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Whew!

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 34:1-22
Focus: Psalm 34:7

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

You’ve got to notice the title of this psalm to really appreciate it:

A Psalm of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech,
who drove him away, and he left.

David was on the lam…just a step ahead of death due to King Saul’s maniacal and murderous hatred. On this particular occasion, David sought refuge, of all places, in the Philistine city of Gath. Gath, you might recall, was the hometown of Goliath, the famed warrior-hero that David had killed in stunning fashion on the battlefield.

David is seeking refuge in the city of his enemy rather than in the shelter of the Almighty. Now to be fair, David has done a lot of things right up to this point in his life. He has depended on God day-after-day and night after-night for years, patiently enduring and deftly avoiding Saul’s relentless posse. But now he makes a big mistake—and it almost costs him his life.

The people of Gath recognize David for what he is, the chief warrior of their archenemy Israel, and they want the Philistine king to have him executed. Suddenly, realizing the pickle he’s gotten himself into, David comes up with a crazy idea: He’ll go postal. So he feigns insanity, starts scratching at the door, drooling in his beard, and howling at the moon (okay, I added that last one). When the king sees David in this deranged state, he says, “Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?” (I Samuel 21:14-15)

With that, David beats a retreat back to the cave of Adullam, and there, as before, he finds God in the cave. And he penned these words: “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”

Now I am not advocating that the mistakes we make are no big deal. They are…and they can be very costly. But friend, we serve a God who trumps our mistakes with his grace, and turns our goofs into glory for himself and good for us. We may take a few lumps along the way, but at the end of the day, even on our best day, it is God who makes something beautiful out of our less than perfect lives.

You might want to thank God for that little fact, by the way. I think I will!

__________________

“We serve a gracious Master who knows how to overrule even our mistakes to His glory and our own advantage.” (John Newton)

 

Making Life Work: Go back into the memory banks and think to times where God has “pulled your bacon out of the fire”.  Like me, God has turned your mistakes into opportunities to grow your character and bring glory to himself.  As David did, write out your own psalm of gratitude to Lord for his mercy and grace, then review it every so often.

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Who’s In Charge

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 33
Focus: Psalm 33:10-11

The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

It was a big night. It was our president, Barack Obama, holding a prime-time press conference. The main subject of his public address was the worsening national economy—an alarming upswing in unemployment, home foreclosures, bank failures and a host of other bleak economic indicators.

The president knew that a lot was riding on his ability to go directly to the American people and convince them that his plan to bailout our economy must be supported, and if it wasn’t, the damage done would be irreparable. Agree or disagree with him, one thing you’ve got to give him, he is a gifted communicator with a sharp intellect and a charismatic personality.

But he’s not really in charge—no president really is. And we mustn’t forget that! God is in charge. Economies, presidents and even nations come and go, but, as David says, “the plans of the Lord stand firm forever!”

Sure, poor economies affect our day-to-day lives; so do bad presidents and rotten nations. But just remember, they will come and go. It’s the “purposes of God’s heart” that transcend the current state of affairs in our world.

Enough said!

__________________

“Fear is faith in Satan; Faith is fearing God.” (Unknown)

 

Making Life Work: As presidents, political parties, politicians, election cycles come and go over the years, and as you evaluate in the aftermath of the speech-making by our leaders and the perpetual debate going on in Washington as to how our problems can be solved, pray for our leaders—they really need our help. Actually, they really need God’s help. But at the end of the day, I would suggest that you throw your lot with God—because he’s really the One in charge. Remember: he always will be!

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Before And After

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 32:1
Focus: Psalm 32:1-11

“Oh what joy for those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.”

What would life be like for you without God’s forgiveness? I don’t know about you, but I’d be depressed, fearful, under so much guilt I doubt if I could function, and worst of all, hopeless. There would be no joy, no energy to face today and no courage to face tomorrow. I’d be a royal mess!

