I’m Still Standing

But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.
Psalm 59:16

Go Deep: David was in trouble—due to no fault of his own.  He had been a model citizen.  In fact, he had proven himself a true national hero during a military crisis when the courage of Israel’s warriors had failed them. As you know from I Samuel 17, David had unintentionally made a name for himself on the battlefield by killing Goliath of Gath—the champion-giant of Israel’s archenemy, the Philistines.

As a result of this heroic act, David, still a young man, was recruited into King Saul’s army, and fast-tracked right to the top as captain and confidante to the moody and maniacal king.  He was even given Saul’s daughter, Michal, as his wife.  But things turned bad when the unstable king began to show signs of irrational and insane jealousy toward David. It got so bad that he took out a hit on David’s life.

This psalm was written when David got wind of Saul’s plan, forcing him to leave his wife, abandon his home and flee for his life.  As you can see from the title given in the Psalter (Psalm 59:1), Saul had sent his henchmen to stake out David’s house in order to carry out their immoral and illegal plot (Psalm 59:3). And according to David’s song, they were doing more that just trying to murder him: They were attempting to assassinate his character in the eyes of a nation that had come to adore him as their warrior-hero (Psalm 59:10-11).  So David writes about them and puts a tune to it—a song that immortalizes their evil and invites divine destruction down upon their heads.

So what does a psalm like this have to do with you? Is there anything in David’s diatribe meant for your edification today?  My answer is “yes”—this psalm is edifying and it does have everything to do with you. You see, although I doubt that you will ever have a “hit” taken out on your life, chances are there will be people in your life from time to time who will try to assassinate your character and ruin your reputation.  When that happens, you can reach back to David’s experience and, if nothing else, remember this one thing:

Though people can kill your body, assassinate your character, and ruin your reputation,
They can never steal your song.

At the end of the day, evil people will be no more, but your integrity will keep you in favored standing with the only One who has the power of eternal life and death.  Powerful people may try to bring you down, but God is your “Strength”; they may try to force you out, but you have One whose name is “Fortress”. (Psalm 59:9,16) They may make your life miserable, but you belong to One who is your “Shield”. (Psalm 59:11)

Evil people and unfair times will pass, but God stands forever—and since you belong to Him, you will stand forever, too!  So go ahead friend and sing. I normally don’t recommend Elton John songs for worship, but you may want to even sing one of his:  I’m Still Standing.

Just Saying… The Puritan preacher, Thomas Watson said, “Eternity to the godly is a day that has no sunset; eternity to the wicked is a night that has no sunrise.”

Are You On God’s Side?

Surely God is my help;
the Lord is the one who sustains me.
Psalm 54:4

Go Deep: You will often hear people talk about God being on their side.  Politicians, religious leaders, even ordinary people like you and me toss that belief around like a pro athlete guaranteeing a victory in the big game.  But just saying it doesn’t make it so!

President Abraham Lincoln was once asked during the Civil War if he believed that God was on his side.  His response was one that we would all do well to think about, since it represents the only true guarantee of Divine help and victory.  Lincoln said, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side, my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”

Here’s the deal:  If we’re on God’s side, we cannot fail.  If we’re on God’s side then God will be on our side, and our victory is guaranteed.  David discovered that—the story can be found in I Samuel 23:7-29—which is the basis for this psalm.  He was on the run from King Saul, because the king was bent on having David killed.  The young shepherd had just landed in the next of what had been too many hideouts, Ziph, when the people of that village turned him in to Saul.  Saul seemed to finally have David cornered—it looked like it was game, set and match this time.

But David was on God’s side—and God was on David’s side.  Suddenly, just as Saul was ready to pounce, the king got some bad news that enemies on another front, the Philistines, were attacking, so he left pursing the cornered David to tend to that pressing business.  And David was once again delivered when there seemed no way possible to escape. (I Samuel 23:27-29)

Was it a coincidence that Saul was distracted in that moment when he had David dead to rights?  Not at all!  You see, God was at work here, bringing about his purposes in David’s life.  David was destined to be king, and God was teaching him how to be a good king.  And good kings need to know that God can be counted on for help and sustenance when the king is on God’s side.

God wants you to know that too. Even when there seems to be no way out for you, God is close by; he is working out his plan; he is teaching you how to be a king; he is showing you that he can be counted on to help and sustain you.  And there is only one way to really learn that, which like David, means that you will have to have your back against the wall so that the only way out is through a mighty and miraculous deliverance through the strong hand of God.

