Psalm 37 – The Specifics

Thursday I ended up at Burger Tex for lunch. For those of you not familiar with it, it's exactly the way it sounds. Not exactly healthy, but at least I had the Grilled Chicken (with fries and a coke). I guess that’s the opposite of eating a Quarter Pounder w/Cheese supersized value meal with a DIET coke. Anyway, I digress. When I went into the bathroom to wash my hands I saw a sign near the sink that read: “Employees: Please wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and hot water before returning to work.”

It was very specific (and had a little ketchup on it). I was thinking about what might go into an employer feeling like they needed to elaborate on how to wash hands. “Don’t rinse them off, wash for 20 seconds. And not just water, but use soap. Oh, and use hot water.” Obviously, this wasn’t just a shift manager going through the motions. It sounds like they either had a bad experience or knew the nature of their employees to “cut corners”. Either way, there were specifics laid out, and the standards and expectations were set.

I’m thankful that scripture is that way. Whenever we’re wondering if we can hear a direct word from God, don’t forget that that is exactly what the Bible is. Sometimes we see it and think, “No duh, that’s pretty obvious.” But then it lists it again, reminds us again, simplifies it again, and restates it again. Why? It’s not because God forgets how to do things, it’s because we do. And if we think about it, many times we default to just going through the motions.

In Psalm 37, we’re given some specifics. They are instructions, reminders, and promises. They are very direct and detailed. As a pastor friend of mine always said, “God is in the details”.

Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Delight yourself in the LORD and
he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.

-Psalm 37:3-8

Psalm 36 – Comfortably Numb

At 6 and 10 years old, my boys are in a stage where they are dirty. Seriously. They are never clean. Within 5 minutes of putting on any clean shirt, it will have a mixture of dirt, sharpie, and ketchup from the wrist to the elbows. At any point in the day, the same combination of foreign substance can be found on each of their faces. And they are completely clueless. I don’t know how they miss it, but cleanliness is completely off their radar. Even after I point it out to them, I typically get a shrug of the shoulders and an “oh well” expression. It doesn’t bother them to be dirty. They are too busy playing and going on with their lives.

We can be the same way.

“For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin.” – Palm 36:2

This verse really captured me today. I was thinking about sin as dirt. Sometimes we can have dirt on our sleeves and not even realize it. Someone might point it out to us, and if you’re anything like me, you hate that someone saw it. You’d rather go buy a new shirt than wear it the rest of the day. This has become my natural response to obvious sin. What we'll find, however, is that if we don’t do anything about it, we get used to it. The longer we do that, the more we become accustomed to it, and it’s only a matter of time before we just end up looking at it and shrugging like our kids. As Pink Floyd put it, we can become "Comfortably Numb".

But there’s an other kind of sin mentioned in scripture.

There’s the kind that is like dirt on our faces. We don’t even know it’s there. We walk around like we just got out of the shower, we think we’re clean, yet we’re not. Maybe this could be called our hidden sin. But I think it’s bigger than stuff “others” don’t’ know about, I think it’s the stuff that “we” don’t even know about.

So how do you deal with sin that you don’t know is there? I think first, we assume that it is there and go looking for it. Second, I think we should proactively put the things in our lives that scriptures say can help us avoid it. Some of the obvious are staying connected in biblical community, spending time in God’s Word, prayer, etc…

Both our kids and Verse 2 give us some interesting insight. When we’re so busy with “our” lives, when we’re so concerned with who “we” are, when we come to the point when we think to highly of “ourselves” than we ought to, it’s a danger zone. We should be careful not to “flatter” ourselves too much. If we do, we may slip into a place where we not only lose the ability to detect sin in our own lives, but also the desire to fight it.

Psalm 35 - Wait

Guest Post: Tray Pruet

I noticed a couple of things in Psalm 35, the David/Jesus correlation is strong in this Psalm. It is thought that this Psalm was written with either Saul or Absolom pursuing David. I think the practical application for us is to wait on God. David was mocked, lied about and literally fearful for his life. In all instances David continued to rely on God. And when God didn’t immediately answer….he waited some more.

