Category: Daily Devotionals

Psalm 79

How much do we consider ourselves to be part of the church’s relationship with God or do we attend a church but consider ourselves in some way only partly attached? Psalm 79 is a community lament not an individual’s. It is a confession and a pleading the people of God are making as one body. Collective responsibility is being owned up to and mercy is being asked for all God’s people. Is this something we could see the modern church doing?

Psalm 79 is a prayer that arises from a dire situation that the remains of Judah found itself in. It has come from God’s judgement following persistent embedded sin throughout Judea, from top to bottom, and it was sin that persisted over generations. The Babylonians were God’s instrument of punishment and now a remnant remained in a much reduced Jerusalem. The temple had been defiled, the city reduced to rubble and the people so weakened in numbers and capability even the dead were not being buried. They were in short a laughing stock of neighbouring nations.

The psalmist in this situation does not pretend or cover up their responsibility or that of previous generations. He is honest with God and says it how it is even though it places the surviving remnant in a very poor light. He asks God, ‘Will you be angry forever? ^v5 He recognizes that the Lord is jealous for his people and his name. The psalmist as the voice of the people throws himself on God’s mercy. ‘Do not hold against us the sins of past generations; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need. Help us, God our Saviour, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.’ ^vv8-9

Realistically one could imagine the modern persecuted church praying very similar prayers. The difference though is that God’s people were experiencing divine judgement for dishonouring God’s name. The circumstances of the contemporary church is much more like the persecution of the early church in the Roman Empire for preaching the gospel. However, whatever the circumstances opening one’s prayer with confession of sin is a helpful practice.

The remnant also prayed for God’s judgement on those who were cruelly oppressing them. It is important to note the distinction between asking for God’s judgement as opposed to themselves exercising the act of judgement and punishment. It is being left to God. We could say these prayers were answered at the end of Daniel when the Medes and Persians overthrew Babylon in one night.

The psalm ends with the confession that the people of God are God’s sheep and in praise to him. Jesus himself is our Shepherd. It his name that is brought into dishonour when the church is disobedient. The church is not a loose collection of individuals but the one body of Christ, mutually dependent upon each other and Christ himself as our head.

Do we take some responsibility for the church we belong to?

The church’s one foundation

Psalm 78:9-39

Have you, like me, looked back over your life and considered how many times you have offended God the Father and in how many ways you did that? Alongside those thoughts have you also considered how many times God has forgiven and rehabilitated you? It is perhaps easier to examine the lives of others and see their crooked path whilst at the same time to make excuses for ourselves for similar decisions and actions. When we have gone wrong, what has prompted us to turn back, repent and ask for forgiveness? Would we have called it God’s discipline at the time or do we only in retrospect recognize his hand on our lives?

Asaph in his lament forensically examines not one life but the life of a nation over up to 500 years, from the Exodus to King David. It is a catalogue of God’s unjustified love for a rebellious people who in the face of repeated miraculous interventions grumbled, rebelled, disobeyed, rejected God and worshipped other gods who do not exist. They tested God’s love beyond the reasonable or excusable and deserved God’s rejection. If we are honest, how well do we stand up against the same accusations.

Let’s look at the charges. Ephraim, (often shorthand for Northern Israel) ‘turned away from the battle.’ ^v9 Do we engage in the spiritual battle, in prayer, in resisting sin, in standing up for righteousness, in loving when we are not loved?

‘Israel did not keep the God’s covenant and refused to live by his law.’ ^v10 Do we even consider that when we asked Jesus into our lives and accepted his death on our behalf that we had entered into a covenant with God. From then on, we had made promises of covenant love, the best simile is that of marriage vows. When we break that covenant love by giving our love due to him to other people, vices or things we are committing spiritual adultery. Such behaviour deserves the same response by God the Father as when the Israelites sacrificed to other gods on the high places. ‘They angered him with their high places, they aroused his jealousy with their idols.’ ^v58

Do we grumble about the situation the Lord has placed us in when he has blessed us greatly forgetting all he has done forever wanting more? ^{vv 9-30} Where is our treasure and how does that impact our daily life?

