The book of Psalms is really a hymn book that records the experiences and the cries of the human heart. If we listen to the Psalms very carefully, I think that we could all join in and accompany the Psalmists in their song. The late Dr. J. Vernon McGee says, “The Psalms record deep devotion, intense feeling, exalted emotion, and dark dejection. They play upon the keyboard of the human soul with all the stops pulled out.”
The book of Psalms is also a HIM book of praises because on its pages we can find Jesus if we look hard enough. In Luke 22:44, Jesus told His disciples, “…Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Jesus was of course, speaking of His death, burial, and resurrection. However, there’s more than Jesus’ crucifixion on its pages. In the Psalms, Jesus is also the object of the Psalmists praise and worship because this is where the dark nights of the human soul encounter the Light of Heaven.
Every morning I get up and try to have a devotional time with the LORD. Many times I get up feeling “lost.” Many mornings I feel disconnected with myself and with the LORD. There are many mornings that I struggle to find the words to pray and when I do manage to get the words out of my mouth, the words seem shallow and hollow. In times like these, I feel like the words are immediately sucked into a black hole as soon as the words leave my mouth. During these times, one of the things that I do is grab a song book, find an appropriate song that I know, and sing it as my prayer. Singing my prayer helps me to align my thoughts and my emotions and focus them on the LORD. Quite often, the song I choose has its roots in the Psalms.
Some of the Psalms that I sing and pray are, “Unto Thee, O Lord” (Psalms 25), “How Majestic is Your Name” (Psalms 8), “I Will Call Upon the Lord” (Psalms 18), and “Thy Loving Kindness” (Psalms 63). One of the Psalms that I seem to sing and pray on a more regular basis is, “As the Deer.” The first line of this song comes from Psalms 42 and the rest of the song expresses the longings and passions of many other Psalmists.
I’ve come to realize that when I sing the Psalms, I am “confessing” my disconnectedness, anxieties, fears, longings, and passions with a huge cloud of witness and I am so grateful for the modern day composers who have set today’s music to yesteryear’s prayers which enables me to sing and have melody in my heart for Him.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
The Creator
In the beginning, there was nothing except God. There were no trees or mountains. There was no earth, no sun, or stars. In fact, there was no universe. And this is how the Scripture introduces us to our Creator: Genesis 1:1—the very first sentence of Bible tells us that, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” From nothing, God brought into existence something—“God created the heavens and the earth.”
Throughout the rest of the Scriptures, we are constantly reminded that God is the Creator. Centuries after the creation of the universe, David, the King of Israel, recognized God as the Creator, but in a different way. David committed adultery, had a man murdered, and when David’s sin was revealed, he knew that he couldn’t make himself right (II Samuel 11-12). He knew that he couldn’t purify himself. David knew that there was nothing that he could do about his heart condition except go to the Creator and beg for mercy. And in his despair, David cried out, “Create in me a pure heart, O God…” (Psalms 51:10.)
There is another theme that runs through Scripture. Over and over again, the Bible tells us that the heart of man is desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9), that there is no one righteous (Romans 3:10), and that all our righteous acts are like filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6). So how can we have a right standing with God? How can we purify our hearts? Jesus answers this question by telling Nicodemus, “…no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3).
Astonished, Nicodemus then asks the question, “How can a man be born when he is old?” (John 3:4). Jesus answers Nicodemus and says, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” Jesus is echoing the Genesis account of Creation—that God created all living things “after their own kind.” Likewise, David who understood that only the Holy One can create people with holy hearts. Furthermore, the Apostle Paul understood this too. This is why Paul proclaims, “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (II Corinthians 5:17).
It is humanly impossible to create something out of nothing or to bring forth life out of something dead. It is only by the mercy of our Creator that we can become spiritual beings (Romans 3:23). I wonder how many people will understand this? I wonder how many will receive this gift? I wonder how many people I will share this good news with?
Lord, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you” (Psalms 51:12-13). In Jesus’ Name, amen!
Throughout the rest of the Scriptures, we are constantly reminded that God is the Creator. Centuries after the creation of the universe, David, the King of Israel, recognized God as the Creator, but in a different way. David committed adultery, had a man murdered, and when David’s sin was revealed, he knew that he couldn’t make himself right (II Samuel 11-12). He knew that he couldn’t purify himself. David knew that there was nothing that he could do about his heart condition except go to the Creator and beg for mercy. And in his despair, David cried out, “Create in me a pure heart, O God…” (Psalms 51:10.)
There is another theme that runs through Scripture. Over and over again, the Bible tells us that the heart of man is desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9), that there is no one righteous (Romans 3:10), and that all our righteous acts are like filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6). So how can we have a right standing with God? How can we purify our hearts? Jesus answers this question by telling Nicodemus, “…no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3).
Astonished, Nicodemus then asks the question, “How can a man be born when he is old?” (John 3:4). Jesus answers Nicodemus and says, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” Jesus is echoing the Genesis account of Creation—that God created all living things “after their own kind.” Likewise, David who understood that only the Holy One can create people with holy hearts. Furthermore, the Apostle Paul understood this too. This is why Paul proclaims, “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (II Corinthians 5:17).
