Read this first: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+36&version=NIV As you do feel free to listen to this lovely old school Christian contemporary classic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEF7IoQ3eUk

Take refuge in the shadow of God’s wings.

So often I take refuge in things I should not. Like working 80 hour weeks. Perfectionism. Distractions like video games and aimless youtube videos. Cooking. Running. My cell phone. Myself and my desires rather than God and others. If I were to take refuge in God, everything else would fall into place.

In your light we see light.

This is what CS Lewis meant when he said, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” C. S. Lewis.

God is light. In him there is no darkness at all. Without light there’s no color only dark. In God’s light we see everything differently! Everything is a blessing a gift from God’s hand. Life springs from Him, just as the sun gives light to every plant. God gives light and life to everything. In God’s light we see the joy and the light around us. Without God life is temporal and logically one should simply focus on self and family rather than God and others. But with God life is eternal and people matter more. Life is light- my yoke is easy and my burden light. As I’m no longer the center of my universe. God is. That changes everything!

Read this first: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+35&version=NIV

Most of this psalm seems to be the psalmist asking for God to answer him in one specific way. He asks for his enemies to look foolish for vindication and it’s implied that vengeance should happen to them. But then he concludes with this…

May those who delight in my vindication
    shout for joy and gladness;
may they always say, “The Lord be exalted,
    who delights in the well-being of his servant.”

My tongue will proclaim your righteousness,
    your praises all day long.

I’ve used the phrase of “turning enemies into friends” a lot in my teaching. I think that’s because it’s so countercultural and anti-internet. No one goes to the youtube comment section or twitter to make friends- I do believe people go there to make enemies. Although I guess did do it once- but that was many years ago and we’re still twitter friends. We had an argument on Tim Keller’s wall and he’s been dealing with depression. But that’s an exception. What God does is he comes to us who should be his enemies- his people who have sinned against him their whole lives and through his own sacrifice makes us his not only his friends but his children.

The fact that the Psalmist- likely David arrives at the same conclusion after talking smack about his enemies is very real. Yeah we’d prefer if our enemies were destroyed but God’s right they should be friends. We see this in David’s life not when fighting Goliath but when fighting with Saul. He won’t destroy Saul because if he does he will be going against God’s annointed. His goal was to turn Saul into a friend, unfortunately that didn’t happen. The temptation to take him out was there but it wasn’t necessary.

Seek peace- turn your enemies into friends by the power of God!

Read this first:https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+34&version=NIV

This is a fantastic Psalm! The last few weeks this study has kind of a bit dry for me, and I’ve been wondering if it may be time to change up to another book of the Bible so my ADHD brain can get recharged. But this Psalm- so good! I believe my enneagram says I am a peacemaker which is number 9. On the negative side- sometimes that makes me a people pleaser. On the positive side that means I seek to make friends with everyone I meet. Recently I realized I have a lot of empathy for most humans I meet. I have lots of judgement for dogs and cats until they can prove to me that they’re a good pet. I find most people are the opposite. They judge animals not and people with reckless abandon. That saddens me. Yet in my need to know others and care for others I also sometimes know what they need to do to be better and they know too but don’t want to go there. I’ve learned to push for those things in their lives, but also to listen when they won’t do the work to fix themselves. That’s a tough challenge for a peacemaker and I think anyone.

Regardless the immediate words that came out were:

Keep your tongue from evil
    and your lips from telling lies.
Turn from evil and do good;
    seek peace and pursue it.

I feel like no one attempts to seek peace anymore. It’s a rare art sure but our nation keeps getting more divided. There’s rarely someone trying to unite both sides. We’ve learned more about arguing our points anonymously on the internet than civil dialogue in person because in person we’re afraid to discuss politics. The internet is filled with lies. Our tongues hopefully less so.

Pursue peace. That’s the goal- don’t pursue by destroying your opponents opinion. Yes stand for truth but do it with love. That doesn’t mean being a door mat. A peacemaker in the old west was a gun. The goal of the gun was not for it to be fired. The goal was to keep the peace and never be used because the holder had authority. You have to have strength to make peace. It’s difficult and it’s hard but it’s worth it.

