Bow & Tremble

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.

Psalm 96:9

The Hebrew word that is translated as 'worship' in this verse literally means to bow down in worship.* So, verse 9 talks about two often overlooked elements of worship: bowing or prostrating ourselves and trembling before the Lord. Most Christians don’t do these very often, but they are appropriate forms of worship. 

You ought to bow before the Lord sometimes. You ought to humble yourself physically before Him, if you are able. And it's fitting and appropriate that you should, at times, tremble before God as well. 

Worship should include many different emotions or feels. Sometimes it should be upbeat, happy and celebratory as we focus on all God has done for us. Sometimes it should be slow and contemplative (possibly even mournful) as we think of the great price Jesus paid for our sins. And sometimes it should be humble, fearful and full of trembling as we think of how great God is and of the judgment that is coming.

Often, we are more comfortable with celebratory or contemplative worship. But when was the last time you trembled before the Lord? If you never tremble before God and bow before Him in some way, then your worship is missing an important element. Don’t let your praise always be about celebration or always be solemn and serious… sometimes you should bow and tremble before your God as well.

* Barry, John D., Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R. Grigoni, and David Bomar. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016.

Call Yourself to Worship

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Psalm 103:1

As fallen human beings, we are rarely as focused on the LORD as we ought to be. We are often disconnected, distracted, or even disinterested in the things of God. So, each Sunday our church begins our worship service with a Call to Worship... a song that is designed to fix our attention on the Lord and stir our hearts with love towards Him. In a sense, that is what Psalm 103 is. 

Notice that the psalmist is talking to himself in verse one. He calls himself to worship. He sets out to stir his own cold heart by commanding himself to praise the Lord. And notice too that the psalmist commands himself to do this not just outwardly or halfheartedly. No! He commands himself to praise God from the deepest part of himself, from his soul, with all his inmost being. This brings to mind Deuteronomy 6:5 which commands us to, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” 

I want to encourage you to praise like that. Give your all to praising God. Praise Him from your soul... with ALL that is within you. Don’t just praise Him with your lips. Don’t just go through the motions. Praise Him from your soul, with all your inmost being. Call to mind the many benefits He has given you: forgiveness, healing, redemption, deliverance, compassion, and love… and praise Him with all you’ve got.

And on those days when you don't feel like praising... stir up your cold heart and call yourself to worship.

Glory

Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.

Psalm 115:1

Too often we think of ourselves as the main character of this story we are living in. We think it’s all about us. We want to be famous. We want to be wealthy. We want to be known. That’s what many of our kids and teens aspire to be when they grow up… is famous. Some of us still want that as adults. And even if we don’t... we do want to be appreciated and honored. We want to climb the ladder and be recognized. We want glory. That's why it is so difficult to live according to the principle laid down in Psalm 115:1. You can't live for God's glory if you are living for your own.

But even if you aren’t living for your own glory, are you seeking God’s? Does this verse accurately describe how you live. Are you day-by-day praying, “Not to ME, Lord, not to ME but to your name be the glory!”

God deserves ALL the glory because of His love and faithfulness. He loved you when you didn’t deserve to be loved. He has been faithful to you when you were faithless to Him. He has done this not only for you but for every one of us over and over again. That is why He deserves ALL the credit and ALL the glory and ALL the honor and ALL the praise!

So, live in such a way that God gets all the glory from your life. Seeking His glory, not your own.

The Valley of Baka

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.

Psalm 84:5-7

Since the psalmist didn’t live in Jerusalem, he had to go on pilgrimage to be near God’s presence at the temple. Israelites were supposed to make this trip to worship three times a year. I think it’s difficult for us to really understand what it was like to have to travel by foot for days or even a week or more to Jerusalem to worship. But this was a shared experience for many Israelites. They would all travel the same roads and pass through the same places on their way up to Jerusalem to worship.

