Tag: Blessing

Psalms & Proverbs, wisdom for every season

Telling Our Story, The Whole Story

by Matthew Stidham, posted in Psalms, Romans

“Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story…” – Psalm 107:2

My reading for today took me through Psalm 106-110, and Proverbs 22. Psalm 110 is one of my favorites, a psalm about Jesus our Messiah. But I’ll be teaching on that one soon enough since we’re working our way through Hebrews on Sunday mornings.

What stood out to me most this morning at the end of Book IV and the beginning of Book V of the psalms was the need to tell the story.

For some people in these psalms, the story is one of blessing and God’s rescue.

“They cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains.” – Psalm 107:13-14

For others it’s a story of all the wrong they had committed.

Psalm 106, the final psalm in Book IV, begins by praising the LORD, and again calling Israel to tell the story of God’s power, acknowledging that we cannot even begin to describe the fullness of God’s workings in our world.

“Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD or fully declare his praise?” – Psalm 106:2

And from there, we find the psalmist confessing the sins of the people, telling the story of their unfaithfulness to a faithful God.

“We have sinned, even as our ancestors did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly.” – Psalm 106:6

From there, the psalmist recounts the Exodus, how God had rescued his people, yet his people didn’t appreciate it. Time and time again he worked miracles and showed his kindness to them. Yet how did they respond?

“But they soon forgot what he had done and did not with for his plan to unfold.” – Psalm 106:13

“They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt, miracles in the land of Ham and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.” – Psalm 106:21-22

Over and over again, the psalmist confesses the sins of the people, and then ends with a plea for God’s salvation.

“Save us, LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.” – Psalm 106:47

Just before sitting down to do my daily reading today, I finished setting up and getting ready for Celebrate Recovery tonight. CR teaches the very action the psalmist of 106 is doing on the behalf of himself and his people—confessing.

Step 5:  We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our wrongs.

  • Therefore, confess your sins to each other, and pray for each other, so that you may be healed. (James 5:16)

So often we just want to gloss over the bad times. We only want to sing God’s praises for the good he’s done in our lives.

But it’s important we tell the whole story. We need to talk about the stupid we’ve done and the consequences God brought upon us because of it. We need to talk about our failures, and how God allowed us to experience the pain of our rebellion.

This type of confession teaches us that God is not a cosmic bellhop, simply going along with whatever we want to do, there to serve our wants and wishes at all times.

Instead, he is the God who “works for the good of those who love him” (Rom 8:28), and sometimes that “good” is correcting our destructive behavior by defeating us, and allowing us to experience enough discomfort that we pay attention to our sin and change our ways.

“God works for the good of those who love him.” Telling the truth, and the whole truth, of what God has done in our lives helps us fully understand what Paul meant. All things, both blessings and punishments, help us be the people God has called us to be.

And when we fully understand that, then we can truly begin to give our God the praise he is due.

“Praise be to the LORD, the God if Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the LORD.” – Psalm 106:48

Daily Psalms – Psalm 133

by Matthew Stidham, posted in Psalms, Scripture

Daily Psalm Reading – Psalm 131-135

Today we conclude the psalms of ascents, and continue toward the end of book 5. Have you noticed how this portion of the psalter focuses far more on praise and worship than lament? Psalm 133 has been a favorite of mine since the first time I encountered it. Let’s look at it together.

How good and pleasant it is
    when God’s people live together in unity!

Psalm 133:1 NIV

Unity in God is a blessing that descends to us from our God. Keep in mind this is a psalm of ascent, so this is sung as people from all over go up together to worship. In the context of ancient Israel, this is a reminder, or a pleading for the whole of Israel to be unified. Today all of Christendom needs to hear this plead. As Paul would remind us:

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Ephesians 4:4-6 NIV

Our English translations miss a little theme here in verses 2-3. NIV uses “running down”, “running down,” and “falling on” throughout this Psalm. It’s the same Hebrew word each time , “yarad” which is “descending.”

The imagery of mountains could either be people of high standing (Mt. Hermon the highest mountain) and Mount Zion (much lower in elevation but obviously of great importance to God), or people from the northern kingdom (Hermon) and people from Judah (Zion).

Whatever the psalmist intended, it is clearly a blessing from on high when all who follow our God are one. This blessing is like an anointing that descends to lower places from the head to the beard to the collar. The same blessing descends on the elevated like Mount Hermon and also descends on the lower Mount Zion.

Don’t forget that God blesses the high and the lowly. Our churches are not to be country clubs or exclusive holy huddles/cliques where the select few get to hang out. It is for everyone, high or low, to come together in unity.

“For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.”

Psalm 133:3 NIV

Blessings to you.

Hosanna In The Highest!

by Matthew Stidham, posted in Christianity, Life

All four of the Gospelʼs record the last entry into Jerusalem by Jesus before he was crucified. Iʼm going to use Markʼs account for a reference point.

Mark 11:8-10
8Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
10″Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”
“Hosanna in the highest!”

Now most of us recognize this event in the life of Jesus and have heard it read and referenced time and time again. But today Iʼd like to focus in on just what the people were saying as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Now most of us have heard the word “hosanna” so many times we can’t even begin to count. We sing it in hymns, read it in the Bible, hear preachers say it and people pray using the word hosanna. But I think most of us wouldnʼt be able to give a very accurate definition of the word if asked.

Hosanna is a Hebrew word that literally means “save, we pray,” and throughout the course of time it became a term of praise as well as a prayerful statement of sorts. But when we put this understanding into the context of what was about to happen in the life of Jesus, we can definitely see a drastic change in the hearts and minds of these people in Jerusalem. Here we see the people shouting “Hosanna! Save, we pray!” Theyʼre acknowledging that Jesus was their savior! They are indicating that he has come to them in the name of the Lord! That he is part of the coming of the kingdom promised through the line of David! And in just a few days they would be persuaded by the Pharisees to cry out to Pilate to have Jesus crucified.

How could these people be so double minded? How could they praise Jesus as the savior and then trample him under foot the next moment? Well, maybe we should ask ourselves. After all, donʼt we basically do the same thing when we profess Jesus as Lord and Savior on Sundays, and live the rest of the week as though he were nobody?