| Observation: We have an awesome God! The psalmist encourages us to sing psalms in praise of our awesome God. Application: I have a running collection of awesome T-shirts. From "Caution: my awesomeness is contagious." To Stand back: this is about to get awesome." and a few others. But my absolute favorite is "this is what awesome looks like." This is very applicable to the psalms we have been reading recently in worship and in devotion. The psalmist recounts the wondrous and awesome deeds of the Lord and everything the Lord does, from creation to deliverance, from saving acts to feeding our stomachs. We have an awesome God. God invented the "This is what awesome looks like" T-shirt. |
Scripture: Psalm 47 Click here for the reading
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Scripture: Psalm 33 Click here for the reading Observation: Only the Lord can save! We can only place our trust in God.
"We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone." Application: What struck me today about the reading was how so much of history repeats itself. The best equipped horse cannot save a king. yet we put our trust in kings/presidents/candidates/nations above God all the time. And we often count on warhorses to give us victory. In recent history we seem to be heading toward another civil war in this country because we did not learn anything from the first civil war we fought....or even what it was about. The divides about race, wealth, opportunity etc are justice issues for sure. The way everyone decides to talk about these deep important issues though, frightens me because it appears we have placed (misplaced?) our hope in earthly things. We appear to think that we are able to save ourselves from our own harms. Prayer: Lord, remind us that we can only place our trust in you alone, inn your saving activity, in your holy name. Forgive us of the injustices we repeat against your creation and the people you love. Scripture: Psalm 57 Click here for the reading. Observation: I love the ins and outs of this psalm and the tension between being surrounded by fierce lions & and exalting the Lord, between enemies setting traps but they are the ones that fall in them. But what caught my eye this afternoon is the focus on the heart. My heart is confident in you Lord. My heart is confident. Wake up my heart. And I will wake the dawn with my song.
Application: I began reading "Leading Change." It is a fairly famous book on leading change in the corporate world, but it has many applications. The first error he says that people make in trying to lead change is "allowing too much complacency." Complacency, to me, is falling into comfortable ways that share no sense of urgency. Yet, here, the Psalmist shares that sense of urgency and his own sense of complacency and the need to WAKE UP! I wonder, if you can remember a time that you had this sense of urgency and feeling of complacency? Can you articulate a time when you were feeling surrounded or entrapped all the while exalting and praising God? What would it look like to wake the dawn with your song of praise to God? Who or what might is stir up? Prayer: Wake up, My heart! My heart is confident in you, Lord! I will wake the dawn with my song. Scripture: Psalm 34 Click here for the reading Observation: In all the ups and downs in life, God is a steady presence worthy of praise.
Application: I will praise the lord at all times. That Phrase "at all times" struck me this afternoon. Taking a break from Facebook interactions and debates, one sided arguments arguing with other sided arguments. And the psalmist says "I will praise the Lord at all times. Not just when things and arguments line up in my own view. Not just when things are going well for me. Not just when life is hunky dory. But I will praise the Lord when my viewpoints are challenged by other people and other viewpoints. I will praise the Lord when scripture and God bring new challenges to the way life is. I will praise the lord when all I have is nothing. I will boast only upon the Lord. As Christians, I believe this is worth applying to all those we are called to witness to and love in the midst of deep debate and deep controversy, mainly the SCOTUS ruling on marriage that seems to have divided people all over the place, not just politically but religiously. Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the Lord. Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. These words apply to us in how we talk about things we may disagree. The way we debate and disagree might say more about how we live God's word than political maneuvering that seems to be more the norm. In the midst of this controversy how are we searching for peace (God's peace), and working to maintain it? Prayer: Lord bring us back to the place of praising you at all times. At all times! Scripture: Psalm 32 Click here for the reading Observation: The Psalmist makes acknowledgment of the joys of forgiveness and the stubbornness of humanity. The weight of sin is burdensome. Forgiveness is a freeing reality.
Application: There are times in all of our lives that we feel like we can do it on our own. (The myth of the self made man/woman). My friend Matt likes to refer to our weekly confession and forgiveness as "the declaration of dependence." He does so as a reminder to himself and others, like me, that we cannot do it on our own. That we rely heavily on God for everything. But that is not our understanding of confession and forgiveness. Maybe seeing ourselves as dependent is more freeing if we understand confession to God as a joy instead of a burden. (verse 1) Prayer: Lord, we give you thanks for your forgiveness because it is a freedom we have to place our lives into your hands. Scripture: Psalm 30 Click here for reading Observation: There is a great observation by the Psalmist of a secure feeling in the midst of prosperity but when that prosperity ends, the psalmist feels crushed.
Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain. Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered. Does our security from God become established by our prosperity? Application: As a chaplain in a hospital, a long time ago, I walked into a room with a young man (not the norm for the telemetry floor) who seemed visibly shaken. I sat with him and he shared pleasantries with me. But then, he asked a poignant question to me; "Why is it that when you end up in the hospital, everyone tells you 'this too will pass' but no one ever says that after you win the lottery." As Psalm 30 is a psalm of thanksgiving, we hear deep words of moving away from the shattering (being stuck in the hospital) experience of God's turning away to a celebration of praise. "You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!" That is something the prosperity gospel misses. That God is the one who is present in all things. This is the God we sing praise to. As Job, God's faithful servant proclaimed, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, Praise the Lord!" Prayer: This too shall pass, in all things we give you praise O Lord. Psalm 23. Click here for the reading.
Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. Psalm 23:4b Psalm 23 is familiar to many of us. Each verse invites us to trust in God’s expert management and care of our lives as our good shepherd. Today the verse about God’s rod and staff stands out to me. The shepherd’s rod is used to defend the sheep from predators. The staff is used to guide the sheep. Phillip Keller in his book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, describes the special bond between a good shepherd and his sheep. “Again and again I have seen a shepherd use his staff to guide his sheep gently into a new path or through some gate or along dangerous, difficult routes….The tip of the long slender stick is laid gently against the animal’s side, and the pressure applied guides the sheep in the way the owner wants it to go. Thus the sheep is reassured of its proper path. Sometimes I have been fascinated to see how a shepherd will actually hold his staff against the side of some sheep that is a special pet or favorite, simply so that they are ‘in touch.’ They will walk along this way almost as though it were ‘hand-in-hand.’” (From Chapter 8, p.121) God guides and protects us. When the way seems uncertain and our fears grow, God is still there. He knows us and what we are facing. He knows the way that we should go. We can trust in him. God, you shepherd me with great love and care. Help me to trust you with whatever I’m facing. Guide me where you want me to go. Amen. Marcia Marquardt ![]() Psalm 69:1-16. Click here for the reading. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you and were never disgraced. Psalm 22:1-4 Reading Psalm 22 is like riding a seesaw. The psalmist’s prayer takes us up and down with his emotions. A few verses express great pain and desperation. Then he quickly follows with trust in God. That pattern continues throughout the psalm. Up and down. Down and up. Real, authentic sharing of his doubts and then an expression of his hope and trust in God. Up and down. Down and up. God invites us to share ALL our emotions with him. There’s no need to hold back. His heart is open to us—ready to listen. Nothing you say or feel will surprise or shock him. He wants to hear from you. God, help me trust you even when you seem silent or distant. Help me hold on in the midst of the struggles. Amen. Marcia Marquardt ![]() Psalm 69:1-16. Click here for the reading. I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me. Psalm 69:3 The Psalms are songs that share deep feelings. Sometimes praise. Sometimes despair and anger. This week Psalm 69 expresses our frustrations. Are you facing any struggles today? Feeling overwhelmed or anxious? Feeling like you are alone and things will never work out? God cares for you. He invites you to pour out your heart to him. We can tell God exactly the way we feel. We can tattle on those who have hurt us. We can shout and make a fuss. We can come as we are—broken, confused, helpless—and lean on his help. He is there for us in the midst of the pain and sorrow. He always will be our guide. Jesus says “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) Marcia Marquardt ![]() Psalm 113. Click here for the reading. Blessed be the name of the Lord now and forever. Everywhere—from east to west—praise the name of the Lord. Psalm 113:2-3 This week the psalmist reminds us to simply praise the Lord. Through all the ups and downs of life. Through all the twists and turns. Through all the moments in every place, God is worthy of our praise. He is greater than any; yet caring for all. Praising God brings surprising strength to us—especially when we are worried. Turning our hearts to focus on God and the greatness of his character and the things that he has done, rather than the greatness of our problems, quiets us to listen to God and trust him. Simply praising God brings renewed strength, perspective, and peace to our lives. The psalms give us get models of simply praising God. Over and over they remind us to develop the habit of praise to God for all that he is and all that he does. Marcia Marquardt |
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