Burunche’s Blog

 I Stretch Out My Hands to You A Psalm of David.

“O LORD, hear my prayer. In Your faithfulness, give ear to my plea; in Your righteousness, answer me. Do not bring Your servant into judgment, for no one alive is righteous before You. For the enemy has pursued my soul, crushing my life to the ground, making me dwell in darkness like those long since dead.

My spirit grows faint within me; my heart is dismayed inside me. I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I consider the work of Your hands. I stretch out my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a parched land. Selah (Pause and calmly think on that)

Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide Your face from me, or I will be like those who go down to the Pit. Let me hear Your loving devotion in the morning, for I have put my trust in You. Teach me the way I should walk, for to You I lift up my soul.

Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD; I flee to You for refuge. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. May Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. For the sake of Your name, O LORD, revive me. In Your righteousness, bring my soul out of trouble. And in Your loving devotion, cut off my enemies. Wipe out all who afflict me, for I am Your servant.”

“O LORD, hear my prayer. In Your faithfulness, give ear to my plea; in Your righteousness, answer me. Do not bring Your servant into judgment, for no one alive is righteous before You. For the enemy has pursued my soul, crushing my life to the ground, making me dwell in darkness like those long since dead.”  David is under attack, probably from Saul and possibly from other directions as well. Sometimes leaders may feel as if they have giant targets all over them and everybody around them is shooting at them. Whatever is going on, David feels he is caught in a dark place with no protection. God doesn’t need reminding about His nature; however, David is desperately trying to remind himself of God’s faithfulness and righteousness. If God fails David, David will die quickly and painfully.

“My spirit grows faint within me; my heart is dismayed inside me. I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I consider the work of Your hands. I stretch out my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a parched land. Selah (Pause and calmly think on that)” Which “days of old” is David thinking about? Perhaps David is remembering herding sheep in the wilderness, watching for wild beasts and composing songs to God. Given the chance, David would happily return to herding sheep; at least all he would have to worry about then would be wild animals and not treacherous people pretending to be friends while they conspire against him.

Stretching out one’s hands may carry a variety of meanings. We stretch out our hands in worship. If our favorite athletic team is winning, we wave our hands in triumph. But many times outstretched hands are a sign of begging and desperate petition.  If we are drowning, we will wave our hands in hopes someone will save us. In David’s day, it was common for those asking something from a ruler to prostrate themselves while stretching out their hands. This desperate gesture is what David is referring to here.

 “Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide Your face from me, or I will be like those who go down to the Pit. Let me hear Your loving devotion in the morning, for I have put my trust in You. Teach me the way I should walk, for to You I lift up my soul.” David has been hanging on to fraying hopes; however, he’s not sure how much longer he can continue. Confused and disillusioned, David really needs God’s guidance. David really feels that he’s at the end of his rope and the rope is about to fall apart.

“Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD; I flee to You for refuge. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. May Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. For the sake of Your name, O LORD, revive me. In Your righteousness, bring my soul out of trouble. And in Your loving devotion, cut off my enemies. Wipe out all who afflict me, for I am Your servant.” David is waving his hands at God again and begging for deliverance. Most of us can relate.

APPLICATION: Let’s face it, there are times when all of us feel as if we are drowning in minutiae, being stoned to death with popcorn. It’s not necessarily the big stuff that gets to us; it can be lots of little junk that builds up until we feel totally stifled. At such times, it’s difficult to know which way to turn. I have a friend whose beloved wife suffered a series of health catastrophes that forced her to stay in nursing homes for more than a year. During that time, COVID hit, and finding a place that could care for my friend’s wife became a daunting challenge. At one point, my friend found himself driving 40 miles one way several times a week to check on his wife, even while he battled his own health problems. Don’t let anybody lie to you; old age is most definitely NOT for sissies! Happily, my friend’s wife eventually made it home and is doing well, but during their ordeal, I’m certain they both felt like waving their hands frantically at God and yelling for help.

David’s psalms have helped and encouraged people for centuries precisely because David expresses his depression, his fears, and his feeling of being overwhelmed. It’s amazing to remember that this is also the same man whom God calls “a man after His own heart.” David’s psalms are proof positive that even heroes of the faith suffer their crises, and that God is the only reliable Source of help. So if you’re feeling overwhelmed, wave your hands at God and yell for help. God will always answer.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us feel overwhelmed and in need of deliverance. Help us to turn to You for all our needs. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

 I Lift My Voice to the LORD (1 Samuel 22:1-5; Psalm 57:1-11) A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A prayer.

“I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift my voice to the LORD for mercy. I pour out my complaint before Him; I reveal my trouble to Him.

Although my spirit grows faint within me, You know my way. Along the path I travel they have hidden a snare for me.

