Tag: Psalms

Look at that Happiness!

Sometimes, it pays to stop and take stock of how far God has brought you, and where God has placed you.

In the opening words of Psalm 21, King David says, “The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! ²Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.”

The word “Selah” indicates a pause, and a reflection. King David is pausing to reflect on the words he just lifted up to God.

The first thing he said is, “The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord.”

“The king…”

King David does not usually refer to himself in the third person like this, and he usually doesn’t refer to himself as king, at least, not in the psalms. Yes, he was the rightful king of Israel, so ordained by God, but David didn’t go around boasting his title. Instead, he was just king. He just did what God wanted him to do.

But here… David calls himself king. He is taking stock of where God has placed him.

No longer is he the shepherd boy living outside Bethlehem, he is king of Israel.

And his rise to power and prominence wasn’t the result of his own political abilities, nor was it the result of his own conquest, rather it was God who elevated him to that role.

The king shall joy in the strength of the Lord.

Here, David’s reflection moves beyond where God has placed him to the power and magnificence that defines the Lord’s character.

God’s strength is more powerful than anything we can imagine. As the creator of the universe, He has the ability to speak things into existence and to alter the course of time, and the composition of matter simply by desiring it.

This power is seen on full display in John 2, where Jesus turns the water into wine simply by willing it to change.

This God, with all His power and authority, had enveloped David in His good will. That same God, with the same power and strength, envelopes us in His good will as well.

Not only did God create us and give us life, but He used His power and authority to redeem us from sin and death. He then uses His power and strength for our good, as Romans 8:28 says that “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:31 goes on to reinforce the truth that God wants, and will do, good for us. “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”

So, in Psalm 21, David is taking stock of where God has placed him, and Who God is, and is celebrating the Lord’s salvation. He goes on to reflect all the prayers God has answered, and all the requests God has granted. This all culminates with David, once again, expressing faith and joy in the Lord.

In life, there always seems to be another mountain before us. We always seem to be facing another obstacle, another crisis, another problem, and another challenge to our faith.

And, even though we have our meltdowns and our breakdowns, we always seem to find a way to pray it out before God and move forward in faith.

But… one of the great tragedies in life is to miss the blessings you’ve already been granted because you are too focused on your problems.

So, we must intentionally stop, take a moment, reflect on Who God is, remembering His goodness, then take the time to count the blessings. Yes, there may be a mountain before us, but how about that mountain He already carried us over, and how about this beautiful valley in which we stand?

Even though I still have remnants from my past life stressing me out, it helps to start my day in the Lord’s presence with prayer and devotional time (which produces many of these blog posts). And centering my day on the Lord helps me to appreciate not only the past blessings, but the beauty and amazement of the place where I am now, and the new life He’s given me.

Take time to remember your blessings and praise the Lord for them today. You’ll be glad you did. It will lift your spirits.

My Prayer for You

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My daily Bible reading took me through Psalm 20 today, which says:

The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; ²Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; ³Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.

⁴Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel. ⁵We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions. ⁶Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. ⁷Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. ⁸They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. ⁹Save, Lord: let the king hear us when we call.

Reading these words made me think of my church, and my friends, and my ultimate desire for them.

As I take stock of everything, I am reminded of the numerous battles each individual member of my church, and each of my friends face. I am reminded of the challenges that lay before my children, and the challenges that each of the students in FCA face.

Some face health crises, some financial, some family problems, but in each situation, the anxiety is high and the consequences are potentially devastating.

So, we pray.

So, my prayer for you, for each of you, is that the Lord hear your prayers. I pray that He not only hears your prayers, but your cries, the silent cries that well up in our hearts but never escape our lips.

I pray the Lord steps up and defends you, sends you help, and I pray that He remembers your faithfulness and everything that He has done for you.

And, when the Lord hears and answers your prayers, I pray that I am there so that I can rejoice together with you.

This is a prayer that Psalm 20 says we can pray in faith, because the Lord saves His anointed. He rescues His people. While others trust in their own resources and abilities (chariots and horses,) our God makes us to stand.

So, I don’t know what you’re praying for today. I don’t know what’s on your heart. But my prayer for you is that God brings His divine resolution to it and brings you peace.

The Heavens Declare the Glory of God

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When I told everyone that I was leaving the bright lights of Austin for the quiet nights of Hermleigh, TX, people mostly had the same reaction… “There’s not much to do there, is there?”

In fact, when I told my boss that I was leaving to pastor the First Baptist Church of Hermleigh, the only part of that statement that made sense was the fact that I was leaving the insurance industry to follow my true calling in life.

Austin has a population of around a million people, has professional and Division 1 college sports, concerts galore (live music capital of the world), shopping, lifestyle and a robust parks system.