It is humanly impossible to create something out of nothing or to bring forth life out of something dead. It is only by the mercy of our Creator that we can become spiritual beings (Romans 3:23). I wonder how many people will understand this? I wonder how many will receive this gift? I wonder how many people I will share this good news with?
Lord, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you” (Psalms 51:12-13). In Jesus’ Name, amen!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Stewardship
Some of us are responsible people. We are time conscious. We watch our spending. We are careful not to waste any of our resources. If this is the way we live, doesn’t it make us mad when someone is frivolous with their resources? This is especially true with our children. Don’t we all sigh and take a deep breath, roll our eyes, shake our heads, grit our teeth, and reach for that bottle of extra strength aspirin when they do things that seem to us like, “such a waste”. It is a wonder that we don’t all have flat foreheads.
When a woman came to Jesus and poured very expensive perfume over Jesus’ head, the disciples were more than upset. The Scripture says that the disciples were, “indignant” to what she had done (Matthew 26:6-13). Yet our Lord astonishes them (and us) by saying, “The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.”
There are some things that we will probably always have in this life. We will always have debts and bills to pay. We will always have taxes. We will always have dirty houses. We have bodies that are decaying and we will always have to repair or maintain our worldly possessions.
While Jesus reported to His disciples the state of the world, He also told them that He was leaving. What Jesus said also reminds us that we won’t always have the opportunity to build and maintain relationships. In fact, no matter how good a relationship we have in this life, no relationship is permanent. We are keenly aware of this as we watch people who are dear to us come and go. Spiritualizing what Jesus said, we will also not always have an opportunity to seek God (Isaiah 55:6).
Isn’t it wonderful how Jesus puts things in perspective. He said something similar in Luke 16:9, when Jesus said, “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”
Jesus is saying that we should use our resources to build and maintain relationships, so that when all is said and done in this life, our “friends” will be waiting to welcome us on the other side of this life.
May God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit be the first in this receiving line.
When a woman came to Jesus and poured very expensive perfume over Jesus’ head, the disciples were more than upset. The Scripture says that the disciples were, “indignant” to what she had done (Matthew 26:6-13). Yet our Lord astonishes them (and us) by saying, “The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.”
There are some things that we will probably always have in this life. We will always have debts and bills to pay. We will always have taxes. We will always have dirty houses. We have bodies that are decaying and we will always have to repair or maintain our worldly possessions.
While Jesus reported to His disciples the state of the world, He also told them that He was leaving. What Jesus said also reminds us that we won’t always have the opportunity to build and maintain relationships. In fact, no matter how good a relationship we have in this life, no relationship is permanent. We are keenly aware of this as we watch people who are dear to us come and go. Spiritualizing what Jesus said, we will also not always have an opportunity to seek God (Isaiah 55:6).
Isn’t it wonderful how Jesus puts things in perspective. He said something similar in Luke 16:9, when Jesus said, “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”
Jesus is saying that we should use our resources to build and maintain relationships, so that when all is said and done in this life, our “friends” will be waiting to welcome us on the other side of this life.
May God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit be the first in this receiving line.
What Do You Communicate?
“If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God.” –I Peter 4:11
In concocting a savory sweet and sour sauce for a Polynesian or Oriental dish, a proper balance of spices must be maintained. Too much sugar makes the sauce “sicky-sweet.” On the other hand, too much soy sauce, vinegar, or pineapple juice will make the concoction bitter, pungent, or sour.
As Christians, our speech must be likewise properly blended. Paul writes, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt…” (Colossians 4:6). Our speech should not be all sugary and candy coated. Neither should it be all harsh and bitter. Our speech should always be in love, and seasoned with truth. What we say may be in vain, however, if our actions and behavior communicates a different message. Inconsistencies in our lives make what we affirm with our lips hard to swallow.
In Jesus, we find an impeccable blend of Word and Spirit. This caused John to write, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
How palatable is our message to the world, especially to those that “hunger and thirst” after righteousness?
Is our announcement one of a life of love and joy and liberty? Or do we communicate indifference, oppression, or boredom? Do we communicate commitment and dedication? Or do we communicate hypocrisy? Is our declaration religion, church, or self? Or is it Christ?
In concocting a savory sweet and sour sauce for a Polynesian or Oriental dish, a proper balance of spices must be maintained. Too much sugar makes the sauce “sicky-sweet.” On the other hand, too much soy sauce, vinegar, or pineapple juice will make the concoction bitter, pungent, or sour.
As Christians, our speech must be likewise properly blended. Paul writes, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt…” (Colossians 4:6). Our speech should not be all sugary and candy coated. Neither should it be all harsh and bitter. Our speech should always be in love, and seasoned with truth. What we say may be in vain, however, if our actions and behavior communicates a different message. Inconsistencies in our lives make what we affirm with our lips hard to swallow.
In Jesus, we find an impeccable blend of Word and Spirit. This caused John to write, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
How palatable is our message to the world, especially to those that “hunger and thirst” after righteousness?
Is our announcement one of a life of love and joy and liberty? Or do we communicate indifference, oppression, or boredom? Do we communicate commitment and dedication? Or do we communicate hypocrisy? Is our declaration religion, church, or self? Or is it Christ?
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