RSS

Tag Archives: Psalms

Psalm 119:49-56 (Zayin)

27 Jul

Zayin

49 Remember your promise to me;
    it is my only hope.
50 Your promise revives me;
    it comforts me in all my troubles.
51 The proud hold me in utter contempt,
    but I do not turn away from your instructions.
52 I meditate on your age-old regulations;
    O Lord, they comfort me.
53 I become furious with the wicked,
    because they reject your instructions.
54 Your decrees have been the theme of my songs
    wherever I have lived.
55 I reflect at night on who you are, O Lord;
    therefore, I obey your instructions.
56 This is how I spend my life:
    obeying your commandments.

Psalm 119:49-56

Dear God, is it bad that I read this Zayim section of Psalm 119 this morning and my first thought was that this guy needs to chill out a little? Yeah, it probably is. What does that say about me?

I’ve been watching the texting thread from the “alumni group” of men from the Christian Men’s Life Skills Class. A lot of them are young. Some of them are new Christians or dormant Christians embracing their faith seriously for the first time, and I can see this psalm really resonating with them because I see so much zeal in them. So much enthusiasm. It’s all so new to them, and they are all-in. As I’ve watched them I’ve wondered why I don’t act that way anymore. I used to. I remember when I was about 21 going to a Bible study with my grandparents and getting frustrated with them because I thought they had lost their saltiness. They were gathered and thinking thoughts about you, but were they doing anything in the world? Were they being salty?

And I honestly don’t think I can be the way some of the CMLS alums are. Not because they are wrong. They aren’t at all! In fact, I appreciate and respect it. Maybe even envy it a little. But I’m also a little farther into the race than they are and some of that newness has worn off. It might be wrong, but I wonder if I haven’t gotten used to your grace. It felt amazing (no allusion to the song intended) the first time I felt it and soaked in it. Now, it’s just something I can appreciate. I guess it’s a little like marriage. When I first met my wife there was great infatuation that accompanied my love for her. We could talk for hours on the phone and had to be with each other every moment. I talked about her all of the time to everyone. And then the natural course of my human brain adjusted to her being in my life. We just had our 33rd wedding anniversary two days ago and while I think we are closer than ever, more in love than ever, and deeper with each other than ever, that ooey gooey emotion isn’t the driver. It’s just deep appreciation and love.

I guess that’s how I feel with you, and I think it’s a good thing. I really do love you. I really do appreciate you. And I really do want others to have this depth of love and relationship with you that I am continually trying to develop. Maybe that’s why I tend to want to spend more time getting people to deeply connect with you beyond the superficial American way of worshipping you on Sunday morning (maybe) and then moving on with life the other 167 hours of the week.

So now that I have all of that out of the way, let me look at these verses and see if I can connect my old soul to this youthful exuberance exhibited in Psalm 119.

  • 49 Remember your promise to me; it is my only hope. – So after I’ve said all of this about my feelings towards you, how do you feel about me? I know the answer. I know you love me. And I am so grateful for the Holy Spirit’s current presence in my life and for Jesus’s sacrifice and love for me. But I need to always remember that this is a two-way street and to be grateful that you are a faithful bridegroom to me.
  • 50 Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles. – There are times when I am very troubled and what comforts me is the promise that my life and experience here is very small compared with you now and eternity with you later. The promise that I am part of your creation that you love and part of your kingdom is what comforts me. It’s not the promise of an easy, good life here because you never promised that. You put me in a world already in motion into a body that will die of something. I guess it’s a little like the people I saw rafting down the river yesterday. They were working, but there was a guide in the back who was guiding. And that didn’t mean they didn’t still hit rocks. That didn’t mean the boat would get punctured and possibly go flat. It just meant they weren’t alone while they did it. Come to think of it, I really like that metaphor. I need to remember it.
  • 51 The proud hold me in utter contempt, but I do not turn away from your instructions. – There are people who do not understand me. Some of them are relatives. Some of them are people in our community who get upset when I don’t respond to the world or to them they way they want me to. Okay.
  • 52 I meditate on your age-old regulations; O Lord, they comfort me. – Even now, as I sit here in this cabin praying through this ancient poem to you, I am comforted. And for eight verses I didn’t like much when I started–I even scoffed at them a bit–they are really blessing me and comforting me.
  • 53 I become furious with the wicked, because they reject your instructions. – It’s interesting how I define “wicked” now. If I were to list the types of people I would label as wicked, I think it would be mostly populated with people who claim faith in you but use it for power over others and to judge them harshly. Who are cruel in your name. Yes, there are some people who are flat out evil at the top of society, but the wicked I think of are those who pervert what Jesus taught us about you into a cruel form of faith.
  • 54 Your decrees have been the theme of my songs wherever I have lived. – I do hope people see you in my life when they see me. Going back to talking about my marriage, I do still talk about my wife to people all of the time. I do still love her. No one doubts my love for her or that she is the most important part of my life next to you. I just hope that when they see me they can tell as much about you being in my life as they can her.
  • 55 I reflect at night on who you are, O Lord; therefore, I obey your instructions. – Oh, Father, help me to obey your instructions.
  • 56 This is how I spend my life: obeying your commandments. May this be true of me.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 27, 2025 in Psalm 119, Psalms