One of those places that they passed through was the valley of Baka. The word 'baka' comes from the Hebrew word for weeping or wailing. And we think that this was a dry or desert-like valley. Yet... the psalmist says that the pilgrims make it a place of springs. It’s hard to say for sure but it’s possible that the image here is of pilgrims weeping in the valley of Baka. They “make it a place of springs” because of the tears that spring forth from their eyes as they go up to Jerusalem to worship.

But if so, it’s important to note that salty tears aren’t the only source of water in this dry valley. The psalmist says that the autumn rains cover it with pools as well. This, I believe, is a picture of God providing water for His people in a dry, difficult place associated with suffering. This is a picture of God helping His people and providing for them as they travel the hard road to worship.

And what I want to point out to you today is this idea found in Psalm 84 that the road to worship can sometimes lead through a valley of tears. Mourning, weeping, and wailing can draw us nearer to God. They can, in the end, lead to worship. Because it is often in the dry, lonely, difficult places of life that God meets us and provides for our needs.

And that makes the hard roads of life, no matter how difficult they may be, precious to the believer. Even the hardest of roads can become precious to us if it leads us into God’s presence.

Maybe your own path has been painful. Maybe you have done more than your fair share of weeping. Don’t give up! The psalmist is telling you that the difficult road you are walking can lead you into God’s presence. It can lead you to worship, if you will let it. I know this has been true in my own life. My prayer for you today is that any difficult roads you must take in this life will lead you to worship in the very presence of God as well.

Yearning for God

How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Psalm 84:1–2

Have you ever been so in love with someone that just being near them is a thrill? Suddenly, the places and things connected to that person become precious to you. The house they live in or the scent of their perfume or even the clothes they wear may become precious to you simply because they belong to them. That is how the author of Psalm 84 feels about the Lord. 

Psalm 84 begins with praise for the dwelling place of God. The psalmist says that God’s dwelling place, the temple that Solomon built, is lovely. In fact, his soul yearns and even faints to enter the courts of God’s house. His heart and his flesh cry out for the living God.

Don’t miss that. The psalmist’s desire isn’t to go to church… it’s to go to the place where God is. Yes, Solomon’s temple was glorious, but what the psalmist longs for isn’t pretty buildings or beautiful ceremonies… it’s God Himself. He longs to enter into God’s presence.

During this time in the Old Testament, God’s presence was especially concentrated and located within the temple, in Jerusalem. That was the place God’s people went to meet with God, to enter His presence. And this psalmist is so in love with the Lord that he longs to enter God’s presence in that special place.

Do you? Are you this eager not to come to church and see your friends but to enter into God’s presence… to sing His praise… to bow at His feet in worship? Do you long to get up early and have a personal time of worship with Him?

You see, as modern Christians we have a privilege that this psalmist did not have. He had to travel to Jerusalem to be where God’s presence was specially focused. But we carry God with us everywhere we go. Christians have the Holy Spirit living inside us. We don’t have to go anywhere to meet with Him. All we have to do is quiet ourselves and the noise around us and seek Him. 

But do you desire Him enough to do that? Is God this precious to you? Are you this in love with Him? Do you derive this much joy from His presence? 

For most of us the sad answer is... no. Ask the Lord right now to help you love Him more. Commit, right now, to think more about how precious He is and not to take the privilege of His presence for granted. Stir your love for Him by setting aside a regular time to spend alone with Him. And don’t just read your Bible during that time, but spend a portion of it simply loving and worshiping your God. 

Cleanse Me With Hyssop (W.o.W. Rewind)

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Psalm 51:7

Hyssop was a type of plant that God’s people used for ceremonial cleansing. We think it grew in leafy or spriggy bunches allowing Israel to use it almost like a paintbrush. This is the plant they used to paint the blood on their doorposts in Egypt when God struck down the firstborn. But, more to the point, they also used hyssop in purification ceremonies. You can read about this in Numbers 19 or Leviticus 14. But basically, if a person had an infectious skin disease or if they had touched a dead body, then they were declared unclean. They were cut off from the people and the sanctuary of God. And before they could return, they had to be cleansed. The cleansing ceremony involved dipping a bunch of hyssop into water mixed with either sacrificial blood or ashes and then sprinkling it on the person.

