Category: Psalm

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish (Psalm 1:6).

Perish–to be lost, destroyed, or ruined

Sounds rough

We think of this word as a synonym for death, but it’s more than that.

It’s obliteration.

And it’s not just the wicked, but the way of the wicked that will perish.

The road, the plan, the very way of approaching life–

gone.

Beloved, this isn’t just a wrath of God thing. It isn’t simply punishment for poor choices. This is the natural consequence of a life lived apart from God. Remember the similes of the tree and the chaff? The person who follows God sinks roots deep into fertile soil. They grow strong and healthy, able to withstand trouble. The wicked are blown away.

I garden–badly–and this year I added cucumbers to my garden.

Apparently, I don’t know how to grow cucumbers.

Over the last few weeks I have watched healthy, green cucumber plants wither and die. Their pitiful plant corpses would blow away with the lightest breeze. They will not need to be dug up, just brushed aside. I look at them next to the tomato plants, which are thriving and producing fruit, and I wonder what I did–or didn’t do–to produce these disparate results. Some of you are legit gardeners, and you know exactly what I did wrong. You’re welcome to tell me, though this isn’t really a garden blog. I’m simply pointing out the difference between a little green life that sank roots deep into the soil and grew tall and produced fruit…

and one that didn’t.

My poor cucumbers were victims of my ineptitude. They didn’t have a choice as to how they would grow.

You do, Beloved

Happy Monday

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous… (Psalm 1:6).

We get these massive wildfires in my area. Our home is in no danger, but my family and I have watched from the window and seen the flames consume the hillsides near us.

I see a lot of chaff being burned up.

I also see a lot of homes threatened, at times even lost. Times like that make me wonder about verses like this. It seems like God is saying that His people will be protected from the fire, but we know that is not always the case. That leads me into a brief round of “This is beautiful poetry, but we know that life’s not always like that so how can I trust any of Scripture maybe it’s all poetry and I can’t take any of it literally–”

I’m glad you never have those moments, Beloved.

Anyway, it’s at about this point in my mental panic that three things occur. First, I read a little more closely, and I see that the Psalm says that God “watches over” his people, not that he keeps them from all harm. He doesn’t promise that the fire will not come, only that He will be with you in the fire.

Just ask Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Second, I remember that God has a different set of priorities than Michael has. God is far less concerned with the stuff of my life, or even with my life itself, than he is with the eternal me. Me, he keeps safe. Me, is untouchable by the flames, be they physical or metaphorical. Me, is a life hidden with Christ in God.

Third, I realize that I had a similar meltdown just three verses ago, and I realize that I am indeed a pitiful wretch.

But I’m a pitiful wretch loved by God. I’ll take it.

Happy Friday, Beloved

Not so the wicked!  They are like chaff that the wind blows away.  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous (Psalm 1:4-5).

Sometimes I forget.

Sometimes I look at the non-believers around me, and I envy their “freedom.”

Sometimes, Beloved, I’m a little short-sighted.

I forget their destiny.  I forget that, without Christ, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.  Ever wonder why chaff blows away, while the wheat (that would be you) remains?  It’s because chaff has no substance, no weight.  There is nothing solid to it, nothing to keep it from drifting away on the breeze.

So it does.

What I sometimes confuse for freedom is the aimless drifting of an empty soul.

One day they, like we, will stand before the Father.  They will not be clothed in the righteousness of Christ—they will be naked in their sin.  They will not stand firm in the armor of God—they will be crushed under the weight of their own well-earned guilt.  They will not rejoice in the fellowship of the saints—they will be ever, forever alone.

Sometimes I forget.  But when I remember, I praise God for his grace, and I remind myself never to envy the lost, but ever to pity them, to pray for them, to reason and wrestle and reach for them.

Join me, Beloved.  And Happy Thursday.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers (Psalm 1:3).

OK, I really appreciate the tree image.  On a day like today, when I’m running crazy, the idea of solid, deep stillness is delicious.  On a day like today, when so little that I do seems to be of real value, the thought of being useful, of fulfilling my purpose, is profoundly satisfying.  On a day like today, when my body aches and the gray is spreading quickly through what’s left of my hair, the hope of not withering invigorates me.

But I gotta tell you, Beloved–I struggle with the rest of the verse.  I’m trying to be a Psalm 1 kinda guy, but I can’t honestly say that whatever I do prospers.  Looking around, it seems that very little of what I do prospers. Maybe I’m not Psalm 1ish enough.  Maybe I sit in the seat of mockers more often than I like to admit.  Maybe my meditation isn’t up to snuff.

