Psalm 148

Hallelujah! Praise God from heaven,
      praise him from the mountaintops;
   Praise him, all you his angels,
      praise him, all you his warriors,
   Praise him, sun and moon,
      praise him, you morning stars;
   Praise him, high heaven,
      praise him, heavenly rain clouds;
   Praise, oh let them praise the name of God—
      he spoke the word, and there they were!
⁶ He set them in place
      from all time to eternity;
   He gave his orders,
      and that’s it!
^7-12 Praise God from earth,
      you sea dragons, you fathomless ocean deeps;
   Fire and hail, snow and ice,
      hurricanes obeying his orders;
   Mountains and all hills,
      apple orchards and cedar forests;
   Wild beasts and herds of cattle,
      snakes, and birds in flight;
   Earth’s kings and all races,
      leaders and important people,
   Robust men and women in their prime,
      and yes, graybeards and little children.
^13-14 Let them praise the name of God—
      it’s the only Name worth praising.
   His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky;
      he’s built a monument—his very own people!

   Praise from all who love God!
      Israel’s children, intimate friends of God.
   Hallelujah!

Did you know there was a Royal Wedding last week?

I wasn’t invited, but they let all of us nobodies watch from afar

on television.  I watched the news after to see :

1) her dress

2) the balcony kiss.

But weddings have always seemed like private affairs to me.

I got married on a Tuesday afternoon and didn’t send out any

invitations.  Some people showed up anyway and that was fine-

but I felt like it was between Frank and me and God.

So I wasn’t  all that interested in the details or guest list- until I heard

that Posh Spice and David Beckham and Elton John were invited and

President Obama wasn’t.  If you have a big powerful wedding- I think

you should invite big powerful people.  Not sports and music personalities.

But it wasn’t up to me.

I  do, however , like the guest list above.

The “Come and praise the Lord with us” guest list.

It starts up in the Heavens- includes all the powerful entities (Angels,warriors,

Stars, Sun, Moon, Rainclouds).

Then it gets down to earth and invites everyone who is anyone- Sea dragons, ocean

waves, weather and it’s relatives,mountains,hills, orchards,forests, wild beasts, cattle,

snakes, birds, Kings, leaders, important people.

And the list goes on men and women in their prime and of course,

the ever present graybeards and little children.

We are all invited!!!

We fit into the intimate friends of God- especially if we know His Son, Jesus Christ!

This is it – the party of the millenium- of the ages- and we are invited!

I’m there!

Psalm 38

A psalm of David. A petition.

¹ LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger
   or discipline me in your wrath.
² Your arrows have pierced me,
   and your hand has come down on me.
³ Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
   there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.
⁴ My guilt has overwhelmed me
   like a burden too heavy to bear.

⁵ My wounds fester and are loathsome
   because of my sinful folly.
⁶ I am bowed down and brought very low;
   all day long I go about mourning.
⁷ My back is filled with searing pain;
   there is no health in my body.
⁸ I am feeble and utterly crushed;
   I groan in anguish of heart.

⁹ All my longings lie open before you, Lord;
   my sighing is not hidden from you.
¹⁰ My heart pounds, my strength fails me;
   even the light has gone from my eyes.
¹¹ My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds;
   my neighbors stay far away.
¹² Those who want to kill me set their traps,
   those who would harm me talk of my ruin;
   all day long they scheme and lie.

¹³ I am like the deaf, who cannot hear,
   like the mute, who cannot speak;
¹⁴ I have become like one who does not hear,
   whose mouth can offer no reply.
¹⁵ LORD, I wait for you;
   you will answer, Lord my God.
¹⁶ For I said, “Do not let them gloat
   or exalt themselves over me when my feet slip.”

¹⁷ For I am about to fall,
   and my pain is ever with me.
¹⁸ I confess my iniquity;
   I am troubled by my sin.
¹⁹ Many have become my enemies without cause;
   those who hate me without reason are numerous.
²⁰ Those who repay my good with evil
   lodge accusations against me,
   though I seek only to do what is good.

²¹ LORD, do not forsake me;
   do not be far from me, my God.
²² Come quickly to help me,
   my Lord and my Savior.

Ever spend extended time in serious pain?

It can be debilitating.

Sometimes your breathing is so shallow that you get

lightheaded.  Pain can eat away at your spirit-

it can escort you right into the threshold of

depression.  And you find yourself looking for

distractions and/or purposes.

Why am I in this place of torture?

What can I do to lessen this misery?

Where can I find some release/relief?

You feel isolated and alone.  Your sense of

yourself is diminished and you feel like you

are being punished.

It can get pretty bad.

This psalm has that kind of logic- pain logic- in it.

Not that David hadn’t sinned.

Not that he didn’t deserve the guilt and sorrow

that he is describing.

It is just that  WHEN you are in pain- the whole

world of creation and the Creator seem to be

in collusion against you.

You become a suffering diva.

This is MY pain.  My sorrow.  My sin.

My back (OH, MY BACK!).

You call out for help.

for mercy.

You confess.

You look at those around you like they don’t

know or care,  they can quickly become your

enemies.

I’m so thankful that Jesus Christ knew pain and death.

He can understand this perspective even though He

did not give in to it. 

The last two verses are the best in the psalm.

They redeem the entire litany of pain that comes before them.

²¹ LORD, do not forsake me;
   do not be far from me, my God.
²² Come quickly to help me,
   my Lord and my Savior.

AMEN. 

Psalm 34

Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.

¹ I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
² I will glory in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
³ Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.

⁴ I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
⁶ This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.

⁸ Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
⁹ Fear the LORD, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
¹⁰ The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
¹¹ Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
¹² Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
¹³ keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
¹⁴ Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁵ The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
¹⁶ but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.

¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
¹⁸ The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

¹⁹ The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;
²⁰ he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.

²¹ Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
²² The LORD will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

It isn’t filled with ” praise the Lord-s” after every stanza.

It isn’t so much a description of God’s many attributes.

It isn’t a lesson in Israel’s history.

This psalm is a heartfelt song of thanks.

David wrote it in an acrostic form (each stanza starts with a

letter of the Hebrew alphabet) and each one seems to be said

with a sigh of relief at his narrow escape from Saul, King of  Israel,

who was intent on David’s death AND at then avoiding the

traps set for him by Abimilek’s advisors.

David, in verses 1-14:

extolls, glories and glorifies the Lord.

He seeks, looks, calls, tastes,and fears the Lord.

And he gathers, preaches, teaches,counsels and advises all

that will listen to learn from his experiences..

In verses 15 through 22, he shares the wonderful

life giving and saving witness of the Lord at work

in the lives of His children.

We learn that God’s eyes and ears are constantly alert

to those who love Him.  That He will protect and deliver

and rescue His servants.

This psalm is one big THANK YOU, LORD!

I like it.  I have been in a rough spot, in need of rescue

and the Lord did exactly that.

And this is the correct response.

I have also been in a tough place and the Lord held my

hand and walked me through it.

And this is the correct response.

I have also been alone and abandoned and afraid and the

Lord spoke to my heart and gave me strength.

And this is the correct response.

And I have been angry and resentful and wondering why

the Lord doesn’t rescue me.

And He has guided me through that, as well.

And the response to that is

Thank you, Lord.

Psalm 29

A psalm of David.

¹ Ascribe to the LORD, you heavenly beings,
   ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
² Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
   worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

³ The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
   the God of glory thunders,
   the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.
⁴ The voice of the LORD is powerful;
   the voice of the LORD is majestic.
⁵ The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
   the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
⁶ He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
   Sirion like a young wild ox.
⁷ The voice of the LORD strikes
   with flashes of lightning.
⁸ The voice of the LORD shakes the desert;
   the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
⁹ The voice of the LORD twists the oaks
   and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

¹⁰ The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
   the LORD is enthroned as King forever.
¹¹ The LORD gives strength to his people;
   the LORD blesses his people with peace.

The voice of the LORD is mentioned seven times in this

Psalm.  It is given as an evidence of His glory and strength-

and of the splendor of his holiness.  It speaks to His majesty and

His blessing of his people with strength and peace.

His voice is thunderous, powerful and majestic.

It breaks trees into pieces,shakes deserts and strikes with flashes

of lightening.

The voice of the LORD is a force in itself.

A mighty force beyond our reckoning.

It inspires us to honor and worship.

And yet, sometimes, when He wants us to really hear and understand,

He calls us by name in a still small voice.

1 Kings 19:11-13 (New International Version, ©2011)

¹¹ The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”

   Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD

was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

 ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

¹³ When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

   Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

We have come through some tumultuous times of late.