And when you are on God’s side, sooner or later, like David, that will be your story too!

Just Saying… Charles Spurgeon was right: “Many men owe the grandeur of their lives to their tremendous difficulties.”

Loving Church

Within your temple, O God,
we meditate on your unfailing love.
Psalm 48:9

Go Deep: There was something pretty special to the psalmist about the city of Jerusalem and the tabernacle that housed the earthly manifestation of the uncontainable presence of the Lord. As you read the rest of Scripture, you will find that God thought it pretty special, too.

Of course, the New Testament teaches us that under the new covenant, the Holy Spirit dwells in believers individually (I Corinthians 6:19) and collectively (I Corinthians 3:16-17), which means that now we, the body of Christ, are God’s temple, his dwelling place on the earth.  Yet there is still something special about the physical place where believers come together to collectively lift their voices in praise, pour out their hearts in prayer, share their love in fellowship, serve one another in kindness, teach God’s anointed Word, and convincingly call the lost to salvation.

Yes, we are the church—let’s not forget or get confused about that.  But neither let us forget that the place we gather is also the church, and by virtue of our collective presence, along with the active presence of the Holy Spirit, the building becomes sanctified as well.  It, too, is God’s temple.

I bring that up to remind us that the church is still a wonderful place to come and meditate on God’s unfailing love, just as the tabernacle was to the psalmist thousands of years ago.  In light of that, I would encourage you to add a new dimension to your regular routine of worship—as if worship should ever be routine!  Not only should you actively fellowship with God’s saints in the church (Hebrews 10:24-25), but make it your practice to slip into your church’s prayer room or sanctuary often for a time of simple solitude and quiet meditation.  It can be with other people present, or just go in when you are alone and give it a try.  Just sit and soak in the presence of God, and quietly reflect on who he is and what he has done.

Do it often, and see if you don’t grow in your appreciation for the house of God, and more importantly, for the unfailing love of the Lord for the church.

Just Saying… William Penn, the seventeenth century Quaker and hero of American liberty, wrote, “In the rush and noise of life, as you have intervals, step home within yourselves and be still. Wait upon God, and feel His good presence; this will carry you evenly through your day’s business.”

There Is A God, Thank God!

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God” …
There they were, overwhelmed with dread,
where there was nothing to dread.
Psalm 53:1 & 5

Go Deep: A recent CNN study proclaimed, “America Becoming Less Christian.” (3/9/09)  Apparently, the number of people (over 50,000 were surveyed) claiming Christianity has dropped from 86% in 1990 to 75% in 2009.  I am not sure how much stock to put in surveys these days, and all kinds of issues about this particular one could be debated, but that’s not my main concern here.

The real concern is that more and more people are choosing to live their lives as if there were no God.  How sad! What that means is they have no true and unchanging source of Authority to live by.  There is no Creator who exercises loving control over their existence.  They have no daily Source of guidance beyond the prevailing but fickle winds of current culture. They have no Redeemer to rescue them from their sin nature. They cannot turn to a Provider to meet their needs for daily sustenance, comfort for sorrow, protection from the devourer, and significance for an otherwise brief and meaningless existence.  And maybe most dreadful of all, they have no sense of security for what happens after this life is through.

No wonder David puts them in the category of “fool.  No wonder they are “overwhelmed with dread” when instead, they expected great freedom from being unchained from the “demands” of a Creator.

My point is not to rail against those who have rejected God.  The insecurity of their lives is condemnation enough. The real take-away from this psalm for me is simply to acknowledge how amazing it is to live as if there is a God; to know Jesus Christ as both Lord and Savior; to have the security and joy of a Creator who watches over every second and every detail of my life.

You see, I have a moment-by-moment Source of guidance for my life.  I have a Redeemer who rescues me from my sin nature, and even trumps my every sin with the grace of forgiveness.  I have a Provider who meets my every need according to his unlimited riches. I have a Comforter in times of sorrow, a Protector in times of danger, and a Creator who has created me as his workmanship to do good works which he prepared for me to do long before  I was even born.

And best of all, I have the assurance of life after this one is over—and I don’t live with insecurity, fear or dread about what will happen tomorrow.  I am truly blessed!

Yes, the truly blessed has said in his heart, “There is a God!”

Just Saying… C.S. Lewis put it this way: “A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling ‘darkness’ on the wall of his cell.” There is a glorious God, and I am glad I belong to him!

Sing! Sing! Sing!

Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.
God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.
Psalm 47:6-8

Go Deep: From your current view of the world, there may not be much to sing about.  The global economy is in shambles and no one seems to know what to do.  The prospect of lasting peace in the Middle East seems next to impossible, and no one seems to know how to fix it.  Terrorism threatens to encircle the planet, and no one seems to know how to stop it.  People are scared, confused and directionless, and no one has an answer.

And the things you had counted on for stability, security and satisfaction in your own life may seem, at best, tenuous.  So why not sing!  I mean, God is still the King!  He still rules over the nations.  Nothing that is going on in our world, or in your life, for that matter, has unseated him from his holy throne.  The upheaval we’re facing on earth hasn’t caused worry, fear, and instability in heaven.  Things are going according to plan—so why not sing!

You might think I joking—but I’m not.  Singing songs of praise is not meant just as a response to God for his goodness in the good times.  Singing is an act of faith in challenging times that recognizes a higher reality than the one you see in your horizontal view-finder: That God is King—he always was, and always shall be.

Go vertical with your gaze once in a while, and you’ll see that God is still in control.  Do that as the regular practice of your life, and you will find that you have much to sing about.  This is not whistling past the graveyard, but an act that not only expresses faith, that not only builds faith, it’s an act that actually releases even more faith into your life.

Want more faith for these troubling times?  Need more strength to face your challenges?  Want to feel more confident about your future? Sing! Sing! Sing!

That’s what I’m going to do as soon as I end this devotional blog.  It is 6:00 AM in the morning; I’m in my study; no one is here but God and me, so here goes:

“Our God, is an awesome God;
He reigns, from heaven above with wisdom, power and love.
Our God is an awesome God…”

Wow!  Suddenly, the world doesn’t seem so scary!

Just Saying… William James said, “I don’t sing because I’m happy; I’m happy because I sing.” Give it a try and see what happens.

Conflicted

You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?
Psalm 43:2

Go Deep: You can relate to this psalm, can’t you?  I can.  Sometimes—many times—our circumstances seem to indicate anything but a Heavenly Father who is closely and lovingly hovering over every detail of our lives with his generous and providential care.  Sometimes our reality is sickness that attacks our bodies, a devil that attacks our families, a failure that shakes our confidence, a temptation that tests our resolve, a sin that that cracks our character, people that disappoint our expectations, and events that wallop the stuffing out of us.  And sometimes, that’s on a good day.

So in the midst of that raw, gritty reality of life, where is the God who has promised to meet our every need, deliver us from our every danger, fulfill our every desire, answer our every prayer and bless our every moment?  Sometimes he seems distant, silent, and uncaring.  And we are conflicted.  Yes, we believe in his goodness, trust his promises, depend on his kindness, yet we cry out, “where are you…why have you abandoned me…do you not care…is all that I believe about you not the reality of how you deal with your people today?”

The writers of this psalm, the sons of Korah, likely had experienced this same raw, gritty reality for themselves, and more likely, had witnessed it as a common occurrence in the lives of all God’s children.  And they, too, were conflicted.  So they wrote a song about it.  On the one hand, they poured out their hearts to God, expecting him to rescue them (Psalm 43:1), protect them (Psalm 43:2), guide them (Psalm 43:3), fill them with joy (Psalm 43:4) and lift them out of their anxiety to a place of security in him (Psalm 43:5).  They trusted that God could do that, would do that; they had enough faith to boldly pray and make those requests of him.

Yet their reality was, a sense of abandonment, disappointment, and vulnerability. (Psalm 43:2)

Now really, isn’t that where much of our Christian lives are lived, too?  Don’t we often find ourselves in that same gritty gap, somewhere between the promises of God and the fulfillment of those promises?  Well guess what?  That’s called the life of faith!  And moreover, that’s exactly where faith is expressed, tested and rewarded—the gap between promise and fulfillment.

Now what are you to do with that?  Well, if you are in that gritty reality, you’ve got to just “grit it out.” You’ve got to “faith” it!  You’ve got to put on hope—and keep it on!  There is no easy alternative.  Sometimes, that is just the way of faith.

So if that’s just the tough reality of your world right now, please consider this: “We know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint.” (Romans 5:3-5)

Hang in there!  You won’t be disappointed.

Just Saying… William Gurnall wrote, “Hope fills the afflicted soul with such inward joy and consolation, that it can laugh while tears are in the eye, sigh and sing all in a breath; it is called “the rejoicing of hope.”