Look to my right and see; no one attends to me. There is no refuge for me; no one cares for my soul. I cry to You, O LORD: “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”

Listen to my cry, for I am brought quite low. Rescue me from my pursuers, for they are too strong for me. Free my soul from prison, that I may praise Your name. The righteous will gather around me because of Your goodness to me.”

“I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift my voice to the LORD for mercy. I pour out my complaint before Him; I reveal my trouble to Him.” David is a young warrior on the run from King Saul, who is trying to kill David so that David cannot succeed Saul. David and his men are hiding in a cave and hoping nobody will betray them to Saul.

“Although my spirit grows faint within me, You know my way. Along the path I travel they have hidden a snare for me.”  After years of being on the run, David has few illusions left; he’s seen too many people try to get close to him only so they can betray him to Saul for a reward. David knows that only God has delivered him from the traps set by his enemies.

“Look to my right and see; no one attends to me. There is no refuge for me; no one cares for my soul. I cry to You, O LORD: “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”  David is a realist; many of his men have joined him because they are exiles with no other place to go, not because they are so dedicated to David. If Saul were suddenly to announce an amnesty for anyone previously supporting David, David might fing himself without any supporters. God is the only One on whom David can rely.

“Listen to my cry, for I am brought quite low. Rescue me from my pursuers, for they are too strong for me. Free my soul from prison, that I may praise Your name. The righteous will gather around me because of Your goodness to me.” David is sitting in this cave in the dark while his men sleep around him. What’s going to happen tomorrow? Will Saul finally capture David? If Saul captures David, how gruesome a death will David suffer? Are there really any righteous people left in Israel, or has everybody deserted God to follow Saul? Is God really going to deliver David, or has David made a mistake in trusting God?

APPLICATION: Why do people follow leaders? Many follow for personal gain. Some follow for political reasons. A few might follow because they share the same vision as the leader and believe in that call to leadership.

One challenge for any leader is handling all these various classes of followers, no matter their motivation. A second challenge is to encourage those who have mixed motives to commit to the leader’s vision. (Some days, this process closely resembles attempting to herd cats!)

These days, most organizations have both a mission and vision statement. The purpose of these statements is to focus the attentions of workers so they will hopefully work together for these common goals. But organizations are only as good as their leadership; no leadership means chaos! No matter how glowing the mission and vision statements are, if the uppermost leadership fails to fulfill them, the rest of the workers will ignore them. The Bible tells us that “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. “ (Proverbs 29:18)

What’s your mission in life? What is your vision for fulfilling that mission? By now, you might be scratching your head and saying, “I don’t have a clue!” Ask God. God has not created you by accident; God has wonderful plans for your life if you will only ask Him to reveal them. But be ready for the first suggestions to be simple ones. God can work in small details as well as big ones, and most of us are not rich, famous, or outstanding, apart from God. Let’s pray.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, thank You for Your purposes for our lives. Open our eyes to see Your purposes and to fulfill them. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Come Quickly to Me (Psalm 70:1-5; Jeremiah 11:18-23; Jeremiah 18:18-23)

A Psalm of David.

“I call upon You, O LORD; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to You.

May my prayer be set before You like incense, my uplifted hands like the evening offering.

Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips.

Do not let my heart be drawn to any evil thing or take part in works of wickedness with men who do iniquity; let me not feast on their delicacies.

Let the righteous man strike me; let his rebuke be an act of loving devotion. It is oil for my head; let me not refuse it.

For my prayer is ever against the deeds of the wicked. When their rulers are thrown from the cliffs, the people will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.

As when one plows and breaks up the soil, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol. But my eyes are fixed on You, O GOD the Lord. In You I seek refuge; do not leave my soul defenseless.

Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, and from the lures of evildoers. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.”

“I call upon You, O LORD; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to You. May my prayer be set before You like incense, my uplifted hands like the evening offering.”  We don’t know when David wrote this psalm, but it’s possible that he is on the run, hiding from Saul yet once more. While David can still pray, he doesn’t dare participate in a sacrifice of any kind; smoke would attract his enemies. This is why David begs the Lord to accept his prayers and his uplifted hands instead.

“Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips.” Even though David is surrounded by men allegedly loyal to him, he really can’t be certain that one of them won’t betray him to Saul. Even if David is as careful as possible, someone might still quote him out of context.

“Do not let my heart be drawn to any evil thing or take part in works of wickedness with men who do iniquity; let me not feast on their delicacies.” After weeks on the run, living off whatever game they can catch and any fruit that’s in season, and after sleeping in caves, delicious food and a soft bed might sound quite appealing. There are those who would entice David to relax from his suffering for a little while, but their voices are demonic.  

“Let the righteous man strike me; let his rebuke be an act of loving devotion. It is oil for my head; let me not refuse it.”  If you want to grow spiritually and intellectually, surround yourself with people who will tell you hard truths and who will hold you accountable. If you insist on surrounding yourself with “yes men,” you will deteriorate rather than growing. God is a God of truth, not a God of lies and flattery.

