Thursday, October 30, 2014

Psalm 94:1-7

Psalm 94:1-7
English Standard Version (ESV)

  We wonder if God sees us when we suffer.  I take great comfort in the beginning of Exodus, when the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt and their cries ascended to the heavens.  God, we read, heard their cries.  God listened.
  Then God acted.
  Now, God doesn't always act as immediately as we might like.  God's not on remote control.  But God does hear.  God does respond.  God loves his people and wants them to flourish in the abundant life.  So God will walk with us through the valley, will let his light shine in the darkness, will let hope and peace reign.

  God listens.
  God hears you.
  May you believe this today

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Psalm 93

Psalm 93 
American Standard Version (ASV)

  This morning I put on my clothes.  They are chosen to suit me as well as the environment in which I will live today.  I wouldn't wear something that wasn't appropriate.  The clothes reflect my identity.
  The Lord is clothed with majesty.  Always, forever, majesty emanates from his throne.  He is clothed with strength, with power that is part of who he is.  God is strength and majesty--it is who he is, and we worship him for it.  God doesn't choose to be strong or majestic one day or another--it is his core identity, and we need to remember to worship God for who he is rather than what he has or has not done for me lately.
  When we focus on whether or not God has answered our prayers in the ways we see fit, we lose track of God's identity as strong and majestic.

May we remember that God is ever faithful, ever kind, ever loving, ever desiring to bring you back into his grace and peace and joy

Monday, October 27, 2014

Psalm 92:10-15

Psalm 92:10-15
New Century Version (NCV)

  Aging is a challenging thing for us.  It's easy to look at aging and be afraid, to think that each day is gone and never can be recovered.
  But here, the Psalmist tells us that faithful ones will still produce fruit in their old age, and I think this is part of the reshaping of aging that the church needs to do.  Aging isn't something to be afraid of, because death isn't something to fear--death is a transition into eternal joy and light, and so aging is simply part of our journey that is growing us up into maturity.  As we grow, we learn wisdom along the way, and we learn how to serve others in new ways.  Our service looks different as we age, but if we look at aging as a process to be embraced rather than escaped we can look for opportunities rather than dread the fact that there are things we cannot do.
  So may we look to the future with hope, and may we look around to see how we can continue to serve others with whatever we have.

May you see the world today as God sees it

Friday, October 24, 2014

Psalm 92:1-9

Psalm 92:1-9
New Century Version (NCV)

  I remember being jealous of bigger kids when I was younger.  I wasn't one of the smallest kids in my class, but I was never tall, either, and so I recall wishing I could be tall, wishing that I would be bigger than other kids in my class.
  In the same way, we tend to be jealous of some of the fruits of evil that surround us.  We see people who live amorally succeed.  We see people prosper from bending the rules, and we get envious.  We start to wonder if it's worth it to follow the rules, to stay faithful, even though the way of faithfulness may lead us through the valley of the shadow of death and may cause hardship and struggles.  We wonder if it's all worth it.
  God assures us that it is our endurance that helps us persevere.  He reminds us that evil will seem to win the day, but that evil will topple in the end.  The Tower of Babel seemed promising, too, until it collapsed under the weight of human arrogance.  Those who live for themselves may do well for a time, but those who live for God will endure and inherit an eternal crown of righteousness.

May you see and value the wisdom of enduring faithfulness

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Psalm 91:9-16

Psalm 91:9-16
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

  Do you ever feel like you call to God and he doesn't answer?  Do you wonder if God is truly delivering?  Do you feel like sometimes God abandons you in times of trouble?
  We often isolate these rare cases when we wonder where God is, and we are in danger of making them into a rule if we're not careful.  There are rare times where God is working in ways we don't understand, and to us it may seem as though God is not present, but here we have a promise that God will always answer, that God will always protect and deliver.  It may not look exactly like we imagine, but God lives up to his word, so be bold in faith, for God will not let go.

May you have a sense of God's nearness and love today

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Psalm 91:1-8

Psalm 91:1-8
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

  When something is always present, you begin to adjust for its presence, getting used to the reality of its constant nearness.  You simply get used to living like that.  For example, if you won $14 billion tomorrow, you'd be in awe and wonder for the first year or so, but after that you'd simply adapt and act like that's the way you always lived, and it would seem normal.  Pretty soon, you'd take it for granted, and you might forget the thrill of the gift.
  In the same way, when we live in the shadow of the Almighty, our eyes adapt and we start to take the presence of God for granted.  We lose our sense of wonder at the idea that God is our refuge and strength who will deliver us from the talons of those that might threaten us.  The arrow that seeks to destroy our heart?  We need not fear it because of the power of God, but if we lose our wonder, we begin to expect God to always be there at our beck and call.
  So may we recover a sense of wonder, and may we worship at the incredible gift God gives us.

