365 Reflections

Jerusalem's walls were built and her temple was operational. The work of Ezra and Nehemiah in guiding the exiles back to the Holy City was accomplished. There was just one very important event that needed to happen. They had to live there.  Now you can imagine that the "idea" of living there seemed grand from Babylon, but to actually live there knowing how it was destroyed a century ago had to be scary. Nebuchadnezzar had starved the city out, ripped open the pregnant women, and slaughtered their children. The city had also experienced several attacks from the outside before and several troubles from inside since. In other words, this was a fearful place to be.  So Nehemiah 11 opens by telling us who goes in: Nehemiah 11:1–2 (ESV) Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem. And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten remained in the other towns. 2 And the people blessed all the men who willi...

Hey readers! My book is finally out!  Get a copy and tell me what you think! Did you know that praising God is a weapon? It is. And it can help you defeat the enemies of your life. This is the lesson from 2 Chronicles 20 in the life of Jehoshaphat. Having prayed desperately for God to intervene and depending on His Word and Covenant Promises, the messenger of the Lord shows up before the battle with good news.  2 Chronicles 20:15–17 (ESV) And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, ‘ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s . 16 Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and ...

We are the people who sing. Psalm 149:1 (ESV)   Praise the Lord ! Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly! Our Psalm calls us to worship the Lord with singing lips! Singing is done by those enjoying life in the moment. I live in New England. When the Boston Red Sox reach the middle of the eighth inning, the entire crowd sings at the top of their lungs "Sweet Caroline." They are singing and making a joyful sound. What I realized is that outside of that Fenway experience, singing really only happens in the Church. Men used to sing as they went off to war. Families used to sing around the piano. Scout troops had their songs. High School students used to know their school song... But today, singing isn't very common. May the Church never lose her song! Why? Because we have something to be joyful about! Psalm 149:2–3 (ESV)   Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King! 3 Let them praise hi...

The great mistake we make in Evangelical churches today is making the music singing in the Church about us. Many hop from church to church looking for the right mix that "fits" them or makes them "feel" blessed from the singing.  Some only want particular Hymns, others only want particular praise songs in particular styles of music. How quickly we turn inward. I truly believe the gravitational pull of every Christian is to look inward and not outward! Don't get me wrong, we should feel the joy of God's presence, but the purpose of praise is to praise, not to experience! Psalm 134 is the highest point of the Psalms of Ascents. Pilgrims have gathered in the Temple in unity (Psalm 133), and are now in worship. In this high point of praise, the Psalmist calls us to WORSHIP and BLESS the LORD! Psalm 134:1–2 (ESV) Come, bless the Lord , all you servants of the Lord , who stand by night in the house of the Lord ! 2 Lift up your hands to the holy place and...

Sing a new song to the LORD! Let the whole earth sing to the LORD! Sing to the LORD; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. (Psalms 96:1-2 NLT) Psalm 96 call us to sing a new song to The Lord. But what does that mean? Does that mean we are to always buy the latest worship album, learn the chords and sing the new tunes? That would make this command about the latest Christian worship album and not about God. I'm sure the Christian music artist is happy with that interpretation. But there's much more here. The context of this Psalm is the moment the Ark of God finally entered it's resting place in Jerusalem from the house of Obed Edom. This is the famous incident in which David disrobes in front of a disapproving wife in wild celebration that Gods presence was coming to the city.  David penned these words in response to the NEW THING God was doing. David instructs us to sing a new song when God does something new! This makes our worship what it is supp...

Revelation 14:1–3 (ESV)   Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, 3 and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. In this midst of these difficult chapters in Revelation, a song is sung! The 144,000 of God's saints who come through the tribulation, having endured the climax of human wickedness and stayed the course have a song that unites them and no one else can sing. Warren Wiersbe writes about this verse saying, " It is encouraging to know that one day our sorrows will be transformed into songs!" Where do the most popular songs ori...