“For my prayer is ever against the deeds of the wicked. When their rulers are thrown from the cliffs, the people will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.” WOW! David, tell us how you really feel! As long as there are wicked rulers to tell people what they want to hear, people will refuse the truth. Only when those rulers are removed will people be willing to face reality rather than the delusions they have accepted. Unfortunately, there may be no other way to remove those rulers than for them to be literally or figuratively be thrown from the cliffs. Only radical surgery will work.

 “As when one plows and breaks up the soil, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol. But my eyes are fixed on You, O GOD the Lord. In You I seek refuge; do not leave my soul defenseless.“ David feels as if his body has been shattered into little pieces at the mouth of hell, but even in his suffering, David is still trusting God to revive and defend him.

“Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, and from the lures of evildoers. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.”  The mental image here is of hidden snares and nets set to catch birds and small animals. David is begging God to keep his feet out of those traps while allowing the wicked to be caught in their own devices.

APPLICATION: This psalm could be nicknamed “The Leader’s Psalm.” Just try leading righteously and you will swiftly learn who your friends are and aren’t! In this day of TikTok videos, photoshopped pictures, and recordings of phone conversations, no leader can be too careful. After days and weeks and months of struggle and controversy, a little rest and relaxation might seem extremely appealing, but such indulgence may prove fatal. Only God can help us avoid the traps others have laid for us.

The prayer for God to guard our mouths is particularly necessary. It is lamentably easy to yield to the temptation to dismiss someone with a few sharp words and a lifted eyebrow; however, you may do so at your peril. You never know the extent of someone else’s political or family connections. Sadly, many of those who appear to be sympathetic are merely playing along to catch you out in a misstatement.

I began my surgical career at a time when there were far fewer women in surgery than there are now. As a female surgery resident, I struggled against all kinds of prejudice and erroneous assumptions. I was interviewing for a position as a surgical resident at a big university somewhere in the southern part of the U.S. The secretary to the professor who was about to interview me warned me that he was hard on females. She was not kidding! That man’s opening statement in my interview was, “Well, honey, I’ve never known a woman surgeon who was any damn good!” I thought, “Well, when the meek inherit the earth, I’m going to be the last one in line.” Then I responded, “Sir, if I thought I would be no damn good, I wouldn’t be sitting here in your office!”

During my career as a missionary doctor, I have had workers misinterpret my statements and then try to excuse themselves by claiming that they don’t understand my American accent. But sometimes I haven’t been speaking English, but a tribal language.

At the end of the day, we can still pray with David, “Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, and from the lures of evildoers. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.” This prayer leaves the judgment of evil doers to God but frees us to trust Him to deliver us.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help all in leadership to trust You and to worship You, no matter how difficult things become. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.  

Rescue Me from Evil Men-For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

“Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men. Protect me from men of violence, who devise evil in their hearts and stir up war all day long. They sharpen their tongues like snakes; the venom of vipers is on their lips. Selah (Pause and calmly think on that.)

Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked. Keep me safe from men of violence who scheme to make me stumble. The proud hide a snare for me; the cords of their net are spread along the path, and lures are set out for me. Selah (Pause and calmly think on that.)

I say to the LORD, “You are my God.” Hear, O LORD, my cry for help. O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You shield my head in the day of battle. Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked; do not promote their evil plans, lest they be exalted. Selah (Pause and calmly think on that.)

May the heads of those who surround me be covered in the trouble their lips have caused. May burning coals fall on them; may they be thrown into the fire, into the miry pits, never to rise again. May no slanderer be established in the land. May calamity hunt down the man of violence.

I know that the LORD upholds justice for the poor and defends the cause of the needy. Surely the righteous will praise Your name; the upright will dwell in Your presence.”

“Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men. Protect me from men of violence, who devise evil in their hearts and stir up war all day long. They sharpen their tongues like snakes; the venom of vipers is on their lips. Selah (Pause and calmly think on that.)” We don’t know exactly when David wrote this psalm’ however, it’s obvious that David is under attack, not only physically but mentally. David’s enemies are spreading all kinds of vicious rumors, the kind of thing that is impossible to contradict. Just as David thinks he’s laid one rumor to rest, three others pop up. The attack is relentless.   

“Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked. Keep me safe from men of violence who scheme to make me stumble. The proud hide a snare for me; the cords of their net are spread along the path, and lures are set out for me. Selah (Pause and calmly think on that.)” Whatever is happening, David finds himself threading a way through all kinds of traps and lures. Perhaps his enemies have sent a gorgeous young lady to seduce him-hey, it worked with Samson! Perhaps his enemies are offering bribes. Worst of all, perhaps David’s enemies have induced one of his long-time friends to try to sway him, so that he will take a disastrous decision and betray himself.

