Psalm 46:
God is our refuge and strength. Even when the mountains crumble into the ocean, or the waters overflow our homeland, God is still in control. Even in the face of utter destruction, or our imminent demise, we should still have confidence that God is with us. We should take comfort in knowing that absent from the body means present with the Lord.
Many great cities were built around a fresh supply of water, on the banks of rivers or streams, to provide food and trade for the people as well as to sustain life. Jerusalem, however, did not have a river, but it had God, who, like a river, sustained the lives of its people. As long as God lived among the people, the city was invincible. But when the people abandoned God, God no longer protected them and Jerusalem fell to the Babylonian army.
The United States was founded on Christian beliefs. Our forefathers were persecuted for their religious beliefs and sought a new land where they could freely practice their beliefs without persecution. How ironic that this once great nation has allowed the citizen's to remove God from the schools, from the government and out of the public eye. Can it be much longer until this nation falls? Without God in our schools, we have witnessed a massive increase in gun violence in our schools. Without God in our Government, we have witnessed a massive increase in criminal behavior, immoral behavior, and violence in our Government. Without God in the public square, we have witnessed a massive increase in violence in our cities. And as sad as it sounds, as we move God out of our churches, by teaching warm fuzzy sermons instead of the teachings of the Bible, we will see a massive increase in violence there as well.
How long does this need to continue before we bring God back into our schools, back into our Government and back into the public? Do we actually think it will get worse if we bring God into our lives? Really?
Psalm 47:
Have you ever tried to describe something is completely indescribable because the words that we have to describe something just don't compare to the awe of seeing it? We fumble for a way to magnify the beauty or the power using more adjectives or colorful descriptors but in the end we just shake our head and say "You had to be there to see it!" Imagine how difficult it must have been for the authors of the Psalms, or any book of the Bible for that matter, to describe for us what they were witnessing first hand. In Revelation for example, John tries to describe Heaven for us but words cannot describe it. I'm sure it is a thousand times more beautiful than what John could describe and he did a pretty good job at getting an image across.
Don't let the indescribable aspects of God's greatness keep you from telling others about what you've experienced about God. Spread the word! Shout it from the highest mountains and through any media possible!
Psalm 48:
Jerusalem is a city that sits on a large hill over looking the Kidron Valley on one side and the Valley of Hinnom on the other side. From these two points the city appears to be a fortress on a mountain because of the very high walls that surround it. Jerusalem was seen as the center of God's presence in the world. The people of Jerusalem were from the tribe of Judah, Isreal's largest tribe. The psalmist is giving God praise for protecting the city.
After an enemy army would unsuccessfully attack the city, the people of Jerusalem would take a tour of the city to inspect its defenses and praise God for the protection He provided. It is important for us to take time to praise God in times of joy and after coming through trials. Our faith in God is our foundation of life, our defenses if you will, and we need to spend time inspecting our foundations to ensure there aren't any cracks or weak spots in our defenses.
We often pray for guidance, but what we really need is a map to give us directions and a navigator that knows the way and will make sure interpret the map correctly. The Bible is the map that gives us directions on how to live our lives. The Holy Spirit is our navigator. As you begin your day, every day, make sure you have your spiritual map and navigator with you. You can call it your spiritual GPS - God's Provisioning System.
Psalm 49:
Trusting in worldly possessions is futile. You cannot take your possessions with you when you die and they cannot be used to buy forgiveness from sin. The rich and the poor share one similarity: When they die, they both leave their possessions on earth. When we die, both the rich and poor are naked and empty-handed before God. The only "riches" we have are those we have already invested in our eternal heritage. At the time of our death, each of us will wish we would have invested more in our eternal life - no matter how much we've already invested.
This might be a good time to check up on your spiritual investments. Are they a little light? Take the time to balance your spiritual portfolio.
Psalm 50:
Asaph begins this psalm by describing God's final judgement of the people on earth. Surprisingly, we read that God's great fury is directed against His own people first. God's judgement begins with His own children. He must first differentiate between His superficially religious people, those that go through the motions, checking boxes, but don't have a servants heart, and those that honor God with true praise and thankfulness.
God sees through us to our heart and soul - the core of our being - to see what the real meaning is for the things we did in this life. We were trying to make ourselves look better in the eyes of those around us or were we truly trying to do God's will in this land. What are the actions that you are doing that could be viewed as "superficially religious?"
Share your thoughts and comments with the group! I'd love to read them.
The Shepherd
Psalms 51-55
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