Read Psalm 16 here first: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+16&version=NIV

What a hopeful Psalm!

God is our refuge! He gives us every good thing. He keeps us safe- these are words of hope we need right now.

But then the psalmist does say- run after other gods and bad things happen- I don’t know if that’s true. I know many who will say they’re against God and are still having what appears to be good things coming to them. This used to bother me. I don’t know that if you don’t have God terrible things happen to you in this life. But I do think they’re missing out. They may not know it. But there’s something about knowing there’s more than this that give life greater purpose and knowing that a God of love is behind it all changes everything! But then the psalmist says- no matter I won’t praise other gods. Even if good things happen to supposedly bad people- I will still praise God! Keep in mind from the Christian worldview there are no good people, well just one.

And to this the psalmist ends with this delightful refrain:

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,
¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
    nor will you let your faithful^[b] one see decay.
¹¹ You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

This is what gives us joy- not earthly pleasure but the hope- no the knowledge of eternal pleasures that await.

Have hope. Apart from God we have no good thing- in God- Emmanuel God with us- we have all things.

Read Psalm 15 first: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+15&version=NIV

Who may sit on your holy mountain? Who can be in your tent?

Well scripturally- Moses goes to Mt Sinai. Jesus takes Peter James and John to the Mount of Transfiguration where Moses and Elijah are also there. The high priest goes in the tabernacle once a year in the desert. The high priest went once a year to the temple mount in Jerusalem. So one answer is not very many people. But then I think of the opening to the book of John. “God came and made his dwelling among us” some have said it’s better translated as God came and made his tent among us.

Jesus changes the game- who did he sit with? Women, adulterers, the sick, children, the poor, the tax collectors, even the pharisees, and his betrayers. Many of these people though- he changes as we saw in our reading of Mark. The sick are healed. The children and women who were pushed aside are given special honor. The tax collector returns the money he took away and then some.

Speaking of Jesus the rest I think describes him:

The one whose walk is blameless,
    who does what is righteous,
    who speaks the truth from their heart;
³ whose tongue utters no slander,
    who does no wrong to a neighbor,
    and casts no slur on others;
⁴ who despises a vile person
    but honors those who fear the Lord;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
    and does not change their mind;
⁵ who lends money to the poor without interest;
    who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

Whoever does these things
    will never be shaken.

Does Jesus despise a vile person? Maybe, yet we’re all pretty vile. Keeps an oath and doesn’t change their mind is a tough one. Speaks truth yes- and yet does no wrong and speaks no wrong. Lending money without interest also an amazing thought- rare! No expectation of making money off the poor. These are all things to aspire too. I think the speaking the truth without saying wrong about our neighbor is the one I need to work on. I avoid conflict typically. So to speak the truth even if it’s not positive is a necessary thing for me to do but how to do it with love and know when it needs to be said is important.

What aspect of this chapter challenges you that you want to work on?

But more importantly be thankful we have a God who makes his dwelling with us. He comes down the mountain to lift us up to him!

Read Psalm 14 here first: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+14&version=NIV

Psalm 13 was about God forgetting us. Psalm 14 is about us forgetting God. The fool says there is no god is the most famous passage here, but maybe the fact that all have turned from God should be the famous line. This is often used as a battle cry against atheism. Yet- the point of the passage is we’re all against God. We are corrupt. Our deeds are evil. There is none who does good. All have turned away. No one does good. That’s not describing just atheists. That’s describing us.

Do we evil doers know nothing? At times yes. I think too often we don’t know what we’re doing. I know there’s many things I do without thinking at all. Means we’re cooking more now- I’ve stabbed myself at least 3 times with a knife. Never enough to draw blood but as I’ve talked with others I know that others have done the same. Was I depressed or angry? No- I was just making dinner and not focused on what I was doing. Foolish right? It’s given me reason to be thankful for those who have made my meals for years and stabbed themselves left and right that I’ve never thought about the possibility. But more importantly it shows it’s easy to do things without intention. I pray this time gives us opportunity to think about intention and evaluate what changes we want made after quarantine is over.

