Category: PSALMS

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.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 98 (day five)

One of the interesting things about the Christmas Season (even from a secular perspective) is that it has its own background music. Some radio stations begin playing “Christmas Music” as early as November 1. Music and song are so influential on our attitude, perspective, and outlook. Don’t believe me?  Next time you’re in the pool (better yet the ocean) with your friends (especially at night) hum the first several notes to the Jaws theme and wait for the reaction. I read this quote about Psalm 98. “Always live your life against the background music of joy.”  (Psalm 98 gives perfect instruction for Praising and Worshipping the Living God) The reaction will be- That we will remember well, what God has done. We will be more aware of what God is currently doing in us, around us, and thru us. And, we will become excited and expectant for Him to fulfill His promises (Even So, Come, Lord Jesus).

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 98 (day four)

Reading this Psalm again caused The Isley Brothers’ song “Shout” to get stuck in my head. You just can’t read Psalm 98 without feeling energized. The Israelites felt this as they lifted this song of praise to the Lord. They had finally been delivered from exile, and they celebrated God’s faithfulness with a joy so palpable that all the earth was invited to join in.

The Lord is worthy of our joy. David danced with joy before the Ark of the Covenant. John the Baptist leaped for joy in Elizabeth’s womb when in the presence of the preborn Christ. And how much more reason do we, who live after the resurrection, have to shout for joy? The joy that springs up in us as a fruit of the Spirit is a steadfast joy. It is available to us even in our darkest days, precisely because of what we celebrate at Advent: Christ has come, and Christ will come again. Even if we have nothing else, there is reason to rejoice.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 98 (day three)

Let the sea roar and all it contains,
The world and those who dwell in it.

Let the rivers clap their hands,
Let the mountains sing together for joy

Before the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth;
He will judge the world with righteousness
And the peoples with equity.

The earth, the sky, the wind, the water cycle, the upthrust of granite strata as mountains form, the tides, the seasons – all the clamor and movement and rhythm – what is it for? Empirical research, as useful as it is, does not answer that question. The questions of purpose and direction – why there’s something rather than nothing, and where it’s headed – lie in the mystery of God’s revelation to humanity. A good God has created a good universe, and you can trust his goodness towards you.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 98 (day two)  O sing to the Lord a new song,
For He has done wonderful things, v. 1a

Sing. That’s it, that’s the blog. Sing.

Ok, maybe just a few more words. We have recently ended a study in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians where he declares that we ought to speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. He restates the same sentiment to his letter to the Colossians. We are a singing church, and I am grateful for that, but you would be amazed at how often people tell me they ‘can’t sing.’ Let me categorically respond to every one of those people here and now: malarkey . Utter nonsense. To say that you can’t sing is to declare that God made a mistake when he made you. To say that you can’t sing is to say the scriptures that command, not suggest, that everything with life and breath should sing and praise the Lord does not apply to you.

Does that come off as harsh? Good. You can sing. Period. You may not sing as well as some in the worship ministry, but who cares? That does not disqualify you from the command of scripture. Our performative culture has given us the impression that there are those who can, and those who can’t. That is not the truth of scripture. You can sing to God as he has given you voice. I may never give you a solo, but I want you to worship with a full-throated joy which declares the Lord is good and true.

Why is this so important? I could be flippant and say because God says so, and that would be sufficient. Look back at the verse again. We sing because he has done wonderful things. We need to declare that to a world devoid of God’s hope. We need to remind ourselves that he has, indeed, done wonderful things in our lives. We need to return thanks to the Lord in a way that pleases him. Trust me, there are harder assignments that will be given to you. Singing isn’t one of them. Don’t wait for Sunday, sing your praise today!

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 85:1-3, 8-13 (day seven)

You forgave the iniquity of Your people;
You covered all their sin. vs 2-3

What must occur to have peace amongst others? All parties involved must mutually agree that fighting is not beneficial to their cause. However, peace doesn’t mean that there won’t be tension.

In advent, we recognize that the coming of Jesus brings peace to the world, but until His second coming, we are left in tension. An enemy prowls on our doorstep waiting to devour us, waiting for us to give him an inch of room so he can get his foot in the door to disrupt the peace that has been guaranteed to us. Yet, this enemy has already been defeated; his fight is futile. The fight for your eternity was won on Easter, and Advent is the opportunity for us to tell the enemy, “Not today Satan. We get peace.” And the enemy has to obey because the One who defeated him lives in us.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 85:1-3, 8-13(day six)

I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying,
    for he speaks peace to his faithful people. Psalm 85:

Have you ever experienced a conflict with someone you deeply care about, anxiously longing to hear the reassuring words, “I love you; we’re okay”? That seems to be the sentiment the writer of Psalm 85 conveys; Israel longed for a restored relationship with God. They listened for words of peace.

Ultimately, their waiting is fulfilled when God sends THE WORD (John 1:1). In Jesus, peace is both a declaration (God speaking) and a person. We have peace with God THROUGH Christ. Jesus didn’t just mediate our peace (through his death and resurrection), he is our daily and eternal peace with God.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 85:1-3, 8-13(day five)

It is important, no, it is vital we remember and remind ourselves of our past experiences and encounters with the Living God. His grace. His holiness. His kindness. His strength. His glory. His wisdom. His judgements. Can you recall when you have sensed and seen these things from the Lord?  As we remember God’s character and activity in our lives, our reflection brings a sense of both trust and peace. We can learn from past experiences to have confidence in His righteous judgement and wisdom. We can pray that He will continue to provide mercy and grace for His glory and our good. When that happens, we have confidence in both the lovingkindness and truthfulness of God as well as His promised peace in the middle of His righteous rule over His creation and created beings.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 85:1-3, 8-13 (day four)

It’s tempting to think we have to escape in order to find peace. We go on vacations, have personal retreats, or even tip-toe off to a quiet room away from holiday house guests in order to “find some peace.” To be sure, finding time away from the hustle of life is essential. I am constantly looking for little pockets of peace in my day, my week, and over the course of the year.

But the peace that Christ offers us isn’t something we have to escape in order to find. The Israelites in this psalm receive God’s promise of peace in the middle of their dire circumstances. This prophetic psalm is fulfilled when Christ takes on human form, entering straight into a dark world full of chaos, offering peace unlike what anyone had ever experienced. And when Jesus comes again in glory, he will break into the middle of our bleak, disordered world with lovingkindness, truth, righteousness, and peace in their fullest forms, once and for all.

Because Christ humbly took on human form and lived among us, the peace we reflect on at Advent is not far off on a mountaintop or on a remote beach somewhere. It’s in our midst now, constantly available to us through the power of the Holy Spirit.