A Psalm For Thom

Psalm 23

If you have ever been to a funeral chances are you have heard this poem read. Interestingly throughout time

this Psalm has become a comfort to those who have lost loved ones or who are faced with a terminal illness. It holds a special place in my heart as it was one of my friend Thom Potts’ favorite Psalm. A few years ago I received news that my best friend of nearly 17 years was entering the last stages of his 20 plus year battle with cancer. As I went back to PA to serve him and his family I took great comfort in this Psalm as it illuminates hope and comfort to those who are faced with the “shadow of death”. Although it usually is associated with death, depression and despair Psalm 23 is one of trust, hope, encouragement and security.

Psalm 23 is short Psalm (six verses) penned by David. It is often referred as the Shepherd’s Psalm of David as it paints a beautiful picture of God’s tender love and care for His children. With only six verses this Psalm is packed insights to humanity, God, and his great love and provision for us.

The Shepherd

This Psalm is broken down into two pictures of God. The first is a picture of God as a shepherd (verses 1 – 4) and the second pictures God as a host (5 - 6).

“The LORD is my shepherd”

The opening verse begins with a picture of YHWH (the existing One, the Eternal One, the I AM) as a shepherd; however not just A shepherd but “MY” (David’s) shepherd. As a shepherd himself and as king David acknowledges God as his leader, his guide and counselor. Before I go any further I think it would be good  to ask yourself, “Is YHWH MY shepherd? Is He the one who is leading me and guiding me in my life?  Does He have supreme rule and authority in my life? Am I completely and utterly dependent on God as my shepherd?”

The word shepherd is defined as “a special friend, a herdsman, or one who tends to sheep.” I love the first definition, “a special friend.” God (Isa 40:11) and Jesus (John 10:11, Heb 13:20, I Pet. 2:25) are both referred as a shepherd throughout the Bible and his people are referred as sheep (Psa 78:52).

Some people are actually offended by this analogy because we all know sheep are dumb and need tending to all the time. They are totally dependent on the shepherd to lead them to food and water and they cannot defend themselves. However they also fail to realize that in the ancient Middle East sheep were considered precious to their owners and were even a symbol of wealth. Yes, we may be dumb and needy but we are precious to the Great Shepherd and we would be lost without Him.

It is a beautiful thing to visualize God as our shepherd because the job of a shepherd is to lead, protect and care for the sheep. A shepherd loves his sheep; he often gave them names and tenderly watched after them day after day. He would go to any extreme to get one lost sheep back in the fold. He would protect them from predators by fending off wild beasts with his staff. A predator would literally have to get past the shepherd in order to get to the sheep. This is what God is to us; our Great Shepherd.

“I shall not want”

As long as we are the sheep of God’s flock we lack nothing. As his sheep we should be completely satisfied under God’s care. We have no needs, no worries (at least we shouldn’t) and we are safe. Our contentment should be in the Good Shepherd and in nothing or nobody else. We have all we need in God.

“He makes me lie down… “

As a loving shepherd God knows what we need to survive and thrive thus He leads us to places of rest and feeding. God will take care of us as He brings us to these places we need for survival and rest. His presence and tender care revives us and relieves our inner being, our seat of emotions and passions (“He restores my soul”).

“He leads me in paths of righteousness”

God leads us down the road we need to be on (the right path) so we may go where we need to be. He is our righteousness and He is the one who guides in our moral paths. He does this for His names sake. We are the pride of God and when we walk in the paths of righteousness we reveal God’s glory, his fame, reputation and nature. He leads us in righteousness so we may live the good life, but He also leads us in this path so His fame and glory can be made known.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death”

This verse could refer to a place of deep darkness, depression, or anxiety (or even a physically dark and despairing place) or it could be the looming reality of death in our lives. Dark times and death are inevitable in anyone’s life. Whether talking about the loom of physical death, a dark time in your life or a state of emotional despair these can all be distressing to one who chooses not to trust the shepherd. David writes that he “will fear no evil.” All of these “shadows” will not instill fear because he is in the tender care of the Shepherd. We would do well to learn as David did that when the dark times come we cannot let them overtake us and cause us to fear. Fear fades in the presence of the Lord. 

The Host

In verse 5 the image of God changes from a Shepherd to the Host of a great feast. This picture shows that we are not only sheep in God’s care but we are also the honored guest at the Table of the Lord. Now this is an analogy that is less offensive to many.

