of 90s Christian music.

In this case, the verse of the day from Bible Gateway was Psalm 1:1-2. I pulled up the whole psalm and then this song came to mind since it’s literally called “Psalm 1.” Here is the NLT version of Psalm 1:

1 Oh, the joys of those who do not
    follow the advice of the wicked,
    or stand around with sinners,
    or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the Lord,
    meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
    bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
    and they prosper in all they do.

4 But not the wicked!
    They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment.
    Sinners will have no place among the godly.
6 For the Lord watches over the path of the godly,
    but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

I was talking several days ago as I prepared for my friend’s funeral about psalms of orientation, disorientation, and reorientation. I would put this psalm squarely in the realm of orientation. The world makes sense to the psalmist. Those who follow you are blessed. The wicked condemned. When I am disoriented, it seems like those who follow you are abandoned and the wicked thrive. And then when I am reoriented, I can see beyond the physical world and realize that you hold those who love you, whether we can see it or not.

As I look at the first stanza, the one line that hits me is that I will not “join in with mockers.” Oh, how that is so easy and tempting to do. I want to mock those who disagree with me. I want to roll my eyes at people I see as foolish. The frustrate me, and I want to join in with like-minded people and mock them. I want to scoff. I want to make the insecurities I have in my disagreements with them, and use scoffing and mocking to elevate myself over them. That’s my human, carnal solution to it. What should my solution be? I suppose I should be looking to you, examining my thoughts and my heart for and then laying them before you to see if they are your thoughts and your heart. Then, if there is disagreement between you and me, I need to repent. If there is agreement, I need to simply love those who disagree and perhaps develop enough relationship with them where I can speak into their lives.

Father, help me to live up to all of this. It is so much easier to say/type than it is to live. But I want to worship you. I want to represent you to the world. I want to love you well. You are my God, and I want the roots of my life to be deep into your presence. Help me to be that throughout this day.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 19, 2024 in Hymns and Songs, Psalms

 

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Psalm 121, 1 Corinthians 15:51-58

13 Nov

121 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
8 The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and forever.

Psalm 121

Dear God, when I read this passage this morning, it reminded me of what I learned from Walter Brueggemann about the psalms being categorized into three categories, with some psalms fitting into more than one: Orientation (God, thank you, everything is going great), Disorientation (God, help, everything is going wrong), and Reorientation (God, thank you for bringing me through everything going wrong). For this poem, I see it as a kind of psalm of reorientation. The psalmist is saying claiming his own victory through Jesus and then encouraging those in disorientation with it. In the first two verses, he is remembering back on his life and his times of disorientation and needing help. And you were faithful to be there for him.

Then the rest of the psalm is encouraging others. Encouraging us. Hey, I’ve been there. I know it’s hard. But he will not let your foot slip (verse 3). He will be your shade from oppression (verses 5 and 6). He will protect your soul from evil and keep it with him (verse 7). He will guard you (verse 8). This psalmist is the voice of evidence that you are good and an encouragement to those around him. To me sitting here today.

I was visiting with a friend yesterday who is experiencing pain that I have experienced. We shared our pain and our experiences. Our weaknesses. In some ways, I was like the psalmist trying to encourage her. And while my pain still exists, you’ve taught me to use it to form who I am in you and then encourage others in similar situations. Oh, how I pray that this friend does not experience the pain to the extent I have. Please, Father, be with that situation.

51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:51-58

Then there is the pain of death. But Paul is being the psalmist here to the Corinthians. To us. To me. He is giving us comfort in the midst of our pain when we lose someone. Maybe when we fear our own death. He is reminding us of what the Old Testament prophets said about death.

I mentioned Saturday the friend who died suddenly. This is a time of disorientation for all who knew him, but especially his wife and children. Extreme disorientation. How could it not be. But I pray that they will find comfort. That you will raise up people to be your hands and feet to them. I pray that they will welcome in and accept the help and love you have for them. Be glorified, somehow, through this loss. Do not let this pain be wasted. Help his widow one day get to the point where she is the psalmist for others. Where she is encouraging someone else that their foot will not slip because of you. That you will be their shade. It won’t be today that she is the psalmist. And it won’t be tomorrow. But help her and all of your church to be that encouragement to a lost world and to all in the church who are currently disoriented. Help us to be what you need us to be so that your kingdom will come and your will will be done on this earth as it is in heaven.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 13, 2024 in 1 Corinthians, Psalms

 

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Psalm 27:7-8A, 8B-9ABC, 13-14 (Catholic Daily Reading for October 3, 2024)

03 Oct

R. (13) I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

Psalm 27:7-8A, 8B-9ABC, 13-14

Dear God, this is the psalm that the Catholic church paired with this passage from Job 19:21-27:

21 “Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy,
    for the hand of God has struck me.
22 Must you also persecute me, like God does?
    Haven’t you chewed me up enough?

