Tag: Psalms

Links for today’s readings:

Mar 23 Read:  Ecclesiastes 11 Listen: (1:40) Read:  Psalms 66-67 Listen: (2:42)

Scripture Focus: Psalm 67.1-2

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us 
and make his face shine on us—  
2 so that your ways may be known on earth, 
your salvation among all nations.

Reflection: Redeeming “Blessed”

By John Tillman

“Live, Laugh, Love” is an example of meaning being lost through overuse followed by commercialization. ”Blessed” has followed the “Live, Laugh, Love” trio on the path to meaning melting into marketing.

Stores catering to Christian customers plaster these phrases on decorative driftwood, doormats, dog bowls and anything else that might take up space in the kitchen, or on mantles, side tables, shelves, or walls.

“Blessed” needs redemption.

“Blessed” is contaminated by messages of grinding work, competition, and winning. Cultural Christianity made “blessed” a brag, a curse of pride and greed. To use it, we must intentionally detach it from those meanings. To redeem and reclaim “blessed” remember and express what it means and doesn’t mean. Psalm 67 can help.

How are we blessed?

We are blessed by grace, not because we deserve it. (v. 1) We are blessed by God’s presence, not by wealth or achievement. (v. 1) We are blessed by obeying God and praising him, not by “grinding” and not by “gains.” (v. 2-3)

Why are we blessed?

We are blessed to help others, not ourselves. (v. 5) We are blessed to make God’s ways and his salvation known. (v. 2) We are blessed to make nations glad and joyful. We are blessed to create a world of equity and wisdom. (v. 4) We are blessed to cultivate, not harm, the earth. (v. 6) We are blessed to create respect for God to the ends of the earth. (v. 7)

God’s purpose for blessing us is to bless the world through us. If that isn’t happening, we are neglecting or misusing our blessings.

In the Asia Bible Commentary on this psalm, Federico Villanueva reflects that his nation, the Philippines, is the only Christian nation in Asia, yet is the poorest in the region with corruption that directly perpetuates poverty. Filipino overseas workers bless other nations by sharing the gospel, but at home, corruption, instead of blessing, dominates their lives.

Villanueva longs for his nation to live up to their potential to be blessed and bless others: “Let us pray that the Lord will bless us so that God’s ways may be known among our people. This is my own prayer for my country.”

Don’t say “blessed” like culture means it. Echo Villanueva’s prayer for your country. Ensure that our use of the word “blessed” reflects God’s purpose and definition.

If you aren’t blessing, you aren’t blessed. When you say “blessed,” say it like God means it.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Call to Prayer

Bless the Lord, you angels of his, you mighty ones who do his bidding, and hearken to the voice of his word.
Bless the Lord, all you his hosts, you ministers of his who do his will.
Bless the Lord, all you works of his, in all places of his dominion. — Psalm 103.20-22

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Read more: Blessed are the Troublemakers

Blessed are the troublemakers who demand justice. We should have the humility…to consider whether the source of trouble might instead be our own hearts.

Blessed are the Troublemakers

Read more: Jesus, Our Blessed One — A Guided Prayer

Jesus is the Blessed One, whose leaf does not wither. We are merely grafted in branches…

Jesus, Our Blessed One — A Guided Prayer

Links for today’s readings:

Mar 19  Read: Ecclesiastes 7 Listen: (3:37) Read: Psalms 58-59 Listen: (3:32)

Scripture Focus: Psalm 58.1-2; 10-11

Psalm 59.11-13

Reflection: Do Not Destroy?

By John Tillman

In The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway described how bankruptcy happens: “Gradually, then suddenly.” Other writers have adapted this idea to falling in love or falling asleep. Both happen “Slowly, then all at once.”

In David’s trilogy of Psalms 57, 58, and 59, which use the tune “Do Not Destroy,” he mixes lament for his sufferings with imprecatory passages against morally bankrupt enemies.

The middle psalm, Psalm 58, is harshest. It asks God to break and rip out his enemies’ fangs. It pictures enemies swept away like Pharoah’s army in a flood and the righteous walking through the wicked’s blood. This is typical language for imprecatory psalms, which do not endorse or command vengeful violence, but instead leave vengeance to God. But a surprise awaits in the final psalm.

In Psalm 59 David asks God not to kill his enemies. Or at least, not too quickly. He asks that they be uprooted and consumed slowly. This gradual punishment is not mercy. David is not concerned for the lives of the wicked but for the lives of those who will witness their long, slow, painful fall.

David wants God’s people to see these enemies fall and fail publicly, on an epic scale, and in slow motion. The tune, “Do Not Destroy” might be more accurately called “Do Not Destroy Too Quickly.”

