Burunche’s Blog

The Eternal Faithfulness of the LORD
“Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!

Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face evermore! Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth, O seed of Abraham His servant, you children of Jacob, His chosen ones!

He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth. He remembers His covenant forever, the word which He commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac, and confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as the allotment of your inheritance,” when they were few in number, indeed very few, and strangers in it.

When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people, He permitted no one to do them wrong; yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes, saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.” Moreover He called for a famine in the land; He destroyed all the provision of bread. He sent a man before them—Joseph—who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, he was laid in irons. (Some translations read “the iron entered his soul.”) Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him. The king sent and released him, the ruler of the people let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions, to bind his princes at his pleasure, and teach his elders wisdom. Israel also came into Egypt, and Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham. He increased His people greatly, and made them stronger than their enemies. He turned their heart to hate His people, to deal craftily with His servants.

He sent Moses His servant, and Aaron whom He had chosen. They performed His signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham. He sent darkness, and made it dark; and they did not rebel against His word. He turned their waters into blood, and killed their fish. Their land abounded with frogs, even in the chambers of their kings. He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and lice in all their territory. He gave them hail for rain, and flaming fire in their land. He struck their vines also, and their fig trees, and splintered the trees of their territory. He spoke, and locusts came, young locusts without number, and ate up all the vegetation in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground. He also destroyed all the firstborn in their land, the first of all their strength. He also brought them out with silver and gold, and there was none feeble among His tribes.

Egypt was glad when they departed, for the fear of them had fallen upon them. He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light in the night. The people asked, and He brought quail, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven. He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it ran in the dry places like a river. For He remembered His holy promise, and Abraham His servant. He brought out His people with joy, His chosen ones with gladness. He gave them the lands of the Gentiles, and they inherited the labor of the nations, that they might observe His statutes and keep His laws. Praise the LORD!”

At first, we might ask what this psalm can possibly have to do with Christmas? There are no angels, no shepherds, no sign of Joseph and Mary and the baby, and no wise men. Instead, we have a recounting of the story of Joseph, the struggles of the Israelites, and the miracles God performed during all those times. But if Joseph had never gone to Egypt as a slave, his family would never have wound up remaining in Egypt. Moses and Aaron would never have led the Israelites out of Egypt. Israel would never have existed as a nation and Jesus would not have been born in Bethlehem.

Why did God need to establish Israel? Several times, God says in His Word that He chose Israel because it was the most insignificant of people groups. God wanted to demonstrate His power to transform a people into His Image. God gave these people His Word and commandments, outlining His designs for practical holiness. Then God chose these people to be the human family for His Son Jesus.

Sometimes it’s tempting to ignore the Old Testament in favor of the New Testament; however, you can’t carve God up into little pieces like that. God always has had a plan for the human race: redemption and fellowship. That’s why the angels at Bethlehem sang “Glory to God in the highest and peace and good will to men with whom He is well pleased.” Even when Joseph’s brothers were selling him into slavery and even when Joseph was languishing in prison with irons on hands and feet and possibly around his neck, God was at work. When Moses led the Israelites through the wilderness, God guided them and provided for them. God brought Ruth to marry Boaz and become an ancestress of King David, who in turn would become an ancestor of Jesus’ human father Joseph so that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem due to the demands of a Roman census. When Joseph was being dragged off to Egypt, God was already selecting the shepherds who would hear the glorious news and rush off to that stable in Bethlehem.

APPLICATION: “Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!” What can we gain from this psalm? Christmas is a time for thanking God, worshiping Him, and praising His wonderful works. At Christmas we celebrate God’s gift, Immanuel, “God with us.”

Do you feel God is with you or do you feel God doesn’t care about your existence? Whether or not you feel like it, God is passionately interested in you and everything about you and your life. God is closer to you than your breath. If you were the only person in the world, Jesus would still have come to die for your sins. The fundamental message of Christmas is that God loves us and wants to be with us, despite our failures, despite our sins, despite the ugly parts of our lives. God is offering us the gift of eternal life, but we can choose to receive that gift or to refuse it. The choice is yours. Choose wisely.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, let everyone who reads these words accept Your great Gift of eternal life through Christ Jesus. Amen.

