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Encouraging & Inspiring

Tag: Psalms

  • Who Can We Trust?

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    There is an old song which says, “I never promised you a rose garden.” And, even if life would be a rose garden, roses have thorns. It is not a well-kept secret life is filled with difficulties. There are the headline grabbing challenges such as a pandemic, and the challenges which rock only our own little world. Pink slips and financial burdens can stun us while the rest of the world breezes by. We do not have to search for the difficulties of life; they find us, but we can find hope during these challenging times.

    It was certainly no rose garden for the people of Israel in Jeremiah’s day. Jeremiah spoke of famine and drought; he spoke of harsh and hard times. But he also spoke of hope and where to find it amid life’s difficulties. Jeremiah’s words provided a way for the Israelites to find hope.

    Jeremiah can lead us to hope just as he did the Israelites. Notice Jeremiah’s words in 17:5-8.

    5 This is what the Lord says:
    “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,
        who rely on human strength
        and turn their hearts away from the Lord.
    6 They are like stunted shrubs in the desert,
        with no hope for the future.
    They will live in the barren wilderness,
        in an uninhabited salty land.

    7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
        and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
    8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
        with roots that reach deep into the water.
    Such trees are not bothered by the heat
        or worried by long months of drought.
    Their leaves stay green,
        and they never stop producing fruit.

    A gardener bought two identical plants. She planted one in the middle of the desert and the other in fertile soil. Both plants look good for a couple days, but it did not take long for the plant in the desert to wither and die. Meanwhile, the plant in the fertile soil thrived, staying healthy even though conditions became harsh. Jeremiah’s prophecy helps us apply this principle to ourselves.

    The person who puts his trust in man will be disappointed and let down. Hoping only in man will place us in the Valley of Broken Promises. Man is fallible and easily makes mistakes. Leaving the Lord out and completely trusting man leaves us in the desert.

    But putting our trust in the Lord will always give us hope. The Lord is faithful to always keep his promises. Notice again the words of Jeremiah 17:7-8. Blessed is the person who trusts in the Lord. He or she can survive the challenging times in life.

    The Psalmist puts it this way. Psalm 1:3 says:

     “They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
        bearing fruit each season.
    Their leaves never wither,
        and they prosper in all they do.”

    Trusting in the Lord is what pulls us through those challenging times. It is what gives us the strength to push through and the hope of a better season coming. Where is your trust being placed today?

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  • Fixing the Mess

    “I’m pregnant!”

    This was the message that came to David. Ordinarily, these are exciting words, but for David, they are frightening words. It is going to be clear he committed adultery. It is going to be clear he slept with another man’s wife. It is going to be clear he sinned.

    So, David tries to fix it himself.

    2 Samuel 11 records David sending for Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, and having Uriah come home from the battlefield. If Uriah sleeps with Bathsheba, then everyone will assume Uriah is the father of the child. This doesn’t work though; Uriah is so loyal to his comrades that he refused to go home.

    David tried getting Uriah drunk. If a sober Uriah wouldn’t go home, maybe a drunken Uriah would desire his wife’s company over loyalty, but Uriah still did not go home.

    Another failure didn’t stop David. 2 Samuel 11 records his next move:

    14 So the next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and gave it to Uriah to deliver. 15 The letter instructed Joab, “Station Uriah on the front lines where the battle is fiercest. Then pull back so that he will be killed.” 16 So Joab assigned Uriah to a spot close to the city wall where he knew the enemy’s strongest men were fighting. 17 And when the enemy soldiers came out of the city to fight, Uriah the Hittite was killed along with several other Israelite soldiers.

    The Lord was displeased.

    2 Samuel 11 tells us the Lord was displeased with David’s actions, and he summoned Nathan, a prophet, to pay David a visit. This was an unwelcomed visit filled with bad news. It thrust David’s sin with Bathsheba right in front of his face; he could not ignore it. It also served as a reminder of the Lord’s grace.

    Not our actions, but God’s grace.

    After chatting with Nathan, David wrote the words of Psalm 51. This is a great reminder of the Lord’s gracious response to us. Notice verse 1:

    Have mercy on me, O God,
        because of your unfailing love.
    Because of your great compassion,
        blot out the stain of my sins.

