Category Archives: Psalms

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Time Flies

You Can Never Kill Time Without Injuring Eternity

PREVIEW: Are you as amazed as I am with the speed of time? What once seemed interminable when I was a kid—school, chores, the preacher’s sermon, winter, life—now seems to rush by like a speeding locomotive. I blinked and suddenly this fifteen-year-old kid panting to get his driver’s permit is now in the fourth quarter of life and panting just walking up the stairs. Watching my wife-to-be walk down the aisle has turned into the new adventure of grandparenting—overnight! Staring in amazement at the mystery of life as our daughters were born seems like only yesterday. Now they are in their own careers, well into marriage, bringing up children of their own, and making a significant impact in this world. Yes, time flies! So use your allotment of it wisely!

Time Flies - Ray Noah

MY JOURNEY OF WORSHIP // Psalm 90:10,12

..Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we fly away … Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

True story: Kermit the frog was once heard saying, “Time’s fun when your having flies.” Kermit got his idiom a bit garbled, but that is quite understandable when Miss Piggy is stalking you!

Kermit was on to something! The truth is, time does fly—whether you are having fun or not. Moses was reflecting on how relatively brief life was when he said in Psalm 90:10,

The length of our days is seventy years—
or eighty, if we have the strength;
yet their span is but trouble and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

How true that is! Are you as amazed as I am with the speed of time? What once seemed interminable when I was a kid—school, chores, the preacher’s sermon, winter, life—now seems to rush by like a speeding locomotive. I blinked, and suddenly, this fifteen-year-old kid panting to get his driver’s permit is now in the fourth quarter of life and panting just walking up the stairs. Watching my wife-to-be walk down the aisle has turned into the new adventure of grandparenting—overnight! Staring in amazement at the mystery of life as our daughters were born seems like only yesterday. Now they are in their own careers, well into marriage, bringing up children of their own, and making a significant impact in this world.

Time flies!

You could certainly add your own experience to the narrative. And those of you who are older can definitely add an urgent witness to the speed of life even more than I can at this stage of life: Suddenly, the grandkids are getting married; great-grandchildren are arriving; the body is not working quite like it used to even though the mind still thinks of yourself as a youngster, full vim and vigor; you are facing life without your soul-mate—and something you never dreamed possible is now a gritty reality.

Time flies!

Yes, time flies, and I need to add a sobering twist. As the poet said, “Tis one life will soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.” That is the truth, my friend. Time flies, so use it wisely. Make the most of it. Time is a gift from God, that’s why it’s called the present.

So perhaps it would be a good idea to follow Moses’ lead and pray that prayer today—and every day: “Lord, teach me to number my days soberly, so that I might live each of them wisely.”

MY OFFERING OF WORSHIP: This might seem a bit morbid, but I think it would be a great exercise for you. Write out the epitaph you hope to have one day on your tombstone. Then, obviously, live the rest of your life so that it will be true of you.

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A Promise Made—A Promise Kept

God Makes Them but He Never Breaks Them

PREVIEW: The fact that God makes a promise guarantees he will keep that promise. Yet that has not been our earthly experience, has it? We have been made promises only to have them broken. Parents, friends, teachers, bosses, politicians, preachers, and even our spouses—all have made promises, and chances are, most, if not all, have failed to deliver on their guarantees. In the realm of human relationships, our experience has taught us that a promise made is not necessarily a promise kept. And we, ourselves, have made promises only to break them before the ink dried on our guarantee. Not so with God. He makes covenants, and because he is a covenantly faithful God, he will do everything he has promised to do—guaranteed!

A Promise Made—A Promise Kept Ray Noah Blog

MY JOURNEY OF WORSHIP // Psalm 89:33-34

But I will never stop loving him nor fail to keep my promise to him. No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said.

Did you catch that? “I will not break my covenant,” says the Lord. So here’s the good news: God makes promises—and he keeps them.

We ought to be grateful for that! You and I are alive today—saved, forgiven, adopted into God’s family, walking daily in an intimate relationship with Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit for good works, destined for an eternity full of unending purpose and indescribable fulfillment—only by virtue of God’s faithfulness to his promise.