God has set us a place as the special guest of honor at his table. He has spared no expenses and has invited us to eat with Him at His table. This is the place of communion with Him. As the Host God not only feeds and honors us but also assumes the responsibility for the safety of His guests. While under the care of the host all guests were safe from their enemies. As a guest our heads are anointed with perfumed oil (a means of refreshing and invigorating the body… kind of like a shower). The blessings and provisions of God are abundant just like a guest has a generous amount of wine available to them by the gracious host.

His abundance of blessings includes goodness and mercy. We have a plentiful supply of God’s prosperity, happiness, favor, and kindness. These blessings will remain with us for as long as we are alive.

“Dwell in the house of the Lord”

This is the ultimate communion with God. Many have interpreted the house of the Lord as the place where we go when we die. It is not necessarily a place we will go to some day. I believe it is where we are today… dwelling in the house of the Lord means we are in God’s presence. God is here today, He is in the midst of our lives right now. We can and have been given abundant life here on earth. I know of so many people who have written this life off and are just waiting to die so they can escape this world and go to heaven and be happy. My friends happiness is here in this life. The life we have today is a gift from God. Happiness and bliss is not just reserved for the afterlife; God desires we be happy and live the abundant life today. Living in the presence of the LORD today and forever is what David is writing about in this Psalm. Humans need to quit wasting our lives waiting for heaven. Heaven is the icing on the cake. The life we are living today is the cake. How you live your life is completely dependent upon you. I don’t think God’s intention for life is to just get by so we can go to heaven some day. If that were the case I would rather He bypassed the life here on earth and saved some time and energy and just sent me to heaven. Dwelling in the house of the LORD forever includes today. Today is included in forever. Let us dwell in God’s presence here on earth. Let us live the abundant life here on earth. It is a gift from God so let us not waste it by simply existing on this earth.

Conclusion

The LORD is my shepherd and I shall not want. God has blessed me in this life and I am extremely thankful that he is leading and guiding me through this life. I trust He will and has provided all for me. I am a dumb sheep in need of a shepherd. I am also an honored guest at the table of the Lord. I am blessed to have a life where I can live it in the presence of the LORD and will not waste or bide my time hear on earth waiting to go to heaven. I will enjoy the abundant life God has given me today and I look forward to continue dwelling in the presence of the Lord when He takes me home.

It is no wonder that people hold on to this verse in times of darkness and death. It is a beautiful picture of the wonderful love and care God has for us in dark times.I challenge us to not only hold this verse close to heart in times of death and turmoil, but to also hold them close in the life we live daily. May this Psalm not only be considered the Psalm of comfort in death, but that it may also be the Psalm of comfort in living the abundant and secure life in Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving All Year Round

Psalm 98

Psalm 98 is a Psalm of David and gives us a glimpse into the heart of a man who had dedicated his life to living in continual praise and thanksgiving to God. This is a Psalm of public praise to God for his faithfulness in making and keeping His promises and also for answered prayer.  It is directed as a prayer of offering of thanks to God for his constant care.  It is also a Psalm of heartfelt worship and humble gratitude towards a God who is everlasting, compassionate and faithful to keep his promises.  In this expression of his gratitude, he has left us all a worthy example of how we should respond to God’s wonderful deliverance.^[1]    

Vs 1a:  “I will give you thanks with my whole heart” – David publicly and unreservedly proclaims that he gives God thanks with his whole heart. 

Whole heart – inner part, inner man, mind, will soul… his whole being.  David is not only giving ordinary or mundane gratitude; he is not just giving lip service (empty or vain words) to God.  According to John Calvin David’s heart is, “one that is sincere and not double.”  It is a genuine heartfelt thankfulness.  It is much more than just saying a heartless, “Thanks”.   All his power is devoted to blessing God.

           

Vs 1b “before the gods I sing praise” – He unashamedly sings before the gods praise.  The word gods can be translated as angels, kings or the gods of the kings.  It seems the most probable translation would be “before the rulers and kings I will sing praise” since the Israelites were monotheistic in worship. 

Vs. 2a:   “Bow down toward your holy temple” – David prostrates himself in reverence toward the tabernacle which represents the presence or dwelling place of God.  He knew his proper place before an Almighty God.  He was not proud instead he was humbled at the presence of God.  This was not the actual temple since the Temple had not been built yet, so it was probably the tent or tabernacle that David bowing towards.  It wasn’t a sign of idol worship either since his prostration was not in reverence of the tent but the presence of the One in the tent.

Vs. 2b:  “I give thanks for…” – Three things David gives thanks to God...

1)     His name – God’s reputation, fame, and glory.  His name is who He is; the eternal one, the One who was, is and always has been.