Hermleigh…

Well, let me tell you what Hermleigh has…

STARS!…

You can’t see the stars in Austin for all the city lights… but in Hermleigh, where there are no city lights, and where the town sleeps well, you can see the entire Milky Way. And, since we have an Allsups, you can buy a Milky Way candy bar so you can eat a Milky Way while gazing at the Milky Way. But… I digress.

You can’t beat the night sky in Hermleigh. It costs nothing to gaze at the wonder of it all. And the longer you gaze, the more impressive it becomes.

During the day, the Texas sky puts on a show, with some of the most amazing cloud shows known to man, while you can watch the storms and showers develop from afar off.

You see, the beautiful thing about Hermleigh is that you can afford to stop and give yourself time to take in the glory of God’s creation.

In Psalm 19:1-3, David writes, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. ²Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. ³There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.”

God’s glory is shown through the heavens above. This is literally referring to the sky above us. As you gaze into the clouds, and as you take in the power and magnificence of the storms that roll through, you are seeing the power and magnificence of God on full display.

The firmament is the night sky. These are the stars, the planets visible with the unaided eye from our backyards. As you gaze into the Milky Way, seeing more stars and seeing deeper into the universe the longer you look, you are seeing the handywork of God.

When you consider how it all works together… how the weather works in a perfect harmony to provide rain, sun, wind, and varying temperatures… when you see the perfection of it all, you see the clear evidence of the existence of God.

When you consider how perfectly the universe is made, how gravity works perfectly to keep the planets and stars properly aligned to sustain life on our planet, you see evidence of God’s perfection.

This divine evidence is clearly understood by all cultures, all peoples, and all nations. There is no place on earth where the language of creation is not clearly heard.

Now, anytime I write about the existence of God, and the irrefutable evidence of His existence in creation, I receive an email or a comment from an atheist who blasts me for my “superstition” and “believing in an imaginary friend.”

Okay… so be it… you can believe what you want to believe…

But…

When you consider how the creation works so well in harmony with itself, can you think of any other instance where such order happens by chance? Can you think of any other circumstance where order happens without the intentional guidance of an engineer?

Without design, and without intention, there is chaos. So, given the order of the environment and universe in which we live, it is obvious that there is design and intention, which necessitates a creator.

And a creation of the magnitude in which we live requires a divine creator.

So, yes, when I stop and take in the creation around me, whether it’s the vastness of the South Plains, the magnificent views of the mountains, the beauty of the oceans, or the glory of the heavens, I see the glory of my God Who created Heaven and Earth.

So, my advice is… stop and smell the roses. Take some time to enjoy the creation around you. If need-be, take up the hobby of digital photography on your phone. It will help you to see things differently, to see your surroundings as you’ve never seen them before.

And as you do, be thankful to God, and admire His glory.

Refining Our Faith

In the book of Psalms, how many times does King David ask the Lord to search him, to examine him and to evaluate his heart?

That can be a frightening request to make of the Lord.

It’s frightening because the Lord is going to find flaws, and once He does, those flaws will need to be corrected, and that will probably be an unpleasant experience, even though the sinner is better off for it.

However, King David is able to make that request in faith, because he understands that the Lord will use that for his transformation.

So, in Psalm 17:3, David is able to confidently tell God, “Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.”

The proving of David’s heart carries with it the notion of testing and refining metal. The reason David could speak so confidently with the Lord about his own character is that he knew God would examine him, refine him, examine him, and refine him some more.

As one would take multiple steps to purify gold, or to refine steel, God took multiple steps to examine and refine David, putting David through the refining process multiple times until he became the man God intended on him being.

This is not a pleasant experience. God works through the trials of our faith to refine us into the people He intended on us being. (1 Peter 1:7)

Peter tells us that, while these trials of our faith cause us heaviness, the refining process of our souls is of greater value and importance than the refining of gold.

Not only does the suffering brought on by our trials refine our faith, but it also strengthens us, giving us endurance and hope. (Romans 5:3-5)

Through this process, we become who God wants us to be, faithful people who are grateful for the blessings He has given, who are anxiously awaiting His return.

So, if you are going through the refining process right now, take heart. I know the process has lasted longer than you thought you could endure, and I know that at times it’s excruciating and heartbreaking.

What I can tell you is that none of this is wasted, and every bit of it is creating you to be the person God designed you to be, and the person God designed you to be is far more magnificent than anything you could imagine.

I don’t know what is next for you, but I can promise you, that as you go through this refining process, the day is coming when you can stand before the Lord, confidently as King David, saying “Here I am, you searched me, tried me, and refined me, and I am here to enter your Kingdom!”

The victory is coming. Peace is coming. Rest is coming. Hang in there.