Category Archives: Psalms

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Need A Little Help Here!

With God’s Help, We Cannot Make It

PREVIEW: King David knew his sin problem was very deep—and incredibly troubling. And it wasn’t his problem alone. He knew that humanity was fundamentally flawed because of a sinful nature (“Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you” Psalm 143:2) and that no matter how much we try, we will ultimately steer off the cliff and into personal sin. And from David’s personal experience, he knew that would probably happen early and often. So, he makes his plea for help from above. If sin were to be overcome, it would take a little help from God. Actually, a lot of help. So will we!

Need a little help here - Ray Noah Blog

A Journey of Worship // Psalm 143:10

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

David was aware of his inability to live a righteous life before God. That’s not to say he didn’t try or that he dismissed his failures with an, “Oh well, it’s just the way I am. I just can’t help myself.”

David knew the problem was much deeper than that—and much more troubling. And it wasn’t his problem alone. He knew that humanity was fundamentally flawed because of a sinful nature (“Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you” Psalm 143:2) and that no matter how much we try, we will ultimately steer off the cliff into personal sin. And from David’s personal experience, he knew that would probably happen early and often. So, the Sweet Singer of Israel makes his plea for help from above. If sin were to be overcome, it would take a little help from God. Actually, a lot of help:

It would require God’s active mercy: “Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. (Psalm 143:1)

It would require the daily renewal of God’s loving guidance: “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.” (Psalm 143:8)

It would require God’s constant shepherding to keep David walking in his will and on the straight and narrow path: “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing. “(Psalm 143:10, cf. Psalm 23: 1-4)

Living a godly life is not the easiest road to travel. Our lives are out of alignment because of the sinful nature that got passed down to us from Adam, and by nature, we will continue to drift toward the devil’s ditch. The journey will require a constant effort on our part to overcorrect just to keep on the “narrow way” (Matthew 7:13-14). Most of all, it will take daily dependence on God—day-by-day, perhaps moment-by-moment, coming to him and getting a little help from above.

To live the kind of life God has called us to live, we will need to exercise the same kind of temerity as the kid who wrote this prayer to God: “Jesus, I feel very near to you. I feel like you are beside me all the time. Please be with me this Thursday. I am running in a three-mile race then, and I will need all the speed in the world then. So, if you’re not busy, could you be with me at the starting line, the finish line, and everywhere in between?”

Yeah, that’s what we need: A little help at the start, the finish, and all the way in between!

My Offering of Worship: If sin is to be overcome in our lives, it will take a little help from God. Actually, a lot of help: It would require God’s active mercy, his daily guidance, and his constant shepherding. So, like King David, let’s offer our plea to God for his help.

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The Cave

Core Curriculum in the Classroom of Spirituality Maturity

PREVIEW: David had a cave. But so did the other greats in the Bible: Joseph had a prison; Moses had the desert; Jeremiah had a pit; Daniel had a den; Paul was in and out of jail so many times, like Motel Six, they “kept the light on for him.” Even Jesus had a wilderness. Oh, he got a cave, too. He once spent three days in one. If Jesus had “cave-time,” the cave won’t be optional for you. Every believer gets “the cave.” What is the cave? The cave is a place of death. It’s where you die to yourself. The cave is the place of testing; it’s the blast furnace for moral fiber. The cave is where your mettle gets tested, your maturity gets revealed, and your heart gets exposed! Put a person in the cave of distress, discouragement, or doubt, and true character will show up. And if you’re brave enough to open up to the truth about you, the cave will reveal just how much work God still must do to get you ready for great things.

The Cave - Ray Noah Blog

A Journey of Worship // Psalm 142:1

A maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer: I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy. I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.

We all prefer to live out in the sunshine of God’s grace, but from time to time we get the “cave” instead. “Cave time” is just a core curriculum in the classroom of spirituality maturity. Call it whatever you want: the pit, the prison, the desert, the wilderness—the cave is basic training for believers.

Joseph had a prison; Moses had the desert; Jeremiah had a pit, Daniel had a den, Paul was in and out of jail so many times, like Motel Six, they “kept the light on for him.” Even Jesus had a wilderness. Oh, he got a cave, too. He once spent three days in one. If Jesus had “cave-time,” the cave won’t be optional for you. Every believer gets “the cave.”

