Psalms

Now what? (Psalm 119:14-16)

/ The Pastor

In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. [Psalm 119:14-16]

Last night I made my appeal to God for forgiveness; something we all need to do on a daily basis and then some. I appealed to God’s mercy through faith in Jesus Christ and then threw myself at his feet. And then in the words of Romans 5:10-11 I heard that I am reconciled to God through faith in Jesus.

Praise be to God, but now what?

After we have made our confession; after we have appealed to God’s mercy through faith in Jesus; after we have thrown ourselves at God’s feet, what next? Of course we will hear a word of forgiveness, but after THAT; after the absolution of our sins? We certainly shouldn’t go away unchanged or unfazed. There must be something next.

And there is…

In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.
Take delight in learning God’s ways.
Take delight in knowing what God desires.
Take delight in following God in all things.

Take delight in God’s law, for in God’s law we see a holy wisdom that is far above anything of human understanding. God’s ways and thoughts are indeed above our ways and thoughts, so desire God more than all the riches ever known in the world and will ever be known.

I will meditate on your precepts
Don’t just read and study God’s law, but meditate on them. Think about them. Ponder them. Reflect on them. May they not be a passing thought. May reading God’s law never be cursory. May God’s law sink in and take up residence in your heart.

and fix my eyes on your ways.
And as you are walking with God; as you are meditating on God’s ways; fix your eyes on the object of your desire. When I take my wife out to eat, I am not staring and gawking at other women. That would be rude and unfaithful. My desire is for my wife and so I fix my eyes and attention on her. In the same way and much more, fix your eyes on God and His ways. Don’t be unfaithful.

I will delight in your statutes;
Delighting in God’s statues will only come through diligent study and appreciation of who God is through faith Jesus Christ. If your faith and trust is not in God through Jesus, then you are never going to truly delight in God’s ways. It’s only through understanding what God has done for you that you can appreciate what God is up to and wants for you and desires for you and commands you to do.

I will not forget your word.
Make your meditation of God and His ways a daily habit that you will not forget. Even one day off can cause our simple and weak minds to go astray. You may think you are smart and have a good memory, but when it comes to God we have the attention span of a flea. Mediate often and seek God continually.

But what if I fail?

You will fail.
You will fall short.
You will turn away from God.

Just don’t accept this sin condition of yours but rather keep running to God, for God’s mercy is great. His faithfulness is endless. His love is all encompassing. His grace is amazing.

Keep running to God and appealing to his mercy through faith in Jesus Christ, and start all over again; desiring to truly learn and desire God’s ways more than anything. Don’t take advantage of God’s faithfulness but desire God’s faithfulness with all your heart and being.

May God be praised in your learning and meditation of His holy Law.

The Pastor -|—

The Appeal (Psalm 51:1-12)

/ The Pastor

I appeal to Your mercy, oh God, through Jesus Christ…

[1] Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

I am a sinner, oh God, I am a sinner but I appeal to your mercy through Jesus Christ: Forgive me.

[2] Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! [3] For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. [4] Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.

I deserve the full force of your wrath for I have sinned against Your holy law and commands but I appeal to Your mercy through Jesus Christ: Wash me clean.

[5] Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

I am a sinner through and through, even from my birth.

[6] Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Through You and You alone can I know the way of true Life. Teach me, oh God, that I may know true wisdom. Teach me that I may stay on the narrow path and not stray from You.

[7] Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. [8] Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

Restore me, cleanse me, wipe my slate clean. Oh God, grant me a second chance.

[9] Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

I appeal to Your mercy through Jesus Christ: Forgive me.

[10] Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. [11] Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. [12] Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Place a new heart in me, oh Sovereign God as I appeal to Your mercy through Jesus Christ: Forgive me and grant me a joyful heart once again.

This is my confession; this is my appeal; this is my plea to you, oh God. I echo these words from the psalmist and seek to be placed back into a right relationship with you. So I lay it before you and wait…

[10] For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. [11] More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:10-11 ESV)

Through faith in Jesus Christ I am forgiven?

PRAISE BE TO GOD!
ALLELUIA!
AMEN!

The Pastor -|—

Evening prayer ~ The Good Shepherd

/ The Pastor

Oh God, my Good Shepherd, as I wind my body down and reflect on my day, I can’t help but echo the sentiment of the beloved psalmist:

Oh Lord my Lord, you are my Shepherd and therefore I do not want; for You make me lie down in green pastures and You lead me beside still waters.

You restore my soul.

You lead me in paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, (and this I do every day), I fear no evil, for you are with me (what a wonderful feeling that is). Your rod and your staff? They comfort me for I know that my life is in Your hands.

Oh Lord my Shepherd, You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies and you anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows and overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy and love and compassion and grace shall follow me all the days of my life, and because of Jesus, I shall dwell in Your mansion forever.

Thank You, Shepherd God, that through faith in Jesus I can confidently pray this prayer.

So if it be Your will, bring my life through this night and protect me from the evil one, and awaken me to a new day filled with Your abundant blessings. 

