Are You This Open and Honest with God?
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,"
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
– Psalm 32:1-5
The Goodness of the Lord
For the word of the Lord is right,
And all His work is done in truth.
He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
– Psalm 33:4-5
We serve a God who is good and pure and holy. As this psalm says, His word is right and His work is done in truth. And we can see His goodness throughout the earth. That doesn’t mean that everything that happens in this world is good--obviously that claim would be far from reality. But we can see the results of His goodness all around us, in nature and in those people who are living for Him in their daily lives. Our God is good and, as He says in Genesis, everything He created in the world around us is good. In this new year, let’s open ourselves up to that goodness, allowing God to fill us with His peace and joy rather than becoming entangled in deception or trapped by the wicked ways of the world that continually try to fight against God’s goodness.
In Awe
Let all the earth fear the Lord;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
– Psalm 33:8-9
Do you stand in awe of the Lord? Many people, Christians included, don’t seem to anymore. It’s almost like God is something we talk about on Sundays and then life goes on. STOP! Right now, whatever you’re doing, just stop. Take a minute to think about everything that God has blessed you with, all that He has done for you and continues to do for you. You could be amazed at how that can change your perspective and perhaps even your mood. We have so much to be thankful for in this country, but rarely do we express thanks for all that the Lord has blessed us with. Fear the Lord by living as He commands while avoiding sinful things, and stand in awe of the Lord by respecting and worshipping Him.
God’s Plan, Not Ours
The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
– Psalm 33:10
This verse seems to be talking about countries or nations of people, but the idea can be applied to anything. We constantly make all of these plans--which, in and of itself, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. For example, I have a couple of back-up plans so that I can still get my website updated if my primary internet provider is having problems. And in a broader sense, it is wise to plan for the future. But where we get ourselves in trouble is when we try to make our own plans without consulting God first. Prayer is vital when it comes to making big plans for the future or even when making less significant decisions. God can do something that can cause our plans to come crashing down in an instant. Spend ample time in prayer to make sure your plans line up with what God is leading you to do.
A Blessed Nation
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.
– Psalm 33:12
Our nation prospered for a long time while God was at the center of so many things in this great country. I believe it is no coincidence that, as our nation’s leaders and various (rather worthless) organizations try to remove God from different places across our country, we continue to experience great struggles, economic and otherwise. Unless we place God at the center again, our struggles will continue. What can we do? Among other things, we can make our voice heard through various media outlets and through our votes. But most of all, we just need to pray. Our country and its leaders are in desperate need of prayer for God’s guidance. It’s such a big problem that it’s easy to think one prayer won’t make a difference; I admit my own guilt in that regard. But God hears our prayers, and we need to be serious about them. A fervent prayer CAN indeed make a difference (see James 5:16-18).
Luck or the Lord?
No king is saved by the multitude of an army;
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
A horse is a vain hope for safety;
Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.
– Psalm 33:16-17
People can place their faith and hope in such strange things sometimes. This passage refers to people who place their trust in their own strength or in something else, like a horse taking them off into a battle. In our modern world, many people place their faith in everything but God Himself. Some people trust fortune tellers, others rely on their horoscopes, and many trust this imaginary thing called luck. I find it interesting (and also rather disturbing) that some people place so much trust in “luck” when it really doesn’t exist. There is no such thing as good luck or bad luck because God is ultimately in control, so things aren’t left up to luck or random chance. Do you trust in luck or in the Lord?
I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.
This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.
– Psalm 34:1-7
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!
There is no want to those who fear Him.
The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Who is the man who desires life,
And loves many days, that he may see good?
Keep your tongue from evil,
And your lips from speaking deceit.
Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their cry.
The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
– Psalm 34:8-18
Promises from the Lord
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
He guards all his bones;
Not one of them is broken.
Evil shall slay the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.
The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.
– Psalm 34:19-22
A number of different ideas are touched on in these four verses, and most of them deal with promises from God. First, the Lord promises to deliver all of His children from their afflictions. If you’re facing a difficult time right now, you can take comfort in those words. Our God doesn’t break His promises. He even guards Himself, as the next verse makes reference to the cross where none of Jesus’ bones were broken. Finally, the Lord promises to redeem the souls of all those who serve and trust in Him, and if you are in that group of people, you have reason to rejoice because you will not be condemned!
God Fights For Us
Plead my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me;
Fight against those who fight against me.
Take hold of shield and buckler,
And stand up for my help.
Also draw out the spear,
And stop those who pursue me.
Say to my soul,
"I am your salvation."
– Psalm 35:1-3
In John 16:33, Jesus tells us that we will have troubles in this world, but He has overcome the world! God is far more powerful than anything or anyone on this earth, and if you’re facing a difficult struggle, He wants to come alongside and fight for you if you belong to Him. Don’t try to stand in the way and fight by yourself; let Him help! He loves all His precious children and wants to take care of us, as long as we’ll allow Him to do that.