Oh, I could postpone all those sad realities of an unforgiven life by some sort of other coping mechanism. I could numb all my pains by drinking or doing drugs. I could temporarily avoid that reality by overworking or overspending or overachieving or overeating or oversleeping. I could get a momentary feel-good fix through Internet porn or an extra-marital affair or some other sort of sexually addictive behavior and forget about the fact that I am hopelessly lost. I could surround myself with all kinds of friends through non-stop partying, by being funny, by incessant sports or other social activities. There are all kinds of ways I could avoid the pain of the unforgiven life. Lots of people do that every day—that’s how much of the world copes.

But that doesn’t negate the awful truth that they are living an unforgiven life. They can only postpone their hopeless reality for so long, but at some point living a life apart from a forgiving God will come home to roost.

I realize I have painted a pretty bleak and depressing picture—not a great way to start a devotional—but it’s true.

On the other hand, what joy there is for those whose sins are forgiven! Not just forgiven, but covered…neutralized…vaporized and remembered no more. David, who wrote that psalm, had committed some pretty egregious sins against Almighty God (II Samuel 11), so he was talking from first-hand experience about the before and after picture of the forgiven life. He, more than most people, knew the indescribable joy in having his sin-slate wiped clean.

I know that joy, too, and I suspect you’ve experienced it as well. How privileged we are to belong to a God who forgives all of our sins—and does so with great joy. I can’t think of a greater benefit and blessing in this life than that.

__________________

“Forgiveness is the remission of sins. For it is by this that what has been lost, and was found, is saved from being lost again.” (Augustine)

 

Making Life Work: I don’t know what you are facing this day, but I hope the simple fact that you have been completely forgiven by God will brighten your day and give you a profound joy that will sustain you for the rest of your life

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Not To Worry

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 31
Focus: Psalm 31: 5, 15

“Into your hands I commit my spirit…My times are in your hands.”

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 that 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.

__________________

“Oh, that I may learn my utter helplessness without Thee, and so by deep humiliation be qualified for greater usefulness.” (Henry Martyn)

 

Making Life Work: What is the safest place in this crazy, unpredictable world? In God’s hands! Why not commit, or recommit, your spirit into his hands. Once you’ve placed your life squarely in those Better Hands, you can truly enjoy the passing of time!

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Instruments Of Praise

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 30
Focus: Psalm 30:11-12

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!

Apparently David was sick. So sick that he believed he was going to die. And his detractors were openly hoping for it; gloating over his misfortune. But David appealed to the Lord (Psalm 30:1-3) who raised him from his deathbed and restored his health:

I will exalt you, Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me. You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit.

What did David do in response to God’s gracious intervention? He used it as a platform to talk about the goodness of God. He understood that the reason God spared his life, at least in part, was to now be an instrument of praise (Psalm 30:9):

What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit?
Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness?

Have you given any thought to why God has been so gracious and merciful to you? Do you know the reason why he has answered so many of your prayers? Do you think it is simply to give you a more comfortable life or to satisfy your every whim?

Of course, God loves you as his dear child, and wants to give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4) But he gives you life and breath, health and happiness, peace and prosperity that you might be an instrument of his praise. He answers your prayers and pulls you out of the pit so that your voice would rise in public gratitude to him. Even in the midst of hardship, he gives you inner joy that others might know of your hope in the goodness of God.

David got it. He understood that his life had been spared and his prayers answered so that he could worship among the wicked (v. 1) and sing among the saints (v. 4) as living proof of a loving God.

God wants you to “get it” too.

__________________

“Gratitude changes the pangs of memory into a tranquil joy.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

 

Making Life Work: Starting today, look for opportunities to speak a good word for God. You don’t have to get weird about it, but in the course of your conversations, talk about the goodness of God in your life. Remember, that’s the reason you even have life: To be an instrument of praise!

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Majesty!