2)     His steadfast love – God’s continual mercy He shows to His people.  His loving kindness.

3)     His faithfulness – God has made promises and He is trustworthy to keep these promises. 

          Above all God “exalts” or lifts up on high his name (who He is) and his word (promises).  It is important to God that He puts above all else His reputation and His promises since the two go together.  The meaning seems to be that He has not only done what He said He would, but has done much more in addition.^[2]

Vs. 3:  “On the day I called you answered…” – David praises God for his answered prayer.  As a result of the answered prayer his faith and spirit was strengthened in God.  We are all encouraged or strengthened in faith when we actually witness an answer to prayer.  Answered prayer certainly builds our faith and encourages us.

Vs 4 - 5: “All the kings of the earth…” – This is either a prayer request or a confident expectation.  Regardless in David’s soul strengthening answered prayer he is confident that there will be a day when all rulers will acknowledge God as Supreme ruler.  

Vs 6:  “For the Lord is high, he regards the low…”  These are words of comfort and encouragement to David and should be for us as well.  As great, magnificent, awesome, amazing and awe inspiring God still cares for the common person.  He is a God who is for the broken, humiliated, lowly and repentant. 

We saw in Psalm 51 where David writes, “A broken spirit and a contrite heart the Lord will not despise.”  Those who are humble and know their place before the Almighty God; He will remain close to and give regard to. 

However the proud, self dependent, unrepentant and haughty person God will stay far from.  He will remain distant because proud individuals see no need for God other than for personal gain or benefit (note he does not abandon them he just cannot get close to them, and not because he can’t but because the proud won’t let him come close).  The proud are to proud to admit their failures, short comings or even acknowledge their sins.  They come to God when things get tough and they can’t get themselves out of the predicament they are in. 

Vs 7 – 8:  “Though I walk in the midst of trouble…”  David speaks of God’s protective hand in preserving him in times of danger and trouble.  Even though his life is endangered by his enemies God has remained faithful in providing protection for him.

“right hand of power” – God’s almighty and divine power in physical and spiritual salvation.  It is only God who saves.

Psalm 138 (For us today)

          
Upon reading this Psalm it is nearly impossible for me to not respond with the same amount of gratitude and praise towards God as David.  When I think back to when the Holy Spirit called me from the self centered sin infested life I was living and invited to become an adopted son of the Almighty God how can I not thank God with my whole being.  A casual “thanks” is not enough to express the heartfelt gratitude I have towards the God who reached down and called me to be his child.  It is not enough for me to give him lip service.  I respond to God by giving him my whole being; my everything; I devote my life to serving Him (not as a way of trying to pay back what I could never pay back) but as an act of thanksgiving and gratitude. 

          
I give God thanks for his faithfulness, his long-suffering, forbearance and mercy and I praise my God for who He is and what He represents.  I am thankful that he calls me to humility.  He calls me to be dependent on Him for my every need.  There is no room for pride or boasting because I am completely reliant upon Him.  There is no room for pride in my life because pride causes a separation between God and me.  God looks favorably and delights in our humility and dependence on him and does not desire us to be prideful.

1. James 4:6  ^“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 
2.  Matthew 23:12 ^“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
3. Proverbs 29:23 ^“One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.” 
4. Mark 7:20-22 “And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. ²¹ For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, ²² coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.”

The words of David ring true about the prideful.  Pride separates you and God.  Very rarely do you see a prideful person able to express gratitude and thankfulness to people or to God.  However the heart of the humble can express gratitude and praise almost as second nature.

God is faithful.  I can’t tell you how thankful I am for that truth.  He has not failed me in any way in my life.  Sure there were times when things did not go the way I had planned or hoped; but He has been faithful in fulfilling His purpose in my life.  As followers of Christ I believe we have the responsibility and pleasure of living lives of gratitude and humility.  We can never say, “Thank you” to God enough and we can never be too dependent on God.  The things God has done for us are amazing and the things He has in store for us are just as astonishing so give him thanks for what He has done for you.  If you honestly can’t think of anything to be thankful for (I believe there is not a single person in this room who can’t) then think of the gift of eternal and abundant life God has made available to you through Jesus Christ.  Think of the great sacrifice Jesus made for you and me so we might be right with God and hopefully your response to God’s loving kindness and favor will be a life filled with gratitude and praise.

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^[1]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Ps 138:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

^[2]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Ps 138:2). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Just Give Me Jesus

Romans 1: 3 - 7

Jesus:  The Man

1)     In Roman 1:3 Paul establishes the Messiah (who was promised beforehand and later find out is Jesus Christ) was descended from the seed of David according to the flesh.

