Category Archives: Psalms

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First Things First

Learn To Practice the Presence of God

PREVIEW: King David was a man who had truly learned to practice the presence of God. First thing each day, he lifted his voice to God, and before he did anything else, he waited for a reply (that’s what Psalm 5:2 means when it says, “and will look up”). But that was also the last thing David did when he hit the sheets at night. He prayed in Psalm 119:62, “At midnight I will rise to give you thanks.” Perhaps that’s the reason why David was known as “a man after God’s own heart.” What do you suppose would happen if you took on David’s practices? Maybe you would develop that kind of heart after God, too!

First things first — Psalm 5

A Journey of Worship // Psalm 5:3 (NKJV)

My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.

What is the first thing you do when the alarm clock rings, awakening you to another day full of exciting possibilities and challenging demands? Perhaps you are one of those who rolls over and mumbles, “Good Lord, morning!” Or maybe you are the type who pops up with delight and expectation by greeting the One who gave you the gift of yet another day with, “Good morning, Lord!”

It is obvious as you read Psalm 5 that King David was of the latter variety. Not that he was an overly optimistic person — in fact, much of David’s life was lived by keeping one step ahead of death. But he had come to appreciate the presence and protection of God so much that much of his waking moments were spent connecting with his Lord. David was a man who had truly learned to practice the presence of God. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why David was known as “a man after God’s own heart.” What do you suppose would happen if you and I took on David’s practices? Maybe we would develop that kind of heart after God too!

What is the first thing you do when the alarm clock rings, awakening you to another day full of exciting possibility and challenging demands? Perhaps you are one of those who rolls over and mumbles, “Good Lord, morning!” Or maybe you are the type who pops up with delight and expectation by greeting the One who gave you the gift of yet another day with, “Good morning, Lord!”

Obviously, David was of the latter variety. Not that he was an overly optimistic person — in fact, much of David’s life was lived by keeping just one step ahead of death. But he had come to appreciate the presence and protection of God so much that most of his waking moments were spent connecting with his Lord.

David was a man who had truly learned to practice the presence of God. First thing in the morning, David lifted his voice to God — and before he did anything else, he waited for a reply (that’s what he means when he says, “and will look up”). But that was also the last thing David did when he hit the sheets at night. He prayed in Psalm 119:62, “At midnight I will rise to give you thanks.”

Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why David was known as “a man after God’s own heart.” What do you suppose would happen if you and I took on David’s practices? Maybe we would develop that kind of heart after God too!

Let me suggest a 30-day trial—that the last thing you do when you go to bed is to recount as many things as you can think of for which you are grateful, and the first thing you do when you arise in the morning is to lift your voice to God with gratitude that he has given you the gift of another day.

To give thanks is one of the highest callings we have and one of the most self-benefiting things we can do. Think about this: Even sitting where you are reading this devotional is a cause for thanksgiving to God. The prophet Jeremiah declared in Lamentations 3:22, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is your faithfulness.”

G. K. Chesterton would say at the end of the day, “Here ends another day, during which I have had eyes, ears, hands [to experience this] great world around me. Tomorrow begins another day. Why am I allowed two?”

Chesterton, Jeremiah, and David had the perspective that all of life was a gift from God. You and I out to practice that perspective, too, every morning and evening for the next month. I have a feeling that the discipline of thankful prayer will turn into the delight of thankful prayer long after those 30 days are up.

My Offering of Worship: Try this 30-day trial: Make the last thing you do when you go to bed recount as many things as you can think of for which you are grateful, and make the first thing you do when you arise in the morning lifting your voice to God with gratitude that he has given you the gift of another day. You may want to set an appointment on your calendar for your morning time with your Heavenly Father.

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The Antidote to Anger

When Angry, Engage Your Brain

PREVIEW: Everyone gets angry. You, me, everyone. So, since God expects us to control the emotion of anger when it arises and use it for good, how can we become skilled at managing this common yet potentially destruct response? Well, the strongest antidote to uncontrolled, destructive anger is your ability to be rational because destructive anger is stupid. King David’s answer for anger that doesn’t lead to sin was, “When you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.” That is, rather than venting, be still, be silent, count to ten, and allow your brain the opportunity to do what it does best — to think! In other words, count the cost to the people you will damage, to the damage it will cause to God’s kingdom, and the damage it will cause to your relationship with God.

The Antidote to Anger, Ray Noah

A Journey of Worship // Psalm 4:4

In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.

You and I have a lot in common. Really! Not only are we incredibly intelligent, unbelievably likable, and unusually humble, we have a very large capacity for anger.