The fact that God makes a promise guarantees he will keep that promise.

Yet that has not been our earthly experience, has it? We have been made promises only to have them broken. Parents, friends, teachers, bosses, politicians, preachers, and even our spouses—all have made promises, and chances are, most, if not all, have failed to deliver on their guarantees. In the realm of human relationships, our experience has taught us that a promise made is not necessarily a promise kept.

And we, ourselves, have made promises only to break them before the ink dried on our guarantee.

Not so with God. He makes covenants, and because he is a covenantly faithful God, he will do what he has promised to do. Even though we may fail him—and suffer the consequences of our failure, either through Divine punishment, natural outcomes, or both—God will stay true to his promise. (Psalm 89:30-37) God cannot help himself. Psalm 89:35 reminds us,

Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—
and I will not lie to David-

No, God will not lie to David, nor will God lie to you. Of course, this psalm specifically refers to God’s covenantal promise to King David, but it should be generally applied to God’s covenantal promise to all who are his people by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. That’s me, that’s you, and that’s a very good thing!

So here’s the deal: Even though the people around you may fail to keep their end of the bargain, and though you may not always follow through with what you have said you would do, you can relax with God—he will always come through for you.

Guaranteed!

MY OFFERING OF WORSHIP: According to various Bible scholars, God has made between 5,000 and 7,000 promises in Scripture. As an exercise of faith, write down ten of those divine promises that are most important to you. Then, rehearse them back to God and offer gratitude to him for being faithful to his promises.

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Favorite Places

Oh, Jerusalem!

PREVIEW: Did you know that God has a favorite city? In a unique and special way, God loves Jerusalem. He has his reasons, and I am not entirely sure what they are, but I can’t disagree with him. Jerusalem is beyond amazing. It is absolutely breathtaking! But as spectacular as it is, one day soon, when Jesus reigns in his full glory, the entire world gaze longingly on the city, and the nations will come to worship there. Even Israel’s mortal enemies will bow the knee in wonder in the city of God. And you will worship there, too. As will I. So, until that day, pray for the city of the great King!

Favorite-Places Ray Noah Blog

MY JOURNEY OF WORSHIP // Psalm 87:2

The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

There are certain cities that I just love. I’ll bet you have favorite places, too. For me, San Francisco, for all its weirdness, has to be one of the most spectacular cities of all. The Golden Gate Bridge to the north, the Bay Bridge to the East, Alcatraz in between, North Beach, Fisherman’s Warf, the amazing skyline, the outstanding restaurants—what a cool city!

Denver is also a great city in my book. The drama created by the Great Plains abruptly crashing into the snow-capped Rocky Mountains, the majestic front range all the way from Pike’s Peak in the south to Long’s Peak to the north, is nothing short of a never-ending Kodak moment. The spectacular panoramic view Denverites get every single day is second to none.

But Portland—my home city—is at the top of my list! There is nothing like the Great Northwest. The fall colors are every bit as wonderful as New England’s. The summers are indescribable. The fragrant blossoms on a spring day can almost make you forget the rainy winter you’ve just endured. The rivers, bridges, verdant hills, lush canopy, and view of Mt. Hood will take your breath away, guaranteed. I am so blessed to live here.

And then there are cities I don’t like. I won’t mention any names, but, for instance, the initials of one such disliked city is “L.A.” You figure it out. What were they thinking when they put that one together!

God has a favorite city, too. Did you know that? He has his reasons, and I am not entirely sure what they are, but I can’t disagree with him. Jerusalem is pretty amazing. I hope you will get a chance to go there if you haven’t already. One of my favorite views of any city in the world is the one you get coming up over the Mount of Olives, and looking westward over the Kidron Valley, getting a glimpse for the first time of the Temple Mount of the holy city, Jerusalem. Breathtaking! Absolutely breathtaking!