May you be in awe of God's love and protection

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Psalm 90:9-17

Psalm 90:9-17
English Standard Version (ESV)

  This morning, when you opened your eyes, you received the gift of one more day.  It was a gift you did not deserve, but God gave it to you.  He stirred you from your slumbers and set you forth in a new world, filled with opportunity.  Life courses through your veins, and you have the chance to experience a whole new set of wonders, to marvel at the gift God has given you.  Beauty surrounds you, and it is within you.  At any point throughout this day, if you would like to offer a word to the Almighty Creator of the entire cosmos, you need only whisper these words in the depths of your heart, and God will hear them.  If at any point you feel unworthy of the momentous gift of life that has been bestowed upon you, you need only remember that you were unworthy until that same God freely chose to suffer and die so that you might be restored to a place of good standing before his holy throne.  If at any point you fear anything, you need only remember that the God who ordered the stars and told the planets to align promises that not a hair shall fall from your head without his knowing it.

  May your heart be satisfied this morning with the Good News of the Kingdom of God, and may we never stray throughout the day as we go about our wondrous lives

Monday, October 20, 2014

Psalm 90:1-8

Psalm 90:1-8
English Standard Version (ESV) 

  I freely admit that I often want God to take care of things on my schedule.  I want something solved yesterday.  I'd like for God to act tomorrow.
  But God's timeline is so much longer than mine, and the perspective is so much broader.  God is concerned about gathering people to himself, and that all happens on both sides of death--it's not the permanent barrier that I see it as.  God is concerned about preparing me for life with himself--and that doesn't all need to be taken care of today and tomorrow.  God is prepared about building up Godly character within his disciples, and that takes decades, and often happens through the use of pain and suffering, neither of which I like.
  But God knows how to prepare and polish us, and if we trust ourselves to him, we will not be dismayed, for God will neither forsake nor abandon us.  God's timeline may be different, but we can trust God's goal for each and every one of us.

May God do a mighty work in and through you today

Friday, October 17, 2014

Psalm 89:46-52

Psalm 89:46-52
Common English Bible (CEB)

  Death complicates things, mostly because we can't see through that veil.  We stare into the abyss of death and cannot see any good within it, and we wonder if it can possibly be true that there is light on the other side of such complete blackness.  The constant nearness of death reminds us of the brevity of life, and so when despair strikes our short lives, we wonder if God has forgotten us forever, and if we are destined to pain and suffering before our short lives end.
  God, however, steps in with constant reminders that death does not get the last word.  With each sunrise, God reminds us of the power of resurrection and new life, and God reveals his mercies all over again.  Today is a new day--an undeserved gift!  Be grateful for it!  Dance and sing in joyful response to God, giving thanks for mercies that are unfolding hour by hour, second by second.  You have not been forgotten, and you will not be, even in the hour of death.  God's mercies never fail.

There is a tombstone in Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati that I shall never forget.  May its message carry you forward in joy today:  There is a voice from the tomb sweeter than song.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Psalm 89:38-45

Psalm 89:38-45
Common English Bible (CEB)

  If we don't humble ourselves and recognize our dependence on God, life will give us the chance to remember our place in one way or another.  Every single person on this earth, in one way or another, will at some point be humbled by life.  We'll come up against our limitations, and if we were living as if there were no limitations, that will be a painful moment, whether it is a physical, social or physchological humbling.  It's never fun, but it's incredibly painful if we're living under the false belief that we are greater than any force that might threaten us.
  If, on the other hand, we humble ourselves before God and recognize that He alone is all-powerful and that our very lives are a gift that we do not deserve, two things happen.
  The first is that we live in a state of awe and continual worship toward God, because we realize how generous God is for giving us such free and wondrous gifts like life and salvation and hope and peace.
  The second is that we change the way we view ourselves.  We no longer believe that we are the center of the universe, but we don't feel pride, because we recognize that we did not bring ourselves into being, and we are not keeping ourselves alive and well out of our wisdom and wit.  It's an undeserved gift from someone else who knows us better than we know ourselves.

