Psalm 103

This psalm is the medicine to yesterday's psalm. I remember a pastor-mentor of mine back in Holland who would often begin his prayers with the opening of Psalm 103. He would then, in his own humble way, pray back to God the benefits he has received. And on this Christmas Eve, it only makes sense that we would read this psalm. In the birth of Jesus, we see the redemption of the world- the consolation of humanity. In Jesus, we are lifted out of the pit and healing for the sin-sick soul can begin. The King has been born, establishing a reign that will never end and will never be overthrown. For that, I am grateful. Thank you for reading this past year.

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to all.

Psalm 102

On the day before Christmas Eve... what a horrible psalm to read! I'm listening to my Christmas instrumental station (the only way to truly enjoy Christmas music sometimes), and the carol of the bells is going strongly, and I'm reading a heart-wrenching lament. Can't we get back to a psalm of joy? Wouldn't that make more sense this time of year? Maybe. Maybe not.

What a lament at Christmas reminds me of is that Christmas leaves us waiting. On December 26, we are still waiting for a savior. And for some of us, we are comfortable and able to avoid much of suffering. For us, a savior is nice, but not entirely necessary. With enough power and resources, we can solve our own problems. But for most of the world, and really all of us, there are some things that we just can't fix. People will be neglected on Christmas, just like any other day. We are still hoping for the savior. Still waiting.

Yet, even in our waiting, we have the same comfort David did- that God doesn't change and God isn't limited in power to save. Let's take that comfort with us, along with our laments, into a hopeful Christmas weekend.

Psalm 101

We're back to a psalm of David, and this one sounds to me like a good way to wake up in the morning. Waking up with the praise of God on one's lips could change the outlook of our day. I've just started a new spiritual workout routine that begins the day listening for God. And while it's only been one day, I have started the day with tremendous peace and am ready to tackle whatever comes along my way.

As I read further in the psalm, I am encouraged to begin my day committing myself to staying on God's path- being on God's mission. I want to keep the evil things out of my mind and encourage the things that love God and neighbor. I want to seek wise counsel and put to silence the proud and wicked thoughts I have. Please join me today in making a commitment we can't possibly keep without the Holy Spirit- to live blamelessly today.

Psalm 100

Here is a psalm specifically designed to give thanks (it even says so in the title). So as we approach Christmas, what am I thankful for? I am thankful for many things- a good place to do ministry, friends in the community who make the winter more bearable, and many good steps I see happening in ministry. I am thankful for things even more basic- a loving spouse and two great families. Most of all, I am thankful that God has made me and I am His. So when I enter the gates today, I will be thankful, remembering all that God has done, is doing and has promised for the future. For what are you thankful?

Psalm 99

Let's be honest. There's no real trembling when it comes to God. Few people really go throughout life thinking "Am I living as though there is a God with a particular plan for the world?" Most times, we try to justify what we do through God-like lenses. We desperately want God to be on "our side," and sp we find ways to say "God's on my team." But God isn't a kid hoping we pick Him for our team. God didn't show up to Abraham trying to find someone who would praise God and worship God.

Indeed, God has a mission. Certainly, it's a mission of grace and reconciliation, but a mission nevertheless. And while God isn't hindered by human frailty and failure, sometimes it seems like it. We as Christians fall into a fairly unhealthy pattern of spending more time trying to figure out what God thinks about our priorities than what we should think of God's. Today I try to exalt God and place God's mission in the front of my mind. May we all try that today.

Psalm 98

I think we miss the term "judge" sometimes. I hear the word "judge" and I think of condemnation, rejection and other nasty experiences. Yet, in this psalm my version of "judge" gets challenged. Does it do the same for you?

I can't help but get caught up in the drum-beat of worship that echoes through all creation. God has once again brought salvation to the people, and all the earth rejoices. And we get really excited because God is coming to... judge? Argh! Run, judgment is coming! But wait, are we supposed to be excited or scared of the coming judge?

I think, because we train ourselves to think only of our unworthiness, the judge is terrifying. We register "guilty" by our names, and have seen enough episodes of Law and Order to know that we are going to be condemned. But we forget that our unworthiness, while theologically sound, is not the end of the story. The end of the story is God's glory being known throughout the earth, and God's justice prevailing. And God's justice, if we believe the prophetic visions of God's future, is of acceptance, not rejection. So perhaps, as I think of the coming judge, I don't see a black robe ready to sentence me, but the one who will change me so that I won't be guilty anymore.

Psalm 97

What a great and mysterious God there is! This God, whom the psalmist writes about, is at once knowable and yet mysterious, surrounded by darkness and yet with unmissable glory (verses 2 and 6). This God has a power that creation itself cannot ignore- mountains melt and the earth trembles. Yet this God is one who is concerned about the weak and the oppressed, and delivers them (verses 4-5 and 10).

My idols are easy to control, my idols are easy to figure out. I can tell you exactly how my idols act and what they will do (and what they will want me to do). Perhaps that is why I seek comfort in them rather than in God. My idols tell me what I want to hear, and they make life so simple. God tells me stories about seeds and debtors, God weaves narratives of the "bad people" being obedient and the "good people" being arrogant. God makes things messy and complicated.

When Jesus made things complicated, people left. And Jesus spoke to the disciples, saying "Are you leaving too?" I'm sure the thought crossed their minds. Yet Peter said "Where else will we go? You have the words of life." So, I am willing to live with a little messy and complicated because, at the end of the day, God sows light and joy into the faithful heart. Praise be to God!

Psalm 96

This psalm doesn't take a whole lot of explanation. As I read it, I find I only want to read it, read it again, and read it again, and hope that I can see the creation-wide worship service today. After all, every day is a new song.

