5 

Psalm 62:5-7

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
    for my hope is from him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God rests my salvation and my glory;
    my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

David felt like we can a lot of times - as if the whole world is against us. We look for someone, anyone, we can go to for strength, solace and security and find none. There is always One we can go to, and should go to, David says. He is the Rock of Stability, the Fortress of Security, and the Refuge of Solace, the one and only place of Salvation.  These words are the chorus of this Psalm, to be sung over and over again so they ring in our hearts and our heads. Where can I go? You know. 

The Mercy of God and the Dust of the Earth...

PSALM 103: 8-14
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide,
    nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
    nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
13 As a father shows compassion to his children,
    so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
14 For he knows our frame;    he remembers that we are dust

After beginning with blessing the name of the LORD, the psalmist gets to the core of the matter: the very character of God. He is merciful, forgiving, patient. He does not give us what we deserve. He does not treat us like the dust that we are.  Any of us would kick the dust off our feet, annoyed by the grit between our toes, or the tainting of the shimmer of our boots.  Not our Father. He looks down and sees the dust, transforming us into something useful and beautiful. That's Who He is: the Creator and Recreator of life.  He makes us stand in awe.  

It's not about me...

PSALM 69:6

Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me,
    O Lord God of hosts;
let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me,
    O God of Israel.
7 For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach,
    that dishonor has covered my face.
8 I have become a stranger to my brothers,
    an alien to my mother's sons.

9 For zeal for your house has consumed me,
    and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
10 When I wept and humbled[b] my soul with fasting,
    it became my reproach.
11 When I made sackcloth my clothing,
    I became a byword to them.
12 I am the talk of those who sit in the gate,
    and the drunkards make songs about me.

13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.
    At an acceptable time, O God,    in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.

David was going through a very rough time.  Saul was pursuing him; others were jumping on the bandwagon, seeking to prosper from his adversity; many were bad-mouthing him, judging him, his actions, and his intentions.  David continued to humbly worship God, which also became of topic of criticism.  What was he ultimately concerned about? "Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me." He did not want his suffering to be a stumbling block to others. He did not want what he was going through to cause others to back off from their pursuing God and His will.  Often, when we suffer, are misjudged, treated with injustice and spoken evil of, our response is to complain how unfair it is - it's all about me and my suffering. David knew better: It's about God, His glory, and His people, and the picture our experiences paint about a relationship with Him and with them.  Let's avoid the me-centered life. 

He's looking down... what does He see???

The Steadfast Love of the Lord

Ps 33

 Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!
    Praise befits the upright.
2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;
    make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
3 Sing to him a new song;
    play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

4 For the word of the Lord is upright,
    and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
    the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
    and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;
    he puts the deeps in storehouses.

8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;
    let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
    he commanded, and it stood firm.

10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
    he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
    the plans of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
    the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

13 The Lord looks down from heaven;
    he sees all the children of man;
14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out
    on all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all
    and observes all their deeds.
16 The king is not saved by his great army;
    a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
    and by its great might it cannot rescue.

18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
    on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 that he may deliver their soul from death
    and keep them alive in famine.

20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
    he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart is glad in him,
    because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,    even as we hope in you.

The LORD is looking down in Love on His creation, especially those who fear Him, hope in Him, trust in Him.  What does He see as He looks? Is it a bunch of people running around doing as they please, acting as if He is not there?  Or are we thanking, praising, trusting and rejoicing in Him? Are we looking up to Him, and waiting upon Him? The One who Looks also speaks.  He spoke creation into existence; He has revealed to us His Word, and He is watching to see if we are listening, paying attention to Him.  Once aware He is watching, the proper response is not to try to hide so he cannot see (just ask Adam and Eve...)  Rather, we are to call out to Him in trust, realizing how much He loves us, and how many good things He had for us, so that we can thank, praise, trust and rejoice in Him more.  Let's go through today, even just one day, trying to keep in mind that He is looking down on us with lovingkindness.  

The Cry of the Unborn...

PSALM 17:6

I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
    incline your ear to me; hear my words.
7 Wondrously show[a] your steadfast love,
    O Savior of those who seek refuge
    from their adversaries at your right hand.

8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings,
9 from the wicked who do me violence,
    my deadly enemies who surround me.

10 They close their hearts to pity;
    with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
11 They have now surrounded our steps;
    they set their eyes to cast us to the ground.
12 He is like a lion eager to tear,
    as a young lion lurking in ambush.

13 Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him!
    Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
14 from men by your hand, O Lord,
    from men of the world whose portion is in this life.[b]
You fill their womb with treasure;[c]
    they are satisfied with children,    and they leave their abundance to their infants.

When I was younger, I would often hear people refering to a child as "the apple of their eye," the one upon they looked as their greatest reason for living.  Though David is pleading for God's protection from those who were seeking after his life, we can well imagine these words from the mouth of an unborn child in many parts of the world - being under attack, not by the sword, as much as the scalpel. We live in a culture where the child is viewed not as "the apple of one's eye," or a treasure in the womb, but a problem to be eliminated.  David knew God did not feel that way. He knew God would be his protector.  But an unborn child cannot pray this prayer for himself or herself.  They have no idea they are under attack. So we pray this prayer for them: that they will be protected, viewed as a treasure, accepted as "the apple of one's eye."  

Blessed and Beyond...

A Song of Ascents.

128 Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
    who walks in his ways!
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
    you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
    within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
    around your table.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
    who fears the Lord.

5 The Lord bless you from Zion!
    May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
    all the days of your life!
6 May you see your children's children!    Peace be upon Israel!

There we were, reading through the Psalms as a family, and reading this psalm gave me such a sense of peace. Then we read it again during our discussion group on the readings, and it wasn't just me.  Others too know exactly what this Psalm is talking about.  We've been there.  Blessed. Simply Blessed by God in life.  But beyond blessed as well.  It's part of that "peace that passes understanding" when you fear, trust, and seek to live for God.  That's where it's at, no matter what chaos goes on all around.  God is good. Thanks, LORD.