Living Proof

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.”  Psalm 19:1

It’s very obvious that God is. 

Only the blind can’t see His beauty.  Only the deaf can’t hear His voice.  Each morning cries out His character, and each evening exclaims His praise.  “The heavens declare the glory of God…Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge”(vs 1-2).  Everyone everywhere should be listening for “there is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.  Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the end of the world”(vs 3-4).

On a canvas of sky God has written His works.  Like a happy man on his wedding day, the sun beams as it steps onto the horizon.  Like a champion racer who loves to run, this blazing fireball zips around its track.  Just as none can escape the sun’s heat, no one has a valid excuse for a hard heart “for since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and his divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made” (Romans 1:20). Creation is our first clue that God is real and really cares.

What He says is our second.  On a canvas of stone God wrote His words—for Moses to pass on to us.  His perfect law, trustworthy statutes, right precepts, and radiant commands, give us life, make us wise, bring us joy, and help us discern.  More precious than gold, His sovereign law, and the rest of the Scriptures, are sweet and nourishing.  “By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward”(vs 7-11).  What God says shows us who we are and shows us who He is.

And on the canvas of our souls God writes His will—His desire for us to be His and His alone, His passion for us to live in His grace and His strength.  In Him we find forgiveness—“Forgive my hidden faults”(vs 12).  In Him we experience victory—“Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me”(vs 13).  And in Him we discover the reason and the purpose for every word we say and every thought we think—“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer”(vs 14).

The One who lit the sky is our Lord.

The One who wrote on the rock is our Rock.

The One who rights our wrongs is our Redeemer.

May our lives declare His glory. 

May our lips proclaim His praise. 

May we be living proof of His power.

And may we never be silent.

The Perfect Love Song

The Perfect Love Song

“As for God, his way is perfect.”  Psalm 18:30

Finally. After years of being threatened, trailed, badgered, and battled, David was finally free—free from “the hand of Saul and all his enemies.”  When the Lord delivered David from his foes, he sang a song to God, a love song with lots of verses.

“I love you, O Lord, my strength,” the ballad begins(vs 1).  This adored Deity is David’s rock, his fortress, his deliverer.  He is David’s refuge during the rough times and his protection during peril.  David’s relationship with God didn’t shield him from danger or difficulty, but it did guarantee he had someone to turn to when life turned south.  “The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me…In my distress I called to the Lord….My cry came before him, into his ears”(vs 4-6).

With the most picturesque description of power in the Bible, David then sings of God’s salvation. The earth trembles from divine anger as our fire-breathing God splits the sky and soars to earth.  Swathed in darkness and shouting thunder, God’s lightning arrows scorch His enemies while a blast of His breath scatters the sea.  “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of the deep waters.  He rescued me,” David exults(vs 7-17).

Such deliverance inspires confidence and incites praise.  “With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall,” David boldly exclaims(vs 29). “The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!  Exalted be God my Savior!” he joyfully revels(vs 46), and, in unashamed amazement, David declares the mind-blowing truth, “You stoop down to make me great”(vs 35).  

Had David been allowed to edit his own life story, he would surely have erased the times of trouble, the years of being a fugitive, the many confrontations with his enemies and adversaries, but instead of complaining about past circumstances, David rejoices in his rescue and rests in God’s sovereignty.  As he looks back on his journey of struggle and salvation, he can only sing, “As for God, his way is perfect” (vs 30).

God stooped down to make us great.

God stooped down to give us grace.

The least we can do it lift up our love.

God and the Good

“I said to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”  Psalm 16:2

God and good go together and can’t be split up.  No matter how hard we try, it’s impossible to have one without the other.  If you have God, you have what is good for “the Lord is good” (Ps 100:5). If you have something good, God is involved because “every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17).  If you take GOD out of GOOD you’re left with O—nothing. This truth is not a clever play on words but the striking reality which prompted David’s admission and submission in Psalm 16. 

“I said to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing”(vs 2).  Faced with this fact, David bowed his heart and said, “God, You are the ruler of my life. There’s nowhere else to go and no one else to turn to where I can find anything of lasting value or worth.”  Though we know this to be true, the siren song of distractions and desires is strong, but when our chasing of dreams or delights pulls us away from God, we only catch heartbreak and hurt, for “the sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods” (vs 4). 

