Psalm 62: Which Ladder Are You On?

The weekend Psalm for:
October.31-November1.2009
Read Psalm 62 from the English Standard Version
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The Big Idea
People are basically unreliable. In life, stuff happens: People get sick, cars get stolen, plans change, jobs end, friends face emergency surgery, families relocate, people die. And that's been just this past week in my life, and the lives of people I care about. And that's just my friends!

There are also those people--every life has them--where there are the malicious ones, just waiting for you to trip and fall. Ready to offer sarcasm over sympathy; heckling over encouragement; bitterness over mercy.

Yes. People are unreliable.

This Psalm asks an important question: Why, if people are so unreliable (even at their best), why are you working so hard to impress them? At your best, you are either a whisp--a breath, or a mask--a delusion.Those are harsh words, but that is the nature of a life that finds its meaning in this life, and not in God.

Meditation

There is a graveyard in my hometown, and there are people buried there who were once the toast of the town. A former governor. A national business leader or two. Tombstones that bear the names of major streets or wards in the city. All, side by side with people whose legacies have been forgotten, lost, or never existed.

This weekend, consider your goals, and where you are going in life. Are you climbing a ladder to success? Good for you, now ask yourself: What will this mean in 200 years. Grim, isn't it.

The Psalms are unblinkingly honest. Trust God. Remember that you (like the rest of humanity) are ultimately unreliable. The word of comfort and encouragement we get here is not easy. Everything falls apart except God. He alone is powerful; He is the only source of steadfast love; He will judge us for our works. The rest of the story is that, through Jesus Christ, he will also redeem us by his Grace.Make sure that the ladder you are climbing is taking you up the right wall.


Praying With This Psalm
You can pray scripture prayers for yourself or for others.

• Father God, let _________ stop arguing with you and wait in silence for your salvation.
• May ______ recognize that there are malicious, destructive people in their life, and may they turn to you as their only refuge, their only source of hope.
  
• Oh, God help ______ to trust you at all times, and pour out their heart before you. May ______ know you as their rock and their refuge from a world that is hostile, harsh, and unfriendly.
  
• Father, may _______ see themself as a breath or a delusion, and find comfort in the fact that their real identity, meaning, and direction can be found only in you. Protect ______ from the errors of both arrogance and despair. 
• Lord God, remind ______ that yours is the power, and you are the source of steadfast love. Help _______ know that the only way they can stand before you is through Jesus Christ and the grace that He brought to us.
  

Related Scriptures and Scripture Prayers

• John 2:24-25. We are not reliable...
  Lord, help _____ to follow Christ's example and entrust themselves to God, and not to other people. Jesus knew our failures, and yet he showed us mercy. May ______ turn from impressing others, and seek you in true repentance and trust. 
  
• 2 Corinthians 6:8-9. The Paradox of the faithful...
  Lord God, may _______ know that it is now how others view them, but how you view us. You are the source of our real life, in Jesus Christ. Grant ______ the grace to experience that.  
  
• James 2:9. All favoritism is sinful...
  Father God, help ______ understand that all favoritism, all partiality, all comparing people against one another, is sinful. Help us to view each other, and ourselves, with your eyes.  

(Some Rights Reserved, CC-BY-NC, 2009). L. J. Sam Helgerson, PhD

Psalm 32: Turnabout is Fair Play

The weekend Psalm for:
October.24-25.2009
Read Psalm 32 from the English Standard Version
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The Big Idea
Got any secrets? Sure you do. You know what it is: It's that thing that looms over your heart and reminds you of your failure (one of my college friends used to call it his dragon). Maybe it's your anger, pride, gossip, backstabbing, stubbornness, that problem with alcohol or some other addictive; maybe it's fear. Whatever it is--you know it. You are afraid to acknowledge it--it's so much easier not to talk about it. Keep it stashed away, and hope that it causes you no trouble.

It's hungry, though. From time to time, you can feel it gnawing at your bones. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, you are wasting away, and no one knows it but you. So far.

