Newton wrote, “whoever is well read in these four books, is a wise person, how little soever he may know of what men of the world call science. On the other hand, though a man should be master of the whole circle of classical, polite, and philosophical knowledge, if he has no taste for the Bible, and has no ability to apply it to the works of creation and providence, and his own experience, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. I have pointed out a treasure more wroth than all the volumes in the Vatican.”
Read MoreOur worship becomes man-centered when it is built around our needs and comforts. Ironically, when man looms large over the horizon of worship, then there can be no real or lasting comfort.
Read MoreWhat makes an ideal king? Does it take a large army? Great luxuries of his court? A large harem? These are all the things that godless pagan kings crave after.
Read MoreDo we think God will be pleased if we appear before him with less than a great enthusiasm? How would you feel if your children or friends came to visit you not with joy, but with a begrudging sense of obligation? We should not expect that God will be pleased with what would not please us.
Read MoreMany people take it for granted that worship is supposed to put us at ease. But Psalm 99 teaches us that worship will sometimes leave us shaking like a leaf.
Read MoreEnglish poetry often utilizes rhymes and meters. Thus the repetition of sounds and the cadence of words play important roles. Hebrew poetry (i.e. Psalms), on the other hand, do not utilize rhymes and meters
Read MoreSo, then, let us do both, to weep and to laugh. We will mourn and we will celebrate. And one day his light will drive away all darkness.
Read MoreParents talk about their children. Athletes talk about their games. We can’t help it. We just have to talk about what we love. We are built to find a deep joy in the act of proclaiming our love. That is why we go out of our way to announce our love to everyone and anyone listening.
Read MoreLet us heed these words of exhortation and warning, and enter into God’s rest. For Jesus received our blows, and the Rock of Ages was cleft for us that we might live.
Read MoreOne day all questions will be answered. We will no longer need to ask “Why?” except, perhaps, to say “Why did you love me so? Why were you so faithful to me.” And in view of that hopeful day, we trust and obey today.
Read MoreLouis Armstrong’s 1967 hit “What a Wonderful World” paints a beautiful picture. “I see trees of green, red roses too. I see them bloom, for me and you. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.” Sadly, reality does not measure up to the song, and more often than not, we want to say, “What a crazy world!”
Read MoreWhen grace transplants us into God’s house, there are no more sighs. Instead, we praise. There is now no more wistful remembrance of life’s brevity and frustration. Instead, strength is renewed and a new life of vigor has begun.
Read MoreAll of God’s promises are true. But they are not always fulfilled to our convenience. We may thus be tempted to seek another dwelling place and search for comfort and peace elsewhere than in God.
Read MoreThe song of Moses is also our song. After all, are we not wanderers as well? We are also sojourners looking for a home.
Read MorePsalm 89 is a psalm for when everything is falling apart. God doesn’t seem trustworthy as his promises are unambiguously unfulfilled. If action speaks louder than words, then God’s actions (or inactions) are louder than the words of his promises. This is the kind of existential crisis that can shake us to our core. Do you have a plan when you are in such a time and place? What will you do when your world begins to fall apart?
Read MoreIn view of heaven’s glory, “the worldling’s pleasure” cannot possibly anything more than a mist. Don't live, then, chasing after mist. We have something better, for “solid joys and lasting treasure none but Zion’s children know.”
Read MoreJust what exactly is the “normal” or “ideal” Christian life? Some say that the Christian life is lived most fully when God’s presence and favor are felt close at hand, the heart brims over with joyful praise, and we conquer all our enemies, be they our besetting sins or our enemies. It all sounds so wonderful.
Read MoreWe often misinterpret troubles of life. Life’s troubles certainly need to be resolved. But God ordains life’s troubles to disturb our self-confidence and self-sufficiency, all so that we may at last see the deepest problem of our broken communion with him. Indeed, how does it profit us if we have food, but not the Lord?
Read MoreGrace is often hidden in the shadow of darkness. Our lives as exiles in this world, our remembrance of sin, are indeed sources of grief for us. And yet in God’s hands they work to nurture hope in our hearts. “No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!”
Read MoreSo we trust, in the midst of pain and shock over evil, much of it not our making, that God remains our Shepherd. God has granted us to suffer for a while. Yet he is our good and loving Shepherd. His face shines on us in this dark world.
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