Yet there’s much more here than just that passage.

This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
    he saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
    and he delivers them.

God answers prayers and this one reminds me of 2 Kings 6- where Elisha’s servant is freaking out because the army is surrounding him. And in comes Elisha and he prays that his servant’s eyes would be open. Suddenly he sees he’s not surrounded by the army coming for him. He’s surrounded by an army of angels much larger than the physical one in front of him. God evens blinds the physical army and does the Jedi mind trick- this is not the road and this is not the city” It’s amazing. This also reminds me of the song in search of more lyrics. “It may look like I’m surrounded but I’m surrounded by you. This is how I fight my battles” is the entirety of the 12 minute song. I really hate it because outside of the context of this oft forgotten Bible story I have no idea what the song is about- Amazon prime? Air? Bad drivers? Internet trolls? But within context it is beautiful.

Our prayers make the space to change our perspectives on what surrounds us. Rather than problems we see opportunities, rather than seeing the darkness we can find the light. We can as it says in the next verse taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. I’m reminded of the story that’s probably not true of a professor going off about how there is no God and Jesus was just a dude and all that he was was a man. There’s no resurrection he just was a decent guy with some good thoughts. If Christianity is so good why did it start so many wars? Why did it bring about capitalism, etc. etc. etc. Then an old preacher in the back gets up and eats an apple and says- this apple I just took a bite of- is it sweet or tart? The professor says, “Don’t know I haven’t tasted it.” The preacher replies, “Neither have you tasted my Jesus” There’s something magical when one is moved by the Spirit- when one first comes to faith and has the aha moment which is why I can’t put down other people for not having faith. I have dry spells just like I’ve had with these devotions and these psalms where I feel I’m getting nothing out of it. And then all of the sudden you taste and see that the Lord is good. I suppose this is true for food as well. There are moments when you eat something so much you no longer taste it. I’m this way with burgers. If I find a burger I like- I can eat it so often it suddenly loses it’s goodness. The killer burger with bacon, peanut butter, and pickels is one that is likely the best burger I’ve ever had and now I have had so many the joy is gone. Fortunately, God is no one trick pony. He has so many ways of coming to us. And I suppose burgers do too come to think of it. I’ve never grown tired of burgers. Just specific burgers in general- the Mad Love Burger at Red Robin, and the pastrami burger at Crown Burger in Utah have all hit that point. Yet that doesn’t stop me from eating burgers. Anyway this has been me working through issues with my diet this Memorial Day weekend. God is the same way- small groups that once gave me joy and even devotionals and authors like Max Lucado, Donald Miller, or Rob Bell who used to ignite my soul eventually get old and no longer do it for me. But occasionally I’ll go back after a few years have passed and read some of their new stuff and it’s like coming back to an old friend. I think the same is true for our walk with God. I can see a passage of time where worship doesn’t do it for you anymore, but Bible study does. Or prayer is giving us more than music. That doesn’t mean our relationship with God has gone away it just means it moved. But that may be just me. Do you experience God in multiple ways and see a shift in your spirituality or is that you always find God in the same things? Like music for example. I think for me- it’s a well timed analogy or honestly through physical things recently where God has shown up the most. Where I’m like how is this here now unless by a miracle? I’ve seen God in sunflowers that I accidentally grew and in glow sticks left behind by a friend only to be found the day after his funeral in the name of Jesus with the encouraging words to lighten up written on them. I suppose God comes to me also through analogy and friends speaking into my life as well. It’s not often through music but occasionally. I like to find God in some new way in more than a feeling where head and heart connect. I suppose that’s the Lutheran in me- it has to be some form of head knowledge something to hang my hat on and cling to rather than 20 minute song with 12 words that mostly talk about being surrounded.

Anyway- where have you tasted Jesus and seen that He was good? How has God shown up for you? If He hasn’t- how would you like Jesus to show up for you? What would it take for you to see Jesus as real?