    David wasn’t appealing for mercy and forgiveness based on his own actions. His request had nothing to do with what he had done; it had everything to do with the Lord’s character. David’s hope was in God’s unfailing love and great compassion. Left alone David made a bigger mess, but with the Lord, David found true forgiveness.

    The same unfailing love and great compassion David saw in the Lord is there for us. Perhaps we’ve tried fixing our mistakes only to make a bigger mess, but the Lord can wash away our guilt just like he did David’s.

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  • Grace and Mercy

    The Bible tells us a great deal about God’s character. He is an all-powerful, awesome Creator, who can begin and end events with a single word. He is a God with whom nothing is impossible. He is also a God of mercy and grace, worthy of praise. Notice what David writes in the Psalms.

    Psalm 103:1-6 says:

    1 Let all that I am praise the Lord;
        with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
    2 Let all that I am praise the Lord;
        may I never forget the good things he does for me.
    3 He forgives all my sins
        and heals all my diseases.
    4 He redeems me from death
        and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
    5 He fills my life with good things.
        My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

    6 The Lord gives righteousness
        and justice to all who are treated unfairly.

    Think about the picture these words paint of God. Dwell on his forgiveness and mercy. This Psalm goes on to remind us the Lord can take away our guilt, so challenge yourself to allow the God described above to be the Lord of life today.

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  • Getting Rid of Guilt

    Darkness engulfed New York in 1977, and guilt and fear overwhelmed a young boy. It took some time, but the boy’s parents finally discovered why he was so upset. Just as the lights went out, the boy had kicked a utility pole, so he was convinced he caused the great black out. Guilt paralyzed him until he realized the truth.

    Guilt is something we all experience. A Psychology Today post reports, “We experience 5 hours a week of guilty feelings. One study found that if you add up all the moments you spend feeling mildly or moderately guilty, it adds up to a pretty significant chunk of time.” 

    It is not that we experience Guilt which causes a problem. It is our handling of the guilty feelings which makes a difference. Guilt is a trigger that can lead us to action, and it can be used by the Lord to help us discover true peace.

    Guilt can be the tool which drives us to the Lord. Our guilt can push us to fully accept the Lord’s grace. Those mistakes, those failures of the past can create much guilt, but we can be set free in God’s grace.

    Psalm 103:7-14 says:

    7 He revealed his character to Moses
        and his deeds to the people of Israel.
    8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
        slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
    9 He will not constantly accuse us,
        nor remain angry forever.
    10 He does not punish us for all our sins;
        he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
    11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
        is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
    12 He has removed our sins as far from us
        as the east is from the west.
    13 The Lord is like a father to his children,
        tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
    14 For he knows how weak we are;
        he remembers we are only dust.

    This Psalm is a reminder of God’s grace. We do not get what we deserve; we get far more! In his grace, we can find freedom in Christ. The Lord removes our guilt and replaces it with his peace. He removes the guilt from past mistakes and replaces it with a hope for a better future. When you think of your past, do you concentrate on the guilt of past mistakes or the peace of Christ’s forgiveness?

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  • Beauty of Harmony

    It was a beautiful sight. All of Israel coming together to anoint David their king. The Bible records the Elders of Israel telling David they knew the Lord had chosen him. So, David made a covenant with the leaders of Israel before the Lord, and they anointed him king. Israel was experiencing unity and harmony at this time.

    It may have been this event that prompted David to write the words of Psalm 133, reflecting on the beauty of harmony:

    1 How wonderful and pleasant it is
        when brothers live together in harmony!
    2 For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil
        that was poured over Aaron’s head,
        that ran down his beard
        and onto the border of his robe.
    3 Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon
        that falls on the mountains of Zion.
    And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing,
        even life everlasting.

    These words remind us of the beauty and peace harmony and unity bring. A harmonious and unified people of God have changed lives in the past, and can still change lives today. We may have our differences, but we also have common ground. We are all in need of the transforming work of the cross.