And into the midst of that, the Word of God speaks: "How Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." And you realize: That's the problem--I can't forgive it by myself, and I can't cover it over--it keeps kicking off the covers.

This Psalm offers the cure. It offers hope. Uncover that sin, take it to God, turn away from it, and find forgiveness and freedom. The word is repentance: Acknowledging our sin (our dragons), and trusting Jesus Christ to take care of them for us. We can't get that freedom ourselves. And God is the only one who can give it to us.

Meditation

Think about those things in your life that you really hope God doesn't notice. We're so good at rationalizing--everbody has faults, nobody's perfect, this is no big deal. Yeah. Maybe.

But maybe you know the truth, deep down. That's why you see yourself wasting away under a burden that you can't get rid of. But there's hope.

The hope is not from "Emergency Prayers" to cover a moment of crisis (vs. 6). If you want to hear the shouts of deliverance, you have to bring that burden to God as soon as you realize its weight. Pretty soon, you realize that you are the source of those shouts of deliverance.

This weekend, consider your life and the burdens you bear. Turn those things over to God. Some people think "Repentance" is an old fashioned word, far too out of touch with our contemporary understanding of human psychology. In all compassion, let me say that those are probably the people who have never experienced repentance. The Grace of God that comes out of repentance is too amazing and wonderful for words. This, I know. I have lived it. I am a man set free.


Praying With This Psalm
You can pray scripture prayers for yourself or for others.

• Father God, let _________ feel their bones wasting away under the weight of their sin, and let them seek forgiveness through Jesus Christ--our only hope of freedom.
• May ______ find the courage and the strength to confess their transgressions to the Lord.  
  
• Oh, God teach ______ the way they should go, and make their heart open and available to you, that they can learn your will with humility, and not stubbornly so they must be curbed.
  
• Almighty God, give _______ the awareness that they are surrounded by your steadfast love. May they rejoice and shout for joy. 
  

Related Scriptures and Scripture Prayers

• Luke 5:32. Why Jesus Came...
  Lord, we know that you came to call sinners to repentance. We all fall into that category, and may ______ turn around and come to you in true repentance. 
  
• Acts 26:20b. How should we live...
  Lord God, may _______ repent toward you, and live a life that demonstrates the fact that they have turned to you, and not away. 
  
• Acts 17:30-31 Without the Resurrection, none of this matters...
  Father God, repentance is the right response when we truly understand that you raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Help _______ understand that Christ died to free us from the trap of sin, and that repentance is the only logical, proper, and normal response to that truth. 

(Some Rights Reserved, CC-BY-NC, 2009). L. J. Sam Helgerson, PhD

Psalm 2: Are You Pushing?

The weekend Psalm for:
October.17-18.2009
Read Psalm 2 from the English Standard Version
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The Big Idea
My grandfather was a railroad man. When I was only about 5 years old, we were walking along the tracks, and I saw a boxcar a little way ahead of us. I said "I think I can push that." He said that I could try.

As we walked toward it, it loomed larger and larger in front of me, and I quickly began to realize that this was going to be far harder that I expected. I pushed, and nothing happened--I expected it to at least rock a little, but no...nothing.

One of our culture's pervasive images is the idea that each of us is the King/Queen over our household. It's a clever idea that suggests that we all want a place where we don't have to live under anyone's authority. It's good to be the king. I've seen people work awfully hard to break any claim that God might have on their life. For many of us, our greatest battles are fought to win our autonomy. You go right ahead: Push that box car.

This Psalm reminds us that we are not, ultimately, in control. The more we wage war against God, the more he sits back and chuckles at us. I'm sure my grandfather chucked--finding great irony in my own self-assurance, and my own blindness to my own weakness.

Meditation
When all the world is in chaos, when sabres are rattling, and people are struggling to assert their power, influence, and self-sufficiency, God reminds us: "I've already set up my chosen king. The issue is settled, so don't kill yourself trying to change the outcome."

The kings of the earth are reminded to serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Yes, this means world leaders. But it also means you.