How Many Are Your Works, O LORD!

“Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps Himself in light as with a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a tent, laying the beams of His chambers in the waters above, making the clouds His chariot, walking on the wings of the wind. He makes the winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants. He set the earth on its foundations, never to be moved. You covered it with the deep like a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.

At Your rebuke the waters fled; at the sound of Your thunder they hurried away—the mountains rose and the valleys sank to the place You assigned for them—You set a boundary they cannot cross, that they may never again cover the earth.

He sends forth springs in the valleys; they flow between the mountains. They give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds of the air nest beside the springs; they sing among the branches. He waters the mountains from His chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of His works. He makes the grass grow for the livestock and provides crops for man to cultivate, bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil that makes his face to shine, and bread that sustains his heart.

The trees of the LORD have their fill, the cedars of Lebanon that He planted, where the birds build their nests; the stork makes her home in the pines. The high mountains are for the wild goats, the cliffs a refuge for the rock badgers.

He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows when to set. You bring darkness, and it becomes night, when all the beasts of the forest prowl. The young lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. The sun rises, and they withdraw; they lie down in their dens. Man goes forth to his work and to his labor until evening.

How many are Your works, O LORD! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures. Here is the sea, vast and wide, teeming with creatures beyond number, living things both great and small. There the ships pass, and Leviathan, which You formed to frolic there.

All creatures look to You to give them their food in due season. When You give it to them, they gather it up; when You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good things. When You hide Your face, they panic; when You take away their breath, they die and return to dust. When You send Your Spirit, they are created, and You renew the face of the earth.

May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in His works. He looks on the earth, and it trembles; He touches the mountains, and they smolder. I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. May my meditation be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the LORD. May sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more. Bless the LORD, O my soul. Hallelujah!

This psalm celebrates God’s creation in phrases that have echoed through the ages. But what should we do with the descriptions of God’s dwelling place, his garments, etc., considering what we know about the universe?

We fail to recognize that an Almighty God may see space/time/spatial relationships and the nature of matter far differently than we do. C.S. Lewis alludes to this phenomenon in his book The Great Divorce. Lewis describes a mythical bus trip from hell to heaven. Those coming from hell are transparent, unable to tolerate even the touch of the grass because it is real and they are not. All of hell is contained in one small crack of the dirt in heaven. While we might delude ourselves that the psalmist is merely conceding to poetic license, we fail to realize he might be speaking prophetically, describing God’s nature precisely.  

“May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in His works. He looks on the earth, and it trembles; He touches the mountains, and they smolder. I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. May my meditation be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the LORD. May sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more. Bless the LORD, O my soul. Hallelujah!”  

 APPLICATION: Today is Christmas Eve. If we might not think this psalm is very “Christmassy,” we would be wrong. When the angels appeared to the shepherd, they were only revealing the praise that goes on continuously in heaven and on earth. Even though God subjected the entire creation to futility after Adam’s fall in the Garden of Eden, the creation still responded-and responds-to God and His glory. The incident at Bethlehem only drew back the curtain of eternity momentarily so men could glimpse the ongoing praises of God.

As we celebrate that most holy night, let us join our praises with those of the angels and all creation. Oh come! Let us adore Him! Christ, the Lord!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to join our praises with those of creation and help us to truly love You and worthily magnify You. Thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to be born as a baby, to live as a man, and to die as the perfect Sacrifice for our sins. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen. 

Recently, I have been enjoying short videos of school programs and must say that some of them are truly amazing. But I want to return to a bygone era when school programs meant far more.

In the days before televisions became common, people in small towns depended on all kinds of programs for entertainment. Women’s clubs, PTA meetings, Ladies’ Aid meetings at churches-none of these programs would be complete without some form of entertainment by someone playing an instrument, singing, or doing a recitation. Most families lived in relative isolation on farms connected by gravel roads, and social opportunities were limited to church, school, and trips into town for groceries or to have feed ground at the local elevator (feed mill.) Apart from listening in to the neighbors’ conversations on the party phone line, the only other source of entertainment was the radio. School programs were a very big deal, and teachers and parents prepared accordingly.

