The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 19:1-14 (day four)

During this season of Lent, I’m fasting from a couple things that had become unhealthy in my life. This is not a boast, but a confession. These things slowly, insidiously creeped in and took up residence in my heart without me realizing it. While not bad in and of themselves, they were adding noise in my life that was distracting me from God. The goal in fasting is to replace the time you engaged with that thing that was not adding to your life, and spend it with the Lord instead. I have by no means excelled at this, but even in my feeble attempt to spend more time with the Lord and less time on distractions, I have noticed a world of difference.

I’ve been able to spend more time in God’s word, and I can attest that this Psalm speaks the truth. God’s Word really is perfect and restores my soul. It is sure, and has given me wisdom. It’s right, and it has added joy to my life. It’s pure, and spending more time in it has cleared my vision. My prayer is that this time spent in the Word would allow my words and thoughts to be acceptable to the Lord. What distractions are pulling you away from spending time in God’s presence and his Word? What might happen if you got rid of those distractions and spent that time meditating on the Word? I assure you, it will be worth it.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 19:1-14 (day three)

¹⁰ They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.

The Gunn kiddos are currently on spring break this week, and our week began with a favorite activity … a trip to the library. It is now Wednesday, and many books have already been read from cover to cover (even the long ones!). As I talked to one of my kids about the third 300+ page book they have read this week, the subject of how they could read that many long books so quickly came up. Put simply, these books were being read at every available moment of the day from waking to sleeping. The desire to read from a new book was so great a thing that it was the driving activity for the beginning of our break.

When was the last time you read the Bible like that? When was the last time you read the Word of God as if reading it for the first time, pouring over the words as if you could not get enough? Can you point to the last time you have desired His words more than the finest things, or thought them sweeter than anything you can imagine? I hope that your answer is that it was recently. For me, I was a little convicted today in reading these words again, understanding them anew. May we all desire the laws and words of the Lord as if tasting them for the first time!

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 19:1-14 (day two)

There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. V. 3

The language in the psalm is so descriptive that, at first glance, it seems to contradict itself. Depending on your translation, the opening verse states the heavens are telling, declaring, proclaiming. There is a lot of “talking” going on in this verse. It immediately takes a turn to say there is no speech or words. As a kid, I struggled with this verse, and as a professional choral musician I sometimes stumbled when I got to it because, words matter! Professional pride aside, when I examine what I know about myself, I find this verse to be on point. The music of creation is wordless, indeed. When I find myself riding my bike through the greenways of San Antonio during Spring, I am filled with wonder. Nothing need be said; creation declares its creator in a way that words never could. If a picture paints a thousand words, creation is a lexicon in itself. I have found this verse to be true over and over again. When I quiet my heart and marvel at the world God has made, I am refreshed, renewed, and reminded of our incredible Lord. So, as a child of God, created AND redeemed by Jesus, how should our bearing radiate that kind of declaration?

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 14:1-7 (day seven)

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” Psalm 14:1

Atheism masks itself as intellect when in reality it is ignorance.  Only a fool can look at the world and believe that this is all a coincidence. On the contrary, the existence of the universe means there must be a Creator. The existence of design in the universe means there must be a Designer. The unique nature and character of humanity means there must be a God who is relational. The existence of morality means there must be a God who provides moral law. Yet, a “Big Bang” is the reason to explain all of these things, right?

What might be even more foolish than atheism is the person who will sit in a pew today and live tomorrow in the same way they did yesterday. Moralistic Therapeutic Deism plagues our congregations. Is church simply a place for us to attend to make us feel better and help us to be good? No one is good, not even one. Church attendance cannot cover up the actions of the heart if those actions continue to say, “There is no God.”

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 14:1-7 (day six)

Good afternoon, church family. I am writing on Friday evening, Kenya time. Our week on mission has been full of joy and fruitfulness…but mentally, physically, and emotionally consuming. Thank you so much for your patience:

Psalm 14 paints a bleak picture of humanity. People ignore God. They pursue their own ways. Corruption spreads like a disease through society. It’s a psalm that feels surprisingly relevant. But then David ends with a longing:

“Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!” (Psalm 14:7)

In other words, David looks at the brokenness of the world and says, “Our hope must come from God.”