All praise to You, oh God, the great Shepherd of the sheep. In Jesus name I pray,

Amen!

The Pastor -|—

In preparation for God’s Word ~ A Prayer

/ The Pastor

[Prayer that I will be using before I preach this morning]

Holy God…

I can’t help but repeat the words of the psalmist when I think of you, O Lord:

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

Oh Lord, our majestic Lord, it blows me away that You are mindful of us, miserable sinners. And therefore we so need Your Word. For Your Word, Oh Lord, guides us into all truth and righteousness. Your Word gives life to all who listen and receive it. Your Word is wisdom. Your Word is salvation. There is no other word that can do that but yet we find ourselves drawn away from the path of righteousness, not for Your name’s sake but for all other’s names sake. We listen to those false words and doctrines and are enticed by the false beauty that they maliciously proclaim.

Oh majestic Lord, block our ears from those false doctrines and strengthen our faith. Improve our listening skills that we may hear and listen and receive Your Word. Oh Lord our Lord, how majestic is Your name and Word in all the world. May we be filled with your Spirit so that you may be praised as you ought to be praised. In Jesus we pray, Amen.

God bless you as you hear His Word proclaimed. May faith be created or strengthen in you. And may you be sent to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The Pastor -|—

Prayer of healing and blessing

/ The Pastor

Oh God of mercy,

I praise you that we are wonderfully made by your caring hands. You knit us together and formed us in the womb. You created each of your beloved children into your very own imagine; unique but the same in relation from we came.

But I also echo the psalmist’s prayer when he says, When I look at your heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? I echo this prayer and wonder who am I that you would listen to the ramblings of this tiny human.

Who am I?
I am your beloved child.

And so I appeal to you, Creator God; Father God; Holy God…

Have mercy and bring healing (if I may be so bold to pray).

We live in bodies that are frail and weak and vulnerable. Not by your poor design but because we live in a fallen world of sin and are fallen creatures ourselves. We are very much susceptible to illness and disease. Germs and viruses and bacteria attack these bodies. And this vulnerability causes much pain and suffering; worry and anxiety.

But even though I am sinful, I humbly come before you to seek your blessing for those who are hurting and for their caregivers:
~ Bless parents as they care for sick children.
~ Bless children as they care for elderly parents.
~ Bless those who are sick and yet called to raise children.
~ Bless those who are called to provide care (doctors, nurses, etc).
~ Bless those who suffer from dementia and other illnesses that rob them of memories.
~ Bless those who are suffering from chronic conditions.
~ Bless those who are suffering from terminal illnesses.
~ Bless those who suffer from the common cold.
~ Bless those who suffer in anyway.

May you grant healing in anyway you see they need.
May caregivers be given strength to provide care.
May health professionals be given knowledge and compassion.

It is so easy to lash out at You, Oh God, when these bodies seem like they are falling apart. Oh God, I confess and repent of any lashing out at you.

So I appeal to your mercy and loving kindness. I appeal to you as a child with a skinned knee running to a parent for comfort. I appeal to you that you may grant healing in anyway you see we need; whether it is,
Physical healing
Emotional healing
Spiritual healing
Psychological healing
Relationship healing
or whatever healing my frail and imperfect brain is forgetting.

Have mercy, Oh God, have mercy.

You are an awesome God and I praise and worship your holy name.

Thank you for hearing my prayer as I pray in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Prevailing

/ The Pastor

So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. [Acts 19:20]

Sometimes I get the feeling that the Word of God is taking steps back. I watch the news (and that might be my first problem right there) and read the paper online and I see this world continuing to sink deeper into depravity. I see chaos all around and therefore plead with God, “Come, Lord Jesus and end it all.”

Here are just a few of the things I have been noticing:
~ With the rise of ISIS one wonders if this war can even be won. It’s scary.
~ Racism seems to be on the front burner again. Not that it ever left but it seems to be garnering more headlines now.
~ With continued court battles over marriage, it seems that traditional, biblical marriage is gone forever and families seem to be falling apart.
~ The prosperity gospel seems to be taking a stronger hold among many people as they strive for happiness now instead of eternal joy.
~ The holiness of God seems to be slipping into only a theological concept for many.

And I could go on, but that would get too depressing. Looking around; how does one not wonder what God is up to.

So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

But then I read the book of Acts. I am also reminded of Isaiah where he says that God’s Word WILL NOT return to Him empty. But more importantly, I am reminded of the cross. You see, God’s Word has already prevailed. Jesus has already won. The forces of evil and darkness have already been defeated. ISIS and racism and hatred and war and Satan may have their day, but that’s it.  God’s Word has prevailed and will continue to prevail.

And so I pray, “Come, Lord Jesus” so that those who do not know may find their hope in the Lord. Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.(Psalm 30:4-5 ESV) Morning is coming, my friends. Hold on and know that the Word of the Lord has prevailed through Jesus Christ.

Praise be to God!

