Seeking the Life in Christ: July 2022

Friday, July 29, 2022

Walking In Harmony With God

Meditations on the Psalms

July 29, 2022

Walking In Harmony With God

May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to you,

O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:14

The beauty of Psalm 19 is matched by its deep theological significance. The writer uses two different names for God in the two parts of this psalm. First, the name El is used for the God of the universe. This refers to the general revelation of God through the wonders of creation. The Apostle Paul, in the Book of Romans, agrees with the psalmist. We only need to look at the heavens to know there is a Creator God. John Muir said yes and amen to both the psalmist and Paul. He explored what is now Yosemite National Park and urged that the area be preserved as a national treasure because it was such a magnificent display of the beauty of God’s creation.

In the second portion of the psalm, the writer refers to God as the LORD because he is referring to God’s word. He is thus reflecting on the special revelation of God. This revelation is personal and full of grace.

The writer then closes his psalm of praise with an intercession for God’s help to always live in a right relationship with God. His closing prayer is one of the most profound and eloquent expressions of a desire to walk in harmony with God:

May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to you,

O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:14

My Takeaway: I want my thoughts and actions to be pleasing to God BECAUSE, in the words from my favorite prayer,

I am not my own,

I am Thine.

By creation and redemption

I am Thine.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life. The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Thursday, July 28, 2022

Be Courageous. Be Strong

Meditations on the Psalms

July 28, 2022

Be Courageous. Be Strong

To the faithful you show yourself faithful;

to those with integrity you show integrity.

Psalm 18:25

Psalm 18, Part Two:

In the second half of Psalm 18, David’s praise turns to a direct conversation with the LORD. His prose is very similar in form to that used by Jesus in his Beatitudes: “God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:7-8).

The psalm makes clear that David relied on God’s grace for his victory. The totality of his victory is understood to relate to Jesus’ victory over sin and death. The psalm models for the followers of Jesus the unique relationship between the authority we have been given by God and our humility as we walk in God’s favor. The Apostle Paul revealed this same relationship when he wrote, “We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments” (2 Corinthians 10:4). This connection between grace and authority is also established by Paul in his discussion of the armor of God in Ephesians 6:12-18.

My Takeaway: David and the New Testament writers affirm that God has given us His grace, His strength, and His favor. As we rest in the assurance of His great love and faithfulness, we can receive His charge: “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13).

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

I Love You, LORD

Meditations on the Psalms

July 27, 2022

I Love You, LORD

I love you, LORD; you are my strength.

Psalm 18:1

Psalm 18, Part One:

As a Christian, I believe one day God’s Kingdom will be established on earth. This is why I join my voice with like-minded Christians and pray, “Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.” I long for the day when the rule of the evil one who has devastated God’s creation will be put to an end, and when God’s love, mercy and justice will flow like rivers of living water. The foundation for my belief is rooted throughout the Bible, including Psalm 18.

The New Testament writers believed Psalm 18 was fulfilled in God’s vindication of Jesus. God’s Kingdom was launched through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. In these early stages, the Kingdom is being established in the lives of the followers of Jesus. These believers are working to prepare earth to receive her King, as we live out our faith, day by day. In God’s time (kairos), our King will come and complete the restoration of Eden.

The foundation for Israel’s belief in God’s Kingdom was established upon their experience of God’s grace. Psalm 18, David’s magnificent Psalm of Praise, is also found in 2 Samuel 22. David’s praise was born of his experience with God’s saving grace.

How have you experienced God’s grace? Has there been a time in your life when you felt as though adverse circumstances might overwhelm you? How did God bring you safely through the storm? How would you explain your experience to another person? Your experience is your own psalm of praise.

My Takeaway: The morning I am writing this, I had my annual check-up with my doctor, during which he reviewed some of the scarier moments in my stay in the Hospital ICU last week. Thinking of those, I am singing my praise to God, and King David gave me the opening lines of my psalm of praise,

“I love you, LORD, my strength.

The Lord is my solid rock,

my fortress, my rescuer.

My God is my rock—

I take refuge in him!—

he’s my shield,

my salvation’s strength,

my place of safety.

Because he is praiseworthy,

I cried out to the LORD,

and I was saved from my enemies.”

Psalm 18:2-3

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

I Will See You Face To Face

Meditations on the Psalms

July 26, 2022

I Will See You Face To Face

“Because I am righteous, I will see you.

