Psalm 50

It's a terrifying sight, this image of an angry, fiery God coming down to wreak havoc. Israel has seen it often, God devouring thier enemies. But this time is different.

This time, He is angry with them.

He has no problem with the sacrifices themselves, they are plentiful. God makes it clear that it is not the physical sacrifice He requires (OK, well He does, but just the physical sacrifice is not ALL He wants), rather it is a heart devoted, and serious about seeking Him.

It seems that Israel is guilty of offering sacrifice for sins, but not for thanks. I'm guilty on that one, too.

It seems that the sacrifices are offered, but the heart is far from meaning it. Dang, that's two.

Thankfully, God doesn't throw the strikeout accusation, instead, He offers us the way to get right: Give thanks, and be blameless. Giving thanks seems easy enough, but blameless? Not so much.

Unless you consider that God, the God of Grace, makes us clean when we sincerely repent and seek Him. Not when we offer hollow words and recite well-learned slogans, when we really mean it. We can be blameless, not because we do nothing wrong, but because we are truly contrite in our confession.

Psalm 48

The city of God is an interesting concept.

Clearly, it's a safe place, and a beautiful one. I picture something like what the elf city looks like in Lord of the Rings combined with Gondor.

But, why does the Bible depict God as a city dweller? My best guess is that it's the closest description we can get on earth to what heaven is like. I don't like big cities- I like space. So it's hard for me to get this imagery and be excited.

But the idea that "God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress" is one I do love. I've always been drawn more to the idea of the God of the Wild, the God who is a little bit dangerous. So, it helps me to dig the City of God idea to know that that powerful and dangerous characteristic of God is still present.

Psalm 47

I cannot clap and sing at the same time. Just ask my wife.

Yet there are times when the joy of the moment, or the emotion of the song remove my inhibitions and I clap- off beat- and sing- off key- at the same time. I believe that what is important in those moments is not my musical prowess or lack thereof, but rather my heart. I'm not standing before a crowd leading them, I'm just being joyous before my God.

I sing praises.

God wants my best- but more than that, I believe He wants my honesty, my true feelings. I'd rather sing off-key with a heart broken before God than sing the most beautiful notes known to man with an empty heart.

And I think I know which God would prefer as well.

psalm 46

"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

This short little phrase, after God has, in effect, been described as a storm, as a hurricane force. It seems that we are called to look at the power that is God and just take it all in. When we are tempted to make things work, to fight for our honor, to exalt ourselves, we need to remember that God is greater than anything we could muster. He is destructive to His enemies, He is protective of those He loves.

I can definitely say there have been times in my life when I've been faced with difficulties- ones that I could fight. Yet God has told me in many of those times to "Be still and know that I am God." And when He speaks that to me, the victory I've seen is far better than what I could have brought about myself.

Psalm 45

A wedding song.

Encouragement to a soon to be wedded king that God favors him because of his righteousness. The writer opens speaking of his heart being stirred when he thinks of what to say about the righteous king.

May we live that way. That our lives stir others when they think about it. That our integrity, our kindness, our love and other qualities are a noble theme for others.

Psalm 44

Psalm 44 poses an interesting question:

Does God sometimes leave us to fight our battles alone (and lose) even though we are not being rebellious against Him?

Now, I know that generally speaking, God stopped fighting for Israel when Israel stopped worshiping God, so the claim here that the Israel is sinless is kinda suspect. And the scary thing is, this idea that God doesn't always intervene plays into the argument that many non-believers have against Christianity- that if God does exist, He is so far removed He doesn't care.

Personally, I think God does leave us to our own devices...sometimes. I also think He lets us fail on our own sometimes. Why? We haven't sinned, we've not rebelled.

Teachable moments.

God lets us go it alone, and fail, so we can be reminded that we need Him. Just like the psalmist realizes and cries out for. But I also think that maybe sometimes God allows us to go it alone and succeed. The reason? God is making us better, and I believe God wants us to succeed. So I think there may be times where God says "Go and do," and then sits back and watches His child succeed. In fact, I think this happens more often than not. It does not lessen or weaken the power and glory of God, instead it promotes it. It shows that when we succeed, even without God's direct intervention, it is still because of how He has made us and matured us.

Even when God does not act, He still demonstrates His glory through us.

