Re:Verse passage – Psalm 96 (day one)
Join us as Senior Pastor Chris Johnson, Associate Pastor Aaron Hufty, and Associate Pastor Bryan Richardson walk us through Psalm 96 in our Advent | Christmas | Epiphany Re:Verse Series: “Psalms for the Season.”
Category: PSALMS
Anxiousness
Re:Verse passage – Psalm 89 (day seven)
Christmas through the eyes of a child is a beautiful thing to behold. As I have navigated this season with two toddlers, I have been able to capture much of the magic that beholds this season. In that, I have recognized that all of the glamour and sparkle that elicits a feeling of magicality inside of us is lined with Biblical representation that points us to the Christ.
Yet, I have also felt the stress and anxiousness that comes with keeping up this facade of grandeur. It has caused me to pause and realize that not everyone sees this season through a lens of magic. Some days just aren’t magical. This is why I appreciate the psalmist here so much.
He essentially spent 37 verses talking about how great the unfailing the love of God is. Then he turns around in verse 38 and begins to ask the question “If God is so loving, then why has He turned His back on the psalmist?”
I think we can all resonate with that. We have had those days, we have had those moments. Some days just aren’t magical, but we all come to realize that the love of God is not confined to the feelings of a day or a season. Often, God is working in those stressful and anxious times to show us something bigger is at work around us. It is not our job to question, rather, we are to trust that He is loving and good which will lead us to say:
Blessed be the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.
Merry Christmas!
Steadfast
Re:Verse passage – Psalm 89 (day six)
For the mountains may move
and the hills disappear,
but even then my faithful love for you will remain.
My covenant of blessing will never be broken,”
says the Lord, who has mercy on you. Isaiah 54:10
One of the words most often used to describe God’s love is steadfast. The word comes from the old English words “stede,” meaning place, and “fæst,” meaning firm or fixed. It is hard to imagine anything more firmly fixed in place than a mountain. Geologists estimate Enchanted Rock is one billion years old (if you are comfortable with an old earth). Even if it were a few thousand years old, that’s firmly fixed in its place. And yet God’s love is even more steadfast; it is immovable, eternally reliable, unwavering, and resolute.
We don’t always describe love in those terms. Our love can be fickle; it changes with the wind. We fall in and out of love.
God never falls in or out of love, he is love. It is that kind of love that is turned towards us in Christ.
Amen.
Promise
Re:Verse passage – Psalm 89 (day four) “I will establish your seed forever And build up your throne to all generations. Selah.”
When we see the word “Selah”, it calls for us to pause, reflect, and contemplate what has just been said. In this case, it is the promise of God to David when he was anointed king (2 Samuel 7).
I’ve taught teenagers for decades to look for and circle the words “will” or “shall” in their bibles as that usually indicates a promise from the Lord. God is both the promise maker AND promise keeper (perfect record). What the Psalmist does here, I encourage us all to do- Recall and reflect (Selah) on the promises God has made (to us/you) through scripture. Maybe this morning one jumps out. His promised peace, strength, presence, wisdom, or forgiveness (to name a few). How might you praise Him today for His kept promises? Maybe a big part of your prayer time today would be to praise Him for faithfully keeping that promise.
Hesed
Re:Verse passage – Psalm 89 (day four)
In verse 1, the psalmist says, “I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever.” This word “lovingkindness” is almost always translated from the Hebrew word “hesed.”
Hesed is one of the most beautiful words in all of Scripture, but English doesn’t quite do it justice. It refers to the unidirectional, covenantal love and mercy that God has towards his people. It is a steadfast love, built entirely on the character of God, not on the worthiness of his people. It’s a love that we can put all our weight on, knowing that it is trustworthy and true. It is the love that is seen in God’s covenant with his people, which is described here in Psalm 89.
This is the covenant that Christ came to fulfill. This is what we celebrate at Christmas – that love came down. Hesed became known to us. Through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, we were brought into the covenant of love.
Save
Re:Verse passage – Psalm 89 (day three)
”I will not lie to David.”
The Lord has intimately involved himself in the affairs of men. As St. Paul himself said, God is not far from any one of us. Although human beings are mortal and are limited in understanding, God does not exploit that state of being. He doesn’t mislead or obfuscate. He doesn’t insult the intelligence he gave to humans. Rather, he relates to human beings with – as this Psalmist and other biblical writers attest from their own experience – lovingkindness. The mad, painful, confusing existence each person knows will stabilize and settle and cease to threaten when one calls on God as the only hope for rescue. People who have testified to God’s response of calm and strength didn’t read it in a theology book. They lived it. They lived to tell you about it. God will not lie to you. He will save you.
God is Love
Re:Verse passage – Psalm 89 (day two)
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You. v. 14
Righteousness and Justice with Lovingkindness and Truth: A couple of weeks ago the same words were used in the Psalm we studied. In that psalm however, they were used at evidences of following God. You may recall, I posited that we often may feel we have truth on our side, but aren’t loving about it. In Psalm 89 the writer reminds us these virtues are foundational characteristics of the nature of God. God is Truth. God is Love. Any truth you encounter in the world ultimately has its foundation in the Lord. There is no truth apart from him. Isn’t that astounding. What we strive for is, for him, existence. When you try and comprehend God’s loving nature, it should humble you. Knowing that we are not deserving of mercy, and yet his lovingkindness extends to all who follow after him. Each time you see truth, justice, love, or righteousness this week take a moment to thank God for who he is.
Re:Verse Blog – 12/16/24
Holy Right Arm
Re:Verse passage – Psalm 98 (day seven)
His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.
The Lord has made known His salvation. vs 1b-2a
In high school, this verse became one of my favorites. My mother would write me a prayer before every game, and she would often use Psalm 98 to pray over me. What a fitting verse for a Quarterback!!! God gained victory with His Holy Right Arm (For my non-sport-ball fans out there, I was the one who threw the football with my right arm).
What this is saying though is that God has done the work to claim victory. He has rolled up His sleeves and personally put in the work to guide His people to salvation. The joy in this for us is that God chooses me and you to be His vessels for this message to be proclaimed. Have you ever gotten to be a part of that process? The joy in seeing someone go from death to life right in front of your eyes is unexplainable. There is nothing you can claim except Christ working through you.
If you have not been a part of that process, God is calling you to join Him in this work. Who is in your life right now that God is calling you to witness to? In this season of Advent we are asking you to Go and Tell it on the Mountain. Let’s all feel the joy of seeing God’s Holy Arm at work through us this week.
Scope
Re:Verse passage – Psalm 98 (day six)
The scope of Psalm 98 is breathtaking. It commands us to sing a new song—a joyful response to God’s glorious acts. This is not merely a song of the moment but one rooted in inexhaustible inspiration. The display of His righteousness in Jesus is a wellspring that never runs dry. His glory is infinite.
Psalm 98 invites us to reflect on God’s mighty deeds in the past and anticipate His future work in Christ. The content of our joyful singing spans past, present, and future, declaring that His redemption is complete.
The psalm moves in expanding circles of praise: first Israel, then all the world, and finally all creation. It calls everything in the heavens and on earth to sing, shout, and roar in worship. This new song is a cosmic chorus, encompassing all of creation.
Ultimately, it’s a matter of scope. He is worthy of all our praise—of everything we can give and more. That is the point: His glory deserves nothing less.