    Max Lucado writes:

    I spoke at each Good Friday service of a nearby Episcopal church for many years. On one occasion, I shared the responsibility with the bishop of the diocese of West Texas. He wore a robe and a large gold cross around his neck. My church background didn’t make me too keen on preachers wearing religious jewelry. So, I was less than impressed. And, I confess, even a bit judgmental.

    But as he shared the story behind his gold cross, my attitude began to change. In order to assume his role as bishop, he had to leave behind St. Mark’s Episcopal, a church where he was loved dearly. The people tried to talk him into staying, but he felt it was God’s will to leave. The members, then, expressed their gratitude by making him this cross. Two hundred and forty-two households contributed gold pieces which were melted down and forged together. Some of the gold provided was from the wedding bands of widow and widowers. Three couples who had divorced and then reconciled each gave a set of wedding rings to the cross. One friend of the bishop was a bachelor who was rejected by “the love of his life” just days before the ceremony contributed her ring to the cross as a symbolic surrendering of the pain of his lost love. The cross includes a college ring as well as the bridge from a fellow bishop’s mouth. One mom donated some gold beads. When her son was four, he found them on a dresser, thought they were toys and damaged them. He died soon thereafter in an accident. She donated them on the day before what would have been his seventh birthday.

    Two hundred and forty-two stories. Stories of celebration, stories of sorrow. Stories of peace, stories of pain. But when forged together they form the cross of Christ.

    What happened literally with the bishop’s cross happens spiritually in every church that devotes itself to fellowship. When your story intermingles with mine, and our stories interweave with others, the cross is formed. When one hand holds another in a hospital, the cross is lifted up. When a conservative loves a liberal; when an Anglo seeks to understand a Hispanic; when the redneck and the tree-hugger stand side by side at the communion table, the cross is lifted up.

    No matter our backgrounds, our socioeconomic status, or our political views, we have one thing in common. We’re all in need of grace, and when we share grace with one another, the cross is what is lifted up. How can you lift up the cross today?

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  • Are You Afraid?

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    Much fear has gripped many people over the past few months, and recent events are still causing many folks to battle with fear. Scenes of recent events startle us, and headlines provoke the natural emotion of fear to enter our lives. Individuals are fearful of what is happening around them; they are fearful of the days ahead. If you are saying, “That’s me,” you are not alone. There are a lot of people finding their way through a fearful season right now, and the Bible offers a suggestion.

    David had fearful seasons in his life, and he writes these words in Psalm 56:3-4.

    3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
    4     In God, whose word I praise—
    in God I trust and am not afraid.
        What can mere mortals do to me?

    We can find encouragement a few times in David’s words.

    • David says, “When I am afraid….” Fear is natural and comes into life occasionally. Though he experienced fear, David was still a person after God’s own heart. Being frightened does not make us a bad person. It is how we handle the feelings of fear that make all the difference.
    • Take note of how David handles his fears. He remarks when he is afraid, he trusts in the Lord. The Lord can deliver him from his fears.
    • At the end of verse 4, David asks, “What can mere mortals do to me?” He recalls God is more powerful than the circumstances causing him to fear. The Lord says in Isaiah 41:10, “10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
          do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
      I will strengthen you and help you;
          I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

    When we are afraid, the Bible suggests we look to our trust in the Lord for strength.

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  • Where is God?

    Where is God? This is a question Job asked often as he was going through his season of pain and suffering. He couldn’t comprehend events, and he had trouble remembering where God was. Can you relate?

    This is a question which has been asked through the generations, and many people are asking it today. Events seem incomprehensible as history is made right before our eyes. Folks may have trouble remembering God’s location. Job’s friend Elihu gives some insight.

    In Job 36:26, Elihu says, “How great is God—beyond our understanding!
        The number of his years is past finding out.”

    Max Lucado writes, “we may search out the moment the first wave slapped on a shore or the first star burst in the sky, but we’ll never find the first moment when God was God. For there is no moment when God was not God. He has never not been or he is eternal. God is not bound by time.”

    God always has been and always will be. He is right beside us.