May we give thanks for life today

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Psalm 89:27-37

Psalm 89:27-37
Common English Bible (CEB)

  Even then!
  So Caleb is sometimes a bit... strong-willed, we'll call it.  He doesn't do what Rachel and I ask, and sometimes he does the exact opposite.  It drives us a bit crazy when he looks at us in such a way that communicates that he knows exactly what he is supposed to do and does otherwise.  We send him to time-out, shaking our heads in exasperation, wondering why he so enjoys pushing our buttons.
  But we still love him.  We still care for him and want the best for him and want to nurture and encourage his growth in such a way that he turns into a responsible and faithful adult.  We're not giving up on him.
  This love is only a fraction of the love God has for you.  God has immense love and patience, and even though we break God's rules and don't love each other and don't put God first, God still calls us back to him, God still holds up his end of the covenant.  Though we are faithless, God is faithful, and his arms are open wide for us to run into.  Indeed, God never stops pursuing us, no matter what.

Though we sin, even then, God is faithful still.

May we focus more on God's faithfulness than our own selves

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Psalm 89:19-26

Psalm 89:19-26
Common English Bible (CEB) 

  Lately, I haven't been able to go to the gym very often.  Schedules have shifted quite a bit, and if I'm not in class or at work, I've got my nose buried in a book or in a screen, trying to keep up with school.  I get out running whenever I can, but I'm not getting any stronger.
  It's easy to think of strengthening ourselves.  We can exercise to strengthen our bodies, we can learn to strengthen our minds, we can study our own life and those around us to strengthen our spirits, and these things help.
  Yet, ultimately the only strength that matters is the strength that comes from above.  Ultimately, the resolve that will guide us through the tests that await can only come from God, and God willingly and freely pours that out upon us.
 
  In response, may we cry out, with our words and actions, 'My father, my God, the rock of my salvation"

Monday, October 13, 2014

Psalm 89:15-18

Psalm 89:15-18
Common English Bible (CEB) 

  There is a bit of a chicken-and-the-egg sort of approach to faithfulness that the church takes.  One approach is to wait for God to act in tangible ways, and then we praise God for his faithfulness and blessings.  The other, which I think is far wiser, is to praise God for his faithfulness and patience and mercy all the day long, and then to rejoice when God does act, recognizing that God has never ceased to uphold creation by his victorious right arm, but that reality is at times more apparent than others.  Our praise of God should not depend on whether or not we can fully understand exactly what God is doing right now.  Let us rejoice all the day long and trust that will shape us into people who then are better able to see the ways God is at work.

May you rejoice today

Friday, October 10, 2014

Psalm 89:9-14

Psalm 89:9-14
Common English Bible (CEB)

  If I'm threatened, it's nice to stand under the protection of someone stronger than I am.  If I am scared, I like to know there is something solid beneath my feet.  The exhiliration of hang-gliding was matched by the relief when my feet touched back to the earth and I felt secure once more.
  In God, we have a strong protector, someone who is much stronger than us but yet welcomes us into his arms, into his love, into his grace.  We need not fear the powers that threaten us, because our God will protect us.  We need not cower in the darkness, because we can trust in God's light to shine.

May you feel God's arms around you today

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Psalm 89:1-8

Psalm 89:1-8
Common English Bible (CEB)

  God alone stands forever.  God is in a completely different category, being eternal and not of this world.  God exists beyond time and space, and is wholly other than we.
  All of this makes it all the more extraordinary that he chooses to be in relationship with us.  He wants to know us and to be known by us.  He longs for us to know him and love him.  He freely chooses to enter into our world, into our lives, so that we might not be distant from him.  God loves us and becomes human so that we might know the fullness of his love.
  So God is distant, but God is near, too, and never wants you to forget.

May you worship God for his majesty while remembering his intimacy

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Psalm 88:9-18

Psalm 88:9-18
The Message (MSG)

  Darkness.
  Often, it feels like it ends there.  I've been to funerals which don't resound in hope, in which we stare in disbelief into the seemingly bottomless abyss of death and find no solid ground, no footing on which to stand.  We speak of hope, but it rings empty in the face of our pain and it fades before our questions.  We profess what we hope to be true, but sometimes it is grasping at the mist, a vapor that disappears when we need it most.
  Blessed Assurance, the song sings, is ours because of one historical event.  When Jesus Christ was crucified, all seemed lost.  The stone sealed the tomb and the eternity of death marched on.  Except for Easter, we could have no hope.
  But Christ rose, and because he lives, we, too, may live.  Because of the truth that he has overcome death, and only because of this, we have proof that death is not the final answer, that there is a greater power than darkness, that hope truly can rise up the chasm of despair.
  So Love does make a difference in the graveyard.  Grace matters in the funeral.  Light shines in the pressing night.

