Morning Praise

 

Friday, June 4, 2021

I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart; I will sing your praises before the gods.  I bow before your holy Temple as I worship.  I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.  Psalm 138:1-2

This is one of my favorite Psalms.  It is David, the king, former shepherd-boy, giant-killer, musician to, and defender of, Israel’s King Saul, adulterer, murder-conspirator, warrior, coward, hero, humble object of Samuel’s long, boney pointing finger of accusation, pennitent sinner-turned saint, who became the model for those who would be a man after God’s own heart.

David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’  Acts 13:22b

Why is this one of my favorites?  With all of David’s resume’ he stands not on his accomplishments.  He doesn’t sing along with Frank Sinatra, I did it MY way; David takes a deep breath, stands before all the [so-called] lesser gods of the universe and points his soul and all that’s within him towards Heaven’s throne and leaves no doubt about Who deserves praise.  David bows before JHWH’s throne and declares he has chosen to serve Almighty God, Jehovah-jirah, the King of Heaven’s Hosts.  David validates what the world cannot deny…every promise of God is backed by the honor of His name.  And there is no other name, given among men whereby anyone can be saved![1] 

David views God as his omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent King of Kings, the God who cannnot fail.  David is content to serve that God alone, no matter what anyone else may say to him, or do to him.

·       Some people have always denied this. 

·       Some deny it rather emphatically, even calling such a claim exclusionary, arrogant, or just plain dull-minded stupidity, to place entire trust in the God of David. 

Some say there are many different approaches to finding spiritual health.  It is known by many names, elightenment, finding truth, uncovering god in you, and even becoming the god you really are. 

But David would take exception to anything but bowing humbly before the one, true, living God.

When Joshua was about to lead God’s people, the new nation of Israel, across Jordan into the Promised Land he told them to choose.  He made it specific.  He said: 

“So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly.  Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone.  But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve.  Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates?  Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live?  But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”  Joshua 24:14-15

For You Today

When it comes to God you only get one choice; one of those choices will be right, and all the others wrong.  That’s why Jesus said there is a broad road that leads to destruction, and a very narrow road which leads to life.[2]

Choose wisely!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!   

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[1] Title Image: Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©

[1] There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by 

       which we must be saved.”   Acts 4:12

[2] See Matthew 7:14

Waiting in Pain

[i]

Monday, February 25, 2019

O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage!  Your arrows have struck deep, and your blows are crushing me.  Because of your anger, my whole body is sick; my health is broken because of my sins.  My guilt overwhelms me—it is a burden too heavy to bear.  My wounds fester and stink because of my foolish sins.  I am bent over and racked with pain.  All day long I walk around filled with grief.  A raging fever burns within me, and my health is broken.  I am exhausted and completely crushed.  My groans come from an anguished heart.  You know what I long for, Lord; you hear my every sigh.  My heart beats wildly, my strength fails, and I am going blind.  My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease.  Even my own family stands at a distance.  Meanwhile, my enemies lay traps to kill me.  Those who wish me harm make plans to ruin me.  All day long they plan their treachery.  But I am deaf to all their threats.  I am silent before them as one who cannot speak.  I choose to hear nothing, and I make no reply.  For I am waiting for you, O Lord.  You must answer for me, O Lord my God.  I prayed, “Don’t let my enemies gloat over me or rejoice at my downfall.”  I am on the verge of collapse, facing constant pain.  But I confess my sins; I am deeply sorry for what I have done.  I have many aggressive enemies; they hate me without reason.  They repay me evil for good and oppose me for pursuing good.  Do not abandon me, O Lord.  Do not stand at a distance, my God.  Come quickly to help me, O Lord my savior.  Psalm 38:1-22(NLT)

Waiting is always hard; just ask a 4-year-old who is trying to go to sleep on Christmas Eve.  But waiting when you’re in pain and have no answers is the hardest assignment known to humankind.  And what makes it harder is when the heavens seem silent and indifferent to your pain.

King David understood his life was on the verge of collapse, physically, mentally, and, worst of all, spiritually.  Relationships, respect, and his very life were at an all-consuming low.  He’d offended God, and everyone imaginable, and he was paying for his sins in overwhelming, consummate grief; David existed just a breath away from all kinds of death, with an elephant sitting on his chest, laughing at how the former conquering darling of Israel, now struggled to get just one more filling of air into his lungs.  The words describing his anguish roll like an inventory of judgment:  crushed, groaning, heartbroken, convicted, weakness, dim vision, disinterested, pursued, trapped…and forsaken.  He was waiting in pain with no answers.  In response to David’s circumstances was that thundering silence of the absence of hope.  He knew there was no way out. 

Amid this Psalmist’s prayer we hear the cry of desperation:  You know what I long for, Lord; David longed for an end to it all.  The only question was how long will this take, and how shall it end?  Visions of a whole bottle of pills danced through David’s imagination; or would it be falling on his sword, or an enemy’s sneak attack while he slept, or perhaps just start the chariot in the closed garage and wait for the fumes to do their blessed work.