A Bad Economy

But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.
Psalm 33:18-19

Go Deep: If you are struggling to stand under the weight of a bleak economy, I would suggest you open your Bible to Psalm 133 and just slowly, absorbingly read it.  I guarantee that you’ll feel a whole lot better if you do!

Bad economies have been around since the beginning of human history.  The difference today is that we have government bailouts and unemployment insurance to hopefully ease our pain.  In David’s day, they had famine, starvation and death! (Psalm 33:19)  And though I don’t care much for our current economic crisis, I’ll take what we’ve got any day over the poor economic indicators in Israel at the time this psalm was penned.

But no matter what era or environment we find ourselves in, we serve a God who is bigger than the bad economy du jour. That’s why we can put our hope in him.  It is God, not the president in the White House, not the loan officer at the bank, not our boss at work, who is our real source: “We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield.” (Psalm 33:20, NLT)  In the midst of even the most terrible and disheartening conditions, we can remain joyfully confident: “In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.” (Psalm 33:21, NLT))  We can be the most secure people even in times of great social insecurity, because we are succored by his relentless, stubborn and unstoppable love: “Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.” (Psalm 33:22, NLT)

Moreover, we do not have to just endure a bad economy, we can rejoice in it—yes, you heard me—because we are in the care of the One who not only watches over all humanity—“The Lord looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race” (Psalm 33:13), he watches those who belong to him like a hawk—“But the Lord watches over those who fear him.” (Psalm 33:18) Furthermore, he is not only watching, he is working—actually using the lousy economy to bring about his plans for you: “But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” (Psalm 33:11)

I like what Andrée Seu, a senior writer for WORLD magazine, says: “We shall finally have to acquiesce to the fact that God has a purpose for lousy economies.” I suppose that is the real reason we can laugh in the face of a terrible economy—it is just another instrument in God’s toolbox to bring about his plan for Planet Earth and fulfill his purpose for little, ol’ you—and me, too!

Just Saying… C.S. Lewis wrote in The Problem of Pain, “My own experience is something like this. I am progressing along the path of life in my ordinary contentedly fallen and godless condition, absorbed in a merry meeting with my friends…or a bit of work that tickles my vanity…when suddenly a…headline in the newspapers that threatens us all with destruction, sends this whole pack of cards tumbling down. At first I am overwhelmed, and all my little happinesses look like broken toys. Then, slowly and reluctantly…I try to bring myself into the frame of mind that I should be in at all times. I remind myself that all these toys were never intended to possess my heart, that…my only real treasure is Christ.”

In God’s Hands

“Into your hands I commit my spirit…My times are in your hands.”
Psalm 31:5,15

Go Deep: In God’s hands—that’s a great place to be.  David’s belief that God would take care of him through the thick and thin of life gave him the necessary fortitude to make the journey with the kind of sweet spirit and deep faith that earned him the appellation, “a man after God’s own heart.”

Of course, Jesus knew what David knew: That even in the midst of the most horrible, torturous suffering possible, the cross, he was squarely in the competent and caring hand of his Heavenly Father.  And at the end of his suffering, when he had completed the task of redemption and satisfied God’s righteous wrath by bearing the full punishment for the sins of mankind, he, too, committed his spirit into God’s hands. (Luke 23:46)

When you truly understand that you are always within the sovereign and loving Father’s competent care, like Jesus and David, you can lay your worries down and rest in peace.  Just knowing that nothing will touch you that doesn’t first pass through his hands provides a sense of peace and security that most people never dream possible.  Knowing that all the days of your life, from beginning to end, have already been laid out in God’s mind births a rare and priceless confidence that overcomes all of life’s fears—even the fear of death which is at the bottom of most of the neurosis that plagues the godless.

In another psalm, Psalm 139:16, David wrote,

All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Knowing that God has completely planned out your life from beginning to end, that he is watching over each detail and every circumstance of your existence with great love and care, that you will not die a day sooner nor live a day longer than what he has foreordained, and that he will fulfill every good purpose in you, ought to give you the kind of confidence and courage to live your one and only life to the fullest and to the glory of God.

Yes, you can commit your spirit into his hands.  That is the best place to be!

Just Saying… Henry Martyn, an Anglican missionary to India in the 18^th century, wrote  “Oh, that I may learn my utter helplessness without Thee, and so by deep humiliation be qualified for greater usefulness.”

