Tag Archives: Psalms

SOAP – Day Three – Psalm 91:1-6

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324904370_640Today we continue with our SOAP challenge.  We’ll be doing our reflection today, using the method of bible study known as the SOAP method.  If you missed yesterday’s study, you can click here. Let’s begin!

S – scripture

Just a note, I read from the ESV translation. But used whatever version speaks to you. BibleGateway has a great collection of all the bibles out there for you to read through.

Remember to read slowly.  Listen.  Listen for what God will say to you this.  You have a lot to do today, I know. But take these moments to listen for His voice through His work.  It will change your day.  Psalm 91:1-6:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

O – observation

What did you see when you read?  What did you notice?  This is what I observed.

God is our refuge, shelter, and the one that we trust

God is our safe place.  David, when he wrote the Psalm was on the run from King Saul. And so he was out in the open a lot, hiding.  The notion of a shelter or a refuge, those are huge. Those thing protect you.  Keep you safe.  Keep you from harm.  Not that there is not harm out there.  The fact that these things exist, means that there are things out there that can bring you great harm.

The fact that God is these things acknowledges that harm does exist.  But God will protect us from it.

God will hide us under His wings

A bird will bring their babies under their wings, to protect them. God will protect us. But, a bird doesn’t protect their babies with harm to themselves. If a baby bird is under the wing, yes, it is safe. But the wing of the parent will be hit, and potentially hurt. So, it isn’t just that God protects us and saves us, but he has allowed Himself to be harmed for our protection?

How?

The cross.  The thing that saves us, came at a great cost to Jesus.

We will not fear, by night or day, darkness or noon day

The night is scary because that’s where the thieves, robbers, and wild animals lurk.  No one ever likes to go out at night.  No one.  Today, we are reminded that God will protect us at night and in the dark.

The heat of the midday sun is unbearable in that part of the world.  It will sap your strength and your will.  It will make you want to give up, because the burden is too great.  God will protect us from the heat of the son.

A – application

How will I apply this to my life?

Find your protection in God.

You protection and safty does not come from your wealth, or power, or status, or connection, or any of these things.  They will not be your refuge.  They may provide comfort at times, but they are not the ultimate shelter in the storm. Today, what you are you relying on? Where is you hope?  Where is your strength?  God is our shelter.  Only He can truly protect.  Is He really your shelter today, or are you relying on something else?

I don’t need to take grace for granted 

The shelter of His wings came at high price to Him.  The grace that I and we receive, while free to us, cost Jesus dearly.  Remember that grace is free, but not cheap.  Let us never, ever, ever take His grace for granted.  May we always be thankful for our freedom and forgiveness.  May we always remember what that grace cost.

No matter what I am afraid of, God is bigger

There is nothing that we should fear to day. Dark or light, night or morning. God is our protection.  He is our hope.  He is bigger than no matter what you fear.  No matter what you are afraid of, God is bigger.  He is.  Trust that.  His word says it. Claim it today.

P- prayer

God, today, may I seek to live my life, placing my full hope in you, you along.  May I never take your grace for granted. And may I live life unafraid, because of your great power.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone.

An Honest Place

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psalmsOne of the things that I love most about the book of Psalms, is that each of the Psalms is written from a very honest place. The Psalms are basically songs of praise that we were written to be sung as worship to God.

I love them.  I try to read a few of them each day. They are inspirational, they are hopeful, they are encouraging, and they are honest.

They are written from a very honest place. And that means that sometimes they don’t sound very safe.  Or even nice. But they always sound very true.  Listen to what I read today in Psalm 69: 19-21:

You know my reproach,
and my shame and my dishonor;
my foes are all known to you.
Reproaches have broken my heart,
so that I am in despair.
I looked for pity, but there was none,
and for comforters, but I found none.
They gave me poison for food,
and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.

The Psalmist pours out his heart, his anger, his brokenness to God.  He lets God  really know what’s going in his head, in his heart, in his world.

He lets God know. And the hurt comes pouring out.  The pain is unleashed.  He gives it God.

And that’s such an honest, healthy thing to do.  Such a good thing to do.  Because here’s the thing.

If we hold onto our hurt, our pain, our loss, God can’t help us with it.  When we cling to it so tightly, there’s nothing He can do.  But, we when we release it, give it Him, He can actually do something to help us with it.

But, we’ve got to actually give it to Him. I put it like this.  We need to pray honest prayers, not safe prayers.  Honest prayers actually tell God what’s going on, and let Him help us.  Safe prayers don’t tell God the truth of hurt, pain, and fear. And if we don’t give things to Him, He can’t really help us with them.