It’s 1957, and we are in 4^th grade. Our tall blond teacher has worked diligently with our new music teacher to create a lively and meaningful Christmas program that will blend with the performances of the other grades. Our contribution is to sing “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” a song we have been practicing for weeks. The song has five verses and we are to sing four of them. Our problem is simple: some of us can sing and some of us need to be in the audience. But this is a small-town grade school program, and parents want to see their children up there performing, no matter what. Those parents who can afford it have invested in new clothes so their children will look as good as possible; after all, there will be plenty of doting grandparents in the audience, just waiting to inspect their grandchildren.

I am going to wear a dress sewn by my mother, who is an expert seamstress, and Mom has given me a home permanent. My grandmother loves to see curly hair because curls mean one has enough money to be cared for at a beauty shop and Grandma is a first-generation American for whom appearances are everything. Sadly, my hair is naturally very fine and the epitome of straightness. Years later, a friend will try to put my hair into French braids and give up because it is so fine. Now my hair is positively kinky, and I can still smell the fluid from the permanent kit Mom has used. My only problem is my shoes; no matter how much I have polished them, I can’t make them look new. Shoes are expensive, and this has been a bad year for farm prices. I can only hope that I get to stand behind somebody so my Grandma can’t see my shoes. For now, I am one of the taller kids, so that will help give me a place near the back of the group.  

Finally, the big night arrives. Our grade school once served as the local high school, so we get to stand on a real stage. Our teachers are sharp enough to realize that risers for grade school kids are not only ridiculous but also dangerous. It’s hard enough to keep grade school age boys quiet under the best of circumstances. Give them risers, and someone will be knocked off before the performance even starts. The classes are going to perform beginning with the first graders, followed by the second graders and so on. Once a group completes its performance, the kids can go sit with their parents. This means that my group must sit quietly together for at least 30-45 minutes as we wait for our turn to perform. That’s a long time for nine-year-olds, and the boys are already elbowing each other and trying to make farting noises with their armpits. Forbidden chewing gum is making an appearance, and teachers are frowning in a manner that should immobilize even the abominable snowman.

Finally we clomp up the steps to the stage to take our places. Our teachers have sorted us out by height and sex to neutralize potential conflicts among the males in our group. These efforts have been moderately successful; however, as we stand waiting for the piano to begin the introduction to the song, I can hear all kinds of whispering around me. I can only hope that one of these boys has not chosen to bring something totally awful in his pocket (a cockroach? A dead mouse?) so that he can drop it down the neck of the dress of some unsuspecting girl, namely me, at the wrong moment. As the piano starts, I am considering what I will do in the event of a foreign object introducing itself into my dress. Will I turn and hit the kid? It’s a tempting thought. Then we begin to sing.

I come from a family of singers; both my parents sing in the church choir and also sing while they work. But someone standing near me has evidently not had the benefit of such experience. As we near the end of the first verse, “The world in solemn stillness lay to hear the angels sing,” it’s obvious that for someone the world is NOT lying in solemn stillness, but in an agony of cacophony. The angels might be covering their ears! So we continue.

As we near the end of verse 2, we are singing, “And ever o’er its Babel sounds, the blessed angels sing.” I can hear more babel than music around me. I sing louder, trying valiantly to maintain the tune.

We skip verse 3, for which all us are duly thankful, and plow on into verse 4, singing more loudly. Somehow, those of us with tin ears are succeeding in drowning out those of us who can actually sing. Our teachers are looking beseechingly at us as we crash into the words

“And ye, beneath life’s crushing load, whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way with painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing.
Oh, rest beside the weary road, and hear the angels sing!”

By this point, our teachers undoubtedly feel that they are beneath that crushing load and wish that they could rest beside the weary road, but we have another verse.

All of us realize that this is verse 5 and that we are nearly THROUGH with this thing! Spurred on by that thought, we all but scream “For lo! the days are hast’ning on, by prophet seen of old,
When with the ever-circling years shall come the time foretold

When Christ shall come and all shall own the Prince of Peace, their King,
And saints shall meet Him in the air, and with the angels sing.”

We look triumphantly at our teachers. We have MADE IT! We are through! We don’t wave at our parents, although we would like to. We file off the stage, tripping down the stairs, and wait while the fifth and sixth graders perform before we all receive cylindrical boxes of “Twenty Mule Chew” molasses candy, the annual gift from Mr. E.W. Houghton, the owner of three lumber yards, and a staunch supporter of the local school system. That candy will practically glue our teeth together, but we are grateful for the candy and for the fact that we have SURVIVED! We have not disgraced our families by fainting on stage or tripping or having a costume failure or running off to go to the toilet. And Grandma never even looks at my shoes but only admires how curly my hair is. (She should! I look as if I have stuck my finger in an electrical socket. I am frizz personified, and I hate it. I am praying my hair grows out quickly!)

And so another Christmas program has ended successfully. The parents go home content that their progeny have performed well. The teachers go home to well-deserved long winter’s naps. And finally, the world lies in silence, waiting to hear the angels sing once more.

Many of the performances tonight have been anything but stellar. But the community has come together to support its children and to celebrate Christmas. Blessedly, we cannot see into the future. We don’t know that the beloved building in which this program has taken place will eventually have to be demolished because it contains asbestos and is no longer needed for a dwindling rural population. We don’t know that some of the boys on the program tonight will fight and die or be wounded on distant battlefields. We can’t see other tragedies waiting to befall our little village. But what we do share is love and a sense of belonging, a sense of security. And for tonight, that’s enough. The snow is falling as we leave, and we know that come morning, everything will look fresh and new, like the hope of Christmas. It is that hope that will carry us forward. May you share that hope this Christmas!

Bless the LORD, O My Soul A Psalm Of David.

“Bless the LORD, O my soul; all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all His kind deeds—He who forgives all your iniquities and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit and crowns you with loving devotion and compassion, who satisfies you with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The LORD executes righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His deeds to the people of Israel. The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. He will not always accuse us, nor harbor His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass—he blooms like a flower of the field; when the wind passes over, it vanishes, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the loving devotion of the LORD extends to those who fear Him, and His righteousness to their children’s children—to those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts. The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.

Bless the LORD, all His angels mighty in strength who carry out His word, who hearken to the voice of His command. Bless the LORD, all His hosts, you servants who do His will. Bless the LORD, all His works in all places of His dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!

“Bless the LORD, O my soul; all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all His kind deeds…” These words introduce one of the most positive psalms in the entire collection. Look at all the reasons for praising God:

1. Forgiveness of all our iniquities
2. Healing of all our diseases
3. Redeeming our lives from the Pit
4. Crowning us with loving devotion and compassion
5. Satisfying us with good things
6. Renewing our youth like the eagle’s   
7. Executes righteousness and justice for all the oppressed
8. Makes known His ways and His deeds
9. Compassionate and gracious
10.  Slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion
11. Refusing to harbor His anger forever
12. Refuses to deal with us according to our sins or repay us according to our iniquities

Why is this? “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us… As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust.”

“But from everlasting to everlasting the loving devotion of the LORD extends to those who fear Him, and His righteousness to their children’s children—to those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts. The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.” The best heritage you can leave your children is a heritage of faith.

“Bless the LORD, all His angels mighty in strength who carry out His word, who hearken to the voice of His command. Bless the LORD, all His hosts, you servants who do His will. Bless the LORD, all His works

in all places of His dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!”  When we praise the Lord, we are joining the saints and angels and all creation. We might feel depressed and discouraged, but God will take our praise and multiply it.

APPLICATION: Sometimes people are hesitant to pray, fumbling for the words and feeling that nothing they say is good enough. But we can use this psalm as a prayer and God will honor our efforts. All we have to do is to thank God for each of His attributes.

But what happens if you have a chronic illness and you’re getting worse instead of better? What happens to the promises of healing? What if you are inspecting your aging body and realize your skin is wrinkling and you are growing shorter as your spine compresses? How does that promise of renewed youth work now?

We need to realize that God sees us differently than we see ourselves. Moses was 80 and Aaron was nearly the same age when God called them to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses had spent the last 40 years herding sheep in the desert, an activity that proved a good preparation for herding the Israelites. Noah was several hundred years old by the time the ark sailed. There are modern examples of musicians and artists who have remained highly productive into their nineties. When God calls, He empowers and He guides. Our job is to get into the right place for God to use us.

“Where there is life, there’s hope” is a famous saying from an earlier age. As long as we are alive, we have the chance to praise God and to seek His Will for our lives. Come, let us praise the Lord with everything that is in us as we join the saints and angels and all creation!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to praise You with all we have as long as we live. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

The Lord’s Eternal Love

A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the Lord.

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come to You. Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble; incline Your ear to me; in the day that I call, answer me speedily.

For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned like a hearth. My heart is stricken and withered like grass, so that I forget to eat my bread. Because of the sound of my groaning my bones cling to my skin. I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert. I lie awake, and am like a sparrow alone on the housetop.

My enemies reproach me all day long; those who deride me swear an oath against me. For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping, because of Your indignation and Your wrath; for You have lifted me up and cast me away. My days are like a shadow that lengthens, and I wither away like grass.

But You, O Lord, shall endure forever, and the remembrance of Your name to all generations. You will arise and have mercy on Zion; for the time to favor her, yes, the set time, has come. For Your servants take pleasure in her stones, and show favor to her dust. So the nations shall fear the name of the Lord,
and all the kings of the earth Your glory.

For the Lord shall build up Zion; He shall appear in His glory. He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, and shall not despise their prayer. This will be written for the generation to come, that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord. For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary; from heaven the Lord viewed the earth, to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to release those appointed to death, to declare the name of the Lord in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem, when the peoples are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.

He weakened my strength in the way; He shortened my days. I said, “O my God, Do not take me away in the midst of my days; Your years are throughout all generations. Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; yes, they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will have no end. The children of Your servants will continue,
and their descendants will be established before You.”

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come to You. Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble; incline Your ear to me; in the day that I call, answer me speedily.” A sign from an earlier era reads “God, I want patience, and I want it RIGHT NOW!!” As we near the end of the year, bills are piling up, family responsibilities are multiplying, and we are stressed. We really need/want God to answer our prayers ASAP, forgetting that God’s ASAP and ours might not be on the same schedule.

“For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned like a hearth. My heart is stricken and withered like grass, so that I forget to eat my bread. Because of the sound of my groaning my bones cling to my skin. I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert. I lie awake, and am like a sparrow alone on the housetop.” We can’t be certain what has happened to the writer, but obviously he is depressed and struggling. Everything looks bleak and the writer feels completely isolated, “like a sparrow alone on the housetop,” even though he might be surrounded by other people. Sometimes you can be incredibly lonely in the midst of a crowd.

“My enemies reproach me all day long; those who deride me swear an oath against me. For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping, because of Your indignation and Your wrath; for You have lifted me up and cast me away. My days are like a shadow that lengthens, and I wither away like grass.” When things are going badly, we might wonder if God has decided to hate us. It’s easy to forget God’s magnificent love when we are under spiritual attack.

“But You, O Lord, shall endure forever, and the remembrance of Your name to all generations. You will arise and have mercy on Zion; for the time to favor her, yes, the set time, has come…For the Lord shall build up Zion; He shall appear in His glory. He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, and shall not despise their prayer. This will be written for the generation to come, that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord…But You are the same, and Your years will have no end. The children of Your servants will continue, and their descendants will be established before You.”

As the psalmist fights against his depression, he reminds himself of who God truly is and of His great and everlasting promises. Even in the midst of depression, the psalmist persists in praising God. By these efforts, the writer is gradually removing himself from the spiritual pit into which he has fallen.

APPLICATION: One of the great things about the psalms is that they portray the real situation of human existence. While some writers are exuberantly praising God, others are demanding to know why God is persecuting them. This psalm describes a believer in the throes of severe depression, facing opposition, criticism, and perhaps even physical illness. But the writer insists on believing in the goodness of God, even in the face of his suffering.

Through Facebook, I follow the struggles of an American missionary couple working in Kiev, Ukraine. This year these folks have faced physical illnesses as well as shortages of food, money, etc., not to mention the continued Russian attacks on their city. Their example is inspiring because they continue to trust God even in the midst of all these threats.

Being a believer does not insulate anybody from suffering, as the couple in Ukraine illustrate. But we can continue to trust that God is good and that He does well and keeps His promises. Today you may feel completely overwhelmed but remember that God still loves you and that He can deliver you. Look around you and find small positive things for which you can praise God. The more you praise, the better you will feel and the more praiseworthy things you will discover.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, the end of the year is hurtling toward us and we are feeling stressed out. Help us to remember that You are the Source of our strength and that You can guide us even when we feel trapped with no way out. Help us to praise You even when we don’t feel like it. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Promised Faithfulness to the Lord

A Psalm of David.

“I will sing of mercy and justice; to You, O Lord, I will sing praises. I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.

A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness. Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; the one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, Him I will not endure. My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in a perfect way, he shall serve me.

He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; he who tells lies shall not continue in my presence. Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land, that I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord.”

“I will sing of mercy and justice; to You, O Lord, I will sing praises. I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.” It’s likely that this psalm might have been on of David’s earlier ones, before he fell into major sins himself, seducing Bathsheba and then having her husband murdered so he could marry her. Certainly David sounds smug, self-assured, and self-satisfied. On the other hand, there were always idol worshipers, even in Jerusalem. Perhaps David had been repulsed by those evil practices and was seeking to create a spiritual refuge within his own home.

Is there anything wrong with singing of mercy and justice? No. But when David promises to “behave wisely in a perfect way” or “walk within my house with a perfect heart,” we definitely begin wondering. When David affirms, “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes,” we can agree. On the other hand, when David claims to hate the work of those who fall away, we wonder how much life experience he had when he wrote this psalm. Live long enough and you are likely to fall away yourself.

“He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; he who tells lies shall not continue in my presence. Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land, that I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord.”  Did David write this after his kingship was assured and he was living in Jerusalem, or was he dreaming while he was still hiding out in caves to avoid being killed by King Saul? Certainly, while Saul was pursuing David, all kinds of people were willing to betray David in hopes of gaining favor with Saul. Perhaps David was dreaming of ruling a righteous nation, one from which he had eliminated all the wicked. But what standard would David use to determine those deserving of death? Someone might feed David misinformation in hopes of eliminating their personal enemies or settling old scores. Only God truly knows the human heart.

APPLICATION: There are two ways to view this psalm: we can be inspired by David’s passion for purity and righteousness or we can become troubled by his arrogant assumptions of his virtue.

There’s nothing wrong with promising God that you will be try to be as virtuous as possible. There is nothing wrong with focusing on purity. But one question this psalm raises is who determines righteousness? These days, strident voices proclaim all kinds of prejudices. In a world full of “isms” who determines which one is true?

If we start searching for righteousness among philosophies, we rapidly run into problems. If we consider ideologies, we wind up in the same mess. The only safe standard for righteousness remains God’s Word as recorded in the Bible. God is amazingly sloppy and incredibly tolerant. Vladimir Putin attacks Ukraine and God refuses to strike him dead instantly. Hamas slaughters hundreds of innocents at a music festival and God allows them to live. Isarel has been under attack for much of its existence, but international news media portray the Israelis as aggressors. Why does God allow such atrocities and lies?

2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” Most human beings are both judgmental and merciless, expressing very similar opinions to those David outlines in this psalm. God sees all human beings as both sinful and worthy of His Redemptive Love.

The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy that” This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.” (1 Timothy 1:15-16) Paul was a professional religious man, a teacher and an enforcer of traditional Judaism, until the day he had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. Caught up in religious zeal, Paul attempted to kill as many Christians as possible prior to his conversion. This is why he refers to himself as the chief sinner.  

