Proverbs 1-2: The Beginning of Knowledge

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, - Prov. 1:7  NIV

Wisdom calls aloud in the street,
she raises her voice in the public squares;
at the head of the noisy streets she cries out,
in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:
"How long will you simple ones love your simple ways?
How long will mockers delight in mockery
and fools hate knowledge?  - Prov. 1:20-22 NIV

and if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
For the LORD gives wisdom,
and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding
- Prov. 2:4-6

Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, knew what most of us ignore:  that God alone is the source of all wisdom and knowledge.  Today, in a world is driven by technology and information overflow, everyone has an opinion, but there is limited wisdom.  According to Solomon, wisdom is there, waiting for us to respond, to seek the truth, but she is ignored.  And when distress and calamity come upon us, those who have rejected the Lord and as a result have rejected knowledge, will not be spared.  We will not be able to find the solution to our problems.  We will have information, but no knowledge.  We're looking for answers in all the wrong places.

when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you.
"Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
they will look for me but will not find me.
Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD,
since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke,
they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
- Prov 1:27-31

Psalms 144-150: Let Everything That Has Breath

The Psalmist was right when he said:
O LORD, what is man that you care for him,
the son of man that you think of him?
Man is like a breath;
his days are like a fleeting shadow. - Ps.144:3-4 NIV

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations. - Ps. 145:13 NIV
 
Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—the LORD, who remains faithful forever. - Ps.146:3-5 NIV

Considering all of this,  who God is and how limited we are in scope to his power and majesty, it is fitting that the Psalms end as they do with the 150th Psalm.  This great and awesome God, the Maker of heaven and earth, whose kingdom endures forever, has from the beginning of time, and will until the end continue to care for his creation.  What have we done to deserve it?  What can we do other than:

Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with the strings and flute,
praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD. - Ps. 150 NIV

Psalms 139-143: Surrounded

When we really get serious about knowing God, we realize that it is He who has known us all along. 

O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.
You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain. - Ps. 139:1-6 NIV

To know God as he knows us is too much for most of us to contemplate.  It is more than seeing the world through God's eyes.  To know God as he knows us is to have his thoughts be our thoughts.  It would have been impossible for the ancients to experience that type of relationship, but the Word became flesh and dwelt among men, and it was no longer impossible to say we know what God is like.  Furthermore, to solidify that memory, when the Son returned to the Father, he sent His Spirit to dwell in us, so we can know the heart of God.  And that Spirit, the one that cries 'Abba, Father', creates a desire in us that will never be satisfied until we know God as we are known.

Psalms 133-138: His Love Endures Forever

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.  - Ps. 136:1-3 NIV

Psalm 136 is a wonderful liturgical work.  The second line of each verse is 'His love endures forever', as the Psalmist recounts all the wonderful deeds of the Lord God from the creation of the universe, through the children of Israel being delivered out of Egypt, to the conquering of the land of Israel.  Throughout all of the known history at the time, they could look back and see that God's love endured.  He never forgot his creation, he always made a way. 

Why is it so often that only in retrospect can we see the hand of God at work.  We should be singing continually 'His love endures forever.'  For it does, in the midst of wars, disasters, economic collapse, and the more personal accidents, separations, deaths, his love endures.  Wherever you are right now, 'His love endures forever.'

Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever. - Ps. 136:26 NIV

Psalms 127-132: A Lord Built House

Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. - Ps. 127:1 NIV

Psalms 132 talks about David and the vow he made to God:

"I will not enter my house or go to my bed-
I will allow no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids,
till I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob."  - Ps. 132:3-5 NIV

David was intent on finding a place for God.  He knew how the ark had been shuffled from place to place and he wanted a permanent site for God's dwelling.  But, instead of David building the temple for God, he was told that God would build a house for him. 