23 “Oh, that my words could be recorded.
    Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument,
24 carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead,
    engraved forever in the rock.

25 “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
    and he will stand upon the earth at last.
26 And after my body has decayed,
    yet in my body I will see God!
27 I will see him for myself.
    Yes, I will see him with my own eyes.
    I am overwhelmed at the thought!

It seems to apply to me today because I spontaneously had a good cry this morning. I talk often to you about the constant sorrow in my life. Well, I was listening to a secular song from P!NK this morning called “Who Knew?” The final verse says, “That last kiss I’ll cherish until we meet again. But time makes it harder. I wish I could remember. But I keep your memory. You visit me in my sleep. My darling, who knew?” The song can be interpreted in many ways. The obvious interpretation is that it is sung by a lover who was abandoned. But she wrote it for a friend who died by suicide. For me, it is about my sorrow over broken relationships over which I simply have zero power. So as I shaved this morning, I played this phrase of the song about five times and just cried. I feel the tears coming up even now.

Then I sat down to look at scripture this morning, and I saw Job’s sorrow. Then I saw this psalm from David. There are sorrows in this life. There are things I cannot understand. You use my life in ways I cannot understand. You use sorrows in my life and in the lives of others to form me. I’m not saying you cause the sorrow, but I do pray that you help me to not waste the sorrow. Use it for the good of your world and for me. Not my personal wealth or anything like that. Just my formation into the man you need me to be. The man you are calling me to be. And do the same for those who are in these broken relationships with me. Don’t let this be wasted on them either. Love them. Heal them. And bring your glory into this earth through these things. I come to you as Job did at the end of the book. My life is worth nothing. Use me as you see fit.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on October 3, 2024 in Job, Psalms

 

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Psalm 145:8-14

03 Sep


8 The Lord is merciful and compassionate,
    slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 The Lord is good to everyone.
    He showers compassion on all his creation.
10 All of your works will thank you, Lord,
    and your faithful followers will praise you.
11 They will speak of the glory of your kingdom;
    they will give examples of your power.
12 They will tell about your mighty deeds
    and about the majesty and glory of your reign.
13 For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.
    You rule throughout all generations.

The Lord always keeps his promises;
    he is gracious in all he does.
14 The Lord helps the fallen
    and lifts those bent beneath their loads.

Psalm 145:8-14

Dear God, the great thing about things like this being put to song is that they stick with us more that way. For example, I know 1 John 4:7-8 because of a song I learned when I was nine years old. In this case, as soon as I read this passage this morning I thought of a song I learned over 20 years ago from the church I attended back then. I was actually able to find it on YouTube this morning. “Lord, you are gracious. You are slow to anger. Abounding in love, you are good to all.”

What a great way to pray this morning. Just worship. Lord, you are gracious. You are slow to anger. Abounding in love, you are good to all. Lord, you are gracious. You are slow to anger. Abounding in love, you are good to all. Just over and over again. I embrace those words. I appreciate those words. I wonder what that psalm sounded like when sung in the original Hebrew. The tune. How the words sounded. What exactly they said.

In the theory of psalms of orientation, disorientation, and reorientation (Walter Brueggemann), this one is definitely a psalm of orientation. This is a psalm sung by a person who is on solid footing. But then, does it have to be? Can this be a psalm of disorientation? I don’t think I’m mature enough for it to be for me, but wouldn’t it be great if I were able to get to the point that, in the middle of extreme disorientation, I was able to pray and sing these words. Lord, you are gracious. You are slow to anger. Abounding in love, you are good to all.

Father, teach me to worship you fully. Oooo, it scares me to pray those words. I’m so thick-headed sometimes that I’m afraid of what kind of breaking of my heart I would have to go through to learn that lesson completely. But I’ve given up my life. It is worth nothing to me. If only I may finish the race and complete the task you have given me. The task of testifying to your grace through Jesus (Acts 20:24).

