Psalm 102
Psa 102:1 A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you!
Psa 102:2 Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress! Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call!
Psa 102:3 For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace.
Psa 102:4 My heart is struck down like grass and has withered; I forget to eat my bread.
Does this sound like one of your days recently. Have you been in soo much distress that you have even forgot to eat? This is where David is as he is writing this psalm. Grief often destroys the appetite, and the neglect of food tends further to injure the constitution and create a yet deeper sinking of spirit.
once again I am placed in awe of how Spurgeon says it.
"As the smitten flower no longer drinks in the dew, or draws up nutriment from the soft, so a heart parched with intense grief often refuses consolation for itself and nourishment for the bodily frame, and descends at a doubly rapid rate into weakness, despondency, and dismay."
The case here described is by no means rare, we have frequently met with individuals so disordered by sorrow that their memory has failed them even upon such pressing matters as their meals. I know for me that's a big thing to forget so when I find myself so deep in grief that the simple pangs of hunger go unnoticed. What is mere man to do?
Psa 102:5 Because of my loud groaning my bones cling to my flesh.
Psa 102:6 I am like a desert owl of the wilderness, like an owl of the waste places;
I'm lonely and disheartened and forsaken by others to the point where I am living in the "desert." This depression is nearly to depths that a person can go to. When you are not welcomed and hated by others where can you turn?
Psa 102:7 I lie awake; I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.
Psa 102:8 All the day my enemies taunt me; those who deride me use my name for a curse.
Psa 102:9 For I eat ashes like bread and mingle tears with my drink,
Psa 102:10 because of your indignation and anger; for you have taken me up and thrown me down.
Psa 102:11 My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass.
But wait! It gets worse? Wow the pain in his heart is astounding, its almost hard to read about. is there anything worth taking from this psalm? Well yes actually... even at this point in the psalm. The first thing to take form this is that the Lord listens to grief, pour out your heart to him, all the sadness all the pain, He is willing to listen. Compared to what David was going through you might have it pretty easy. The second is listen to the grief that King David has for his people as they were not in a right relationship with God. It is the worst place to be. but his grief comes with a plea for God to show His might to the nations
Psa 102:12 But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations.
Psa 102:13 You will arise and have pity on Zion; it is the time to favor her; the appointed time has come.
Psa 102:14 For your servants hold her stones dear and have pity on her dust.
Psa 102:15 Nations will fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory.
Psa 102:16 For the LORD builds up Zion; he appears in his glory;
Psa 102:17 he regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer.
Psa 102:18 Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD:
Psa 102:19 that he looked down from his holy height; from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,
Psa 102:20 to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die,
Psa 102:21 that they may declare in Zion the name of the LORD, and in Jerusalem his praise,
Psa 102:22 when peoples gather together, and kingdoms, to worship the LORD.
Psa 102:23 He has broken my strength in midcourse; he has shortened my days.
Psa 102:24 "O my God," I say, "take me not away in the midst of my days-- you whose years endure throughout all generations!"
Psa 102:25 Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
Psa 102:26 They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
Psa 102:27 but you are the same, and your years have no end.
Psa 102:28 The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you.
Direct praise to the ultimately powerful God is the only appropriate response to His rescuing mercy. Which David pours out in the next psalm, Ill get to that one later on. So in the end of the matter, Direct your pleas and prayers as well as praise to the Lord who hears all our deepest needs, and is there as a comfort for our grief.
once again as always
striving to be more like Christ
Scott M.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Peace dude
Psalm 18
Psa 18:1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.
He said: I love you, O LORD, my strength.
Psa 18:2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psa 18:3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
Oh what a comforting psalm this is, the comparisons that it brings in are so powerful. As a member of a profession of arms, (yeah yeah input Air Force jokes here) military references mean so much more to me. Such as fortress ,a place to fight battles, a strong building, Stronghold has so much more depth, it is a place of defense, of protection, of safe rest and better yet it is generally where the leader is. Once again Spurgeon hits it right on with.