To avoid the pain of vain pursuits, vow with David, “I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips” (vs 4).  In other words, make sure your worship and your words aren’t giving your best to what isn’t best because only God has “made known to you the path of life”(vs 10), only God “will fill you with joy in His presence”(vs 12),  and only God has prepared for you “eternal pleasures at His right hand”(vs 11).

God isn’t only in the good; God is the good.  Submit and stay close.

There’s nothing good about not being near God. 

Still Standing

“The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne.”  Psalm 11:4

A quick look or listen to media of any sort makes obvious the fact that glorifying God and enjoying Him forever is not the goal of the majority.  Most are focused on self-promotion and self-gratification with little consideration of the One who created and sustains them.  Sadly, the relentless pursuit of power, treasure, and pleasure leads them to not only discard the boundaries God established for our protection and delight but also to disdain those who hold to such unchanging truths.

Ours is not the first generation to face a degenerating social and spiritual culture.   Almost three thousand years ago, David felt the fire of being surrounded by an enemy aiming flaming darts at the very center of who he was and what he believed.  “Look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart”(Ps 11:2).  And David ran—straight to the One who is truth.  “In the Lord I take refuge”(Ps 11:1). 

Traditions, standards, and even laws shift and switch with the whims of man, so much so that we feel (and fear for) the earth trembling beneath our feet.  Sensing this terror in his time, David wondered, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”(Ps 11:3), but he answered his own question with the assurance that the true foundation will never crack or crumble. “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne”(Ps 11:4). He is the same almighty, holy, righteous, compassionate, gracious, and good God—yesterday, today, and forever, and though heaven and earth may pass away, what He has said will remain past time (Matt 24:35).

Two thousand years ago, the apostle Paul encouraged his friend, Timothy, that though many around them had twisted the truth of Christ, the basis of their belief was a “bulwark never failing.”  “God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription, ‘The Lord knows those who are his,’ and ‘Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness’”(2 Tim 2:19). The two statements complement and complete each other.  The first declares our salvation—God knows His own.  We need not need fret about our eternal security for our relationship with God depends solely on His righteousness and not ours.  The second denotes our sanctification—God is transforming His own.  The result of that relationship is progress in the process of following Christ daily.

A growing understanding of the grace we’ve been given should encourage us in the power of the gospel to bring about change that is good—one person at a time.  We should be informed and engaged, holding unswervingly to our faithful God and His truth, and knowing without doubt that though the temporary may topple, “I lay in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a  sure foundation; the one who trusts in Him will never be dismayed”(Isa 28:16).

When things seem to be crumbling on earth, look to heaven.

God’s sovereignty and His salvation are (and always will be) still standing.

The Living Will

“I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart.”  Psalm 9:1

Sometimes after a loved one has been laid to rest, the rest of the bunch get restless.  How will the assets be divided?  How will the heirlooms be dispersed?   Battles are waged, families split, and courts get crammed with cases of people fighting for their fair (or unfair) share of what’s left—despite what might be right.  But no matter individual wants or wishes, the will determines what each will get.   

A written will expresses the desires of the deceased, but David begins this psalm by writing a living will.  “I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.  I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High”(vs 1-2).  David doesn’t wait until he’s gone to start giving. 

More than a plan for the future, David’s will states what’s going to happen now.  Right now.  He will praise.  He will tell.  He will rejoice.  He will sing.  He will give adoration and witness.  He will share his heart and lift his voice.  In spite of the difficult circumstances around him—“O Lord, see how my enemies persecute me!” (vs.13)— David chooses to bless the Lord and bless others with his generous spirit. 

As children of the King, we have access to infinite assets, and the legacy we leave behind is based on how we live before we’re gone.  Be intentional with your inheritance. Make out your will and state it clearly. Adore the Lord with all your heart.  Tell others the wonders of His love.  Be glad and rejoice in God.  And open your mouth and sing His praise.

The best wills aren’t about what we get but about what we give.  

Don’t wait until tomorrow; begin living your will today.  

Looking Up

“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him?”  Psalm 8:3

Ever looked up?  And just kept on looking?  During the day, billowing clouds silhouette against a monochrome canvas which transforms before dusk into a diverse palette of brightness and beauty.  As the darkness of night envelopes the sky, layers of stars twinkle far into the deep.  Planets glow, and the moon glistens.