Jerusalem! Jerusalem!
Hark! how the angels sing,
Hosanna in the highest,
Hosanna to your King.
(“The Holy City,” by Frederick Edward Weatherly)

God loves Jerusalem, and one day, when Jesus reigns in his full glory, the entire world will come to worship there. Even Israel’s mortal enemies will bow the knee in wonder in the city of God. And you will worship there, too. As will I.

So here’s the deal: Until Jesus returns, pray for Jerusalem’s safety and prosperity: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure.” (Psalm 122:6) Nurture a passion for the city of the great king since God is so passionate about it. Start reading up on it. Check out the brochures that describe the city. Plan a trip to Jerusalem before you leave Planet Earth.

Above all, however, remember this: As spectacular as the view of the holy city is from this side of eternity, it ain’t nothing compared to what Jerusalem will be like when King Jesus lives there!

MY OFFERING OF WORSHIP: If you are not already doing this, incorporate prayer for Jerusalem’s peace into your regular intercession times.

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Signs

Asking for a Show of God’s Favor is a Very Spiritual Thing

PREVIEW: We don’t normally encourage people to pray for signs, somehow thinking that true faith doesn’t focus on physical answers. We teach faith over sight; that it is more spiritual to believe in the invisible than to grasp for the visible. But David’s faith led him to believe God for and boldly ask for a literal, physical sign that would prove to the whole world that he was living under Divine favor: “Give me a sign of your goodness!” What is so bad about that?

MY JOURNEY OF WORSHIP // Psalm 86:17

Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

I have taken to praying this psalm regularly. Not so much the second part about my enemies—I may be naïve, but I don’t think I wrestle with people who are out to get me quite like David did. It’s the first part of that verse that I love: Give me a sign of your goodness.

Here is the way some of the other translations put it:

Send me a sign of your favor. (New Living Translation)

So look me in the eye and show kindness…Make a show of how much you love me. (The Message)

Show that you approve of me. (Contemporary English Version)

Show me proof of your goodness, Lord; those who hate me will be ashamed when they see that you have given me comfort and help. (Good News Translation)

That is a great prayer to pray in any version—and even better if God so happens to answer it. What was the sign David was looking for? For sure, David needed protection (“Guard my life,” Psalm 86:2), but he wouldn’t mind if God threw in a little mercy, too (“Have mercy on me, Lord, for I call to you all day long … Turn to me and have mercy on me; show your strength in behalf of your servant; save me, because I serve you just as my mother did,” Psalm 86:3,16). David wanted God to give him reason to laugh (“Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you,” Psalm 86:4), perhaps from the knowledge that yet again he had been forgiven of his sins (“You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you … But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,” Psalm 86:5,15). In general, since David had fully devoted himself to God (“For I am faithful to you; save your servant who trusts in you,” Psalm 86:2), he wanted his life to be living proof that God loved him.

We don’t normally encourage people to pray for signs, somehow thinking that true faith doesn’t focus on physical answers. We teach faith over sight; that it is more spiritual to believe in the invisible than to grasp for the visible. But David’s faith led him to believe God and boldly ask for a literal, physical sign that would prove to the whole world that he was living under Divine favor. What is so bad about that?

So go ahead, pray for a sign of God’s goodness today. I am! I am asking that God will show me a literal, physical sign of his favor today. I, unapologetically, want the whole world to know that he approves of me. I am requesting that God will look me in the eye and make a show of how fond he is of me—not tomorrow, but today!

Who knows, maybe God will grant our request today!

MY OFFERING OF WORSHIP: If you desire a demonstrable show of God’s favor, I encourage you to pray your way through this psalm and approach the Lord as David did. Remember, David recognized that there were things he needed to do to align himself with God’s blessing.

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Hear … Then Don’t Forget to Do!

What It Takes To Live In God’s Favor

PREVIEW: There is no deep, mysterious secret to the revival of favor that the Biblical writers promise the true believer. There is no complex set of rules and regulations the believer must master in order to live in the blessing of abundance promised in the Bible. It is so simple even a child can get it. In fact, all good parents drill this into their children early and often: Listen and obey!