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 29
Focus: Psalm 29:1-6

“Praise the LORD, you heavenly beings; praise his glory and power.
Praise the LORD’s glorious name; bow down before the Holy One when he appears.
The voice of the LORD is heard on the seas; the glorious God thunders, and his voice echoes over the ocean. The voice of the LORD is heard in all its might and majesty.
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars, even the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes the mountains of Lebanon jump like calves and makes Mount Hermon leap like a young bull…”

If you are a big fan of nature, like I am, you will love this psalm. David is extolling the indescribable majesty and awesome power of God in the ongoing witness of nature…the vastness of the deep blue oceans, the breathtaking beauty of the mountain peaks, the chest-rattling sounds of the thunder and knee-knocking fierceness of an electrical storm. Truly God was doing some of his best work when he created the cosmos.

I was flying back to the beautiful city of Portland some time back after being in the Midwest for a few days. The sky was clear—a brilliant blue. We flew over the majestic Rockies after a plane change in Denver, and I was yet again struck by the stunning scene before me—the snow-capped wonder for the Front Range, an unhindered view of several 14,000 footers all the way from Pike’s Peak on the South to Long’s Peak on the north. Hard to beat!

But that was just the beginning. As we neared Portland, the pilot—I’m sure just for my benefit—flew as close to Mt. Hood as I have ever been. It was so close it seemed as though you could reach out and touch it. Words can’t do justice to its overwhelming wonder. But then out the other window was an amazing shot of Mt. St. Helens…or what’s left of it. And if Mt. Hood reminded me of God’s unequaled artistry, Mt. St. Helens reminded me of his unequaled power.

All I could do was what David did in verse one: “Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!”

But guess what? As amazing as God’s work in nature was, it wasn’t even his best work. You are his best work! You are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:10). The best of God’s power and majesty, glory and strength were on display when he redeemed you from your sin, made you a part of his forever family, granted you kingdom authority and gave you a divine purpose for this life and the one to come. And none of that due to your own worthiness, mind you! It was all because of his great love!

Yep! As wonderful as Planet Earth is, it doesn’t even compare to God’s recreation of you!

__________________

“There is no peace more wonderful than the peace we enjoy when faith shows us God in all created things.” (Jean-Pierre de Caused Hall)

 

Making Life Work: Now why don’t you do what David did by falling to your knees and ascribing to the Lord glory and strength!

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Two-Faced People

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 28
Focus: Psalm 28:3

“Do not drag me away with the wicked—with those who do evil—those who speak friendly words to their neighbors while planning evil in their hearts.”

There is a category of people whose behavior for some reason we seem to excuse—but God doesn’t. He doesn’t find them acceptable; they and the unseen attitudes of their hearts he finds deplorable. Who are they? They are the kind of people who will say one thing to your face, then another behind your back. Even worse to God than what they say about you is what they think about you in their hearts. The psalmist says they speak peace when they are in front of you, but even before you are gone, their minds are flooded with ill will toward you.

We call them two-faced; the Bible calls them hypocrites. And while two-faced people are unpleasant, our culture pretty much excuses their behavior and accepts their ways. Hypocrisy is not a crime, rarely is there any kind of sanction for duplicity and for certain, two-facedness carries no real social stigma. Yet here is One who doesn’t keep quiet about their nasty ways. God’s righteous gaze cuts 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. And truthfully, it is not. Rather, this is an exhortation. And the exhortation I have for you is twofold:

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

Being two-faced is not a crime in our culture; there’s not even any real sanction for relational duplicity or social stigma for being hypocritical. But in God’s eyes, people who say one thing to your face and another behind your back “talk a good line of peace then moonlight for the Devil.” (The Message) Be careful around two-faced folk, and most importantly, don’t be one!

And two, don’t be one of them. It is so easy to fall into this kind of two-faced living. Ask God 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.

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

__________________

“Next to hypocrisy in religion, there is nothing worse than hypocrisy in friendship.” (Joseph Hall)

 

Making Life Work: Try praying another prayer of David found in Psalm 139:23-24 with the specific motive of cleansing your life of hypocrisy: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test my thoughts. Point out anything you find in me that makes you sad, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”