Psalm 95

 Psalm 95

There is a correlation between the worship of God by His people and their faithfully living for Him.  This Psalm is about that link.  The psalm begins with a description of worship (vs. 1-2) and the cause of that worship, namely God’s greatness (vs. 3-5).  In verses 6-7a we see as a part of our worship our posture and relationship with the One who is worshiped. Three postures are described for being before God, all of which express radical humility: worship, literally to prostrate, bow, and kneel.   It is striking how different these postures are from the pompous and proud bearing we often see in our churches.  In regard to relationships, we are described as sheep.  The motif of the Lord as our shepherd is perhaps the most common and sentimental of metaphors we have for our relationship to God.  It bears remembering that the shepherd does what is good for the sheep, which may not be the same as what the sheep are inclined to or want to do.  

Sadly, what is described as contemporary worship is often almost entirely unlike the description we see in the first part of this psalm.  We have replaced “let us sing” with “let us watch a concert”.  I attended a pallet church once (Pallet church: noun, a pejorative term that describes churches that will follow any fad that comes along in an attempt to grow numbers, so long as that fad doesn’t require real hard work.  “If we put old pallet wood on our stage, it would make us cool, and we could attract cool seeker people,)” in which everyone stood as the praise band did a mini concert, and the audience looked on with remarkable disinterest, but no singing. Instead of concentrating on God’s greatness and what God has done as we see in verses 3-5, we direct our attention to how we feel about God or how we feel about what God has done or what we want Him to do.  The teaching is often reduced to self-help pabulum, political activism, lazy rehashing of old sermons, or a monologue of self-aggrandizement.  We downplay offerings, to the point that some churches only have a collection box near the exit, forgetting that sacrifice as an act of worship was God’s idea.  If the Lord’s Supper is shared at all, it often falls into the dry ritual of a somnambulating automaton or the awkward, unprepared spectacle of those who dabble in what they do not understand.  And as for prayer… “What is this thing ‘prayer’ of which you speak?”  We measure the quality of worship based on how much we like what transpires.  We have bought the lie that if we put on a good show, we can attract a crowd.  That has happened in some mega, big-box settings.  But generally, all we have accomplished is a dumbing down of God’s people and not extending the Kingdom at all.  

In the second half of verse 7, we see what may strike us as a random shift.  The Bible doesn’t do random.  In the balance of this Psalm is God’s description of Israel’s great moral failure and God’s response to that rebellion.  In short, their hearts were hard, “they erred in their hearts, and they did not know God’s ways”. Their external failure was the result of a bad, or may I say, a misaligned heart.  It is no random thing that the Psalm expresses.  Right worship is set in contrast to the rebellion of a wicked heart.  How does God intend to correct or realign our hearts?  He works the change through the means of worship!  This psalm is echoed in Hebrews 4 with a warning for the church.  

Since the rise of the seeker-driven and seeker-sensitive movement, we have focused our worship and programming on finding and appealing to the wants, interests, and felt needs of target audiences.  We have offered a dessert buffet of whatever people have wanted. One church had professional Christian wrestling.  (Please give me an airsick bag.)  But for all our pandering, we have in the last generation not seen the promised growth of the church, unless you count growing weakness, indifference, and carnality.  But as the second half of this Psalm says and Hebrews quotes, there is “Today.” Beginning now, let’s restore the worship of our God and the salvation He has brought by the cross.   That alone has the power to change the church and the lives of men.

“Lord, change me as I worship You. AMEN

Psalm 94

 Psalm 94

The persecution of the righteous is nothing new. The freedoms we enjoy as Christians in America for the last two centuries are a historic oddity. This psalm is sort of a psalm for the persecuted. The outline is worth noting. First, there is an appeal for justice in verses 1-7. Second, there is a rebuke for the wicked in verses 8-11. Third is God's care for His followers, verses 12 - 16. Fourth, the followers' trust in God, verses 17-19, and finally, fifth, the coming punishment of the wicked verses 20-23.

There is one thing that overshadows each section and is essential for a follower who is under persecution or pressure, no matter what the intensity. Every moment there is a focus on God. If we look carefully in each moment, we see it is about God. Perhaps it is His justice, His perfect will that has been violated; His past care and protection are His future actions. The plight of the suffering saint is never primarily about the saint. It is about God.

We all want to be the main character in our story, but it is never really about us. When we make the story about us, it becomes a tragedy or perhaps a farce. But when our story, even the story of our pain, is about God, it becomes an epic saga of victory.

“Lord, help me to keep my focus on you whenever I face any pressure. Amen.”

Psalm 93

 Psalm 93

God rules. All of life is either submission to His rule or rejection of it. Regardless of which occurs, He is still the ruler of the whole universe. The rejection of God's rule can occur in two ways. direct open defiance or attempting to ignore his authority. Often there is a combination of both. Notwithstanding, God does in fact rule. There has never been or ever will be a time when God isn't sovereign over the universe. It may not seem that way at times. 

In scripture floods are often a depiction of people, especially people who reject God. In verses 2-3, we see the mass of humanity in unison raising their voice to shout down God. Think of the cacophony in our world today of all the voices that reject God. The Arts, Sports, Entertainment, Academia, media, and forces of government are singing together to reject God and His authority. But all to no avail, God remains on his throne.

Beyond that, holiness extends to His house (verse 5); the rule of God and the lives of His people are expressed in holiness. Most personally God reigns in us through holy living.

“Help me, Lord, to express your authority by living a holy life. AMEN.”

Psalm 92

 Psalm 92

Why would a person not want to make worship a priority in life? I can assure you it is not a problem with God. It is because we are not adequately impressed with God's greatness. Sometimes the problem is those who lead worship aren't impressed with God. They put together poor-quality, dull, and dry worship services out of their laziness and the low priority of God in their lives. Sometimes worship leaders aren't impressed with God, feeling that He isn’t hip or relevant enough, so they feel they need to add cool, fun, and exciting stuff. They feel Jesus is not enough, so they have to add stuff like light shows, smoke, movie clips, or dance routines. Some do not worship because they feel Jesus is only okay, a sort of side dish to life but not a priority. “If there's nothing better to do, then I'll worship”. The enemy will gladly provide a list of other supposedly better things to do.

Verses 5-7 describe this scenario. Verse 5: God’s works and person are the ultimate reality of greatness. Verse 6 describes the man who doesn't worship, first as an animal with no spirit and second as an animal with neither spirit nor mind. In verse 7 is their doom. If we are not inspired with God, then we are without hope. 

“Help me, Lord, out of my understanding of your greatness to worship you. AMEN.” 

Psalm 91

 Psalm 91

This is one of the most beautiful and wonderful of the Psalms, worthy of memorization and much meditation. Some scholars see in this Psalm a three-person conversation. The teacher makes an assertion in verse 1 that calls for a commitment. In verse 2 the student answers and makes a commitment. The teacher then explains in verses 3 to 13 the blessings and benefits that come from following or being faithful to God. In the last paragraph, verses 14-16, the Lord confirms these blessings and, if you will, seals the agreement. Reading the psalm as a play may help us grasp the flow.

In the psalm there are references to what we call spiritual warfare. We see that the faithful follower is protected from the malicious attack of the enemy. We also see that in addition to defensive protection, there is divine support when we go on the offensive. Notice how the Lord's response in verses 14-16 is deeply relational. The Lord emphasizes how the follower has “known my name” and “he will call upon me.” If we are weak, it is because we lack the critical elements of knowing God and speaking with Him.

“Lord, let Your blessing flow into my life out of the relationship we have. AMEN.”

Psalm 90

 Psalm 90

The premise of the movie The Matrix is that the world we perceive is not the real world; it is only an illusion. In The Matrix there were glitches, which were indicators of the facade. We sometimes feel that way about life. One moment we are in the prime of life, and it seems like the next we are on the verge of death from old age. Our days pass like an hour we slept through during the night. Add to that the stupid sins and inexplicable things we do, and sometimes this life and world seem glitchy.

In contrast is God: eternal, holy, just, and almighty. There is someone we can hold on to, in whom we can find both security and meaning. Unlike The Matrix, where reality is a post-war dystopian existence. The reality of God is a beautiful and delight-filled eternity. The glitches are glimpses or even a window into that ultimate reality. 

Death is the ultimate glitch, the ultimate reminder that we were made for something more. In the time it takes to read this devotion, about 120 people worldwide have died. Let that be a message to us that reminds us to look into eternity.

“Lord, give me hope and help me live for eternity. AMEN.”

Psalm 89

 Psalm 89

This Psalm, likely written during the exile, has two great themes.  First, the promise of support is given to God’s people (vs 1-37).  Second a complaint about the ruin of Israel and the royal family (vs 38-51).  In these verses we see allusions to the coming Messiah, the history of God's interventions, and God’s holy and wonderful character.  We also see God's wrath, justice, and punishments of His wayward people.

There is more to study that we can address here, but two themes need to be presented to the contemporary church.  First is the often forgotten theme of the ‘fear of God.’  In verses 6-7 we have a sort of comparison between God and the mighty ones, or angels.  Consider that every time we see an angel appear to a human, the human is overwhelmed with fear.  But these same mighty ones have fear of God.  Perhaps we have overemphasized the approachableness of God to the point we have lost any sense of ‘the fear of the Lord.’ 

Second, and perhaps related to the first, is how this Psalm, indeed most Psalms, is focused on God.  How much of our worship services and songs are focused on “I”?  We focus on ‘how I” feel, and “how blessed I am’, etc by my relationship with God.  Perhaps we need more objective worship of God and less subjective worship of self.

“Lord, never allow me to lose sight of Your greatness and glory. AMEN”