Monthly Archives: September 2021

A PSALM FOR ALL Psalm 71

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Here’s a psalm for all of us.  Begins when life does.  Even before–‘Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother’s womb’ (Ps. 71:6).  Then the poet continually praises the Lord regardless of age–‘My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day’ (v.8).

Finally, he gets to me, an old goat!  A bit long-in-the-tooth.  Please don’t say as good as you-know-what with one foot you-know-where!  Psalm 71: 18– ‘So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.’

Ferver to pass it on to the next generation.  Unselfish and generous.  Not hogging forgiveness and eternal life, but eager to share.  Giving to missionaries who carry the word of God to where we can or dare not go.  Since I became a believer in Jesus listening to Christian radio, monies are gladly designated to groups who beam the Gospel message around the world.

But what grabs your heart will be different.  Maybe you love to help children’s ministries for that’s when and how you came to know the Savior.  Or the local Gospel mission reaching those we have a hard time relating to.  That Christian school you attended, that made such an impact on your life, which still needs financial donations to keep going for others.  How about all of the above?  And then some.

No matter your age, you can pray for those younger than yourself.  Can’t you?  Digging deeper, giving a tad more?  After all, this is no dress rehearsal.  When life calls it a day, all comes to a screeching, grinding, shuddering halt.

What’s on your ‘to do’ list?  For Jesus.  For others.

Thank you, Father, for life worth living.  All because of Jesus.  Amen.

MOVE IT! Psalm 70

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Here’s a psalm fit for impatient types like me.  Hardly a procrastinator, I dislike putting things off.  I’m a planner.  A list maker.  That’s why I’m drawn this psalm’s cry for help.  As if telling God to move it!  Psalm 70:1–‘Make haste, O God, to deliver me!  O Lord, make haste to help me!’  See what I mean?  And this from the last verse–‘O Lord, do not delay!’ (Ps. 70:5).

The Bible teaches that God’s ways are His alone, and that He rarely reveals any details to us.  Only that we need to trust Him.  But here’s the rub.  We know that life can be rather nasty.  No guarantees that all will be days of wine and roses.  Not at all.  Life often is a mish-mash of the helpful and the hurtful.  Trust Him?

As much as I don’t like admitting it, troubles do benefit me long-term.  The older I get, the clearer that becomes, though not an open-and-shut case.  So I shy away, getting antsy not knowing what’s coming…or going.   As if God has it in for me and not necessarily in a good way.

But that’s not this psalm’s mind-set.  Not at all–“May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you!  May those who love your salvation say evermore, ‘God is great!'” (Ps. 70:4).  In his impatience, David knows that seeking God is joyous.  Our Lord is dependable and loving.  Our promise-keeper through and through.

With that in mind, we can bear almost anything.  Give it a try?  What’s to lose?  I read about a man, climbing down into a darkened well, tightly holding onto a rope.  Soon his strength gives out.  Not knowing how far he’ll plummet to reach rock bottom, he fears death calling out to him.  His muscles fail.  He lets go, cascading and tumbling down all of three inches to the solid bottom.  Three inches.

The Lord wants me to let go more often to find His bedrock that’s usually less than a stone’s throw away.  You’re invited, too.  Ready?  Get set…

Thank you, Lord, for being our safe landing place.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

AN ACCEPTABLE TIME Psalm 69

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It’s hard to wait when you want things to happen right now.  As if held back in neutral when gears are raring to roar into drive.  When I pray, and it doesn’t happen, then I start to wonder if some sin hasn’t put the kibosh on it.  Okay, I’m forgiven, but what about my comeupance?  Those dreaded consequences. 

When you think about it, my mind’s image doesn’t sound like the God I know from the Bible.  More like me.  Tit for tat.  An eye for an eye.  As good as one gets.  Payback time.  Not so my Lord.  He loves me and thinks the world of me…and you.  What He wants is for us to untangle those looney thoughts, putting them more in line with what the Bible says.  Too much to ask?

Let’s check out Psalm 69: 13–‘But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.  At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.’  Prayer’s answer comes in an acceptable time.  Whose time?  Mine?  Probably not.  More like God’s plans.  His will.  His call.   Galatians 4: 4-5 announces God’s acceptable and impecable timing–‘But when the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son, born of woman…to redeem…so that we might receive adoption as sons.’

Old Testament saints pray for millenia that Messiah will come and save them.  We also must wait for God’s ‘fullness of time’.  Whatever prayer we utter to God, step back, cool your heels, hold onto Jesus’ hands and never, ever let go until answers come of God’s own choosing and timing.  Not mine, not yours or anyone else’s.  We bow to Him alone.

Here’s more.  Psalm 31: 14-15–“But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’  My times are in your hands…”  That hits the nail on the head, doesn’t it?

Lord Jesus, help me to trust you more and more.  Amen. 

BIG Psalm 69

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Big categorizes what we buy anymore.  Quantities maximized.  Those humungous cubes of 24 soda cans literally destroy my wife’s shoulder when lifting those monsters up onto the checkout counter at the grocery store where she worked.  Big toilet paper packs get piled up sky high during the pandemic, making it almost impossible to get into your car.  We jam-pack all our available cabinet and closet space before hoarders squirel them all away!

Big personalities dominate the political landscape.  Poor old ‘Silent Cal’ Coolidge wouldn’t stand a chance today.  Honest Abe’s out.  Big names adorn marquees at mega-churches, drawing crowds for entertaining worship.  Big cars and trucks crowd our highways and bi-ways, guzzling gas like it’s going out of style.

Here are some big words and phrases from Psalm 69–‘save me’, ‘my prayer is to you’, ‘an acceptable time’, ‘abundance of steadfast love’, ‘answer me’, ‘your saving faithfulness’, ‘deliver me’, ‘hide not your face’, ‘draw near to my soul’, ‘redeem me’.  Lots more where those came from.  Check them out.

Know what grabs me?  How honest we can and should be with our God–‘I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched.  My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God’ (Ps. 69:3).  See?  Be an open book.  Clear as a bell.  Not crafting our prayers, walking on eggshells, as if only magic, right words will force His hand.  Trying to manipulate Jesus into giving us what we want, as if we could.

Be yourself.  Like you’re talking with your best friend.  Isn’t He?  Be respectful.  He’s God.

Know that we have a big God, who has surprising answers to our prayers.  Come close.  Even closer.  There’s room.  Plenty of it.  Big, wide-open space in His heart for you and me.

Thank you, Jesus, for being my Lord and Savior.  I love you.  Amen.