“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exalt in you; I will sing praise to your name, O most High.” (Psalm 9:1-2, NRSV) Praise lifts up the person who receives it, and also forces the giver to see with new eyes. In a world filled with criticism, judgment, and condemnation, praise forces us to change the way we Read More …
“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; What are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?” (Psalm 8:3-4). Creation points beyond itself to something-or should I say someone-bigger. The Psalmist recognizes here that the sky with the moon and the stars are not here just by chance, they are a work of art by a Read More …
“Lord my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands—if I have repaid my ally with evil or without cause have robbed my foe—then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust.” (Psalm 7:3-5, NRSV) Radical reflection is a difficult thing. It requires that we examine the recesses of our soul, shine light into the unlit crevices in our Read More …
“I am weary with moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with weeping. My eyes waste away because of grief they grow week because of my foes. Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord accepts my prayer” (Psalm 6:6-7a,8b-9 NRSV). There are periods, sometimes long stretches, when all we can Read More …
“But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you. Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness.” (Psalm 5:7-8a, NRSV) Dependence is a difficult thing to internalize because we are constantly pushed toward independence. For Americans independence seems to be the highest ideal. It is sung about in our national anthem, it is spoken of in national debates, and it Read More …
“But know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.” (Psalm 4:3, NRSV) God takes notice of those who are faithful and sets them apart for God’s purpose. This is humbling and truly Good News for those who trust in God. Some may have a troubled conscious and say, “I am not part of the ‘set apart’ for I have committed this or that sin.” Read More …
“You, O Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.” (Psalm 3:3) Some things never change. We get the same message today as the psalmist received thousands of years ago. “There is no help for you in God” (Psalm 3:2). Today, we hear from assorted places that we must live in this world depending on our own hard work without help from others and without aide from Read More …
“Happy are those who take refuge in Him.” (Psalm 2:12, NRSV) Those who put their trust in God have a contentment that is rooted from the outside. God as one’s source of life is always renewing and giving. That person who believes in God has a spring that pours into their lives refreshing the soul. But, the follower of God is not always happy. How could one possibly always be happy? The way of God Read More …
“Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread or sit in the seat of scoffers…” (Psalm 1:1, NRSV) Often i’ve read this psalm and thought, “Yes, I will not take the advice of the wicked, or follow sinners, or be a scoffer.” I prayed with earnest that those outside influences would not lead me astray from God. But the truth is, we don’t need Read More …