When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.”

Psalm 17:15

Many commentators believe Psalm 17 is about Jesus, because only Jesus can pray with such confidence, “You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong . . . My steps have stayed on your path; I have not wavered from following you . . . Because I am righteous, I will see you” (Psalm 17:3,5,15). I don’t disagree.

However, I also read Psalm 17 as an expression of David’s child-like faith: strong faith, Biblical faith, but also child-like faith. I suspect David wrote this psalm while still in his youth. Later in his life David is much more acutely aware of his own sin, as in Psalm 32 when he seeks forgiveness for his sin with Bathsheba.

David’s faith is the defining characteristic of the Book of Psalms. David has an absolute trust in God. David is not in denial; he knows he has adversaries and that his adversaries are enemies of God. However, David fully expects that God will vindicate him. He trusts God to be both judge and the executor of divine judgment. This is the same trust the Apostle Paul proclaimed when he wrote, “for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return” (2 Timothy 1:12).

As I read Psalm 17, I am inspired to remember my battle is the Lord’s. David had many adversaries, some real and some imagined. But he knew that ultimately the Lord would deliver him. When I think about David’s confidence in turning to the Lord to fight for him, I recall a line from another Psalm that I desperately need to cling to: “Be still, and know that I am God!” (Psalm 46:10a).

My Takeaway: Because of the immeasurable love of Christ, I am now and forever more the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). Therefore, I can rejoice with the psalmist in saying:

“Because I am righteous, I will see you.

When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.”

Psalm 17:15

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Monday, July 25, 2022

What Else Is There For Us To Say?

Meditations on the Psalms

July 25, 2022

What Else Is There For Us To Say?

You will show me the way of life,

granting me the joy of your presence

and the pleasures of living with you forever.

Psalm 16:11

On the Day of Pentecost, Peter faced a daunting challenge. Together with the other one hundred-nineteen disciples, Peter had been in hiding since the crucifixion of Jesus. When the promised Holy Spirit came upon Peter and the others, it was kairos, God’s Time, to come out of hiding and proclaim the resurrection of Jesus to all people everywhere. Where do you start; how do you explain the resurrection? Peter began with Psalm 16.

Peter preached that David’s words in Psalm 16: 8-11 were fulfilled in Jesus’ resurrection (Acts 2:25-32). The Apostle Paul also relied on Psalm 16 when he preached to the people in Antioch (Acts 13:35-37).

While David’s psalm became an Old Testament prophecy of Jesus, the Messiah, it also held great comfort and power for David. We too, can feed upon the truth of God in David’s great psalm of hope. Like David, we too, through our faith in Christ, can experience God preserving us; we too can experience God’s goodness. We too can experience God’s presence before us giving us hope, and we too can rejoice in God’s victory over death as the Giver of life. Because Jesus fulfilled David’s affirmations in Psalm 16, the Apostle Paul proclaimed that we can rest in the sure hope of our eternal life in Jesus. (See Romans 8:11, 1 Corinthians 6:14 and 2 Corinthians 4:14)

My Takeaway: What else is there for us to say but,

“You will show me the way of life,

granting me the joy of your presence

and the pleasures of living with you forever.”

Psalm 16:11

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Friday, July 22, 2022

We Press On

Meditations on the Psalms

July 22, 2022

We Press On

Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord?
Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?

Psalm 15:1

In many places in our culture, the church is going to great lengths to make herself relevant to the lives of the people. On first blush, this may seem like a noble pursuit; however, the underlying assumption is that the people themselves know what is truly relevant in their lives. I remember a young man who worked for me for several months before moving across the country to a new job. In leaving, he told me that when he first started working with me, he was fresh out of a PhD program that had taught him the most important thing was to ask questions. He went on to say that he had learned from me that the most important thing was to ask the right questions.

This theme is repeated throughout the Bible. (For examples see Psalm 24:3, Luke 10:25, 18:18, John 6:28, Acts 2:37 Acts 16:30, and Acts 22:10) It is vitally important to know what questions to ask, and in Psalm 15, David asks the most important question, “Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?” When the psalmist uses the words, abide, and dwell, they connote a permanent relationship with God. The answer to who may worship is those who worship God with the entirety of their lives.

As you read the list the psalmist provides that describes what worshiping God looks like, remember as the followers of Christ, “. . . we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit” (Romans 7:6). Living in the Spirit is abiding, dwelling in the presence of God.