“I say to the LORD, “You are my God.” Hear, O LORD, my cry for help. O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You shield my head in the day of battle. Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked; do not promote their evil plans, lest they be exalted. Selah (Pause and calmly think on that.)”  David wants to believe that God is truly righteous and holy and that God will protect him; however, the attacks are escalating. David begs God to come through for him and protect him. Surely a righteous God will not allow the schemes of the wicked to succeed….will He?

 “May the heads of those who surround me be covered in the trouble their lips have caused. May burning coals fall on them; may they be thrown into the fire, into the miry pits, never to rise again. May no slanderer be established in the land. May calamity hunt down the man of violence.” Notice that David is begging God to allow the wicked to reap the results of their wickedness. One of the immutable laws of the Kingdom of God is that “the measure you give out is the measure you will receive.” What goes around, comes around. The horrible fates David is forecasting for his enemies are simply the same things that they have already tried to do to David.  

“I know that the LORD upholds justice for the poor and defends the cause of the needy. Surely the righteous will praise Your name; the upright will dwell in Your presence.”  David is ending the psalm by this affirmation of faith, but there’s also an underlying note of “God, please don’t fail me!”

APPLICATION: Ever notice that troubles seem to come in bunches? Many times, you might feel that you are caught in some kind of cosmic “Whack a mole” game where you just knock off one problem, only for three more to pop up. (Whack a Mole exists in several forms, including video games. The idea is to bop as many moles as possible over the head as they pop up.) When we first arrived in our current station decades ago, I took over from an individual who had been systematically looting the clinic and using its small revenues to float soft loans for all his relatives and himself. I had to do an exorcism on the pharmacy because he had been meeting his mistress there. Junior nurses were carrying wild stories about me to the Regional Director of Health Services because someone failed to introduce me to him properly.

I had barely succeeded in bringing some sanity to the clinic finances when a tribal war broke out in 1994 and we became the only facility at which 100,000 members of one tribe could safely receive medical treatment. And we were doing all this without electricity or running water. My husband and I were the only ones who could run out to buy drugs and consumables because all our other workers ran the risk of being shot and killed. Truly, it was God who cared for us during all these problems.

Perhaps today is your day for “cosmic whack a mole.” You feel so stressed that it’s impossible for you to pray. Let this psalm, or part of it, become your prayer. You can beg God to rescue you from the wicked and to uphold justice and defend the cause of the needy. God knows your heart and God already knows your problems. Turn to Him, and remember that God does not play favorites. God delivered David and God will also deliver you.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us feel overwhelmed by our problems. Our troubles appear to be multiplying by the minute. But You are the God who can still storms and You are the One who delivered David out of all his problems. Lord, deliver us and help us to trust You and to praise You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

You Have Searched Me and Known Me-For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

“O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, O LORD.

You hem me in behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle by the farthest sea, even there Your hand will guide me; Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me”—even the darkness is not dark to You, but the night shines like the day, for darkness is as light to You.

For You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed body; all my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be. How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God, how vast is their sum! If I were to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand; and when I awake, I am still with You.

O God, that You would slay the wicked—away from me, you bloodthirsty men—who speak of You deceitfully; Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD, and detest those who rise against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them as my enemies.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.”

“O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, O LORD.” Without a doubt, this psalm is one of the gems in the psalm treasury. Want encouragement? Read Psalm 139! Feel as if nobody loves you? Read Psalm 139! David begins this psalm by praising God for knowing him better than he knows himself. God knows us warts and all and continues to love us anyway!

“You hem me in behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle by the farthest sea, even there Your hand will guide me; Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me”—even the darkness is not dark to You, but the night shines like the day, for darkness is as light to You.” I was raised on the King James Version, and I love that translation for the truth it portrays: ‘If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea…” My husband has a friend who was in the submarine service; this translation would be particularly meaningful for anyone in that situation. There is literally nowhere in the world where God will not find you. God is not bothered by darkness because “in Him is light, and the light is the life of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5 uses the past tense, but for God, there is no past, only a continuous present.)

“For You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.” Life begins when a baby is conceived and God knows every cell of that baby’s body. Does this mean that abortion is wrong? Yes! Abortion is murder, no matter how much someone wants to claim that “that’s only a piece of tissue.” A vaginal ultrasound can detect a baby’s heartbeat as early as five and a half-six weeks, but even before that, the fetus is growing. Dead things don’t grow; only live things grow.

“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be. How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God, how vast is their sum! If I were to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand; and when I awake, I am still with You.” Whether we are awake or asleep, God remains with us. God is infinite, and so are His thoughts.  

“O God, that You would slay the wicked—away from me, you bloodthirsty men—who speak of You deceitfully; Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD, and detest those who rise against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them as my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.” ” Throughout David’s life, he continued to repudiate evil. Even when David fell into adultery, he repented completely. Not only did David repent, but David also gave God complete permission to confront him with “any offensive way” in which David might have sinned. Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.” We all mess up, but when we copy David and repent, God forgives us and cleans us up.

APPLICATION: My Great Grandfather Gustaf Bjorling was born in 1870. When Gust was about to leave Sweden in 1887 at the age of 17, the pastor of his home church in Ovanaker, Sweden, counseled him using Psalm 139 to encourage him that no matter where Gust went, God would be there before him. Gust never forgot that counsel and passed his faith on to his children. I only learned that story when we were preparing to come to Ghana for the first time. That was when my father shared this glorious bit of family history with me.

I titled this study as I did for a reason. Apart from a few flaming narcissists, the rest of us are quite aware of our shortcomings. No matter how hard we try, sometimes we mess up, saying things we shouldn’t say and doing things we shouldn’t do. God is purely holy and dwells in unapproachable light due to His holiness. If God were not to come near us, we would never be able to approach God in any fashion. Psalm 139 assures us that God knows all the nasty details of our lives and cares for us despite them; in fact, God has known us ever since we were first conceived and has loved us for all that time.

“But,” you protest, “how do we know that God loves us?” John 3:16 gives the answer. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosever would believe in him would not perish but would have everlasting life.” All of us are born with a sin problem, and sin must be paid for with blood. But since we are sinful, even if we were to commit suicide, we would still be offering sinful blood. Only the blood of God’s Son Jesus Christ, fully man and fully God, is a sufficient sacrifice for our sins. Praise God! The sacrifice has been made and God now offers eternal life to all who will believe in Him and who will believe in Jesus. Believing in Jesus means that we accept Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf and dedicate our lives to serving God rather than ourselves.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we bless You and praise You for allowing Jesus to become the perfect blood sacrifice for our sins. Help us to trust in You completely. We turn our lives over to You and beg You to help us so that we will follow You and not our own desires. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

A Thankful Heart – Of David.

“I give You thanks with all my heart; before the gods I sing Your praises. I bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your loving devotion and Your faithfulness; You have exalted Your name and Your word above all else.

On the day I called, You answered me; You emboldened me and strengthened my soul. All the kings of the earth will give You thanks, O LORD, when they hear the words of Your mouth. They will sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great.

Though the LORD is on high, He attends to the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar. If I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve me from the anger of my foes; You extend Your hand, and Your right hand saves me. The LORD will fulfill His purpose in me. O LORD, Your loving devotion endures forever—

do not abandon the works of Your hands.”

“I give You thanks with all my heart; before the gods I sing Your praises. I bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your loving devotion and Your faithfulness; You have exalted Your name and Your word above all else.”  

How much respect do we really have for God’s Word? If we are in a worship service and the leader begins reading the Bible, do we zone off into Facebook rather than listening? Or do we look up the scripture on a cell phone or tablet or in our Bibles? If God honors His Word even above His Name, we should be paying close attention!

“On the day I called, You answered me; You emboldened me and strengthened my soul. All the kings of the earth will give You thanks, O LORD, when they hear the words of Your mouth. They will sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great.” David evidently has written this psalm and he is referring to some crisis in his life when he was ready to give up and God strengthened him.

“Though the LORD is on high, He attends to the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar. If I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve me from the anger of my foes; You extend Your hand, and Your right hand saves me. The LORD will fulfill His purpose in me. O LORD, Your loving devotion endures forever—

do not abandon the works of Your hands.” David is affirming that God has protected him and will continue to protect him. The underlined verse is sometimes interpreted as “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me.” When we trust in God, we can be certain that he will bring all His purposes in our lives to fruition. God will not abandon the works of His hands.

APPLICATION: As I am writing this Bible study, our head of nursing and I are worried about one of the student nurses currently doing an attachment at our hospital. While we try to help as many needy students as possible, we cannot help everybody. Now we have learned that one young lady might not be able to continue her nursing course because her brothers are refusing to continue to pay her school fees. The hospital has closed sponsorship for the year because our funds are limited and sponsorship means that we will have to find an employment slot for that individual once he or she completes training. Can we trust God to perfect His purposes for this young lady? Where do we fit into this scenario? Right now, we have more questions than answers.

One of the problems we have with Divine Providence is that God frequently works far more slowly than we desire. We want quick action and quick answers. “God, give me patience and give it to me right now!” But we must continue to trust that God knows more than we do. One pastor friend used to tell us, “God is in management; we are only in advertising.”

Perhaps you are in one of those in-between situations. You are waiting on God but He seems to be taking a long time to act. Hang in there! God knows the end from the beginning and He will bring His purposes to a successful conclusion.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, please help us to trust that You ARE fulfilling Your purposes for us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

By the Rivers of Babylon (Ezekiel 1:1-3)

“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors requested a song; our tormentors demanded songs of joy: “Sing us a song of Zion.”

How can we sing a song of the LORD in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand cease to function. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem as my greatest joy!