The prayer came quickly at the end, but it was attached to a lifetime of having placed himself firmly, unquestionably in God’s hands.  David, despite his sin and shame that the whole nation knew, was still a man after God’s own heart[ii] and he was committed to not speaking another word in this life if God didn’t answer.  His prayer was four words long:  COME   CLOSE    QUICKLY    SAVIOR!

That was it; no defenses, no excuses, no bargains, no claim of victim status; David knew his condition was his responsibility; he had no mitigation to offer as reasonable, and knew he needed the mercy of God; he only asked forgiveness.

And in the end, he got just that…and more:

Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!  Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!  When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long.  Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.  My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.  Interlude  Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt.  I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”  And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.  Psalm 32:1-5(NLT)

For You Today

Need we even say it?  Confession IS GOOD for the soul!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

Go to VIDEO

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[i] Title Image:  via Pixabay.com

[ii] Acts 13:22

Rivers of Tears

[i]

Thursday, July 27, 2017

Your laws are wonderful.  No wonder I obey them!  The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand.  I pant with expectation, longing for your commands.  Come and show me your mercy, as you do for all who love your name.  Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by evil.  Ransom me from the oppression of evil people; then I can obey your commandments.  Look upon me with love; teach me your decrees.  Rivers of tears gush from my eyes because people disobey your instructions. 

Psalm 119:129-136^(NLT)

David loved God as a shepherd boy tending his father’s flocks.  He loved God when he was a fugitive, running for his life because King Saul had a paranoid-schizophrenic break with reality, fearing that God was giving his throne to David.  Saul’s fears were founded, as God was about to have an obedient king in place of the disobedient Saul:

But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’  Acts 13:22^(NLT)

David loved God even though he was human and could sin as humans do.  That love for God drove David to repentance when he got publicly caught in his sins with Bathsheba; he repented and was restored. 

As a king David was moved to rivers of tears because he saw disobedience throughout the nation of Israel, and he knew the people were making the same mistake as Saul.

When it comes to having a relationship with God, the important thing for human beings to remember is that obedience trumps words, feelings and anything else! 

When David wrote this Psalm he was well on the other side of his most infamous moments of sin and separation from God.  He had experienced both the joy of obeying God’s word, and the pain of his own arrogance as his sin separated him from God’s fellowship.  And you can certainly tell the difference!

Therein is a model with which we can live!  It is the word of God that gives light to our understanding, instruction to our hearts and forms a safe footing for our steps.  Disobedience brings darkness to the soul, confusion in the heart and one trap after another in which we will fall as we are confronted with life’s harshness.

David declared God’s laws/ways were wonderful.  I have heard it described otherwise by today’s culture, as many refuse to have anyone tell them what to do, or how to live.  The difference between David, and those who refuse God’s way, is the reality of just how lovely and fulfilling life can be under God’s wing.   

For You Today

Obedience brings joy.  Don’t be like the child who shouts NO!!! to his parents about eating his string beans; that child will never know the strength healthy food can bring.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO

NOTES

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[i] Title Image: Ian Thomson, via Wikimedia Commons

King David's Prayer

[i]

Friday, December 16, 2016

Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?  And now, Sovereign Lord, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty!  Do you deal with everyone this way, O Sovereign Lord?  “What more can I say to you?  You know what your servant is really like, Sovereign Lord.  Because of your promise and according to your will, you have done all these great things and have made them known to your servant.  “How great you are, O Sovereign Lord!  There is no one like you.  2 Samuel 7:18-22a^(NLT)

King David had received so much – a throne over all Israel, wealth beyond measure, and acclaim by people throughout the known world.  Life was really good for the former shepherd boy who took down Goliath with nothing but a slingshot and faith in JHWH.

And the king, humble as his sheepherder’s roots, looks at it all and thinks, am I greater than God?  Who am I to have all this stuff, while the Lord God of heaven still  only has that tent for a home?  So David, ever the servant of his God, checked with Samuel the prophet about building JHWH’s temple.  Eventually, through Samuel, God said it wasn’t David, but his son Solomon who would build the temple, as God was planning to bless David’s lineage in an even greater way.  Our scripture this morning is King David’s prayer after learning all this. 

The part of David’s prayer that grips me most is his honest and humble transparancy:  You know what your servant is really like, Sovereign Lord.

David is alone with God, and the immensity of David’s fame, fortune, and power in human society and history means nothing; it’s all about his God, JHWH.  At that moment David, standing in respect, bowing in humility is still that shepherd boy – not the powerful king of sovereign Israel.  He is a child with his Abba, Father, and he utters the words an overwhelmed, blessed, and highly-favored child must:

O Lord – You know me, and yet you still love me and want to bless me!

