Psalm 132
Just a few chapters ago, we read, “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” (Ps 127:1) And now, we get a chance to see this principle in action. God is the builder. We may be good helpers (when we aren’t trying to take over the project!), but we should never lose sight of Who is actually doing the building.
Psalm 130
One of the misunderstandings rampant in traditional Christianity is the idea that the obstacle to our salvation is forgiveness. We have, therefore, constructed an entire theology around the life and death (especially the death) of Jesus that advances the idea that before His death, God the Father wouldn’t forgive us, but after His death, God the Father acquiesced, and we can now be forgiven for our sins.
Psalm 129
Several years ago, the Christian band Casting Crowns put out a song titled Courageous. I’ll never forget the first time I heard it; I was immediately hooked. It’s been a favorite of mine ever since, so when I read today’s psalm, I thought of it: “‘They have greatly oppressed me from my youth,’ let Israel say; ‘they have greatly oppressed me from my youth, but they have not gained the victory over me. Plowmen have plowed my back and made their furrows long. But the LORD is righteous; he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.” (vs 1-4)
Psalm 128
I’m continually amazed at the “math” of heaven. It runs so contrary to the math we learn in school. For instance, we all know what 1+1 is, right? It’s the first math problem we ever learn: 1+1=2. But not so with God.
At the outset, when God brings 1 man and 1 woman together, we end up with 1 flesh. 1+1=1. By the time this “1 flesh” is done having a family, the equation might be 1+1=5 or (in the extreme case of a family like the Duggars) 1+1=20! I have to chuckle when I think that God would fail a first-grade math quiz.
Psalm 127
I live in the same town as my mother. What a blessing that is—especially since my daughters can grow up with their “memaw” right down the road. My mom and I are good friends, and we talk every day. And it seems that, recently, I have heard her say quite a few times (she’ll forgive me for paraphrasing), “The older I get, the more I ask God to just help me stay out of His way!”
Psalm 126
I am blessed beyond measure. There are so many joys in my life—and one of the greatest is my wonderful husband David. In so many ways, it feels as though he and I were truly made for each other. We share deeply-held views on everything—from God to politics to education to parenting. I have never met (and am sure I never will meet) another person who seems to be my match in every way.
Psalm 125
I have been struck with the continuing imagery of mountains in these most recent psalms. A few chapters ago, the psalmist lifted up his eyes to the mountains but concluded that his strength was in the Lord who made those mountains. Now, just a few pages later, the psalmist takes his analogy a step further—not only does strength and help come from the Lord of the mountains, but He is like a mountain, and as we trust in Him, He makes mountains out of us.
Psalm 124
“If the Lord had not been on our side…” begins the psalm for today. Well, that’s a scary proposition! Yet every heathen religion is based on the idea that there is a god who is not for us, a god who is angry with us, a god who must be appeased in order to accept us. Unfortunately, these heathen ideas have even permeated Christianity, where Jesus (the Son of God) is often depicted as the One who decided to stand between us and God (the Father), who was angry and unwilling to forgive us.
Psalm 123
Again in this psalm, we are lifting our eyes. But this time, we aren’t stopping at the mountains: “I lift up my eyes to you, to you who sit enthroned in heaven. As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he shows us his mercy.” (vs 1-2)
Psalm 122
I think it has to be one of the most universal things we believe about God—that He is a peacelover. At least, I don’t know many people who would race to characterize God as a warmonger. (Maybe you do!) Yet one of my favorite Jesus quotes is this one from Matthew 10:34—”Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
Psalm 121
I love this psalm. It is such a well-known psalm, so simple yet so powerful in its message. I love how it begins: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (vs 1-2) In other words, you may think those mountains are great, but I know the One who made those mountains.
Psalm 120
I love the abruptness of the Hebrew in the opening stanza of this psalm. The original wording of the verse goes like this: “To the Lord in my trouble—I called and He answered me.” (vs 1) The psalmist’s trouble is stressed in the first half of the verse, and then the two actions come like staccato thumps (only two words in the Hebrew) in the second half of the verse: Called. Answered.
Psalm 118
My oldest daughter is almost nine years old, and these days, you really can’t have “the talk” too soon. Our culture has become so sexualized that, in some ways, it seems like we’ve been having bits of “the talk” for a long time already, but her father and I are going to have to start doing some more formal educating very soon. So all the related issues are weighing on my mind—sex, birth control, abstinence, abortion, etc. There are so many warped ideas advanced by society that it’s hard to know where to begin. I mean, to even talk about abstinence until marriage nowadays makes you seem backward and ridiculous. Sometimes, it seems a lot of people would rather find ways to mitigate consequences so our young people can just do “what feels good.”
Psalm 116
This psalm contains a verse that has always been intriguing to me: “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants.” (vs 15) I’ve heard it quoted at funerals sometimes, but its full meaning eludes me. At best, I can only make speculative comments about it, but since it was on the plate for today, I thought I would say a few words about it.
Psalm 114
I loved the way this psalm opened: “When Israel came out of Egypt, Jacob from a people of foreign tongue, Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his dominion.” (vs 1-2) Sanctuary means “a place of refuge or safety,” and so it was astonishing to see it in this context. I mean, I know God is our sanctuary, but… God has a sanctuary?
Psalm 113
Can I shout it from the rooftops today? Our God is limited by nothing! Are you poor? Are you needy? Are you depressed? Discouraged? Childless? Afraid? Sick? Unemployed? Suicidal? Spouseless? There is good news for YOU! No matter your circumstances, your situation is not so impossible that God can’t turn it all around. He specializes in turning what’s “bad” on its head!