This weekend, consider your own autonomy, how you cherish it, and how you fight for it. Then remember this: If you think you have outgrown your need for God, go ahead, push that boxcar. Use this psalm as a reminder of your own frailty before the triumphant King.


Praying With This Psalm
You can pray scripture prayers for yourself or for others.

• Father God, when  _________ sees nations rage, remind them that the same battle is in their heart as well.  
  
• May ______ quit trying to break your sovereignty over their life, and quit trying to cast off all restraint.  
  
• Oh, God Most High, you have already chosen the one true King over all. May ______ turn to you and and live under the gracious rule and reign of Jesus Christ. 
  
• Almighty God, give _______ the grace of serving you with fear and rejoicing with trembling. May _______ know the fearsome comfort of being overwhelmed by your glory and holiness. 
  

Related Scriptures and Scripture Prayers

• Luke 12:31-32. The Kingdom Can Be Yours...
  Lord, forgive ______ when they forget to seek your kingdom. We are all so good at building our own kingdoms, but they will fall to nothing. 
  
• John 3:16-17. The son can save us...
  Lord God, thank you for sending your one and only son to save ______. May the power of these verses overwhelm _______ with a sense of your sovereign grace and the way your provided Jesus Christ as _______'s way to salvation. 
• I Corinthians 6:19-20. Bought with a price...
  Father God, when we know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we need to remember the price you paid. Help _______ know that they have been bought with a price, and give them the ability to honor you in what they do, and how they live. Remind ______ that living right before you does not gain us any points with you, but it is a way we can express our gratitude for saving us from the burden of our sin.

(Some Rights Reserved, CC-BY-NC, 2009). L. J. Sam Helgerson, PhD

Psalm 121: An Uphill Battle

The weekend Psalm for:
October.3-4.2009
Read Psalm 121 from the English Standard Version
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The Big Idea
When you feel like all of life is an uphill battle, take courage. This psalm is marked "a song of ascents." Smarter people than I disagree on this, so I'm giving you the approach that seems to fit best: As I tell my students, you can disagree with me and still get an A in my course. A song of ascents was one of the psalms that God's people sung on their way to Jerusalem, and Jerusalem is uphill. That's why, regardless of map direcetion, people go up to Jerusalem, and down to most anywhere else.

This uphill journey was fraught with troubles and terrors. Consider this--the journey was on foot (usually), uphill, and there were robbers and thugs along the way. The roads into Jerusalem were known for that, so well known that it's part of the setup in the parable of the good Samaritan.

When your life takes you uphill through scary, dangerous terrain, remember where your help comes from. Now, as then, it comes from the Lord.


Meditation
Worship takes place even on the way to worship. The God who made the terrain watches over you. The God who never sleeps or slumbers is watching over you. The God who protects you from sun and moon (threats by day and threats by night) is the one who keeps you.

This weekend, think about the uphill parts of your life. Look at those imposing hills, and the threats you cannot completely discern. Then remember to trust yourself to God. Use this psalm as a reminder that He is the one-and-only source of help.


Praying With This Psalm
You can pray scripture prayers for yourself or for others.

• Father God, when _________ looks up at the hills of their life, may they remember that you are the source of their help.  
  
• May ______ thank you, Father, that you created heaven and earth. None of the terrain of ________'s life is a surprise to you. Thank you for being our creator and protector. 
  
• Oh, God Most High, you reached out to us while we were outsiders. May ______ turn to you and no longer be an outsider. 
• You protect your people from "the sun by day and the moon by night." May _______ know that your protection is all-encompassing. 

Related Scriptures and Scripture Prayers

• Philippians 4:6-7. Promise of Protection...
  Lord, it is so easy to be anxious, so easy to fear. May _____ worship you in prayer and supplication. Let _____ experience your peace--the only peace that goes well beyond our understanding. 
• James 1:11. The sun will scorch us...
  In the scorching heat of day-to-day life, we all wither away. May ______ seek you: Father, you are the only pursuit that will never cause us to fade away.
• 2 Timothy 1:12. I know Jesus Christ, and I believe.
  Father God, in the words of the old hymn, taken right from your Word: "For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him, against that day." I pray that ______ will commit their life to you, through Jesus Christ, confident that you will protect--you have already guarded it with your life!