But what lies way beyond the blue?  What’s behind this vastness we call space?  The answer is more who than what—God and His glory.  “You have set your glory above the heavens,” the psalmist declares(vs 1), and yet this infinite God, whose majesty explodes from all corners of the universe, pleasures in the praise of even His smallest creatures.  “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise”(vs 2).  

Why?  Why with a cosmos so majestic and bold does God even bother with us?  “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?”(vs 4)  Does God need us?  Is He deficient without us?  Not at all.  Our self-fulfilling, all-comprehensive God requires none to be complete.  It was not lack but love that drove Him to play in Eden’s dirt.  His desire for us and His delight in us compelled His creation of man.   

We may be small but we are special.  Swirling galaxies can never make God smile as much as our simple gratitude.  Exploding nebula can never lift Him higher than our joyous worship.  And the enormous cavern of expanding space can never hold more of God than our humble hearts. 

The next time you look up and wonder why God looks down, remember that you are the reason.

Trouble Tunes

“O righteous God bring an end to the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure.”  Psalm 7:9

Most people who inspire songs are loved, admired, or at least respected, but not this guy.  He was angry, mean, and against David.  His name was Cush, and he was a Benjamite.  This kinship to King Saul made him consider the up-and-coming David a royal pain, and he set out in a rage to eliminate the competition—literally.

In terrible trouble, David composed a song “which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite.”  The lyrics were neither sweet nor soothing but were desperate appeals of faith to the One who controlled David’s fate.  “O Lord my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me, or they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me”(vs 1-2).  As a shepherd, David had picked up mangled lambs after many lion attacks, but now he felt the horror of being hunted.

Cush wasn’t settling the score, for David was innocent of evil against him.  “If I’m guilty,” he cried to God, “then let my enemy overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust”(vs 4-5).  Since David knew he was not to blame, he begged for vindication.  “O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, bring an end to the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure”(vs 9). 

Haven’t we all sung that song before?  Aren’t we still singing it?  The innocent are often harmed.  The guilty evade justice.  Evil seems to triumph over good, and the ones who are right end up being wronged.  Yet, because of God’s ultimate authority and His incorruptible character, we can trust Him with the outcome and join with David on the final chorus. “I will give thanks to the Lord because of His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High”(vs 17).

When something or someone bothers you or bullies you, sing to the Lord.  Seek His help, state your case, and stand strong in His sovereignty. 

The enemy may attack and roar, but he can never rip your soul to pieces.

Your tune in troubled times can always be, “It is well.”

Say It By Sighing

“Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing.”  Psalm 5:1

Sometimes I still sigh.

As a child, when I sighed in reaction to parental correction or instruction, my mom always responded with, “Stop it, Starla! Now!” (And I promptly obeyed lest the admonition turn to action!)  But I must admit that as an adult, my sighing has not ceased but increased, for sometimes a sigh says what I cannot.  The forceful breath erupting from deep within my soul expresses longing, frustration, sorrow, or regret.  I have sighed when overwhelmed by the enormity of life, the perplexity of pain, or when my heart ached so hard that neither tears nor talk would come.

God understands.  He’s heard many sighs before.  Job sighed in his grief and suffering.  “Sighing comes to me instead of food; my groans pour out like water” (Job 3:24).  David sighed in his distress and danger.  “Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing.  Listen to my cry for help”(Ps 5:1-2).  Since many enemies wanted to bring David down, his cries and his sighs often went up.   Up to the one the One who listens.  Up to the One who cares.  Up to the One who gives full attention to our exclamations and exhalations. 

God understands because He sighed too.  “Jesus put his fingers into the deaf man’s ears.  Then he spit and touched the man’s mute tongue.  He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, ‘Be opened!’” (Mk 7:33-34) Jesus healed, but as His heart felt this man’s hurt, He also sighed.  “Then the Pharisees came and began to question Jesus.  To test him, they asked for a sign from heaven.  He sighed deeply and said, ‘Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign?’” (Mk 8:11-12) How many times did He have to tell them?  How many ways did He have to show them?  Filled with sadness and exasperation when stubborn leaders wouldn’t hear His teaching or believe His miracles, Jesus sighed. Deeply.

When words fail and you find yourself sighing, know that it is enough.  Our King and our God who leads us, blesses us, and surrounds us can translate our respirations into requests(Psalm 5:2,8,12).  As we heave our sighs, He will help.

When you can’t say it, sigh it. 

God understands.