Read this first: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+33&version=NIV

There’s a lot here about singing and praising God- but two verses stand out I’ll start with the first verse 11:

The plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

Praise God! That’s worthy of singing, dancing, and praising. Too often I’ve made plans and just assumed they’d happen. Now I have very few plans beyond the current week. It’s getting weary but it’s a reminder that it’s not my plans that are most important. God’s plans are. And at least currently I’ve seen spiritual renewal come from this. I’m curious as to how long it will last. Will church attendance go up, will it be moved online, or will something else come from this?

Then verses 16 and 17 go together and intrigue me:

No king is saved by the size of his army;
    no warrior escapes by his great strength.
¹⁷ A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
    despite all its great strength it cannot save.

The US military spends 732 Billion dollars a year. The United States spends more on national defense than China, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, and Brazil – combined.  And some say it needs more money! That’s ridiculous. I’ve always been conservative but not republican for this very fact. It makes no sense- we spend 68 billion on education and wonder why things aren’t going so well. Priorities are messed up and we should tax churches because they don’t help their communities. I’m sorry if we tax churches- there’s no money to tax because they’re truly non-profit. Secondly why don’t we feed the hungry more? Well the government prevents us in Oregon from feeding the hungry because we have to pay to be inspected by a health inspector in order to feed the homeless. Even if I have pizza delivered to the church- I can’t give it out to people legally without a permit and an inspection. Not making this stuff up. It’s silly.

Anyway, probably not the best thing to write about before memorial day weekend- I love my vets. I love America I just think our money could be better served in so many other ways besides another air craft carrier. Canada seems to get along fine without one. I realize that may be a shallow way of looking at this chapter but I do think there’s something spiritual about looking at your wallet and seeing where your spending goes. Is it all towards yourself or your family? Then maybe things need to change. I do the same with America’s wallet.

But more importantly where is your trust? What do you put your hope and praise songs in? Sports? TV? I’m realizing how much stock I’ve put in the Blazers this year and they haven’t exactly loved me back. I’ve probably spent too much there. I’ve put too much in the literal stock market. I’ve put too much in things that don’t make an eternal difference.

There are things that are of greater importance. Put your stock, your praises behind those things!

Read this first: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+32&version=NIV

What a beautiful psalm!

Blessed are those who know forgiveness from God. On the other hand David says- how terrifying to keep silent- yet how often do we do that? We keep living in sin and say no God- this ones mine. I know you want to look to you forgiveness but I like this sin and I want to live with it. Not the best. It wastes our energy, our lives, and David says “Our very bones.”

You are my hiding place and you surround me with songs of deliverance. What beautiful words of hope! I listen to Christian radio in the car regularly and obviously music is a huge part of a worship service but I’ve always wondered if that’s what God wanted. It doesn’t seem like scripture is filled with music- and yet Psalms- means songs of praise! Jesus sings a hymn- Zephaniah tells us God rejoices over us with singing. There are so many beautiful images of music being a part of life with God as it should! Music elevates our emotions and it makes us work.

The thought is that David wrote this after getting caught sleeping around and killing his mistresses husband. There’s a verse that’s out of place. I wonder if it was written for his child who ended up passing away as the punishment for his crime. It could be that he transitions to God speaking but it could be he’s talking to his unborn child-

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
⁹ Do not be like the horse or the mule,
    which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
    or they will not come to you.

It seems more likely it’s to his kid than God speaking. Are any of the psalms written directly from God’s perspective? I’m very curious. We’ll find out one chapter at a time.

Know God’s forgiveness today- turn from that sin that you keep on doing! I’ll try to do the same!

Read this first: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+31&version=NIV

“Give me rescue Lord” is the cry of this psalm. Probably written while David’s son, Absalom, came to kill him. Also something we say in Washington County as we’re still under quarantine. Get us over this. We’re tired! Yesterday I couldn’t wake up. Just wasn’t happening. I want to go to church, go to a restaurant, be with people, talk with people without a screen between. Rescue us God!

But I trust in you, Lord;
    I say, “You are my God.”
¹⁵ My times are in your hands.