Have you experienced that capacity for anger lately? Have you found yourself snarling at those TV “talking heads” when they pushed your political hot button this week? Have you experienced any mental road rage lately? Did you wake up grumpy this morning and snap at the kids or come home tired and verbally abuse your dog? No? Perhaps you are the one person on Planet Earth that had an anger-free week, and you really don’t need to read this blog.

The truth is that we all experience anger. Anger is a God-given capacity that is common to humanity. In fact, you don’t have to read very far into the Bible to realize that God gets angry. Jesus got angry, too, and ran some moneychangers out of the temple. The Apostle Paul taught that it was possible to “Be angry and not sin.” (Ephesians 4:26)

So, anger is not the problem. It’s when we mishandle anger—that’s the problem. Uncontrolled and unredeemed anger leads to unhealthy families, fractured relationships, lost jobs, damaged reputations, and worse. And the Bible is very clear that we had better learn to control and channel that anger appropriately or not only will we cause some irreparable damage in the here and now, but in the “there and then,” we will have to stand before a righteous God to give account for our unrighteous anger.

Jesus said, “I tell you anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.” (Matthew 5:22)

James said, “Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.” (James 1:20)

The Apostle Paul warned, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.” (Eph 4:31)

So, obviously, anger can be a real problem, both before God and in human relationships.

Given that it is a potentially destructive emotion, here in this psalm, King David described what is arguably the most effective way to manage our anger. And what he is recommending is — get this — to practice the rare art of “thinking” when emotions begin to give rise to anger. Seriously, the best antidote to inappropriate anger is to simply think it through … to bring that emotional response of anger, which can obviously be quite unintelligent, into the realm of intelligent thought.

The strongest antidote to uncontrolled, destructive anger is your ability to be rational because destructive anger is stupid. That’s why David’s answer for anger that doesn’t lead to sin was, “When you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.” That is, rather than venting, be still, be silent, count to ten, and allow your brain the opportunity to do what it does best — to think!

What is it, then, that you are supposed to think about when you are angry?

First, think about your anger’s potential destructiveness to the people you care about, and to yourself. As Proverbs 29:11 says, only “a fool gives full vent to his anger.”

Second, think about how Satan wants to use your anger to manipulate you for his purposes. Ephesians 4:26-27 says, “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” Just remember, every time you give vent to anger, you are opening the vent to Satanic vapors.

And third, think about the person you are angry with. And whatever else you do, remember that this person is someone who matters very much to your Heavenly Father. They are someone so loved by God that he sent his Son to die for their sins. They are someone that he has great plans for throughout eternity. So, think about that before you let any angry words fly — and remember that to damage them is to do damage to God.

Since thinking is the greatest antidote to anger, think for a while about what Proverbs 19:11 says: “A person’s wisdom gives them patience; it is a glory to overlook an offense.”

And don’t forget what David said, “In your anger, do not sin!”

My Offering of Worship: What is your pattern with anger? Do you explode, seethe, retreat and sulk, hold grudges, manipulate, withhold love, or all the above? If you are honest with yourself and admit to misusing your anger, then confess it to God, ask for his help, then enlist the support of a trusted friend to hold you accountable for filtering your anger through the three steps offered in this devotional. And remember, I am rooting you on. More importantly, so is your Father, who offers you his help if you ask.

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In God’s Hands

The Best Place to Live

PREVIEW: There was a time when King David had to flee his beloved Jerusalem because of a coup. But he found an even better place, an oasis from the chaos of the coup. That oasis was not a physical place. It wasn’t even just an emotional state of mind. It was something much more important, much more enduring, much more satisfying — it was the spiritual reality of being cared for by the only One who truly has the power of life and death. David found refuge in the hands of God. Your life is there too, you know! Or maybe you don’t. But even if you don’t, that truth remains firm, and because of the saving faith that you have expressed in Jesus Christ, your address has permanently changed to God’s hands. It’s high time you start enjoying your new zip code.

2023-06-09 In God's Hands

A Journey of Worship // Psalm 3:1-5

Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

Where is the best place to live in the entire world? Periodically, national magazines will rate the various cities around the world for their livability — based on the city’s beauty, environmental practices, economic health, crime rate, the number of parks, the average lifespan of the inhabitants, and so on.

There are some amazing communities in this world, and I believe I live in one of them, but the very best place to live anywhere, bar none, is squarely in the hands of Almighty God. If you live there, by saving faith and daily obedience, the physical address of your residence doesn’t really matter. The crime rate and economic vitality are non-factors. The natural beauty and livability quotient are inconsequential. Even the most hostile environment can be a great place to live when the Lord “is a shield about you.”