Remember, O LORD, the sons of Edom on the day Jerusalem fell: “Destroy it,” they said, “tear it down to its foundations!” O Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, blessed is he who repays you as you have done to us. Blessed is he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.”

This psalm begins with a reference to Ezekiel 1:1-3. “In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles by the River Kebar, the heavens opened and I saw visions of God. On the fifth day of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin— the word of the LORD came directly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Kebar. And there the LORD’s hand was upon him.”  Jerusalem has fallen to the Babylonians. After centuries of idolatry and moral degradation, God has finally brought judgement just as He promised the Israelites in the Song of Moses. Deuteronomy 32:15-19 tells us, “But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—

becoming fat, bloated, and gorged. He abandoned the God who made him and scorned the Rock of his salvation. They provoked His jealousy with foreign gods; they enraged Him with abominations. They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they had not known, to newly arrived gods, which your fathers did not fear. You ignored the Rock who brought you forth; you forgot the God who gave you birth. When the LORD saw this, He rejected them, provoked to anger by His sons and daughters.”

God gave Moses the song recorded in Deuteronomy 32 as a warning to the Israelites, for them to teach it to succeeding generations. But the Israelites failed to heed the warning or to teach it to their children. Instead, the Israelites got caught up in a myriad of fertility cults, cults demanding child sacrifice, etc. God allowed the Israelites plenty of time to repent, but they only got worse. Finally, God allowed the Assyrians to conquer the Northern Kingdom and the Babylonians to conquer Judah and Jerusalem.

Among the captives, there were some true believers in the One True Living God. Now those people are stuck in Babylon with the Babylonians mocking them by demanding they sing worship songs to entertain the Babylonians. The Jews are so discouraged that they have hung up their harps on the trees; however, their captors are insisting they should sing. Worship in Jerusalem was simple; however, how can these exiles worship God in Babylon? If they sing worship songs, will God smite them for heresy?

Who are the “sons of Edom?” Edom is a neighboring country inhabited by the descendants of Ishmael, Abraham’s first-born son. Yes, conflict in the Middle East has been ongoing for thousands of years. Rather than rejoicing over the fall of Jerusalem, the Edomites should have assisted the Jews, but they have not. The psalm ends by the writer prophesying destruction for the Babylonians and applauding anybody who will do to the Babylonian infants what the Babylonians have already done to infants in Jerusalem. Why destroy infants? Babies are the future hope for any nation. Destroy babies and you destroy the future of that nation.

APPLICATION: How can we celebrate God when we are in a foreign land? My husband and I have spent most of our lives in Ghana; this next July will mark 36 years since we first arrived in Accra. We joke that we are “Ghamericans;” we can never be fully Ghanaian, and we have spent so long in Ghana that we are no longer fully American either. We have found that readjusting to American culture is far more difficult than returning to Ghana. When we are in America, we are always in danger of speaking a language those around us will not understand. If we attend a charismatic church where people dance during worship, we are likely to dance Ashante adowa or Konkomba kinachung, rather than copying those around us. To borrow a phrase from one of our friends, we are hanging like bats. But no matter how strange things feel, we should still worship.

In the psalm, the musicians have hung their harps on the poplar trees because they feel too sad to try to worship. But we must worship even when we don’t feel like it. I have previously quoted one writer as saying that a sacrifice of praise is generally pushed out between clenched teeth. If we feel like worshiping, we aren’t really sacrificing anything. True sacrifice means yielding up something even when we don’t want to.

What about the gruesome wish at the end of the psalm? That prediction actually came to pass. One of the laws of the Kingdom of God is that the measure you give out is the measure you will receive. Eventually, Babylon was conquered by another principality, and undoubtedly, those conquerors did destroy infants in this gruesome fashion. The act of dashing a helpless baby on rocks was used to symbolize the dashing of the hopes of a conquered nation.

The lesson from this psalm is that we should continue to worship, even when we find ourselves in foreign territory. God will accept the worship, even if it begins because someone else is forcing us to perform for them. God knows our hearts. And worship doesn’t have to be elaborate. At one point during my training, I found myself in a very trying situation. I maintained my sanity and composure by chanting “Praise you, Jesus! Praise you, Jesus! “ under my breath as I walked through the hospital halls.

Today, you might find yourself feeling totally out of place. Use those feelings as a reminder to praise God, even if you must struggle to find reasons to do so. Praise helps change situations. A Gospel song of several decades ago says, “Praise the Lord, for the chains that seem to bind you serve only to remind you that they fall powerless behind you when you praise.”

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us feel caught in strange situations where we struggle to see any light. Help us to praise You even when it’s difficult, knowing that You inhabit the praises of Your people and that You can change our situations and vaporize barriers. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

His Loving Devotion Endures Forever (2 Chronicles 7:1-3; Psalm 135:1-21)

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His loving devotion endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods. His loving devotion endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His loving devotion endures forever.