Leaders go morally bankrupt in the same way Hemingway described financial bankruptcy—gradually, then suddenly. Justice comes against the corrupt in the same way David prayed for—slowly, then all at once.

Our world is not short of leaders like those David prayed about. Do you see those who devise injustice and spread lies? (Ps 58.2-3) Do you see those whose words are harmful swords promoting and promising violence scoffing that no one can hold them accountable? (Ps 59.7) (I hesitate to mention examples like the Epstein files…this is not about just one scandal.)

We can and should pray imprecatory psalms but imprecatory psalms are not angry social media posts. Those “prayers” on the “public street corner” have earthly rewards. (Matthew 6.5-6) Imprecatory psalms turn our justifiable rage, anger, and pain over to God for his vengeance and justice.

Pray that, whether slowly or all at once, the fall of the wicked would be seen in our days. Bring them down, Lord, that the suffering may be encouraged, the wicked may be warned, and the world may remember you are watching.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Morning Psalm

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Read more: Extremes of Moralism and Permissiveness

There is a level of religious fervor and moral strictness that destroys our souls rather than saves them.

Extremes of Moralism and Permissiveness

Read more: Wisdom in Houses of Mourning

Many may confess we tossed aside Jesus, and the entanglement we escaped was the cords of loving-kindness God sought to guide us by.

Wisdom in Houses of Mourning

Links for today’s readings:

Mar 18 Read:  Ecclesiastes 6 Listen: (1:44) Read: Psalms 56-57 Listen: (3:11)

Scripture Focus: Psalm 56:8

8 Record my misery;
    list my tears on your scroll—
    are they not in your record?

Reflection: God’s Lachrymatory

By Erin Newton

According to some accounts, ancient Roman mourners would collect their tears in small vials and bury them with their deceased loved ones. These little “tear jars” or lachrymatories were filled with tears, and their evaporation would parallel the end of mourning. As the bottle dried out, so would one’s eyes.

While the validity of such assumptions is questionable, Psalm 56 highlights the value of keeping a record of grief. As a lament and prayer to God in a time of trouble, the psalmist exposes their grief and asks God to take it into account.

There are many psalms that ask God to remove grief or misery. The Lord’s prayer asks that God lead us not into temptation. Paul begged God to remove the thorn in his flesh. Here, the psalmist embraces the fullness of misery. It is as if to say, “Don’t let my tears be wasted.”

Contrary to much of our impulses (or cultural conditioning), the psalmist doesn’t shy away from crying. Crying is a given. Crying might even be desired. And at least, crying won’t be for nothing.

Like the ancient mourners, God is thought to collect the tears of his beloved children and record them in his scroll. Like a divine accountant of pain and sadness, God sees, notes, and validates the psalmist’s tears.

The Bible is full of criers. Genesis 21:17 says, “God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, ‘What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.’ ” God heard another woman crying, “In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly” (1 Sam 1:10), and granted her desire to have a child. Even the prophets were known for their weeping: “Streams of tears flow from my eyes because my people are destroyed” (Lam 3:48).

Have you ever considered your tears as a sort of spiritual currency? I surely have not. I have been taught (and fully agree) that tears are not only a meaningful expression but also a regulatory experience. Tears are often necessary and can lead to emotional stabilization. Despite the dread of “having to cry it out,” we are reassured here that they are not ignored.

Crying is not a weakness. The Man of Sorrows joins in our misery by relating to our emotions, acknowledging our pain, and ensuring that grief is never wasted.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence

Let my cry come before you, O Lord; give me understanding, according to your word.
Let my supplication come before you; deliver me, according to your promise. — Psalm 119.169-170

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Read more: More Money, More Problems

Wealth doesn’t solve all problems or fill our deepest spiritual needs…those who look like they have it all often are spiritually starving to death.

More Money, More Problems

Read more: Artful Prayers

In the psalms, we enter the lived emotion of artists who bared their souls to God in prayers that were always intended to be performed.

Artful Prayers

Links for today’s readings:

Mar 17  Read: Ecclesiastes 5 Listen: (2:50) Read: Psalm 55 Listen: (2:43)

Scripture Focus: Psalm 55.12-14; 17-21

Reflection: Good Discipleship but Wrong Master

By John Tillman

I recently made a comment on a friend’s post that was misinterpreted. He thought I was disagreeing and saying something political instead of theological.

He felt attacked and he counter-attacked. This friend (a pastor I went to seminary with and ministered with) replied with a meme from the Ace Ventura films of Jim Carey emerging from the rectum of a rhinoceros. The implication was that I, and my opinion (that he imagined I said), were comparable to animal feces

There are two lessons here related to Psalm 55.

One is that friends can hurt you worse than enemies. (Ps 55.12) Online insults and attacks from “trolls,” strangers, or non-human spam bots are distressing, but endurable. Attacks from friends are uniquely disheartening.