“The Lord is my rock and my fortress.” Dwelling among the crags and mountain fastnesses of Judea, David had escaped the malice of Saul, and here he compares his God to such a place of concealment and security. Believers are often hidden in their God from the strife of tongues and the fury of the storm of trouble. The clefts of the Rock of Ages are safe abodes."
more and more this becomes a comfort to me, knowing that I can always hide in God's protection. with the recent events at Fort Hood TX, the base here has been doing "extra" to "protect" us, but it is pathetic compared to the protection that David sings about, this awesome peace our LORD grants us. It is somewhat worrying that we could have a person like that terrorist gunman in our armed forces. Not knowing if there is one on my base with me frightens me even more... BUT. I know that's what the terrorist are driving for, that's why we call them TERRORists. Thankfully we do not need to live in fear of them, we have "the Rock"(no not Duane Johnson) on our side (so who can be against us... no really, bring it fools! {sorry about that}), that IS peace to the max for me. David also says...
Psa 18:4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;
Psa 18:5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
Psa 18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
So here comes trouble, barreling down on us from the evil one. Where better to turn than to... if I can steal from Chaucer in "Knights Tale"... The Rock the hard place, we walk in the garden of his turbulence, the ONE, the Only (and here the simile ends) Lord God Al-butt kicking-Mighty? Who side is it better to be on? Just look at all He does in these verses...
Psa 18:7 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry.
Psa 18:8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.
Psa 18:9 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.
Psa 18:10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
Psa 18:11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water.
Psa 18:12 Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
Psa 18:13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.
Psa 18:14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
Psa 18:15 Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
Who have I to fear with Him. Not life, not death, not the fact that one of my wingmen here might be a sleeper cell for a terrorist organization. This is true peace that only the Lord God grants. No where else is it found. Not in a hammock sipping lemonade in some forgotten archipelago, not sitting on top of a mountain, not even when you are being held in the arms of a person that you love and that loves you. This is a supernatural peace, one that doesn't make any worldly logical sense. And yet we have this peace as a gift, we have this Strong fortress to run to. King David isn't finished yet though...
Psa 18:16 He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.
Psa 18:17 He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
Psa 18:18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
Psa 18:19 He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
Psa 18:20 The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
Psa 18:21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
Psa 18:22 For all his rules were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me.
Psa 18:23 I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from my guilt.
Psa 18:24 So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
Psa 18:25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
Psa 18:26 with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
Psa 18:27 For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.
Psa 18:28 For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness.
in verse 19 "he rescued me, because he delighted in me." It amazes me... God delights in us and rescues us not by our own merit as the verses do go on to say eventually. ( now it may appear that it is merit based, according to what David is saying but I belive it to be a foreshadowing of what Christ does for us in dying on the cross imparting His perfect Righteousness on our behalf)...
Psa 18:29 For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
Psa 18:30 This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
Psa 18:31 For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?--
Psa 18:32 the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless.
Psa 18:33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.
Psa 18:34 He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
Once again David the Warrior poet brings us back to the military references. The LORD making him able to do what he would normally not be able to do, or even think of doing.
Psa 18:35 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.
Psa 18:36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.
Psa 18:37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed.
Psa 18:38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet.
Psa 18:39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me.
Psa 18:40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and those who hated me I destroyed.
Psa 18:41 They cried for help, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
Psa 18:42 I beat them fine as dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
Psa 18:43 You delivered me from strife with the people; you made me the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me.
Psa 18:44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me; foreigners came cringing to me.
Psa 18:45 Foreigners lost heart and came trembling out of their fortresses.
Psa 18:46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation--
Psa 18:47 the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me,
Psa 18:48 who delivered me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you rescued me from the man of violence.
Psa 18:49 For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing to your name.
Psa 18:50 Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.
All praise be to our King, Our Rock, our fortress, our stronghold for the peace that He grants us, this peace that passes all understanding. O Brothers and Sisters take Hold of this peace so freely given. Remember David was being chased by King Saul and his army. What have you been through recently that has been that bad? Seriously? To all my spiritual siblings that are struggling, be it with relationships, or sickness, or persecution or even finding time in the day to sit and read God's word. take some time today or tomorrow to rest in his protection to rest in his peace, and give your problems to the Lord let him fight with you. Let Him fight for you.