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Psalm 119:41-48 (Waw)

26 Jul

Waw

41 Lord, give me your unfailing love,
    the salvation that you promised me.
42 Then I can answer those who taunt me,
    for I trust in your word.
43 Do not snatch your word of truth from me,
    for your regulations are my only hope.
44 I will keep on obeying your instructions
    forever and ever.
45 I will walk in freedom,
    for I have devoted myself to your commandments.
46 I will speak to kings about your laws,
    and I will not be ashamed.
47 How I delight in your commands!
    How I love them!
48 I honor and love your commands.
    I meditate on your decrees.

Psalm 119:41-48

Dear God, okay, I had an uncharitable thought towards the psalmist this morning when I read this “Waw” section of Psalm 119: Did he get repetitive because he was just trying to fill out the form of 8 verses for each letter in the Hebrew alphabet? Was he really inspired to write about following your commands over and over again or was it more an act of self-discipline and what he had to say? I was listening to a podcast discussion yesterday about a lot of self-help and nonfiction books not really having enough materials to fill out the expected 180-ish pages that it takes to make a book so they get repetitive. I’m starting to wonder that about Psalm 119. My poet wife would probably not appreciate this take. Maybe you don’t either.

One thing I will say, however, is that this psalmist does seem very dedicated to you. There also seems to be a youthful energy to this psalm. I am being very prejudicial here, but it seems to me that he hasn’t suffered much yet. Even in David’s most worshipful of psalms, there is a level of lament in them. And I think anyone who lives long enough has at least some amount of lament, regardless of how well things are going in the moment. I certainly do. But this psalmist seems to have what I would call a naivete about following your commands and everything working out great. Yes, I follow your commands, but I no longer do it so that everything will turn out the way I want it. I want to do it because I love you and I’m grateful for you regardless of what might come my way.

With all of that said, let me look at these verses and see what bubbles to the top for me. Holy Spirit, please sit with me while I do this.

  • 41 Lord, give me your unfailing love, the salvation that you promised me. – Yes. This. And I think you’ve done this. You did it before Jesus. You did it through Jesus. And now you are doing it through Jesus and with your Holy Spirit. You are amazing.
  • 42 Then I can answer those who taunt me, for I trust in your word. – In my current life, I’m not really taunted. At least one person I know has rejected me, at least in part, due to my faith in you and how I live that out. And it has hurt. But I pray for that person that you would bring them to peace in you and that you will help them to feel completely loved and healed from their pain, including pain I caused.
  • 43 Do not snatch your word of truth from me, for your regulations are my only hope. – This reminds me of John 6:66-69: 66 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. 67 Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” 68 Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. 69 We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.” I have no where else to go. You are my only hope. I am prone to wander and leave the God I love. Here’s my heart, Lord, take an seal it for your courts above.
  • 44 I will keep on obeying your instructions forever and ever. – This is quite a vow. I hope I can live up to it.
  • 45 I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments. – The definition of freedom here is important. Yes, if I obey your commands I have to deny my selfishness. You set a standard that must be followed for true fulfillment and happiness, but the standard is not this huge, onerous thing that will cramp my style. It all fits into loving you with everything I have and loving my neighbor as myself. Is that really so bad?
  • 46 I will speak to kings about your laws, and I will not be ashamed. – I would love to know the context for the psalmist writing these verses. Was he an adviser to a good king? Was he a prophet to a bad king? To whom am I willing to express your laws, and am I too ashamed or shy to do it?
  • 47 How I delight in your commands! How I love them! – I really am so much happier when I am denying my selfishness and loving you and loving others.
  • 48 I honor and love your commands. I meditate on your decrees. – I’m here this morning so I can love you and meditate on your decrees. I love you, Lord. And I lift my voice to worship you. Oh, my soul rejoice! Take joy my King in what you hear. Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 26, 2025 in Psalm 119, Psalms