What is the cave? The cave is a place of death. It’s where you die to yourself. The cave is the place of testing; it’s the blast furnace for moral fiber. The cave is where your mettle gets tested, your maturity gets revealed, and your heart gets exposed! Put a person in the cave of distress, discouragement, or doubt, and true character will show up. And if you’re brave enough to open up to the truth about you, the cave will reveal just how much work God still must do to get you ready for great things.

Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. (Deut 8:2)

Likewise, the cave is the place of separation. Not only does God reveal the true you in the cave, but he also strips you of every misplaced dependency. In the cave, God separated David from everything he had once depended on, and all that was left for David was God himself.

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. (Deut 8:3)

The cave was perhaps the most frustrating period in David’s life—but in hindsight, it turned out to be the most fruitful. That’s because the cave is also the place of forging. The cave is where God breaks you down to build you up:

Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you. (Deut 8:4-5)

That’s what God does in the cave. And God does some of his best work in caves. It was there in the cave of Adullam that David wrote three of his most moving psalms—Psalms 34, 57 & 142, including our key verse: “I cry aloud to the Lord…I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.”

If you are in a cave and complaining to everyone else but God, you are missing a great opportunity to pour out your heart to the only one who can do something about it. Good things always happen when you get honest with God. So, try talking to him—and be patient; God does great work in caves.

If you doubt that, just remember that empty cave on the outskirts of Jerusalem. For three days, it held a crucified body. But on Easter Sunday, the crucified Jesus rose as Lord and Savior for all humankind.

God does great work in caves—the best of which is resurrection. Perhaps that will change your mind about caves.

My Offering of Worship: Are you in the cave? Pour your heart out to God! Then wait patiently for a resurrection into something better and more eternal: The image of Christ now stamped upon you.

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Mouth Mastery Requires Heart Surgery

Zip It

PREVIEW: Our words matter! They can either kill or they can give life. What we say can not only destroy others, but it can also destroy us. That is why David asked the Lord to set a guard over his mouth. He knew that only God’s help would enable him to gain mouth mastery. And that help would begin with a changed and cleansed heart. So, what does your mouth reveal about your heart? If we were to play back a tape recording of every conversation you’ve had this week, what would we learn about you? That you have a bitter, angry, hurtful, doubtful heart, or that your heart is faithful, hopeful, and loving? Perhaps like me, you need to ask God to clean up both your heart and your mouth. And if we get God’s help, there isn’t anything we can’t do…even zipping our lips!

Mouth Mastery Requires Heart Surgery - Ray Noah Blog

A Journey of Worship // Psalm 141:3-5

Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies. Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it, for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.

One researcher has found that the average American has 30 conversations a day and will spend one-fifth of their life talking. Over the course of a year, our conversations could fill sixty-six books at 800 pages each.

So, how come, with so much practice speaking, few of us have ever gained complete or even consistent mastery of the content of our communication?

Think about it: Just a few inflammatory words set off a chain of events that look like World War III in your life. You come home from work tired and cranky, and yell at your wife…she yells at the oldest kid…he yells at little sister…she goes out and kicks the dog…the dog bites the cat…the cat comes in and scratches the baby…the baby rips the head off the Barbie doll.

Wouldn’t it be a whole lot simpler if the husband just ripped off the Barbie’s head himself?

Your words matter! Proverbs 18:21 reminds us that our words can either kill or they can give life. That means what you say can not only destroy others, but they can also destroy you. That is why David asked the Lord to set a guard over his mouth: “Help me, Lord, to keep my mouth shut and my lips sealed.” (Psalm 140:3) David realized he needed a zipper on his speech because of the damage it could cause others as well as himself. He knew how easy it was to be enticed into conversations with those who took no thought to the damage their conversations could inflict: “Take away my lust for evil things; don’t let me want to be with sinners, doing what they do, sharing their delicacies.” (Psalm 140:4) He knew just how easily it would be to unleash a destructive torrent of words that he couldn’t trust himself to keep his tongue in check. That is why he recognized the need for accountability partners: “Let the godly smite me! It will be a kindness! If they reprove me, it is medicine! Don’t let me refuse it.” (Psalm 140:5) David understood what Jesus said about our words: They reveal what is going on within us. that our words only reveal what is already inside our hearts:

You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. (Matthew 12:34)

That is why control of our mouths must begin with reforming our hearts.

So, what does your mouth reveal about your heart? If we were to play back a tape recording of every conversation you’ve had this week, what would we learn about you? That you have a bitter, angry, hurtful, doubtful heart, or that your heart is faithful, hopeful, and loving?

