Psalm 11

"Yahweh is in his holy Temple,
Yahweh whose throne is in heaven;
his eyes look down at the world,
his searching gaze scans all mankind."
Psalm 11:4

There are days when all I seem to be able to focus upon is that which is right in front of me. It just seems that my eyes are drawn toward my feet rather than toward the horizon. Those days are hard in that it is like slogging through deep mud and just putting one foot in front of the other. But it is in the midst of those days that I most need to lift up my gaze to see that God is still in his holy Temple and that I am not alone in the midst of this daily life. When I remember that God is still God and that his eyes look upon me in the midst of all things there is strength to be gained. It doesn't necessarily change the mud into firm dry ground. It doesn't necessarily make the rain go away. But for me, remembering that God is still in heaven reminds me that what is dragging me down in the moment is not something that will last for eternity. Eventually things will change, either in the life or the next, and it will get better.

Psalm 10

"Yahweh, you listen to the wants of the humble
you bring strength to their hearts, you grant them a hearing,
judging in favor of the orphan and exploited,
so that earthborn man may strike fear no longer."
Psalm 10:17-18

In many faith traditions the lighting of candles accompanies the saying of prayers. This isn't something that I grew up with or have ever found particularly inviting on a personal level. However this summer as I walked through some of the great cathedrals of Europe and England I was drawn to the candles in a new way.
What I witnessed were people lighting candles and then spending time (not 30 sec. but minutes and more) in prayer in front of or near by the candles they had lite. Those who I witnessed lighting candles were often either older or younger. Sometimes those lighting them looked as if they had spent a lot of time on the streets of the city. All of those who lite candles did so with a great reverence and what seemed to be a deep faith commitment.
Now I don't believe that lighting a candle increases the chances that God is going to hear our prayers. What I am beginning to understand though is that for the humble, the abused, the forgotten, and so many others lighting a simple candle is a way of giving tangible hope to the prayers they have to and for God. The candle, I would guess, helps ease the fear of all the things that are conspiring against them. It is a way of remembering that God is for them and hears their prayers.
This afternoon I think I might find a candle and a little quiet and spend some time with God.

Psalm 9

"I thank you, Yahweh, with all my heart;
I recite your marvels one by one,
I rejoice and exult in you,
I sing praise to your name, Most High."
Psalm 9:1-2

The marvels of God are many, but for these I give God praise today:
- For friends who care deeply about me and one another even when things are tough
- For the glory of a sunrise where the clouds catch the colors of the rising sun and set the sky on fire
- For the silence of the wilderness and the peace that I find there
- For moments of worship that bring me into the heavenly courts
- For the opportunity to be a part of peoples lives as they turn everything over to Jesus
- For a sunset that burst upon the sky and ends the day with a great exclamation point of God's loving guidance
And the praises and exaltation could go on and on. (please feel free to share your moments of praise and thanks)

Psalm 8

"I look up at your heavens, made by your finger,
at the moon and stars you set in place -
ah, what is man that you should spare a thought for him,
the son of man that you should care for him?"
Psalm 8:3-4

As I look at the glory of the night sky and see the clouds, stars, and lightening my heart leaps for joy. I know that it is the hand of God that has created and that God has given me the eyes to see for no other purpose than to draw my heart closer to him. That God has made me to find beauty in the mountians, glory in the sunset, amazement in the wild animals, and wonder in the night sky is beyond my comprehension. That God has not just made me to be a robot and to function like an ant concerned only with providing for the now is beyond me.
May the gifts that God gives dreaw me closer into the hands and heart of the one who has created me.

Psalm 7

"God is the shield that protects me,
he preserves upright hearts,
God the righteous judge
is slow to show his anger,
but he is a God who is always enraged
by those who refuse to repent."
Psalm 7:10-11

Why is it so difficult to repent when God's promise is that we will be welcomed with open arms when we turn away from the things of this world that are not of his desire for us?

Repentance is not something we have talked much about in the church these days. We have focused much more on the good feelings that come with a daily walk with Christ and the invitation to embrace community life with others who are desiring to know Jesus as well. But repentance is a very biblical concept. Repentance is all about recognizing the ways in which we have hurt others, ourselves, and God through our selfishness, pride, anger, gluttony, sloth, lust, and greed. But repentance does not stop with simply recognizing these things. Repentance leads to asking for forgiveness, making things right, and stopping the behaviour that we were engaged in prior to the repentance.
Yes God protects us, but his desire is to protect us from those things that would harm us from the outside. God doesn't make it a habit of protecting us from ourselves. So we hear the invitation to repent, to not anger God by continuing down the paths that will lead us to self-destruction and broken relationships. It is time to take seriously the invitation to make our hearts right with God and with one another that we might rest assured in his presence.

Psalm 6

"Yahweh, do not punish me in your rage,
or reprove me in the heat of anger."
Psalm 6:1

Lord I could not stand before your anger, so please, I pray, turn your mercy toward me and not your rage even when I deserve it.

