Month: May 2021

Psalm 85:4 Restore us again, God our Savior, and put away Your displeasure towards us.

I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time during this time of year seeking renewal. My body, mind, and heart are worn out. I don’t think my sleep is any worse than it always is, but I think when the days of the semester accumulate, I feel that lack more keenly. Restore me, Lord, please.

Psalm 85:6 Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?

And today I’m wondering if revival isn’t a cycle anyway, if maybe, instead of some inner failing, my deep need for revival again is just my soul telling me it’s time to recharge, like a battery in need of repowering. Maybe this is the vine and branches analogy playing out—I need to sink my roots deep in Him to renew that connection.

Psalm 85:7 Show us Your unfailing love, LORD, and grant us Your salvation.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You that this exhaustion, this deep need sends me to You seeking revival. Show me Your unfailing love, Lord. Grant me Your salvation. Amen.

Psalm 85:12 The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 84:2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Unfortunately, I saw a lot of time tick off the clock last night. I’ve got a lot on my mind, and any time I was awake, all that junk just came rushing to the front, crowding my thoughts, demanding my attention. I love God so much, yet I have always had trouble laying everything at His feet and leaving it there. It is something I continue to work on. 

Psalm 84:4 Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they are ever praising You.

Instead of being stuck in endless worry-cycles, I continue to strive to cultivate a soul that yearns for God. I want to dwell in His house, be blessed with His peace that passes all understanding. I want to be ever praising Him. This cultivation is, for me, an incredibly slow process, but I keep trying.

Psalm 84:5 Blessed are those whose strength is in You, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. I want You to be my strength. My heart has been on this pilgrimage to draw closer to You for quite some time. Help me not to lose sight of the progress I’ve made. Help me to keep striving to draw closer still. Help me always to trust in You. Amen.

Psalm 84:12 Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts You.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 83:1 O God, do not remain silent; do not turn a deaf ear, do not stand aloof, O God.

Commentary says that the ultimate goal of this prayer is that their enemies be humbled by God so that they may come to know and recognize His sovereignty. On its surface, it seems quite contradictory: “Destroy them, Lord, so that they may know You,” but there is a limit to how close we can get to God without a healthy dose of humility.

Psalm 83:16 Cover their faces with shame, LORD, so they will seek Your name.

I am currently struggling with student feedback. I continue to ask for it because I truly want to know what worked, what might work better, what didn’t work at all. But I have to work really hard not to take it personally so that I can learn and grow but also so I can let go of the perceptions that aren’t accurate without taking them to heart. That, for me, takes constant prayer and humility.

Psalm 83:17 May they ever be ashamed and dismayed; May they perish in disgrace.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the understanding that allowing ourselves to be open and humbled allows us to draw closer to You. Humble me, Lord. Humble those I encounter, especially those with whom I have conflict. Draw us all closer to You. Amen.

Psalm 83:18 Let them know that You, whose name is the LORD—that You alone are the most high over all the earth.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 82:1 God presides in the great assembly; He renders judgment among the “gods”:

Commentary posits that ‘elohim,” translated here as “gods,” means human judges, meaning those in the court system, but it got me thinking. Aren’t we all judges at times? Don’t we all get judgmental, pass judgment on others? 

Psalm 82:3 Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.

And in those times where we act like judges, where we pronounce judgements in our hearts or with our lips, we need to remember that we are NOT God, that we are NOT His judges on the earth. He asks us to be His hands and feet, His heart, NOT His judges.

Psalm 82:4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that You called me NOT to judge but to love others as You love them. Help me, Lord. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 82:8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are Your inheritance.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 81:10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

I am very upfront with my students. I put directions in writing, I tell them, and I typically create a video for them to watch if they need it. I also try to tell them when we start where we are headed. For instance, when we began our massive research unit, I was very clear (in person AND in writing) that we were NOT going to write essays for our final product. That was the only thing that was off the table. Imagine my surprise when one of my students, in our final feedback, told me that she wished I had told her sooner that she couldn’t write an essay.

Psalm 81:11 “But my people would not listen to Me; Israel would not submit to Me.”

But how many times have I been the one not listening, not paying attention to God? How many times has God been crystal clear with me and I’ve gone blithely along and done exactly what I wanted? How many times have I cried, “But God….if You had only told me sooner….”?

Psalm 81:12 “So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.”