Today, this Psalm comes from an honest place.  Today, may our prayers do the same. May we actually tell God what’s going on. And may we find His grace there in our moment of need.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone.

Live Unafraid

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Greetings from Shiloh Camp Meeting.  My first night of preaching went great last night, I’ll be preaching today at 11 a.m. and again at 7 p.m. today, and each day through this coming Sunday.  If you’re around the Jackson area, come join us!

unafraidIn life, fear creeps up, doesn’t it? Fear of the unknown. Fear of the known. Fear of the past. Fear of the future. Fear of the present sometimes.

Fear of others. Fear of so many things.

It’s so easy for us as people to be afraid. To give into fear. To give into worry. To give into the things that terrify us.

It’s so easy. And we do it so often.

That’s why one of the main commands of scripture that we see over and over again is this – do no fear. Do not be afraid. To not give into that killer of fear.

Listen to this command in Psalm 56: 10-12:

In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you.

I love that encouragement. I just in God. What can man do to me? Seriously? What can man do to me, or to you?

God has us. God has our back. God is on our side. God goes before us. He is our light, our shield, our fortress.

Why should we worry? Why should we fear?

Who should we fear?

No one. Live today unafraid. For you have no one to fear. God is for you. Who can be against you.

Live with that courage and that confidence today!

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones

What We Have Going for Us

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A real quick techie note. If you use the YouVersion app on your iPad, or Smartphone or their website, I’m going to start cross posting these devotional thoughts there.  So, you can click on any of the verses referenced in this reflection through YouVersion, and read this devotional.  Feel free to contact me if you any questions about this.

Now, on to today’s reflection. . . . .

Sometimes when we read the Old Testament, we think to ourselves, what’s wrong with these people! I mean, come on!

God divided the sea so that you could pass through and be saved! I mean, you saw that with your own eyes, right?

And He led you with a cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night. I mean, really? How could you miss that? I mean, really?

He split rocks in the wilderness! Come on now!

And the people forgot. They sinned against Him. They did not keep their promises to Him. They did not remember their word.

Listen to what it says in Psalm 78:

They forgot his works
and the wonders that he had shown them.
In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders
in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.
He divided the sea and let them pass through it,
and made the waters stand like a heap.
In the daytime he led them with a cloud,
and all the night with a fiery light.
He split rocks in the wilderness
and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
He made streams come out of the rock
and caused waters to flow down like rivers.
Yet they sinned still more against him,
rebelling against the Most High in the desert.

Two words to us then, in the year 2011. First, let’s not forget. Let’s not forget what He has done for us. Let’s not forget how He has saved. How He has restored. How He has given. How He has been our right hand the the source of our strength and hope and power.

Let’s not forget what He has done for us. Never forget the joy of your salvation.

And it’s easy think upon the Israelite and say, really? I mean, really? Look at what all you had, and yet you forgot. I mean, you saw these amazing miracles, and yet you turned away. How could you?

While we may not see things like a pilar of fire by night, we have something even better. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God dwells within us.

God calls us. Convicts us. Challenges us. Moves us. Loves us. Cares for us. Dwells within us.

So, while we might now see what they saw, we have something even better. We have the power of Almighty God, living within us.

Let us not forget that. Remember the power, through His Spirit, that you have. Never forget.

May we never forget what we have going for us.

Mysteries

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There are some things in life we don’t understand.  There are some (many) mysteries about God that I can’t fathom.

There are questions about suffering that while I may have an explanation for, I can’t understand.

There are moments of pain that I don’t fully understand the reason for.

There are parts of God’s character that I don’t know, and won’t know, until I stand before Him one day.

There are many, many mysteries that I don’t know the answer to. And I’m thankful that I’m not the only person that feels that way. And I am also thankful that I’m not the only person that has walked with God to feel that way. Listen to the words of Psalm 131:

O LORD, I am not proud;
I have no haughty looks.
I do not occupy myself with great matters,
or with things that are too hard for me.
But I still my soul and make it quiet,
like a child upon its mother’s breast;
my soul is quieted within me.
O Israel, wait upon the LORD,
from this time forth for evermore.

You and I, we don’t know everything. There is a mystery to God and to life. There are things too great and too deep and too wide for us to know.

The Psalm says that’s ok. Quiet yourself.  Wait upon God.  Know that He loves you. Know what you “know.”

What do we know? God is good. God loves us. God cares for us. God has saved us. God will take care of us.  We can trust Him.

