Psalm 4
1 Answer me when I call, O God, of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Be gracious to me and hear my prayer. 2 O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach? How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? 3 But know that the Lord has set apart the Godly man for Himself; the Lord hears when I call to Him. 4 Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate upon your bed, and be still. 5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and trust in the Lord. 6 Many are saying, "Who will show us any good?" Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord! 7 You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound. 8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
I relate so well to David as the writer of the Psalms, as my prayers I feel mirror his. I begin my time with God feeling so desperate...searching for God in my life, because sometimes this life seems so far from Him. Then the prayers finish remembering the goodness of God, realizing that when I center my life around Jesus I can rest in peace. This Psalm in particular at the end when it says "in peace I will both lie down and sleep," rings true because sometimes the stress of life makes sleeping so difficult, yet in Christ I can sleep in peace.
Another part of this Psalm that is refreshing, is the reminder that We are set apart as followers of Christ. The promise that follows this is that when we cry out to Him, He hears us.
Ah...the refreshment of the Psalms. Always a reminder to me of how much I can just trust the Lord.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Psalm 3 (NASB)
1 O LORD, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. 2 Many are saying of my soul, "There is no deliverance for him in God. 3 But You, O LORD are a shield about me, My glory and the One who lifts my head. 4 I was crying to the LORD with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain. 5 I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustains me. 6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about. 7 Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God! For you have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked. 8 Salvation belongs to the LORD; Your blessings be upon Your people!
Reading this Psalm in context makes me think that my life is so easy... David was running for his life, from his son when he wrote this Psalm. So to him, I'm sure the world seemed completely against him. I know, even though it's nothing compared to what David was feeling, that sometimes I feel like the world is at odds with me. However, what I appreciate about this is the response, God is my shield, He keeps my head up, He answers me and ultimately...I can sleep peacefully at night, no matter the circumstances. This Psalm is filled with promises of God's strength and power.
The other part of this Psalm that stuck out is the imagery of how the enemies are dealt with, it seems to describe a close up fight...hand to hand and the enemy is beat up, struck to the face with broken teeth. That's a pretty great description! This Psalm is a promise to fall back on when it feels like the world isn't for you, God is!
1 O LORD, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. 2 Many are saying of my soul, "There is no deliverance for him in God. 3 But You, O LORD are a shield about me, My glory and the One who lifts my head. 4 I was crying to the LORD with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain. 5 I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustains me. 6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about. 7 Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God! For you have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked. 8 Salvation belongs to the LORD; Your blessings be upon Your people!
Reading this Psalm in context makes me think that my life is so easy... David was running for his life, from his son when he wrote this Psalm. So to him, I'm sure the world seemed completely against him. I know, even though it's nothing compared to what David was feeling, that sometimes I feel like the world is at odds with me. However, what I appreciate about this is the response, God is my shield, He keeps my head up, He answers me and ultimately...I can sleep peacefully at night, no matter the circumstances. This Psalm is filled with promises of God's strength and power.
The other part of this Psalm that stuck out is the imagery of how the enemies are dealt with, it seems to describe a close up fight...hand to hand and the enemy is beat up, struck to the face with broken teeth. That's a pretty great description! This Psalm is a promise to fall back on when it feels like the world isn't for you, God is!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Psalm 2 (ESV)
1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, 3 "Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us." 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the LORD holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 "As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill." 7 I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me. "You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them into pieces like a potter's vessel." 10 Now therefore , O kings, be wise; be warned O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Out of this Psalm I take comfort in the last phrase, "Blessed are those who take refuge in him." The beginning of this Psalm just leads up to this phrase. If you're on God's side, who can be against you. Anyone can say what they want. They can plot and plan, but you will be blessed taking refuge with him.
The real twist though is, we have to take refuge in God. Taking refuge, is easier said then done. Especially in this day and age. We like to be visible and accessible. When we take refuge in God, we hide ourselves in him.
1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, 3 "Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us." 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the LORD holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 "As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill." 7 I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me. "You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them into pieces like a potter's vessel." 10 Now therefore , O kings, be wise; be warned O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Out of this Psalm I take comfort in the last phrase, "Blessed are those who take refuge in him." The beginning of this Psalm just leads up to this phrase. If you're on God's side, who can be against you. Anyone can say what they want. They can plot and plan, but you will be blessed taking refuge with him.
The real twist though is, we have to take refuge in God. Taking refuge, is easier said then done. Especially in this day and age. We like to be visible and accessible. When we take refuge in God, we hide ourselves in him.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Psalm 1 (NASB)
1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
When I was first thinking about writing this and recalling what I know about this chapter, I thought; "man this will be an easy chapter to reflect on," well I thought too soon. When I first read this, it stood out to me as...almost self righteous, or look at the "righteous" they've got it all figured out, they don't even associate with the wicked. Then I looked at it again. This is a comparison...it's no written to put down but to show the difference between two types of people, the righteous person and the wicked person. When you look at this Psalm this way, you have to think what makes these two types of people. Malachi 3:18 describes the difference between the righteous and the wicked as "those who serve God and those who do not." James and Genesis describe Abraham as righteous because of his faith. The word wicked is defined as being morally very bad. So when we compare these, serving and not, faith verse bad...this is the comparison we see.
Now what makes a person righteous... Romans 4:5 says; "But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners." So this goes to show that what WE DO can not separate ourselves from the wicked, it is our faith in God that separates us.
When I look at this chapter again, I see that it is just a description of the effects of faith in God. It shows that the righteous, those made right with God through faith, live life to a different level then the wicked, those who do not serve God. It is faith in God that separates the life of the righteous and the wicked.
1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
When I was first thinking about writing this and recalling what I know about this chapter, I thought; "man this will be an easy chapter to reflect on," well I thought too soon. When I first read this, it stood out to me as...almost self righteous, or look at the "righteous" they've got it all figured out, they don't even associate with the wicked. Then I looked at it again. This is a comparison...it's no written to put down but to show the difference between two types of people, the righteous person and the wicked person. When you look at this Psalm this way, you have to think what makes these two types of people. Malachi 3:18 describes the difference between the righteous and the wicked as "those who serve God and those who do not." James and Genesis describe Abraham as righteous because of his faith. The word wicked is defined as being morally very bad. So when we compare these, serving and not, faith verse bad...this is the comparison we see.
Now what makes a person righteous... Romans 4:5 says; "But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners." So this goes to show that what WE DO can not separate ourselves from the wicked, it is our faith in God that separates us.
When I look at this chapter again, I see that it is just a description of the effects of faith in God. It shows that the righteous, those made right with God through faith, live life to a different level then the wicked, those who do not serve God. It is faith in God that separates the life of the righteous and the wicked.
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