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amens

 
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Posted by on September 3, 2024 in Hymns and Songs, Psalms

 

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Psalm 94:16-19

23 Aug

16 Who will protect me from the wicked?
    Who will stand up for me against evildoers?
17 Unless the Lord had helped me,
    I would soon have settled in the silence of the grave.
18 I cried out, “I am slipping!”
    but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me.
19 When doubts filled my mind,
    your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.

Psalm 94:16-19

Dear God, when I read this passage this morning from Psalm 94, it made me think of Elijah running from Jezebel:

3 Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. 4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”

1 Kings 19:3-4

And now, anytime I read a psalm I think of what the guy whose name escapes me now said about psalms being in three categories: orientation, disorientation, and reorientation. As I read this whole psalm, I think it falls into the disorientation category. Things aren’t good. Why aren’t they good? Why does it seem like the bad guys are winning?

But this part of the psalm, verses 16-19, give some amount of reorientation. You are saving me. You are comforting me. You showed up for Elijah in 1 Kings 19 and comforted him. You protected him. You inspired him. You guided him. You provided for him. You are amazing, God.

Father, I’m not necessarily in a time of disorientation. Maybe reorientation to some extent. I feel loved by you. I feel comforted by you. I feel guided by you. So guide me in the lives of others today. Help me to know how to bless. How to love. How to comfort. How to guide. Make me your man for others. Make me your hands and feet. Let nothing be done outside of my own self, but out of you living in and through me.

I offer this to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on August 23, 2024 in 1 Kings, Psalms

 

Psalm 94:3-11

17 Jul

3 How long shall the wicked, O Lord,
How long shall the wicked exult?
4 They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly;
All who do wickedness vaunt themselves.
5 They crush Your people, O Lord,
And afflict Your heritage.
6 They slay the widow and the stranger
And murder the orphans.
7 They have said, “The Lord does not see,
Nor does the God of Jacob pay heed.”

8 Pay heed, you senseless among the people;
And when will you understand, stupid ones?
9 He who planted the ear, does He not hear?
He who formed the eye, does He not see?
10 He who chastens the nations, will He not rebuke,
Even He who teaches man knowledge?
11 The Lord knows the thoughts of man,
That they are a mere breath.

Psalm 94:3-11

Dear God, I don’t know why, but I’m just kind of down today. I was yesterday too. Maybe it’s a residual of being around the difficult family dynamics over the weekend. Maybe it’s having some of my own sorrow stirred up. Yeah. Maybe that’s it. Right now, I just kind of want to curl up and recede for a little while. But I don’t have that choice. There is work to be done. I have responsibilities that must be met. What I need is you. What I need is your healing.

Frankly, I don’t know that any of this has to do with the psalm above. In the psalm, the psalmist is looking for retribution for the wicked. And I am all for some level of justice for those who are really wicked (human traffickers, people who commit violent crimes, people who steal from the vulnerable, etc.), but at some point the wicked line reaches me because I am certainly somewhere on the wicked scale. At what point am I asking for your retribution against me? Should I ask you to allow just a little evil so that I will be spared?

Father, I’m just in a funk right now. Help me to find my solace in you. My comfort in you. Help me to connect my branch to your vine so that I might feel held by you. Draw me into yourself as I make myself completely yours. Oh, how I want to be completely yours. Holy Spirit, walk with me and fill me. Jesus, teach me.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 17, 2024 in Psalms

 

Psalm 19:12-13

04 Jul

12 How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?
    Cleanse me from these hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant from deliberate sins!
    Don’t let them control me.
Then I will be free of guilt
    and innocent of great sin.

Psalm 19:12-13

Dear God, my hidden faults. My deliberate sins. You don’t want either for me. The deliberate sins…well, they are just selfish foolishness on my part. Some are bad habits. Some are born out of selfishness. Some come from be fighting for my own rights that I should have already laid at your cross to follow you. I am sorry for these sins. I am sorry for this foolishness. Once again, here this morning, I lay them at the foot of your cross so that I might pick up your yoke and walk with you in the life you want me to live.

Then there are the hidden faults. The sins that are so engrained in me that I cannot see them. Like an odor in a room I’ve gotten used to. Others can smell it when they walk in the room, but I’m oblivious. So give me eyes to see myself. Give me your eyes. Give me ears to hear myself. Give me your ears. Raise up voices around me who will be your voice to me. Reveal to me the things I need to know.

