365 Reflections

How often I want to tell God what to do. Do you ever feel the same? As in, "God, do this. That's a great idea. If you could just see it my way." David didn't do that. He was facing his enemy's taunts and he left the details up to God. Psalm 62:1 (ESV)  For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. Psalm 62:5 (ESV)   For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He waited on God to do what God would do. He waited in silence. That's hard. Because we are given to blame and complain. I know I do.  David's soul was quiet and at rest before the Lord. He was confident God's answer was the right answer. He didn't trust his spear and army. He trusted the Lord's timing and activity. God is faithful. God is a refuse. God is a rock.  Psalm 62:7 (ESV)  On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

What is prayer for you? Time you "should" give to God? A moment of silent introspection? A quiet muttering before a big meeting/test/date? David gives us a better way to see prayer. He's in distress... as usual. And in Psalm 61, he cries out to God... Psalm 61:1–2 (The Message) God, listen to me shout, bend an ear to my prayer. 2 When I’m far from anywhere, down to my last gasp, I call out, “Guide me up High Rock Mountain!” But then these words: Psalm 61:3–5 (The Message)  You’ve always given me breathing room, a place to get away from it all, 4 A lifetime pass to your safe-house, an open invitation as your guest. 5 You’ve always taken me seriously, God, made me welcome among those who know and love you. He knows he has a place to go and vent! What a picture of prayer. You don't have to act like you've got it altogether with the Omniscient One who already knows you don't. You have an invitation to be yourself with the Lord of Glory.  And

Psalm 60 was written by David during an interesting moment in his life. He is leading the Israelites in many successive victories and gaining a reputation. Here's the contextual verse: 2 Samuel 8:13 (ESV) And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. David was fighting well in the North. However, during this time the southern area of the kingdom was getting heavily attacked and losing badly. This Psalm was written in response. Whenever you see someone making a name for himself or "themselves" in Scripture, things go poorly. Even here in Psalm 60, David seems to acknowledge the Lord bringing destruction on his armies in the south... Psalm 60:1–2 (ESV) O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses; you have been angry; oh, restore us. 2 You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open; repair its breaches, for it totters. Have you ever wondered why God isn't a fan of us making a

Psalm 59:9–10 (ESV)   O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. 10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies. Who do you watch for in times of difficulty? Who are you waiting for? David was faced with enemies by the thousands. Saul's men were hunting him down viciously and tenaciously. Yet David had a firm confidence that God would deliver him. David talks about the enemies: Psalm 59:14–15 (ESV)   Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. 15 They wander about for food and growl if they do not get their fill. Our spiritual enemy loves to come attack at night. Fear, sleeplessness, restlessness and anxiety plague at us causing us to lose sleep and ultimately suffer many effects of being over tired and weary. Keep watch over your heart at night. That's when the enemy wants to come against you.  What is our answer? God our strength:

Psalm 58 is written by David about the corrupt leadership of Saul who nearing the end had used his position for his personal hunt (of David) and gathered "yes-men" around him who simply served him to get what they could before the time was up. Psalm 58 is an attack on Godless leadership of a country. I love the Message translation: Psalm 58:1–2 (The Message)  Is this any way to run a country? Is there an honest politician in the house? 2 Behind the scenes you brew cauldrons of evil, behind closed doors you make deals with demons. Godly leadership begins with seeing the evil that often finds refuge in ungodly leadership. Why do nations rise and fall? People with wicked hearts run them into the ground. No man-made leadership will ever truly last. God alone rules supreme and rightly. The result of Saul's wicked leadership is a case study for nations in history. Government eventually goes the way of the corrupted soul because man is corrupted apart from t

Psalm 57 was sung by David in the Cave while he hid from the deadly pursuit of Saul's jealous rage. That is very important to understand when you read the first line: Psalm 57:1 (ESV)   Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. David was stuck, alone, in a dark dreary cave. But his firm confidence in God is so strong he sees the cave as the "shadow" of the Lord's wings "till the storms... pass b y." I don't know if you like where you right now. Perhaps you're sitting in a cave. Perhaps you had dreams that seem to have never come to pass and instead of "arriving" you've been barely surviving. Life can be like that some times. What do you do in God's cave? Complain? Pray? Groan? That's what many do. David sings and he considers this dark damp cave the loving hand of God who knows no