When God is leading us in one direction, how often do we want to turn round and go the other way, back to our old lives? ‘He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand up like a wall. He guided them with the cloud by day and with light by night.’ ^vv13-14 The people of Israel complained to Moses that they had been led out of slavery where they felt safe and wanted to return despite all the Lord had done. As we consider the span of our life, how often have we wanted to do just that and turn back from his calling and promises. Did it feel easier to live as the world lives?

When we speak to God or join in with worship are our words sincere or are have they been at times as Israel’s sometimes were, a false declaration? ‘But then they would flatter him with their mouths lying to him with their tongues; their hearts were not loyal to him they were not faithful to his covenant.’ ^vv36-37

Remarkably, God’s patience, grace and understanding meant they were not permanently rejected by God. Even when tested to the limit he held back righteous anger and restored his people. ‘Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.’ ^vv38-40

Should we then be casual in our own attitude towards sin, presuming on God’s forgiveness? Paul had a blunt response to this notion. ‘What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning, so that grace may increase? ² By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? ³ Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.’ ^{Romans 6.1-4}

We can rejoice in the promise, ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.’ ^{I John 1.9}

Let us live then as a new creation, by faith and in the Spirit.

Forgiven – Crowder

Psalm 78: 1-8

Many years ago, I was studying for a Philosophy degree in education and so fairly obviously the first question was, what do we mean by education? The most succinct and helpful definition I came across was the transmission of culture. Culture includes the body of knowledge we hold and value, our behaviours and traditions. Culture belongs to a defined group and is something that we learn, it is not innate. As people of God, what is the body of knowledge, values, behaviours and traditions we value so highly that we want to do our best to pass it on?

Psalm 78, the second longest psalm, is a narrative covering the period from Moses to David attempting to encapsulate the critical memory of God’s great deeds and his instructions to his people over the generations. It graphically spells out the consequences of the repeated times when God’s culture had been forgotten, ignored or rejected. Asaph, the psalmist, appeals for each generation to be taught the ways of God and the history of God’s people.

‘He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children not yet born, and they would tell their children.’ ^{vv 5,6}

Asaph was very aware that the history of the people of God was not a smooth one, there had been many times when for prolonged periods Israel had lived lives disobedient to God, testing his patience, love and grace. Now at last they lived under a shepherd king, appointed by God and the good times had returned and they were experiencing the favour of God.

‘He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.’ ^vv71,72

Tuition came in many forms e.g. parables, revealing things previously hidden, and through the demonstration of power and wonders. ^vv2-4 It was a forerunner of the teaching and life of Jesus who similarly revealed the mysteries of God in parables and miracles living a life that modelled holiness. The psalmist asked the questions, ‘Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favour again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?  Genuine and valid questions that have been frequently asked by those who find themselves estranged from God but not necessarily asking what is it that we have done and been that caused us to be so far from the Lord’s favour?

Asaph was not to know that the complete answer to all those questions was to be a resounding NO! With God’s YES to find it’s fulfilment in the person and life of Jesus. It is each believer’s generational responsibility to pass on the knowledge of the culture of the kingdom of God. We can all play our part, some formally, some informally, as members of the family of God. What matters is that we do so deliberately, not only in words but also in lifestyle because our actions either confirm or undermine our words. However, there is an important sense in that we are all children of God and remain so throughout our lives. The apostle John called all the church his little children and so we are to be constantly both learners and people who pass on the Christian culture.

How much have we entered into the culture of Jesus Christ?

Are we lifelong learners and teachers?

How often have we forgotten, ignored or rejected Christ’s teaching?

Remember Me – Mark Schultz

Psalm 77

Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his love again?

Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time?

Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in his anger withheld his compassion? (Ps 77.7-9)

For how many do these verses reflect their current spiritual experience. It is not so much, I have lost faith in God, it is more, “I just don’t feel it anymore.” The setting for this psalm was probably the fall of Jerusalem when it seemed to many as though God had reneged on his promises and declaration of love towards Israel. There is little more devastating than being overrun by a brutal foreign power, having homes and countryside reduced to waste, no longer having one’s own government or control of one’s life. Family, friends and community members killed, raped, imprisoned, deported. “Where is God in this?” is the cry. It is both an individual prayer and a community prayer. Let us remember this is not just an ancient history picture, the same it is being played out in our world today where smaller people groups are being driven out by dominant neighbours, often barely reported in the world media.

These words could be the repeated prayer in the UK today as for several days in succession the Coronavirus death rate has been over 900 a day. It is not simply the tragic death rate that has caused despair, it is all the knock-on impact to medical services, family life and the economy. From, I cannot hold my sister’s baby to being made homeless in the freezing winter.

It is important to recognize the level of suffering that is being experienced and spiritual suffering that often goes alongside. The psalmist has not denied God he simply feels he cannot find him. ‘In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted.’ ^v2 He remembers good times for himself and his people but now he cannot pray, he cannot speak or sing and feels outside of God’s love. He doubts this will ever change. How many, for whatever reason, would say this is exactly how they feel now?

It was only when the psalmist was able to alter the direction of his thoughts towards what he knew of God and his deeds, that he could he see a way of salvation. He reflected on the escape Israel made from captivity in Egypt and described God’s intervention as unseen footprints. ‘Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.’ ^v19  The psalmist’s language had changed from the repeated ‘I’ in verses 1 to 9, to ‘you’ and ‘your’ in verses 10 to 20.

Of even greater relevance for the modern Christian is to look back to Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection as our exodus and evidence of God’s love, compassion and presence with us during our suffering. It is when we consider this that we can say along with the psalmist, ‘Your ways are holy. What god is as great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.’ ^v13

When we are feeling down and even out do we remember God’s constancy?

Even in times of trouble have we managed to remember all that Jesus has done?

Have we helped others in their times of trouble to look to Jesus?

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Luke 1.28-33,35

The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants for ever; his kingdom will never end.’ … The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called^[a] the Son of God.

There are some conversations when one carefully selects the time and the words used. Recently I arrived home and after greeting my wife, she replied, “I have had an absolute disaster of an afternoon.” That set me up to be understanding and compassionate, whilst inwardly bracing myself for something very expensive. “I made a curry and it’s too hot to eat,” she announced. I un-tensed my stomach muscles and searched for an appropriate answer. Fortunately, she had already prepared one for me. “I looked it up and google said, add a potato and lots of yoghurt.” That seemed to overcome the awkward moment and life could continue as normal.

I just wonder how the conversation between Mary and Joseph went after Gabriel had dropped in to see her. I imagine it started with Joseph saying something like, “Just stop there a moment, what did you say his name was and what did you say he was? Now take a moment Mary and start again, very slowly.” One thing was certain, for Mary and Joseph, life never did return to normal.

The days before Christmas day are good days to simply reflect on Gabriel’s promises fulfilled and rejoice. It is a bit like mindfulness we may know we should take a minute to simply concentrate on the moment but if we never do then we will never feel the benefit. So, do take a few minutes, stop and reflect on promises kept.

God was with Mary and she was obedient and faithful. She did conceive and as a result the world has been given the gift of God with us. He is the complete revelation of God and because of him we can understand who God is. The light of God shines in the world’s darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.  ^{John 1.5}

He was given a name that is now the name above every name. ‘Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ ^{Philippians 2.9-11}

Mary’s child was the Son of the Most High and because of that he was able to create the chance for us to have new life through him. ‘But these are written that you may believe^[a] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.’ ^{John 20.31 ‘}For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.’ ^{Colossians 2.9}

Mary’s son established a kingdom like no earthly kingdom that will last for ever. ‘For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.’ ^{romans 14.17} ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.’ ^{revelation 11.15}

At the name of Jesus