  We will always weep on this side of heaven, because it seems like darkness and despair win out.  But hope comes in the morning, and the first rays of the dawn remind us of the Easter assurance of a final victory.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Psalm 88:1-9

Psalm 88:1-9 
The Message (MSG)

  When we're in misery, there's no sense denying it.
  A real relationship with God demands honesty on our part.  God doesn't want us to tamp down our joy, and God doesn't want us to downplay our pain.  It's real.  We have questions and fear and uncertainty in the face of it.  We stand on the edge of the chasm and wonder whether or not we will fall in, convincing ourselves that God has forgotten about our situation.
  So we honestly come to God with our raw pain and fear.
  When we do, God doesn't always reach out and immediately fix things.  God isn't one to just patch it up.  Instead, God reminds us that he dwells with us in these uncertain times.  God knows what it's like to live on the edge of the pit, and God knows what it is like to be cast into the pit by others.  God has been to the bottom of the pit, and because God is willing and able to abide with us in the most uncertain times of our lives, it should make the darkness a little less dark, because the light is with us, and we can have firm and certain knowledge that the darkness shall not overcome.
  Even if we find our way into the the pit, and if the pain and frustration threaten to overwhelm, the promise of God within and beside and around us is that we shall be led forward, through the valley of the shadow of death, and into life everlasting.

May you know light today

Monday, October 6, 2014

Psalm 87

Psalm 87 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Music is a form of expression.  It can express deep love and joy, or it can express sorrow and regret.  The Psalms are meant to be sung, prayers that speak of wonder and awe and pain and despair.  The gamut of emotions is covered here in the Psalms, and it is amazing to think of all this holy language to express our lives before God.
  As our day unfolds, we sing our own song to God.  It may be a song filled with joy for all the amazing things God is doing.  It may be a song of confusion, or a song that questions where God is in the day.  Each day is a new song, and yet it is vitally important that we remember to lift this song toward God in heaven, directing our efforts to his kingdom rather than our own.

  May we remember who gives us the ability to sing, and may we offer our songs to him

Friday, October 3, 2014

Psalm 86:8-17

Psalm 86:8-17
New International Version (NIV)

  Do you accept substitutes?
  If you go eat at a nice restaurant and order your favorite meal, would you object when they brought out a TV dinner that had just been microwaved?
  If you sit down to watch you favorite football team play its rival team, do you mind if the regular players take the week off and a bunch of rookies take their place for the game?
  If you buy a nice shirt, do you mind if the manufacturer substitutes quality material for the cheapest possible input?
  We would never accept a substitute in so many areas of life, and yet when it comes to God, we allow our wandering hearts to substitute so many things for God.  We accept the world's offered substitutions, chasing after them as though they are God, and turning our back on the real and sovereign God.  We ignore God at our own peril, accepting the consequences of the pain and suffering we introduce in our own lives because those substitute gods will always disappoint, because only the true God can live up to the promises that he has made to fulfill and restore us to true and abundant life.  Only God can do this.

May the compassion and grace of God, who is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, bless you and keep you throughout today, that you may never, not even for a moment, let your heart drift in the direction of a substitute

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Psalm 86:1-7

Psalm 86:1-7
New International Version (NIV)

  We are not as independent as we like to think we are.
  It's easy to buy into this, especially in today's world.  It's easy to start believing that we can make it on our own, that we don't need other people, that we're just fine.
  But then life happens, and we recognize that we are not able to make it through everything.  We realize that our own strength is too weak, that we don't know the answers, that we are limited.  At these times, we turn to God, because his strength is sufficient for all of our weakness.  His wisdom is enough, his love and mercy is enough, and he wants us to endure through the challenges in our lives.  He wants us to emerge from the valley into the light, and he will walk with us every step of the way as we wander that path.

May you trust in God's goodness and mercy

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Psalm 85

Psalm 85 
Common English Bible (CEB)

  I think the Psalms so beautifully present a picture of the faithful life.  The Psalms are honest about the pain and hurt in the world, about the sin that is present in our lives.  There is no gain from hiding these things.  We can acknowledge our sin and failings before God because we trust that God is ready to forgive.
  While remembering our own sin, we can also rejoice at God's provision, giving thanks for the peace and love God has poured out, even though we don't deserve them.  God's vision for the future is one of beauty, love and peace, and though we only get misty visions of them through the haze of sin and brokenness that surrounds this world, when moments of clarity strike and the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven shines through, it is a beautiful sight, one that should motivate us to lead a life that is oriented around that beautiful kingdom that will last forever, rather than trying to build our own mortal kingdoms that will one day topple.

May you invest your energy today in the eternal Kingdom of God