David passionately loved the city of Jerusalem. In fact, it became known as the City of David. But there came a time when he had to flee the city, running for his life because of the uprising of his son, Absalom. Absalom wanted to assassinate his father, and he had plenty of support among the religious community, the military, and the common citizens — the very people for whom King David had provided such a good life. But they had turned on David, forcing the king to run for his life, barely just a step ahead of death, and with absolutely no prospects of ever regaining his throne and returning to the city.

Yet as David fled from his beloved Jerusalem, he found an even better place, an oasis from the chaos of the coup — he found refuge in the hands of God. Obviously, that oasis was not a physical place. It wasn’t even just an emotional state of mind. It was something much more important, much more enduring, much more satisfying — it was the spiritual reality of being cared for by the only One who truly has the power of life and death.

In another psalm wrote, “Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” (Psalm 139:16, NLT) David knew and relied upon the truth that God knew the exact number of days that David would live, and he would not die a day sooner nor live a day longer than what God had foreordained. And nothing could change that — not Absalom, not betrayal, not war, not poverty, not disease…nothing. God alone held that power over David’s life.

That is why, coup and exile notwithstanding, David found this world a perfectly safe place. That is why even in the midst of his crisis, David could “lie down and sleep — and wake again.” It was the Lord who was sustaining him. You just think that way, and live that way, when you understand that your life is in God’s hands.

Your life is there too, you know! Or maybe you don’t. But even if you don’t, that truth remains firm, and because of the saving faith that you have expressed in Jesus Christ, your address has permanently changed to God’s hands. It’s high time you start enjoying your new zip code.

My Offering of Worship: If at the moment worrisome circumstances have you doubting that you truly are in God’s hands, take a moment to listen to this song by Kirk Franklin, “My Life Is In Your Hands” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joUMvH9v4vw

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When Fools Rule

Let God Rule the Throne of Your Heart

PREVIEW: Scripture defines a fool as one who rejects God’s rule, denies God’s reality, defies God’s moral code, and mocks God’s judgment. In Psalm 2, King David pours out his complaint against the rulers of nations who have set themselves in opposition to God. He calls them fools. By his definition, the fool is no idiot; he or she is one who deliberately rejects God’s rightful rule, denies God’s reality, defies God’s moral code, and taunts God’s judgment. And he offers those fools this sober warning: “What fools the nations are to rage against the Lord! How strange their leaders should try to outwit God, calling a summit to plot against his plan. … But God in heaven merely laughs! He is amused by all their puny plans.” (Psalm 2:1-4) Wouldn’t you agree that we’re living in a time when far too many fools rule from their seats of power? And like me, you’re frustrated that there’s not much we can do about all the fools running around and ruining things these days — ruling in high places of government, finance, cultural influence, and even spiritual leadership. But whenever we get frustrated with all the foolishness we’re forced to endure, pause to remember that it is God who truly rules. And when he finally brings all the foolishness to its deserving end, we will have found blessed refuge in him because he rules in the most important place — the throne of our hearts.

When Fools Rule with Ray Noah

A Journey of Worship // Psalm 2:1-4 (Living Bible)

What fools the nations are to rage against the Lord! How strange that men should try to outwit God! For a summit conference of the nations has been called to plot against the Lord and his Messiah, Christ the King. “Come, let us break his chains,” they say, “and free ourselves from all this slavery to God.” But God in heaven merely laughs! He is amused by all their puny plans.

In light of the times in which we live, with all the godless and foolish leadership occupying seats of power, consider these potent words from Psalm 2:4 again: “The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.”

In Psalm 14:1, David wrote, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.”

Of course, David’s idea of a fool was different than ours — and much more serious. We speak of a fool as one who lacks intelligence, direction, and sound judgment. David, on the other hand, understood the fool to be one who lived willfully in complete disregard to God and his law. He ignored God’s rightful rule over his life, expressed an attitude that aggressively denied God’s reality, defied God’s moral code, and went so far as to even dare God to execute judgment.

By David’s definition, we are living in a time where there are a lot of fools running around. In fact, many of them seem to be running our country. They are in high places of government, finance, cultural influence, and even spiritual leadership.

But as powerful, popular, and prosperous as they might seem to be, they are still fools. David’s psalm reminds us of this sobering truth: God still rules. While the fools are seated in places of power, God is seated in the only place of power that really counts. And he scoffs at the unbelievable hubris and overt rebellion of these he created and provides their very moment-by-moment breath. He sits on the real and true throne, patiently waiting for them to repent but knowing they never will.

Psalm 2 speaks of that time when God’s patience will finally come to its end, and then he will indeed execute judgment on those who have dared and defied him for so long. When that time comes, it won’t be a pretty picture. As you read Psalm 2, you will not be reading a very happy psalm.