He alone does great wonders. His loving devotion endures forever.

By His insight He made the heavens. His loving devotion endures forever.

He spread out the earth upon the waters. His loving devotion endures forever.

He made the great lights—His loving devotion endures forever.

the sun to rule the day, His loving devotion endures forever.

the moon and stars to govern the night. His loving devotion endures forever.

He struck down the firstborn of Egypt His loving devotion endures forever.

and brought Israel out from among them His loving devotion endures forever.

with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. His loving devotion endures forever.

He divided the Red Sea in two His loving devotion endures forever.

and led Israel through the midst, His loving devotion endures forever.

but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea. His loving devotion endures forever.

He led His people through the wilderness. His loving devotion endures forever.

He struck down great kings His loving devotion endures forever.

and slaughtered mighty kings—His loving devotion endures forever.

Sihon king of the Amorites His loving devotion endures forever.

and Og king of Bashan—His loving devotion endures forever.

and He gave their land as an inheritance, His loving devotion endures forever.

a heritage to His servant Israel. His loving devotion endures forever.

He remembered us in our low estate His loving devotion endures forever.

and freed us from our enemies. His loving devotion endures forever.

He gives food to every creature. His loving devotion endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of heaven! His loving devotion endures forever.”

The pilgrims are still on their way to Jerusalem and things are getting tough. Perhaps their sandals are wearing thin. They are hungry and thirsty and they can only hope that they will soon reach their goal. This is the time when someone strikes up a psalm reminding the pilgrims of all the good things God has already done for Israel. The same God who has delivered Israel will surely bring the pilgrims to their destination and return them to their homes safely.

“Give thanks to the God of gods. His loving devotion endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His loving devotion endures forever. He alone does great wonders. His loving devotion endures forever.”  These people aren’t naïve; they know that there are other gods and other spirits claiming to be lords, but only the One True Living God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. All these others pretending to be something are simply demons trying to garner worshipers.

“By His insight He made the heavens…He spread out the earth upon the waters…He made the great lights…the sun to rule the day, the moon and stars to govern the night. His loving devotion endures forever.” All the pilgrims have to do to remind themselves of God’s miracles is to look at the sun, the moon, and the stars.

“He struck down the firstborn of Egypt…and brought Israel out from among them…with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm…He divided the Red Sea…and led Israel through the midst…but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea.” The miraculous deliverance of the Israelites from the most powerful army in the world at that time deserves celebration. Only the One True Living God can deliver in such a fashion.

“He led His people through the wilderness…He struck down great kings…and slaughtered mighty kings—Sihon king of the Amorites…and Og king of Bashan—and He gave their land as an inheritance, a heritage to His servant Israel. His loving devotion endures forever.”  God wants His people to always remember the miraculous means by which He led them through the wilderness, providing food and water and protection. Unless the Israelites remember what God has already done, they will never trust Him again.

“He remembered us in our low estate…and freed us from our enemies. He gives food to every creature…Give thanks to the God of heaven! His loving devotion endures forever” Here is the triumphant conclusion of this psalm, but how long is forever?

APPLICATION: When I was about seven years old, I asked my mother to explain “forever” to me. Here is the explanation she gave: If the world was a ball of gold and every 10,000 years, a dove flew by and brushed that ball of gold with its wingtip until the gold was completely gone, that would only be the start of forever.  

Frankly, it’s difficult for us to wrap our minds around the concept of eternity. The Israelites may have done a better job of it than we do because their concepts of time were more expansive. We mete out our days in minutes and hours. But no matter how we conceive of time, God’s love, His mercy, and His grace continue to endure forever. The term “endure” means to remain firm under suffering or misfortune without giving in. God’s love is not dependent on our emotions or even on cataclysmic human events such as wars. God’s love does not vary because of climate change. God’s love and mercy remain constant throughout all generations. While we might reject God, God will never reject us when we turn to Him. God is more constant than any part of His creation because stars may burn out and planets may disintegrate, but God’s love and mercy really will endure forever. Let us praise Him!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we praise You and bless You for Your unfailing love and mercy and grace. Help us to turn to You at all times and to allow You to control our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Give Praise, O Servants of the LORD (2 Chronicles 7:1-3; Psalm 136:1-26) Hallelujah!

“Praise the name of the LORD. Give praise, O servants of the LORD, who stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God. Hallelujah, for the LORD is good; sing praises to His name, for it is lovely. For the LORD has chosen Jacob as His own, Israel as His treasured possession.

For I know that the LORD is great; our Lord is above all gods. The LORD does all that pleases Him in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and in all their depths. He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings the wind from His storehouses.

He struck down the firstborn of Egypt, of both man and beast. He sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants. He struck down many nations and slaughtered mighty kings: Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the kings of Canaan. He gave their land as an inheritance, as a heritage to His people Israel.