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Psalm 119:33-40 (He)

25 Jul

He

33 Teach me your decrees, O Lord;
    I will keep them to the end.
34 Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions;
    I will put them into practice with all my heart.
35 Make me walk along the path of your commands,
    for that is where my happiness is found.
36 Give me an eagerness for your laws
    rather than a love for money!
37 Turn my eyes from worthless things,
    and give me life through your word.
38 Reassure me of your promise,
    made to those who fear you.
39 Help me abandon my shameful ways;
    for your regulations are good.
40 I long to obey your commandments!
    Renew my life with your goodness.

Psalm 119:33-40

Dear God, I’m back with Psalm 119. This morning, I am going to look at the He section. Be with me as I go through this, Holy Spirit. Speak to me and teach me.

  • 33 Teach me your decrees, O Lord; I will keep them to the end. – Oh, how I would love to live up to this promise. That I could keep your decrees to the end! I don’t think I can make the next hour and keep all of your decrees. My selfishness takes over sometimes. I’m sorry for that. I’m coming to really think about the concept of self pity more and more. I’m starting to think that is a bigger driver of my sins than just about anything else. Selfish self-preservation is probably the leading driver of my sin, but self-pity and thinking I deserve better than I’m getting is a strong second.
  • 34 Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart. – I think I am doing this just a little more each day. I am better at practicing your laws and instruction now than I was a year ago. Please help me to do this better today than I did it yesterday.
  • 35 Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. – There is something to be said for a clear conscience. There are times when I follow your commands that result in others rejecting me or rebuking me. But in the end, a clear conscience is worth more than their approval. In fact, I’d rather have their rejection and a clear conscience than their acceptance but underlying guilt.
  • 36 Give me an eagerness for your laws rather than a love for money! – There has always been a problem with a love for money. From the moment humans came up with a system that was beyond bartering, there was a desire to accumulate money. And what is the itch that money is scratching? I think it goes back to certainty. We have made an idol out of certainty, and we think that the knowledge that we have enough money in the bank will give us certainty. Then, after some have accumulated more than they can possibly spend in a lifetime, it starts to buy power and influence. No wonder Jesus warned about it so strongly.
  • 37 Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word. – In the end, the possessions don’t matter. I think it was about a year ago that it occurred to me that I don’t have a bucket list. I just don’t have an emptiness in my heart beyond the sorrow I talk to you about. But even that sorrow sometimes makes me wonder if I’m sorrowful on behalf of those who are hurting me, or is it the self-pity I mentioned earlier that is bringing me sorrow. Help me to love them and care for them more than myself.
  • 38 Reassure me of your promise, made to those who fear you. – And what is the promise I’m claiming? The promise is not for anything in this world. It’s simply relationship with you now and forever. Help me to really live like that.
  • 39 Help me abandon my shameful ways; for your regulations are good. – Of course, I’ve talked about this earlier. My shameful ways are usually driven by my selfishness and self-pity. Help me to reject both, consider my life worth nothing to me, and seek only to share the gospel of your grace.
  • 40 I long to obey your commandments! Renew my life with your goodness. – Verse 33 started with a confident statement about keeping your commandments until the end. Now, he ends with needing renewing because of how he failed to keep them although he longed to. Oh, Father, I long to keep your commandments. Help me to do that all day, and thank you, Jesus, for everything you did to reconcile me to the Father, even in this moment.

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

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 25, 2025 in Psalm 119, Psalms

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Psalm 119:17-24 (Gimel)

24 Jul

Gimel

17 Be good to your servant,
    that I may live and obey your word.
18 Open my eyes to see
    the wonderful truths in your instructions.
19 I am only a foreigner in the land.
    Don’t hide your commands from me!
20 I am always overwhelmed
    with a desire for your regulations.
21 You rebuke the arrogant;
    those who wander from your commands are cursed.
22 Don’t let them scorn and insult me,
    for I have obeyed your laws.
23 Even princes sit and speak against me,
    but I will meditate on your decrees.
24 Your laws please me;
    they give me wise advice.

Psalm 119:17-24

Dear God, it’s time for the Gimel section of Psalm 119. I want to meditate on your word today, and the way I plan to do that is to spend some time in what this psalmist wrote to you in worship thousands of years ago. Thank you that I am tied to him and to your catholic church in this way.