2)     What does this mean?  The Messiah would in fact be a human being.  Through the lineage of King David the Messiah would come and this was promised by God throughout the O.T.  Below are a few prophecies found in the O.T. concerning the Messiah

a)    2 Samuel 7:12 – 17 (God promises the Messiah would come through David’s lineage.)

b)    Isaiah 11:1 – 5 (One of the most well known prophecies concerning the Messiah coming through the line of David).

c)    Jeremiah 23: 5 – 6 (God promises the chosen one will come from the lineage of David).

3)     In Douglas Moo’s commentary on Romans he writes, “According to the flesh denotes being or living according to the merely human.”  He continues, “The phrase here, then, while obviously far toward the neutral end of the spectrum, also suggests that we have not arrived at the full understanding of Jesus if we look at him from the standpoint of ‘the flesh’”[1] 

4)     What Moo is essentially saying is that it is important for us to know the Messiah (Jesus) was a human, but his human(ness) did not merely  qualify him to be Messiah it is only a part of the equation.

5)     The Messiah was to be a human but he was also to be of divine origin.

6)     So “According to the flesh” establishes first off that he was a descendant of David.  A human being.  This is one of the attributes of the Messiah.

Jesus:  The Divine

1)     Not only was Jesus the descendant of David but he is also the Son of God.

2)     He was “declared” the Son of God in the “power of the Holy Spirit”. 

3)     The word “declared” means appointed, ordained, decree – a divine oracle. 

4)     Jesus was appointed the Son of God according to the Spirit and according to his resurrection. 

5)     Being appointed does not mean the resurrection is what made him the Son of God.  According to Charles Hodge, “Christ was not predestined to be the Son of God.  He was such from eternity.” [2]

6)     In other words Jesus did not become the Son of God after he rose from the dead, he has alwats been the Son of God from eternity past, remains the son of God in the present and continues as the Son of God in the future.

7)     I think what the text implies is that Jesus was publicly declared the Son of God through the resurrection.  We now can accept, acknowledge and draw near to God as a result of the resurrection of Christ.

8)     The death of Christ is imperative to our Christian faith however we cannot stop at his death.  The story does not end there it continues with the resurrection.

9)     Without the resurrection the plan of salvation is not complete. 

10)  The Spirit publicly declares Jesus divine but scripture tells us that he has always been divine. 

11) Jesus thus, is also divine in nature or to be more specific is equal to God according to scripture. 

a)     John 5:17 – 31 (Jesus calls God his Father and also claims equality to God.)

b)     According to John 5:17 - 31 Jesus…

1.           Does as the Father does

2.           Does all in the Father’s accord

3.           Knows what to do because the Father shows him.

4.           Gives life

5.           Does nothing on His own

6.           Judges

c)      John 10:30 – I and the Father are one

d)     There are numerous more scriptures that point to the divinity of Jesus Christ.  I would encourage you to get a concordance and do a study on all the times Jesus made an “I am” statement and this should help you better understand his divinity.

12) Not only does the resurrection from the dead declare him the Son of God but also the Spirit of holiness.

13) The Spirit’s characteristic is holiness

14) The Spirit proclaims Jesus’ sonship.

15)  The Spirit proclaims He is the Son of God and the resurrection validates all he taught and said.

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[1] Moo, Douglas:  The Epistle to the Romans.  Grand Rapids, MI/Cambridge UK:  William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996, p. 47

[2] Hodge, Charles: Romans- The Geneva Series of Commentaries.  Carlisle, PA:  Banner of Truth Trust 1983,  p.19

I'm Not Ashamed

Romans 1:16, 17

1) Paul declares, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel…"Why do you think he declares so boldly that he is not ashamed of the Gospel? 

2) The cross of Christ (this is essential to the Gospel) and the Gospel itself is and was considered by many outsiders and unbelievers to be foolishness. It was a crutch, a superstition, a fairy tale or just plain idiotic.

3) People who followed the cross (Christians) are/were thus considered fools as well.

• I Cor. 1:18 – For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing. But the power of salvation to those who believe
•  I Cor. 1:21 – Through the foolish preaching of the cross salvation is available to those who put their saving faith in Jesus Christ.
• I Cor. 4:10 – We are fools for Christ’s sake, but are wise in Christ’s eyes.

4) Paul was not going to shy away from preaching this Gospel nor was he going to hide it or try to act like it didn’t impact his life.