Note: When I decided to work through the Psalms, I chose an old church pattern so that I could have a usable pattern without going in order. Little did I realize how God would emphasize the theme of redemption and protection in this first batch of 5 Psalms. Let's see, together, what other truths God might have in mind for us.

(Some Rights Reserved, CC-BY-NC, 2009). L. J. Sam Helgerson, PhD

Psalm 91: Think Globally, Seek God Locally

The weekend Psalm for:
October.3-4.2009
Read Psalm 91 from the English Standard Version
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The Big Idea
There are times I hate to listen to the news. Trouble here and there, wars, senseless death, tragedy, sw1ne flu, mad dictators, bad public policy. Psalm 91 is a good reminder that "He's G0t the Whole World 1n His Hands." That might seem like a stretch, but that phrase "the most high" is a common reference to God that is addressed to non-Jews--people who were not under God's covenant or care.

It's quite remarkable that this outsider language appears in Psalms, the prayer book for God's people for ages upon ages.

God takes an eternal view of protecting us from harm, and the Bible offers no "Get out of Persecution Free" cards. Ask Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Ask Voice of the Martyrs. God offers his eternal viewpoint, his protection, to everyone--even us outsiders. No evil will befall you: You may die, but you shall still stand. The truth is, it's hard to explain the comfort of this to anyone who is completely bound to the here-and-now.

Meditation
About 2 1/2 years ago, my dad died of cancer. It was a year-long battle, and he fought, but he did not fight desperately. When he chose to quit the chemotherapy, I saw something that I have only rarely glimpsed: Peace. Shalom. Faith.
I can say, now, that my dad died well. He taught me a lot about life by the way he left it--holding firm to his Savior's hand, and trusting, no matter what.
In the midst of that, when we want healing as the outcome, it's hard to see. In retrospect, though, he did not fear the terror of the night, or the arrows of the day. Though we all wanted a different answer, I see how God delivered him, stood with him, rescued him, and honored him (see vs 13-14). Ultimately, our family saw God's salvation, because God showed it to my dad.

This weekend, think about the end of your life. Think about what it means to die well, because by this, you will learn to live well. Take time to pray for someone who has no peace--who fears politicians (on the left or on the right), world events, disaster, or tragedy. No one wants those things, but "The God Most High" offers peace and deliverance to a people who know no comfort. Thanks to Jesus Christ, no one ever has to be an outsider again.
Praying With This Psalm
You can pray scripture prayers for yourself or for others.

• Father God, show _________ all the ways you are our refuge and fortress. May _____ we find all of our comfort and protection in your presence. 
  
• I pray, Father, that you will protect ________ from all the snares and fears of life--the net of the fowler, disease, the terrors of night, and arrows of day. These come in many forms, and I ask that you will be ______'s protector--the only protector they need. 
• Oh, God Most High, you reached out to us while we were outsiders. May ______ turn to you and no longer be an outsider. 
• You protect those who know your name. Reveal yourself to _______ that they may come to you through Jesus Christ, and know you as our protector, our deliverer, our satisfaction, and our salvation. 

Related Scriptures and Scripture Prayers

• Romans 5:8. While we were outsiders...
  Lord, your word tells us "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." May _____ see what that means--you do care, and _____ is not out of your reach. 
• I Peter 2:10. God's people are never again the outsiders.
  Father, make it clear to ______ that apart from you, we're never a people--we have no meaningful identity. Show ______ that your people are those who have experienced your mercy.
• Hebrews 2:3. There is an escape from God's Wrath.
  Father God, I pray that ______ will be not neglect "such a  great salvation" that has been offered to us through Jesus Christ. 
  

(Some Rights Reserved, CC-BY-NC, 2009). L. J. Sam Helgerson, PhD