Maybe

or 

Maybe I don’t have a good enough grip on what it means to “prosper.”  Maybe, just maybe, God is prospering me in ways I can’t see, can’t even imagine.

I like that “Maybe” better.

For all that I don’t know—which is plenty—there is one thing I do know.

I wanna be a tree.

Happy Wednesday, Beloved

But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.  (Psalm 1:2).

Do you delight in God’s word?

No guilt here—it’s an honest question.

I ask the same question of myself.  I mean, I read his word, I study his word, on occasion I even commit his word to memory…but do I delight in it?  Do I meditate on it?

Do I even really know what that looks like?

I know I’d like to.

I know that biblical meditation is different from what they’ll teach you at yoga class—and what are you doing at yoga class, anyway?  They’ll teach you to empty your mind, and allow the void to be filled by narcissism and demons.  OK, they probably won’t say it that way, but that’s what it amounts to.  Biblical meditation is about filling your mind with Scripture, sort of letting a particular verse roll around in your head.  You pray that God would illuminate the passage for you, and help you to see what he wants you to see in it.

Let’s experiment today.  Pick a passage of Scripture—it could be this passage, or yesterday’s, or just your favorite verse—and ask God to help you meditate on it.  Ask him to help you delight in it.  Let it roll around your head today, and see what he has to show you.

C’mon, trust me, Beloved—it’ll be fun.

Happy Tuesday

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the council of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. (Psalm 1:1)

Who do you listen to?  Not on Sunday, but on Monday, Tuesday, and the rest of the week.

I like to listen to talk radio.  I enjoy the news analysis and commentary, and the discussion of social and political issues.  There’s one thing I have to keep in mind, though—the station I listen to is not a Christian station.  The hosts are not coming from a Christian perspective. Even though we may agree on many issues, and I find the commentary interesting, we are fundamentally at odds.  Listen?  Sure, I can listen–but always with my guard up.  If I ever find myself agreeing 100% with the hosts, I need to do a spiritual self-check.

Again I ask:  who do you listen to?  Are you following the teaching of the Word, or of the world?  Are you seeking to imitate Jesus, or celebrities?  Are you fellowshipping with Godly believers, or the lost?

The people who surround you, the communion you immerse yourself in, will have a profound impact upon your thought life.  So step back today and take a look at who that is.  If you need to make some changes, do so.

Mondays are a great time for fresh starts.

So get started, Beloved.

But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God’s name will praise him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced (Psalm 63:11).

All will be as it should be.

God’s people will praise him, and God’s enemies will be silenced.

It’s gonna happen.

You don’t need to make it happen

Or worry that it won’t happen

Because it’s gonna happen.

So do your part (that’s the praise bit) and leave the rest to the Lord God Almighty.

He can handle it.

Happy Friday, Beloved.

They who seek my life will be destroyed; they will  go down to the depths of the earth (Psalm 63:9).

OK, so Mafia death squads are probably not after you.

Or, maybe they are…what do I know?

Regardless of your position on somebody’s hit list, you can be sure of one thing.

You do have an Enemy. 

That enemy is fierce

and implacable

and cunning

and really not very nice at all.

You also have a Protector, one whose strong hand holds you up, one who shelters you beneath his wings, one who is there when you call out to him in the depths of the night.

Fear not, Beloved.  Your enemy is vastly outmatched.

Happy Thursday

My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me (Psalm 63:8).

You’re on the ice for the first time.  

Your ankles are all wobbly.

Your feet will not obey.

Your legs are made of store-brand gelatin dessert.

The world spins incorrectly.

Gravity is not your friend.

The evil skates shoot out from beneath you

and you are falling

flailing

gasping

grasping.

Your hand finds another hand

big

strong

safe.

You grab hold for dear life, sinking terrified nails into willing flesh.

The hand holds you up, steadies you, guides you forward.

You will not fall while you cling to the hand that loves you.

That’s what this is.

Happy Wednesday, Beloved

Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings(Psalm 63:7).

When I read this line, I think of penguins.

I know, right? 

Seriously

Penguins

You know the picture I’m talking about.   You’ve seen it on nature shows.  The baby penguin sits on his daddy’s feet, while Dad tucks his wings and his belly over the kiddo to keep him warm.

Yeah, that image.  That is why dads have bellies.

I am aware that David probably never saw a penguin, so this is most likely not the image he was going for.

It is, however, the image that I take from this Scripture.  Yes, taking Scripture out of context puts one on a slippery theological slope, but I think if David were here, he’d back me 100%.

And yes, they sing.  How could they not?

Happy Tuesday, Beloved