Hear ... Then Don't Forget to Do!- Ray Noah

MY JOURNEY OF WORSHIP // Psalm 85:6-9

Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation. I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints—but let them not return to folly. Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.

I don’t think reducing God and his Word to formulas is a good idea, but if we can distill his Word down to one, here is a simple prescription for Divine favor:

HEAR — THEN DO!

Listen to God, then do what he says. Hear and do! James echoed that command in the New Testament when he said, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Then, for the one who hears and does, James added, “He will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:22,25)

There is no deep, mysterious secret to the revival of favor that the psalmist is seeking in Psalm 85. There is no complex set of rules and regulations the believer must master in order to live in the blessing of abundance promised in the Bible. It is so simple even a child can get it. In fact, all good parents drill this into their children early and often:

LISTEN AND OBEY!

You have no problem with that—right? Neither do I! So here’s the deal: Why aren’t you doing that?

I am not trying to be judgmental or confrontational; I am just asking a serious question. You have areas of your life where you are either not listening to God or not obeying what you hear—or both! So do I. And that may be the very reason you and I are not living in the full abundance of God, spiritually, financially, physically, professionally, or relationally.

So what are you going to do about it? I think I will do a little evaluating today—some listening first, then obeying. I plan on getting this one right. You can hold me accountable on that one. And when I get to the end of my life, I hope that I will have so lived that on my headstone are inscribed these words:

HE LISTENED—AND OBEYED GOD!

MY OFFERING OF WORSHIP: Honestly, are there selective areas where you know what you should be doing, but you aren’t? I get it…I really do! But perhaps you should let the Lord speak to you through this devotional and, with his help, take action today to bring your behavior into line with obedience to his Word.

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Try Singing On Your Way to Church

Why? When God’s People Gather, God’s Presence Is There

PREVIEW: The New Testament teaches us that we no longer need to go to the temple in Jerusalem to worship—a good thing, since it no longer exists. Under the new covenant, God, himself, continually dwells in you, personally—you are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. Yet while God dwells in you individually, your salvation is not to be divorced from God’s people collectively—the church. You and I, together, make up the new covenant temple of God. As we come together corporately, the very place where we gather—church building, school auditorium, family room, under a tree—along with those who gather, are the temple of God, his holy dwelling place on earth. Something powerful happens when we, the body of Christ, come together to exalt the head of the body, Jesus Christ. As Christ is worshiped, God’s presence fills the temple. And that is something to sing about!

Try Singing On Your Way to Church - Ray Noah

MY JOURNEY OF WORSHIP // Psalm 84:10

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked..

Do you sing on your way to church? The Israelites did. There was a whole series of songs written just for people on their way to the Tabernacle and, later, the temple in Jerusalem. While this is not officially one of them, they were called psalms of assent. These songs usually extolled the blessings of belonging to God and the anticipation of coming to the earthy dwelling that housed God’s uncontainable presence.

Perhaps we ought to revive that tradition. I’m sure it would heighten our anticipation of entering the Lord’s presence with the community of believers and deepen our experience of his mighty presence in the house of worship.

Of course, the New Testament teaches us that we no longer need to go to the temple in Jerusalem to worship—a good thing since it no longer exists. Under the new covenant, God, himself, continually dwells in you, personally—you are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor 6:19) Yet while God dwells in you individually, your salvation is not to be divorced from God’s people collectively—the church. You and I, together, make up the new covenant temple of God. (1 Cor 3:16-17; 2 Cor 6:15-17; Eph 2:20-22)

As we come together corporately, the very place where we gather—church building, school auditorium, family room, under a tree—along with those who gather, is the temple of God, his holy dwelling place on earth. Something powerful happens when we, the body of Christ, come together to exalt the head of the body, Jesus Christ. As Christ is worshiped, God’s presence fills the temple.

Now, that is something to sing about!