I look at this Psalm as a prayer…and recalling what Matthew taught about this past week…I was looking at the posture of this prayer. David….though concerned of his own well being, was MORE concerned with the glory and fame of God. The reasons to me are obvious…..David waited on God to do things His way…..that David was very capable of doing by his own hand. We know from 2 Samuel that David had multiple opportunities to kill Saul….yet he waited.

Another thing I noticed is that David approached God in confidence. Not that God owed David anything…but in that confidence a child might approach a parent, a comfortable confidence.

God I pray you take me back to that place where your will presupposes my own. God it hasn’t been that long, but it’s so easy to take back.

Psalm 34 – Where?

Great question. Where? Where does our hope come from? Where do we seek answers? Where do we look for direction? Where do we find comfort and counsel? David knew the answer to “Where”:

“I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” – Psalm 34:4-5

Not only did he know the answer to “where”. But he also knew the benefit of knowing the answer. That no matter the result, no matter the consequence, no matter the experience, when we seek Him with and for everything our faces will never be covered with shame. Why? Because the Glory will be His if we are found faithful of finding refuge in Him. It’s only when we take our eyes off the prize that our faces are covered.

It’s funny too. David writes this Psalm in response to God delivering him out of the hands of Abimelech through pretending to be insane. (The king of Gath better known as Achish, was referred to as Abimelech in the title of Psalm 34) (1 Samuel 21:10-15) We’ve had much dialogue about this experience and whether or not David was simply taking things into his own hands and NOT trusting God, or if he was acting crazy as a part of God’s leading. According to this Psalm, David credits this deliverance to God. (See my ENTRY on 1 Samuel 21)

So what’s so funny about it? To me, it’s the fact that King David literally had to act insane, and still did not consider his face to be “covered with shame.” Hmmm. Makes the tasks I consider remedial seem less belittling all of a sudden.

The second thought I had about this chapter, and I’ll keep it quick, was found in its closing verses:

“Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.” – Psalm 34:21-22

Here’s what I found interesting: The Lord truly will sort it all out. We don’t have to be concerned. It’s not the good that will slay the wicked. It’s evil itself. It’s as if he’s stating this knowledge that in our sin, we will cause our own demise. But as Jesus said, “Take Heart”… no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

Psalm 33 – Change is Good

I grew up in a traditional Southern Baptist Church. I pretty much loved it (Probably 'cause I loved our pastor. He was a good one). While I didn’t really live it, I still loved it. We had a pianist that played by herself with brother so-and-so leading us through a handful of hymns (verses 1,2, and 4 only of course). As I think back on it now, it feels kind of nostalgic.

I remember a time when I began to shift the way I thought about worship. Something happened to me when I went to a church that had a drum set on stage and a leader who led with a guitar. I remember how difficult it was as a believer when I began to worship in new ways that seemed right to me. I found myself constantly having to defend the fact that the guitar and drums were really not from the devil (I’m intentionally over-exaggerating).

I remember the first three verses of Psalm 33 to be a chapter that gave me comfort when thinking about this new "contemporary" style of worship.

“Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.” – Psalm 33:1-3

Why is it that so many were threatened with this new form of worship? For sure there are those who cast stones at the hymnals and choir lofts. While change can be good, sometimes we do it bad. While I didn’t necessarily feel traditional methods in themselves, were any less worshipful, they had certainly lost their place as a personal preference for me.

Today I’m reminded of how I’m learning to just live what I’m called towards. I’m also reminded of our nature to act like we have the market cornered. And even when our intentions are pure, our actions and words can easily not seem that way. They can quickly provoke a defensive posture in others. Our perspective is everything. And while we’ll always have our own perspective, it’s the way of the Lord that matters. As Andy Stanley put it in his book, “Visioneering”: “WAY is God’s specialty.”

“But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.” – Psalm 33:11-12

One thing is for sure, what we must place as a priority in our affections, are the plans of the Lord before our own. No matter our style, method, tradition, philosophy of ministry, or posture in our community… hopefully we’re chasing what we know of God and His ways with everything we’ve got. And whatever we are doing, we do as an overflow of how God is moving in our hearts.