Unless the Lord builds the house, it's builders labor in vain.  It's hard to grasp sometimes that we really have nothing to contribute.  It is all the Lords.  It is all his creation, and has been from the beginning of time.  Most of us get a sense of our self worth from what we accomplish.  But God wants us to recognize that it is all from him. He is the builder:  of empires, of cities, of our houses and homes.  Blessing comes when we realize that He is the architect, He is the builder.  While we labor along with him, blessing comes when we fear him and walk in his ways.

Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways.
You will eat the fruit of your labor;
blessings and prosperity will be yours.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house;
your sons will be like olive shoots around your table.
Thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD. - Ps. 128:1-4

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Psalms 120-126: Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem

Cries of the Psalmists:

Too long have I lived among those who hate peace.
I am a man of peace; but when I speak, they are for war
- Ps 120:6-7 NIV

I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth
- Ps. 121:1-2 NIV

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May those who love you be secure.
May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels."
- Ps. 122:6-7 NIV

Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us,
for we have endured much contempt.
We have endured much ridicule from the proud,
much contempt from the arrogant. - Ps. 123:3-4 NIV

If the LORD had not been on our side—let Israel say-
if the LORD had not been on our side when men attacked us,
when their anger flared against us,
they would have swallowed us alive;
the flood would have engulfed us,
the torrent would have swept over us,
the raging waters would have swept us away.
Praise be to the LORD, who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
We have escaped like a bird out of the fowler's snare;
the snare has been broken, and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
- Ps. 124 NIV

As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore.
- Ps. 125:2 NIV

When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion,
we were like them that dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
and our tongue with singing:
then said they among the heathen,
The LORD hath done great things for them. - Ps. 126:1-2 KJV

Some day, Jerusalem, Israel, and the people of God will be restored.

Psalms 119: A Blessed Life

The first thing that comes to mind about the 119th Psalm is that it is long, 176 verses in all.  It is hard for us to comprehend a comprehensive thought of that length.  On closer inspection, you find that each section from Aleph to Taw consists of eight verses .  Each section is named for a letter of the Hebrew alphabet and is in alphabetic order.  In addition, in the original Hebrew, each verse within the section began with the corresponding letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  This structure, however, should not take away from the depth of the content.

Look closely and you can see the map of a man's life, from youth to old age.  You can see the stages of life that we go through.  It starts out with a young man who is seeking to follow God, who is storing up God's decrees in order to follow them for the rest of his life, to the .

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.
I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees. - Ps. 119:9-11 NIV

Further on in the psalm you see that the man who has been following God is tested and has to rely on what he learned as a youth.

Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies,
I keep your precepts with all my heart.
Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law.
It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. - Ps. 119:69-71NIV

And when he is older, he longs for peace and salvation and waits in anticipation for the next thing that God has for him.

I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil.
I hate and abhor falsehood but I love your law.
Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws.
Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.
I wait for your salvation, O LORD, and I follow your commands. - Ps. 119:162-166 NIV

Throughout all of these verses as Charles Spurgeon points out, there are three main themes:  prayer, praise and testimony.  A fitting reminder that that is how we are to live our daily lives.

Psalms 111-118: Not to us, O Lord, Not to us

Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness. - Ps. 115:1 NIV

How many times throughout history have God's children tried to claim the glory for themselves.  It started in Heaven when a beautiful prince thought he could be like God.  It continued in the Garden of Eden where both woman and man were tempted to believe there was a knowledge that was better than the knowledge of God.  It continued on down through the ages:  to Pharaoh, who thought he could outfox the God of the Children of Israel and keep them in bondage; to Aaron who created a golden calf when the Israelites thought Moses was on the mountain with God for too long; to Saul, when he thought he was the source of his power and success as the king of Israel; to the various kings that succeeded him who thought their power was their own; and on and on, down to the present day where televangelists convince their audiences that their power can be purchased by a love offering. 

The Psalmist knew this when he said in Psalms 111:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise. - Ps. 111:10 NIV

The search for glory and praise for our own efforts is the ultimate vanity.  We are sheltered by a God who loves us with an unending love.  What more can we want?  Can all the glory and praise, that the world could afford, be worth more.

Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the LORD has been good to you. - Ps. 116:7 NIV

Psalms 107-110: His Love Endures Forever

In Psalms 108, David sings that God's steadfast love is great and higher than the heavens. 

I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, higher than the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
and let your glory be over all the earth.  - Ps. 108:3-5 NIV

God's steadfast and great love is something that not even David can completely comprehend.  He sees glimpses of it, but not the entirety.  In Psalms 109, David is lamenting that the wicked are arrayed against him and he asks God that they receive the punishment that they deserve. 

May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership.
May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.
May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes.
May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children.
May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation. - Ps. 109:8-13 NIV

But in Psalms 107, David reveals that he has also seen how God answers those who wandered in desert wastelands, those who sat in darkness and deepest gloom, those who were fools through their rebellious ways and those who cried for help in the depths of the storm.

It's difficult for us to conceive sometimes that the wicked are wandering in desert wastelands or sitting in the dark.  Too often it looks like they are on top of the world.  But, no matter what the outward appearance is, God knows the depths of their despair and his great love will reach out to any who call on him.  His steadfast love is great.  His love endures forever.

Psalms 104-106: Bless Thou the Lord O My Soul

May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in his works,
who looks on the earth and it trembles,
who touches the mountains and they smoke!
I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the LORD.
Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
and let the wicked be no more!
Bless the LORD, O my soul! Praise the LORD! - Ps. 104 31-35

Words cannot contain or adequately describe the wonder that is the Lord God.  As the Psalmist said, He wraps himself in light. (Ps 104:2)  He holds the universe in his hand for he alone is the creator of all we see or know.  Not only does the whole earth belong to him, but he has been present in the lives of his creation since the beginning of time.  He fulfilled his promise to Abraham, he led his people into a promised land, he spoke time and time again through the prophets and finally sent his very own son so that we could have a personal relationship with him.  When this becomes our meditation, we have no choice but to sing 'Bless the LORD, O my soul! Praise the LORD!'

Psalms 100-103: From Everlasting to Everlasting

Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry for help come to you.
Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress.
Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly.
For my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers.
My heart is blighted and withered like grass; I forget to eat my food.
Because of my loud groaning I am reduced to skin and bones. - Ps. 102:1-5 NIV

Anyone who has had major surgery or suffered a catastrophic injury knows what it is like to be in a seemingly endless distress.  Each fog filled day is followed by another and it seems there is no end in sight.  The things that once were pleasing, a good meal, a soothing song, the face of a loved one, cannot touch you as they once did.  And so the Psalmist cries, 'In the course of my life he broke my strength; he cut short my days....In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end. - Ps. 102:23-27 NIV

for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children's children- Ps. 103:14-17 NIV

In the midst of our pain and suffering, the Lord's love is wrapped around us.  The love of the one who created us is unfailing, it never changes, it will never end.

Psalms 95-99: Sing, The Lord Reigns

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. - Ps. 95:1 NIV

Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day. - Ps. 96:1-2 NIV

The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad;
let the distant shores rejoice. - Ps. 97:1 NIV

Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things; - Ps. 98:1 NIV

The LORD reigns, let the nations tremble;
he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake. - Ps. 99:1 NIV

There seems to be a pattern here. Sing it says. Sing a new song. Not the same old song of grumbling, anxiety and fear. No! Sing a new song! Sing a joyful song! Sing a song of praise! For the Lord reigns. No matter what. He sits enthroned between the cherubim. Let the earth shake, let the nations tremble. The Lord reigns. And we sing.

Psalms 90-94: Because He Loves Me

"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name." - Ps.91:14 NIV

God says he will rescue and protect us because we love him.  Not because of any great deeds we have done, not because of sacrifices we have made at great cost, but because we love him.  That shouldn't be a difficult thing to do.  The Psalmists could look back and see God's faithfulness.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place
throughout all generations.
Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God. - Ps. 90:1-2 NIV

All we have to do as the Psalmist reminds us is to dwell in Him, to remain in Him.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."  - Ps. 91:1-2 NIV

And not because we are afraid of Him, but because we love Him.  God has always been after our hearts. He has given his love willingly.  He desires the same of his people.

