Psalm 105

Reading for August 14, 2012      Psalm 105

Psalm 105 celebrates God’s Covenant faithfulness, from Abraham to the Israelites entering into the land of Canaan. As a way of celebrating their heritage with God as they followed God into their future, the Israelites included verses 1-15 in their celebration of the Ark of the Covenant arriving in Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 16:8-22).

The first church I served as pastor had a wonderful way of using their heritage to inspire them to faithfulness for their present day mission. Memorials to pastoral and lay leadership were place throughout the sanctuary. Photographs of church members called into pastoral ministry were prominently displayed in the Narthex. The original church building was a few miles away from their present sanctuary, and on the fifth Sunday of a month the church would gather in their former sanctuary for worship. In this old church, the pulpit furniture had been crafted by one of their members, and each family had constructed their own pews, which made for an interesting display of varying shapes and sizes of the pews. Every October, Homecoming was celebrated; and in alternate years the old church was their gathering place. Then in the week following Homecoming, they had revival services to draw from their heritage fresh inspiration for fulfilling God’s calling on their church.

Not every follower of Jesus has a church that celebrates their heritage leading them into their future, but every follower of Christ has their own personal heritage with God’s faithfulness. Through God's grace we are who we are, and His grace toward us has not been in vain (1 Corinthians 15:10). We praise God for his faithfulness, and we trust him to bring us through tomorrow.

“Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.

    Let the whole world know what he has done.

Praise the Lord!”

Psalm 105:1,45b

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

What word or phrase in today’s reading of the Psalms

 attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

<><  <><  <><  <><

(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 available by email. Contact me at Amkrom812@gmail.com to be added to the email list.

This BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription

Reading for August 15, 2012      Psalm 106

Psalm 104

As I read Psalm 104 one of my favorite praise songs came to mind. Starry Host, inspired by Isaiah 40:26, praises the wonder of God’s creation.    

                

To whom will you compare Me?

Or who is My equal? say the Holy One,

Lift your eyes and look to the heavens

Who created all these?

He who brings out the starry host,

One by one, and calls them each by name

Because of His great power

And mighty strength

Not one of them is missing

Starry Host recorded by Silers Bald

Copyright: 1998 Silers Bald Music

Down through the ages people have stood in awe of nature. John Muir was one of those people. 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. Psalm 104 calls us to take time in life to observe the wonder of God’s creation. That is pretty easy for me. I gaze out of my window as I write this meditation and behold God’s lofty mountain grandeur. (Excuse me for a minute – the sun rising over the mountains this morning is stunning.)

However, the psalmist is going beyond the initial act of creation. The psalmist wants me to consider that God created . . . and is still creating. God not only created, God is proactively caring for His creation. God didn’t just create the first tomato; He is creating the tomatoes hanging from the plants in my yard this morning.

The Apostle Paul reached this same conclusion when he wrote of the supremacy of Christ, “He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together” (Colossians 1:17, emphasis mine). What happens when Christ stops holding all creation together? The psalmist answers that in verses 29-30 (NRSV):

“When you hide your face, they are dismayed;

   when you take away their breath, they die

   and return to their dust.

When you send forth your spirit, they are created;

   and you renew the face of the ground..”

If the psalmist had been with me a week ago as I stood atop of God’s lofty mountain grandeur, Chimney Rock, and observed the eagles soaring across the valley below, he would have pointed out that God created those eagles. God also created the air currents that were keeping them aloft; and God created the trees where they nest; and because “the Lord takes pleasure in all he has made” (v. 31b), the Lord is smiling as he watches over His creations playing in the air; and He is smiling as He watches me standing in awe.

“I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.

    I will praise my God to my last breath!

May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,

    for I rejoice in the Lord.

Let all that I am praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!”

Psalm 104:33-34, 35b

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

What word or phrase in today’s reading of the Psalms

 attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

<><  <><  <><  <><

(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 available by email. Contact me at Amkrom812@gmail.com to be added to the email list.

This BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription

Reading for August 14, 2012      Psalm 105

Psalm 103

Reading for August 12, 2012      Psalm 103

“Bless the Lord, O my soul,

   and all that is within me,

   bless his holy name.”