Two-Faced People

“Do not take me away with the wicked, and with workers of iniquity,
Who speak peace to their neighbors, but evil is in their hearts.”
Psalm 28:3

Go Deep: There is a whole category of people whose behavior, by and large, we excuse. However, God doesn’t.  He doesn’t find them acceptable; they and the unseen attitude of their hearts he finds deplorable.  They are the kind of people who will say one thing to your face, but quite another thing behind your back.  Even worse in God’s eye than what they say about you behind your back is what they think about you in their heart.  The psalmist says they speak peace when they are in front of you, but even before the conversation ends, their mind is already flooded with ill will toward you.

We might say they are two-faced.  The Bible calls them hypocrites.  And though we pretty much excuse their behavior and accept their ways in our culture, there is One who doesn’t! God’s righteous gaze cuts right through the syrupy surface of their lives with utter moral clarity and labels the wickedness of their hypocritical hearts, calling them what they truly are:  Workers of iniquity.

Now I realize that at this point in your reading you might be thinking this is anything but an encouraging little devotional thought for the day.  You are right: This is not a happy little uplifter, this is a deadly serious exhortation.  And the exhortation I have for you is twofold:

One, it is most likely that you will rub shoulders today with the kind of people David describes in this psalm.  Be careful of them.  Discern their hypocritical hearts and don’t be tainted by their iniquitous ways.  If you allow them into your inner circle, they will ensnare you.  So be careful.

And two, don’t be one of them.  It is so easy to fall into this kind of two-faced living.  The word “hypocrite” comes from ancient Greece, where it referred to stage actors who wore a mask, representing a character that they were not in real life.  (Interestingly, the word for “politician” comes from the same Greek word—so you can do the math on that one!) Now you might think that acting is a difficult art form to master, you’re wrong.  Sorry to be so blunt, but it is about the easiest thing in life to be—one who acts one way in a certain situation but an entirely different way in another.  And easier still is to perform one way publically but to have thoughts running in the unseen world of your mind that betrays your public front.

So ask God today, and every day for that matter, to keep you from hypocrisy.  Don’t fall into the trap of saying one thing but thinking another in your heart.  Ask God for integrity of word and thought.  Integrity means “whole”; the congruence of thought and speech, heart and behavior, beliefs and actions.

That’s what David prayed:  Keep me from them, and keep me from being one of them.  Hope you will pray that too!

Just Saying… Joseph Hall said, “Next to hypocrisy in religion, there is nothing worse than hypocrisy in friendship.”

When Criticism Leaves A Mark

Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have led a blameless life;
I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind;
for your love is ever before me,
and I walk continually in your truth.
Psalm 26:1-3

Go Deep: Have you ever been savagely and unfairly criticized?  Sure you have!  It really hurts, doesn’t it? Nothing leaves a mark quite like taking a punch from the critic.

No one is immune to the critic’s blows, by the way. To be human means to be born in criticism season with a big ol’ bull’s eye on your back.  And the greater your visibility in life, the higher in leadership you climb, the more you accomplish or even attempt to accomplish, the uglier and more devastating criticism becomes.  Even worse, criticism is usually unjustified, indefensible, and often it is anonymous.  Being the target of a critic just comes with the territory.

Apparently King David was facing some tough criticism, and understandably, it was bothering him a great deal.  But there wasn’t a whole lot he could do about it, except take it to God—which, you know, is always the best thing to do with criticism.  David went before the Lord and there lifted his innocence and integrity before the only Critic who really counts.

You will notice in this psalm that David doesn’t claim perfection as he pours out his heart before God.  He was far from perfect, so inviting Divine scrutiny (“test me…try me…examine me…” Psalm 26:2) would have been the worst thing David could have done at that moment if he thought his perfection would impress God. No, it was not a perfect life, it was a blameless life and an innocent heart that he placed before the Lord.

Blameless…innocent…David? Are we talking about the same guy?  Yes, this deeply flawed man could point to the integrity of his ways (his whole-heartedness before God), and that was what allowed him to request God’s vindication before his human critics.

Here’s the deal: To be anything and do anything in life is to invite criticism. It is just one of the harsh and unpleasant realities of life, so expect folks to criticize you.  But like David, so live your life in innocence and integrity that even though you are far from perfect, nobody will give your critic much credence—especially God.

And the next time the critic is getting the best of you, just remember that you answer to the One who knows your heart.  If you can lift a life of innocence and integrity before him, then feel free to call out to him for his vindication.

Divine vindication is always the sweetest revenge you can dish out to your critic!

Just Saying… C.S. Lewis said, “God knows our situation; He will not judge us as if we had no difficulties to overcome. What matters is the sincerity and perseverance of our will to overcome them.”