Most of us read right over “cleanse me with hyssop” in Psalm 51:7 without giving it a second thought. But when you know this background, you realize that this is a powerful image. David is saying, “I feel unclean. I’m unworthy to come before you, Lord. I’m as polluted as someone who has touched a dead body or who has leprosy. Make me clean again, Father, so I can enter Your presence!”

This is a powerful reminder that sin has consequences. It threatens your intimacy with God. David understood this. In verse 11 he asks God, “Don’t cast me out of your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.” This is a reference to King Saul, whose sin resulted in him being rejected as king and losing the Spirit’s anointing. David doesn’t want the same thing to happen to him, but he fears it will... because of his sin. 

Even after you are saved, your sin matters! Your spot in heaven may be secure but your intimacy with God must be maintained. Sin separates you from God. It stuffs cotton in your ears and makes it difficult for you to hear His voice. It smears mud on your eyes and makes it hard for you to see His glory. It turns your heart of flesh into a heart of stone so that you are no longer drawn to love the things of God. And it offends God and makes Him want to move away from you. 

Some of you are like David today. You know that you have rebelled against God's commands and sinned against the Lord. You are unclean; and your relationship with God has been affected. Pray the words of David from Psalm 51:7 today. ASk God to cleanse you with hyssop, then you will be whiter than snow.

For further reading...

• Psalm 51- Read all of this confession psalm to learn more about sin and forgiveness.

Go & Tell What He Has Done

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.

Psalm 96:3–5

We don’t often think of praise as a form of evangelism... but it is. You can tell others about the Lord simply by praising Him publicly. And there’s actually quite a lot about this in the Bible. 

As we read above, Psalm 96 commands us to glorify God among the nations and to tell all peoples of His wonderful deeds. And the reason for this command is given in verses four and five. It's because God deserves to be praised by all peoples everywhere, but they aren’t praising Him.

John Piper says that the reason missions exists is because worship does not.* That is the idea we get here. The nations ought to be worshiping God, but instead they’re worshiping false idols. And the answer to that problem is for you and I to declare God’s glory and His marvelous deeds among them.

Christians should praise God, not only in our worship services, but also amongst the lost, so that they might hear and learn about the One True God and perhaps come to worship Him themselves.

I’m convinced that one of the reasons many believers find it so difficult to tell others about Jesus is because they think that sharing their faith means telling people what to believe or what to do. But I want you to see that sharing Jesus doesn’t have to be about that. I’m not saying that Christianity doesn’t place commands on our lives. I’m not saying that there isn’t a time and a place to say, God has commanded you in His Word to do this or that. I AM saying that evangelism doesn’t ALWAYS have to be that. 

You can share Jesus with others simply by telling them what God has done for you (by sharing your testimony). You can share Jesus with others by telling them how great, kind, loving, gracious, powerful and good He is. That's declaring God's praise among all people. You can share Jesus with others simply by talking about Him in God-honoring ways in public. So, be sure to season your conversation with the salt of God's grace and praise. Go and tell what He has done!

*Piper, John. Let the Nations Be Glad! The Supremacy of God in Missions. 3rd ed., Baker Academic, p. 35, 2010.

Nothing Belongs to You

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

Psalm 24:1

This simple verse from the psalms tells us in no uncertain terms that everything and everyone belongs to the Lord. Donald S. Whitney drives the import of this verse home to us in his powerful book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life when he says... 

The house you live in, is God’s house. The trees in your yard are God’s trees. The grass that you mow is God’s grass... The car you drive is God’s car. The clothes you wear and those hanging in your closet belong to God… You don’t own anything. God owns everything and you are His manager… You are just a temporary steward of things that belong to God.*

We don’t use the word ‘steward’ very often, but a steward is someone who has been entrusted with the care of something that does not belong to them. It’s not their property, but they are responsible for managing it. And they are held accountable by the owner for what they do with it.

