The Attributes of God:

Security in an Insecure World. Today’s Reading Psalm 46-50 Today’s Devotional Ps. 46 “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”                     Where do we find security and tranquility in a world of turmoil and conflict? Every day, the news confirms that we’re in a world of rapid change and personal hopelessness. Our culture is in upheaval, and conflicting worldviews continue to divide the nation. But the uncertainty goes beyond just the national scene. In our own personal lives, we face circumstances that undermine our sense of security. Life becomes less and less predictable and more and more frightful. According to a survey of 10,000 young people, aged 16-25, in 10 countries, 75% of respondents reported that the “future is frightening.”  According to a survey of all age groups in the United States, 42% of...

Finding Hope in the Spiritual Desert Bible Reading: Psa. 41-45 Today’s Devotional Psalm 42-43 “As the dear pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God.”                   The opening verse of Psalm 42 is the basis for a favorite chorus that we frequently sing in churches. It connects with our deep longing to have a personal relationship with God and rest in Him. However, when we look closely at the context, the Psalm is not just a song of the person’s desire to know God; it is a cry of one who is in a spiritual wasteland, and God seems elusive and absent. Like Psalm 8, this psalm is also a psalm of lament in which the person is experiencing adversity and God seems absent. The Psalmist paints a picture of one in a barren desert where there is an unquenchable thirst for water. As the sun beats down upon him, he longs for the satisfying water that will bring relief from the heat. Yet a...

Responding to the Activities of the Wicked Today’s reading: Psalm 36-40 Today’s Devotional: Psalm 37 “Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious towards wrongdoers…trust in the lord and do God.”                   How do we live wisely and righteously in a crooked generation? We live in a divided and conflicting world. Look at any news source, and you see a world where people demonize those who disagree with them. This is especially evident in the last few years as people are divided not only along political lines, but also upon conflicting worldviews. As Christians, it is easy to get caught up in the rhetoric where we become fearful and agitated because the morality of the Bible is not only being rejected by our culture, but our society is increasingly becoming hostile towards biblical morality.                ...

The Freedom of Forgiveness  Today’s Reading Psalm 31-25 Today’s Devotional: Psalm 32                   There is nothing more wearisome than unconfessed sin. When we allow sin to remain unchecked, unconfessed, and unforgiven in our lives, it robs us of our joy in life and leaves us with a deep awareness that life is unfulfilled and wearisome. Deep within us, there is an awareness that something is not right and that there is a longing that cannot be satisfied. The allure of sin is that it promises enjoyment and fulfillment. It appeals to our fundamental desire to pursue pleasure apart from God.   David does not mention the nature of his sin. It may have been a sin of omission (that is, when we fail to do what God demands) or a sin of commission (when we act contrary to what God commands. It may have been a sin against God or a sin against someone else. It may have been a deliberate ac...

Living without Fear Psalm 26-30 Psalm 27:1, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall if fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?”                   To say that we live in a culture of fear would be an understatement. We fear the present, and we fear the future. We fear the unknown lurking in the shadows, and we fear what we see in the brightness of the day. To read the news is to be captured by fear as we read of the events of the day and the dangers that are present all around us. Fear sales and is used by advertisers to motivate us to buy their product and by politicians to influence how we vote. How do we live confidently without fear when it seems that threats surround us?                   For the Psalmist, the answer to a fearless life is not found in the ability of humanit...

The Lord is My Leader Psalm 21-25 Psalm 23, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want."                   Our world is crying for a leader who will bring unity, security, and stability to a chaotic, conflicted culture. Every day, the headlines of the news are filled with reports of conflicts and acts of violence. In today's world of political division, we idolize the political leaders who espouse the views we have and demonize those who contradict our views. Today, our nation is being ripped apart by political division and conflicting worldviews, each vying to control the narrative. For many is not "what side are you on?" but "Who can bring unity to our world?"                   While Psalm 23 is one of the most well-known and recognized portions of scripture for the comfort and promise it gives, we often fai...