“Evil doers frustrate the plans of the poor.” It’s interesting how much of the Bible is about helping the poor. I don’t know where you stand politically and right now I don’t know really where I stand either- but it’s good to think through systemic problems with the poor. Do handouts help the poor? As a youth minister I’ve often taken kids to indian reservations and painted houses. I’ve often wondered if a local painter is out of business because of us. Or does she get more work because we do such a crappy job? When we built a house in El Paso I asked if any of us would live in that house we built. We all said no. I don’t know that what we did was wrong. I know the kids were blessed and learned a lot from those experiences but I don’t know how much we helped the community. This is worth thought and discussion in not just there, but how we tax people, who receives funding from taxes and the like and yes your faith plays a roll in that.

It does say this- for the poor the Lord is their refuge. Worldwide the poor are more religious than the rich. There’s only one country where that’s not the case. It’s the US. There’s a reason Jesus rails against the rich. Too much money or power you feel like you don’t need God because you are one. There’s something to be said for the simpler life. Money is not the goal- love is.

Finally the psalmist asks for salvation to come. Oh that it would be so!

Read Psalm 13 here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+13&version=NIV

6 verses- it’s a shorty!

How long will you forget me God? What a rough prayer- like many others it’s a psalm of lament. It’s ok to come to God and be honest. God I feel I’ve been forgotten. How often do we feel that way? i don’t know how often I pray that prayer, but how long will you hide your face from me is one I’ve prayed often. There are years where it’s easy for me to see God. There’s years where it’s been hard. Fortunately this year has been easy. The most obvious one was at a friend’s funeral, Paul Maier’s. He was a big fan of youth ministry and unbeknownst to me- glow sticks and a former member of my church. He brought them on youth trips and gave them not only to his youth group but to other youth groups as well- he seemed to have an unlimited supply. This story was told at the funeral and everyone got one. A day later a member of our congregation who loves working libraries came in and cleaned up the church library. She found a package of glowsticks and gave them to my pastor who then asked me if they were mine. I said no I don’t recognize that package. There was a label printed from what looked like a home computer that said, “Lighten up care of Paul Maier” They had been in the church library for over 15 years. For the past 8 years I go in there every Sunday to grab my mike pack. Never noticed them. The day after his funeral they show up when they would have the most meaning ever? That’s nothing short of a miracle.

Now I can’t say those things happen often. I wish they did, but when they do I share them, cherish them like Mary did and count on them in the future. There are too many things where God showed up in a crazy way that would only make sense to me. I feel that’s how God works. He’s not a big show off. He’s a big fan of meeting us individually. That’s what Jesus did after the resurrection. He didn’t just sit in the grave and go ta-da! It’s a me Jesus- risen from the grave. No he lets the mystery unfold and goes to each person individually. Certainly they have faith together and he shows up at the upper room, but a true one on one relationship is so much deeper than anything you can do in a crowd.

This passage speaks to what sounds like depression.

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
    How long will my enemy triumph over me?

³ Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
⁴ and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
    and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

I think that’s a pretty accurate depiction of depression. The Bible speaks to it- many in scripture are depressed- David being one of them, Elijah and Job for sure. Not in the Bible but Martin Luther, a guy I sort of follow, was 100% depressed. Yet they still followed God and God chased after them. Being a follower of God doesn’t make you happy all the time. Jesus and a therapist is ok- necessary sometimes.

And it even speaks to how long will I have to stay in my house and edit worship videos? In a sense we’re all there now and stuck asking the question, “How long?” I do wonder the answer. I hope it’s soon.

We have a deep part of us that says, “There’s more to life than this right?” because we know this isn’t right. I think CS Lewis said something, “The fact that we all know the world isn’t the way it should be- points us to the fact that there must be another world.” I would argue that we were made for it. This yearning for God, this sense of loss that things are not as they should be- I believe is shared by God. I think the fall into sin made him depressed. He yearns for us to be complete in him because we are 100% lost without him.