How sad God must be that we do not choose life but rather the things that lead to death and destruction. It all seems so easy when we talk about it. Just do the right things, believe in Jesus, and trust in God in all things. But actually putting it into practice? I haven't met anyone yet who feels like they have really got it all together. In fact those who others see as being closer to God than most are the ones who say how far they have yet to go.
God cannot allow evil to stand in his presence and so God rages against all that is evil and not of his goodness. When I look at myself in the mirror of God's righteousness I have no place to stand. So I cry out to God that I might not get what I deserve but rather that I might receive the mercy that comes from his loving hand. I know that pursuing all the things that this world says are worth pursuing: money, things, power, prestige, etc. will lead to my life becoming a ruin empty of meaning and devoid of purpose. Not that the things of this world are necessarily bad but when they are pursued at the expense of following after Jesus they become empty idols.
So may God not give us what we deserve. May his anger at our hard heartedness and hard headedness be stilled and may grace and mercy pour over not just us but all people as we continue to seek after the God of life, the Son of grace, and the Spirit of power.

Psalm 5

"But joy for all who take shelter in you,
endless shouts of joy!
Since you protect them, they exalt in you,
those who love your name."
Psalm 5:11

Where do you take shelter?
I had a conversation the other day with someone who felt they had been hurt by the church. It was very painful to them and they weren't sure they could ever go back. As a pastor you might assume that I would either make excusses for the action, appologize for what happened, or simply say that the church was wrong and that they should come to our church because we are different. I didn't do any of those things.
What I did was to say that the church is going to hurt you. It isn't always intentional (though it angers me when it is) and the reality is that given enough time in a church you are going to be hurt. I know I've suffered my fair share of hurts from the church. But those hurts are not God's intention and it simply shows the realty that the church, like the world and all of us who inhabit the earth, are not yet perfect. Should the church be better? YES! Will the church get better at not hurting people? Probably not. So in the mean time we take shelter in God trusting in the one who can bring us joy even in the midst of being hurt by those who should know better.
It also seems to me that churches where there are a lot of people exhibiting characteristics of joy are hurting a lot less people. Is that a coincidence? I doubt it.

Psalm 4

"Yahweh, you have given more joy to my heart
than others ever knew, for all their corn and wine.
In peace I lie down, and fall asleep at once,
since you alone, Yahweh, make me rest secure."
Psalm 4:4-7

Joy comes for me not in the things I can hold on to but in the people around me. I receive joy from the experiences of wonder that I seem to have walked into the midst of over the past months. I experience joy in the presence of the Lord as we have walked quietly through life together.
These days I think I am closer and closer to the joy of the Lord being my strength. It is a feeling of peace that is based upon the trust that God is with me in all things. Whether or not I have the 'things' that this world says are important just doesn't matter right now.
(I would like for this to continue as long as possible.)

Psalm 3

"Loudly I cry to Yahweh,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.
Now I can lie down and go to sleep.
and then awake, for Yahweh has hold of me:
no fear now of those tens of thousands
posted against me wherever I turn."
Psalm 3:3-6

When we find ourselves facing fear what is the first response we have? I know that it isn't always to turn toward God. Sometimes we go back to childhood memories of parents or others telling us; "Grow up there isn't anything to be afraid of!" and we try to surpress our fear and face it alone. Sometimes we allow ourselves to be overcome by the fear and begin to assume the worst that could possibly happen.
But when we turn our face toward God in the midst of the fear things change. The fears that we are facing don't always go away but they take on a new perspective. When we remember that God has a hold of us and will not let us go, in this world and into the next, then the things of this world (as important as they are) become temporary. We begin to see that the trials, dangers, and fears that we face are but for a season in comparison to eternity. We begin to find that sleep does come when we give our fears over to God and trust that his hands are greater than anything we might face here in this world.

Psalm 2

"The One whose throne is in heaven sits laughing,
Yahweh derides them."
Psalm 2:4

The best laid plans of men are looked upon by God and laughter is his response. Not that God doesn't want us to plan, far from that. But the scheming, politicking, and positioning that so often goes along with our plans is what must amuse God. For all of these things are simply attempts to fool ourselves into thinking that we are the ones in control of life and the future.
When I look honestly at my life I have to admit that there have been times when God must have laughed at me. The plans I've made and the attempts to make sure that "God's will is done" (amazing how we can fool ourselves into believing this) are nothing but comical now. So have I grown up or matured? I don't know, I would hope so, but even now it will take time and distance to be sure that I'm not trying to force God's hand in a particular way. So at least for today I will attempt to do what I can do and leave the rest up to God. I will live in the moment and not make plans that depend upon me getting others to do certain things or make specific decisions. I would rather have the chance to laugh with God over my foolishness rather than know that God was laughing at me.

Psalm1

"Happy the man
who never follows the advice of the wicked,
or loiters on the way that sinners take,
or sits about with scoffers
but finds his pleasure in the law of Yahweh,
and murmurs his law day and night."
Psalm 1:1-2

What would it mean to MURMUR God's law both day and night? The image is actually a bit odd it would seem. It brings to mind a person who walks around talking to themselves all day long but who you never quite know what they are saying.
Maybe it is an image that we should emulate in some ways. The Bible invites us to "pray unceasingly" and maybe this is what it looks like. To go through our day carrying on a conversation directly with God. To murmur with God about the things of this world like bills to pay, conversations to have, decisions to make, etc. etc. . Maybe our whole lives could reflect an active engagement with God about the things of this world as well as the next.
It might do us all a little good to murmur more and be happy.