The psalms express a range of emotions: praise, fear, agony, despair, joy, thanksgiving… Psalm 94, through clinched teeth I’m sure, questions God’s delay in punishing the wicked: The LORD is a God who avenges. O God who avenges, shine forth. Rise up, Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve. How [...]
Archive for February, 2012
Day 181: Psalms 86-89
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, Psalms, tagged faith, faithfulness, God, life, religion, spiritual formation, spirituality on February 28, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
God’s faithfulness is a recurring theme in the book of Psalms. God is faithful even when we are unfaithful. God is faithful even when our circumstances indicate otherwise. It is possible for us to acknowledge God’s faithfulness without relying on it. Although we believe that God is faithful, we might question or ignore that belief [...]
Day 180: Psalms 80-85
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, Psalms, tagged faith, life, Love, Missio Dei, mission, peace, religion, righteousness, salvation, spirituality on February 27, 2012 | 1 Comment »
Show us your unfailing love, LORD, and grant us your salvation. With this set of lines, Psalm 85 connects “unfailing love” and “salvation.” Salvation is more than an individual’s decision to live for God. It’s more than God’s work of rescuing an individual from sin. Salvation is about a love that transforms the world without [...]
Day 179: Psalms 78-79
Posted in Bible, Bible in a Year 2011-2012, Psalms, Spiritual Disciplines, Teaching, tagged Education, faith, generations, life, religion, scripture, spirituality on February 26, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
People in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) experienced a cycle common to countless generations from ancient times to today. It’s a cycle of faithful and unfaithful living. Psalm 78 reveals a key to faithful living. To challenge the cycle we need more than human effort, more than intellectual determination, more than uplifting worship. We need [...]
Day 178: Psalms 74-77
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, Doubt, Psalms, Spiritual Disciplines, tagged doubt, faith, God, life, religion, silence, spirituality on February 25, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
A few years ago I took a group of college students to a large retreat where one of my former professors was a featured speaker. He told of a recent time in his life when he had felt like not preaching anymore because he hadn’t been hearing any message from God. Psalm 77 knows the [...]
Day 176: Psalms 66-69
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, Psalms, tagged blessings, faith, life, praise, religion, spirituality, thanks on February 23, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
My last two posts presented a couple of themes in the Psalms. First, God provides forgiveness, cleansing, purpose, strength, hope, etc. Second, in giving those blessings, God also invites us to live as active participants in the divine mission. We saw these themes in Psalms 51 and 62, and Psalm 66 presents the themes as [...]
Day 175: Psalms 58-65
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, Psalms, tagged faith, hope, religion, salvation on February 22, 2012 | 2 Comments »
In the midst of attacks, the poet of Psalm 62 finds rest, hope, salvation, steadfastness, honor, strength, and refuge in God: Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend [...]
Day 174: Psalms 51-57
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, Psalms, tagged faith, forgiveness, life, mission, prayer, religion, repentance, sin, spirituality on February 21, 2012 | 1 Comment »
Sin knocks us down. We get caught in cycles of mistakes and pain that produce depression and despair, and we cry out with the writer of Psalm 51: 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 [...]
Day 173: Psalms 46-50
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, Church, Psalms, Spiritual Disciplines, tagged community, faith, life, Love, mission, religion, spirituality, worship on February 20, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love. Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness. These words from Psalm 48 speak of worship in a community of faith. When we worship God, we do more than make ourselves [...]