While David promised to be faithful to God, eventually he fell. No matter how hard we try, all of us continue to sin. The fundamental message of Christmas has nothing to do with gifts, unless we realize that Christmas celebrates God’s greatest Gift to us. God sent His Son Jesus in the form of a baby to grow, to live a sinless life, and to eventually die as the ultimate Sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Mary spilled her blood while giving birth to Jesus. Eventually, Jesus spilled His Blood, not only for his mother Mary but for all of us. Those of us who choose to believe that Jesus has done this are promised eternal life. Those who reject that Gift will eventually receive eternal damnation as payment for their sins. The choice is up to you. Choose wisely.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. We bless You and praise Your Name that You have sent Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Lord, help all who read these words to truly believe on You and to receive eternal life. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.   

A Song of Praise for the Lord’s Faithfulness to His People

A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord, He  God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.”

How do you add or comment on a perfect psalm of thanksgiving? This psalm is a perfect example of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”

APPLICATION: “Know that the Lord, He  God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” In an earlier age, many were referred to as “self-made men.” But nobody actually creates himself or herself, and only God can give us the ability to succeed at whatever we are doing. Psalm 75 reminds us that promotion only comes from the Lord and from no other source.

Recently, there have been many books written on the practice of gratitude and its benefits. One law of the spirit world is that we find what we look for. If we are looking for reasons to be grateful, we will find them. If we are looking for reasons to complain, we will find them as well.

There is a story told of an old man who was sitting along a road leading to a major city. One traveler came up to the old man, asking what the people were like in the place he had just left. “Oh! Those people were horrible! I couldn’t wait to leave. I only hope things will be better in my next location.” “Well,” observed the old man, “I’m sorry to tell you that the people in the next city are just like those in the place you just left. “ The traveler grimaced, shrugged his shoulders, and trudged on.

Soon another traveler came striding along, smiling as he walked, and asked the old man the same question. “How were the people in the place you just left?” asked the old man. “Oh, they were wonderful!” replied the traveler. “I could scarcely bear to leave, but my work forced me to move on.” “Well,” said the old man, “I am thrilled to inform you that you will thoroughly enjoy your time in your next city. You will find the people to be wonderful.” Two travelers, one road, and the same city. What made the difference? The first traveler could only find fault and complain while the second traveler appreciated everyone he met.

Life is full of choices. We can choose to be grateful and appreciate the good things God has given us or we can be ungrateful and unhappy. Others will respond to us depending on the way we are reacting to them. In an oft-quoted story, Fred Rogers describes his mother’s advice on how to respond to frightening situations. “Look for the helpers,” Mrs. Rogers would counsel. “You will always find people who are helping.” Continue to thank God and praise Him. You will never regret it.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to practice an attitude of gratitude, no matter how grim things may appear. Thank You for sending helpers. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Praise to the Lord for His Holiness

“The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; let the earth be moved!
The Lord is great in Zion, and He is high above all the peoples. Let them praise Your great and awesome name—He is holy. The King’s strength also loves justice; You have established equity; You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.

Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool—He is holy. Moses and Aaron were among His priests, and Samuel was among those who called upon His name; they called upon the Lord, and He answered them. He spoke to them in the cloudy pillar; they kept His testimonies and the ordinance He gave them. You answered them, O Lord our God; You were to them God-Who-Forgives, though You took vengeance on their deeds.

Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy.”

“The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; let the earth be moved!
The Lord is great in Zion, and He is high above all the peoples. Let them praise Your great and awesome name—He is holy. The King’s strength also loves justice; You have established equity; You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.” Successful rulers depend on justice and equity as foundations for their leadership. But successful rulers also realize that they too are under authority, the authority of God.

Why does God have authority? Not only has God created the universe and everything in it, but God is totally righteous and holy, all-knowing and all-powerful. When we say God is holy, we mean that God is perfect and flawless and that He is without sin.

“Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool—He is holy. Moses and Aaron were among His priests, and Samuel was among those who called upon His name; they called upon the Lord, and He answered them. He spoke to them in the cloudy pillar; they kept His testimonies and the ordinance He gave them. You answered them, O Lord our God; You were to them God-Who-Forgives, though You took vengeance on their deeds.”