    • “May he rule from sea to sea
          and from the River to the ends of the earth” (Psalm 72:8).
    • 7 “Where can I go from your Spirit?
          Where can I flee from your presence?
      8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
          if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
      9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
          if I settle on the far side of the sea,
      10 even there your hand will guide me,
          your right hand will hold me fast” (Psalm 139:7-10).

    Amid all that is going on, the Lord is right beside us.

    Romans 8:38-39 reminds us, 38 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

    He is not going to leave us or forsake us. We can have comfort in knowing the Lord is with us.”

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  • Pressure Cooker of Life

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    Life is a pressure cooker.

    Good cooks, which does not describe me, know a pressure cooker can be a useful tool. It can turn the toughest cut of meat into a tender dish. The heat and pressure help cook the dish perfectly. You need just the right amount of pressure though, or you end up with ketchup on your kitchen ceiling. Pressure cookers are useful as they reduce cooking time, and a well-versed chef can use the tool to create delicious food.

    Life can be described as a pressure cooker. Each day is filled with stresses which cause our anxiety levels to rise. The decisions we are forced to make can be overwhelming. We have more bills than income, deciding how to keep our families safe amid a pandemic, and juggling our home being the center for work, school, and everything else. The pressures of life can certainly come from all directions.

    The pressures of life may cause us anxiety, but we are not alone. Others have had the same experience including the writer of Psalm 119. In verse 139, the writer states he is overwhelmed with indignation. He feels insignificant. Perhaps nothing is working out in the way he planned. Pressure is increasing, yet the Lord is still there.

    Psalm 119:143-144 says, as pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands. Your laws are always right. Help me to understand them so I may live.”

    Though he was in the pressure cooker of life, the Psalmist kept his focus on the Lord. The challenge for us is to follow the Psalmist’s pattern.

    Amid stress and anxiety, remember…

    • The Lord is with us.
    • The Lord is trustworthy.
    • Jesus asks us to trust him. He says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me” (John 14:1).
    • The Lord sees the big picture and is a master chef at using life’s pressure cooker. He knows when to release the pressure so the ketchup doesn’t end up on the ceiling.
    • Christ has promised he will come and take us where he is.

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  • Confidence in a Storm

    Psalm 18 reminds us of God’s faithfulness.

    It is no secret our journey through life will encounter storms. Things may be going well to suddenly be derailed by events and actions that are out of our control. David was no stranger to life being derailed.

    The Bible’s biography of David reveals a turbulent life filled with mistakes, yet the Lord remained faithful to David. People turned against David, but the Lord did not. David made stupid mistakes, but the Lord stayed true. In Psalm 18, David reflects on the Lord’s faithfulness and goodness.

    Psalm 18:30 says, “God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.”

    Here are 3 take-aways from Psalm 18:30.

    God’s way is the best way.

    It may not always seem like the best approach, but if God is leading, he will always take the best way. He will always make arrangements for things to work out.

    Remember, he arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah and help him travel to where God wanted him.

    God’s promises prove true.

    The Lord keeps his promises. He has never made a promise he does not intend to keep. On the night of Jesus’ birth, the shepherds found everything the way they were told it would be. The Bible records many instances of the Lord sending someone on a journey with a promise, and the individual found the promise to be true.

    You and I have been made promises by the Lord, and we will find each of them to be true.

    God is a shield of protection.

    God offers us protection.

    Psalm 18 says, “For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock? God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect.”

    Life may lead us into storms, but the Lord will always be with us. Amid the storm, remember the words of Psalm 18.

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  • God is here, there, & everywhere.

    “Whether I’m looking for him or not, that’s where I find God.”

    He may show up in the strangest of places. For someone hitting rock bottom, he can be the person who lends a listening ear and gives advice. For the parent who is struggling, he can be the friend who offers a great idea. For the husband or wife who is ready to throw in the towel on marriage, he can be the older friend who offers encouragement. We never really know where he will reveal himself.

    God can be found many places in our daily lives. He is not restricted by buildings or worship services, and he promises he is always with us. He will show up at the right place and time. Psalm 138:8 says, “The Lord will work out his plans for my life. For your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me for you made me.”

    We just need to be attentive to his presence and recognize his work. You never know when the Lord will show up.