  • 17 Be good to your servant, that I may live and obey your word. – I’m not sure what it means for me to tell you that I want you to be good to me. I mean, of course I want that, but is it presumptuous for me to ask? I want you to use each day to grow me closer to you. The challenges in the day. The good parts of the day. Maybe “good” in this context doesn’t mean spoil me and give me all that I selfishly want. Maybe the meaning can be found in the second part of the verse. Maybe good is giving me what you know I need so that I can become the man you have for me to be. A man who will live and obey your word.
  • 18 Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions. – I was just listening to a discussion that is complicate to describe here, but it basically talked about how we have to have common truths among us as society in order to function as society. When be deny any moral absolutes and embrace complete individualism with no common ground then things will deteriorate. For me, I want to see the wonderful truths in your instructions, live them, and then share them with others so we can find common ground and function together to be your people.
  • 19 I am only a foreigner in the land. Don’t hide your commands from me! – I’m on vacation right now in a place I’ve never been to before. Now, it’s still in the U.S., so I have some basic understanding of how things work, but everything feels new and a little uncomfortable. When I wake up in the morning, I’m not sure where I am. When I’m not sure what to do during the day I have to rely heavily on the Internet to guide me to opportunities. But even in those moments I’m exploring and not in my comfort zone. I think this overall world is a bit like that. I am a foreigner–especially to what it would look like to have your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Help me to know you more through the direction and commands you give me.
  • 20 I am always overwhelmed with a desire for your regulations. – Well, I’m not sure I can say that is true. I am sometimes overwhelmed with a desire for your regulations, but I think that is not the majority of my desires. I mean, yes, I want to follow you, but I am rarely “overwhelmed” by the desire for your regulations. Maybe a little more each day? I hope so.
  • 21 You rebuke the arrogant; those who wander from your commands are cursed. – A friend told me years ago that “[I] don’t like bullies.” Sometimes the arrogant can be bullies. But it’s not only bullies. There are just some who think they can do this on their own. They are determined to find their certainty in themselves. I so appreciate some of the men I have met through Christian Men’s Life Skills, both instructors and participants, who are humble and submitted to you, flaws and all.
  • 22 Don’t let them scorn and insult me, for I have obeyed your laws. – The people who scorn and insult me tend to be people who actually profess to follow you intently. They think I don’t follow your laws enough because I don’t believe in forcing your laws on others. I believe in loving them and then using persuasion to do it. I frustrate them, and they frustrate me. We are probably both wrong to a certain extent. Guide me, Holy Spirit, in this area.
  • 23 Even princes sit and speak against me, but I will meditate on your decrees. – For the psalmist, I wonder what this meant. For example, let’s say this is during David’s time. Were some of the king’s sons speaking against the psalmist? Regardless, the psalmist found his peace through meditating on you and your decrees. Amen.
  • 24 Your laws please me; they give me wise advice. – There is so much wisdom in your decrees. So much why. You didn’t just give us laws. There was a why behind your laws. I like to challenge church friends on the LGBTQ issue. They talk about why it’s bad to lie. Why it’s bad to murder, steal, etc. So when I ask them why someone shouldn’t be in a monogamous same-sex relationship, they can only point to the law and not the wisdom behind the law. This is just one example. Help us to share your laws with your wisdom so that we can show your compassion and love for us through your laws.

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

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 24, 2025 in Psalm 119, Psalms

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Psalm 119:9-16 (Beth)

23 Jul

Beth

9 How can a young person stay pure?
    By obeying your word.
10 I have tried hard to find you—
    don’t let me wander from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart,
    that I might not sin against you.
12 I praise you, O Lord;
    teach me your decrees.
13 I have recited aloud
    all the regulations you have given us.
14 I have rejoiced in your laws
    as much as in riches.
15 I will study your commandments
    and reflect on your ways.
16 I will delight in your decrees
    and not forget your word.

Psalm 119:9-16

Dear God, I’m here again with Psalm 119. I’ll confess that I’m not sure I’ll end up doing this in 22 consecutive days because I found myself kind of dreading doing this prayer to you this morning, and I don’t want to dread praying to you through these journals. So we’ll see. But for this morning, I want to dive into the second section of this psalm and see what you have for me. Holy Spirit, sit with me now and speak to me. Give me eyes to see and ears to hear.