Whether you know it or not, you are a steward! You manage and safeguard and even spend that which does not belong to you. And, just like any other steward, one day you will have to stand before the Owner and give an account of how you managed what He entrusted to your care. As Romans 14:12 says, “each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.”

If you had to stand before the Lord and give an account of your life today, would you be happy with how you have used the time and money God has given you? Has God been glorified? Have lost people heard about Jesus because of you? Has the church been strengthened? Have God’s people been encouraged in their faith because of what you did? Have you spent your life in service to the Lord or in service to yourself?

If you aren't so sure that you have been a faithful steward of what God has entrusted to your care, then make today the day you start doing better. 

*Whitney, Donald S. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. (NavPress: Colorado Springs, CO) 2002, p 141.

Plant Yourself by the Stream

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers, but His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever he does prospers.

Psalm 1:1-3

This passage says that God’s Law (or His Word) is like a stream of water that refreshes and strengthens us. If we'll plant ourselves beside the Word and meditate on it day and night, then we'll be like a tree planted beside a stream. A tree whose leaves never whither and whose fruit never fails. This analogy tells us that we can grow and prosper endlessly in our faith if we will only ensure a steady flow of God’s Word into our lives. 

Never underestimate the importance of God’s Word in your life. Never believe the lie that you have grown beyond needing to read it. The Bible is endlessly refreshing and nourishing. Its treasures are never-ending. You always need more of it.

But notice that we need a steady flow of the Word, not an occasional dumping. Imagine a tree planted in hard ground. If a big raincloud dumps a bunch of water on that tree all at once, most of the water will run off that hard ground. Very little will have time to saturate the ground and get down to the roots where the tree can take it in and retain it. The tree benefits very little from that kind of rain.

We often make this mistake in our Bible reading. We rush through our Bible reading. We do it quickly just to get it done. And because of that we get very little benefit from it. Instead, I encourage you to read your Bible slowly. Give it time to sink in and saturate your soul and produce life change. 

Often, I will read the same chapter of Scripture everyday for a week and only then move on to the next. This helps me to make sure I don't miss anything in the chapter. It gives me time to think about and understand the more difficult parts of the passage. And it makes it much more difficult for me to ignore the parts that I don't like. Try it in your own life. Here's a Scripture Meditation Plan I am using this year. I invite you to read the Bible slowly with me in 2025.

W.o.W. Rewind: Big God

Nothing in this world makes my problems look smaller quicker than thinking about the greatness of God. When my gaze is lifted off the things of this world and I consider who He is, I am reminded of just how big God is. Compared to His greatness, my biggest problems are small potatoes. 

Recently this has brought me great comfort. I was feeling overwhelmed and frustrated in life. I had been spending too much time contemplating the enormity of my "to do" list and not nearly enough time contemplating the enormity of God. My perspective had gotten locked in on the mundane frustrations of this world. I had become consumed by my need to succeed. I failed to see the glory of God all around me in creation, crying out for me to lift my eyes. I was locked in a very unhappy way of living. But when I dedicated myself to return to Bible study and prayer, God did a wonderful thing. He revealed Himself to me again through His Word and through prayer, and once again I was amazed at how big and wonderful God is. How could I have forgotten for all this time!?

Perhaps you are locked in a small way of thinking today too? Here are some passages of Scripture designed to lift your gaze and place it back on God.

Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, you his servants; praise the name of the Lord. Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised. The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of his people. He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord. (Psalm 113)

Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created, and he established them for ever and ever— he issued a decree that will never pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and women, old men and children. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. And he has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his faithful servants, of Israel, the people close to his heart. Praise the Lord. (Psalm 148)

How to Complain

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me,

so far from my cries of anguish?

My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. 

Psalm 22:1–2

This psalm begins with a complaint... an anguished, broken-hearted complaint. In the day of trouble he looks to god for help, but can’t find Him. He cries out to God day and by night, but God doesn’t answer. The psalmist feels forsaken by God.

Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt like God wasn’t answering your prayers or that He had turned His back on you when you needed Him most? When you feel that way, what should you do? These two verses, along with the rest of Psalm 22, begin to give us a guide to Christian complaint. 

Two things jump out to us immediately. First, David complains to God not about God. That’s incredibly important! There is a tremendous difference between grumbling against God and pouring your complaint out to God. You know what we call complaining to God? Prayer!

You don’t like for people to talk bad about you behind your back, so don’t do it to God. Show Him the consideration and respect of bringing it straight to Him. Pour your complaint out to God, not against Him.

Second, we can’t help but notice that the psalmist doesn’t pull any punches. He doesn’t sugar-coating anything. He’s gut-wrenchingly honest with God. He openly tells God exactly how he feels.

‌It’s okay to be honest with God. It isn’t okay to be disrespectful. It isn’t okay to blaspheme or curse at Him or yell at Him or even lecture Him. But, you can be honest with God. He already knows what you are feeling. You don’t have to hide your pain or your disappointment from Him. It’s okay to acknowledge the facts of your situation and it’s okay to be honest about how you are feeling. 

If King David could do it in Psalm 22, and if Jesus could do it by quoting these verses from the cross, then you can to. It's okay to pour out your complaint to the Lord, just do it respectfully.

An Ancient Blessing

In the Old Testament we find the patriarchs speaking blessings over their children. Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau. Jacob blessed Joseph and his sons Manasseh and Ephraim. And later on in Numbers 6:22-27 the Lord gives Aaron the high priest a special blessing to pronounce over Israel almost as though he were the spiritual father of the nation as a whole. 

This idae of pronouncing a blessing over someone is almost foreign to us in the New Testament church. We pray for our children and grandchildren but we don't really pronounce blessings over them in that way. So, I was somewhat surprised when I found myself reading Psalm 20 and thinking about how powerful it would be as a blessings or a prayer spoken over my own children. 

I think that must be how this ancient song functioned for Israel. It was a blessing that they sung over one another. And God has preserved it in the Scripture for us so that we too can pronounce this ancient blessing over those close to us. So consider pronouncing or praying this blessing over someone close to you today.    

Psalm 20

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;

may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

May he send you help from the sanctuary

and grant you support from Zion.

May he remember all your sacrifices

and accept your burnt offerings.

May he give you the desire of your heart

and make all your plans succeed.

May we shout for joy over your victory

and lift up our banners in the name of our God.

May the Lord grant all your requests.

Now this I know:

The Lord gives victory to his anointed.

He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary

with the victorious power of his right hand.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

They are brought to their knees and fall,

but we rise up and stand firm.

Lord, give victory to the king!

Answer us when we call!

Thirsty

As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul pants for you, my God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When can I go and meet with God?

Psalm 42:1-2

Psalm 42 begins with an arresting description of the Psalmists longing for God. Imagine a deer that has been fleeing a predator. Imagine how thirsty it must get bounding with such speed through meadows and woodland, darting at the smallest sound, running for its life. If it could speak I imagine it would say "I'm dying of thirst!" It pants and longs for a cool drink of water. Have you ever been there? I know I have. Well, that feeling captures how the psalmist feels about God. His soul cries out, thirsty and desperate for his God. He feels as though he will die if he doesn't enter God's presence soon. 

I've been there before. I can remember actually being excited to go to bed at night because I couldn't wait to get up in the dark of the early morning hours to commune with God, to feel His presence, and to worship Him with no one else around. Yes, I've been there before, but it's been a while. Lately, it's been a struggle just to drag myself out of bed in the morning. Then I have to motivate myself to open God's Word instead of opening my phone. Maybe you can relate. 