The second is that partaking means shaping. The wicked in the psalm were shaped by partaking in violence, strife, threats, and lies. (Ps 55.9-11) War entered the heart of the psalmist’s friend. (Ps 55.21)

There are politicians, podcasters, and pastors with “war” in their hearts. Even official government social media accounts use cruel, insulting memes about serious issues of war and death. And some Christians praise or approve it.

We become like what we behold, especially when we praise it. What many Christians behold and praise is not Christlike. Too many Christians (including pastors) are “discipled” by those peddling politics and pseudo-Christianity with memes, insults, fear, and hatred. It’s good discipleship, but the wrong master.

I gently confronted my friend (though I wanted to respond in anger) and he apologized, removing the offensive comment. But this isn’t about me or him or right or left. Whatever theological or political tribe you listen to has vitriolic voices and we are susceptible to becoming like them. We are being attacked by algorithms that are financially motivated to form echo-chambers and sow war into our hearts.

Christians should excel in love, not unkindness. We should excel in respect, not vitriol. Instead of throwing insulting punchlines, we should extend lifelines of engagement and care. We do not have to let go of orthodoxy to be loving, kind, and respectful. We can hold both.

We must be shaped by scripture, not culture, follow Jesus, not political leaders, and embrace truth and truth-tellers, not lies and lie-sellers.

Be prepared for yourself and others to fail. Be prepared to repent and to forgive. And when you are hurt, say with the psalmist, “as for me, I trust in you.” (Ps 55.23)

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence

Be pleased, O God, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me. — Psalm 70.1

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Read more: Praising Christ’s Righteousness

Imagine hanging our hopes on a great leader, only to watch him or her fall…Most of us don’t have to imagine it. It has happened.

Praising Christ’s Righteousness

Read more: Unsurprising Oppression

The teacher of Ecclesiastes and Jesus, the teacher of Galilee would be shocked to find their words abused as excusing poverty and oppression.

Unsurprising Oppression

Links for today’s readings:

Mar 12  Read: Proverbs 31 Listen: (2:50) Read: Psalm 48 Listen: (1:28)

Scripture Focus: Psalm 48.1-3, 14

Reflection: A Hill That Defeated the Mountains

By John Tillman

In the 1995 film, The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain, a surveyor making a new map finds a Welsh village’s beloved “mountain” is 20 feet too short and would be designated a “hill.” The villagers won’t accept this downgrade and carry dirt to the peak to raise the hill’s height.

It was a mountain in their hearts, so they labored to ensure it remained a mountain on the map. The film’s tale was fictional. However, new measurements have upgraded hills to mountains in modern times. One example comes from Wales, in 2018.

In the Bible, mountains were considered divine places where Heaven touched Earth. The greater the mountain, the greater the god.

Zion is Yahweh’s “holy mountain” (Psalm 2.6), the home of Jerusalem and the Temple. Zaphon (known today as Jebel Aqra on Syria’s border with Turkey) was the “holy mountain” of the Canaanite god Baal.

Zion, at 2,460 feet in elevation, is dwarfed by Zaphon at 5,669 and other, closer mountains like Mount Hermon at 9,232. This psalm is not contradicting geographical facts or calling for human efforts to “build up” Zion to match Zaphon’s height. The psalm’s claims are theological.

No mountain compared with Zion because no god compared with Yahweh. No matter how high Zaphon or Hermon rise toward Heaven, their gods are gods of darkness and death, not light and life. The “loftiness” and “beauty” of Zion is the loftiness and beauty of God who chooses to dwell there.

Jesus doesn’t dwell with us on a mountain, but through the Holy Spirit, the scriptures, and the church. That’s our “Zion.” However, we do have competing “divine mountains” and mapmakers trying to “downgrade” the way of Jesus. They say loving God, neighbor, and enemy is a nice “hill,” but we need a mountain. They say the way of Jesus doesn’t work in the real world. They say love is weak, forgiveness is complicity, integrity equals losing, and character is cowardly.

Don’t you believe them; they are wrong. Their gods are false. Calvary’s “hill” defeated their mountains.

Survey “Zion’s citadels” and walk with her king, Jesus. He is “our guide, even to the end.” (Psalm 48.14) In the end, no mountain will be higher than his. It is better to be in his city on a hill than on any mountain that makes false promises of greater things.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence

Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, and bring me to your holy hill and to you dwelling. — Psalm 43.3

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Read more: The Impossibility of Proverbs 31

She sets a high bar…If she is the ideal for all women, she is also the ideal for all men

The Impossibility of Proverbs 31

Read more: A City to Live In

Zion hints at Heaven, described by biblical writers as a city of healing, peace, justice, and mercy, from which the river of life flows.

A City to Live In — Readers’ Choice