5) How many of us shy away from boldness in the Gospel? We make excuses like not wanting to come across as a pushy Christian, don’t want to be made fun of for your faith or we think that for some ridiculous reason we may come across as “overly righteous”.

6) We need to learn from Paul… There is nothing to be ashamed of with the Gospel. The Gospel message is to be proclaimed boldly both through our words and in our actions.

7) The word Gospel is derived from the Greek word Euaggeleion (Yoo-ang-ghel-ee-on) which means good tidings or good news.

• The glad tidings of the kingdom of God which has come and is still to come through Jesus the Messiah.
• Central themes of the Gospel – Ultimately it is salvation through Christ.
  
  a.  The death of Jesus Christ has reconciled (or made peace) with God and those who believe will be saved. He was bruised for our iniquity.
  b.  The resurrection and exaltation of Jesus Christ. He rose again for our justification.
  c.  The return of Christ in majesty and His coming Kingdom.

8) Why is Paul so bold about this Gospel and how can we take on this same attitude?

• It is the power of salvation – It is a mighty work of God to deliver, preserve and keep safe in Christ those who believe in Christ in faith.
• Future salvation – The redemption we will all receive when we pass from this life to eternity.
• As A.W. Pink states, “We are saved from the penalty of sin, saved from the power (influence) of sin, and the pleasure of sin” (no true believer can find pleasure in sinful acts without guilt to follow).
• Douglas Moo writes about salvation “can denote generally God’s provision for a person’s spiritual needs… It must also include the restoration of the sinner to share in God’s glory.”[1]
• Many Christians have the idea of salvation wrong. They think that the Gospel is a “get out of hell free” card or is a “fire protection” policy. 
• It is more than being saved from eternal death. It is the guarantee of a fruitful and abundant life on earth and the inheritance of future glory (eternal life).

9) This salvation is for everyone who believes. Saving faith or putting complete faith and trust in God who justifies sinners through the cross of Christ.

10) "Faith is not a work of mental exercise or an emotional experience. We cannot boast that we have sufficient faith to merit God's love. Saving faith expresses human yieldedness and confess that there is nothing about us that should make God love us. We rely on Jesus alone to save us from sin." Brian Cappell

11) “To the Jew first and also to the Greek” – Salvation (through the Gospel) is for everyone (Jews and Greeks) however this verse means the Gospel was first given to the Jews originally and eventually was made available to Gentiles.

The Gospel and the Righteousness of God

1) Not only does the Gospel show the power of God unto salvation but also in this Gospel the righteousness of God is revealed.

2) Righteousness – This is an attribute which means all that is right. The Gospel brings light to or uncovers the faithfulness, goodness, kindness, grace, mercy justice and proper(ness) of God. There is no wrong, evil or injustice in Him.

3) God’s righteousness is unveiled from faith for faith.

• From faith – God’s faithfulness (he keeps his promises)
• For faith – The faith of an individual (believing unto salvation)
• This ultimately means nothing but faith in Jesus Christ can make us right with God. Without faith it is impossible to please God.

4) Since in the Gospel God’s faithfulness is shown and our faith is sustained the end result is living by faith.

5) We are made right with God by the Gospel thus we live by faith.

6) The word live means made alive or enjoy life. We are made alive and enjoy life through faith in Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

1) Pray you will never, ever, never shy away from or be ashamed of who you are as a child of God and the powerful message of the Gospel. For there is saving power in the gospel.

2) Pray you will live your Christian life to the fullest, that you will be fully alive in Christ through faith.

[1] Moo, Douglas: The Epistle to the Romans. Grand Rapids, MI/Cambridge UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996, p. 67

Praise You in the Storm

Psalm 13

Today’s Psalm is another short song written by David.  It is, once again, most likely a Psalm we can all relate with as it is a feeling we may have had at a particularly trying time in life.  It is a song with varying emotions which begins with crying out in despair and anguish, but concludes with joy and hope.  It was more than likely penned at a low point in David’s life; some have suggested he was fighting a life threatening illness or others suggest it was penned during the time of when he was fleeing from the pursuits of King Saul who was trying to kill him.  Whatever the situation he was facing it is apparent that he is in utter despair and at the end of his rope. 

          

David begins his song by asking God “How long?” four times.  The repetition shows that David is at a point of being unable to bear or endure the situation(s) he is facing.  He asks God, “How long YHWH will you forget me, how long will you hide your face from me, how long must I take counsel in myself and how long must I watch the enemy exalt over me?”  Initially one would think David is having a crisis of faith as he wonders if God is even around or even cares.  I should make it known that David is not questioning the existence of God nor does he literally think God has forgotten about him.  Remember this is a poem or a song which is intended to express a pure feeling or a raw emotion.  His song is not intended to be a theological treatise of God in any sense; he is just being real and open with his emotions and feelings. 