This may come at great cost. We may be called from everything we’ve always known. And that can hurt. I’m reminded in verses 13-17 that many times God uses change to keep our focus on Him and not a model, strategy, or tradition.

“From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth- he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.

No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.” - Psalm 33:13-17

If we were to think on these last few verses, we could probably find many places of application in our lives that would benefit from a little reorientation. That might demand some change in our lives. That change might just be the catalyst that results in the personal revolution our soul’s been craving.

Psalm 32 - Break Time

We need a break. Not because we’re working too hard or because we think we deserve it, but because we need to take the time to stop and reflect on the goodness of God. We get so busy going, doing, and being that we forget to acknowledge, absorb, and appreciate.

King David knew the value of soaking it up. He soaked up every moment he had before God. He soaked up the victories. He soaked up the favor. And he soaked up the fact that he was forgiven.

“Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD " - and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.” – Psalm 32:5

I love this word, “Selah”. It’s a pause in the writing. It’s a pause in the reading. It’s a pause to simply pause… and soak it up. “Selah” not only means to “pause” but it’s root means “to weigh”. I think that speaks for itself.

David had an amazing amount of confidence before God. While it’s refreshing to see his confidence in battle and leading, it’s surprising for me to see how much confidence he had in confession. I would imagine it came not from what he knew about himself, but more so from what he knew about God. Simply put, that if he acknowledged his sin in full disclosure, he would be forgiven. No matter how great the transgression.

There are some lessons to be found in there. I don’t always feel confident after a time of confession. Maybe we can all relate to that at times. And since God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, maybe when we fall short of full confidence in our confession, it’s because we aren’t offering full disclosure. God knows our hearts. I think we know them more than we like to admit, especially when we’re holding back.

Father, I want the confidence of David. But at times I lack the faith of David. At times I lack in fully believing in an unconditional love that should result in complete transparency with you. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to hold back, yet I have, and I do. Grow my faith. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your faithfulness. Amen.

Psalm 31 - Total Reliance

It's good to be back in Austin. I look forward to getting back on track to posting tomorrow. Psalm 31 is rich. Since I wasn't able to write while in the mountains, I figured I'd just post what Tray (Pruet) wrote today. Good thoughts:

Psalm 29: God’s power, strength and hugeness.
Psalm 30: Joy of the Lord, mercy and favor
Psalm 31: David is in distress and he is calling to his rescuer, his rock, his fortress.

Actually a couple of things hit me this morning. One is all the worship songs and praise choruses that get phrases from these three Psalms. And two, what a roller coaster ride David is on.

In Psalm 31, David is under several types of persecution….he senses betrayal, a sense of worthlessness, and disdain for those who are bringing him grief. And he still relies on God to deliver him. I guess it should be some comfort to those of us who waiver in between times of blessing and times of trial. One thing that David recognizes is that God remains constant. Our circumstances change….but God is faithful and just, merciful and mighty to save.

Psalm 30 - Favor

Looks like I won't be able to get to my computer this morning so I'm posting from my phone. I'll hopefully get to write more later. Psalm 30 is so rich. If you found yourself here prior to my post, please still leave your thoughts. For me, verse 5 captures what puts me in awe today: "For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime."

Psalm 29 – First Things

The first word used in chapter 29 is “ascribe”. “Ascribe” is the Hebrew word, yahab (yaw-hab') which means “to put, to give, or to set.” It’s something we do. The only reason I can think of why we would first and foremost need to remember to DO something is if our tendency is to either not do it, or easily forget it. Either way, it’s a good reminder of what we need to be doing with the greatness of God.

“Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.”

-Psalm 29:1-2

The remainder of the chapter is dedicated to the describing of the power and authority of God’s voice and calling out (vs.3-9). Verse 10 is dedicated to reminding us of his position in that authority as being “enthroned” as King forever. So amazing.