Psalms 84-90: Where is Your Love

In Psalms 89, the psalmist asks

'O Lord, where is your former great love,
which in your faithfulness you swore to David? - Ps 89:49

The psalmist recalls the time when God spoke to his people, when he said of David

I will maintain my love to him forever, and my covenant with him will never fail.
I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure. - Ps.89:28-29 NIV

But that covenant had two sides.  It's easy to hold God to his promises, while we hope to skate by, avoiding the requirements on the other side.
 
"If his sons forsake my law and do not follow my statutes,
if they violate my decrees and fail to keep my commands,
I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging;
but I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.
I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered. - Ps. 89:30-34 NIV

God promises that he will not take his love away, but if we look at our circumstances as proof of his great love, we will often misinterpret it.  Just because our circumstances are less than ideal, or even at times, life threatening, it does not mean God does not love us.  God promised to punish us for our sins, just as he promised to love us.  To think we can sin and be protected from the consequences is foolhardy. 

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 6:22-23 NIV

When we sin, we suffer, but God does not stop loving us.

Psalms 79-83: Israel Then and Now

You have made us a source of contention to our neighbors,
and our enemies mock us. - Psalms 80:8 NIV

The later psalmists, those who came after David, sang a different song than that of David.  Most of David's songs were personal and full of pleas for his personal safety or salvation.  The later Psalms have to do primarily with the fate of Israel and often are bemoaning the fact that God has abandoned them to their enemies.

Why have you broken down its walls
so that all who pass by pick its grapes?
Boars from the forest ravage it
and the creatures of the field feed on it.
Return to us, O God Almighty! Look down from heaven and see!
Watch over this vine, the root your right hand has planted,
the son you have raised up for yourself. - Ps. 81:12-15 NIV

'Why?' they cry.  'Why have you abandoned us?'  And then in the next breath, because they know the answer already, they sing God's answer to his people.

"But my people would not listen to me;
Israel would not submit to me.
So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
to follow their own devices. 

"If my people would but listen to me,
if Israel would follow my ways,
how quickly would I subdue their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes! - Ps.81:11-14 NIV

God is not asking his people for the earth, moon, or stars.  He is not asking for any thing that is impossible.  He is asking only that Israel, and that includes his people today, would listen to him, that they would follow his ways.  There is always hope.  There was hope for Israel then, there is hope for Israel now.  There is hope for us as well.

Psalms 73-78: Surely God is good to Israel

The psalmists thought that they had seen it all. 
O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple,
they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble ......
We are objects of reproach to our neighbors,
of scorn and derision to those around us. - Ps79:1-4 NIV

They thought that the destruction they had witnessed of Jerusalem, was as bad as it could get.  But history has proved that there is no limit to the wickedness of men's hearts, especially as directed towards His chosen people. And so, the question ask in Psalms 77 still hovers in the air today.

"Will the Lord reject forever?
Will he never show his favor again?
Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
Has his promise failed for all time?  - Ps77:7-8 NIV

And the conclusion that the Psalmist reached centuries ago remains as well.

Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever. - Ps. 73:25-26 NIV

Israels fate, their strength, their portion, and our fate as well, remains in the hands of a strong, loving and forgiving God.

Psalms 71-72: When I'm Old and Gray

My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
of your salvation all day long,
though I know not its measure. - Ps 71:15 - NIV

There is no way we can comprehend what God has done and continues to do for us, his chosen people.  We have no response except to, as the Psalmist said, 'Tell of his righteousness, of his salvation all day long."

He is the God who was, who is, and is to come.  There would be no end to our praises if we could wrap our mind around that concept.  There is no other God.   He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your might to all who are to come. - Ps. 71:18 NIV

Psalms 66-70: An Answer

Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard;
he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.
For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.