Of course, like the Apostle Paul, we realize we have not already achieved perfection. But we press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed us. (Philippians 3:12) To this end, Psalm 15 is a reminder that we are in the process of becoming what we already are; that is, we are already the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. We are on a journey to make our right-standing with God our way of life.

My Takeaway: As those who are seeking the life in Christ as our way of life, our ambition, our goal, is to honor God with our lives because “such people will stand firm forever” (Psalm 15:5b).

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Thursday, July 21, 2022

It Is Well With My Soul

Meditations on the Psalms

July 21, 2022

It Is Well With My Soul

Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel?
When the Lord restores his people,
Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice.

Psalm 14:7

The first chapter of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians praises the supremacy of Christ with some of the most beautiful prose of the Bible:

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:15-17 NRSV).

The foundation of Biblical faith is belief in God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. This Creator God is intimately involved with His creation, as the Apostle Paul so eloquently affirmed.

In every generation, there are those who affirm their faith with the words of Paul, “For in him we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28). Just as some people laughed at Paul in contempt, so also, in every generation there are those who deny the existence of God.

Psalm 14 is David’s personal psalm of lament that was later incorporated into the liturgy of worship of Israel, David demonstrates one of the most difficult aspects of faith; quietly resting in the assurance of your faith while the world around you scorns and ridicules your love for God. Perhaps, even worse than the scoffers, are those who claim a devotion to God, yet relish in their self-willed life. Even so, the fully-devoted followers of Christ look forward to that day “When the Lord restores his people” (Psalm 14:7b), and we sing our never-ending praise.

My Takeaway: In reading Psalm 14, I am reminded of a line in the eulogy I shared for my dear friend, Guy Leary. The line is a quote from an essay by Matt Labash in which he included this insight about his sister, Tamara:

She’s a believer, herself. And in difficult times, she has learned a trick that I’m only still able to pull off on occasion, since I often fear God more than love him, and love him more than trust him. That trick is this: she has learned to sit with pain and uncertainty, while not losing faith.

May it be so for all who are seeking the life in Christ as their way of life.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

How Long?

Meditations on the Psalms

July 20, 2022

How Long?

Turn and answer me, O Lord my God!
Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.

Psalm 13:3

The phrase, ‘how long’ is used over fifty times in the Bible, thirteen times in the Book of Psalms and four times in Psalm 13. When the phrase is used, sometimes it is God speaking, asking how long He must put up with the sinfulness of Israel. Most often it is God’s people pleading to God, “How long must we wait for your deliverance?” Realizing that David wrote these psalms three thousand years ago makes his lament, “How long?” even more poignant.

There is no easy answer to this question. If a thousand years to us is but a day to God (2 Peter 3:8), then according to God’s calendar David wrote these psalms three days ago. I don’t know if that helps you, but I find comfort in remembering that God’s time cannot be measured. Neither can God’s eternal goodness be measured. Therefore the letter of Hebrews can boldly state that Jesus, “who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). The glory that awaits God’s children far outweighs the feelings of despair we may experience today.

But as David notes in this psalm, the wait is not without purpose and great blessings. As David turned to God, he found God turning to him. (See also James 4:8) God restored the sparkle to David’s eyes, and David sang praises to God. When our soul cries out to God, ‘How long?” David inspires us to remember we can turn to God and experience God putting a sparkle in our eyes.

My Takeaway: “I tend to feel stuck in situations I’d like to change because I can see only the present moment. But You look at the big picture—all the moments of my life—and You are doing far more than I can comprehend.” (Jesus Listens, Sarah Young, p.202. Inspired by Ephesians 3:20.)

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

The LORD’s Promises Are Pure

Meditations on the Psalms

July 19, 2022

The Lord’s Promises Are Pure

Help, O LORD, for the godly are fast disappearing!

The faithful have vanished from the earth!

Psalm 12:1

In Psalm 12, David continues with his lament over the moral decay in his society. David was not referring to people outside of the covenant relationship with God, but to the people of Israel. David’s concern for those who were set apart as the people of God is valid for the Christian church today. More and more churches are adopting the marketing style of the world’s culture to promote their church. More and more churches are using the management and transformational programs of the Harvard Business School to try and revitalize congregations. Recently, a church conference adjourned after spending two weeks in session at a cost of millions of dollars. Nothing of substance was accomplished. Instead of the worldwide body of believer’s getting on their face before God to seek his will for the church, the session was an exercise in parliamentary gamesmanship. Many people had a passion for things to be done their way, or no way. Sadly, few people evidenced a passion for Christ. I despair over the good that could have been accomplished but was not.