If so, join me in praying and asking God to give us the longing, the spiritual thirst that Psalm 42 speaks of. Let the cry of your heart be "Lord, make me thirsty!" And let's commit together to get up early tomorrow and drink deeply from the well of Living Water. And may our souls be refreshed, and may we learn to long for Him above all the cheap imitations this world has to offer

God is Good to All

The Lord is good to all;

 he has compassion on all he has made.

Psalm 145:9

Sometimes people imagine that God is like the little boy sitting over the ant hill with his  magnifying glass grinning maniacally as he burns and tortures the little ants and watches them run helplessly for their lives. But this verse proves that that picture of God is a lie. 

It says that God is good to all and has compassion on all He has made. He isn’t just good to believers. He isn’t just good to the righteous. He is good to all people. And even beyond that. God isn’t just good to people. God shows His goodness and compassion to all His creation. Matthew Henry put it this way, “[God] is good to all…from the highest angel to the lowest worm.”* Or we might say down to the smallest ant.

Jesus speaks of this common grace of God in the New Testament when He says “God causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45) What this verse teaches us is that God is so good that He’s good to everyone! He’s so full of goodness and compassion that they overflow out of Him in abundance and spill over into our lives. Every single one of us has been touched and blessed by the goodness of God.

Perhaps life has been particularly difficult for you lately. Perhaps it has even been difficult for a very long time. You may be tempted to think of God as that little boy over the anthill. You may be tempted to think He is torturing you for His own pleasure. But that isn’t who God is. No matter how hard life has been on you, I can say with confidence that God has been good to you. I can say with confidence that He has compassion for you, because that is who He is. He doesn’t show you compassion or love because you deserve it but simply because it is who He is.

*Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged. (Hendrickson Publishers) 1991. p948.

Personal Praise

I will exalt you, my God the King;

I will praise your name for ever and ever.

Psalm 145:1

David begins his song by saying, “I will exalt you my God.” For David praise is personal and possessive. Literally, David uses the possessive pronoun “my” to refer to God. He says "He’s my God." God was a treasured possession to David and He ought to be a treasured possession for you as well.

This is a helpful reminder that God isn’t just the God of the universe. He isn’t just the Creator God that lives far off in the heavens somewhere. No, if you choose to follow Him, if you call yourself a Christian, then God, in Christ Jesus, is your personal God. David calls Him, "my God" and you would do well to do the same.

Next David calls God the King. He says, “I will exalt you, my God the King.” The great preacher Charles Spurgeon comments on this verse saying, “David as God’s king adores God as his king.”*  This is the king of Israel, the greatest king in Israel’s history up to this point, willingly acknowledging that there is a greater king whom he must obey.

No matter how high you climb in life, no matter how much authority you wield, there is always someone greater, God, the King of Kings, before whom you must bow. We live in a time in which the church thinks about God and relates to God predominantly as a friend. And it is true that in Jesus God has drawn near to believers and become our friend, but it’s also true that He is still the great king. He is not to be dismissed or disrespected. He is to be obeyed! God must be “the King” in your life.

In just eight words David has established that God is his personal God (He is beloved and treasured and to be worshipped) and that God is his King (He is his authority who is to be obeyed). And now in light of these truths He promises to priase God's name forever and ever. Let us do the same!

*Spurgeon, Charles Haddon. The Treasury of David: Volume 3. (Hendrickson Publishers) p375.

Grass Season (W.o.W. Rewind)

It's lawn mowing season again. It's time for Dads everywhere to bust out their short shorts, dark socks, and white tennis shoes. It's time to do manly stuff in the yard while simultaneously showing the world that our pasty legs haven't seen the sun since last summer. There are a few things we can be certain of this time of year. 1) Our daughters will be mortified by our lack of fashion sense. 2) Our allergies will flare up mercilessly. 3) And the grass will grow endlessly. That means that this is a good time of year to consider what God's Word says about the wicked. Psalm 92:7 says, "Though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever." It often appears that those who disobey God's commands are winning in the game of life. Their popularity, fame and riches increase and we're tempted to envy them. But we must remember that they are like the grass which is easily scorched in the heat of the summer. In ancient Palestine dry grass was even used as fuel for fires due to lack of firewood (ESV Footnote on Luke 12:28). So what Jesus says is true. The grass that is alive in the field today is thrown into the oven tomorrow (Luke 12:28). The psalmist uses this image to remind us that God's has already pronounced judgment on the wicked. Though they shoot up quickly, like the grass they will be mowed down in their prime.

