whose word I praise

In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? 

Psalm 56:10-11

David's words of confident praise were written out of an experience where his enemies surrounded him. It looked bad. Yet God was his deliverer. You can read the history behind the poetry in 1 Samuel 21:10-15. From the life of a warrior flows the heart of a worshiper. David turns his heart to faith and in that moment knows God at work in his life.

The God Who protects ancient warrior kings is the same God Who cares for His people today. His care and concern are upon us. We know it in Christ, Whose life, death, and resurrection offer us full hope in any circumstance. We know it through the presence of the Holy Spirit Who comforts, convicts, and controls us in just the right way that we know God is at work in us. We know it by the power and wisdom of His Word which is an always ready source of truth, perspective, and support for us as we apply it to our unique circumstances, believing what it plainly teaches.

Lord,

I praise Your Word and trust You. You are always with me and for me. You deliver me from sin and comfort me in my pains. Thank You! Indeed... what can this world do to me? Nothing. Like David I know that You are my God, and in You I trust!

Amen

constant communication

But I call to God, and the LORD will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice. 

Psalm 55:16-17

The accessibility of God through prayer has always been a comfort to His people. Prayer is a real experience of vital communion with God. Just like I can talk with a friend, I can come to God in prayer. It is vital spiritual communication and a soul-strengthening exercise. It is meant to be the believer's constant companion.

David made prayer a regular part of each day's activity. It does not matter the hour. The ruler of heaven and earth constantly attends us. He never sleeps. Our prayers never disturb Him, nor does He just "take a message". God is accessible and longs for us to speak to Him morning, noon, and night!

And so I am comforted and encouraged to seek God at any time, even as I struggle to seek Him at all times. I may never fully achieve the latter in this life, but I can find encouragement in the fact that I can go to The Lord in prayer at any moment and know He hears my voice.

My Helper

Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life. 

Psalm 54:4

I am not the one in charge here;

I ruin what I control.

But with The Lord I will not fear;

My life is submitted to His rule.

Not afraid to admit my need;

I lay it all before The Lord.

God is my helper as my soul is freed

from worry through comfort in His Word.

I may not know which path to take;

Confusion and blindness come at night.

But God rewards me as I wait

for His hand to guide me in the right.

I trust my Savior now and forever;

By faith I know His love and care.

He will guide me to the places where

He will use me for His glory as I trust Him there.

the joy of Messiah

Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad. 

Psalm 53:6

David's cry encapsulates hundreds of years of Israel's longing for the Deliverer. It was the cry for salvation. And even as Israel waxed and waned in spiritual commitment, the constant hope of Israel was for Messiah to come. It was anticipated. And David knew that when such salvation would one day arrive great joy would be known for all.

And then in history God answered the longing for the Deliverer. He answered it by sending Jesus, born to humble Jewish parents. He sent the message with angelic announcement to shepherds. He sent Jesus in the midst of oppression and longing for hope. The Messiah came and that is what will be celebrated tomorrow on Christmas Day.

All that longing was fulfilled when a newborn's first breath revealed God's salvation had arrived. And there, surrounded by parents in an ox's feeding trough the Son of God would begin bringing joy to all. He was celebrated at the temple at His circumcision. He was worshiped by wise men and shepherds. He was also hated by kings and murdered by leaders who rejected His message. But He was vindicated by the resurrectin so that His death forever redeemed us from sin's hold over us. And in new life, this Christmas we celebrate Jesus, the salvation for Israel and all who believe and trust in Him!

stability

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.  I will thank you forever, because you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly. 

Psalm 52:8-9

David's passion in this passage is to know the stability and blessing of anchoring his heart close to God in worship. He pictures himself as a flourishing, fruitful olive tree rooted in the soul of God's own home. Nothing would move him.

The psalm contrasts this stability with the inevitable judgment awaiting the unrepentant ungodly person. The evil person is broken down, torn from stability and uprooted (Psalm 52:5-7). This is the entirely opposite picture describing the one who deliberately works against God and rejects Him.

Those who trust in God and are thankful to God know a real strength. Those who wait on God and build community with other believers are blessed by God's work in their lives. They are His saints and are blessed, even if by faith they must wait and trust. God cares for His people. And in that trust, souls are nourished and lives are built.

inside or outside?

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

Psalm 51:6

God wants to remake me on the inside. Of course every other opinion among people seems to focus on the outside. We live in a youth and beauty obsessed culture. Billions of dollars and entire industries are devoted to the outer person. Fitness, cosmetics, fashion, even a substantial part of medicine are all fixated with keeping us all looking and feeling and acting as if everyone must have the goal of perpetually reliving their late 20's. It is really quite crazy and perverse.

The outer person wasts away. We age, sicken, weaken, and all of us will one day die. So investment merely in the outer person will be a loss every time. That is why it is wise to put our real energies where God is most concerned. He delights in truth, wisdom, and righteousness guiding our hearts. He wants to make us new creatures in the inner man. He wants us to be the people that He changes noticeably on the inside.

When David wrote the fifty-first psalm he was at a point of desperate need to change. He was repenting of some major sins: lying, adultery, murder, and government conspiracy - just to name a few. And in that confession comes this realization that God wanted him changed on the inside. He knew that in God's forgiveness the change could be real. David would discipline himself to delight in truth and learn God's wisdom. And then even the ugliest of sins that God would remove and forgive could be replaced with God's better truth. Then he would be restored to true worth and fellowship again. And in that wisdom real change would renew him.

God wants me changing on the inside. He wants me to confess and forsake sin. He wants His word and His Spirit to develop the beautiful character of Christ within me. And that is where my thoughts and efforts must first start.

my jealous love

Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD. 

Song of Solomon 8:6

You are mine

a seal set upon you

a covenant love

exclusive rights to each other

my heart for you

in binding from above

My life is yours

to share as long as we live

together in the path

of life walking beside

One leads us Who gives

a greater love

And a flame burns

fills hearts, home, and bed

with a love only

we two will always share

a joining of body, heart, and head

unity from the Triune

As unrelenting as death

I cling to you

you to me agreed

we flash a holy, jealous flame

passion guards us holy and true

living in God's way and name