David knew he would need supernatural help if he were going to get both heart and mouth in the right place with God. That’s why he prayed for Divine help. You and I need to pray that, too, probably every day! We can’t do it alone. I know I can’t—I’m living proof of that. But I believe God will help us if we sincerely ask him. He never encourages us to do something that he is not willing to help with.

And if we get God’s help, there isn’t anything we can’t do…even zipping our lips!

My Offering of Worship: It is very likely that, like me, you do not consistently keep your speech disciplined. So, join me, and let’s do what David did: He reflected on the destructive of harmful words and hurtful conversations. He became accountable for what he said to people who were not afraid to confront him when he wasn’t. Most importantly, he pleaded with God for supernatural strength to use his every word in a way that honored God.

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The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Universe

There is Coming a Day When He Will Hold Court

PREVIEW: King David did what he could as the king to promote justice in his kingdom, but even he had his limits. And when he reached those limits, he would make his appeal to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Universe, God himself. That was the only way David could maintain his sanity as a leader in a sea of evildoers and their injustices. That is a good idea for you and me as well. We need to do what we can to uphold justice in our world, but there comes a time for sanity’s sake that we must turn all the evil and injustice over to the Chief Justice. One day soon, he will hold court, and then every evil intent and wicked act will be brought to light, judged, the sentence will be pronounced, then carried out. But, my friend, this calls for great perseverance and patience on our part.

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Universe - Ray Noah Blog

A Journey of Worship // Psalm 140:12

I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.

King David was one of the most amazing leaders in human history. Flawed, certainly, but skilled, courageous, inspiring, visionary, and successful like few other leaders of men. Yet even David had his detractors. They were there from the beginning, when he first stepped onto the scene in Israel, to the end, when death after a full life concluded his chapter. At each step, there were enemies, haters, and pretenders nipping at the heels of David’s credibility and authority to lead.

Even in this Golden Age of Israel, there were evildoers who promoted wickedness and perpetuated injustice. But David knew that ultimately, God was the Great Discerner of human motives and would reveal the wicked intent of their hearts sooner or later. Though it may not seem like it at the moment, he was confident that God would come to the rescue of the poor and innocent, bringing about divine justice to all who were oppressed.

King David did what he could as the king to promote justice, but even he had his limits. And when David reached those limits, he would make his appeal to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Universe, God himself. That was the only way David could maintain his sanity as a leader in a sea of evildoers and their injustices.

That is a good idea for you and me as well. We need to do what we can to uphold justice in our world, but there comes a time for sanity’s sake that we must turn all the evil and injustice to the Chief Justice. One day soon, he will hold court, and then every evil intent and wicked act will be brought to light, judged, the sentence will be pronounced, and then carried out. This calls for great perseverance and patience on our part. James talks about this in his New Testament epistle,

Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! (James 5:7-9)

The next time you’re tempted to get discouraged about all the injustice that is beyond your scope of authority, either in the world at large or in your personal world, don’t grumble about it. Take it to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Universe and leave it with him.

My Offering of Worship: What is it in the evil world that is weighing you down? The plight of the poor, human trafficking of little kids, filth coming through the airways into the lives of your children, abortion, corruption, manipulation of the system that disadvantages the little guy will the powerful gain more power? Is there something that you can do to address it? If not, take it to God and pour out your discontent in prayer. Leave it with him and then practice patience.

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My Days Are Numbered

Relax — God’s Got This, And He’s Got You, Too!

PREVIEW: How many days do you have left? I don’t know. No one does, except God. He knows the exact number of years, days, and hours—right down to the second—that you will occupy your temporary address on Planet Earth, the exact moment that your death will occur. Now, that may not seem like a cheery thought to you, and in fact, most people would find that sobering at best and frightening at worst. But when you know that your life is in God’s hands, you can live in unshakeable comfort and complete security just knowing that he has your life so ordered that you will neither die a day sooner nor live a day longer than what has already been recorded in his book. You see, life and death are far above our pay grade, so let’s happily let Father God take care of that department.

My Days Are Numbered - Ray Noah Blog

A Journey of Worship // Psalm 139:16

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

How many days do I have left? I don’t know. No one does, except God. He knows the exact number of years, days, and hours — right down to the second — that I will occupy my address on Planet Earth and the very moment my death will occur.