May you hear the new song of God's goodness and strength today.

Psalm 95

This psalm undergoes a pretty wild mood change from beginning to end. It begins with a pretty standard praise to God, and it ends with a haunting warning. Perhaps a warning we need to hear, though, because the same warning echoes through the Old Testament right up into the New Testament (in the book of Hebrews). I wonder if I take worship too lightly as I read this warning.

After all, worship is not something small. The ancient people considered it a wonder that God (or the gods, depending on the culture) would even interact with them at all. Perhaps in our pride, we have considered ourselves so important that God should show up in our worship, and to not show up would be some breach of trust.

Indeed, it is wonderful that God would reveal God's own character and plan to human beings. The fact that God walked in the Garden of Eden with the first humans is pretty incredible. God's plan includes us, and that is incredible. God chooses, for some reason we can only call love, to speak to creation. Let our hearts not be hardened to the voice of God.

Psalm 94

Apparently, the hit show "The Biggest Loser" ends its season this week. I am not a regular follower of the show, although I am always surprised when I see the before/after pictures. The trainers scare me a little bit, but they also are a secret inspiration when I'm taking people through a workout myself. That show to me embodies discipline, even if I wonder about the long-term health effects of such rapid weight loss.

This psalm, in the end, is about discipline. And I believe this kind of discipline comes from devotion and focus. Anyone who hits the gym regularly knows that discipline is less about discouraging bad habits than encouraging new habits. The psalmist laments that so many seem to be undisciplined, and the result of such behavior is widespread systemic wickedness. The psalmist turns to God for help, hoping that God will intervene and create a new system that will be disciplined and just.

What is chilling, however, are the questions in the final verses. "Who will rise up for me against the wicked?" "Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?" The psalmist knows that God will send help. It is also true that there are people who silently ask this question all the time, wondering who God will send to stand against the systemic wickedness that still exists today. The Church is God's representative on earth to do that. So may we discipline our own selves so that we can be able to stand against the wickedness and show compassion for the hurting.

Psalm 93

Everyone has something they are afraid of. For some, spiders are a source of dread. Open spaces, closed spaces, the dark, snakes, and germs are all things that are completely benign to some but are terrifying for others. For the ancient world, the sea was a mysterious void with monsters and dark forces swirling about it. Seafaring people (like the Philistines) were seen as even more powerful. Fishermen were often considered crazy for their desire to throw nets into the monsters' lair. Jesus calming the sea was an unexpected victory for the disciples. "Who is this that even the waves obey him?"

Yet here we are in the psalms, and God is the one who reigns over the sea. Not only that, but the monsters and the scary stuff out there praise God. The idea that the seas would be an auditorium for God's praise is so important, the psalmist repeats it twice. If the seas praise God, and the earth is full of God's glory, indeed God reigns from everlasting to everlasting. There is nothing to truly be afraid of- fear is under the loving reign of God. Let God's perfect love drive out your fear today.

Psalm 92

I sometimes get depressed when I watch Christian preachers on television. I'll admit that if I were televised, someone would get depressed watching me, but that's one really good reason I'm not televised. Some programs are just church services televised, others are pastors specifically talking into the camera for no other audience than the home audience. One day, I tuned in to a pastor who spent the entire time I was watching preaching against instrumental music in worship. My first thought was, "Really? All the problems in the world, and you want to convince people not to use instruments in worship?" And so I watched, my heart hardening to his message every minute as I entered into mental combat about his theology. I will confess that I am not proud of this. In fact, I have to repent of my pride in this circumstance. What is also true is that I am convinced of the power of instrumental music to carry us in worship. This psalm is an example.

This is a psalm for Sabbath day worship in the Temple and probably in the home. Only a couple instruments are mentioned, so it's possible to follow this psalm's instructions at home. And the worship is free and joyful. This song laments that more people don't see the works of God's hands, and rejoices in God's victory- a victory for us means even more as Jesus defeated death and sin on the cross and out of the tomb. Because of this victory, we have every right and all the reason we need to worship God; not only on the Lord's Day, but everyday. May this be a day of praise to God for you as well as me.

Psalm 91

Psalm 91 is without a given author, and certainly has a message for the ages. God is our refuge in times of trouble. However, this psalm also opens us up to temptation. After all, this psalm is cited by Satan in the Gospels as a reason for Jesus to jump off the Temple. After all, wouldn't Jesus be saved as part of the promise of angelic protection? The other temptation is to read this psalm as a proof of whether or not God loves you. It can be easy to read this psalm and look back on one's life and see that perhaps you have been struck with harm, and then you look at this psalm with either cynicism or shame.

Indeed, this psalm seems to intend neither shame nor cynicism. The Bible is abundantly clear that we are not guaranteed freedom from suffering nor absence of hardship. In fact, Jesus says "blessed are you" when we face hardship. Indeed, God's salvation goes beyond our temporal hardship and into everlasting relationship. So today, I give thanks to the God who can be trusted and is the savior!

Psalm 90

Moses is the author of this particular psalm, writing on behalf of the Israelite people. The books of Exodus and Numbers are filled with stories of the rebellion of Israel resulting in plagues and earthquakes and the like. The forty years Israel spent wandering in the desert were not pleasant. They were filled with hardship and battles and temptations and trials. Most of the time, Moses was not directly affected. The plagues usually landed on the people who were directly rebellious against Moses and God. But what we do know of Moses is that he prayed for the people constantly. He even prayed for the people who wanted him out of leadership. This psalm is not like David praying for his own safety, but Moses praying for others.

May I pray like Moses today.