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Psalm 6

              For the director of music. With stringed instruments. According to sheminith. A psalm of David. Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long? Turn, Lord, and deliver me save me because of your unfailing love. Among the dead no one proclaims your name. Who praises you from the grave? I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes. Away from me, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping. The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer. All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish; they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame .  (Psalm 6) In today’s lament, David mentions people who are plaguing him in ei...
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Lament

                 Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side. Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people. (Psalm 3) We have finished the wisdom psalms, and the next category is lament psalms; specifically, personal lament psalms. Yesterday, I listened to a Become New podcast in which John Ortberg read someone’s discussion of two terms that will be useful for these psalms. The first word was grumble , which he described as being angry words about someone or something. The Israelit...
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Search Me

                           If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139: 19-24)                 I have never really liked the first five sentences of this passage. It begins with a desire that God would slay the wicked, which would be just, but follows with a rejection of those who are bloodthirsty. Wouldn’t a desire that the wicked be slain ...
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One-Hair Brush

                   For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you. (Psalm 139:13-18)                 We have looked at God’s omniscience and omnipresence. Today is about omnipotence. As we think about God’s power, we tend to think in big terms. God’s omnipotence was involved in His crea...
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Where?

                W here can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. (Psalm 139:7-12) Normally, when I read this section of this psalm, I think in terms of rebellion against God. That’s certainly part of what’s here. It may be all of what’s here. But today, I’m thinking a little differently. When things go wrong in our lives, we absolutely turn toward God. Sometimes, however, I think we try to run away from the things that go wrong without noticing that God is in them. Or, w...
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Psalm 139

                  You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you percive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. (Psalm 139:1-6)                 This is the last of the wisdom psalms mentioned in the book I’m reading. It’s also my favorite psalm and today’s part of it is my favorite part. It also came up as the passage of the day on a drama queen day. Queue the dramatic music. Because of the problems my left knee has been causing, my thoughts are starting down the “I’m going to lose my job. I’m going to have ...
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Unity

                     How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. 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)                 Today’s passage is outside of our culture. While we can imagine dumping a barrel of sports drink, or some ridiculous amount of ice water on someone’s head, the idea of pouring some sort of oil, and especially an oil that was restricted only to that purpose, sounds a little strange. If we add that the oil represented the Holy Spirit or the presence of God, it makes it even stranger. It helps me to know that the oil was made of olive oil, myrrh, cinnamon, and ca...
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