(I'm late posting today. It's a good thing God doesn't go home at the end of the day.)
For our Psalm today I've chosen 103, which is a little longer than the others we have looked at so far. What intrigued me is in verse 2: Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Then it lists various benefits for which we should praise God just in case you can't think of any yourself. So if you have had a long, hard day, and you are stressed or depressed, this Psalm's for you. The author (pehaps David) must have been having a bad day because in this Psalm he is talking to himself. "Praise the Lord, O my soul." He is giving himself a pep talk. We all have days like that. Everything has gone wrong. So if you've been talking to yourself and no one is giving you the pep talk you need, this Psalm's for you. A few of God's benefits - he forgives all of your sins, heals all your diseases, and redeems you from the pit. He is slow to anger and quick to love. If you are oppressed, he works for righteousness and justice. He keeps his covenant. He satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed. So if you are feeling old, sick and tired, this Psalm's for you. There are a lot more benefits listed than can be covered here. So read it for yourself. This Psalm's for you.
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All creation gives you praise, O Lord. The seas contribute the mighty thunder of their waves. The rocks cry out. The sands clap their hands for your greatness and infinite creativity are revealed in all things. Who would have thought to create whole universes, black holes, or subatomic particles? Who would have thought to create the variety of cells needed to make up the human body? Who could have imagined the multitudes of plants and animals? To create a moon to affect the tides? Creation shows the profligacy of God. Only He who has everything can afford to be so lavish. His generosity extended to sending his son to live and die for us - even though he only had one. The Psalmist didn't know that God would do that. We do. What's our response? We looked at Psalm 23 last week, but I wanted to look at it again today, the beginning of the week, in another version. I received the following several years ago - from I know not where. But I hope you get something from it on this Monday. Psalm 23 For the Workplace The Lord is my real boss, and I shall not want. He gives me peace, when chaos is all around me. He gently reminds me to pray and do all things without murmuring and complaining. He reminds me that He is my source and not my job. He restores my sanity everyday and guides my decisions that I might honor Him in all that I do. Even though I face absurd amounts of e-mails, system crashes, unrealistic deadlines, budget cutbacks, layoffs, gossiping co-workers, discriminating supervisors and an aging body that doesn't cooperate every morning, I still will not stop--- for He is with me! His presence, His peace, and His power will see me through. He raises me up, even when they fail to promote me. He claims me as His own; even when the company threatens to let me go. His faithfulness and love are better than any bonus check. His retirement plan beats any 401k there is! When it's all said and done, I'll be working for Him a whole lot longer and for that, I BLESS HIS NAME! Every Sunday is a little Easter, so today we have a joyful Psalm in praise of God and his mighty power. "The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice," begins Psalm 97. It ends with "Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name." In between, though, it's primarily about his awesomeness - his lightning lights up the world, clouds and thick darkness surround him, righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Even the mountains melt like wax before him. Part of the Psalm, though, is about God's judgment. Fire consumes his foes; those who worship idols are put to shame. This is where football comes in. It's Super Bowl Sunday and how many people will worship at the throne of football for 4 or morel hours today? How many of those same people spent 4 or more hours today worshiping God? I'm not anti-football or relaxation. Sunday is a day of rest and lots of people find football relaxing (although you probably couldn't prove it by their blood pressure readings). Of course, football is not the only culprit in taking up large blocks of time. Lots of things threaten to become idols in our lives - our jobs and money probably more so than anything else. Social media may be the next big threat to spending time with God. How much time do we devote each day to Facebook, Twitter, online games, emails, phone calls and texts? How much of it could be curtailed so that we could spend more time reading Scripture or even doing something else good for us? I admit that I don't find it easy to turn everything off and devote time to God, or exercise, or other things that are good for me. But when I do, I am better for it. I never regret it. A little motivation from Psalm 97: Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. "My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning." The unknown author of Psalm 130 waits eargerly, expectantly because he knows it will come as surely as the dawn. What will come? God's word of forgiveness for his sins. The writer is sure of three things about God: that God will hear him, God will keep no record of his sins, and God will forgive him. As we saw in Psalm 23 yesterday, there are changes in the Psalm. The first four verses are directed to God; verses 5 and 6 are personal reflection; verse 7 is addressed to Israel; and verse 8 returns to reflection. So we see in the latter verses that the writer is sure of one more thing. If the people of Israel will repent and turn to the Lord, they too will be forgiven of their sins. "He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins." I picture the Psalmist writing late at night, reviewing the events of the day, acknowledging his failings or soul-searching, as we say. He is telling God how terribly wrong things have gone - not the way he had planned or hoped. In the peace of the night, he is waiting on the Lord, waiting for the grace of forgiveness. When it comes, he looks to the morning with a clear conscience, and begins anew. What the Psalmist knew, we can know too. God hears us; He keeps no record of our sins; and He forgives us when we repent. And, as the Psalmist said to his country, Israel, we can say to our country: Put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. *** In this short month of February, we are reading short Psalms. Feel free to comment on the Psalm I have chosen, or write something about a Psalm you have chosen. For our first Psalm this month I am choosing the best-known one, Psalm 23. "The Lord is my shepherd," it begins, "I shall not want." It is a comforting and reassuring Psalm, often chosen for funerals or memorial services. But it seems to me there is so much more to the Psalm than comfort.
I notice the Psalm changes from the third person in the first 3 verses to the first person in verse 4 and 5, then back to the reflection of the third person in verse 6. It's as if David, having first started thinking of God, can't help but start talking to Him. Then, having spoken to God briefly, he goes back to thinking about his life and the difference knowing God makes for him. I have always considered the Psalms to be David's prayer journal. He writes out his joys and woes, his concerns and his exaltation. Psalm 23 seems to fit that profile. Perhaps it was his short meditation written at the end of a hard day in one of the many battles he fought. He sounds as if he was longing for the days when he was a shepherd who just had to look after sheep. Now he looks after a kingdom and an army of men who depend on him. One of the most memorable reflections on this Psalm that I have ever read was included in a book written by a man who was a long-held prisoner of war in Vietnam. He and the other captives were held in primitive conditions, with no reading material, and only secretive communications among themselves. One way they maintained their sanity was to recall any bit of Scripture that they could. These Scriptures were words of encouragement to keep one other from despairing and they devised a method of communicating these Scriptures to each other. Psalm 23, of course, was one that they remembered and which became a theme for the book. What about now? What is important for me in reading it today? I've never been to war and never been a shepherd. I am not in mourning for a loved one. So today I proclaim: The Lord is my shepherd. I want for nothing. We lie down together in green pastures, beside restful waters, and he restores me. |
AliceI started this website and blog on May 1, 2012. I am a Catholic who has been in ministry for many years. I first developed what I would call a close relationship with Jesus in the early 1970s. Ever since then I have been praying with people for healing and other needs. It is because I have seen so many of these prayers answered that I am so bold as to offer to pray for you individually through this website and phone line. Archives
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