Psalms

Help

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord , who made heaven and earth.
[Psalms 121:1‭-‬2 ESV]

We have family staying with us this weekend and because of that, my 4-year-old son has been displaced from his room and is sleeping in our room. He usually ends up with us in our bed each night but is not accustomed to starting in our room.

Anyway, an hour or so after he went down, my wife hears something upstairs – it’s our son, whimpering at the top of the stairs. She scopes him up and brings him back to our room. After a little while she returns downstairs saying that he wants daddy. I rush up there and he’s crying. I ask him if he’s scared and with a crying whimper he says, “Ye-e-s”. I laid down next to him and held him close. Within minutes he was out. All he needed was to know daddy was near.

“From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord , who made heaven and earth.” Isn’t it nice to know that your heavenly Father is always there for you? You are never alone in the darkness. You are never alone in your fears. You are never alone in trials. You are never alone in tribulation. Cry out to Him and know your heavenly Father is there.

From where does your help come?

You Are

/ The Pastor

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord ; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.”
[Psalms 77:11‭-‬12 ESV]

Yes!
Awesome and mighty You are.
Awesome and mighty are Your deeds.
Yes!
You are full of wonder.
You are full of strength.
Yes!
I will ponder and meditate on You.
I will recount Your amazing works.
You created all I can and can not see.
You set everything in motion.
You are the breath of life.
You are…
You remain faithful though I am faithless.
You sent Jesus to save.
You are on high.
You are…
You have defeated king after king.
You have made Your enemies Your footstool.
You are victorious.
You are…
You redeemed me.
You have established Your everlasting throne.
You are Lord and King
You are…
Mighty You are, oh God my Father.
Mighty You are, oh God my Lord.
You are merciful, just and right.
You are loving, compassionate, and healer.
You are
You are
You are…

Uninhibited Worship

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Scripture: 2 Samuel 6, Psalm 150

Awesome and mighty God,
as David danced before You in uninhibited worship and praise;
dancing with all of his might,
shouting Your praises with a loud voice,
may my spirit know the freedom of letting go
to worship You without fear or judgment from others.
David, as king, sought not the approval of man,
but of You and You alone.
Oh, how I seek the approval of man.
Oh, how I seek shelter from judging eyes.
But the psalmist calls all living beings to praise You;
everything that has breath;
not according to our gifts and abilities,
not according to how well or awful we sing,
but to praise YOU, for your mighty deeds,
and your exceeding greatness.
Yes, Your mighty deeds and exceeding greatness.
For it is not about me.
David knew that.
May I know that.
May my heart and soul show that in uninhibited worship;
dancing and singing for You.
Praise the Lord, oh my soul,
Praise the Lord!

All I Need

/ The Pastor

The following is the opening paragraph for the sermon I plan to give on Sunday, May 12 on John 10:22-30 using a bit of Psalm 23. If you want to hear the full sermon, stop by Living Word Lutheran Church on Sunday or check out our website later for the audio file. To God be the glory!

___________________________________________________

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want, for He is everything I need. The first part of that sentence you recognize as the opening of the beloved Psalm 23. It headlines a beautiful Psalm of salvation; describing the peace we have because of God: Green pastures, still waters, restoration for the weary, security in darkness, evil forces irrelevant, sustenance, bounteous provision and a place prepared especially for you forever. This peace is something we have by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It is a peace secured by God’s love and faithfulness. This peace assures us of the forgiveness of sins and thus peace with God. And this is the Truth that we can cling to for it has been stamped and sealed with the blood of the Lamb. This beloved Psalm also details a future that can not be altered by those who would oppose God, not even you. No one will snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:28) And therefore, through faith in Jesus, you WILL dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want, for He is everything I need. Do you hear his voice? Are you truly following?

Wanting Needs

/ The Pastor

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
[Psalm 23:1]

Have you ever wanted something so bad that you couldn’t think of anything else?
I really want that new phone.
I really want that new car.
I really want that job promotion.
I really want _________.
You get the point. Wants are dangerous as they redirect our attention from what we already have. For if you are part of God’s flock through Jesus Christ, then you already have everything you need. And when you see that you have everything you need, then your wants become what God deems that you need in order to glorify him. Your selfish wants won’t do that unless you need those wants to glorify God and God agrees with your wants and thus gives you what you need. If that be the case, then those wants are not selfish but needs that want God more.