Questioning God was a practice many men and women of the Bible did over the centuries and still do today.  For example Abraham questioned God when He promised Abraham’s wife would one day bear a son.  Job questioned God when he lost everything that was precious to him. Elijah questioned God’s whereabouts when he flees for his life from Jezebel.  The Israelites continually questioned God in times of calamity.  It is disheartening to read about the struggles these people faced but they should also bring comfort to us.  Why?  Because we see what many consider some of the greatest people of faith having struggles and they had the guts to cry out to God with these tough questions to express their true emotions.

There are people who actually believe questioning God or voicing their true emotions and complaints to God are wrong, disrespectful and irreverent.  I could not disagree with them more.  God is not taken back, intimidated or offended when we bring our raw unfettered emotions to him.  In fact I believe He welcomes cries of despair and the raw emotions we express to him.  There are times in the Bible when God does get frustrated with the people who lack trust and faith in Him; especially in those times where he has assured his faithfulness in the situation.  There are many accounts in the Old and New Testament where God and Jesus responds to peoples cries of despair in exasperation and saying, “How many times do I have to prove myself faithful to you?” 

David, the Psalmist, is voicing his question to God by asking, “How long do I have to endure before you will intervene and take control of the situation?”  He feels alone and abandoned by God (yet he knows He’s there) and he is in despair as he faces his enemy at the moment.  The last thing anyone wants to feel when they are in the midst of a trial, a calamity or despair is the feeling of being alone and abandoned.  Yet this is how David feels and he is begging God to divinely intervene. 

In verse 3 he continues by asking God to consider or look favorably upon his request.  In other words, “God, hear my prayer!  I have made my request known and I implore you to give it consideration.  Give me the hope I need to know that I will emerge victoriously over my enemies for your name sake; lest my enemies think they have won.”  Thus far in the first three verses we see a complaint has been filed (How long O LORD?), a request has been made (consider and answer me), now the Psalmist waits with great expectation.  He does not have a shallow hope that God may pull through for him; he is expecting God to hear his prayer and respond in the appropriate manner. 

Verse 5 is the turning point as it goes from lament to confidence.  In despair David is faced with a choice; he can choose to continue in one of two ways… 

1. He can allow his feelings to dictate his relationship with God and stew in misery and anguish.  
2. He can remember the nature of His God and trust in His loving kindness.  He can believe God will hear his prayer regardless of what he is feeling and expect God to work.  

He chooses to not allow his feelings hinder his faith.  His choice is something we can all benefit from.  It is so easy to let our feelings or emotions determine our relationship with God.  However it is also very difficult to not allow our feelings and emotions determine our faith in God.  In other words if we feel down in the dumps we feel as though God is far away and when we feel happy we feel God is close.  This is not to imply that we should never listen to our feelings and suppress them so that we become emotionless rocks.  We should instead learn from David as he writes “But I have trusted…”  David will not allow his feeling of despair to dictate his faith.  The remainder of the Psalm shows us that although David is in great despair, he feels alone and hopeless but he will still trust in God’s steadfast love.  God has not failed him at all and he will trust Him to continually not fail him.  Instead of looking at the circumstances around him or the overwhelming feelings he has he will focus on the character of God (his steadfast love).  He will focus on God’s loving kindness and the many times He has shown David his steadfast love.  Not only will he focus on God’s character but also on his salvation.  In the OT salvation means being saved from physical and spiritual danger.  His rejoicing is a bit premature since nothing has changed from the opening of the song to the closing.  Instead he believes that God will deliver him from his enemies.  

I don’t know about you, but I need to be more like David in response to his feelings.  There are so many times in life where I get very anxious because maybe finances are tight, circumstances aren’t working the way I planned them and I find myself crying out to God.  I submit my concerns and feelings to him and inevitably I come to the realization that God has not failed me yet and He is not about to begin failing me.  We can all greatly benefit from the Psalms of the Old Testament because they are relevant to us today.  