Compare this fate of the wicked to what the psalmist has to say about the righteous. Psalm 92:12-14 says, "The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green." The palm tree that the psalmist compares the righteous person to is probably the date palm which has a long life and produces fruit (ESV Footnote on Psalm 92:12-15). These are two things that grass does not do. But why does the psalmist compare the righteous to a cedar of Lebanon? Cedars of Lebanon were widely considered to be the best trees in the world for use in building.

Though the selection of these trees may seem insignificant to you, they allow the psalmist to add a beautiful layer of double meaning for his original readers. I believe this psalm may have been written at a time when Solomon's temple was still standing because the author is drawing on images from that temple. The psalmist speaks of the righteous being "planted in the house of the LORD" and "flourishing in the courts of our God." According to I Kings 5 and 6, both of these trees played a key role in Solomon's temple. The temple itself was constructed out of cedars of Lebanon overlaid with gold while the inside of the temple was covered with carvings of palm trees. The psalmist's ultimate point is that the righteous will enter God's presence, but he uses a powerful image to make that point. In essence, he says the righteous are like the cedars used to make God's house, they are like the palm trees engraved on the walls of the temple. In Heaven they will get to spend every day in God's presence, watching what He is doing. What a beautiful image! How much better is the end of the righteous man than that of the wicked!

So when your progress in this life seems slow, when it appears that the wicked are passing you by, and when you are tempted toward despair or envy- remember the grass. Remember what the wicked man's end will be. They will be cast out of God's presence into outer darkness (Matthew 22:13). And remember the end of the righteous, dwelling in the midst of God's glorious presence forever. May this motivate us all to persevere in the way we should go.

Run to God

God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging.

Psalm 46:1-3

A Christian can possess internal stillness of soul even as the world melts into chaos around him. Psalm 46 tells us how. The secret is trusting God. Even when that which seems most fixed and unshakeable in our world, characterized in this psalm by mountains, collapses before our eyes and falls at our feet, we don't have to be afraid. Even when everything around us is shaking, we need not be shaken, because we trust in the Lord.

Psalm 46 says, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear." No matter how bad life gets the Christian has a refuge he can run to, a safe place that can't be touched by the evils of this world. This reminds me of what I would do when I was scared as a child. If a big, scary dog approached us and was barking at us, I would instinctively get close to my dad or grandad because I knew they would keep me safe. When I was scared I ran to them and felt safe. 

It's the same with God. When your world is shaking, when it seems like everything is falling apart, it isn't time to get angry with God or question His justice, it's time to run to Him for protection. The wise Christian knows that his relationship with God is his only refuge in this chaotic world. He also knows that God is his only source of help or rescue. So, whenever the wise Christian feels scared or in trouble he runs to His God and feels safe again.

Wait for the Lord

In the Lord I take refuge.

How then can you say to me:

“Flee like a bird to your mountain."

Psalm 11:1

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 27:14

Sometimes having faith means doing nothing. Sometimes trusting in God means standing still. I am reminded of how the Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that, "There is a time for everything." This is also true of our faith. There are times when we ought to charge forward in faith. For example, anytime we have a clear command of God to obey. But there are also times when we must stand still and wait in faith. Sooner or later, you will face something bigger than you, something that is completely out of your control. And all you will be able to do is ask for God's help and wait.

Both charging forward and sitting still can be powerful expressions of faith in God's willingness to act on our behalf. We need to be adept at doing both, because the Christian life will require both out of us. I believe one reason why the Lord puts in in situations in which we must wait on Him is that it removes any ambiguity about who is acting. It's all too easy for me to charge ahead thinking that I'm putting my faith in God into action when all I am really doing is putting my faith in my own abilities into action. But when I have to sit still and wait on the Lord to act on my behalf, there isn't any confusion about who is acting. My faith must be purely in God then. 

