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Psalm 95-99 High And Nigh
Friday, 3 July 2009 6:40 A GMT-06
These psalms celebrate the majesty and greatness and holiness of our God. I fear that as we try to understand how God is personally involved in our lives, we are in danger of misunderstanding just how high and mighty He truly is! The incredible extremes are mind-blowing! The same God who could easily evaporate a hurricane with a thought is also gently nudging us along the path He has planned for our lives. The God who deftly designed the delicate wings of a monarch butterfly also flung the galaxies into motion!
I appreciated the gentle warning in 95:7 -- "Today, LISTEN to what He says."
I've observed many teenaged guys standing stoically during worship, looking unmoved and never daring to sing. I was like that once, too, somehow erroneously believing I was improving my masculinity. But what of God's commands in chapter 96? "Sing TO the Lord and PRAISE His name"? When we do stand unmoved in worship, whether young or old, our human pride propping us up, we fail to realize that we are like a butterfly facing a hurricane. Such hubris is totally unbecoming of a child of God!
One of my favorite quotes about these two extremes we witness of God is: "God is infinitely high and infinitely nigh (or near)." That means we can't imagine just how much higher He is that us and how intimately acquainted with us He is, knowing us even better than we know ourselves.
That "infinitely high" part is brought out in these chapters so well: "Worship the Lord because He is holy. Tremble before Him, everyone on earth....You are the Lord Most High over all the earth; You are supreme over all gods.
The "infinitely nigh" part is there too: "The Lord watches over those who follow Him ... The Lord has made known His power to save; ...They called to the Lord and He ANSWERED them. He spoke to them .... Lord our God, You answered them. You showed them that You are a forgiving God."
My commentary found a particular instance when the two extremes are melded together. "Once, His holiness excluded us from His presence. But now, through the redemption accomplished by the Lord Jesus, His holiness is on OUR side instead of being against us, and we can rejoice when we remember it."
Father, thank You for being so close to me, for speaking to me, for guiding me every step of the way. But more importantly, Father, thank You for being God Most High. I wouldn't want a God who lacked anything. I'm glad that I have a powerful and almighty God. Thank You for putting the two together in Your Son.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
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Psalm 92-94 My Spiritual Chiropractor
Thursday, 2 July 2009 6:30 A GMT-06
Chapter 94 can really help those suffering from discouragement, I think. I heard their cry: "How long..? How LONG, Lord?"
Then those who say God doesn't hear or see what's happening to them get answered: "You fools, when will you understand? Can't the creator of ears hear? Can't the maker of eyes see? ... The Lord knows what people think."
And what assurance do we have that God doesn't leave us for a time? "The Lord won't leave His people nor give up on His children."
The psalmist discovered this for himself: "If the Lord had not helped me, I would have died in a minute. I said, "I am about to fall," but, Lord Your love kept me safe. I was very worried, but You comforted me and made me happy."
That comfort and happiness comes from an unexpected place: "Lord, those You correct are happy; You teach them from You law. You give them rest from times of trouble." Our eventual happiness comes about through God's correcting our ways. Though we might not look upon correction as something we want to go through, we instinctively know that it is necessary, much as we know that the quick, sometimes sharp readjustment of our backs and necks by a chiropractor correct the alignment of our bones caused by stress, worry, and external influences.
There is something to say about having Your Creator as Your "spiritual Chiropractor". After all, He knows us so very well!
The psalmist said, "But the Lord is my defender; my God is the rock of my protection."
God doesn't want us to grow weary and discouraged, either. In fact, He shows us a lot about His methods for helping us here. He doesn't criticize -- He corrects.
The sidebar in my Bible, by Chuck Swindoll, says, "Discouraged people don't need critics. They hurt enough already. They don't need more guilt or piled-on distress. They need encouragement. They need a refuge. A place to hide and heal. A willing, caring, available someone. A confidant and comrade-in-arms.... David's Refuge never failed. Not even once. And he never regretted the times he dropped his heavy load and ran for cover. Neither will you."
Father, thank You for being my cover when I am discouraged. Help me to find my way out of discouragement. Give me the spiritual correction I need to find my happiness only in You.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Psalm 90-91 Promises In The Midst Of Death
Wednesday, 1 July 2009 6:33 A GMT-06
What would Moses have journaled during those 40 years in the desert, leading a million people out of Egypt -- a people who unfortunately chose not to go in and claim the Promised Land when the spies had returned? What would Moses have written, knowing that He'd have to watch and endure the deaths of everyone over 20 years old before the children of these same people could cross the Jordan? Chapter 90 is a page right out of that journal.
The tremendous love relationship that Moses had with God is evident from the start: "Lord, You have been OUR HOME since the beginning. Before the mountains were born and before You created the earth and the world, You ARE God. You have always been, and You will always be."
There's no grammatical error in that first sentence. There never was a time when we could say, "You were God," for that implies that now He's not God. He has always been God, is now God, and will continue forever to be God.
Moses recognized the root cause of his long trek with the Israelites: "You have put the evil we have done right in front of You; You clearly see our secret sins." God knew what was in the heart of each person, and He dealt with it. He didn't pass it by.