And here we are today…you and I, at that meeting time with God at morning or whatever time, and I know you can identify with David.  Well, you may not be a king, but you understand what David said:  How can a God who knows our inmost being still love us and want to bless us? 

Can we talk? 

You know you; I know me.  Frankly, there is a part of me that says if anyone else really knew me, everything of my life, thoughts and weaknesses, they’d hit the road and never look back in my direction.  But JHWH knows all that stuff; he knows me and all my crumbling faith, insincerity and fear even better than I know me, and still He loves me like an heir to the throne! 

It is no wonder at all that David exclaimed to his God: 

“How great you are, O Sovereign Lord!  There is no one like you.

In writing the New Testament book of Acts, Luke recounts Israel’s history and shares with us that God called David a man after my own heart.[ii]  And this whole prayer is why that is so.  David looked at how JHWH had blessed him and wanted to respond by blessing God.  JHWH had other plans, but in revealing those plans, blessed David even more.  David sensed his insignificance compared to the great Sovereign God of heaven’s creation and eternity – yet was incredibly overwhelmed with how much he was loved.

It’s true…no one but JHWH loves like that!

For You Today

David’s words are a wonderful prayer for us to hold today.  But holding the words alone, absent of walking the way those words direct, will leave the words empty and meaningless.  Let the words drop from your mouth to your heart…and then to your feet.  Let King David’s prayer of blessing the Lord be your life’s mission!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO

NOTES

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[i] Title image: Pieter de Grebber (circa 1600–1652/1653) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

[ii] Acts 13:22

Overwhelmed

[i]

Thursday, October 20, 2016

What mighty praise, O God, belongs to you in Zion.  We will fulfill our vows to you, for you answer our prayers.  All of us must come to you.  Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all.  Psalm 65:1-3^(NLT)

Thoughtful, or inward-exploring people, are those who spend much time searching-out their inner life.  It can be a problem.

I know. 

We are labeled introverts, and not incorrectly; our energy is quickly consumed by the outer life of engaging with others.  Most of our re-energizing comes from spending time alone.  Humans are made with rechargeable emotional batteries, but one size does NOT fit all!  Extroverts recharge when in a crowd with opportunities to talk, laugh and kick the party up a notch.  Introverts find an excuse to go home and sit with a book or just scratch the dog’s belly. 

Just like you wouldn’t try to run a 220 volt dryer with a couple of double-A Energizers, you don’t cheer-up an introvert by scheduling a surprise party at his house; that’s where introverted batteries go to die!

I’ve been an introvert long enough to have figured out that I won’t die if I engage with people.  But I can go on life-support if I spend too much time alone.  Of course I’m pointing to the concept of balance which people need in life.  To do the math, extroverts may need a balance of 80% group hugs, and only 20% alone time.  Introverts can wear down quickly if it’s not the other way around.

I am somewhat convinced that King David was an introvert; he wrote of being overwhelmed by our sins.  David’s life was quite public (being a king will tend towards that!), and so were his sins and failures.  The consequences of being an adulterer, and being publicly humiliated by God’s prophet for that, as well as conspiracy to commit murder to cover his reputation, were such that David was driven deep within to search out his heart.  David prayed:

Have mercy on me, O God…blot out the stain of my sins.  Wash me clean from my guilt.  Purify me from my sin.  For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.  Psalm 51:1-3

This was the prayer of a man deeply-convicted by sin and guilt; David was overwhelmed and yet he was still called a man after God’s own heart.[ii]  I believe this is so because, though David was up against his own sin, the devil’s accusation and the possibility of losing everything, this introvert knew enough to lay out his case before God and pray for mercy, not justice.

Assured of forgiveness, David went on, warts and all, to serve God for many years.  And God used him to build the kingdom and create many of the beautiful Psalms that help us worship and know God.

I have known quite a few pastors who, like David, engage with people in a public ministry, but when the meeting is over they must run home to recharge, to re-connect with the inner life.  Charles Haddon Spurgeon, legendary preacher at the London Tabernacle, was the most famous of ministers of his day, speaking to thousands each week.  They may not have termed it “introversion” in his day, but it’s clear from some of what he wrote that he battled being an introvert in a world run by extroversion:

I am the subject of depression so fearful that I hope none of you ever get to such extremes of wretchedness as I go to.  But I always get back again by this–I know that I trust Christ.  I have no reliance but in Him, and if He falls, I shall fall with Him.  But if He does not, I shall not.  Because He lives, I shall live also, and I spring to my legs again and fight with my depressions of spirit and get the victory through it.  And so may you do, and so you must, for there is no other way of escaping from it.[iii]

For You Today

Overwhelmed?  Follow David’s tracks to the altar; that’s where the healing begins.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO

NOTES

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[i] Title Images: Carol M. Highsmith [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

[ii] Acts 13:22

[iii] Suffer from Depression?  Spurgeon Did Too