Seriously... peace out
Scott M.
Psa 18:1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.
He said: I love you, O LORD, my strength.
Psa 18:2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psa 18:3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
Oh what a comforting psalm this is, the comparisons that it brings in are so powerful. As a member of a profession of arms, (yeah yeah input Air Force jokes here) military references mean so much more to me. Such as fortress ,a place to fight battles, a strong building, Stronghold has so much more depth, it is a place of defense, of protection, of safe rest and better yet it is generally where the leader is. Once again Spurgeon hits it right on with.
“The Lord is my rock and my fortress.” Dwelling among the crags and mountain fastnesses of Judea, David had escaped the malice of Saul, and here he compares his God to such a place of concealment and security. Believers are often hidden in their God from the strife of tongues and the fury of the storm of trouble. The clefts of the Rock of Ages are safe abodes."
more and more this becomes a comfort to me, knowing that I can always hide in God's protection. with the recent events at Fort Hood TX, the base here has been doing "extra" to "protect" us, but it is pathetic compared to the protection that David sings about, this awesome peace our LORD grants us. It is somewhat worrying that we could have a person like that terrorist gunman in our armed forces. Not knowing if there is one on my base with me frightens me even more... BUT. I know that's what the terrorist are driving for, that's why we call them TERRORists. Thankfully we do not need to live in fear of them, we have "the Rock"(no not Duane Johnson) on our side (so who can be against us... no really, bring it fools! {sorry about that}), that IS peace to the max for me. David also says...
Psa 18:4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;
Psa 18:5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
Psa 18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
So here comes trouble, barreling down on us from the evil one. Where better to turn than to... if I can steal from Chaucer in "Knights Tale"... The Rock the hard place, we walk in the garden of his turbulence, the ONE, the Only (and here the simile ends) Lord God Al-butt kicking-Mighty? Who side is it better to be on? Just look at all He does in these verses...
Psa 18:7 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry.
Psa 18:8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.
Psa 18:9 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.
Psa 18:10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
Psa 18:11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water.
Psa 18:12 Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
Psa 18:13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.
Psa 18:14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
Psa 18:15 Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
Who have I to fear with Him. Not life, not death, not the fact that one of my wingmen here might be a sleeper cell for a terrorist organization. This is true peace that only the Lord God grants. No where else is it found. Not in a hammock sipping lemonade in some forgotten archipelago, not sitting on top of a mountain, not even when you are being held in the arms of a person that you love and that loves you. This is a supernatural peace, one that doesn't make any worldly logical sense. And yet we have this peace as a gift, we have this Strong fortress to run to. King David isn't finished yet though...
Psa 18:16 He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.
Psa 18:17 He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
Psa 18:18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
Psa 18:19 He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
Psa 18:20 The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
Psa 18:21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
Psa 18:22 For all his rules were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me.
Psa 18:23 I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from my guilt.
Psa 18:24 So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
Psa 18:25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
Psa 18:26 with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
Psa 18:27 For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.
Psa 18:28 For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness.
in verse 19 "he rescued me, because he delighted in me." It amazes me... God delights in us and rescues us not by our own merit as the verses do go on to say eventually. ( now it may appear that it is merit based, according to what David is saying but I belive it to be a foreshadowing of what Christ does for us in dying on the cross imparting His perfect Righteousness on our behalf)...
Psa 18:29 For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
Psa 18:30 This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
Psa 18:31 For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?--
Psa 18:32 the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless.
Psa 18:33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.
Psa 18:34 He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
Once again David the Warrior poet brings us back to the military references. The LORD making him able to do what he would normally not be able to do, or even think of doing.
Psa 18:35 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.
Psa 18:36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.
Psa 18:37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed.
Psa 18:38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet.
Psa 18:39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me.
Psa 18:40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and those who hated me I destroyed.
Psa 18:41 They cried for help, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
Psa 18:42 I beat them fine as dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
Psa 18:43 You delivered me from strife with the people; you made me the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me.