Now, that may not seem like a cheery thought to you, and in fact, most people would find that sobering at best and frightening at worst. Not me. I find great comfort and security in knowing that God has my life so ordered that I will neither die a day sooner nor live a day longer than what has already been recorded in his book. You see, life and death are far above my pay grade, so I will happily let Father God take care of that department, thank you very much.

So, if I truly and correctly understand this profound truth, then I am set free from the fear of death to live the life that God has planned for me fully. So, what does that mean for you and me?

We can enjoy an intimate walk with the One who is intimately involved in each minor detail of every single day we have lived — and will live:

You know when I leave and when I get back; I’m never out of your sight. You know everything I’m going to say?before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and you’re there,?then up ahead and you’re there, too — your reassuring presence, coming and going. (Psalm 139:1-4)

We can rest assured that we are never out of his sight, and, in fact, that he is guiding our every move:

Is there any place I can go to avoid your Spirit, to be out of your sight? If I climb to the sky, you’re there! If I go underground, you’re there! If I flew on morning’s wings to the far western horizon, you’d find me in a minute — you’re already there waiting! (Psalm 139:5-10)

We can know with confidence that our circumstances do not limit our Heavenly Father:

Oh, he even sees me in the dark! At night I’m immersed in the light! It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you. (Psalm 139:11-12)

In truth, God is so involved in our lives that he was even there at the very moment our mother and father conceived us, and that he superintended even the most infinitesimal details of my physiological and temperamental formation:

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God — you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made!?I worship in adoration — what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you. (Psalm 139:13-16)

Yes, we can relax, knowing that God sees us, knows us, guides us, and continually cares for us:

Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong — then guide me on the road to eternal life. (Psalm 139:23-24)

Wow! God knows everything about you and me. He planned us, built us, watches over us, can steer us back on track when we wander from his purpose, can be completely trusted to keep us safe until our sovereignly allotted number of days ordained for us are up, and then will take us to the next life that he has prepared for us for all eternity.

The psalmist was spot on in summing up this marvelous and loving Heavenly Father’s perfect oversight of our lives:

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand. (Psalm 139:6, NLT)

Yet even if we can quite wrap our minds around such knowledge, let’s not allow that to keep us from enjoying this day and praising the One who oversees every detail, big and small, of our lives!

My Offering of Worship: Memorize Psalm 139:16 and quote this verse aloud before you leave your house for the day’s activity. Do that each day this week and watch your confidence in God’s sovereign care over your life grow.

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God Knows What He’s Doing

He Will Perfect That Which Concerns Me

PREVIEW: As we passionately pursue God’s purposes, God has passionately committed himself to fulfilling His purposes in us. No matter what things may look like—horrible circumstances and hateful people notwithstanding, God will never abandon the work that he has lovingly and painstakingly invested in us, and He will ultimately bring that work to perfect completion. No way—you can’t stop God from doing what God does!

God Will Perfect That Which Concerns Me - Ray Noah Blog

A Journey of Worship // Psalm 138:8

The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever—do not abandon the works of your hands.

“God will perfect everything that concerns you.” (Psalm 138:8, NKJV) I have heard my wife use King David’s phrase many times in her public prayers. I like that thought, don’t you? Nothing will stop God from fulfilling His purpose for my life—nothing!

That was the essence of David’s thinking in this psalm. Nothing could get in the way of what God had in mind—God’s perfect will for his life—not even David’s own fleshly desires. That’s the caveat to this truth: the perfecting is of that which is according to God’s will, which, of course, is what ought to concern us more than anything else in this life.

The New Testament writer Jude captured the essence of this truth in his benedictory prayer when he wrote, “To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” (Jude 1:24-25) Likewise, the Apostle Paul wrote similar words in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

How comforting and empowering to know that if we are passionately pursuing God’s purposes, God has passionately committed himself to fulfilling His purposes in us. No matter what things may look like—horrible circumstances and hateful people notwithstanding (Psalm 138:7)—God will never abandon the work that He has lovingly and painstakingly invested in us, and He will ultimately bring that work to perfect completion.

What David had discovered was that when we are for God, and when God is for us, we cannot lose! 2 Chronicles 16:9 reminds us of this profound truth,

For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

Wow! God desires to fulfill his purposes in this world, and he is actually scouring the earth, looking for fully devoted people in order to release his enabling power in their lives. Is your heart fully committed to him? If it is, then God will find you, and sooner or later, you will come into the greatest joy that anyone can ever experience in this life: God fulfilling his purposes for you and through you.