In Psalm 11, David wrote, “The virtuous will see his face.” He renews that affirmation here. David models for us the life of a follower of God who hungers and thirsts for God’s holiness. David’s heart was breaking over the sinfulness and rebellion against God that was so prevalent in Jerusalem.

David also noted in Psalm 11 that “the righteous LORD loves justice” which means God hears the cry of those who long for God’s justice: “The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do” (Psalm 12:5).

My Takeaway: David called Israel, and us, to live with an abiding trust in God’s faithfulness, or as he put it in Psalm 131:4,

“O Israel, put your hope in the Lord—now and always.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Monday, July 18, 2022

We Have No Other Business

Meditations on the Psalms

July 18, 2022

We Have No Other Business

But the Lord is in his holy Temple;
the Lord still rules from heaven.
He watches everyone closely,
examining every person on earth.

Psalm 11:4

In the ebb and flow of life, we are always in one of three places: we are about to enter a crisis; or we are in the midst of a crisis; or we are coming out of a crisis. When we encounter a crisis, our sense of order is upended. Sometimes the main consequence of the crisis is simply inconvenience, such as when our car breaks down. Other times, there are life altering consequences like so many people experienced during the pandemic. Henry Blackaby, in his book, Experiencing God, notes that these problem situations are always accompanied by a crisis of belief because, for the Christian, what you do next reveals what you truly believe about God.

In this psalm, David feels as though the very fabric, the foundation of his society, had been torn asunder. Sometimes that is a good thing, as in the Reformation when the people turned from the church to the Bible for guidance. But with the so-called Age of Enlightenment, society turned from the Bible to reason. It’s pretty much been all downhill since then. David was in a crisis as he lived through a time when he was never sure who his friend was or who was a spy for those seeking to destroy him. I experienced a small taste of this when I was visiting churches in Cuba, as the government routinely sent spies into the congregations.

In this psalm, David responds to the apparent crumbling foundations of society by remembering that God’s throne is eternal in the heavens and will never crumble or decay. David trusted that God would come and judge the world, and the righteous would be vindicated. David believed such trust called forth a commitment to live for God; “For the righteous LORD loves justice. The virtuous will see his face” (Psalm 11:7).

My Takeaway: I take inspiration from David’s psalm through a commitment to live out John Wesley’s mission statement for the Methodist movement: “We have no other business than to save souls and spread scriptural holiness across the land.”

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Friday, July 15, 2022

Functional Atheist

Meditations on the Psalms

July 15, 2022

Functional Atheist

Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless.
Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them.
You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed,
so mere people can no longer terrify them.

Psalm 10:17-18

In the Hebrew Bible, Psalms 9 and 10 are combined as one psalm. Thus, the foundation of praising God with “all my heart” continues. To praise and pray in this way is indicative of a lively, personal relationship with the LORD.

It is a common practice in churches to receive memorial gifts. These are gifts given for the glory of God in memory of a particular person. When we see a plaque or other notation for the memorial gift, we pause and remember that person. That’s a good thing to do.

However, too many people live their lives as though the church is a memorial to Jesus Christ. They tend to live as though the church is a place to remember Jesus’ life and the things he did and spoke. Jesus wants more than just to be remembered; he wants a lively, personal relationship with each of his followers, as the Lord of their lives. While the people building memorials to Jesus may be well intentioned, they may be living as functional atheists.

In her devotion, Jesus Calling, Sarah Young encourages us to pause before responding to people or situations, thus giving the Holy Spirit an opportunity to lead us. When we react with hasty words and actions, we are living as though we do not have a lively relationship with Jesus, and this is atheistic living. An atheist does not believe in God and thus seeks to solve their problems out of their own wisdom, strength, and resources. Some people truly believe in God, but they live as though they are totally responsible for the course of their lives. They function as an atheist because they are not living as though they expect God to act in their lives.