Moses also said, "Teach us how short our lives really are so that we may be wise." In other words, "Help us to be wise enough to spend every moment on relationships, for other things will come and go, but those we impact in this life for You are what's most important."
Strangely enough, Moses knew that with each new funeral, he was one step closer to the Promised Land.
Chapter 91 is the only chapter I've ever fully memorized. My commentary says that although it is a Messianic psalm, speaking about Jesus, "we may appropriate its precious promises for ourselves."
What are they? Nine guarantees from God:
1) Deliverance from hidden dangers
2) Immunity from fatal disease
3) Shelter and refuge
4) Protection in the faithfulness of God
5) Freedom from fear
6) Safety even in the midst of massacre
7) Insurance against calamity
8) Guarded by angelic escort
9) Victory over the lion and cobra (Satan)
My commentary also said that God confirms the guarantees by six tremendous "I will's", which I'll save til the last.
I know that the first thing anyone will say is, "Then why do Christians have calamities, get sick, and die early? From my commentary: "Part of the answer lies in this: The one who trusts in Jehovah is IMMORTAL UNTIL HIS WORK IS DONE."
That is an amazing thought! For if we are nearing death, it means that we will have accomplished what God placed us on this earth to do!
Father, thank You for giving me a glimpse of what Moses thought as he encountered the deaths of so many on a daily basis. And thank You for the promise that I am immortal until my work on earth is done and You call me home. I trusted so much in these verses as I traveled to Ukraine to get my sons, and You were faithful in Your promises. I love the way You said it, Father:
"Because he loves me, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation." What a guarantee, Father!
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Psalms 89 -- Is God In Control Of YOUR Life?
Tuesday, 30 June 2009 6:15 A GMT-06
As I reread chapter 89 before journaling, I suddenly noticed all of the possessives which referred to God's traits: "Your love ... Your loyalty .... My choice ... My servant ... Your miracles ... Your skies and earth ... Your world ... Your name ... Your arm ... Your head ... Your kingdom ... Your presence ... Your kindness ... My loyalty and love ... my Father, my God, the Rock, my Savior ... My agreement ... My demands ... My commands ... My holiness..."
There's a distinct turning point at verse 38, however. The possessives turn to man in his sin. No wonder in verse 46, the writer asked, "Lord, how long will this go on? Will You ignore us forever ? How long will Your anger burn like a fire? ... Where is Your love?"
It's when we deny God's sovereignty over our lives that we begin to focus on ourselves, and that is idolatry. Unless we fix in our hearts that all we have and all we are exist but by God's grace -- that everything around us is His creation in His own timing -- we will be unable to give Him full sovereignty over our lives. He deserves no less.
Father, forgive me for the times when I want to be in charge of things -- when my selfish desires override my love for You. Help me to envision how You want to be my Lord. And like riders on a bicycle built for two, help me to be satisfied with the back seat, content in the knowledge that You are in control, and all You ask is that I keep pedaling.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Psalm 87-88 Depressed? Should You Read This Then?
Monday, 29 June 2009 6:20 A GMT-06
There's something compelling about Psalm 88. It's been called the saddest psalm in the Bible. I have to remember as I read it that, again, the writer did not have the more complete revelation of God and Jesus that we enjoy. My commentary says, "To a Jew living under law, death was a perplexing region of oblivion where nothing constructive ever happens."
Some of the things the writer noted were:
"My life is full of troubles...I am like a man with no strength ... whom You don't remember anymore, cut off from Your care. You have brought me close to death. You have been very angry with me ... You have taken my friends away from me and have made them hate me. I am trapped and cannot escape. My eyes are weak from crying.... But Lord, I have called out to You for help; every morning I pray to You. Lord, why do You reject me? Why do You hide from me? .... You have taken away my loved ones and my friends."
So why would it be in the Bible? J.N. Darby said, "At one time, this was the only Scripture that was any help to me, because I saw that someone had been as low as that before me."
A doctor would surely say that this person is suffering from depression, and he would probably prescribe a drug to deal with it. But something about this just doesn't seem quite right. I think back to Job, and how his wife's best advice was for him to curse God and thus bring on his own death! But Job didn't do it. Instead, Job's words found their way into the praise song that gives me all the hope I need: "You give and You take away, but still my heart will say, Blessed Be Your Name."
In the darkest hours I've faced over the years, my question to God in those times has become, "Okay, God, where do we go from here?" For I believe that He carries me THROUGH seasons such as this to grow me spiritually, so that I will trust in Him no matter what.
And I wonder, for those who feel like the author of this psalm, whether they've kept that truth alive in their hearts, or whether they've bowed to the hard times in life, expecting them always to continue, and whether they've given up on God's spiritual support, content to endure life, aided by pharmaceuticals instead of trusting in the One who created the world and everything in it -- the One who knows all of the potential pathways life could take based on how we live each moment, and who has planned and mapped out for all of those endless possibilities a way back to Him that will grow us immeasurably by living out those moments rather than floating by them.
My hope will be placed in You, Father. I choose to look at every circumstance, whether good or bad, as Job did. You have given me wonderful blessings -- more than I could ever deserve -- and how can I not stick with You in those times when, in Your sovereignty, You choose to take back part of what You've given me? I love you, Father!
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford