The Lord is our keeper

Chris and I are part of the Vickery Meadows gospel community. This group was formed around a desire to serve refugees in the area. A refugee is defined as “a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster”.  Usually, a refugee enters a new country with very little possessions and, most of the time, they do not know the language or have an immediate opportunity to provide a livelihood for their family. There are a lot of practical needs of a refugee - learning a new language, getting a job, learning how to drive, providing food for one’s family, etc. 

Do you believe the law of God is good? Not in some distant sense, but do you actually believe that the law of God is good for you?

Recently I see fear everywhere. Fear of unknowns, Fear of heartbreak, fear of loss, fear of bad news. If I’m honest with myself, I’m scared too. Where will we live next? Will our jobs make us enough money? What if life doesn’t go as planned? What if I lose a family member? What if I lose my husband? I can get lost on a trail of unknowns and potential heartaches that are not tethered to the present reality. In these vulnerable and daunting moments, God asks us to look to Him not only for help, but also to inform us of our identity. “But God did not give us a spirit of fear but one of truth, love and self discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

My guess is that when you sit down to read Psalm 105 you likely get bored, especially if you are already familiar with the story line of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible). Unfortunately, this funny thing happens when we become too familiar with something: we eventually think of it as trite or cliché. We lose interest and find it hard to participate fully with whatever it is– this could range from a book or television show, to a spiritual discipline like prayer and scripture, to a job or career, or even familiar relationships with friends and family. We’ve all been there, grown tired, apathetic towards the familiar and well-acquainted, shrugged our shoulders and thought “I’m over it," deciding (whether we are aware of it or not) that it no longer deserves our attention or energy.

This psalm is about God delivering the Israelites from the throes of Egypt. But today, as recipients of the gospel of Jesus, we know that this salvation is much greater than that of deliverance from Egypt. It takes on a much bigger meaning for us now as we know that God, in Christ, has truly worked to bring salvation to the nations, and that includes us. So how much more can we sing, as children on this side of the promise?

The Lord knows me. The Most High God, my Father, really understands me. My God searches my heart and is intimately aware of every plan and thought that goes through my mind (1 Chronicles 28:9). The Lord knows that I love Him (Psalm 91:14). 

I don’t know about you, but I love “creating memories” with my kiddos, my family, my friends,  those I love the most in world. And then I love looking back at photos or in a conversation saying “Remember when we...” Those moments are sweet!

Have you ever woken up from a dream in which someone said or did something hurtful to you and then proceeded to be frustrated with that person as you got ready that morning? If you went to that person and explained why you were upset it might make for a strange conversation. At some point you would have to recognize that your dream wasn't reality - even though it seemed very much like reality. 

Have you ever been told not to view God as a cosmic vending machine?

If you’ve grown up around church like I have, there’s a decent chance that at one point or another you’ve been warned against approaching God to simply get stuff in return, salvation included. To be sure, this is a real danger, and a warning we need to hear. But if we just hear this warning, we can easily have an imbalanced view of salvation.

This psalm opens with a simple sentence – “Oh God, you are my God”. Sit and breathe with this statement for a moment. It’s not metaphorical or especially poetic. Little interpretation is required, but it would be entirely sufficient as a devotional of its own.

Whenever my son knows he’s gotten in trouble he runs away from me. He instinctively flees punishment or any type of correction that goes against what he feels in that moment. Of course, he’s two, so this behavior isn’t exactly surprising even if it’s maddening as a young parent. On the other hand, whenever he is scared, he runs right into my arms. It could be a scary part of a movie, a sudden loud noise or an unfamiliar crowd but he will either run to find me immediately or sink farther into my arms if he is already next to me. He feels safe resting in his Father’s arms despite whatever calamity he may be feeling or experiencing.   

Often when I read the Psalms I find Jesus in some surprising places. I’ll be reading along, caught up in how intimately the Psalms seem to speak into my humanity and what it means to stumble along in this enigmatic thing we call “Christianity;” and suddenly, a verse will catch me a bit off guard. Psalm 49 is one of those Psalms.

Sometimes I forget how good my Father is to me. Honestly, it does get hard to praise him. I do not understand why it gets so hard. Sometimes I just feel off.  WHY DO I FEEL THIS WAY?

Believer, are you in a season of persecution or opposition? Have you been wrongfully accused despite your innocence? If not now, have you before? And if not yet, are you prepared for it to come?

In contemplating the brokenness of our world and humanity, people in all times and places seem to have a sense that this is just not the way it’s supposed to be. I often think little children are more honest about this reality than most adults. Surely we can all think of a time we have personally witnessed a child at the store wail as if his very life were in jeopardy upon hearing, “No, we aren’t buying this toy today.”

Thanksgiving lifts our eyes to God in a new way.

Many of the psalms cry out to God, asking Him to grant us favor or to save us from our distress. This one says: Thank You, God. Following a psalm requesting from God to Bless the King, we see in the 21st psalm that He has done that, and David writes a psalm of thanksgiving and worship.

Ah, the fools. What sad people they must be as they wander through life saying in their heart, “there is no God.” How comforting to have a Psalm that reminds us how much wiser we are because we know God is real. Don’t you wish you could forward this Psalm to someone who has wronged you and doesn’t believe in God? They probably wouldn’t listen. Fools. 

Psalm 7 is a cry of distress from David to the LORD when David had been treated unfairly and criticized.  This psalm makes is clear the danger stems from the malice of the persecutors, and not from the wrongdoing of the person in trouble.  

Have you ever been around someone who simply exhibits and demonstrates the presence of God in their lives by their understanding, their way of living and their words on a consistent basis. It is as if their ability to “Praise God” easily rolls off their tongue? And not in some pious or weird way, but in a genuine desire to praise God in all situations, all conversations, all events taking place.  I have, and you might have as well.  Encountering such people is both encouraging and convicting at the same time. 

I don’t know if I could say that I’ve ever been truly thirsty.

I’ve never lived the scene from every stranded-in-the-desert movie I’ve ever seen where the guy with the chapped lips squeezes his canteen (it’s usually canvas) for every ounce of water it’s worth only to mostly miss his mouth, weakly collapse in the sand, and succumb to despair.