Yes, God will perfect that which concerns you! In other words, There’s no stopping God!

My Offering of WorshipWhat are the obstacles standing in your path to pursuing God? According to Psalm 138:8, God will repurpose those stumbling blocks into building blocks. Try praying a thanksgiving prayer for everything that seems to impede your progress. Then, ask God to empower you to work with him to use those very things to perfect you. Pray this risky prayer: “God, use this to shape me.”

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The Complete Appropriateness of a Downright Nasty Little Prayer

PREVIEW: If you are going to enjoy the Psalms, sooner or later, you’ll have to deal with a psalm like Psalm 137. This is a downright nasty little psalm that calls for the violent destruction of the Babylonian people—akin to the call for a Jewish Jihad against this mighty empire that had leveled Jerusalem, including its temple, and hauled off most of Judah’s inhabitants 1,000 miles to the east. This outburst is what we call an imprecatory psalm—the calling down of a divine curse, a prayer for violent vengeance. But his is not a call to take vengeance into human hands. The psalmist sees God as judge, jury, and executioner and, upon that basis, makes his plea for the proper execution of Divine justice. Moreover, though it isn’t acknowledged within this psalm, other Scripture shows that before the Jews had called down judgment on their captors, they had first thoroughly repented before God for the very things that had brought them under the iron fist of judgment in the first place. So, if you are going to pray this way, make sure you put judgment in God’s hand and make sure your own sin is covered under Christ’s blood.

The Complete Appropriateness of a Downright Nasty Little Prayer - Ray Noah Blog

A Journey of Worship // Psalm 137:7-8

O Lord, remember what the Edomites did on the day the armies of Babylon captured Jerusalem. “Destroy it!” they yelled. “Level it to the ground!” O Babylon, you will be destroyed. Happy is the one who pays you back for what you have done to us.

If you are going to enjoy the Psalms, sooner or later, you’ll have to deal with a psalm like this. This is a downright nasty little psalm that calls for the violent destruction of the Babylonian people—akin to the call for a Jewish Jihad against this mighty empire that had leveled Jerusalem, including its temple, and hauled off most of Judah’s inhabitants 1,000 miles to the east. This outburst is what we call an imprecatory psalm—the calling down of a divine curse, a prayer for violent vengeance.

So, the question is, what place does such an angry psalm have in a loving God’s songbook?

First, this isn’t simply a religious rant. Psalm 137 should not be isolated from the other psalms—or the rest of Scripture, for that matter. It makes sense only in the context of both theological and historical settings. The writer wasn’t just calling down vengeance because he didn’t like someone. The Babylonians had perpetrated great violence against God’s people, so the psalmist was only calling on God to do what God had promised to do.

Second, this is not a call to take vengeance into human hands. The psalmist sees God as judge, jury, and executioner and, upon that basis, makes his plea for the proper execution of Divine justice.

Third, though it isn’t acknowledged within this psalm, other Scripture shows that before the Jews had called down judgment on their captors, they had first thoroughly repented before God for the very things that had brought them under the iron fist of Babylon in the first place. (Daniel 9:1-19) As Jesus later called us to do, they had taken the beam out of their own eye before they bothered with judgment for their tormentors. (Matthew 7:1-5)

Finally, this prayer, and others like it, is aligned with God’s prophetic indictment of Israel’s enemies. The writer is praying what the Scripture has already declared, calling into fulfillment God’s judgment against some extremely evil people.

Now, for the most part, our prayers should be along the lines that Jesus taught: “Love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.” (Luke 6:27-28 NLT) But when evil goes beyond the pale, it is certainly appropriate to pray for what is at the core of God’s being: Justice.

However, I need to offer a caveat: If you are going to unleash an imprecatory prayer, just remember that Divine justice is blind; it cuts both ways. So, make sure your own evil has been covered by the blood of Christ, which comes by grace through faith through the acknowledgment and repentance of sin.

My Offering of Worship: Perhaps you are brokenhearted over the systemic evil in this world—the abuse of children, the poverty of nations ruled by corrupt strongmen, the terrors of war visited upon innocent civilians, the disgusting filth that visits our children through digital media platforms, and on the list of wickedness goes. It’s ok to pray for God’s justice to come, swiftly and surely, against what sin and Satan have visited upon God’s planet.