From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you (Psalm 71:6).
Before you knew him, he knew you.
Before you were capable of loving, he loved you.
Before you had any idea that you needed rescuing, he had rescued you.
Every blink
Every breath
Every heartbeat
From forever ago til eternity hence
Are in his highly capable hands.
He’s got you, Beloved.
Happy Friday.
For you have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth (Psalm 71:5).
Think about it.
It doesn’t say, “You have given me hope.”
Or “You give me reason to hope.”
It says, “You have been my hope.”
God himself is our hope. He is our confidence.
I gotta tell you…I’m not even sure what that means–it’s kind of hard to wrap my brain around it– but this passage seems to be talking not about what God does, but about who he is.
I’ve been walking, stumbling, slipping, and striding with Christ for thirty-three years now. I can’t count the number of times he has been hope and confidence and joy and strength and peace for me, when there was no earthly reason I should have any of those things.
I can’t count the number of times…but it’s fun to try.
As you head into your day, consider the times that God has supported you, not just with his gifts, but by his very nature. And praise him, not just for what he does, but for who he is.
Happy Thursday, Beloved.
Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men (Psalm 71:4).
Who do you think of when you read this verse?
The robber at the ATM?
The abductor of children?
The serial killer sneaking in through your unlocked bathroom window?
The unjust politician?
The backstabbing coworker?
The arrogant boss?
The driver who totally saw you there but still cut you off like he owned the whole road…
Sorry.
The point is, evil is out there. A lot of it is beyond our ability to defeat. But it is never, no never, beyond God’s.
But Michael, sometimes God lets people get away with stuff; sometimes he lets evil win.
I hear you, Beloved of Christ. And it does look that way. But it’s only for the moment. We’re in this for the long haul, ya? And in the long haul, God is very clear: we win.
Do you believe him, Beloved?
Then call on him.
Happy Wednesday.
Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress (Psalm 71:3).
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ love and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand.
All other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand.
Yep. Stole that one. But hey, why reinvent the wheel?
Or the Rock?
It’s Tuesday, Beloved. Stand firm.
In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me (Psalm 71:1-2).
Some days he calls me to stand firm, armor gleaming and sword sharp, and do battle in his name.
Some days he calls me to hide myself in him, to pull his protection over me like a child hiding under the blankets, and let him do all the fighting.
Why the difference? I don’t know for sure.
I do know that if I could stand tall all the time, I would probably start thinking that I was doing it on my own.
I’m foolish that way.
So, today I am reminded that there are things out there, both physical and spiritual, that are too big, too strong, too much for me.
But not for the One who loves me. Not for the One who rescues me.
Beloved, you can’t be strong every day.
And that’s OK. He doesn’t call you to be strong every day.
He just calls you to be his every day.
Happy Monday, Beloved.
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law (Matthew 7:28-29).
It’s like taking a lecture from the guy who wrote the book.
No…
It’s like taking a lecture from the guy who wrote the book, developed the concept upon which the book was written, grew the tree from which the paper was made on which the book was written, developed the language in which the ideas for the book were communicated, and created the universe in which ideas, communication, trees, books, and people exist.
Yeah… I think he’s worth listening to.
Happy Friday, Beloved.
And so at long last we come to the end of the Sermon on the Mount. I pray that you found this devotion useful. Let me know what you think.
The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash (Matthew 7:27).
It’s terrible when houses fall.
It’s worse when lives fall.
Don’t fall, Beloved.
Happy Thursday
But everyone who hears these words of mine but does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand (Matthew 7:26).
…but does not put them into practice…
Wouldn’t wanna let that slip by, would we?
It’s the end of the semester. A twelve-year-old student stands in front of me, eyes rimmed with panic, and asks, “What can I, like, do to, like, you know, like, raise my grade?”
“Easy,” I respond. “Build a time machine, travel back a few months, and do the things I told you to do then.”
I have a tendency toward sarcasm. It’s not always helpful.
As a teacher and a father and a brother and a friend I’ve dispensed a load of advice over the years. Most of it solid. Much of it ignored. There are few things as frustrating as handing someone the solution to their problem, wrapped up with a metaphorical bow, and then see them walk away and toss it in the metaphorical trash can. You know the feeling, because you’ve been there yourself.
I’ve also received plenty of excellent advice over the years, much of which I’ve ignored. That’s not nearly as satisfying to talk about, however, so I’m not going to.
Good, godly advice is a treasure not to be wasted. And there is no gooder, godlier advice than that which comes from our good God. His words are life; what say we live them today, ya?
Happy Wednesday, Beloved.
The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock (Matthew 7:25).
Family and I went camping once upon a time.
Oh yeah, we’re great campers.
God, in his wisdom, decided to impress the above Scripture upon us in a delightfully graphic way. He sent wind. Really windy wind. All night our tent sagged and swayed and slipped and smooshed and threatened to take us to Munchkin Land. Not restful, and decidedly not peaceful, and mildly terrifying.
We’ve spent numerous windy nights in our house over the years. Nothing much to report. It’s actually kinda fun sometimes, if we notice it at all.
Because our house is built on a solid foundation.
And…you know…it’s not made of fabric.
Every life has storms, Beloved. Where will you spend yours?
Happy Tuesday.
How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore (Psalm 133).
When I was little, my mom used to sing to me at bedtime. One of my favorites went like this:
Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world
Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
In today’s climate, some will consider that song wildly inappropriate. “Red children? Yellow? How racist!” Others will ask, “What about brown children? Why are they left out?” None of those questions ever came into my little-kid brain. All I heard was that Jesus loved us all; all children were precious to him.
Today we honor Martin Luther King, Jr. The best way to do that? Dwell together in unity, brothers and sisters of the One who loves us all.
The oil is entirely optional.
Happy Monday, Beloved