To quote the song “Spirit of the Living God,” “Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me. Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.” That is my prayer this morning, Father. Fall afresh on me today. It’s the 4th of July, and I am about to attend a worship service where my wife is leading singing. Fall afresh on me and everyone in the room this morning. For her, make it not about her voice, which is beautiful, but make it about your Spirit falling on all of us, from the priest on down. Help us to leave that place worshipping you and taking you into the world so that others might have the joy of knowing you.

I offer this to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 4, 2024 in Hymns and Songs, Psalms

 

Psalm 107:10-16

23 Jun

10 Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom,
    imprisoned in iron chains of misery.
11 They rebelled against the words of God,
    scorning the counsel of the Most High.
12 That is why he broke them with hard labor;
    they fell, and no one was there to help them.
13 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
14 He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom;
    he snapped their chains.
15 Let them praise the Lord for his great love
    and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
16 For he broke down their prison gates of bronze;
    he cut apart their bars of iron.

Psalm 107:10-16

Dear God, the passage from Psalms for the Catholic church today is Psalm 107:23-31, but while I was at mass last night reading these verses I wanted to see the rest of the psalm. It was quite something. It basically talked about all of these different types of people who run from you and how they are often brought back into worship through suffering and struggle. There is nothing like coming to the end of ourselves that will reveal the truth to us about who you are.

It reminds me of my answer a couple of weeks ago when I wondered what I would answer a reporter if asked, like Pope Francis was of 60 Minutes, in the midst of everything in the world that is wrong, what gives me hope? My answer: You have built something in all of us that longs for you. That longs to find you. It’s that God-hole I heard about in my Baptist church as a kid. We (and I’m counting myself in this) all try to come up with idols that we think will fill the hole. Possessions. Relationships. Power. Security. Comfort. Leisure. Influence. Even self-gratification.

As I read the rest of psalm 107 yesterday, this was the group of people described by the psalmist who broke my heart. I don’t know if the psalmist is talking about literal prisoners who committed crimes or figurative prisoners of worlds of their own making. I took it to mean the latter. I pictured someone like Bridget Jones in Bridget Jones’s Diary at the beginning of the movie singing “All By Myself,” drinking heavily, and being wholly unhappy. Of course, that movie is Hollywood (even though it’s set in London) so she finds her happiness at the end of the year in a relationship, but we all know that relationship will be troubled. How can it be whole? She has no peace.

Father, first, help me to identify any idols I have in my life today. Show me anything I am doing to try to displace you from my God-hole with something else. You would think I wouldn’t do that anymore, but of course I do. I’m an idiot. Of course I do. And also give me your eyes to see anyone in my sphere who might be in the gloomy figurative prison described in Psalm 107:10-16. Help me to introduce them to you.

I ask all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 23, 2024 in Psalms

 

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How to know if you’re a Christian trapped in Culture Wars – Rich Villodas

19 Jun

Dear God, I came across this Instagram post yesterday by Rich Villodas. So the temptation when I read this list is to first think about others and judge them. Kind of like being at a marriage conference and thinking, “Man, I hope my wife is listening to this!” instead of wondering which of the words are for me. So I was able to take a beat and this morning I want to think about myself. Pastor Villodas has the word “you” in his title, talking about me in this case, so I want to focus on myself and work through the sin in my heart.

  • God, you are with me but not with them – Well, that is just not true and so arrogant of me to think. Like I’ve cornered the market on truth. Like I’m sinless. Like the known and unknown sins in their lives are worse than the known and unknown sins in my life. Like you love my sister or brother less than you love me. Like I couldn’t be wrong about what I believe. Father, I am sorry for even entertaining the thought that you care about me or are rooting for me more than you care for or root for those who disagree with me. Help me to embrace those who disagree with me and engage with them in a loving way.
  • I don’t see Christians who bear your image as people with whom I should engage, but instead they are threats that I need to eliminate – Yeah, I’ve been there. I’m still there to some extent. The truth is, a lot of the people who disagree with me on some of our cultural issues are truly good people who wake up in the morning wanting to make the world better. They are concerned. They are scared (we’ll get to that later). Just like I am. Father, I am sorry for not wanting to appropriately and compassionately engage with those who concern me. I am sorry for gossiping about others. Help me to know how to engage with others, Christian and non-Christian alike, at any given moment.
  • My hatred is justified because I am fighting for you/truth – Honestly, I don’t know that this one is a problem for me. I’m not really hating people, and if it does start to happen and I realize it I let it go. Basically, have I hated? Yes. But I’ve never felt it was justified and I’ve tried to repent of it when it happens. Father, I am sorry for my hate and even simple judgment of others. Please help me to see everyone–EVERYONE–with your eyes. Help me to love everyone–EVERYONE–with your love.
  • I believe I need political power to make the most of your Gospel – I’m understanding the danger of political power more and more. The Voxology podcast spends a lot of time talking about the difference between “power over” and “power with.” Humans want to exert power over while you want us to tap into you and use your power to live with our neighbors. The Good Samaritan in Jesus’s parable got down into the muck and used your power with his neighbor. When the Samaritans denied Jesus staying with them and John and James wanted to call down fire to destroy them, Jesus rejected their power over approach, respected their decision, and went around. It goes back to the four tools, and four tools only, I heard someone say Jesus used and you gave us to influence our world: Prayer, Service, Persuasion, and Suffering. All power with tools, not power over. Father, I am sorry for the years I spent seeking power and influence. I am sorry for making an idol out of who wins the next local, state, or federal election. I am sorry for wanting to exert power over my neighbors, as if I am the one who can be trusted with power over my neighbor. Help me to not only get down into the muck with my neighbor, but to take your Gospel with me and introduce them to you.
  • I primarily see the world and respond to it through a lens of fear – This made me think of Psalm 27. I just read it again and it might be one of my favorites. It’s one of those rare psalms from David when he is talking about his enemies, but he’s not calling for their destruction. He’s just reminding himself that you are his fortress and he has nothing to fear. One of the most interesting things he did as king was willingly leave Jerusalem during Absalom’s rebellion and leave whether or not he would continue to be king up to you. You had made him king. You could remove him as king. So as I look at the world around me–and there is so much ugly and horror in the world right now, both domestically and in other countries–whom do I really have to fear? I am concerned about a lot of things. I’m concerned about the environment in which our children are growing up. My heart is moved to help people every day. I am moved to pray for people. So concern, yes. But fear? No. Father, I am sorry for allowing fear to motivate my actions. I’m sorry for letting it drive me to hate, seek power, want to eliminate my enemies, and think for a moment that you love me more than you love them. Please help me to see the world how you see it. As I once heard someone say, “God doesn’t chew his nails.” You are not afraid. You are sad. You are concerned. You are even angry about some things. But you are not afraid. Help me to live out my sadness, concern and even anger in a power with way.

I offer this prayer to you this morning in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 19, 2024 in Miscellaneous, Musings and Stories, Psalms

 

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Psalm 68:1-4

17 Jun

1 Rise up, O God, and scatter your enemies.
    Let those who hate God run for their lives.
2 Blow them away like smoke.
    Melt them like wax in a fire.
    Let the wicked perish in the presence of God.
3 But let the godly rejoice.
    Let them be glad in God’s presence.
    Let them be filled with joy.
4 Sing praises to God and to his name!
    Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds.
His name is the Lord—
    rejoice in his presence!

Dear God, I wonder if there are any circumstances under which Bible Gateway would have picked verses 1 and 2 as the verse of the day instead of verse 4. I also wonder if there is anyone pre-Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection who had a feel for how you really work. Maybe a prophet like Isaiah or Jeremiah. Maybe Elijah. Maybe even Moses. But even all of these people were kind of forced into a position of seeing everyone as friend or enemy. They all certainly faced enemies. Jonah, I supposed had it explained to him pretty well, but he rejected it. He just couldn’t stand your mercy.

I think the thing that all of us forget are the famous line from John Donne’s poem “For Whom the Bell Tolls”:

Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.

What if I am the one who has made myself your enemy? Or the enemy of the righteous. I had a donor at our nonprofit complain to me once that they had not gotten a privilege extended to them they felt they had earned through the size of their donation. I privately thought to myself, “But what if the cut line on the privilege was higher than you think and you were still on the other side of it?” So when I read verses like the first couple in the psalm, they make me uncomfortable because I don’t want to hate that much and there is this sneaking suspicion I have that I might actually be on that side of the line. Letting you down. Sinning. Hating. Lusting. Lying. Coveting. Making idols. Rejecting you.

Father, for the other praise words in this psalm, I agree. Even just verse 3 and 4: But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds–his name is the LORD–and rejoice before him. I rejoice before you. I praise your name. I extol you, Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit. Please forgive me. Please help and guide me. Please heal me. Please use me however you will.

I offer this prayer to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit.

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 17, 2024 in Psalms

 

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