Christians affirm God as being personally present in their lives, a living Spirit; and with nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of His face. We are transfigured like the Messiah, and our lives gradually become brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives, and we become like Him. (See 2 Corinthians 3: 16-18 The Message)

My Takeaway: My heart resonates with this affirmation from Second Corinthians, and I appreciate the lament of the psalmist. He is surrounded by atheists; nevertheless, his hope is in the LORD. I am inspired to make a list of my struggles, the issues I am facing, and how my adversaries are taking advantage of me. Now, with my list in hand, I will pray with the psalmist:

The LORD is king forever and ever!

The godless nations will vanish from the land.

LORD, you know the hopes of the helpless.

Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them.

You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed,

so mere people can no longer terrify them.

Psalm 10:16-18

Sē’lah

<>< <>< <>< <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Thursday, July 14, 2022

To Pray With My Whole Heart

Meditations on the Psalms

July 14, 2022

To Pray With My Whole Heart

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
I will be filled with joy because of you.
I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.

Psalm 9:1-2

Psalm 9, in its original form, was written in the acrostic poetic form with the first verse beginning with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each succeeding verse began with the next letter in the alphabet. Knowing this helps me appreciate both the poem and its author. This message was important to the author, and he carefully crafted his poem, in form and content, to communicate his message.

The foundation of Old Testament theology was based on a real experience of God’s presence and power, coupled with a belief that one day God was going to restore the entire world to its originally created order. The people of Israel longed for the coming Day of the Lord, when God’s mercy and justice would freely flow, and everything would be made right. Psalm 9 is an expression of this longing for justice. This longing was carried forth in the New Covenant where God’s people still pray for God’s Kingdom to come, God’s will be done, on earth as in heaven.

Verse one sets the tone of the psalm and is helpful in showing us how to pray for the coming reign of Christ on earth:

“I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;

I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.”

To pray with my whole heart is to recall that my life does not belong to me. My life belongs to God. By creation and redemption, my life, my heart, belong to God. And my life in God is not to be a secret. The reality of God’s love for me overflows from my heart, and I cannot help but tell of all the marvelous things the LORD has done.

My Takeaway: I previously have written about the Blessing Jar Cheryl, and I keep on our dining table. Each Sunday morning, we make note of how we have experienced God’s blessings the previous week. At the end of the year, we will review all our blessings from God. This helps us tell of all the marvelous things God has done in our lives. (I am writing this on the day after I returned from the hospital; tomorrow we will need several notes to contain all of the Lord’s marvelous deeds in our lives this last week.)

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Strength and Praise

Meditations on the Psalms

July 13, 2022

Strength and Praise

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—

the moon and the stars you set in place—

what are mere mortals that you should think about them,

human beings that you should care for them?

Psalm 8:3-4

Psalm 8 is a beautiful psalm of praise for God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, who so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life.

Whenever I read the Psalm, I recall two personal experiences with its majesty. First, I remember a time when I had been visiting churches in Mexico several miles south of Matamoros. It was late on a Sunday evening, and I had just finished preaching in the last church service for the day. My host took me to the home of one of his parishioners for supper. There was no ambient light and it was very dark. As I looked up into the night sky, I was overwhelmed with the beauty, the majesty, of countless thousands of stars. My host immediately began quoting Psalm 8:3,

“When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—

the moon and the stars you set in place—“

The second experience was my discovery of Jesus in this Psalm. The New Testament writers clearly thought Jesus was the mortal described in vv. 5-8. (See 1 Corinthians 15:27; Ephesians 1:22; and Hebrews 2: 5-8) Also, Jesus quoted this psalm, but in doing so added his own interpretation. His insight has fascinated me for years.

Verse 2 states, “From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength” (NASB). At Matthew 21:16, Jesus quotes this verse saying, “Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself’” (NASB).

So which is it? Has God ordained strength or praise out of the mouths of infants and babes?

My Takeaway: It is both. Our strength comes from our praise of the LORD.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Friday, July 29, 2022

Walking In Harmony With God

Thursday, July 28, 2022

Be Courageous. Be Strong

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

I Love You, LORD

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

I Will See You Face To Face

Monday, July 25, 2022

What Else Is There For Us To Say?

Friday, July 22, 2022

We Press On

Thursday, July 21, 2022

It Is Well With My Soul

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

How Long?

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

The LORD’s Promises Are Pure

Monday, July 18, 2022

We Have No Other Business

Friday, July 15, 2022

Functional Atheist

Thursday, July 14, 2022

To Pray With My Whole Heart

Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Strength and Praise

Seeking the Life in Christ

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