Psalm 138
English Standard Version (ESV)
On Easter Monday, let us pause to remember the source of our joy and hope: The great and all-mighty God, all-powerful, chose to lay down his life so that others might live. God redeemed us by sacrificing himself, choosing to regard the lowly, the sinful, as worthy. God did not give up on us, but instead sought us out, pursued us, and washes us clean.
Someday, all will know the story, and all will worship the author of it. Until then, may our lives be filled with gratitude, overflowing and sharing the story out of joy.
Monday, April 6, 2015
Friday, April 3, 2015
Psalm 137
Psalm 137
English Standard Version (ESV)
Would anyone have noticed if we'd skipped the last verse? It's not exactly the verse you read to get excited about a Scripture reading plan. I'd be okay if it disappeared from the Psalms.
But there it is, and we have to deal with it, like so much of life. We don't get a choice -- we just have to make do. In this case, the raw pain of the Psalmist assaults our sensibilities. The Psalmist is disconsolate about the situation they find themselves in, cast out of their homeland. Their despair leads to hopelessness, and death seems preferable to this alien life in which they find themselves.
There is no happy ending in this Psalm -- it's just raw pain, and sometimes all we can do is acknowledge the pain and disappointment and despair of life. We offer that to God, knowing that it won't disappear in a moment. In our prayers, we can recognize that God understands what it is like to mourn, since God watched his own Son be crucified on Good Friday. In our pain, we can trust that God knows our pain and accepts us as broken people.
We also remember that Good Friday isn't the end of the story. The despair of the Psalmist, the despair of the disciples, was not the end of the story, though they may believe it is so in the moment. Easter is coming. Resurrection is around the corner, and though we wallow through great pain, it is not a lost cause, because Christ conquers all, and each and every one of us is invited to join in that triumph.
Joy comes in the morning. Sometimes, the night is so long we struggle to remember that such a thing is true. Offer your pain to God, no matter how raw it is. Hold onto the reality that our God promised to be with us in the valley of the shadow of death, and may we find comfort in the knowledge that God understands pain and loss.
And then let us trust that our pain will someday pass away, there shall be no more pain, nor death, nor mourning, for Easter triumphs over all!
English Standard Version (ESV)
Would anyone have noticed if we'd skipped the last verse? It's not exactly the verse you read to get excited about a Scripture reading plan. I'd be okay if it disappeared from the Psalms.
But there it is, and we have to deal with it, like so much of life. We don't get a choice -- we just have to make do. In this case, the raw pain of the Psalmist assaults our sensibilities. The Psalmist is disconsolate about the situation they find themselves in, cast out of their homeland. Their despair leads to hopelessness, and death seems preferable to this alien life in which they find themselves.
There is no happy ending in this Psalm -- it's just raw pain, and sometimes all we can do is acknowledge the pain and disappointment and despair of life. We offer that to God, knowing that it won't disappear in a moment. In our prayers, we can recognize that God understands what it is like to mourn, since God watched his own Son be crucified on Good Friday. In our pain, we can trust that God knows our pain and accepts us as broken people.
We also remember that Good Friday isn't the end of the story. The despair of the Psalmist, the despair of the disciples, was not the end of the story, though they may believe it is so in the moment. Easter is coming. Resurrection is around the corner, and though we wallow through great pain, it is not a lost cause, because Christ conquers all, and each and every one of us is invited to join in that triumph.
Joy comes in the morning. Sometimes, the night is so long we struggle to remember that such a thing is true. Offer your pain to God, no matter how raw it is. Hold onto the reality that our God promised to be with us in the valley of the shadow of death, and may we find comfort in the knowledge that God understands pain and loss.
And then let us trust that our pain will someday pass away, there shall be no more pain, nor death, nor mourning, for Easter triumphs over all!
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Psalm 136:14-26
Psalm 136:14-26
English Standard Version (ESV)
Be grateful today.
You have life today. You have so many blessings. Life is not perfect, and there are things we would all change if we could, but today there is life within your bones and the Holy Spirit is at work within you, drawing you forward, deeper into fellowship with the Almighty God who created you, redeemed you by his own blood, and has established an eternal dwelling place for you with him. God's love endures forever, and God invests himself in communicating that love to you.
So be grateful today. Give thanks for what is good, and pray for endurance in the midst of what ails you. Most of all, may your heart be shaped by gratitude.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Be grateful today.
You have life today. You have so many blessings. Life is not perfect, and there are things we would all change if we could, but today there is life within your bones and the Holy Spirit is at work within you, drawing you forward, deeper into fellowship with the Almighty God who created you, redeemed you by his own blood, and has established an eternal dwelling place for you with him. God's love endures forever, and God invests himself in communicating that love to you.
So be grateful today. Give thanks for what is good, and pray for endurance in the midst of what ails you. Most of all, may your heart be shaped by gratitude.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Psalm 136:1-13
Psalm 136:1-13
English Standard Version (ESV)
Life today is all about the moment. We're caught up in what's going on now, and we don't richly value our common history, the story we share that binds us together.
It's important for a people of faith to remember our story, for in remembering our story, we remember all that God has done, from the beginning to now, and that strengthens us by reminding us that God is faithful, that he keeps his promises, and that we can depend on God to be there tomorrow just as God has been steadfast in the past. The memory of God's faithfulness should make us grateful for the ways that God loves us.
May we remember the story of God's love, and may that give us confidence to be bold in our faithfulness
English Standard Version (ESV)
Life today is all about the moment. We're caught up in what's going on now, and we don't richly value our common history, the story we share that binds us together.
It's important for a people of faith to remember our story, for in remembering our story, we remember all that God has done, from the beginning to now, and that strengthens us by reminding us that God is faithful, that he keeps his promises, and that we can depend on God to be there tomorrow just as God has been steadfast in the past. The memory of God's faithfulness should make us grateful for the ways that God loves us.
May we remember the story of God's love, and may that give us confidence to be bold in our faithfulness
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