  • 9 How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word. – Does this indicate that the author of this psalm is young? Maybe. Now that I think about it, as a psalm of orientation (as opposed to disorientation or reorientation) it makes me think that it is written by someone who hasn’t run into as many of the trials that come with life yet. I’m not as much referring to this one verse, but the rest of the psalm. In the case of this verse, however, the author seems to be talking about staying pure, and obeying your word is certainly foundational for that to happen.
  • 10 I have tried hard to find you—don’t let me wander from your commands. – This makes me think of the last verse for “Come Thou Fount:” Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the one I love. Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it. Seal it for thy courts above. Why am I prone to wander? Why did I even dread sitting with you in prayer this morning? Why, oh why?
  • 11 I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. – I will say that the more I spend time with you and give your Spirit room to grow in me the less I find myself sinning. Oh, I sin. Don’t get me wrong. But not nearly as much. I am much more loving than I used to be, and I can see it growing almost every day.
  • 12 I praise you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. – Continue to teach me. Teach me through these times. Teach me through people you raise up in my life. Give me ears to hear. Help me to not see someone and prejudicially assume they have nothing to teach me. Or that I am more mature, older, smarter, etc. than them because they truth is I am a flawed, ignorant man who has a lot to learn.
  • 13 I have recited aloud all the regulations you have given us. – I wonder if I should memorize scripture more (or at all). I am certainly willing to share with others what you are teaching me. Should I be doing more to engrain it in my heart?
  • 14 I have rejoiced in your laws as much as in riches. – Oh, I hope it’s more than in riches. Now, this is easy for me to say as I sit on vacation because it took some amount of riches to be here. I know a lot of people who cannot afford something like this. But I certainly don’t pursue riches. But how much do I rejoice in your laws? I think I do. I hope I do.
  • 15 I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. – This is what it’s all about. Reflecting your ways. I want to impact the world as much as I can through my little life, but I want to do it as your servant and your child. I want to do it through my love for you. Help me to share you better.
  • 16 I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word. – I would say the theme for Beth is about learning your word and reflecting it/you to the world. Help me to do that today.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 23, 2025 in Psalm 119, Psalms

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Psalm 119: 1-8 (Aleph)

22 Jul

Aleph

1 Joyful are people of integrity,
    who follow the instructions of the Lord.
2 Joyful are those who obey his laws
    and search for him with all their hearts.
3 They do not compromise with evil,
    and they walk only in his paths.
4 You have charged us
    to keep your commandments carefully.
5 Oh, that my actions would consistently
    reflect your decrees!
6 Then I will not be ashamed
    when I compare my life with your commands.
7 As I learn your righteous regulations,
    I will thank you by living as I should!
8 I will obey your decrees.
    Please don’t give up on me!

Psalm 119:1-8

Dear God, I want to continue this journey through Psalm 119 by doubling back and starting at the beginning. As a reminder to myself, I went back and read the description of this psalm: This psalm is a Hebrew acrostic poem; there are twenty-two stanzas, one for each successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the eight verses within each stanza begins with the Hebrew letter named in its heading. So I’m at the beginning. It’s going to take me three weeks to get through these if I do one section a day. That’s good. I need to somehow sit with this piece of art in bite-sized chunks so I can see what you might have for me through it. So were we go, verse by verse:

  • 1 Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. – My first thought when I read this first verse was that this would be a psalm of “orientation” (as opposed to “disorientation” and “reorientation”). Life is good. Logically, this should make sense. It doesn’t always work this way. Sometimes I can have integrity and follow your instructions and still experience sorrow. But for the most part, this is true. If I don’t follow your instructions and have integrity, My life will, at a minimum, ring hollow, and, at a maximum, lead to my empty destruction.
  • 2 Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. – Searching for you with all of my heart is an interesting concept. Do I search for you? Is that what I’m doing even now as I type this prayer to you? Am I searching for you? Is that what I did yesterday when I listened to the instruction by N.T. Wright or listened to Christian music? What does it look like to search for you? That’s a good question.
  • 3 They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths. – Oh, my! What does it mean to compromise with evil? I am sure I compromise with evil every day. I wonder what the real difference is between compromising with evil and living in the world but not of it. There are things about this world I enjoy. To quote Rich Mullins in his song “Land of my Sojourn:” Nobody tells you when you get born here how much you’ll come to love it and how you’ll never belong here, so I’ll call you my country, but I’ll be lonely for my home. There are some things the world offers that I love. Mainly in the area of music and movies/television. Do I cross a line of compromising with evil when I indulge in some of it? I suppose it depends on what the evil looks like and what compromising looks like. There is a lot of secular stuff that is not evil. Help me to know how to walk only in your path.
  • 4 You have charged us to keep your commandments carefully. – This is interesting because all of us pick and choose which commandments to follow and which ones to ignore. When I read The Year of Living Biblically last year, it was a good reminder of just how selective I am with your commands. And I don’t think that’s necessarily wrong because Jesus introduced a freedom from following some of the laws. But what I really want to do is look at the Sermon on the Mount and consider Jesus’s admonition to obey the law to its fullest spirit and not just its most minimal letter: “You have heard it said…, but I say…”
  • 5 Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees! – One of my biggest desires is that my actions would reflect who I am in you. That I would be the same person in the depths of my heart that I show people publicly. I know I wrote about this a few weeks ago, but what pleased me most about the DISC personality analysis I did a few weeks ago was the consistency between who others say I am vs. how I see myself vs. who I am in a crisis. The only real difference was that, in a crisis, I leaned even harder into who I am. The big question is, do people see me reflecting your decrees and who you are through who I am? Oh, how I hope so.
  • 6 Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands. – There is something to be said for a clear conscience. I don’t like it when I feel guilt for something. Or I have a secret of which I’m ashamed. I’m convinced that secrets of which we are ashamed is the crux of how Satan controls us. Help me to live with a clear conscience. Honestly, I think living with a clear conscience is the best way to be consistent between my public persona and who I am in my most private moments.
  • 7 As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should! – How can I ever thank you enough? How can I ever tell you I love you enough? How can I ever repay you for everything you’ve done for me? The answer to all three of those questions is that I can’t. But one thing I can do is do my best to reflect you to the world and not bring shame on you. Oh, please help me to do this.
  • 8 I will obey your decrees. Please don’t give up on me! – I just love these last words: “Please don’t give up on me!” Yes, Father, I will fail you. I will anger you. I will disappoint you. I will hurt you and others. But please keep with me. Please don’t give up on me. Help me to continue, even in this day, to obey your decrees, love you with all I have, love everyone you put in my path, and represent you well to a world that needs you. Please, don’t give up on me.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 22, 2025 in Psalm 119, Psalms

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Psalm 119:25-32 (Daleth)

21 Jul

Daleth

25 I lie in the dust;
    revive me by your word.
26 I told you my plans, and you answered.
    Now teach me your decrees.
27 Help me understand the meaning of your commandments,
    and I will meditate on your wonderful deeds.
28 I weep with sorrow;
    encourage me by your word.
29 Keep me from lying to myself;
    give me the privilege of knowing your instructions.
30 I have chosen to be faithful;
    I have determined to live by your regulations.
31 I cling to your laws.
    Lord, don’t let me be put to shame!
32 I will pursue your commands,
    for you expand my understanding.

Psalm 119:25-32

Dear God, there is so much depth in this section of Psalm 119, I think what I want to do is break it up verse by verse and sit with each one.

  • 25 I lie in the dust; revive me by your word. – Whenever I try to do it myself I end up back at myself which leads to death. Just returning me to dust. Only your presence and relationship with you can lift me beyond my fallen humanity and into what you originally created me to be in Genesis 1. Fill me with your word. Your presence. Your Holy Spirit.
  • 26 I told you my plans, and you answered. Now teach me your decrees. – My plans must seem so silly to you. Even now, I have things I want to do and accomplish professionally as well as privately. I want to be part of the alumni group for Christian Men’s Life Skills. I want to grow the facility we are in and work to touch the depths of people’s lives and not just the surface. I could go on and on. I have these plans. But the truth is, I am so fragile and ignorant. I don’t know what the next moment holds, much less the next day, week, month, year, or decade. Help me to take my eyes off of my plans and help me to simply learn more of you and your decrees in this moment.
  • 27 Help me understand the meaning of your commandments, and I will meditate on your wonderful deeds. – I wonder what the psalmist meant by understanding the meaning of your commandments. I know where my head went. My head went to not just spouting off your laws and commandments at people and chastising them for not obeying you, but loving them through the meaning of your commandments. Don’t just say, “Don’t lie!” but instead talk to them about how the truth is good for them and lies harm them and others. The why. Don’t just say, “Take a Sabbath day!” but help them to understand the need for rest that you have baked into each of us. This goes into every issue the church faces today, including the LGBTQ issue. I’m frustrated with the American church in that it spouts off on the command and doesn’t seem to understand its why. When they do that, it just comes across as mean and judgmental. Help me to understand the meaning of your commandments.
  • 28 I weep with sorrow; encourage me by your word. – How did the psalmist understand the meaning of your word? For me, I am interpreting it as not only scripture, but the still small voice you use to speak to me within my soul as I spend time with you. It is the words of Christians who speak to me. It is what I read or listen to, both secular and spiritual. It is the discernment the Holy Spirit gives me as I take in the world around me. And there are times I weep with sorrow. Just two weeks ago, I was talking to my wife about a shared pain we both have, and I just started crying on her. Sorrow is in me. Help me to be comforted and encouraged by your word.
  • 29 Keep me from lying to myself; give me the privilege of knowing your instructions. – This is so good! Keep me from lying to myself. Powerful! Yes, I lie to myself. Sometimes, I take my own thoughts and agenda and ascribe your word to them and justify them as your will for me. Sometimes, I get defensive and self-righteous and tell myself that I’ve been wronged and I have rights that must seek justice. But in those moments I’m lying to myself. Teach me and help me to know your instructions.
  • 30 I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your regulations. – It almost seems like this verse should have come before the last one. I do choose faithfulness, but please help me to keep from lying to myself. And teach me to be disciplined to follow you.
  • 31 I cling to your laws. Lord, don’t let me be put to shame! – Lord, if I am to be put to shame, let it be for clinging to your laws. If that is the shame I experience then I will gladly accept it. But help me to not let go of your laws and find shame down the path of my own sin. That’s what I desperately don’t want, but I don’t want it for your sake. I don’t want to bring shame upon you. While I’m thinking about it, give me mercy for those who do claim you but follow their own path into sin. Help me to know how to help them and love them back into you.
  • 32 I will pursue your commands, for you expand my understanding. – I need you. The only way I can make my small, small, small life count for the few year I have on this earth is to lean into you, get to know you and become like you as much as I can, and then let you use me how you will. But to do that, I need to not only pursue your commands, but I need to do it with the spirit of expanding my understanding of you and then letting that flow into the world around me.

Father, I got a lot out of that this morning. Thank you for this one section of this psalm. I might just go back and do the same thing, section by section, for this whole psalm on this vacation I’m currently on. Walk with me today. Walk with my wife and our friends today. Watch over and heal those I love. Not just physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as well.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 21, 2025 in Psalm 119, Psalms

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Psalm 119:1-8

18 Jul

Psalm 119[a]

Aleph

1 Joyful are people of integrity,
    who follow the instructions of the Lord.
2 Joyful are those who obey his laws
    and search for him with all their hearts.
3 They do not compromise with evil,
    and they walk only in his paths.
4 You have charged us
    to keep your commandments carefully.
5 Oh, that my actions would consistently
    reflect your decrees!
6 Then I will not be ashamed
    when I compare my life with your commands.
7 As I learn your righteous regulations,
    I will thank you by living as I should!
8 I will obey your decrees.
    Please don’t give up on me!

Dear God, verse 7 was the verse of the day on Bible Gateway, but it actually really works for this psalm to be a scripture I look at for today because I am going to the Poetry Society of Texas Annual Summer Conference tonight in Denton with my wife and this psalm has a special poetic dimension to it. The note that goes with the [a] next to the psalm title says, “This psalm is a Hebrew acrostic poem; there are twenty-two stanzas, one for each successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the eight verses within each stanza begins with the Hebrew letter named in its heading.” I’m not going to do all 22 stanzas this morning, but I thought I would at least look at the stanza that includes verse 7.

Now, back to this passage. I participated in the graduation for the Christian Men’s Life Skills class last night, and it was remarkable. What has blown me away is the relationships between the men and how much some of them are clinging to this and to you right now. They are hungry and they need fed. The seeds planted are looking for good soil in which to take root. These verses reflect the state of many of their hearts right now. Of course the rains will fall. The wind will blow. When they come, will they come against lives that are established with deep roots? I pray for their roots right now. I pray for their soil. I pray that you will also help me to weed my own soil. Help your seeds to find good soil in me and develop deep roots.

Father, I have the words to “I Need Thee Every Hour” and its chorus going through my head: “I need thee, oh I need thee. Every hour I need thee. O bless me now, my Savior. I come to thee.” Bless me, my savior. Bless these men. Bless their families. We need thee every hour.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 18, 2025 in Psalms

 

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 102:1

08 Apr

Psalm 102

A prayer of one overwhelmed with trouble, pouring out problems before the Lord.