Yet this psalm ends in hope- yep things stink right now, but I’m still going to sing. I will trust in you because you have been good to me. This is truth. God has been crazy good to me and blessed me in some insane ways. Even when I doubt and don’t feel his presence I know that much is true. Would you say the same?

Also have you found that singing God’s praises has helped you with depression before? I know music touches a lot of people spiritually in church and they’re missing that right now. I don’t know that music in particular has changed me that much. I would say it’s pretty rare, but a good praise song can change my mood. Thankfully though God speaks to all in different ways. He’s always speaking- but I know I rarely listen and my thoughts and feelings can often get in the way. The only way to sing his tune is to listen for him. I pray you do that today!

Read Psalm 12 here first: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+12&version=NIV

This is an earnest prayer. What the guy is saying can’t be true. Not everyone is unfaithful- not everyone is lying. But it sure feels that way sometimes! And we can tell God that with full confidence knowing he’s not going to turn us away because we’re having a pity party. In fact God may be the best person to bring our pity party too! He’s probably the only person willing to listen to it.

It says to get rid of flattering lips. It’s interesting as I think of flattery as being quite nice. But nice isn’t always good. We want to be known for speaking the truth in love. That’s different than love without truth. Speak well of people and be kind, but don’t flatter. Flattery typically means you want something from someone. I have a problem with this. If I call a congregation member and give them a compliment- before I can finish it the other end will say, “What do you want?” And I’ll say hey let me give my compliment first- in due time!

People can see through flattery. Just be open and honest but give compliments before asking for more.

But even with this God says, “I will arise and care for the poor and needy!” It’s interesting- the person praying wasn’t concerned about the poor and needy, and yet God responded by doing that. Sometimes our prayers are like that- we will pray for something that we think if this happens it will be in the end of the world. And then that big thing happens and no one cares. That’s because our prayers are often me focused instead of other focused. God has ways of redirecting our prayers from “What about your family” to “What about your neighbor’s family?” Everything ends up in a different perspective.

Take time to pray and talk to God today!

Read Psalm 11 here:https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+11&version=NIV

When the foundations are destroyed what can the righteous do? Is the gospel verse here- I think there’s the temptation to make this about worldly things. Right now worldly things seem to be falling apart- the stock market has crashed, oil prices are down, people are losing jobs, there’s a plague of disease, and I learned this morning there’s the worst plague of locusts in East Africa in 70 years. So what do the righteous do? Same as we always have. Put on your boots and get walking. God shows love- we will be love.

But there’s also the question of faith. What happens when your faith seems gone? When God seems like a far off lie? When hope seems to disappear? I’ve experienced this in my life and it’s probably the worst feeling in the world. It’s helpful to know that our faith isn’t based on feelings and that God and scripture are fine with doubt. I always come back to the same feeling I had at the beginning- what is the best thing in the known universe if you ask anyone? It’s love.

Love is what the songs are written about. It’s what makes families work. It’s why we work. And it’s not found in science nor philosophy but spoken of at length in only really one of the world’s major religions.

Love in my mind is the answer of what the righteous do. And I’ve found this to also be helpful when I feel like the world around me is going to a sad place- which it feels like it is right now. Go be the light and lift someone’s spirit. Go love as Jesus has loved us!

Read Psalm 10 here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+10&version=NIV

Verse 1 says this:

Why, Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

Would you say that’s true right now? That God is hiding himself in these times we’re in right now?

I don’t think it is. I think God is very close right now. I feel like God is far off when I screw up. When I do something wrong or when I’m attacked or even if I were sick. But I’m not sick right now. I don’t know too many who are seriously ill. If I’ve done wrong or am going to do the wrong thing then I wonder if God is there. What’s happening to us right now for most people is passive. We don’t know a whole lot of people with the virus, we’re just annoyed we’re stuck with people inside and we’re bored. That seems to be consensus. I’m sure the scenario would be different if I knew a loved one dying from this or if I lost my job. And those people exist but they don’t seem to be a significant number.

For me I would say I see God more right now. I feel that unjustified attacks and persecutions help me to see God more like it did for Job. I’m sure the scenario would be different if I knew a loved one dying from this, or if family members had lost income. And those people exist but they don’t seem to be a significant number. I find that God feels farther away when things are going very well. I don’t feel like I need him.

But maybe that is true for you. Maybe you do feel like God is far off. What hope do we find in this passage then? The last three verses tell us what we need to know:

The Lord is King for ever and ever;
    the nations will perish from his land.
¹⁷ You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;
    you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
¹⁸ defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
    so that mere earthly mortals
    will never again strike terror.

When this was written David was likely king or perhaps Saul. But they weren’t really the king. They had the foresight to give a shout out to the true king. Our president fortunately isn’t the king for ever and ever either. No we have someone greater. We have a father above all fathers- someone who hears the cries of the oppressed and answers. We have so many who are in need of a father. God is our father who takes care of every need. He answers our cries through His Son. And by His son’s death and resurrection adopts us all as his own forever. We are no longer fatherless, directionless, purposeless, when you’re part of God’s family. He gives all of those things to us.

May you see Him and be drawn near to him during this time and all times.

Read Psalm 9 here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+9&version=NIV

Verse 1: I will give thanks to the Lord- I will tell of your wonderful deeds.

I have done this a lot lately. There’s much to be thankful for right now. I’m thankful I bought the new computer I’m typing on just last fall. My old one took 20 minutes to turn on and didn’t have the storage space for worship that this one does. I’m thankful that 5 years ago I started doing video editing at Bethlehem. I’m thankful for youtube tutorials. A cookbook that I got for dirt cheap right before this hit that I’m now working through, speaking of which I’m thankful for cooking with wine, that means I get a drink while both preparing and eating the meal. I’m thankful for leftovers for the first time in my life which means I don’t really have to cook every meal fresh. I’m thankful for Amazon Prime, for not having a family or kids of my own in some ways right now. That means I get to just focus on my relationship with God and my job. It sucks that I probably won’t be married by the time I’m 40 this fall, but still as an introvert quarantine would be very different with a new partner. If I were to be quarantined with someone I didn’t know that well- it would be very hard. I’m thankful for Zoom, scrabble go, amazon prime, facetime, my iphone, that my family is close by that we can leave things on each other’s doorsteps. Thankful that church attendance judging by views is up and giving has been consistent. Thankful for the government giving most everyone $1200 and $500 to kids. Thankful I know very few who have lost money because of the virus. Thankful that not many have been affected- only 7 known deaths in my county and just below 80 in the state of Oregon. Thankful for ministry partners who check in and keep me sane. Thankful for the opportunity to go deeper in God’s Word at this time. Thankful for more time and in some ways less distractions. I can focus on what I believe is most important. Thankful for a friend who got a surgery he’d waited for since October of last year. This means he can live without a feeding tube again soon and experience his first meal next week. I can’t imagine what that would be like. And his faith is incredible.

The list could go on a long ways. What are you thankful for? If there is a comment section below this- write it there- if not e-mail me: ericmoswald@gmail.com I haven’t spent time figuring out how this page works. But here’s the thing-if we don’t declare or count those things we’re thankful for we take them for granted. And others do too. Most of the time I get busy and forget all the amazing things that God is doing. So count your blessings today while we have the time. The beauty of this time is knowing we’re not in control and have to depend on God, Amazon Prime, Netflix, and others to get us through. One of those is more important than the rest. But it’s an unusual time to be dependent like a child right now. But that’s where God wants us. To have faith like a child. Depend on him!

After finishing up the numbered Johns I figured it was time to go to the Old Testament and Psalms makes the most sense. My Pastor is doing devotions daily through Psalms right now, so rather than start at the beginning I thought I would just match him so we’d be on the same page as a staff and as a church. So that’s why we’re not starting at the beginning of the book, but Psalm 8.