Zion was the place where God dwelt with His people. David knew that salvation wouldn’t rise out of human reform, political strength, or moral improvement. It had to come from God Himself.

And it did.

Centuries later, salvation did come from Zion, not just as an idea or a movement, but as a person. Jesus came to rescue a world that could not rescue itself.

Psalm 14 reminds us of two truths we must hold together. First, the world is more broken than we often admit. But second, and more importantly, God’s salvation is greater than the world’s brokenness.

When we look at the confusion, violence, and rebellion around us, we might feel the same cry rising in our hearts:

“Lord, let Your salvation come.”

And the good news of the gospel is that it already has.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 14:1-7 (day five)

The phrase, “There is no one who does good” is repeated twice in this Psalm. When you read this and then read it again what happens in your mind and your heart?  Are you defensive?  Are you convicted?  The psalmist moves from the singular (the fool) to the plural (they have all). Just when you might think he is only referring to someone else, we realize he is talking about all of us. The fool won’t/can’t see the “foolishness” in their own life and heart. But through the work of Christ (come from Zion- see verse seven) God’s people do. And when we confess and repent, we find grace and peace in the humbling truth about the human race.

The fool does not feel his corruption, but the person in Christ does. The fool does not perceive the light of salvation, but the person in Christ does. The fool does not know his own wretchedness as he ought, but the person in Christ does. The person in Christ, despite the attacks of the opposition of the wicked, can rest in the reality that the Lord acts faithfully on his behalf.   Daniel Akin

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 14:1-7 (day four)

This Psalm paints a picture of God looking down on creation and finding no one who is righteous, no one who is holy, no one who is committed to justice. It ends with an expression of longing – longing for God to send the Promised One, longing for God to restore his people as he promised, longing for the restoration of the earth. As we continue through this season of Lent, we enter into that longing with the psalmist. We long for the salvation hope that will come on Easter morning. We long for the day still to come, where Jesus will return to make all things right.

Unlike the psalmist, we live in a world that Jesus has already walked. We live in a world that has seen the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ. When we surrender our lives to Jesus, we are clothed in his righteousness. We aren’t righteous in our own right, but we are covered by the righteousness of Christ and therefore made acceptable before the Father. As we await Christ’s return, we seek to live in a way that matches our new clothes of righteousness. Praise God for fulfilling his promises!

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 14:1-7 (day three)

¹¹ The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.

The overall theme of this Psalm is that the world is full of people that do not believe there will be any accountability for their actions (no God). These foolish people live in a way that serves themselves, rather than in a way that serves the Lord. They have turned their backs on following the Lord, choosing again to serve their own desires. In reading this, it is easy to write these people off and to think that I (we) have done a pretty good job of following the Lord in all that He has commanded.

But aren’t we all guilty of choosing ourselves over God every day? Aren’t we guilty of falling into the traps of sin, forgetting briefly who we are and who we are supposed to follow instead of our own selfish desires? The Apostle Paul reiterates this fact in his letter to the Christians in Rome when he reminds them that all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We are all fools, at times, choosing our own way instead of following God.

As we read this community lament for the world around us this week, be sure to check your own heart, as well. May we not be foolish, but instead, follow the Lord in all that we do!

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 14:1-7 (day two)

The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
To see if there are any who understand,
Who seek after God. v. 2

Isn’t it a wonder that God has given to us a curious nature, and a mind that seeks to understand the world? It is this curious nature that often moves the needle of our knowledge of the cosmos, and it is that nature which gets us into theological conundrums. It seems the more we know, the less we rely on God. Let’s be clear, God didn’t make a mistake when he gave us all a sense of wonder. He does ask us to acknowledge him in our limitations, our lack of understanding, and even in the things we do understand. The more we know should not diminish our dependence on God; rather it should reveal to us more of his incredible grace and mercy. Verse two tells us God is searching for those who are humble in their wisdom. May we always seek knowledge and understanding, and may we never cease to marvel at God’s supreme authority.