1 Lord, hear my prayer!
    Listen to my plea!

Psalm 102:1

Dear God, I wanted to capture not only the verse that Sr. Miriam highlighted today in Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation, but also include the description of the psalm given to us by scripture. As I think about the pervasive problem in my life that I have poured out to you for well over a decade now, I can say that I’m actually tired of it. I’m tired of praying about it. I’m tired of lamenting it. I’m tired of the pain that I’m addressing when I pray about it. I’m tired of the pain I feel from it. To some extent, I feel hopeless about it, and my prayer feels fruitless.

It’s that last one that gives me pause and want to un-say all of the rest of the things I just said. Has the prayer really been fruitless? I don’t know that it has done anything to make the situation any better or the pain any less, but I can say that it has affected me. It has changed me. I’ve discovered things about myself and about you that I didn’t know 10 or 15 years ago. I’m better now. I’m also more sensitive to the pain of others. The fire has refined me. The breaking has allowed you to put me back together in a better way.

It’s interesting to get older and feel legitimately closer to death. I’m still relatively young and likely have decades ahead of me, but I’m just feeling the slippage of time in a way I didn’t used to. I think part of my pain now is that I don’t know if the situation over which I lament will be resolved in my lifetime. Will I die with this pain and disappointment?

So now I need to think about the forgiveness part of this lament. The hurt I’m experiencing was caused by the actions of many, including my own. Do I forgive the actions of the others? Do I forgive myself?

Father, that is part of this process too: Forgiveness. I need to remember that the sorrow comes from some situation, and my mind is probably blaming someone for that situation, including myself. Help me to identify what needs to be forgiven in others and myself, and help me to not only extend that forgiveness, but then know how to and how not to act on that forgiveness. Where do I draw the line? Help me get there.

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

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on April 8, 2025 in Psalms, Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 116:3-4

05 Apr

3 Death wrapped its ropes around me;
    the terrors of the grave overtook me.
    I saw only trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
    “Please, Lord, save me!”

Psalm 116:3-4

Dear god, I happened to read a verse out of Revelation this morning when I was looking something up, and it makes me think of these verses from Psalm 116. The passage in Revelation was Revelation 12:11: “And they have defeated him by the blood of the lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.”

Death is such an interesting thing for us. And it’s a hazy mystery. As much as we had to go through birth to get here, we will go through death to leave. And what will happen then? I mean we have some ideas of heaven and even hell, but none of us REALLY knows what will happen. Once a soul is born, can it be killed, or does it really exist forever? Honestly, for the sake of those who are not brought into your kingdom, I hope a soul can just die. Why torment it forever?

So this all brings me back to these two verses from Psalm 116 that Sister Miriam highlights in today’s entry in Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation. To add context two them, here they are again, but this time with the two verses that preceded and followed them:

1 I love the Lord because he hears my voice
    and my prayer for mercy.
2 Because he bends down to listen,
    I will pray as long as I have breath!
3 Death wrapped its ropes around me;
    the terrors of the grave[a] overtook me.
    I saw only trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
    “Please, Lord, save me!”
5 How kind the Lord is! How good he is!
    So merciful, this God of ours!
6 The Lord protects those of childlike faith;
    I was facing death, and he saved me.

A psalm of reorientation. God is good! Things were bad and I called for saving. God protected me. God is good!

Here’s something I like from Sister Miriam’s commentary today:

The bearing of wrongs, not with bitterness or numbness but with patience, is a great and crucifying gift. It means that there is a real way to freedom and restoration through suffering and the wrongs that others inflict upon us. It means that there is resurrection even in experiences of death.

Father, I have been wronged and I have wronged others. Help me to know how to apologize for the wrongs I have done to others, and help me to heal from the wrongs done to me through grace and mercy given by me to them. Where there has been pain, don’t let it be wasted. And sometimes the pains are just from life. I have a friend who lost his wife one year ago today. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, but it left it’s mark. It was a long, hard illness that exacted a toll from him. It still hurts for him. Where there is pain, bring healing. Where there is healing, use the scars to help us know how to help you heal others. In his song “First Family,” Rich Mullins talks about his parents losing a son: “But the pain didn’t leave them crippled. Only scars that made them strong.” Heal my would into scars, and use my scars for your glory.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on April 5, 2025 in Psalms, Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

← Older posts
Newer posts →