If you have lost the kind of anticipation for going to church that makes you sing, I would suggest you have misplaced your understanding of what the community of believers is all about. I would challenge you to go back and find it—it is crucial to your spiritual health. When you come to church, you are coming into the very place and to the very people who are now the dwelling place of God! And where God dwells, there is both earthly joy and eternal pleasure. (Psalm 16:11)

One day of the kind of earthly joy and eternal pleasure we experience as God dwells among his people is better than a thousand days on the best beaches of Maui or on the rides at Disneyland or on the greens at Pebble Beach or in between the sheets of your bed. If you don’t get that, your vision is clouded.

So start singing about it on the way to church, and pretty soon, it will get into your spirit and you will begin to see what the psalmist saw—and then you can write your own psalm of assent.

MY OFFERING OF WORSHIP: Do you sing on the way to church—whether you are alone or with your family? Start this weekend, and over time and with consistent singing, you will experience a renewed sense of excitement over going to the house of your God.

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Naming Names

There is a Time to Get Good and Angry

PREVIEW: There is a time when it is appropriate for you to get good and angry—not just good, and not just angry, but good and angry! Now the question is, when is that appropriate time? I don’t think I can give you a sure-fire answer for every situation, but there is a clue here within this psalm that seems to echo other times in Scripture where good anger was called for. It is when the people who are upsetting you are upsetting you because they are hindering, hurting, or plotting the destruction of God’s people and God’s plan. It’s not when someone cut you off in traffic, or took your seat in church, or pulled out fifteen coupons in the “15 Items or Less” check-out line when you were in a hurry. It’s when their motive, known or unknown to them, is to destroy the work of God. That’s when it is appropriate to pray like the psalmist: God, make them pay.

Naming Names - Ray Noah

MY JOURNEY OF WORSHIP // Psalm 83:1-5,16

O God, do not remain silent; do not turn a deaf ear, do not stand aloof, O God. See how your enemies growl, how your foes rear their heads. With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish. “Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation, so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.” With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you. …Cover their faces with shame so that men will seek your name, O LORD.

“May my enemies know the fiery terror (Psalm 83:14) of your judgment; make them to know the tempest of your storm (Psalm 83:15). Make Edom, the Ishmaelites, the Hagrites, Gebal, Ammon, Amalek, Philistia, Tyre and Assyria (Psalm 83:6-8) like refuse on the ground (Psalm 83:10), nothing more than a tumbleweed tumbling along (Psalm 83:13). Make them pay, Lord!”

Have you ever prayed like that? Have you ever gone before the Lord and named names, calling down the fire and the fury of heaven upon the heads of your enemies? Have you ever been brutally honest with God?

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it unless it’s called for. If you are doing that a lot, it may reveal more about the condition of your heart than the people with whom you are upset. Perhaps you need to do a little soul work, asking God to do a deep work of healing in your heart, teaching you how to truly forgive your enemies, and learning how to patiently put judgment in his just hand.

Yet there is a time when it is appropriate for you to get good and angry—not just good, and not just angry, but good and angry! Now the question is, when is that appropriate time? I don’t think I can give you the definitive answer for every situation, but there is a clue here within this psalm that seems to echo other times in Scripture where good anger was called for. It is when the people who are upsetting you are upsetting you because they are hindering, hurting, or plotting the destruction of God’s people and God’s plan. Psalm 83:3 says,

With cunning, they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish.

So that’s it—that is how you get good and angry. It’s not that someone cut you off in traffic, or took your seat in church, or pulled out fifteen coupons in the “15 Items or Less” check-out line when you were in a hurry. It’s when their motive, known or unknown to them, is to destroy the work of God. That’s when it is appropriate to pray like the psalmist.

But here’s another clue that will keep you good when you are angry: Don’t just pray for their ruination; pray for their redemption. At the very least, pray that the Divine punishment brought down upon their heads will serve as a witness to others of the glory of God’s great name (Psalm 83:16).

So, if you can manage to include those two aspects authentically in your prayers, go ahead, name names!

MY OFFERING OF WORSHIP: When was the last time you came to God in prayer and poured out your heart in an unfiltered way? If it has been a while, maybe it is time. And don’t worry: God is big enough to handle your unvarnished upset.