[Whew, did you follow all of that?]

Basically, it’s all about God and thus God will ensure you that you have everything you need (Jesus) to want to glorify him.

Oh God, give me what I need to want You more. Amen.

You

/ The Pastor

“There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.” [1 Samuel 2:2 ESV]

Holy God,
Father,
the Almighty,
there is indeed no one like You — not even close.
There is no one or no thing that can come close to comparing to You.
You are
Holy,
Sovereign,
Creator of all.
You are my God and thus I worship You.
You, oh Lord do I worship.
You
You
for You and You alone are worthy.
But what am I?
As the psalmist say, I am but a worm.
I am only worthy of condemnation and destruction.
Oh Lord, my God, have mercy on this worm,
a sinner,
wretched,
insolent
Have mercy, Lord, have mercy, in Jesus name.
Forgive me
Forgive me
Forgive me
May I sing Your praise day and night.
May I proclaim Your glory.
May I shout of Your salvation.
May I dwell in You.
For You are indeed my Rock and Salvation.
Ohhhh…
…there is no god like You,
for You are my Rock and Salvation.
You
You
only You.
You are my God.

I Got This

/ The Pastor

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! [Psalms 46:10 ESV]

I got this.
Take it easy.
Calm down.
Be still.
Remember, I am God.
I am sovereign.
I am LORD.
I Am.
Why do you worry?
Why do you get discouraged?
Why do you let others get you down?
Don’t you trust me?
Be still and remember.
Be still and know.
Be still for I Am.
I am Creator
I am Father
and I will reign forever.
All my enemies and yours, WILL be defeated.
All my opponents and yours, WILL be put to shame.
For I have won the victory.
I Am 
So why, oh why, won’t you be still?
Take it easy.
Stop worrying.
I got this.

Create in Me

/ The Pastor

It’s Ash Wednesday this week; the beginning of Lent. The text that I will preaching on is Psalm 51. What follows is some reflections from my heart…

Create in me a clean heart,O God,
and renew a right spirit in me.
for You are my Father and my Lord,
thus I will always live with much glee.
I am broken and fallen,
but You are mighty in love.
I am sinful and unclean,
but You are mighty in mercy.
I am lost without You,
but I shall never fear the pit.
For Jesus my Savior; he saves me,
and so I will offer this one plea…
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and I will praise You on bended knee.

The Pastor -|—

Goose Bumps Moment

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

Psalm 103:10 (ESV) ~ He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.

Just think about that above verse.

Go ahead and think about it. I’ll wait…

[cue Jeopardy theme]

Did you think about it?
Are you blown away by it?
Did you get goosebumps?

Let’s review…

God the almighty. God the Creator. God the holy, holy, holy One. This God does not deal with you according to your sins. He does not give to you as you deserve. You sin and thus deserve death. You sin and thus deserve condemnation. You sin and thus deserve hell. God does not repay you according to your sins because someone already paid the price…

JESUS

Jesus took the full wrath of God and thus received what you deserved for your sins.
He suffered
He was crucified
He died
He was buried
But…Jesus rose victorious FOR YOU and thus, through faith in Jesus, you receive what you do not deserve.

That’s AMAZING grace 🙂

WOW! Got goose bumps yet?

The Pastor -|—

Wake-Up Call

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

[Based on Psalm 103:1-5]

Hey there soul,
wake-up and praise the Lord,
praise him with all that is in you.
Yes, you soul, praise the Lord,
and forget not all the Lord has done for you:
He forgives your sins.
He heals.
He redeems your life from the pit.
He crowns you with amazing love and mercy
He satisfies beyond anything this world can offer.
And He does all of this so that you can be renewed.
Oh soul,
wake up!
Worship and praise the Lord.
For He is awesome,
mighty in power,
great in mercy,
abundant in love.
The Lord is worthy of all praise.
Oh my soul, wake up and bless His holy name.

The Pastor -|—