Re:Verse reading–Psalm 8 (day four)
Have you ever stood out in the country, or better yet, on top of a mountain and looked up into the vast night sky? The stars…the Milky Way…the constellations…the universe… stretched before you from east to west, north to south? I have. The pictures are etched into my memory. I can not only remember most every experience, I can remember the overwhelming feeling of grandeur. It is Psalm 8 that immediately comes to mind when I have such an experience. The majesty of the creation is but a small portion of the majesty of the Creator. As we contemplate the glory of our Creator, the response of the Psalmist wells up inside us…’when I consider all of this, God, what is man that you are mindful of him?’ The focus of our worship must always be on the person of God. The Psalmist started and ended this psalm in recognition of that…”O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
Worth
Re:Verse reading–Psalm 8 (day three)
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place…” Consider, then: 13.3 billion light-years away, a tiny galaxy (the rather clunkily-named MACS0647-JD) shines its light. That light travels six trillion miles in one year, and even at that speed, it needs 13.3 billion years to reach earth. The psalmist didn’t measure space like we do, but he knew: God’s heavens are immense enough that the human race would seem trivial by comparison. And yet, God is mindful of us. Jesus knew that our well-being depends on our knowledge of that mindfulness in this vast universe: “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God…Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6-7)
A Good Boss
Re:Verse reading–Psalm 8 (day two)
If you’ve never had a good boss, it is hard to appreciate the significance of Psalm 8:6. “You made him lord over the works of Your hands; You put everything under his feet.” A good boss makes everyone’s life better. Objectives are clear. Less time is wasted. Conflicts don’t get out of hand. The organization flourishes, and everyone joyfully does their part. When the New Testament authors thought of Jesus, they thought of him as a good boss. Consequently, they referred to this psalm to celebrate Jesus’ reign over their lives and all creation (see Ephesians 1:20-23). When you see an organization well run, a home well-managed, a life well ordered, you are seeing the thumbprint of the perfect boss who “does all things well” (Mark 7:37). His work of restoration is not yet complete, and He invites us to participate in it. Are you a “good boss” of your own life, family and work?
How majestic
Re:Verse reading–Psalm 8 (day one)
“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (vs 1) Fill in the blanks. “For purple mountain_________above the fruited plain.” (think song) “Her ________, the Queen!” (think England) When David says that God’s name is majestic, He used a word (addir) which meant, “glorious, mighty, huge or wide”. It was a word of scope, scale and size. Name meant “reputation or character”. It is an insight that came to David as he watched the stillness and beauty of the nighttime sky. How could the creator of such beauty not be beautiful, Himself? How could He be small? There is great benefit for those who gain this perspective. Whenever we are overwhelmed it is usually because our problems have gotten large and our God has gotten small (in our eyes, at least). To recover this vision is to experience peace. “Little ones to Him belong, they are weak, but He is STRONG!”
Not timid
Re:Verse reading–Psalm 2, Psalm 110 (day seven)
“The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies.” (110:2) It is a strange word to modern ears. Aggressive. Assertive. A God with a back-bone. Not apologizing to the human race for putting an end to its rebellion, for requiring respect and obedience, for using force. If people of the 1st century rejected the Messiah because He was not war-like, people of the 21st century do so because He is (or will be). Perhaps we need this reminder. The race of men is in active rebellion against God. His wrath is tempered with mercy (“not wishing any to perish”–2 Peter 3:9) but eventually He will act with great decisiveness to bring the rebellion to an end. “God has not given us a spirit of timidity” says 2 Timothy 1:7. It must be because He is not timid, Himself. I will see you in a few hours, dear friends.
Rest!
Re:Verse reading–Psalm 2, Psalm 110 (day six)
“The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’ ” (110:1) Sometimes the best thing to do is wait. To rest. Sometimes the instruction from God is to sit and let Him do the work. “The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent” was the promise that Moses received in Exodus 14:14. It isn’t always the case. Until Christ had completed His assignment (the cross) sitting would have been disobedience. After the cross, further effort would have been disbelief. Sometimes the Spirit of God whispers to us, “Wait! Rest! Trust! I will do the work now!” May God give us the grace to recognize when this moment comes for us. Sometimes our assignment is to obey and then to leave it in God’s hands. “Wait on the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait on the Lord.” Psalms 27:14.
In Tune
Re:Verse reading–Psalm 2, Psalm 110 (day five)
The words of Robert Robinson are on my mind. “Tune my heart to sing Thy Grace”. Somewhere along the way, I remember reading that the Psalms help to “tune our hearts”. Anytime I play my guitar, I always tune it first thing. It’s frequently out of tune. Whether from change in climate (temperature/humidity), or being “handled” it will not function as designed until it is measured against something that has perfect pitch. The climate of a fallen world (temptation, stress, tragedy, fear, sin) can quickly cause our hearts to become out of tune (out of “step with the Holy Spirit”- Galatians 5:25). We regularly need to hear the “perfect pitch” of the Holy Spirit through scripture, sermons, stillness, study, and community. We need to constantly ask: “What do I need to know/learn/do?” In Psalm 2, the writer proclaims, “How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” Sounds in tune to me.
Refuge
Re:Verse reading–Psalm 2, Psalm 110 (day four)
From the beginning of time, man has rebelled against God. All through history, kings and rulers have sought to eliminate God and His authority over them. God, the Sovereign ruler, simply laughs at their attempts. In Acts 4:25, after Peter and John had been arrested and warned not speak any more about Jesus, they looked back to Psalm 2. They saw that Herod and Pilate, along with the gentiles and the peoples of Israel, had been acting according to God’s plan. The disciples asked God to fulfill His promise in Psalm 2 and to extend His hand against His detractors. The result of their prayer was that the building was shaken and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. When you face persecution and see God’s kingdom assaulted by the world, have you prayed Psalm 2, asking Him to stand against the opposition. His Word still stands and will never be overcome by man. “How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”
Authority
Re:Verse reading–Psalm 2, Psalm 110 (day three)
“The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.” Someone has said, “The man who poses the greater menace to others is not the one whose god differs from yours, but the one who fears no god at all.” As the centurion told Jesus, “I myself am a man under authority…” The most discerning among us know that each of us answers to someone, and that everyone will give an account for decisions and actions. Every action we carry out bears the clear markings of our loyalties—to God or to self. Every action we carry out proclaims whether we believe we are the master or the mastered. This is why wisdom—and with it life everlasting—begins with the fear of the Lord.
The Pursuit of Happiness
Re:Verse reading–Psalm 2, Psalm 110 (day two)
Everybody wants to be happy, and we all choose a path to that happiness. Our culture trumpets that the path to happiness is through freely expressing and pursuing my desires. Any restriction of my desires should be cast-off. And so Psalm 2:3 is fulfilled, “let us tear off their chains and free ourselves from their restraints…” The Scripture teaches another path to happiness. A path walked not by unhindered desires but by willingly surrendered freedoms. I can best pursue happiness not by being the master of my own fate but by surrendering myself to the Master. In this surrender, I find Psalm 2:12 fulfilled in me. “All who take refuge in Him are happy.” I can say, “the boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places” (Psalm 16:6).