It’s hard when people are against you, especially those you count as friends. It’s harder still to think about doing good to others when you’re down, even sick. But God protects and blesses those who do this and in the end restores them (vv 1-3).
It may be you are feeling that there is not much hope. That you don’t deserve God’s blessing never mind his healing or relief from those who are coming against you.
Read More psalms, betrayal, dépression, sicknessIn my experience it is only when I am in a state of desperation, like a deer panting for water, that I am able to break through the ceiling of confinement and the restraint that I impose on myself which prevents me going deep with God. The paradox is that I resist the very things God uses to bring me to this point of desperation so I can go deep with him.
As survivalists of the highest order we work to insulate ourselves from all uncertainty be it relational, financial, personal security or healthy wellbeing.
Read More control, desperation, prayer, honesty, thirstMy wife and I have taken to playing this little game we call “21 Praises” on days or in moments when we feel down or are struggling. Our lives have been a bit topsy-turvy this past year with housing changes, geographical changes, job changes and becoming empty nesters. It’s not that anything has been really bad but there has been a lot of uncertainty and challenging new beginnings. At times we just find ourselves saying, “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me…until this disaster has passed” (v 1).
Read More prayer, praise, thankfulnessYesterday, I just couldn’t help it.
I got a work related email that offered me an opportunity I’ve been longing for and which has the potential to take me to the next level in what I do. I flew out of my desk chair and shouted at the top of my lungs, “YES LORD, YES LORD, YES, YES, YES!”
Read More answer to prayer, praise, blessing, honourSome of the earlier psalms we went through in this series have been lament psalms. Times of despair and crying out to a God who sometimes feels absent. But here we have a “let it all out and light the fireworks” psalm.
In Isaiah 40:28 (the Message) there is a great line which reads, “He’s the creator of all you can see or imagine.”
Read More creation, praise, joy, gloryLast night we had dinner with new friends who live on the shores of Georgian Bay. Afterwards our host asked, sort of tongue in cheek, if I wanted to have a deeply spiritual experience? His idea was to walk out onto the ice of the Bay and look at the night sky. I said sure and out we went, our wives choosing to tend to the warmth of the gas fireplace.
Man was it cold. We walked probably 200 meters off shore onto the vast, openness of the Bay.
Read More creation, joy, songWhen I’m reading the Bible I often imagine the characters mentioned as the real life women and men they were. Historical people who lived daily lives far beyond the scope of their write-ups in the Bible. I wonder what they looked like. How did their voices sound? I even think, if I was going to paint one of them, who amongst the people I know would l ask to model for a particular Bible personality?
Read More praise, faithfulness, God’s promisesI’ve found it sure feels good when the hurting stops. You have been caught in a cycle of sickness, poor health, maybe even injury and then notice the healing start. Or the employment situation has been less than ideal and then it begins to turn around and you regain your sense of hope for the future. Or a relationship has come undone or become stagnant or maybe somebody close to you has let you down by not living up to your expectations for them, but then things start to change there as well. David knew all of these emotions.
Read More honesty, healing, hurtHere we are in victory lane.
David, while not having the victory yet, is anticipating being in victory lane because he is asking for God’s help to claim the victory he seeks. Sure we are sometimes in distress and fearful of failure. Of course we face stresses in our lives that look like they will overwhelm us. But what matters is who we turn to first when those troubles arise.
Read More victory, strength, salvation, needs
The world can seem like an ugly place. Evil at times appears overwhelming, even unstoppable: it is easy to slip into the mindset that there is little hope. We look at the big picture and see random acts of terror destroying lives and societal trust. We look around us and find small acts of offense at almost every turn.
Read More evil, sin, faithfulness