I fully believe God is not as worried about the stuff we don’t know, as He is with the stuff we do know. Don’t worry about what you don’t know.  Worry about what you do know. And what you do about it.

This is not an excuse not to think and grow and learn. But, what it is the reality that we don’t know everything.

But we do know this. God loves us more than we’ll ever know.  And He wants us to love each other in the same way.

Today, know what you know, and what you don’t know. Don’t worry about what you don’t. That’s ok. None of us know it all.  Today, live in the knowledge of His love. And live out His love for all to see.

Yes, there’s a mystery to God. That’s ok. May we have the faith to believe. And may we live in the reality of the knowledge of His love.

We Remember. Then Forget

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If you’ve read my thoughts for any time at all, you’ll know that I just love the Psalms. I think they are my favorite parts of scripture.  They are full of worship of God,they are full of emotion, they are full of all the things that we go through and we experience.

They describe our success,they describe our failure.

They describe how we are faithful, the describe how we go wrong.

They, in short, lay out for us the whole of the human experience. Everything we know, everything we can do, we can find there in the Psalms.

Today, listen to the words of Psalm 106.  It’s a little bit longer passage of scripture than I normally reference, but it lays this out for you:

Like our ancestors, we have sinned.
We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly!
Our ancestors in Egypt
were not impressed by the Lord’s miraculous deeds.
They soon forgot his many acts of kindness to them.
Instead, they rebelled against him at the Red Sea.
Even so, he saved them—
to defend the honor of his name
and to demonstrate his mighty power.
He commanded the Red Sea to dry up.
He led Israel across the sea as if it were a desert.
So he rescued them from their enemies
and redeemed them from their foes.
Then the water returned and covered their enemies;
not one of them survived.
Then his people believed his promises.
Then they sang his praise.
Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done!
They wouldn’t wait for his counsel!
In the wilderness their desires ran wild

This describes the history of the people of Israel. The people forget what God has done. They forget His faithfulness. They forget His saving hand.

And, in spite of that, He saves them anyway.  He restores them anyway.  He stands for them anyway.

In spite of what they’ve done wrong. In spite of their sin. In spite of their failing. God loves them. And He acts out of His great love for His people.

And all is right, for a little while. The people obey. The people listen. The people follow. For a little.

Then, they forget.  They forget what God has done, and then they fall back into sin.

And it happens again, and again, and again.

They remember, and then they forget.

And in spite of it, God loves.

Today, don’t forget what God has done for you. Don’t forget what God is doing for you. Don’t forget how God has saved you, loved you, forgiven you.

Don’t forget.

Because when we forget, we get ourselves in trouble. We fall into sin. We make the mistake. We are wrong. We make that wrong step.

Remember. Remember what God has done, remember how God loves, remember who is His.  Never forget.

And cling to His love for you, even in the tough times. Don’t forget.

He loves you.  Don’t take it for granted. Don’t forget.

No Mark

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As I’ve said several times that the thing I love most about the Psalms is that they are honest. When the Psalmist is angry, you know it through reading what’s on the page. When the Psalmist is happy and full of joy, you know it by reading what’s on the page. When the Psalmist is struggling with something, you know it.

And the struggles that the Psalmist has with God is apparent in different times. Sometimes he’s upset with God about something. Sometimes he’s afraid that God will be mad at him because of something he has done. Sometimes he is just scared of his enemies, of his sin, of the things in his life.

I just love them because they are so honest about the things that we go through. The emotions behind them match the emotions of our lives.  We are the same. The Psalms reflect what we feel, so many times in our lives.

Listen to part of the words of one of my favorite Psalms, Psalm 130:

Lord, if you kept a record of our sins,
who, O Lord, could ever survive?
But you offer forgiveness,
that we might learn to fear you.

If the Lord kept a record of sins, who among us could stand? If the Lord were to mark our mistakes, His book would be full of failures and sins. If we had to do more good than bad in our lives to earn His love, we wouldn’t be able to stand.  None of us could do that.  None of us could undo the bad that we’ve done.

We can’t do enough good to make God ignore the bad.

That was the work of the cross. Through the cross, our sins are done away with. Through the cross we are forgiven. Through the cross, things have changed, life is different, we are new. Through the cross, our sin is forgiven.

Through the power of the cross, there is no mark. It is erased.  It is forgiven. It is forgotten.  It is gone.

Through the power and grace and love of God, offered through the cross, there is no mark.  There is no record. There is no sin. The Psalms also tell us that as far as the East is from the West, that’s how far our sins are from God.