Psalm 103:1 (NRSV)

Most often I think of God as the one who blesses, or extends favor, affirmation and approval. However, the word bless can also mean: to praise, to glorify, and to call holy. The psalmist blesses God by praising, glorifying and calling God holy because of all that God is, all that God has done and is doing in the life of the psalmist, and all that he believes God will continue to do. (There are some interesting similarities in the construction of God’s attributes between Psalm 103 and Isaiah 40)

The psalmist is embracing the entire history of God’s people as his own history. Because our “real life is hidden with Christ in God,” we are invited to embrace the many expressions of God’s mercy throughout the Bible as our own experience of God (Colossians 3:3).

I have two thoughts to ponder after reading Psalm 103. First, the Christian ideal is that all of the followers of Christ can write their own psalm of praise, with Psalm 103 as their model. The psalmist not only owned all that God had done in history, but also claimed what God was doing in the present and what he trusted God will do in the future. Second, we remember that authentic praise of God is not in our words, but in the way we lead our lives.

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good;

   and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

   and to walk humbly with your God?”

Micah 6:8 (NRSV)

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

What word or phrase in today’s reading of the Psalms

 attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

<><  <><  <><  <><

(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 available by email. Contact me at Amkrom812@gmail.com to be added to the email list.

This BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription

Reading for August 13, 2012      Psalm 104

Psalm 102

Reading for August 11, 2012      Psalm 102

I was driving through the countryside recently and saw the most beautiful willow tree. Whenever I see a willow tree I recall Psalm 137:

By the rivers of Babylon—

   there we sat down and there we wept

   when we remembered Zion.

On the willows there

   we hung up our harps.

For there our captors

   asked us for songs,

and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying,

   ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’

Psalm 137:1-3

Hence the common name for the tree, weeping willow. Psalm 137 laments Israel’s Babylonian captivity, as does todays reading of Psalm 102. Prior to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, what today is known as the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament, was a part of the oral history of Israel. The exile to slavery of Israel necessitated writing their history so that it would not be lost. Some of the first words written were, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” This account of creation from Genesis 1 reminded the Israelites that the LORD was the God of Order. Those were comforting words in the midst of the chaos and confusion of their captivity.

The psalmist in Psalm 102 confesses Israel is overwhelmed by her troubles, but he doesn’t focus only on their problems. He extols the virtues, the character of God, and concludes, “The children of your people will live in security. Their children’s children will thrive in your presence” (Psalm 102:28).

The great temptation, when we encounter the pain and difficulties of life, is to focus on our troubles. Psalm 102 is a reminder that, while we do not deny our pain, we can chose to lift our eyes to heaven and find comfort and strength in the eternal mercy and goodness of God, our Father.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

What word or phrase in today’s reading of the Psalms

 attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

<><  <><  <><  <><

(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 available by email. Contact me at Amkrom812@gmail.com to be added to the email list.

This BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription

Reading for August 12, 2012      Psalm 103

Psalm 101

Reading for August 10, 2012      Psalm 101

The acrostic H³ is helpful in remembering the basic qualities of a follower of Jesus: Hunger for God; Heart for people; and Hatred of sin. Elements of all three of these are used by King David in Psalm 101.

When God’s people were preparing to enter into the Promised Land, Moses gave them final instructions. As the Covenant people of God, they were promised God’s blessings “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world.” ““But if you refuse to listen to the Lord your God and do not obey all the commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overwhelm you” (Deuteronomy 28:1, 15).

As the King of Israel, David was responsible for modeling Covenant life for his people. In this psalm he is taking responsibility to lead the people in faithfully obeying God’s commands.

Jesus fulfilled Psalm 101, and Jesus makes it possible for us to fulfill Psalm 101: “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

I believe Psalm 101 can serve as a reminder of the importance of modeling before those in our circle of influence, the life of a fully devoted follower of Jesus. While there may be nuances to the life in Christ, depending on our own Christian maturity and our environment, we’ll always be close to the heart of Christ if we remember H³.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

What word or phrase in today’s reading of the Psalms

 attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

<><  <><  <><  <><

(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 available by email. Contact me at Amkrom812@gmail.com to be added to the email list.

This BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription

Reading for August 11, 2012      Psalm 102

Psalm 100

Reading for August 9, 2012       Psalm 100

In the late 1990s, Soul Survivor Church, in Watford, England was experiencing what they described as a period of apathy in their worship. Matt Redman, one of their worship leaders recalls, “There was a dynamic missing, so the pastor did a pretty brave thing. He decided to get rid of the sound system and band for a season, and we gathered together with just our voices. His point was that we’d lost our way in worship, and the way to get back to the heart would be to strip everything away.” The pastor asked his congregation, “When you come through the doors on a Sunday, what are you bringing as your offering to God?”

During that season, the congregation learned worship was about what they were bringing to God, not what the worship leaders were doing. The church had a new perspective that worship is all about Jesus. They learned worship was about singing praises ‘to’ Jesus, not just ‘about Jesus.’ In response to this transition in his church, Redman wrote a song that has become cherished throughout the world: The Heart of Worship.

When the music fades,

all is stripped away,

and I simply come

 Longing just to bring something

that’s of worth that will bless your heart

 I’m coming back to the heart of worship,

and it’s all about You, Jesus

Psalm 100 is also cherished throughout the world and serves as a model for worshiping God in truth and spirit. As followers of Jesus, we remember that God loves us unconditionally, just as we are; not as we should be, because no one is as they should be. With that thought in mind, read Psalm 100 again. Contemplate each attribute of God the psalmist extols. Change the words so that it becomes first person with you singing to the Lord. This is my personalization of Psalm 100:

I shout with joy to you, my Lord, I worship you with gladness. I come before you singing with joy because you are God! You made me, and I am yours. I am among your people, the sheep of your pasture. I enter your gates with thanksgiving; I go into your courts with praise, giving thanks to you and praising your name. For you, my Lord are good, your unfailing love continues forever, and your faithfulness continues to each generation.

Before your next worship service, allow your personalization of Psalm 100 to help prepare you for the heart of worship:

I’m coming back to the heart of worship,

and it’s all about You, Jesus

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

What word or phrase in today’s reading of the Psalms

 attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

<><  <><  <><  <><

(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 available by email. Contact me at Amkrom812@gmail.com to be added to the email list.

This BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription

Reading for August 10, 2012      Psalm 101

Psalm 99

NOTE: Mondays meditation was titled Psalm 96, when it should have been Psalm 97. My bad.

 

Reading for August 8, 2012       Psalm 99

Does familiarity breed contempt? When Jesus returned to his hometown of Nazareth, the people scoffed saying, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary.” They didn’t accept his teaching and “were deeply offended and refused to believe in him” (Mark 6: 1-4). They were too close to Jesus. How could this young man they had seen grow up in their community be the Messiah?

The writer of Hebrews strongly urges his congregation to remember “since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for indeed our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29). In twenty-first century America, we would do well to contemplate this passage in Hebrews, and then read Psalm 99, lest we succumb to the contemptible nature of Nazareth and scoff at the Lordship of Jesus.

“The Lord is king!

    Let the nations tremble!

He sits on his throne between the cherubim.

    Let the whole earth quake!”

                                                                      Psalm 99:1

Four times in nine verses the psalmist refers to the holiness of God. Twice the psalmist urges Israel to “Exalt the Lord our God!” (v.5, 9) The psalmist extols God’s virtues of justice, fairness, righteousness, and forgiveness, and then calls Israel to worship, “for the Lord our God is holy!” (v.9)

Yes, in Christ we are now friends with God (Romans 5:10-11). Yes, in Christ we can call God, Abba Father. Yes, we are now heirs of God, joint heirs with Jesus. (Romans 8:15-17)  Even so, The Lord is king; the Lord our God is holy!

On the next Lord’s Day, when we enter the sanctuary, will we be prepared to offer God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe? After all, “our God is a consuming fire.”

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

What word or phrase in today’s reading of the Psalms

 attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

<><  <><  <><  <><

(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 available by email. Contact me at Amkrom812@gmail.com to be added to the email list.

This BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription

Reading for August 9, 2012       Psalm 100