Psalm 43

I'm confused by the idea that God is at once our stronghold and has rejected us.

Perhaps it is showing us that even if we have God as our Savior, our sin displeases Him. Perhaps it is a statement that God, like a parent, disciplines us with distance from time to time- yet never leaves us defenseless.

We return to the refrain of Psalm 42- why so downcast, hope in God. But I must say, it is hard to have hope in God when God seems distant-whether it is by His action or ours. It is hard to hope in God when we still feel the sting of regret for our sins- and though we know the facts that God forgives us by grace, we don't feel that we deserve it. Which we don't, but we deny ourselves the acceptance of this grace. That may be OK for a time, but we must eventually accept that God forgives, God restores, God gives hope. To deny God's grace is to accept defeat.

Psalm 42

I know the go to verses here are the ones about the deer, but I'm working off of a little more than an hour of sleep today, so I'm fixated on the ones about needing God at night and my soul being downcast.

I've had nights where I just can't get to sleep. I toss, I turn, I curse that Dr. Pepper I had late in the evening. I truly believe one of the more soul-crushing feelings in all of existence is wanting to go to sleep, but being unable to despite all the conditions being right. It is here that the downcast soul is born and nurtured. Watching the minutes tick away and with each shift of the glowing digital light that makes the numbers, hope fades.

Now, note that the Sons of Korah (the psalmists) say that God directs His love by day, but at night, at night it is the song of God that is with us. It seems to me that these guys are flip-flopping a lot. They go from downcast souls to talking about the lullaby that God gives them at night. But then, a night of insomnia is like that- hope dashed by wide awake overcome by hope which is dashed again. Come to think of it, life is like that as a whole.

It seems to me that what Psalm 42 is telling us is that it's best not to look at the circumstances. They will shift and change constantly and take our hope with them. Hope will always be fleeting if we look at the stuff going on around us. But if we long for God, thirst for Him like a deer searching for water, we will see His love by day, and hear His song by night.

Perhaps it is not the circumstances that break our hearts, afterall. Perhaps it is setting our minds attention on things other than God- especially our problems- that crushes our soul. So at night, when you can't sleep and your problems surround you like a forest of predators, listen for the song of God.

I didn't last night, and I'm paying for it today.

Psalm 41

It may just be the mood I'm in lately, but it's the first verse that spoke to me.

Blessed are those who have regard for the weak;
the LORD delivers them in times of trouble.

I've been thinking a lot lately about just who the 'weak' are in my life. And along that note, just who are the 'widows and orphans' we're supposed to look out for? I don't know about you, but there aren't a lot of orphans running around my streets lately. Widows, I've got. But what about the people I work with most- college students. They are not likely to have a lot of either around. So maybe we can take 'weak, widows, and orphans" as both literally AND figuratively.

Back in the day, widows and orphans were destitute, there were no orphanages or retirement homes around. They were the most needy of society. The argument could be made the new 'widows and orphans' are the homeless. But let's go further.

What if our 'widows and orphans' are everyone around us who is hurting, in need, weak, fearful, sick, sad, lonely, hungry, or destitute- physically or spiritually? We want God to help us in our times of need, but are we in fact helping those who are in their time of need?

Psalm 40

The psalms are amazing. But add in U2 singing one? Wow.

The psalm posits that sometimes we're gonna be stuck a bit in our muck and mire, so be persistent. God will hear- and I love the wording used by U2, that He "inclined to hear my cry"- and He will set our feet on a rock. I also love when an Old Testament passage so clearly points us to Jesus- specifically when Christ tells us of building on a solid rock foundation, and that He is the rock.

But the wrap up of the opening? That many will see and know? That gives me chills. God's rescue of us is the catalyst for others coming to know Him. The rest of the psalm is about how God wants us, not our sacrifice or offerings. They are, in themselves, just things. They can be given without worship. But if our hearts are with God, even the small things are worshipful.

And it all starts with waiting patiently for the Lord.

Psalm 39

Kind of continuing on from Psalm 38, we see that God's 'cleansing' of our sin can be painful to the point of unbearable. We beg for God to let up.

Why is it that being restored to God has to be so hard?

Maybe it is the depth we've fallen to. Perhaps it is the height He is lifting us back up to. I don't know.