Yet there is hope strategically placed within David’s song. This psalm of divine judgment is also a contrasting psalm of eternal optimism. Embedded in David’s diatribe is also an invitation to live wisely (v. 10 — as opposed to how the fool lives) by serving God gladly (v. 11 — contrasted with the defiant rebelliousness of sinful man) and the promise that all who willingly do will find “blessed” (happiness, favor, and eternal joy) “refuge” (a safe and secure place) in him (v.12).

There is not much you and I can do about all the fools running around and ruining things these days, but whenever we get frustrated with all the foolishness we are forced to endure, we can be reminded that it is God who rules. And when he finally brings all the foolishness to its deserving end, we will have found blessed refuge in him, because he rules in the most important place — the throne of our hearts.

My Offering of Worship: Over the days, weeks, and months ahead, when you get frustrated by the foolishness you see coming out of the seats of power that rule our nation at various levels, instead of ranting and raving, pause and praise the One who truly rules. And remember, the day is soon coming when he will dramatically institute his eternal rule.

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Be Happy!

There is Only One Way to Achieve Happiness

PREVIEW: Everybody wants to be happy! You do, and so do I. So how do we find true and lasting happiness? Well, the Psalms — which, may I remind you, is God’s inerrant, authoritative, eternal Word — tell us that happiness comes by completely, deliberately, and consistently ordering our life according to the full counsel of the Holy Scripture. Not just a favorite verse here and there, mind you, or a Bible reading when it strikes the fancy, but through a “day and night” absorption of the whole “law of God.” Furthermore, true blessedness and lasting joy come by completely, deliberately, and consistently rejecting the humanistic definition of and path to happiness. The Psalmist calls for a complete ordering of our life around the Word of God — “meditating on it day and night.” That is truly what will produce the joyful, blessed, and happy life!

Psalm 1 with Ray Noah - The Attainment of Happiness

A Journey of Worship // Psalm 1:1-2

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night

Every human being who has ever walked this planet has this in common: The desire to be happy. In fact, our most revered national document, the Declaration of Independence, proclaims that the pursuit of happiness is our unalienable right, universally endowed by the Creator himself.

Now we can pursue happiness until we are blue in the face, and most of us do, but there is just one way we will ever attain it: By following God’s “roadmap.” The Psalmist called that roadmap “the law of the Lord.” Today, we call it the Bible.

In this opening song from the songbook of the human race, the Psalms, we are told that happiness comes by completely, deliberately, and consistently ordering our life according to the full counsel of God’s Word. Not just a favorite verse here and there, mind you, or a Bible reading when it strikes the fancy, but through a “day and night” absorption of the whole “law of God.” Furthermore, true blessedness and lasting joy come by completely, deliberately, and consistently rejecting the humanistic definition of and path to happiness.

In Psalm 1, the Psalmist calls for a complete ordering of our life around the Word of God — “meditating on it day and night.” So here is the most important question you will be asked today: Are you? Are you reading God’s Word regularly, and not just reading it, but absorbing it? Are you not just absorbing it, but are you figuring out ways to apply it to your daily life — your thinking, your situations, your responses, your decisions, and your planning?

May I suggest that before you do anything else — read the headlines, surf your social media platforms, check your email, or have coffee with your posse, which is the modern equivalent of “WALK in step with the wicked or STAND in the way that sinners take or SIT in the company of mockers” (NIV) with anyone else before you get counsel from God — that you carve out time and then ruthlessly guard that time to read, absorb and apply God’s Word. And then discipline yourself to bring what you have read back to mind at various parts of the day to make sure your thoughts, actions, interactions, responses, and accomplishments have been true to the plumbline of God’s Word.

By the way, when “meditating day and night” on Scripture becomes the “organic” practice of your life, the discipline of daily Bible reading will have turned into the delight of practicing the presence of God. And when you practice the presence of God, you will experience the presence of God. That is truly what the joyful, blessed, and happy life is all about.

My Offering of Worship: Set an appointment with God on your calendar — literally — to read and reflect on his Word. Add it to whatever type of calendar you use, then ruthlessly keep it. Set it for the first thing in the morning (before you read the news, use social media, make your to-do list, etc.) or for the last thing you do before you go to sleep. Or do both. I would recommend the first since it centers you on the Word and will of God at the very first part of your day. I would also recommend you join me in reading through the Book of Psalms.