When I am afraid, I tend to call people, search google for answers or something very similarly stupid. I tend to obsess and stress. I tend to not sleep well and think about all the possibilities of what may or may not come about. I heard somewhere that 80% of what we worry about never actually happens. That's a lot of wasted thoughts. The Psalmist has a better idea: Psalm 56:3–4 (ESV) When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? Why? Because God is closely watching over his life. Psalm 56:8–11 (ESV) You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? 9 Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me. 10 In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord , whose word I praise, 11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? Where did he get that idea? He got it from the Word... he says, &

Psalm 55:22 (ESV) Cast your burden on the Lord , and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55 is one that many will resonate with. David has been backstabbed by his closest advisor during his own son Absalom's rebellion. In response to this mess, David does what he always does... he sings a song.  The Psalm has 4 main sections that show the different approaches David takes with this painful situation. In the first section, he complains and groans to God, talking about all the harm that his enemy has done to him. That's a popular approach for many. In the second section, David looks to escape:    “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; 7 yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; VERSES 6–7 . He wants out. He's looking to leave it all behind. When we are hurt by those who should have been our friends, we want to just get away from everything sometimes. In the third sectio

Psalm 54 doesn't sound very "Christian." In it, David prays for God to destroy his enemies. What could be Christian about that? Psalm 54:4–5 (ESV) Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life. 5 He will return the evil to my enemies; in your faithfulness put an end to them . But context matters. This Psalm is in response to the two separate occasions in which the Ziphites betrayed David by letting Saul know where he was while Saul was out to kill him. They told Saul in 1 Samuel 23 and then 1 Samuel 26 that they would betray David to him if they would simply go get him. How would you feel? The interesting thing about both instances of betrayal is that David has opportunity to kill Saul. Both times David doesn't do it. He instead honors the King by not laying a hand on him. He refuses to take out the Lord's anointed. Taking that into account, swe see the Psalm from the original context. David who could have taken his enemies

Psalm 53 is a powerful proof for the existence of God. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good. God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. (Psalm 53:1-3 ESV) Notice how he opens by saying the fool says there is no God and then immediately looks upon the evil and wickedness of mankind. Why? What does the evil of mankind have to do with the existence of God? Here's why. He looks upon the evil and acknowledges that is not right. In a stunning reversal of argument, he actually uses the evil of mankind to prove there is a God. Stunning because most people blame God for the evil selfish decisions of mankind against ourselves. Inwardly we are certain life is not as it should be and for this Psalmist at least, that sense within take

Psalm 53:2–3 (ESV)   God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 3 They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. This is our natural condition. We cannot do good because we have become corrupt. We are not sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners. Sin is not an activity before it is first a condition of our very core.  And where does it begin? Psalm 53:1 (ESV) The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good. This is not talking about Atheism. It's talking about all of us. We want to live and act like there is no God. Why? Because inwardly we want to be our own God. We want to be in charge. Sin is our utterly futile attempts at killing God and taking His place. Psalm 53:4 (ESV) Have those who work evil no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread,

Psalm 52:8 (ESV) But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever. I love when a little digging into the Bible can yield tremendous results.  To many, the idea of being a green olive tree is not that spectacular but in Ancient Israel, this was one of the most valuable and beneficial trees to mankind. I did a quick search in Bible dictionary and it told me about this amazing tree. Consider the following facts as it relates to those who trust in the Lord in the house of God... The fruit is eaten raw and a ready source of valuable nutrients. 1/3 of the fruit is made of the valuable olive oil used for anointing and healing (see James 5:16) and lighting lamps. The trunk and limbs are used to make the finest of cabinetwork. The tree grows very slowly but it attains to a great age. It is difficult to kill the olive tree by cutting it down, new sprouts are sent up from the root... often forming a grove of two to five

The most powerful example of repentance in the Bible is found in Psalm 51. David has been caught in his adultery, murder and lying. Nathan has confronted him. Rather than get mad, David gets humble and low before the God against whom he knows he has sinned. Then David lays out a blueprint for the proper response to sin in our lives. In first acknowledging his sinful condition (being conceived in iniquity), David entreats the Lord's mercy and wise council over against his impurity. Following confession, he implores the Lord: Psalm 51:7–12 (ESV) 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, a