Gerald H. Wilson writes in his commentary of Psalm 13 of three helpful responses to the question “How we can regain a sense of God’s presence when we feel as though we are all alone and far from his presence.”  I paraphrase what he writes… 

1. Voice your complaint.  Be honest with God.  When you are feeling overwhelmed, alone, abandoned or completely disconnected with God, then tell him.  One could do this through prayer, journaling, or writing your own Psalms, poems or songs.  Wilson even suggests that you can do this audibly. 
2.  Take the focus off of yourself.  When you begin to have the feeling of abandonment and despair then turn your attention to others and serving them.  When you focus on your problems then your problems are always before you.  When we take the focus off of self and start thinking and praying for others then we in turn grow closer to God and bless others and our problems begin to melt away.
3. Keep connected to the body of Christ.  None of us should ever have to face life or difficulties alone.  This is why Jesus established the Church.  We are called to love and encourage one another, and we are to bear one another’s burdens.  When we gather together we can pray together, worship together, cry together, laugh together, and lift one another up.  Many of us have the natural tendency to think that when faced in a difficult situation we need to keep it to ourselves and go through it by ourselves because we don’t want to be a burden to others.

Makes Me Wanna Sing (Part 2)

Psalm 98 (For us today)

          

As believers we are called to sing to the Lord in praise and adoration of the marvelous and divine works God has done.  We are invited to join with all of creation in singing about the greatness of our God and the salvation He has made available to us.  I have a hard time understanding how individuals do not get excited about salvation.  My mind is boggled when I talk to individuals who say they have a relationship with God or are believers in Christ and yet they have no apparent joy and their commitment to God seems to be more of a burden than an act of worship to the one who has given literally everything to us for our enjoyment and His glory.

Maybe I am naive but I don’t understand how singing praises to God can be such a dividing factor within the body of Christ.  Sure, we all have preferences of styles of music but we often look past the message of a song or hymn and base our worship experience on whether we prefer a certain style or not.  I admittedly confessed that I hate country western music, but I also am not so narrow minded to think that God cannot be glorified through that STYLE of music.  If I went to a backwoods country western church and they broke out the banjo, washboard, upright bass and 50 gallon cowboy hats and led the congregation in God glorifying praise then I would join in with the band of believers and worship God joyfully.  The same goes for organ music, rock music, acoustic etc.  I hear people talk about the old hymns and refer to them as funeral dirges or lifeless songs that are wordy and confusing.  That is just as narrow thinking as mine is when it comes to country western praise.  With hymns like “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” by Martin Luther which is a hymn so filled with praise, inspiration and joy that I cannot sing that song without being brought into the presence of God.  

I digress…

          If we are to step back for a moment and look at how Psalm 98 can apply to us today we can ask three questions.

1)     Since we have salvation this is a cause for singing and celebrating; so what shall we sing?  The answer: a new song.  What does that new song look and sound like?  It is a song that is sung with a new heart and with joy because you have experienced the life altering grace of God.

2)     How should we sing this new song?  JOYFULLY with our voices and with instruments.  You may not be a musical person by nature; but as a Christian (one who has been redeemed by the saving power of Jesus Christ) by nature you are now joyful.  Sing (whether in tune or out of tune) with a joyful heart.

3)     Maybe I don’t like singing; so why should I?  Because our joy in salvation can often not be expressed in words and through music we can express our gratitude to a God who has given everything to us so sing with your heart and express your joy in following Jesus.  If that isn’t convincing enough then we should sing because God’s Word tells us to.  In this Psalm the writer doesn’t say, “If you feel like it or are talented enough then sing to the Lord a new song.”  Sorry, it doesn’t read like that.  It is a call to all of the nation of Israel, the nations of the earth and all of creation to SING joyfully and noisily unto the Lord because He has given us reason (SALVATION – victory over death and evil) to celebrate and sing to Him.  My wife and I were talking to a dear friend one time about singing praises and my wife said, "I don't have a good singing voice."  He responded, "God gave you your voice so he has to listen to it."  So don't hold back in singing to God... Sing with all you have!

Makes Me Wanna Sing (Part 1)

Psalm 98

Anybody who knows me at all knows that I love music.  Ever since I was a young boy at the ripe ole age of five I have been a music lover to the core.  Music has always played a vital role in my life.  For most of my teenage and early 20’s years I was involved in performing music in one sense or another.  Even today I like to twiddle around on the guitar a bit.  I tell you this because in today’s Psalm we are going to venture down the road of praising God through music.  Many times when we refer to praise and worship in the church we are speaking of the music aspect of a worship service. 

Music has played a key role in the modern church service.  Why is that?  I personally believe music is a form of expression and a way of communicating in ways we can't naturally communicate.  This is made perfectly clear throughout the Psalms.  The word Psalm itself means “song”.  There are 150 songs in the middle of your Bible that are various forms of expression and of praise and worship towards the Almighty God.  Singing songs was and remains an important part of the believer’s life both in the Old and New Testament.  Time spent together singing praises to God is a beautiful and holy gathering because this is the one time where we can truly open our hearts to God and proclaim with an unadulterated heart how great, mighty and awesome He is.