These verses refer to the time when God was leading the Israelites through the wilderness. Repeatedly, the Israelites doubted God and rejected Him, rebelling against Him and worshiping all kinds of false gods. And repeatedly God spoke to the Israelites, forgiving them but also allowing them to suffer the consequences of their sins.

“Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy.”  The psalmist ends by urging all his hearers to truly worship God because God is holy.

APPLICATION: Most people don’t think much about God’s holiness; but when we sin, we violate God’s holiness. We want to believe that God will look the other way when we do wrong and that He will give us a break. But a holy God cannot tolerate sin. This is why God has sent His Son Jesus to shed his blood in payment for our sins.

At Christmas we exchange presents in remembrance of the gifts the wise men brought to the Baby Jesus. But Jesus was-and is-the best Gift of all. For when we accept what Jesus has done for us and believe that Jesus has paid for our sins with his blood, we are receiving the greatest Gift anyone has ever received, the gift of eternal life.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we confess that we are sinners and that nothing we can do will pay for our sins. We thank You for sending Jesus to die on our behalf and we accept that gift of eternal life. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

A Song of Praise to the Sovereign Lord

“The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad! Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.

A fire goes before Him, and burns up His enemies round about. His lightnings light the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory.

Let all be put to shame who serve carved images, who boast of idols. Worship Him, all you gods. Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice because of Your judgments, O Lord. For You, Lord, are most high above all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.

You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.”

“The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad! Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.”  These are the opening verses for one of the loveliest psalms of praise ever written. God’s glory is so magnificent that even the tiniest of islands rejoices. Many times, it seems that clouds and darkness do surround God; we don’t understand why good people suffer and why God doesn’t intervene immediately. Righteousness and justice must be the foundation of God’s throne; if God is not righteous and just, nobody is.

“A fire goes before Him, and burns up His enemies round about. His lightnings light the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory.” Many times, we feel God is asleep and not paying attention while His enemies are triumphant; yet, ultimately, every one of God’s enemies will fall. God’s strength is so enormous that He can literally vaporize mountains. All people may see God’s glory, but there are many refusing to acknowledge it.

“Let all be put to shame who serve carved images, who boast of idols. Worship Him, all you gods. Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice because of Your judgments, O Lord. For You, Lord, are most high above all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.” There is no idol or demonic deity that can compare with God. When God judges, He judges righteously and all who are righteous are thrilled.

 “You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.” There are times when we see wickedness multiplying and wonder if God is really paying attention. But God continues to preserve the souls of His saints. Even if the worst happens and we are martyred for our faith, God will still deliver our souls from Satan. When we need guidance, we can turn to God and count on Him to give us light and gladness. Remembering God and His holiness relieves burdens and restores our spirits.

APPLICATION: I am writing this while dealing with something very difficult. A patient who has had multiple complications continues to suffer despite my best efforts. I have prayed, I have wept, I have operated, I have manipulated medications and diet; yet, the problems remain. Finally, I have had to do something I have rarely done with any patient during my long medical career; I have had to inform the patient and his family that only God can heal him and that I have exhausted every aspect of my resources. Referral would be useless and a needless expense. Is God “sowing light for the righteous” in this situation? Not so far, but yet I remain confident that God will move and I am trusting Him to do so.

Within 48 hours of this conversation with my adult patient, we lost three children on the Kid’s Ward. In all three cases, we had done our best but that wasn’t sufficient. Again, we must trust God and beg Him to comfort these families.

Sometimes a walk of faith seems more like trying to cross someone else’s sitting room in the dark while stumbling over the furniture, barking our shins, and stubbing our toes. But I remain confident that God can redeem any situation, no matter how grim.

Holidays are tough times for anyone who has been bereaved. This year I have at least five sets of friends facing their first Christmas without their mother or father or a sibling. But keep praying and keep praising, even when you don’t feel like it. God can still give gladness and light when you least expect it and in the strangest places.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we want to praise You but frankly, we are hurt and exhausted. Please give us the strength and courage to continue to praise You, knowing that You will meet us and help us as we do so. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.