Question to Ponder:Do you ask for help from God when facing a difficult struggle?
Wise Praying
Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor
Who seek after my life;
Let those be turned back and brought to confusion
Who plot my hurt.
For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit,
Which they have dug without cause for my life.
Let destruction come upon him unexpectedly,
And let his net that he has hidden catch himself;
Into that very destruction let him fall.
– Psalm 35:4, 7-8
David continues his prayer in these verses, asking God to deliver him from those who seek to kill him. At first, his prayer seems wise; he asks God to bring shame, dishonor, and confusion to those people. After that, I think he goes a little too far, asking for their destruction. I feel like the first part of this prayer is a wiser approach, and perhaps you can apply a similar idea to your prayers if you find yourself in a situation as desperate as David’s. Instead of wishing for some type of physical harm as you may be tempted to do, ask God to confuse your enemies or take away something else from them such as fame or fortune.
Question to Ponder:Do you try to pray with wisdom and guidance, or do you just pray that God will destroy your enemies?
Giving Thanks and Praise to God
Lord, how long will You look on?
Rescue me from their destructions,
My precious life from the lions.
I will give You thanks in the great assembly;
I will praise You among many people.
– Psalm 35:17-18
When God rescues you or delivers you from a trial, or when He does some other work in your life, do you give Him thanks and praise or do you move on and forget what He has done for you? For too many people, I think the latter is true. We see similar things in the Bible with the Israelites. God delivered them from many enemies, but they quickly forgot and found something else to complain about. When God does something wonderful in your life, thank Him for it! Even more, tell others what He has done! That is one of the most powerful witnessing tools you will be given, and you can use that to help draw more people to Christ.
Question to Ponder:Who is the receiver of your praise and thanksgiving--God, other people, or yourself?
Our Just Judge
This You have seen, O Lord;
Do not keep silence.
O Lord, do not be far from me.
Stir up Yourself, and awake to my vindication,
To my cause, my God and my Lord.
Vindicate me, O Lord my God, according to Your righteousness;
And let them not rejoice over me.
– Psalm 35:22-24
I suspect many of us have had thoughts similar to these, perhaps when it seems like someone has done something that isn’t right and has gotten away with it. We want to be vindicated while the people responsible are punished. Keep in mind that, while such things may happen from time to time in this life, Jesus is the ultimate judge and all will be brought to justice at the appointed time. Things aren’t always fair in this world, but thankfully we serve a perfectly fair and just God who makes all things right in the end!
Question to Ponder:Is it healthy to have a strong desire for revenge when you’ve been wronged by someone?
Fear God, Part 1 of 3
An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked:
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
For he flatters himself in his own eyes,
When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.
The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
He devises wickedness on his bed;
He sets himself in a way that is not good;
He does not abhor evil.
– Psalm 36:1-4
Take a few moments today to read over this passage and think about whether it applies to you or to some people you know. I will share more of my thoughts on this passage next week.
Question to Ponder: Do you fear God or do you flatter yourself?
Fear God, Part 2 of 3
An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked:
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
– Psalm 36:1
Fearing God is an important part of the Christian life, but how many of us really fear God like we’re supposed to? Obviously non-believers don’t, but many believers don’t seem to anymore, either. The phrase “fear God” doesn’t mean we’re supposed to be scared to death that God is going to do something to us. Instead, it means that we need to live in fear and awe of His power, respecting Him for who He is. People have a tendency to turn God into all kinds of different things to suit their own needs, but the truth is, our God is all-knowing and all-powerful and we need to respect Him because He is God!
Question to Ponder:Do you fear and respect God as much as you should?
Fear God, Part 3 of 3
An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked:
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
– Psalm 36:1
How do we show respect to God? We show respect by living the way we’re supposed to, by living for Him and trying to follow His will instead of living for ourselves and following our own desires. There are many other ways in which we need to fear and respect God, too. He should be an active part of our daily lives, not just Someone we go to visit on Sunday mornings and then forget about for another week. We fear and respect Him (and show our love for Him) by spending time with Him and/or doing things for Him on a regular basis. Basically, to me, fearing God means taking our relationship with God (through Jesus) seriously each and every day.
Question to Ponder: In what ways could you take your personal relationship with Jesus more seriously?
Trust in God’s Lovingkindness
How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.
Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
– Psalm 36:7-10
God’s lovingkindness toward us is astounding, especially in light of all the things we do to deserve anything but His love. But He does love us no matter what we do, and we can always trust in Him to take care of us because of His great love for us.
Question to Ponder: Knowing how deep His love is for you, how deeply do you trust in God?
Don’t Worry...Just Trust in the Lord, Part 1 of 4
Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.
– Psalm 37:1-6
Don’t Worry...Just Trust in the Lord, Part 2 of 4
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;