          

This brings up the question then, if praise and worship (or the music aspect of a church service) is such a vital part of the assembling of believers, then why has it been a point of contention in the church throughout the centuries?  This seems like a silly question since praise and worship is intended to unify the body of Christ but in more recent years has been a major driving force in dividing the body.  I will admit it is not necessarily the act of praise and worship which is dividing but the root of the division falls in the category of personal style and preference. 

We all have a personal preference of style of music we enjoy and prefer.  I DO NOT like country and western music at all.  I am more of a product of the 80’s where I like my music a little heavier and a lot less twangy.  Does this mean that I believe one cannot praise God in country and western music?  Yes it does!  I am kidding of course.  No, as believers we can praise God with any style of music… even country and western.  I think the Bible (and the Psalms in particular) is clear in setting up guidelines for praise and worship and they are as followed

1)     It needs to be done with a joyful heart.

2)     It needs to be genuine and heartfelt.

3)     It needs to be done.

Unfortunately in this day and age I am seeing less and less praise and worship done this way.  As a pastor and a participant in the church setting I sometimes wonder if there is any joy in praising God at all.  Please don’t take that to be a criticism in any way since I am not here to make anyone feel guilty at all.  If anything my goal is to help you be free in praise and worship to God.  Today we will look at Psalm 98 and hopefully glean something from it pertaining to our hearts and attitude towards praise and worship through song.

Psalm 98

Psalm 98 is one of celebration of the Kingship of God through music.  You may or may not know this particular Psalm was the inspiration behind Sir Isaac Watts hymn “Joy To the World”.  It is broken down into three parts 

1. God’s people singing praise to God for salvation 
2. Inviting the world to join in on the praise 
3. Creation joins in on praise for the righteous judgment of God. 

Vs 1a:  “Sing to the Lord a new song”…  First off the Psalmist invites the people of God to sing.  In this passage we are not only called to sing but we are called to sing a new song.  This does not necessarily imply that the song needs to be a fresh composition (so there is no need to write a new song every week and it certainly doesn’t mean that we should always sing fresh new songs all the time); but it may mean that we are to sing a song in response to an experience of God’s grace.  We are to sing with a new heart. 

           

Vs 1b “For he has done marvelous things…”  The second part to this verse tells us why we should sing this new song because God has done marvelous things.  God always does marvelous (extraordinary, far surpassing, great acts) things and should continually be praised for them. 

          In this particular song God is to be praised for his right hand and holy arm.  This is symbolic for God’s salvation.  Right arm represents God’s strength and power and his holy arm represents His intervention.  Through God’s almighty power and intervention salvation is attained. 

          In the OT salvation generally refers to God intervening in battle and saving, delivering or bringing victory to the Israelites.  God saves them from their enemies.

          In the NT salvation means victory over spiritual powers.  God has wonderfully intervened on our behalf through Jesus Christ and has given us victory over death and evil.  This is a great cause for us to sing about and celebrate.

          Salvation is not done by human means, or in an ordinary way.  Salvation is through an unprecedented manner.

Vs. 2 -3:  God has revealed or uncovered his salvation for all to experience.  He has done this for his righteous name sake.  He showed his power in salvation to the Israelites and then He made his divine power of salvation known to the gentiles.  In God’s mercy (steadfast love) He brought salvation to Israel.  He made a promise to the nation that He would be their God and they would be His people and God remembers his promise.  As a result of God’s faithfulness the nations have seen this marvelous work of salvation.

Vs. 4 – 6:  The response is an invitation for all of humanity to join in singing this song of celebration.  They are not called to joyfully make a noise to the Lord.  “Joyful noise” – shout, war cry, a shout of triumph, to shout in applause - to the Lord.

          The Psalmist encourages the use of instruments to praise God.  Play your instruments with heartfelt joy and complete praise to God.  The use of instruments in music is not intended to be a time for the musician to show off his talents, but is genuinely to play with all he has to the Lord with joy.  Perform for an audience of ONE.

Vs. 7 – 9:  Israel is singing about Gods salvation, the human race is joyously making a noise because of salvation and now creation joins in with the beautiful song of praise and adoration to God.  Creation is rejoicing at the coming of God to righteously judge and rule the earth and set all things right.  Creation rejoices because God is a fair and just judge and this time will be a wonderful time of renewal.