This is what stands out to me. The last line- my times are in your hands- has never felt more true. I’m no longer in control and more and more it seems fruitless to plan for the future. I know change is coming where some weird in between quarantine and what we used to have as normal is coming but my mind can’t grasp what that means for my job. Yet I know when that time comes I will figure it out. Anxiety isn’t going to help. Trust in God and how He has made me will help me to get through it.

Is trust the opposite of anxiety? Maybe. Maybe the next time I say start to freak out the words, “Trust in God” and “Depend on me” might be the ones that change my mind and heart from worry to calm. May the same be true for you!

Read this first: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2030&version=NIV

“I will exalt you Lord” is how the story begins. We don’t use the word exalt much. In the ESV it says exult. That isn’t much help. Praise is used in the CEV. Exalt seems like one of those words we use for God and God alone- but exalt means you hold someone in high regard. I can remember a friend once saying- What ever you ask me to do I will do- I trust you. I think that’s as close to exult as it can get when dealing with another person and not God.

How do we exalt God? I think we mostly think of music, and maybe prayer. But if the prayer and the music doesn’t move us to action- then I don’t think it’s really exalting God. That’s why we have so many in our culture against “thoughts and prayers” they’re not against thought I’m assuming so they’re probably really not against prayer- but it remains a thought and prayer in regards to another person- how much does it help them? Prayer and thought should lead to action.

Exalting God is putting him first and the others second before yourself. It’s loving your neighbor and making sacrifices towards God and your world even when it doesn’t make sense to the outside world or even yourself.

Then the psalmist continues with the words- You saved me from the grave. Last week I had the saddest near death experience of my life. I was eating my favorite things. Bacon and guacamole and I choked and I was alone. I had made my first bacon weave over a turkey breast and had some homemade guac in the fridge and realized this was the perfect combo. I believe it was my first bite with the holy trinity of homemade goodness entering my palate but the turkey got caught in the wrong pipe and I was choking hard. I was pulling meat from my mouth, hopping up and down, and I was certain I was done. I swallowed and somehow it went down the right pipe and all was well. But boy was I scared. I praise God I’m alive. I went from pure bliss to almost dieing in about 20 seconds. I was thanking God after, and I was sure people would say, “He died doing what he loved” I was also mid filming of a children’s message with puppets and a happy meal. But as John Mulaney I think says- well he probably doesn’t love any of those things now.

Regardless I’m thankful to God I’m alive just like the psalmist says. But it’s sad how until writing this I’ve almost forgotten that story. You would think God bringing me from death to life would be significant- but I think he’s done it so many times I’ve grown apathetic.

“At night we may cry but at morning we will celebrate” is cryptic yet profound if you’ve been there. In my experience with kids- they cry more at night than they do in the morning. There’s something about wanting to be home, about existential dread, about not accomplishing all that we should have that eats at you at the end of the day. The psalmist continues the thought with: “You have turned my sorrow into joyful dancing.” My last week has mostly been about dancing- it was a theme in our youth zoom, it was what the puppets did at the end of their happy meal. It was a good time. We want this quarantine to end so we can dance together again. Right now the dancing takes place in kitchens and in living rooms, but we want we want it to happen in the clubs and in the church. There’s a phrase you don’t hear in too many devotionals. But God made us to dance with each other and with Him. I want to see it soon.

Lord make it so soon. Turn our sorrow into dancing. Amen.

Read this first: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2029&version=NIV

This psalm talks about ascribing to the Lord his glory. I rarely do this outside of my job. Although I suppose when I do – I think I’m doing my job. The struggles of a church worker! Tell of God’s glory. Make it the first thing you say and do. It feels weird doing it the first time but with time it does get easier and it changes our perspective. If you smile even if you don’t feel it- it does help you feel better.

Praising God will change your perspective.

Then it talks of the voice of God- the power it has:

Psalm 29:3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory thunders,
    the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.

The voice of God creates all that we see- except humans- that took dirt and God’s breath. An interesting mix. Both voice and breath are of course ways we get covid- so they can also spread death- but God’s breath and voice brings life!