What I do know is that I find it interesting that in our sin, we don't want God anywhere around. But when the consequences of our sin are crashing down on us, we plead for His voice to speak peace.

Perhaps He is teaching us to not practice "fair-weather faith."

Psalm 38

Sin hurts, and sometimes, God must injure us as well to heal us of our sin. It sounds harsh to say that God wounds us when we're down, but really, it's just good medicine.

A surgeon must injure us to do open heart surgery. There is pain and there is a need t0 heal after the surgery, but without that surgeon's blade piercing the skin, our heart would eventually do much greater harm. It would kill us.

So, yes, God injures us. He makes a bad day worse. But He does so so that that bad day that got worse is not your last day. God hurts us so that tomorrow may be better, filled with hope and expectation, not dismay and failure.

God heals, and sometimes that hurts.

Psalm 37

Patience, patience, patience.

Wait on God, hold back anger, trust the Lord. How often do we hear that? How often do we offer this advice to others?

When we've been wronged, we want revenge. And we want it NOW. That's just human nature. A slight against you must be resolved ASAP. But is it ever really resolved when we take the matter into our own hands?

Now, God promises the wicked will be punished. He promises that justice will be delivered, but it will be in His time, in His way. And His handling of the situation will be final, the resolution sure. So why can't we wait and let God take care of it?

I think we should. I've had a few times in my life when I've very much known God wanted me to "Be still and wait for God." And you know what? Every time the resolution has been better than what I could have done on my own.

Wait on God, hold back anger, trust the Lord.

It may seem cliched, but it's good advice.

Psalm 36

The first four verses of this one hit home. How often have I walked into sin and then gotten so caught up in an attitude of arrogance and denial that I can't (or won't) see the evil it is?

Too many times.

It begins to consume me and I don't care. This psalm points out that I am, in fact, wicked.

Now contrast that with the overpowering vision of God's love for His people. Wickedness brings a claustrophobic feeling, but the love of God is all about the expansive views from under His wings.

The psalm asks, it seems, how can one see the love of God and it's freedom, yet still choose sin and it's captivity?

Psalm 35

Not to be too short- but this is another "God vindicate me and wipe out my enemies" psalm. That's not a bad thing, because it reminds us that we all get frustrated and want God to act. And it reminds us that it's OK to ask God to "Awake and rise to my defense!"

I want God to act. I mean, really badly. As I take stock of my life today, and there's been a lot of that- I've prayed something similar: "God, I need you to show up."

I'm not under attack, and I'm not even really frustrated- but I am excited. Nevertheless, I need God to show up. I look at the things that need to happen, the possibilities of what could happen, the time it will take to see said things accomplished- and I realize it is beyond me and my abilities.

Perhaps that is why I feel a peace beneath the overwhelming weight of things. I know God is there. I know He is capable.

I know He will show up.

Psalm 34

I will extol the LORD at all times;

his praise will always be on my lips.

I will glory in the LORD;

let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

Glorify the LORD with me;

let us exalt his name together.

Worship is better when it is with others. And it is sweeter and more intimate when it comes from a heart that has been broken and beaten and yet still dares to offer God appreciation.

When I am down, when I am weary, hearing the words of another who rejoices in God is always uplifting. I'm not talking about the fluffy, 'sunshine and rainbows' kinda praise that is borderline phony (to me, at least)- rather the praise that comes from a soul that knows things are tough- but that God is better.

A lot of people question why it is necessary for people to gather for worship- this is my response: God made us for relationships with Him and each other. Only through communal joy and suffering do we truly get to know God.

Psalm 33

It's an odd pairing, this idea of hope and fear arising when we encounter God. Yet it is a common pairing when dealing with God. Most of the time, when I'm afraid, hope takes a leave of absense. But when God appears, suddenly fear and hope are holding hands.

To get a better idea of why this is, look at the context of the psalm itself. It states explicitly that the things we normally trust in when fear arises- warriors, kings, war horses, etc- are useless to save us- but God's eyes are on those who fear Him. It also states that God considers everything we do.

Now, I've always looked at "fear God" as sort of Bible-speak for "respect/revere God," and I stand by that. But there is another element of "fear God" that is subtle in this psalm.

God is dangerous.