Even more amazing, is the closing verse (vs.11), and the fact that this God of power and authority is also the author of our strength and giver of our peace. Don’t miss this: It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to pursue strength or peace from any other source. Thank you God. What an honor to be loved by the King.

“The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.” – Psalm 29:11

Psalm 28 – King of Posture

David was the King of Posture. He was the poster child of leading with both strength and humility. We know of his military success, we’ve heard of his favor before the people, and we constantly see his posture of humility before God.

Just one chapter ago we were reminded that David truly desired to dwell in the house of the Lord forever, to simply “gaze upon his beauty” and seek him “all the days” of his life. In Psalm 28, we see his desire to hear from God in how he approaches Him in prayer. It’s a lesson to us all.

“To you I call, O LORD my Rock;
do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you remain silent,
I will be like those who
have gone down to the pit.

Hear my cry for mercy 

as I call to you for help, 

as I lift up my hands 

toward your Most Holy Place.”
Psalm 27:1-2

First he reminds God that he is indeed calling out to Him. He begs God to listen. And he acknowledges the importance of hearing back. Then David gives the formula for the posture of a man after God’s own heart.

1. He cries out for mercy.
2. He calls out for help.
3. He worships with hands held high.

All of these reflect a posture of humility. Mercy acknowledges that he doesn’t deserve God’s goodness. Help acknowledges that his source of strength comes from God and God alone. And the raising of his hands expresses his adoration for God and his worth of praise.

God, I’ve prayed that you make me more faithful. I know that that will come through a posture of humility in understanding your mercy, through the knowledge of were my help comes from, and in seeing just a glimpse of your greatness. It just blows me away that each of these are wrapped in the reality of how high, how deep, and how long is your love. Thank you God for mercy. Thank you for help. Thank you for your sovereignty.

Psalm 27 – Beauty of the Lord

I wonder if he meant it. Seriously. I mean really meant it. Okay, I think he did. What I meant was, do we? David wrote in Psalm 27 that he just wanted to gaze upon God and seek him his whole life.

“One thing I ask of the LORD, 
this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.” – Psalm 27:4

We all know David was known as a man after God’s own heart. It wasn’t in his conquests that my spirit affirms that reputation. In contrast, it seems affirmed through statements like the one found in vs. 4. David got it. So the question is, got what?

It.

He knew it was bigger than our own kingdom and pursuits. It was bigger than our successes and failures. It was bigger than position and authority.

It, for David, was simply dwelling with God. He truly valued it. It wasn’t something he had to do once a week (or whenever). He saw it as the gift of God, the ability to dwell with him, and then do… well… whatever we do. Dwell, gaze, seek, become.

The Hebrew word for “beauty” means delight, suitableness, splendor, grace, or pleasantness. This is How David considered the greatness, mystery, and power of God, as beautiful. He wanted to gaze upon him and just soak it in. To just adore him.

Awesome.

Psalm 26 – Strong Statements

“Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.” – Psalm 26:2-3

There are several powerful claims wrapped up in these two verses. It starts with the desire for God to examine our hearts and minds. Stop right there. That’s enough for today. God, David says that he’s willing to let you test and try him. He understands that THAT is the way you examine our hearts and minds.

Forgive me God when I just get mad at you for trials. Forgive me when I act like you’re not being fair. God I’ve asked you to search my heart, yet I don’t know if I’ve ever connected the searching with the testing. I’ve just always thought of them as two disconnected things. I've thought of them as one thing I’d like to happen and one I don’t.

Give me the faith of David to remember that in every test, trial, and examination of our heart and mind, your “love is ever before me”. That makes all the difference in the world.

Help us to walk in continually in your truth, God. Thank you that your truth not only includes righteousness, but also transparency, vulnerability, confession, repentance, reconciliation, and restoration.

Psalm 25 – Fear of Failure

There is a big difference between fear of failure and fear of the Lord. The problem is, most of us don’t see the difference in ourselves. Especially when we’re pursuing success. Yet, it simply changes everything.

“Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.” – Psalm 25:12

The significance of this statement is the promise of instruction for those who fear God, not who fear failure (or even the lack of success) itself. Instead, it’s a promise for those who know and trust the power and ways of God, who fear being out of His will, who fear losing His favor or leading. These come with two different starting points. It comes with two different motives and two different trajectories that will lead us in two different directions. These differences determine our journey.

The problem might be in how we evaluate success in the first place. Our nature is to allow the ends to determine our means. Do we really measure success the way God measures success? That’s a deep rooted and loaded question. There are many layers that have to be peeled away in order to find the truth. And probably only God knows where we stand.

I was having this exact discussion this week with a friend when he said “I’d rather fail than succeed if it meant I had to do it with my own strength rather than God’s leading.”

Sadly enough, I used to perceive a statement like that to be lazy or an obvious excuse for a recent or impending failure. And it may be for some. But for others, it’s really a powerful statement of faith. And I’ve found that when they mean it, they really mean it. (They also seem to be the guys who have peace in their lives…hmmmmmm) According to Psalm 25, if we believe and live by this fear of God, “like an archer shoots an arrow”, He truly will instruct us on our journey.

And any success will be His success. Anything else, will not be credited as success (nor righteousness). Do we believe that? I wonder how offensive it is to God when we claim to be men and women of faith yet fail to live and lead anything close to this way.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” – Psalm 139:23-24

Psalm 24 – Ownership

I've been blessed with a handful of guys who I do "life" with. They've become my sounding board, given me counsel, encouragement, and we share thoughts on scripture (as we read together) on a daily basis. Every now and then I like to pass along what's been passed on to me (instead of giving my own thoughts). Today's one of those days. Good Stuff:

The earth is the Lord’s and all it contains. The world and those who dwell in it. (Psalm 25:1)

There’s a bike ride I like to take that winds through some great farming and horse country at the foothills of the Rockies. Pastures, rolling hills and expansive acreage that house cattle and horses, as well as deer, elk, coyote, and hawk. It’s an incredible area. There’s one particular corner of the road that is a bit sharp and, unfortunately, an old cross stands vigil, marking the place a young person lost their life in a car. Occasionally there are flowers by it, but mostly it is just the worn wood with this verse on it. It’s an interesting epitaph to me because it seems more directed toward the survivors, than as a memorial of the person who died. I always read it as a comfort to parents and siblings that even our children and family members belong to God.

It used to be kind of a sobering reminder that all things die. But this morning, I see it as an encouraging reminder that we will go home to our Father when we are done here. And that knowledge is cause to celebrate, not mourn.

Psalm 23 - Want

This might be the most well known psalm of all. It’s used in a variety of ways. Jews might traditionally sing the Psalm in Hebrew at the third meal of their weekly Sabbath. Most Orthodox Christians recite the Psalm prior to taking communion. And we’re probably most familiar with it being read at the burial site of a funeral.

The verse that stands out to me today is the very first.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” - Psalm 23:1

It’s an easy jump to think about Jesus as shepherd. There is not only authority in the role of shepherd, but a responsibility and ownership of care. A shepherd leads to pasture, keeps the sheep from harm, and stays with the sheep at all times. It’s the “shall not want” part that probably throws most of us off.

Here’s the problem: We want. We struggle with contentment. We so often look for what’s next that many times we don’t even see what’s now. Our want easily turns to need. And needs, when provided for, feel like entitlements. I think this has a lot to do with our starting point.

The phrase “I shall not want” comes from the Hebrew word “chacer”. It literally means, “to lack or be abated, bereave, decrease, fail, to make lower, want.”

In it’s definition we find that it’s not talking about our desire for “stuff”. Instead it’s talking about the provision of the Shepherd. And it's not just the physical. It's the spiritual, the emotional, and the relational. And what he provides is not less than what we need. It is sufficient. It is not “less than”. It is not lacking. It’s saying that we will not be IN want.

And how does this happen? Scripture reminds us that He walks us through the journey. He leads us to pasture. He leads us to waters (vs.2), down paths (vs.3), and through valleys (vs.4), in every season and in every circumstance he is there. In Him, we can know we have what we need. We do not lack. In simply having confidence of His presence, we can find comfort.