Your name, O LORD, endures forever, Your renown, O LORD, through all generations. For the LORD will vindicate His people and will have compassion on His servants. The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see;

they have ears, but cannot hear; nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.

O house of Israel, praise the LORD; O house of Aaron, praise the LORD; O house of Levi, praise the LORD; you who fear the LORD, praise the LORD! Blessed be the LORD from Zion—He who dwells in Jerusalem. Hallelujah!”

This psalm is another wonderful hymn of praise, celebrating the Lord who is good and whose name is lovely. The psalmist lauds the Lord for choosing Israel for His treasured possession. But does this statement mean that the rest of us are left out of God’s love? NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! The truth is that God wants all of us to be His treasured possessions. God loves us. But many of us distance ourselves from God, cutting ourselves off from His love by rejecting Him.  

“For I know that the LORD is great; our Lord is above all gods. The LORD does all that pleases Him in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and in all their depths. He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings the wind from His storehouses.” Watch some of the television shows documenting the efforts of those who chase violent storms and you gain a new respect for the power of those storms. God is the Creator and Ruler of the storms.

“He struck down the firstborn of Egypt, of both man and beast.” These verses remind us of the miracles God performed while delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and later from hostile armies. Og, King of Bashan was a giant on the same scale as Goliath. God helped the Israelites annihilate Og’s army, along with all the other armies opposing them.

“The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.” We become what we worship. If we worship the One True Living God, we will never stop growing spiritually, for God is infinite. But when we worship idols, we become smaller and smaller spiritually. Let us turn away from our idols and praise the Lord!

APPLICATION: The purpose of this psalm is to encourage believers to examine their lives and celebrate the good things that God has done for them. So many times, we take God’s provision for granted, ignoring the wonderful things God has already done for us. We are surrounded by miracles, but we are rushing past so fast that we have no time to appreciate those miracles.

We have an imperious cat that rules our household and allows us to live in our house as long as we continue to fix food for him and provide clean water and the occasional affection. Sometimes I watch the muscles rippling under our cat’s fur and marvel at God’s genius. That cat can jump up to a dresser 4 times his height and then jump back down, all without hurting himself. I won’t tell you how high I can jump, but it’s considerably lower! We have flame trees in our back yard. Flame trees bear bright red-orange flowers and have leaves with delicate tracery. Each time I see a flame tree and look at its leaves, I am reminded of Gods’ genius. I care for the children in our pediatric ward and our Newborn Intensive Care Unit. Each of those children is a living miracle, and their bodies are magnificent testimonies to God’s love and grace and His power in creation.   

“O house of Israel, praise the LORD; O house of Aaron, praise the LORD; O house of Levi, praise the LORD; you who fear the LORD, praise the LORD! Blessed be the LORD from Zion—He who dwells in Jerusalem. Hallelujah!” What is left for us to do? Praise the Lord for everything He has done and is doing in our lives. Here the psalmist is urging those who are most likely to praise the Lord as a matter of work to praise Him from their hearts. Why? We can easily become “professional worshipers,” people who can go through an entire worship service on autopilot, but whose hearts and minds are somewhere else. But the Bible tells us that “God is a spirit and they who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)

Today, why not start looking around you and praising the Lord for everything you see. You will be amazed at how quickly your exercise can turn into fervent prayers!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, You are the One who has created the whole universe, including cats and babies and flame trees. Help us to appreciate Your glorious creation and to worship You in spirit and in truth. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Bless the LORD, All You Servants A song of ascents.

“Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who serve by night in the house of the LORD!

Lift up your hands to the sanctuary and bless the LORD!

May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.”

Ah, the excitement of working in the temple! Thousands of people coming from different nations, priests offering sacrifices, assistants clearing away detritus from sacrifices, musicians singing and chanting and playing instruments-and over all of this, one can smell the pungent scent of the special incense used only in the temple.

But what happens at night? The light in the Holy of Holies must be kept burning at all times, and the temple must be guarded. But after that, things might get pretty boring. Those on the temple night shift are supposed to remain awake and alert, but how can you do that after the noise of the city streets has died down and the city has gone to sleep for the night? That’s when the admonition of this psalm becomes important. “Lift up your hands to the sanctuary and bless the LORD!”

APPLICATION: While there are some people who suffer with chronic insomnia, others may occasionally find themselves awake in the middle of the night. I find night times are great times for prayer and meditation. It’s much easier to hear God when there are fewer distractions. Sometimes I read verses of hymns. Sometimes I write these Bible studies. Other times I simply sit and listen to see what the still small voice of God will speak to my heart. And I go through my list of people and groups I pray for and then begin praying for as many more causes as I can think of.

The psalmist was right; when you bless the Lord and worship Him at night, the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth, will bless you out of Zion. And you will feel His peace.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to listen to You when You speak to us in the night. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.