There is a cloud of radiation and fear and doubt hanging over our world

And, I think, many are paying attention in a way they haven’t before.

I don’t have any answers, but I do know one thing, for sure-

if you are hearing the voice of the LORD-

it will be clear and understandable.

But we need to be listening.

Psalm 17

A prayer of David.

¹ Hear me, LORD, my plea is just;
listen to my cry.
Hear my prayer—
it does not rise from deceitful lips.
² Let my vindication come from you;
may your eyes see what is right.

³ Though you probe my heart,
though you examine me at night and test me,
you will find that I have planned no evil;
my mouth has not transgressed.
⁴ Though people tried to bribe me,
I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
through what your lips have commanded.
⁵ My steps have held to your paths;
my feet have not stumbled.

⁶ I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
⁷ Show me the wonders of your great love,
you who save by your right hand
those who take refuge in you from their foes.
⁸ Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings
⁹ from the wicked who are out to destroy me,
from my mortal enemies who surround me.

¹⁰ They close up their callous hearts,
and their mouths speak with arrogance.
¹¹ They have tracked me down, they now surround me,
with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.
¹² They are like a lion hungry for prey,
like a fierce lion crouching in cover.

¹³ Rise up, LORD, confront them, bring them down;
with your sword rescue me from the wicked.
¹⁴ By your hand save me from such people, LORD,
from those of this world whose reward is in this life.
May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies;
may their children gorge themselves on it,
and may there be leftovers for their little ones.

¹⁵ As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face;
when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness

There is an annoying commercial for the KIA  Soul ( a boxy little car made in Korea)

It features Urban hamsters dressed in hoodies- the music is  a hip hop song that says,

The Choice is Yours- Black Sheep (1991)- the refrain is basically “ …you can get with this or

you can get with that.”  I kind of like the song- but I hate the commercial.  I hate the

hamsters- think the car is ugly- it is arresting, but I hate it.

(If you haven’t seen it go to the link below and take a look.)

Hampsta’ Hip Hop

This psalm reminds me of that commercial.

There are choices in life.

(“…you can get with this or you can get with that-

I think you’ll get with this for this is where it’s at”)

We can live a life that is exemplary before God-

(“ I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
through what your lips have commanded.”)

or we can choose our reward in this life and be like the wicked

who fill their bellies or like their descendants who gorge themselves’ on it.

I don’t often hear hip hop songs when reading the Psalms,

but do you hear it?

You can get with this (choose to live according to the statutes and laws of

God) or you can get with that ( searching out ways to get ahead of others, even

to the point of their destruction in order to survive and win here in this life!)

I hope “you get with this for this where it’s at.”

God’s truth is real.  And it is out there.

Sometimes the images are a little more out there than we are

comfortable with, but listen to the cadence of David’s psalm

and you can almost hear him singing a little hip hop with his harp.

<< Psalm 135 >>
New American Standard Bible

3Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
         Sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.

4For the LORD has chosen Jacob for Himself,
         Israel for His own possession.

5For I know that the LORD is great
         And that our Lord is above all gods.

6Whatever the LORD pleases, He does,
         In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.

7He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth;
         Who makes lightnings for the rain,
         Who brings forth the wind from His treasuries.

8He smote the firstborn of Egypt,
         Both of man and beast.

9He sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt,
         Upon Pharaoh and all his servants.

10He smote many nations
         And slew mighty kings,

11Sihon, king of the Amorites,
         And Og, king of Bashan,
         And all the kingdoms of Canaan;

12And He gave their land as a heritage,
         A heritage to Israel His people.

13Your name, O LORD, is everlasting,
         Your remembrance, O LORD, throughout all generations.

14For the LORD will judge His people
         And will have compassion on His servants.

15The idols of the nations are but silver and gold,
         The work of man’s hands.

16They have mouths, but they do not speak;
         They have eyes, but they do not see;

17They have ears, but they do not hear,
         Nor is there any breath at all in their mouths.

18Those who make them will be like them,
Yes, everyone who trusts in them.

19O house of Israel, bless the LORD;
         O house of Aaron, bless the LORD;

20O house of Levi, bless the LORD;
         You who revere the LORD, bless the LORD.

21Blessed be the LORD from Zion,
         Who dwells in Jerusalem.
         Praise the LORD!

Talking about the house of the Lord.

Talking about the house of Israel.