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Forgive me for the many, many, many times when I don’t listen, don’t pay attention. Help me to seek You, to see You, to hear and obey You always. Thank You for Your fierce love and undeserved grace. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 81:13 “If My people would only listen to Me, if Israel would only follow My ways….”

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 80:3 Restore us, O God; make Your face shine on us, that we may be saved.

I love the repetition of this refrain throughout this psalm. The psalmist calls on God for restoration, each time addressing Him more reverently: O God, God Almighty, Lord God Almighty.

Psalm 80:7 Restore us, God Almighty; make Your face shine on us, that we may be saved.

I have mentioned many times that this time of year is difficult for me for a host of reasons. I know I need restoration and renewal to make it through. I try to keep God as my primary focus, to call to Him in my need. But I’m human. I have dipped into grumbling and whining during this season. You’ve seen that firsthand. Jesus, Help me.

Psalm 80:18b …revive us, and we will call on Your name.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the restoration and renewal that can only come from You. Help me to turn to You, to lean into You, and to resist the pull of this world to grumble and complain instead. It is only through You that I can be renewed. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 80:19 Restore us, Lord God Almighty; make Your face shine on us, that we may be saved.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 79:1 O God, the nations have invaded Your inheritance; they have defiled Your holy temple, they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.

When I feel attacked, when I feel insulted or wronged, it is easy to want to get even, to make the person pay for their insult. Yet even typing this causes shallow breath and clinched muscles, and I know that any retribution I want to exact is solely for my benefit and not on my Savior’s behalf.

Psalm 79:6 Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge You, on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name….

One thing I notice here is that even in the rubble and destruction of this defeat, God is still at the center. An appeal to the heart of God. The desire of the glory of God. It takes humility to stand in the rubble, destruction all around, and want to draw closer to God more than you want revenge. I understand that the speaker is calling on God to exact revenge, but, again, the focus is on God, not man. Are my priorities ordered that way?

Psalm 79:9 Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of Your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for Your name’s sake.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. You came into this world and turned everything on its head. To be seen as sheep, the sheep of Your flock, is a blessing, not an insult. To be sitting in the rubble of defeat is a chance to draw closer to You, to humble ourselves, not an ending. I want to glorify You more than I want to get even for transgressions. I want to draw closer to You more than I want to defend my name. But sometimes the way of this world is so strong. Help me die to self so that I can live for You only. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 79:13 Then we Your people, the sheep of Your pasture, will praise You forever; from generation to generation we will proclaim Your praise.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 78:34-35 Whenever God slew them, they would seek Him; they eagerly turned to Him again. They remembered that God was their Rock, the God Most High was their Redeemer.

God is God, and I am not, which I’m thankful for always, especially this time of year. This Psalm recounts God’s faithfulness, even in the face of man’s faithlessness. Clearly, my compassion and grace have limits. Thankfully, God’s is boundless.

Psalm 78:36-37 But they would flatter Him with their mouths, lying to Him with their tongues; their hearts were not loyal to Him, they were not faithful to His covenant.

It’s so easy to slip into the mentality of “us” and “them.” How could they be so faithless, so arrogant? But when I look at this Psalm with a clear eye and an open heart, I see my own faithlessness in shocking clarity, and I am ashamed and humbled.

Psalm 78:38 Yet He was merciful; He forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time He restrained His anger and did not stir up His full wrath.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for Your patience and compassion. Forgive me for those times where I whine and complain, where I turn my back on You, and then try to tell myself that my behavior is somehow ok. With a humble heart, I ask for Your forgiveness, Your compassion, and Your grace. Draw me closer, Lord. Make me more like You. Amen.

Psalm 78:39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 76:1 God is renowned in Judah; in Israel His name is great.

Commentary describes this as one of the fighting psalms. I was caught off guard. When I think psalms, I think hymns of praise. However, it’s totally true that God is praised in this psalm, even if it is considered a psalm for battle (or for those who are embattled).

Psalm 76:3 There He broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.

It reminds me that God should be praised always—when I am enjoying blue skies and sunshine as well as when I am embroiled in battle of any kind. God is my refuge. He is my shelter and my shield. He is my hope and my victory. Always.

Psalm 76:5 The valiant lie plundered, they sleep their last sleep; not one of the warriors can lift his hands.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder to praise You always. Thank You for being my shelter and my shield. Thank You for being my hope and my victory. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 76:7 It is You alone who are to be feared. Who can stand before You when You are angry?

Have a blessed day.