Two Fundamental Questions Psalm 16-20 Ps. 19 “The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.”             Today, many question the inerrancy of scripture. They attribute the Bible to be the product of man’s thoughts about God. However, as we approach the Bible, there are two fundamental questions we are confronted with. First, is God powerful enough to guide the writers of scripture to record his message without error or distortion? Second, if God does not mean what he says, then why didn’t he say what he means? Both of these questions are answered in Psalm 19 as David explores the wonder of God's character and his word.             The first part of the Psalm draws us into the majestic glory of God, which we see in his creation. To gaze up into heaven and see the expanse and vastness of the Milky Way arch...

When Life turns Dark Psalm 11-15 “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will You hide your face from me?” (Psalm 13).             Where do we find comfort when heaven is silence and God seems absent? Where is God when he not only ignores our struggles, but in fact seems to be deliberately ignoring our plight?             The Psalms were more than just a diary of a person’s thoughts about God. They are highly composed works of literature that formed the songbook of Israel’s worship. As works of literature, several different literary forms and structures were used to create the structure of the psalms. One of the structures used is commonly referred to as the Psalms of Lament. These psalms either conveyed the lament of the individual or the lament of the whole community—Psalm 13 is one such Psalm. Written by David during a time of struggle and adversity,...

The Justice of God Psalm 6-10 “The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him; all his thoughts are, 'there is no God.” (10:4).             One of the great mysteries of God is not, “Why does God judge?” Instead, it is “Why does God remain silent in the face of unrestrained evil?”   In Psalm 8, the Psalmist marvels at the God who created the expanses of the heavens. In one of the remarkable displays of wonder, the Psalmist looks into the heavens and sees the amazement of the expanse of the Milky Way, and sees it as nothing more than the work of God’s fingers. So great is God that creation is not the expression of God’s unrestrained power; it is merely the work of His fingers! Yet the greatest wonder of all is why the God who is infinite in power, who measures the expanse of the universe with the palm of His hands, gives His full attention to the smallest speck of creation—man himself! (Psalm 8:4)...

Listening to the voice of God. Psalm 1-5 “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the way of the ungodly…but his delight is in the law of the Lord.” Psalm 1             The Psalms remain one of the favorite books of the Bible. It is a book that provides comfort in times of difficulty and trials, gives clarity in times of confusion, and serves to expand our view of God. The book invites us to join together with all the angels in singing and proclaiming the praise of God. While other books of the Bible speak to our mind and understanding, the Psalms speak to our heart. It contains the longest chapter in the Bible as well as the shortest chapter. It sits at the center of the Bible, serving to connect us with the person of God and His glory, which is manifested throughout the entire message of Scripture.              The Psalms begin with a call to discover the center...

Instruction, Discipline, and Divine Blessing Job 42 “Therefore, I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”             It is not wrong to have questions and doubts, but it is wrong to distort God. The last chapter of the book of Job provides us with the conclusion and insight into the discussion between Job and his friends. Four essential lessons are revealed in this final chapter that give us the point of the story. First, to understand suffering, we need to focus on “who” rather than “why.”  Job was not wrong to question God. Even though Job had deeply questioned God and God’s purpose in his suffering, in the end, he remained innocent of sin. The problem of Job was not sin; it was a failure to grasp the infinite nature of God fully. Even though Job struggled to understand God’s purpose in his suffering, he remained steadfast in his faith. Throughout the story...

“I’m God, You're Not--Now Deal with It.” Job 38-41 “Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm and said, Now gird up your loins like a man; I will ask you, and you instruct Me. Will you really annul My judgment? Will you condemn Me that you may be justified?”             Throughout the book, Job has been asking for an audience with God so that he might bring his complaint. When Job finally gets his opportunity, he quickly discovers that God does not answer to man. The problem with Job was not his obedience to God, nor was his faith in God misguided. The problem is that Job’s God was too small. We fall into the same trap. How does the finite comprehend the infinite? How does mortal man understand an all-powerful God? The answer: By making God finite and understanding God based on our human reason. The great audacity of man is that we think that God is answerable to us. When His word does not fit our perspective, we discredit Hi...