God’s voice has so much power yet we don’t listen to it. Without this devotional practice and before quarantine even though I read the word daily for work I don’t necessarily have devotional time and apply it to myself. I am struggling a bit with this even now- as I’m a bit ADD and quarantine isn’t that. Every day feels the same. Oddly I’m getting more out of the work side of things from God right now then my devotional side. I don’t know what that’s about.

¹¹ The Lord gives strength to his people;
    the Lord blesses his people with peace.

This is my prayer for you and for me right now. We need strength to get through this difficult time. We need peace always. May the Lord bless us today!

Here’s a little song that I totally forgot about but came up in my ADD brain as I was writing. Hope this helps us get through!

Read Psalm 28 here first: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+28&version=NIV

Hear me as I praise you- is basically how the psalmist begins. It’s honest. They are pleading for hope. I suppose we all are. The psalmist doesn’t want to be counted amongst the wicked but they do want the wicked to be brought to justice. Which is not something we talk about much. I love to discuss God’s grace and love- but Luther says we are to fear and love God and so does scripture. We know this to be true because God is just and there is evil in the world. Two armed guys killing one guy who went for jog and stood up for himself who don’t even get arrested for doing the deed, gets us in an uproar for good reason. I can’t say I know all the specifics of that case to respond to intelligently, but there are times we know evil is happening. I recall a news story from a number of years ago of a guy who lit his house and fire just so he could shoot at firefighters when they came out to put out the fire. Evil exists and it needs to be brought to justice. We want the wicked to get justice. We want the same for ourselves, so we replay our worst moments over and over again so we might somehow gain penance or somehow make it better.

Yet we know we can’t. And though there are evils beyond what we may see ourselves being capable of- we also know in the wrong situation at the wrong time- we’re also capable of evil. So it must be dealt with somehow. That’s where hell- being apart from God comes in, and also Jesus who takes on hell for us. Both just ways of handling evil. One is grace. One is our work.

Then the prayer changes from needing something from God to thanking God for what they have. I would say this is a model for prayer. Often we come asking for something, but by the time we’re done talking with God wrestling with Him, maybe not with the answer we came with, we leave thankful- knowing our heavenly Father has heard us and he has done great things for us!

Carry us forever Lord is the final phrase. I haven’t thought much about Jesus carrying us because I don’t like the cliche of the old “footprints” poem. But it is biblical and Lutheran to think hey don’t do anything just get in the uber and sleep. Your uber driver is a good listener and he knows the way. Trust that he’s got you and it will be alright. He’s carrying you where you need to be.

Read this first: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+27&version=NIV

Then listen to this knock off owl city version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsL4mHmyO5s

What confidence David has here! This is a different confidence than the last chapter. In 26 he seemed confident of his sanctification of all the right things he had done. In this one he’s confident in God. His enemies will turn from him. He’s praising God and not himself. His confidence comes from God and not himself. This is the kind of prayer I can get behind!

All we need is God. If all else crumbles we still have the one that matters- or more importantly the only one that matter has us.

One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.

We have the recurring theme of longing to be in God’s temple which reminds me of David’s longing for the tabernacle to be turned into a temple. Not something he accomplished in his life time but his son, Solomon, did. For us there should be a longing as well to worship with others. I certainly feel that now more than I ever had. It’s interesting hearing from people how they don’t know what day it is- they don’t know the time because they haven’t had worship in God’s house. It’s the years 2020 because a monk thought 2 thousand twenty years ago was when Jesus was born. We have a 7 day week because God made the earth in 7 days. Time is dictated by God, not us. Just not going to worship throws off time. How weird is that? Our days are to be around the simple act of worship and the word. Yes we have virtual worship and yes we’re getting things figured out but it’s not quite the same.

Finally:

I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

I believe the goodness of the Lord is always around me. I don’t always see it. I definitely don’t always acknowledge it. Would you say that’s true as well? Where have you seen his goodness lately? For me yesterday I had no idea what to do with the children’s message. I pretty much gave up. Then an idea came out of nowhere and I went- oh that’s it. Now I’ve got it figured out.

Ideas from nowhere to me are signs of God’s work in my life. Where have you seen the goodness of the Lord lately?