God takes the long view.

God takes the long view.

Psalm 92

We have a problem with patience in our society. Maybe it’s the increase in technology. Or maybe it’s simply the decrease in spirituality. One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is patience, and there seems to be alarmingly little of it these days. We are a buy now, pay later society in the midst of a 24/7/365 culture. Well, I guess the corona virus has slowed us down significantly, for the time being, but when life is running at normal speed, there isn’t too much that we truly have to wait for; thus, we don’t.

God is the only shelter.

God is the only shelter.

Psalm 91

I read a blog online some time back that, frankly, made me a little sick. The author wrote about how he and his wife—in an effort to spice things up in their marriage—pursued a trail of endless drugs and multiple sexual partners… only to be left empty, loveless, and divorced. So sad! The author concluded by saying that while his wife often said that “More is more,” it didn’t turn out to be true when it came to sex.

God is faithful.

God is faithful.

Psalm 89

When you are so familiar with something, it becomes very easy not to see it. I think this is what often happens with Bible study. We get so familiar with certain Bible stories and passages that it becomes difficult to see them with “fresh” eyes. I have found this to be the case particularly with Psalms, since so many of our worship songs come from this book.

God covers us.

God covers us.

Psalm 85

In this psalm, the word Selah came immediately after this passage: “You forgave the guilt of the people and covered all their sins.” (vs 2) If you remember from a few days back, the word Selah most likely means to stop and carefully think about what has just been declared. God forgives our guilt and covers all our sins. Now stop and think about that!

God likes to snuggle.

God likes to snuggle.

Psalm 83

A few days ago, one of my Facebook friends wrote this as a status update: “One upside to having a sick child… all the extra snuggles!” When I read that, it struck me that maybe God sometimes feels the same way. It is suffering, not necessarily ease and comfort, that drives us deeper into God’s arms. It is suffering that helps us identify with Him—the one who has been suffering since sin began in His universe.

God takes care of our needs.

God takes care of our needs.

Psalm 78

In this psalm, the author spent a lot of time reminding his listeners of all the ways God had cared for His people in the desert. No doubt, the Israelites had either forgotten or willfully walked away from God time and time again; perhaps Asaph was trying to stave off a fresh outbreak of unfaithfulness by going on a little trip down memory lane.

God is so misunderstood.

God is so misunderstood.

Psalm 76

I think God must feel like a woman sometimes… so misunderstood. I wonder if He sometimes looks at the Bible and sees what amounts to a cartoon caricature of Himself—where one teeny, tiny aspect of His character is magnified and blown out of proportion. This particular psalm seemed to be emphasizing the fear factor:

God loves it when we Selah.

God loves it when we Selah.

Psalm 75

Depending on the version of the Bible you read, you may have noticed the word Selah interspersed among some of the verses in some of the psalms. Some Bible versions leave the word as is; others translate it Interlude; others remove the word from the text altogether in favor of a footnote.

God conquers all.

God conquers all.

Psalm 74

When my first daughter was just four months old, some missionaries from our church who were living and working abroad lost their six-month-old child in a terrible accident. Though I had never met their son, the story touched me deeply. Perhaps it was because I had a four-month-old, and it was too easy to think about losing her. Maybe when the ages are similar, things hit a little closer to home. I still think about their story to this day; I can’t even imagine what it would be like to have to bury a child. I honestly hope I never have to find out.