Talking about those who stand in the house of the Lord,

And the praise, blessing, and reverence that they are to sing out!

The house of the Lord is a place of protection.

It is a place of heritage and remembrance.

He provides it for His children- for those He has called-

for those who call upon His Name- for His servants.

Next week, my husband and I are traveling to Meredith’s house

in Chincoteague.  We are going to work- but it is a welcoming

place and we are blessed even as we work.

Thinking about the long drive and the work ahead is not

daunting, because we are accomplishing a work of love.

And it is a time of communion for us- a time just for the

two of us to talk and work together.

It is good.

And last week Aidan and I put together a gingerbread house.

While we were working I told him a careful story of Hansel and Gretel.

There were no scary witches  to worry about.  He’s not even three

yet, so we talked about children leaving bread trails in the woods and finding

a wonderful house made of gingerbread and candy.  And how happy their parents

were to find them after looking all day.  And how their stomachs were too

full of candy so they were a little upset, but they felt so much better in their

own beds that night, safe and sound.

Because that is what we are looking for.  A house that is our home.

A place where we belong.  Where we are safe and sound.

The house of the Lord is that place.

We have come from unsafe situations in houses where there are

false gods.  We have lived amongst the “Egyptians” –looking for

safety and assurance in a place we don’t belong.  We lived in a land full

of idols- and are seeking a place with the one true God.

We  

“know that the LORD is great
         And that our Lord is above all gods.

6Whatever the LORD pleases, He does,
         In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.”

Psalm 135 – there is no place like home- in the house of the Lord.

¹ As the deer pants for streams of water,
   so my soul pants for you, my God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. 
   When can I go and meet with God?
³ My tears have been my food
   day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
   “Where is your God?”
⁴ These things I remember
   as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
   under the protection of the Mighty One

with shouts of joy and praise
   among the festive throng.

⁵ Why, my soul, are you downcast?
   Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
   for I will yet praise him,
   my Savior and my God.

⁶ My soul is downcast within me;
   therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
   the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
⁷ Deep calls to deep
   in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
   have swept over me.

⁸ By day the LORD directs his love,
   at night his song is with me—
   a prayer to the God of my life.

⁹ I say to God my Rock,
   “Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
   oppressed by the enemy?”
¹⁰ My bones suffer mortal agony
   as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
   “Where is your God?”

¹¹ Why, my soul, are you downcast?
   Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
   for I will yet praise him,
   my Savior and my God.

I have diabetes, and my health insurance has a plan

that includes a phone call every couple of months that

goes over my prescriptions and general health to see

if I am keeping well and doing the prescribed activities,

etcetera.  They ask a battery of questions- and one that

always makes me smile and answer neither yes nor no is

“Have you experienced any depression that has affected your

work or social activities within the last 3 months?”

Yes. No. Maybe.

It is the middle of February.  We have been through a brutal

winter.  There has been very little sunshine. 

Am I depressed?  Sometimes.

I hate answering these questions in regard to my physical health only.

This is a very deep condition.  One with mental, spiritual and family

implications and I basically hedge and lie.  I say, no.  I am not

depressed to the point that it affects me socially or in the amount of

work I can accomplish.

I think depression is very much a part of the healthy human condition.

I once heard Billy Graham say that he had never been depressed and it

made him less real and effective for me ever since.  If you haven’t

ever looked up at life from a place of profound depression then I don’t

think you you have ever seen the true face of mankind. 

God put Jeremiah into a position where he was in a pit.  In a prison of

despair and depression to give him a view of the depravity and void man

is in when separated from God. 

So, am I depressed?

YES.

Does it affect my activities?

YES.

Can it be overcome?

YES.

Do I know where to go to find solace and comfort?

YES.

Of course, the same questions could be asked about Joy!

Do I know Joy?

Yes.

Does it affect my activities?

Absolutely.

Is this an overcoming emotion in my life?

Yes.

Aren’t we all a mixture of emotions and points of view?

We NEED shadows- they are created by our place in the sunshine-

I don’t intend to dwell in the darkness, but it adds character and truth

to my life and testimony. 

And for me, that testimony is set down in the first lines of this psalm-

As the deer pants for streams of water,
   so my soul pants for you, my God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. 
   When can I go and meet with God?

AMEN.

Experiencing Life through the light and shadows-

Experiencing it in the Light of God’s truth.