So, if God has placed you in a situation that is beyond your control, if He is asking you to wait on Him to act, then know that you are not alone. When David wrote these psalms he was in real, physical danger. His enemies were plotting or even marching against him. Yet, he learned to wait on the Lord, to trust God to come to his rescue. There are times when even the mightiest warriors can do nothing but exercise their faith by sitting and waiting. This was an invaluable lesson for David, and it will be for you as well. If God has called you to such a time today, then trust Him to carry you through it.

The Power of Praise (W.o.W. Rewind)

 Lord, our Lord,

how magnificent is your name throughout the earth!
You have covered the heavens with your majesty.
From the mouths of infants and nursing babies,
you have established a stronghold
on account of your adversaries
in order to silence the enemy and the avenger. (Psalm 8:1-2)


When do you praise God? Maybe just when you're at church? Or only when things are going well? If so, then you are missing out on a powerful spiritual weapon.

Have you ever been told that praise can be a spiritual weapon? According to this passage, it is and believers ought to use it against our enemies. The passage speaks of a stronghold that God brings forth from the mouths of infants and babes. What is this stronghold? The Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint understood this stronghold to be praises to God sung by children. Jesus affirmed this understanding when He quoted from the Septuagint translation in Matthew 21:16- "You have prepared praise from the mouths of infants and nursing babies.” If we are to take Jesus' word for it, then the praise we declare to God and His Messiah is a stronghold which protects us from our enemies.

How does this work? When we're surrounded by enemies (physical or spiritual) we ought to sing God's praise. In doing so we remind ourselves and our attackers who our Protector is, how strong He is, and how magnificent He is. As we open our mouths in praise, our enemies close their mouths in silence. As we praise God's strength we grow more confident as they grow more afraid. There is good news for us here. Believers don't need to be strong or mighty to be safe. We can be as weak as a newborn babe. God is our Protector and our weakness doesn't limit His power.

So spend some time praising God today. Praise Him for who He is. If you need inspiration, read a few psalms. As you praise, your outlook will change. And if you'll praise Him publicly before your enemies they'll think twice as well.

Talking about God's Faithfulness

I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;

with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known

through all generations.

Psalm 89:1

We don’t talk about God’s goodness nearly enough! This verse is a great reminder that we should make His faithfulness known! Don’t keep it to yourself. Somebody needs to know what God has done for you. Chances are you know someone who is struggling in their faith right now and the story of God's faithfulness in your life may be just what they need to hear to give them the encouragement to keep on believing.

Verse 1 goes a little beyond that though. The psalmist doesn’t just want to tell those who live in his day about God’s faithfulness. He wants to make it “known through all generations.” Amazingly, God did just that. This song was inspired by God and preserved in Scripture so that even now, over 2,500 years later, this psalmist's words remind us of God’s faithfulness.

Think about this. How will your children and grandchildren know about all God has done for you if you don’t tell them? How will they know about all the times God provided for you when you didn’t know how you were gonna pay the bills or put food on the table? How are they gonna know about how God healed you when it looked like you might die? How are they gonna know about how God forgave you and showed you mercy when you deserved judgment? They can’t know if you never tell them! 

Make time to tell the next generation about God’s faithfulness in your life. Tell them what God has done for you. Because if you don’t, a generation will rise up and is rising up that doesn’t know the Lord. We are locked in a battle for the souls of our children and grandchildren. The world is telling them that the Bible isn’t true, that the stuff we believe is outdated and unnecessary and maybe even oppressive. They’re hearing lie after lie after lie about God. There are plenty of people telling them that God isn’t good. Who is going to tell them that He is good! Who is going to stand up and make God’s faithfulness known to the next generation? No one is better suited to do it than you. You tell them.