And here’s a comforting thought. In the final verse it says that, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me, all the days of my life.” The word goodness literally means good in the “wildest sense” and mercy meaning more obviously “kindness” or love. But the less obvious word “follow” (the Hebrew “radaph”) can be translated “to run after, to chase, or hunt”. What an aggressive promise.

Father, thanks for hunting me down with your goodness and mercy. Thank you for pursuing me, even when I run. Thank you that you are there. As David reminds us in Psalm 23, thank you for restoring my soul, thank you for being my comfort. Amen.

Psalm 22 - Abandoned

We hate being abandoned. We hate even the thought of it. In John 14 the greatest fear that came upon the Disciples was from the thought of Jesus leaving. They were afraid they couldn’t do it alone. They were afraid they would fail, disappoint, stumble, and misrepresent their leader.

I can relate.

That’s why it’s so tough to be in those seasons in which we hear or feel nothing. Does that mean God is not at work? Certainly not. Does it mean that we are standing at a crossroads with an opportunity to find deeper faithfulness in ourselves, most certainly so.

And what about the fact that it bothers us so much when we don’t hear God? Is that a good or bad thing? Should we stop whining and complaining? Should we stop being so hungry? I don’t necessarily think so. I think it’s good when it bothers us deeply when we sense an absence of God’s movement. I would be more concerned if it didn’t bother us.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?

O my God, I cry out by day,
but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.” – Psalm 22:1-3

God’s apparent absence disturbed David greatly. His strategy? Take a posture of humility and remind God of His faithfulness. In fact, he did this about four different times in four different ways in chapter 22.

I think somehow in those two steps, we will find hope and encouragement. The more we take a posture of humility before our God and remind Him of His faithfulness, the more we believe them ourselves. The more we believe them, the more we’ll experience them. Sounds like a journey.

God knows what He’s doing.

“The Spirit of Christ, which was in the prophets, testifies in this psalm, clearly and fully, the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. We have a sorrowful complaint of God's withdrawings. This may be applied to any child of God, pressed down, overwhelmed with grief and terror. Spiritual desertions are the saints' sorest afflictions; but even their complaint of these burdens is a sign of spiritual life, and spiritual senses exercised.” – M.Henry

Psalm 21 – Simple Psalm

I remember as a kid we always said a simple prayer before our meals:

“God is great. God is good. Thank you for this food. Amen.”

Pretty basic. As an adult it seems a bit trivial and almost belittling of the greatness of God. But there is beauty in that simplicity. In it, we expressed his greatness, his goodness, and our position of thanks.

Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might.” – Psalm 21:13

While more words were used, David kept it simple in this 21st Psalm. He basically offers up a “God is good” sandwich. A little bit of “Thank you God” surrounded by two pieces of “God is Great”.

I know, Simple, right?

Here’s the deal. We are so self-focused. If we were to dissect our prayers, we might actually see a little “thank you God”. We’d see a ton of “can you do this for me God”. Often we’d find “what is your will for my life God”. But the “God is great” part is often neglected. Rarely do we say it on it’s own.

How much do we meditate on His greatness? How much do we remind Him of His greatness? How much do we thank Him for his greatness (we thank Him for great things He does, but not usually for who He is)?

God, you truly are great. For every reason, you are great. You spoke and it was. As you will, it will be. Thank you God.

“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” –Psalm 8:3-4

Nehemiah 13 – Ownership

It’s never really sunk in for me the significance that after the wall was finished, Nehemiah left Jerusalem to regain his post with King Artaxerxes. I knew he left, but hadn’t realized that he left without expectation to return and be in charge. That would be hard. To work so hard, oversee such a massive project, then leave it. Much less to leave it and hear of it’s fading back into the dark.

Our nature is to invest of ourselves in something and automatically feel like that effort gives us right of ownership. This is a real problem for those of us in Christian leadership. But Nehemiah knew that the wall project was not about, nor was it for him, it was about and for God.

“Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services.” – Nehemiah 13:14

His leaving does not lesson his significance or the importance of his leadership role. Nehemiah still had a responsibility to speak into the path the people had taken. And he called out on God to protect his leadership investment.

We cannot control others. We can speak truth to them. We can set the example. But we cannot determine their steps. What we can do is ask God to bless our efforts based on our faithfulness. If our hearts are in the right place, if we look at God’s work as God’s work and not ours, Nehemiah shows us that this is a fair request.

Four times Nehemiah requests that God remembers his faithfulness. And in his final statement he asks God to not only remember, but to “remember him with favor.”

The amazing thing about our God is that not only does He allow us to ask him to remember our faithfulness, in the same prayer, He gives us the right to ask him to remember our trespasses no more. That’s humbling. Thank you Lord.

Nehemiah 12 – Call & Response

There were those who volunteered, those who were “drafted”, and those who came as leaders to this new city. But let’s not forget, it was a new city that wasn’t so new. It was in shambles and needed to be rebuilt. It had a new wall, but the city was starting over.

In chapter 12 we see the people doing two things that are related to one another. First they were dedicating their way and second they were giving thanks. They dedicated because they saw God as God. They gave thanks, although their new homes were nothing, because they saw God at work among them. They weren’t giving thanks because they just moved into the coolest condo in downtown Austin. They gave thanks because they had hope. They gave thanks because they knew their current situation was a part of a journey that brought Glory to God.

Their response was to come together, dedicate all that they were and they had to God, and give thanks through song. They were sure to assign great men to lead this task. At least four times in Chapter 12 we see this response mentioned. I’m reminded today of this priority. King David was a worship leader. He stripped down and danced naked before the Lord. Sometimes we act as if worship plays a secondary role and is less primary to our spiritual development journey. We might admit it or agree with that, but if we were to somehow watch a video of us “worshipping”, most unbiased viewers would agree we weren’t laying it all out there as a response to a Holy and all powerful God.

“The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and also Mattaniah, who, together with his associates, was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving. Bakbukiah and Unni, their associates, stood opposite them in the services.” – Neh. 12:8-9

And in it they somehow found great joy. It was a joy from God. And it was their strength.

“And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.” – Neh. 12:43

Makes me wonder why we gather each week. We should, no doubt. It has both OT and NT biblical precedence. The gathering is every bit as important as the sending. In Nehemiah 12, there is no doubt it was about a response to what God was doing and the opportunity to commit personally and as a people to His Glory. It was truly about exaltation.

God I pray for this heart of worship abandonment. I pray that we love your gathering because of its inherent opportunity to express thanks together. I pray that we keep it about you and your Glory. I pray that we keep it an expression of thanksgiving in response to your greatness.

Nehemiah 11 - Business Time

God doesn’t give such a task without reason. He doesn’t hand out jobs just to waste our time. We can be sure that He is up so something. He certainly did not put it in the hearts of his people to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem only to let it immediately fall again to foreign armies. So what was required? They must take residence there.

Their leaders were not only among the people, they made the sacrifice to be there first.

“Now the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of every ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the remaining nine were to stay in their own towns. The people commended all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.” Nehemiah 11:1-2

This truly was a sacrifice. The nation literally gave a tithe of their people, of their sons and daughters, of their brothers and sisters, of their neighbors and friends to this city of God. Yet much more was required of those in leadership. It was good that the leaders of the people set the example by living in Jerusalem. Leaders must set the pattern by their lives. They had no right to expect the people to live in Jerusalem if they themselves were not living there.

And all who lived there were blessed. Verse two tells us that the people “commended” all who volunteered to live there. The word for commended is the Hebrew word, “Barak”, which means to bless or congratulate together.