Today, you are forgiven. Today, there is no mark. Today, they are gone.

Today, may we live like the forgiven children of God that we are.

 

Remembering

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The Psalms are the songs of praise that the people of God sang to God. They were created as acts of praise to God in days of old, and remain the same today.

People have sung the Psalms for many, many years. So many songs we love, both modern and older have been inspired by the Psalms.

And the reason why the Psalms keep speaking to us every day for so many years is that they are so honest. They have within them every emotion we could ever experience. Every up, every down, everything. If we feel hurt or pain or joy or peace or whatever, its felt in the Psalms.

They are just so honest.

Thinking that, listen to the words or Psalm 71:

But I shall always wait in patience,
and shall praise you more and more.
My mouth shall recount your mighty acts
and saving deeds all day long;
though I cannot know the number of them.

One of the most powerful thing we can ever do is to remember. The Psalms are so big on remembering. Remembering when God was faithful. When He saved us. When He stood by our side. When He was a our shield and strength. When He saved the day.

The Psalms call us to remember.

Because in the midst of trials and hurts we can forget. We can forget that God is good and ready to save. We can forget when God has helped us in the past. We can forget when God was all that we needed.

We forget. And when we forget, we will not remember that God is still there for us today.

We need to remember that God was there to save us in the past. And that means that He will be there to save us today.

Trust in Him. Know that He has been there in the past. And He is here today.

Ready to save.

Remember. And rejoice!

Linger

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This morning as we start the new year together, I was struggling with what to read through in my devotional readings.  My daily reflections are just an outgrowth of what I do each morning in my own personal devotional life.

And today, I was stumped.  I didn’t really have a leading as to where the Lord is leading me in scripture for the coming weeks. So, I sat and prayed and listened.

Nothing.

I look through the index of the Bible, hoping that something would jump out to me.

Nothing.

As I sat in my chair praying, I though that the backbone of my devotional life has always been the Psalms. So, until I felt a leading from God to read something else, I’d work through the Psalms for a bit.

So, I started with Psalm 1. And listen to what the Psalmist writes in the beginning of this Psalm:

1 Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, *
nor lingered in the way of sinners,
nor sat in the seats of the scornful!
2 Their delight is in the law of the LORD, *
and they meditate on his law day and night.

As I read over this passage, the thing that stood out to be was the second phrase in verse one.  – “nor lingered in the way of sinners.”

That really convicted and spoke to me.  In our lives each day, we will face temptation.

In our work, in our family, among our classmates, among our colleagues, we will encounter sin and temptation.

We will be tempted and tried.  We will face the pull of what is wrong.

What will we do when temptation comes? Will we dismiss it as Jesus taught us in Matthew 4? Will we tell the Tempter that will not buy into his lies and deceit?

Or will we linger? Will we hang around temptation? Will we dip our toes in the water?

Happy are those that linger upon the Word of God.  They will know life.

To linger upon temptation is allow it have a hold upon us – and that leads us down a path we don’t want to go down.

Where will we linger today? Where will our minds be today?  What will choose today?

Today, may we not linger in ways of sin, but may our minds return to the ways of God.  May we linger on the grace and mercy of God.

An Old Friend

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To me, the book of Psalms are like an old friend.  No matter what I read in the mornings, I try to read a few Psalms. They, as much as any book of Scripture, really get to the heart of what it means to worship God, to be obedient, and to pour our hearts out to God in an honest way.

Today, one of the Psalms was one of my favorites, one of the ones that means the most to me, Psalm 121.

And, honestly, I’ve ready this Psalm so many times, I know the words completely by heart.

And when that is the case, you have to make yourself slow down. Read slowly.  Listen closely.

When you know a passage so well, you can become too familiar with it, and miss what God is trying to say to you in it.

Today as I was reading, this part of the Psalm stood out to me:

3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

What stood out to me, is that there never a time when God is not there with us.

The Lord neither slumbers not sleeps.  The sun, nor the moon, it shall not harm us.

The Lord is our shade.

Today, there is not a single moment, no matter how busy you may be.  No matter how long it may have been since you last talked to Him. No matter what is going on in your life.

There is not a single moment when you can’t turn to God and find Him there.  He is the shade at your right hand.  He is your sure help.

He is there for you all the time.  He is there for me, all the time.  He is there.

Let us remember.  Let us slow down.  Let us turn to Him.  Not just now as we read this text.  But, throughout all our days.  He is there, all day long.

May we remember. And may we turn to Him.