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Be still

/ The Pastor

This pastor so needed the devotion from yesterday; to be still and know that God is God. To be still and listen to the voice of God. To be still and be at peace. I so needed that, but that is not what happened.

———————

My little girl woke up this morning at 5:30 a.m. crying,

“I want my daddy! I want my daddy!”

Tired, and a little cranky that I was getting up earlier than planned, I acquiesced to my little girl’s cry. We rocked for a while and then I laid her back down when she seemed to be sleeping, but immediately she started crying for me again. I returned to her room and sat in the rocking chair next to her crib. I then reached my hand through the crib and caressed her head; and she calmed down. Whenever I tried to leave she would cry. Eventually I fell asleep in the rocking chair…

[I’m not sure why she wanted this snoring beast next to her]

…and woke up just after 8 a.m. (I had a 9 a.m.baptism meeting). This was not how my morning was supposed to start. I bolted out of her room: showered, made coffee, ate (all the while my little girl is screaming for me) and got dressed. My wife woke up and help her but she still wanted daddy.

Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)

All I wanted was to be still and know that God is God.
All I wanted was time alone with God before I started my day.
All I wanted was to hear God’s voice.
All I wanted was some encouragement as I prepared to finish two sermons today.
All I wanted was God.

And God did acquiesce to my request. God gave me a beautiful moment this morning and all I could think about was that it wasn’t what I planned. As a pastor friend of mine told me yesterday in a blog post comment,

“God made the time and gave it to you”

God definitely made the time for me this morning but I missed it.
Oh God, please forgive me for being so selfish and short-sighted.

Definitely carve out moments to get away and enjoy the fact that God is God, but don’t miss the moments that God carves out for you. Don’t be so short-sighted and selfish like I was this morning but rather…

Be still and know that God is God.

…and then actually pay attention and listen.

Holy Father, thank you for the holy moments that you create. May I have the eyes of faith to see them.

Praise be to God and Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Off and Pondering

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Another day off for this pastor; drinking coffee, enjoying the laughter of my children and now some quiet time as my wife bathes the oldest and the youngest sleeps on my chest. A beautiful morning to enjoy the wonderful blessings in my life. God is indeed great.

And in the quietness of my living room now, I’m reminded of Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” What a wonderful reminder to take advantage of every quiet moment to listen for God and to reflect on His promises. Sometimes we get so busy that we forget about God but God will not be denied. God will be exalted. God will be glorified. If not by us then the rocks will cry out.

So remember to create quiet time throughout your day and don’t just wait for it because it may never come otherwise. Carve out moments to get away and don’t feel guilty about it, thinking you’re being lazy. Reflecting and “day dreaming” about God is time well spent. So listen for and to the voice of God. Worship His Holy name and reflect on his promises.

May God bless your day and happy day dreaming 🙂

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Seeking

/ The Pastor

One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. [Psalm 27:4]

The day after Christmas is the second busiest shopping day of the year. People rushing around to return or exchange gifts and/or to use their new gift cards at all those post-Christmas sales. A flurry of activity in order to find that perfect gift one did not receive.

But to seek to dwell with God; to seek his face; to long to gaze at his beauty; to desire these things, is something that will be added unto you without fail when/if you ask God.

Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. [Matthew 6:33]

And God’s Kingdom is the best deal out there; available all year long, 24/7. It’s available through faith in Jesus. And the price is indeed right: $0 ~ Free ~ Zilch ~ Nothing. The only cost being the life of Jesus.

Someone once told me that a review of your checkbook will reveal your treasure. Convicting and true.

What do you truly seek? What’s your desire? What do you ultimately want to enjoy? Do you daily seek and ask God to dwell in His courts? Do you long to gaze at his face? Do you look forward to the day when you can inquire of the Lord’s wisdom face to face?

Keep your wish list short ~ God’s Kingdom ~ and you will never be disappointed.

Praise be to God, always and forever. Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Longing and Fainting

/ The Pastor

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord ; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. [Psalm 84:1-2]

I like to travel and visit new and interesting places or visit some of my old favorites. One of my favorite places to go is NW Washington. It’s beautiful out there; along the Cascade Mountains and the Puget Sound. I love the seafood and especially seeing friends. And being out on the road can be fun for a while; driving through the mountains, but eventually the traveling and the time away gets old and I begin to long for home. I long for my place of rest and peace.

How lovely is your dwelling place

The psalmist here is longing to go home. He realizes he has been away long enough and is anxiously awaiting the day that he will return to the courts of the Lord. Later in this beautiful Psalm, the author writes, “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

We do live in a sinful and wicked world and the heart wired for the Lord longs to return to it’s creator; to dwell in the lovely place of the Lord. Christmas is a time to remember that God has opened the way for his children to return home. And the way home is Jesus. Through faith in Jesus; in his death and resurrection, we can have the hope dwelling in God’s lovely places someday. And when you see your salvation in Jesus, your heart, too, will long and faint for the glory of God and to dwell in his courts forever.

Sing for joy to our living God for He is Good and Awesome!

Have a very Merry Christmas and God bless!

The Pastor -|—