“It was in these days in the rebuilding of Jerusalem that God asked and important question through the prophet Zechariah: For who has despised the day of small things? (Zechariah 4:10). The answer is, “Many of us have!” But these who offered themselves to willingly live at Jerusalem, so as to take what is small and build it up before the Lord, have decided to not despise the day of small things. (Enduring Word Commentary)”

If such a blessing is reserved for those who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem, there was something special about the challenge of living in Jerusalem.

i. To live in Jerusalem, you had to re-order your view of material things. You had to give up land in your previous region and take up some kind of new business in Jerusalem.

ii. To live in Jerusalem, you had to re-arrange your social priorities, certainly leaving some friends and family behind in your old village.

iii. To live in Jerusalem, you had to have a mind to endure the problems in the city. It had been a ghost town for 70 years, and was now basically a slightly rebuilt, somewhat repopulated ghost town. The city didn’t look all that glorious and it needed work.

iv. To live in Jerusalem, you had to live knowing you were a target for the enemy. There were strong walls to protect you, but since Jerusalem was now a notable city with rebuilt walls, the fear was more from whole armies than bands of robbers. The old village was nice, but not in much danger from great armies.

v. The Bible tells us there is a city coming down from heaven to earth, when God is done with this earth as we know it, and it calls that city New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2). People don’t want to be citizens of the New Jerusalem for the same reasons many didn’t want to be citizens of Nehemiah’s Jerusalem.

I can’t help but think about the sacrifices I’ve made in life for my faith. They seem so small in comparison to what others have made. I’m challenged to not only identify where else these sacrifices should be made, but also how much more I should DELIGHT to dwell “where holy persons and opportunities of spiritual improvement most abound”.

Do we drudgingly move like a first grader getting ready for school on a Monday morning? Or do we pursue, remain, pray, seek or even discover with freshness out of love for the “City of our God”?

“Let us seek first the favor of God, and his glory; let us study to be patient, contented, and useful in our several stations, and wait, with cheerful hope, for admission into the holy city of God.” – Matthew Henry

Nehemiah 10 - Sacred Rites

So once again, the Israelites made a promise. In light and in line with their neglect, here's what they said: "In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it." Promises are a big deal to God. Scripture tells us it's better not to make a promise than to make one and break it. So it would make sense to think them through, especially before we make them to God.

Here are some thoughts from Matthew Henry on Nehemiah 10:

Having covenanted against the sins of which they had been guilty, they obliged themselves to observe the duties they had neglected. We must not only cease to do evil, but learn to do well. Let not any people expect the blessing of God, unless they keep up public worship. It is likely to go well with our houses, when care is taken that the work of God's house goes on well. When every one helps, and every one gives, though but little, toward a good work, the whole will come to be a large sum. We must do what we can in works of piety and charity; and whatever state we are placed in, cheerfully perform our duty to God, which will be the surest way to ease and liberty. As the ordinances of God are the appointed means of support to our souls, the believer will not grudge the expense; yet most people leave their souls to starve.

Nehemiah 9 – Hidden provision

Today's thought comes from a friend. enjoy:

For forty years you sustained them in the desert; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen. (Nehemiah 9:21)

I remember writing up a safety officer in one of my units for an award one time and putting in the line, “we will never be able to measure the number of accidents that did not occur because of his efforts…”, or something to that effect. Essentially, when someone is vigilant or is doing the right things, it becomes impossible to estimate the number of bad things that didn’t occur. In a similar way when God is looking out for us, providing for us, and protecting us, we lose sight of how much evil and misfortune are kept from us. In this retelling of the history of the Israelites, they attempt to highlight some of the simple things that did not happen to them during their 40 years in the desert. Their clothes didn’t wear out! I’ve got t-shirts that don’t last a year, and here are people wearing stuff in the sun and desert for two generations. This is what I would call God’s hidden provision.

In my life I most associate my vehicle with God’s hidden provision. It’s a 1994 Land Cruiser with 229K miles on it. It’s my daily driver and continues to function well enough to get me wherever I need. Whether it’s a two-day drive to Tucson, or daily commutes to drop my daughter off at school. It has required very little maintenance and has kept us from a car payment for about 8 years. The same holds true for the health of our family and the repairs on our house. I thank God that He has protected us from the illnesses, injuries and accidents that would have really put us in a bind financially.

I challenge us today to remember the hidden provisions in our lives, as the Israelites did, and thank God for his grace.