Read Psalm 8 here:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+8&version=NIV

What stands out to me is the idea that the God who made the all the stars and galaxies cares about us. Earth is just one little marble in a giant bag of planets and stars and suns. I’m just one of millions of people on that little marble. One can despair in their thinking- but I had a friend a number of years ago tell me this- the number of known stars in the universe is equal to the amount of atoms you breathe in in a single breath. That stat flips my thoughts of myself on it’s head. The intricacies inside of you of all the systems of the nervous system, digestive system, respiratory system, circulatory, and the like come out of our chromosomes, DNA, and RNA. We’re crazily well designed by God. One thing in the solar system is off by a degree- there’s no human life, one issue in all those systems in your body- your life is over. It’s a wonder that there’s life at all!

It’s a wonder just how much God cares! Yet God calls us to care. To care for others, but not just other people, but for animals and for the earth, God cares for us and wants us to then care for the rest of his creation, especially the other things on this blue marble- those things that are close by- your neighbors and neighborhood. We are called right now to care for it in new ways. I don’t know about you but I’ve been forced into buying more toilet paper and paper towels- give those to your neighbors- when you bake too much give some of it away! Mow someone else’s lawn- give away candy to neighborhood kids. Call the kids in your life, their siblings are tired of hearing from them.

Finally he says he’s set his glory in the heavens. I’ve had a lot of moments over the last few weeks to watch sunrises and sunsets. There’s no better show. Each one is different. Each one a reminder that the day is coming or the day is done and it ends with some thing so much bigger than anything we could accomplish in a single day. It’s a moment to enjoy what God is doing. To be thankful for something so much bigger than us.

Give God glory today- praise him through prayer and/or song! Then serve your neighbor in secret so they too might see that this wasn’t done by you but by God and give him glory!

Read this first: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=3+John+1&version=NIV

2 books of the Bible in two days! Good job guys! It does help that they are the two shortest, this one seems the most like a personal business letter out of any scripture and it’s very specific so I did watch this video: https://www.bible.com/videos/3119-1-3-john-the-bible-project made in Portland to understand it better. If you haven’t watched any Bible project videos you should! They’re great for watching before you dig into a book of the Bible so you know more of the context.

Essentially John the elder is writing to Gaius a member of Diotrophes church who’s acting like a dictator and preventing some of John’s friends from traveling in the area. John isn’t a fan of this but he does like Diotrophes faith. So he’s working some angles to keep everyone happy. This may seem sad and wrong even to modern ears but if you work on the church- you know this is all too familiar. How do you work with one person who doesn’t want to work with another? Or one person has crazy ideas about end times and another extreme views on creation- what will happen when we put them in the same room to discuss church finances? No one knows. You juggle people and ask them to Love God and his people and know their heart is in the right place so the rest of is details that need to be worked through, but through a shared love of Christ working relationships can be formed.

He starts by buttering Gaius up a classic church worker move before asking them to do something. Members when I start to butter them up and compliment them sometimes will stop conversation and say, “What do you want?” and I’m like oh you don’t want to hear more good things about yourself? Well that’s sad.

The book can be summarized in a couple words- show hospitality, continue to walk in the truth. Surprisingly this can be hard. As we’re all spending a little more time on the internet I’m reminded that the default on twitter, facebook, and youtube comments is typically anger and putting opinion before person. Which is never good. There are things people would never say in person when you’re hiding behind an avatar of pikachu that suddenly become ok online. Hospitality is more than having extra snacks and drinks in your house when someone randomly comes over.

Hospitality is seeing a person instead of a problem. The person isn’t taking away from your work. The person is adding to your life. The person isn’t work either nor a problem- they are someone God has put in front of you to love.

Don’t let people get in the way of your faith. Don’t let work get in the way of your faith. May your faith change and enlighten the way you work and the way you interact with others. May you do both with the love of Christ!