Psalms

Now More Than Ever!

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom then shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1 KJV

When I go for a quiet walk in the park or wade in the waves at the beach, peace seems an easy concept to get a hold of. But with our nation in crisis, and people lining up for miles just hoping for a plane ride out of Afghanistan, peace sounds more like a fairy tale than a reality. In Psalm twenty-seven, King David found himself in a similar circumstance, surrounded by an army, as powerful and deadly as the Taliban. His enemies had already wiped out nearly every man woman and child in the town of Anathoth, for simply giving him and his men a few loaves of bread and a single sword. But on that evening as David looked down at the encampment of blood thirsty men, God asked Him what he was afraid of and on David’s darkest night, the answer came. “The Lord is my light and my salvation. Why should we be afraid?” Just as in David’s day, the Lord remains our light and the only one We can depend on to help us through. Our current state of helplessness does us the favor of reminding us that He alone is true strength!

So what are you facing? What challenge is on your path this morning? God has allowed this situation. At times like these people often say, “God is still in control.”. While that of course is true, it would be even more accurate to say that, “God is more in control now than ever: because we are not!”  He wants us to see that now more than ever, He is our hope and our salvation and we don’t ever need to be afraid!

God’s 911 Number

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city. I had said in my alarm, “I am cut off from your sight.” But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help. Psalm 31:21-22 ESV

When we lived in the inner city it was not unusual to have to dial 911 once a month. Though the reason for the call was rarely serious crime, there were many traffic accidents in front of our home, and the sound of crunching metal sent us first to the window and then to the phone. We didn’t call our pastor, our family or even our best friends, because we knew that if we dialed 911 that they would pick up the phone right away. In this Psalm, King David’s problem was that the city he was living in was being attacked by an army. Now I would say that’s a real emergency. David wasn’t just a little worried, he was scared to death, but instead of running away, he ran and dialed God’s 911 number because  he needed help and he needed it right away.

Photo by Negative Space on Pexels.com

Whether we are facing a critical health issue, a family emergency or a desperate financial situation, our assurance is that if we call on God that He will always answer. David tells us, “He heard the voice of my pleas.” and “he has shown His steadfast love!” Those two great promises were not only for David, in Bible times, they are also for us today. God still loves His people with a steadfast love and He is waiting to answer Heaven’s 911 if we will only call on Him!

God’s Great Symphony

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His faithful love endures forever! Psalm 136:1 NLT

If we look at Psalm 136 as if it were a grand symphony we could think of, these first verses like the trumpets blasting out an opening about the goodness of God. They alert us and fill our ears with the knowledge that our God is higher than any other power in the entire universe and above every other god. Then the composer plunges ahead with soaring strings that reach higher and higher ringing out with the beauty of creation and how God made the heavens, the earth and the sun, moon and stars. But with each new measure that is played we hear again a harmony note reminding us of God’s eternal love. Then the orchestra hushes as the score moves on to recount a specific list of each thing that God has done for His people Israel.

Photo by Josh Sorenson on Pexels.com

Next a military drum roll marches out the victories God has led them through. First the deliverance from the empire of Egypt, then the crossing Red Sea and finally the defeat of the armies of the Amorites. Each verse sings out that God is faithful and with every note that is played we see His goodness. When thunderous rising notes of opposition challenge His children, God’s unfailing melody of love assures us to rest. No wail of lament or minor key of sorrow will last. They will all pale in comparison one day to the beauty and power of God’s love that echoes in every verse. They carry us from the beginning of creation, through every problem that we have faced and show us that only His love lasts forever. Then the crescendo of praise hushes to a silence at the final fading note of the symphony causes us to pause in awe remembering all that God has done and we give thanks In that glorious amazement we realize that both our blessings as well as our difficulties will pass away but the great symphony of the love of God will last forever and forever!

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com