You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.
You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water,
but you brought us to a place of abundance. - Ps. 66:9-12 NIV

God always answers our cries.  It may not always be in our timing, or in the way we imagine, but he always answers.  When we're carrying those heavy burdens, or walking through fire and water.  When we feel like we're in prison or men are trampling all over us, he still hears and is answering our cries.  Not only our cries for help, but our cries of 'Why Lord?'  He always answers.  Many times we can only see the answers by looking back.  Usually that is long after the crisis has past.  When we find our feet on solid ground and realize that not only are we safe, we are prospering more than we ever imagined, then we look back and see that it was all for our benefit.  It was all for our growth that we were being refined.  Even those around us can't help but see the shining, silver reflection of God's love that we have become.
 
And in the end we see, that God not only answered our cry for help, but he answered our cry for an answer.  It was always to bring us into a place of abundance.

Psalms 61-65: God is Love

One thing God has spoken,
two things have I heard:
that you, O God, are strong,
and that you, O Lord, are loving. - Ps. 62:11-12 NIV

I have tried to keep myself out of these devotionals, to only look at the history, the story of God and His people.  But, once you start reading the Psalms, it becomes almost impossible.  The Psalms are so personal.  They tell of not just the history of the children of Israel, but of the relationship between the psalmists and their God.  In a sense, they are telling all of our stories.  They decry their weaknesses and the enemies arrayed against them.  They sing of God's strength, protection, and majesty.  And so, these psalms become our songs as well.

Our pastor's wife wrote this song with words taken from Psalms 63 after two of their children died during the time they were serving God on the mission field.

Oh my God, I have searched for you
In this dry and thirsty land
I wait quietly, for you are my hope
Then I remember this one thing.
I have seen you in your sanctuary
Gazed upon your power and your glory.
Your unfailing love is better to me than life itself
I will lift my hands to honor and praise you
You alone are my Redeemer
I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.

Even when we feel abandoned by the world, life, the circumstances around us, we still have this knowledge, that we are loved, that there is always a rock that is higher than us, a refuge, a strong tower.  And that rock is the definition of love itself.

Psalms 56-60: Be Exalted O God

I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth. - Ps. 57: 9-11

Did the psalmists, when they were composing these psalms over 2000 years ago, realize what timeless refrains they were creating.  Did they realize that these words would be translated into thousands of languages, read and sung by millions.  Or were they just expressing the universal truths of their time which, by no accident are the universal truths of our time as well.  They could not have anticipated this world, which is so different in technology and resources from theirs.  They could not conceived of a time where we would see and communicate around the world instantaneously.  They may not have even known that the world was round or that there were people of different ethnicities.

All they knew were their circumstances and their God.  They knew about being pursued by their enemies and by sin.  They knew about bloodthirsty men who lay in wait for them.  And they knew the one they could trust.
Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me;
all day long they press their attack.
My slanderers pursue me all day long;
many are attacking me in their pride. -
When I am afraid, I will trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mortal man do to me? - Ps. 56:1-4

The same need that drew men to God in ancient times, is the same need that draws all who will come to Him in this day as well.  And in response to his mighty power to preserve those who put their trust in him, even today, all of his children throughout the nations, can do nothing but praise and exalt Him.

Psalms 51-55: A Matter of the Heart

When is our cry to God most honest?  When we are crying out for help when we are under attack, or when we are crying out in desperation for mercy because of our own hearts?  David's cries to God are the most poignant when he goes to God after being confronted by the prophet Nathan for committing adultery with Bathsheba.  His sin and his treachery against Uriah was great, but David realized that he had committed a greater sin against God.  He could not get it out of his mind. The prospect of being separated from God was more than he could bear. None of his cries to God, even when he was being pursued to the death by king Saul, were as full of pain as this cry from his heart.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,  - Ps 51:1-4

In the end, all of our sins are against God, and only he can restore us.

Psalms 46-50: Great is the Lord

O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph - Ps. 47:1 KJV

Sometimes there is nothing more that can be said.  No words left to describe the majesty that is the Lord God.  The Psalmist knew this when he wrote the 47th Psalm and encouraged the people to clap and shout.  He wasn't talking about a tepid response.  He was looking for a roar that would drown out the loudest fans at a football game. 

God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth: - Ps. 47:5-6 KJV

Think of that God has gone up.  He came down, he lived as a man for a few short years, but he has gone back up.  With a shout!  With trumpets and loud hosannas, his Father and the angels welcomed him back.


Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.

Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. - Ps 48: 1-2 KJV

We should all be clapping our hands and singing at the top of our voices!

Psalm 41-46: Deep calls to Deep

As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after you,
You alone are my hearts desire and I long to worship you.

There is this longing inside all of us. A longing that has been with us from the beginning of time, for something that we can't describe, but something that we know will fill in all of the missing pieces.  'Why are you downcast, o my soul?' the Psalmist asks.  But then he realizes immediately what is missing. 

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
My  soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers have swept over me. - Ps. 41:5-7 NIV

We all have that deep place within us.  That bottomless well that is never filled completely.  We all thirst and pant for the living water.  And like the Psalmist, many have known where that thirst can be satisfied.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells. - Ps. 46:4 NIV

Where the Most High dwells, in the presence of a Holy God, is where we find all we need.  That's where the deep need within us meets God's deep ability to fill up al the empty places.

Psalms 37-41: Trust in the Lord

Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. - Ps. 37:1-6 NIV

Do not fret.  Do not be envious. Trust in the Lord. Do good.
Delight yourself in the Lord.  Commit your way to the Lord.

This all sounds well and good, but when we are called upon to do it, when the threats of evil men come upon us, it is often the last thing we think of doing.  Fighting back usually occupies a central place in our response..  Was that David's response when he was being chased without mercy by his best friends father.  When he was hiding in the caves was he thinking of getting even with Saul, of going after him with his small but faithful band of loyal soldiers.  Did he wish that he was sitting in Saul's palace instead of in a dark, dank cave.  No, David knew what many of us are prone to forget.

I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,
but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found. - Ps. 37:35-36 NIV

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced;
burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.
Then I said, "Here I am, I have come— it is written about me in the scroll.
I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."  - Ps. 40:6-8

It's easy to forget that God is not looking for someone to fight his battles; to take on the evil men all around.  He's looking for those who trust, who delight in him, who desire to do his will, who have written his law in their hearts.

Psalms 32-36: God's Limitless Love

David knew what it was like to sin grievously and yet be forgiven by God when he confessed and turned back to Him. God has always been faithful and forgiving to he has called by name..  As David said,

For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.
The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. - Ps 33:4-5 NIV

This has been true as well for his people, Israel, who he called to be his own centuries ago.  They have turned away from him many times, but he has always been faithful.  A remnant has always been preserved.  His love will not fail them even in these days.

The LORD foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he chose for his inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind;
from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth-
he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.
No king is saved by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by his great strength.
A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.
We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. - Psalms 33:10-20 NIV

A righteous, all knowing God looks down from heaven and sees what is really going on.  He sees those who fear him, those who hope in him, and he has been, is, and will always be faithful.
Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. - Ps. 36:5-6

Psalms 28-31: Ascribe to the Lord

To you I call, O LORD my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.
Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place. - Ps 28:1-2 NIV

Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. Ps.29:1-2 NIV

For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning. - Ps. 30:5 NIV

You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever. - Ps. 30:11-12NIV

How great is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you,
which you bestow in the sight of men
on those who take refuge in you. - Ps. 31:19 NIV

These verses describe David's life and the life of many of God's people through the years.  When we're beset upon by circumstances, our first instinct is to cry for help.  But as David learned, that cry for help must eventually turn to praise.  He knew he had to ascribe glory to God.  There was nothing else he could do, but cry, 'Holy, Holy, Holy.'  That always brings us to the end of ourselves and we see God as he truly is. And in that moment, our circumstances change.  Our wailing becomes dancing.  We throw off our sackcloth and take up the joy that comes from being totally consumed by God, the one who formed us, the one who loved us from the beginning.  Then, even in the midst of the storm, we can say, 'How great is our God!'