Psa 18:44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me; foreigners came cringing to me.
Psa 18:45 Foreigners lost heart and came trembling out of their fortresses.
Psa 18:46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation--
Psa 18:47 the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me,
Psa 18:48 who delivered me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you rescued me from the man of violence.
Psa 18:49 For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing to your name.
Psa 18:50 Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.
All praise be to our King, Our Rock, our fortress, our stronghold for the peace that He grants us, this peace that passes all understanding. O Brothers and Sisters take Hold of this peace so freely given. Remember David was being chased by King Saul and his army. What have you been through recently that has been that bad? Seriously? To all my spiritual siblings that are struggling, be it with relationships, or sickness, or persecution or even finding time in the day to sit and read God's word. take some time today or tomorrow to rest in his protection to rest in his peace, and give your problems to the Lord let him fight with you. Let Him fight for you.
Seriously... peace out
Scott M.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
I was Glad
Psa 122:1 A Song of Ascents. Of David.
I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!"
Ahh... this is one verse that I enjoyed so very much while I was at basic training. Not only for the joke behind it, but also for the further meaning that I took from its words. Now let me give you some back story to this aforementioned joke...
at basic training Sundays pretty much everyone goes to church, even those who would never step a foot inside on the outside world. Oddly enough the reason everyone chooses to go to church is the same. "Just get me out of the dorm and away from the MTI for two hours!" So we all united under the banner of "get out of there" on Sunday mornings. God blessed me with this verse in one of the first devotional times I had at basic. I claimed it many times but mostly for the out of context reason of getting out. David on the other hand had an amazing reason to "be glad." Spurgeon talks about it in his commentary on the Psalms, and I love how he says it.
Good children are pleased to go home, and glad to hear their brothers and sisters call them thither. David's heart was in the worship of God, and he was delighted when he found others inviting him to go where his desires had already gone: it helps the ardour of the most ardent to hear others inviting them to a holy duty.
I can only hope one day to be able to write like that. How many of us though actually are glad when you hear others say "lets go to church." I know for me I have not taken joy in that some mornings "well let me pound down my coffee and my bagel with cream cheese, If only God wouldn't want us to worship Him in the mornings then I could get more sleep and not have to wear this stupid tie, oh great the dog just brushed up against my leg so I have to get all that hair off now." How close does that compare to how you think on Sundays, is there great joy in your heart. King David was crazy exited to go worship, and to go with others made him glad. If we were more like that imagine how different "church going" would be...
Striving to be more like Christ
Scott
I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!"
Ahh... this is one verse that I enjoyed so very much while I was at basic training. Not only for the joke behind it, but also for the further meaning that I took from its words. Now let me give you some back story to this aforementioned joke...
at basic training Sundays pretty much everyone goes to church, even those who would never step a foot inside on the outside world. Oddly enough the reason everyone chooses to go to church is the same. "Just get me out of the dorm and away from the MTI for two hours!" So we all united under the banner of "get out of there" on Sunday mornings. God blessed me with this verse in one of the first devotional times I had at basic. I claimed it many times but mostly for the out of context reason of getting out. David on the other hand had an amazing reason to "be glad." Spurgeon talks about it in his commentary on the Psalms, and I love how he says it.
Good children are pleased to go home, and glad to hear their brothers and sisters call them thither. David's heart was in the worship of God, and he was delighted when he found others inviting him to go where his desires had already gone: it helps the ardour of the most ardent to hear others inviting them to a holy duty.
I can only hope one day to be able to write like that. How many of us though actually are glad when you hear others say "lets go to church." I know for me I have not taken joy in that some mornings "well let me pound down my coffee and my bagel with cream cheese, If only God wouldn't want us to worship Him in the mornings then I could get more sleep and not have to wear this stupid tie, oh great the dog just brushed up against my leg so I have to get all that hair off now." How close does that compare to how you think on Sundays, is there great joy in your heart. King David was crazy exited to go worship, and to go with others made him glad. If we were more like that imagine how different "church going" would be...
Striving to be more like Christ
Scott
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