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Psalms: A Journey of Worship

You Were Made to Praise — So Don’t Neglect Your Reason for Being

DEAR READER: I invite you to join me for the rest of 2023 on a journey of worship. And the book of Psalms will be our guide. Psalms, the songbook for the human race, expresses worship like no other. Throughout its many pages, Psalms encourages its readers to praise God for who he is and what he has done. It describes the greatness of our God and affirms his faithfulness to us not only in times of blessing, comfort, and ease but also in times of trouble, heartbreak, and seeming defeat. And at the end of the day, whether in the valley or on the mountaintop, the Psalms remind us of the absolute certainty and necessary centrality of worship in our lives. So, let’s journey together through these 150 psalms. I will post devotional blogs each week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday … and I hope they will be a tremendous blessing to you on your journey of worship. In today’s devotional, to give you a preview of the kinds of devotionals to come, I have skipped way ahead to Psalm 139 and have written on, in my opinion, one of the most encouraging and comforting verses in the entire Bible, verse 16. Then on Monday, we will start with Psalm 1 and begin our journey until it concludes with Psalm 150.

Psalms: A Journey of Worship with Ray Noah

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 — even right down to the final second — that I will occupy my address on Planet Earth, the exact moment that 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 fully live the life that God has planned for me. So, what does that me 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, 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 Heavenly Father is not limited by our circumstances:

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 fact, 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 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’t quite wrap our minds around such knowledge, let’s not allow our limited comprehension 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 before you leave your house for the day’s activity, quote this verse aloud. Do that each day this week and watch your confidence in God’s sovereign care over your life grow.

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2023–A Recipe for Personal Peace and Stability

God Holds Tomorrow in His Capable Hands

Synopsis: Who knows what tomorrow will hold? Who knows what is in store for us in 2023? Who knows how things will turn out in this volatile world in the coming months? Who knows? Only God! That’s why we need to fiercely lean into him for today, for tomorrow, and for 2023, expressing our utter dependence on his good purposes being fulfilled in our lives and recognizing his sovereign control over each second of our existence. The Psalmist David understood that people who live under the daily threat of death like he did tend to get that reality better than those of us who live relatively safe, carefree, and easy lives. We tend to slide into the false notion that a pain-free, worry-free, tragedy-free life is our divine right. Not David! He got it right when he wrote, “Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” (Psalm 139:16) So, as scary as tomorrow might seem, take courage, because as a Christ-follower, the sun will come out tomorrow—God will make sure of it!

A Recipe for Personal Peace and Stability - Ray Noah

Moments With God // Psalm 139:16

Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

Who knows what will happen tomorrow? Just ask any family whose lives were displayed on the late-night news last evening—whose peace and tranquility was unexpectedly interrupted by some sort of disaster: a car accident coming home from work, a random act of violence outside the restaurant, a massive layoff at the company that no one saw coming, the sudden bacterial infection resistant to all known forms of medication that attacked their child without warning. None of them got up that morning expecting anything close to that would happen during the day that lay ahead.

Who knows what tomorrow will hold? Only God! That’s why we need to fiercely lean into him for this day, expressing our utter dependence on his good purposes being fulfilled in our lives and recognizing his sovereign control over each second of our existence. The Psalmist David understood that people who live under the daily threat of death like he did tend to get that reality better than those of us who live relatively safe, carefree, and easy lives. We tend to slide into the false notion that a pain-free, worry-free, tragedy-free life is our divine right.

Not David! He got it right when he wrote in Psalm 139:16,

Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

Only God knows how many days you have and what will happen in each of those days. Only he knows the exact number of your days, and you will not live a day longer nor die a day sooner than what he already has planned for you. That is why it is not wise to get too far ahead of God in your thoughts about tomorrow. Now, obviously, this is not about wise planning and preparation. That is certainly taught throughout the Bible, and a great deal of emphasis is placed on that throughout the Bible. Yet even when wise planning has been followed, Solomon warned in Proverbs 27:1,

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.”

In the New Testament, James offered this wise counsel:

I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.” You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, “If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.” (James 4:13-15, MSG)

What both of these wise men from the Old and New Testament, respectively, are calling for is living with an attitude of gratitude for each and every breath we take, expressing humble dependence on the Almighty for each and every second of our existence, and submitting each and every ounce of our energy today, and if he graciously gives us tomorrow, to use for his good purposes.

When we live that way, we can sing with confidence, “The sun will come out tomorrow.” Maybe that will mean the blazing sunshine of yet another day here on Planet Earth, but if not, the joy of unending days where there is no need for the sun since the indescribable glory of the shining presence of God himself will render our current source of light and heat meaningless.

So, as scary as that might seem, take courage because, as a Christ-follower, the sun will come out tomorrow.

Read and meditate on Psalm 90, and memorize verse 12: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Then early and often, quote it to yourself and others!