He is watching us, and He is stronger than our most powerful weapons. He is strong enough to save us from anything that comes against- weapons of war or famine included.

Have you ever been to a zoo, and locked eyes with a predator- like a lion or tiger? You are instantly drawn to them, wondering what it would be like to touch it, feel the fur over those giant muscles, be close enough to hear and feel the deep breaths they take. You are also instantly- and maybe only slightly- afraid. You fear what could happen if the big cat got loose.

Encounter God simultaneously makes you want to draw closer, and yet be careful. He is powerful enough to save or destroy- and He knows your heart, whether good or wicked. I want to know God more, and yet He is so awesome that it makes me nervous when I draw near to Him.

Godly fear raises hope. It's the great contradiction that brings life.

Psalm 32

I remember once, as a kid, I'd done something I knew my parents would not like. I'd said something I wasn't supposed to, and no one heard me, and I got away with it. But, I didn't. There was an oppressive weight of guilt on my back, and I couldn't enjoy anything- even playing with my favorite toys.

So, I confessed, and immediately felt a weight lift. And the funny thing was, my mom- who I confessed to, didn't punish me, she told me not to do it again and forgave me.

That's what I thought about when I read this psalm. I've always been quick to confess my sins- to God or the person I've hurt or wronged- and I think it's because I learned this early on about myself: I hate the weight of guilt. Not guilt given by another, but the guilt we feel when we KNOW we've done wrong. I can get physically sick with that feeling. That's the same sense I get about this psalm. That it is better to own up to your faults than carry them around and try to hide them.

For one, God knows already, you aren't keeping Him out of the loop. And when it comes to sins against others, they will know eventually, so better to own up now. It really bothers me when people never accept that they have a failing or a sin or a problematic attitude, or at least they never admit they do.

And the beauty of confession is that we are forgiven and surrounded by God's love. And we carry no weight of sin.

Psalm 31

I wanna focus on verses 3- 5 for this psalm, because I think they are key.

Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.
Into your hands I commit my spirit;
deliver me, LORD, my faithful God.

We often think of doing things in the Name of God along two lines: May I do good in the Name of God, and may I not screw up in the Name of God. These are good things to consider, and as far as our own actions and choices go, they are about all we can do. But there is a third "in the Name of God" scenario. This one, though, is all God.

David pleads here that God guide him for the sake of God's name. It is a plea that God protect His Own Name by leading and protecting David in his endeavors. It's bold, basically David is saying "I've done my part, now do Yours." And for us, it raises the question- have you ever been able to honestly plead this of God? Have you ever done your part, truly and purely done your part to the point you look to God and say "You're up!"?

Sure, we ask for God to vindicate us, to prove us right, but when we do it (I know when I do it) it's more that I get the vindication. David is saying "I've stood up for you God, now stand up for yourself." Then David goes on to say he's trusting himself to God. Totally.

And that's where the psalm gets really interesting.

Notice anything familiar about the next to last line? Jesus' final words (depending on which Gospel you read) are a quote of this. Perhaps Jesus is pointing us to Psalm 31 for a reason. Jesus is saying, "I've done my part, finished my work. Now, Father, prove yourself. I trust you completely."

Jesus (and David) did as God asked, and in faith, left the final proof of God up to the Father Himself. So often, I think we try to do all three "in the Name of God" actions- doing right, not doing wrong, and proving God. We use apologetics (defending the faith), we use logic, we use testimonials- all good things. But ultimately, in every life we touch and every endeavor we undertake, there comes a point where we can do no more. We will never save a soul, we will never heal the sick, we will never drive out a demon- these things happen only when God moves on our actions in His Name.

So do good. Avoid evil. Trust God and wait.

All in His Name.

Psalm 30

I know what it's like to be down, to be sad. It kinda stinks. I also know what it's like to be under attack- it also stinks.

But then, I also know what it's like to see God come to the rescue. To watch your accusers- human or spiritual- be silenced. To feel your sorrow melt away to be replaced by hope and joy. These are the birthplaces of our worship.

Yet, we often seem to forget to thank God when we are saved. We find something new to complain about or fear. And even if we do thank God, the amount of time spent there is infinitesimal to time spent begging for help.

Our cry, our promise, should instead be:

"LORD my God, I will praise you forever."