Psalm 88

This is a song of lamentation, sung from the perspective of the psalmist. At first reading, you may have a “what’s up with that?!?!” kind of reaction. Hang in there, read it again… give it a chance… this psalm is special; though it is one of the darkest in the book of Psalms, it is full of refreshment for those who will allow it to speak to them.

Have you ever felt alone? Like God wasn’t there? Have you ever wondered if the Lord hears your prayers? Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the difficulties you face? Have you ever felt like trials and difficulties just keep pummeling you like the waves of a tempestuous sea? YOU ARE NOT ALONE. The Psalmist here is crying out to God from a position of despair. From his perspective, God is against him, and there is no hope… BUT, he continues to cry out to the LORD!

This is a powerful and wonderful example. It shows that though the psalmist is honest, and feels abandoned, he continues to trust in the promises of God. Let us follow this example… let’s be honest in our prayers, and firm in our faith; let’s cry out to the Lord, and believe that HE WILL ANSWER.

O LORD, I cry out to You. I will keep on pleading day by day. O LORD, why do You reject me? Why do You turn Your face from me? I have been sick and close to death since my youth. I stand helpless and desperate before Your terrors. Your fierce anger has overwhelmed me. Your terrors have paralyzed me. They swirl around me like floodwaters all day long. They have engulfed me completely. You have taken away my companions and loved ones. Darkness is my closest friend.

(Psalms 88:13-18)

Psalm 87

This Psalm sings the praises of the city of Zion (Jerusalem). Of all of Israel, it was the most blessed city, the home of the temple and the center of God’s work here on earth. Some Bible scholars think that this Psalm was written during the time when the temple was destroyed and the city was in ruin… a Psalm designed to stir faith and remind the Jews that a time was soon to come, a time when God would once again make Zion the jewel of his creation.

Today, that promise still rings true. The Bible tells us that during the millennium, Christ will rule and reign from Jerusalem… it will be the center of His kingdom. Beyond that, we know that when the new heaven’s and the new earth are created, we will all dwell in a NEW JERUSALEM… a heavenly city where we need no sun, because God Himself will dwell there and be our light.

So how does this apply to us? By extension, we are ALL citizens of Zion because we have become the children of God through relationship with Jesus. So be blessed, we have new birth in Christ, and have become citizens of a city that is far greater than any earthly city will ever be.

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

(Hebrews 12:22-24)

Psalm 86

Psa 86:13 For great is Your mercy toward me, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

Too often we base how good God has been to us upon what we have here on earth. David had an eternal perspective. An eternal perspective is critical in the life of a believe. Jesus told us to seek first the kingdom of God. Truly God's kingdom is not an earthly one, but an eternal one. The verse continues to say that the rest of the things we need will then be added to us. Usually, once I have turned my eyes upon the eternal, I realize I have everything I need.

David is looking at the eternal. This is why he recognizes himself as holy (v. 2). He realizes that becuas eof God's holy work, he himself was holy. Later he praises God for saving him from the depths of Sheol. Sheol is death, or hell. As we look at life from an eternal perspective the first thing we ask is, "where am I going to be?" Truly we should praise God because we know that we are saved from Sheol! You and I are going to heaven because God has made us holy!

Live life excited. You are going to heaven. Live life looking at the eternal. We are going to be with Jesus!

Psalm 85

Psa 85:10 Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.

Balance is a wonderful thing. If you have ever played a sport, you need balance. Ballet takes balance. Dancing takes balance. Skateboarding takes balance. We recognize this as one of the key features of any physical activity. It is also important we recognize it in other areas of life.

Balance is needed in life. It is needed in the way we conduct ourselves and the way we discern. God demontrates His character to us and the most beautiful display of balance. Mercy, Truth, Righteousness, and Peace are all perfectly displayed to us every single day. He is merciful, yet He does not allow mercy to compromise his righteousness. He is truthful, yet He does not allow the truth to disrupt perfect peace. Our God does not just balance the characteristics, but epitomizes them.

The Psalmist is full of joy and hope as he lays these words down. Truly the knowledge of such an amazing God should cause us to worship!

Psalm 84

A single day in Your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.

(Psalms 84:10)

The world seems to be on a constant quest to find an elusive thing known as “happiness”. I did some searching today on the web to see what people are saying about how to find true happiness. Here is some of what I found:

One site said to “Train the mind and fill it with inspiration and positive energies, self-faith, the bright colours of your heart and soul.” In other words, they are saying, “fill your mind with positive things, believe in yourself, and ignore anything negative”. I’m sorry, but a t the very best, this will only provide a temporary shallow happiness.

The Dalai Llama was asked what the secret to lasting happiness was, and he said “I don’t know.”

Some people think it is something attainable, but always speak of “happiness” in the future tense, “I would be truly happy if I… (You fill in the blank)”.

David says in our Psalm today that a single day spent in the presence of the Lord is better than a THOUSAND spent anywhere else. The word “better” here could be translated as HAPPIER or MORE PROFITABLE. 1000 days is just shy of three years… Imagine three straight years of the best possible circumstances you can think of; David says one day in God’s house exceeds ALL of that! David knew what he was talking about… he was a king, and anything and everything was accessible to him.

In another place, David tells us that “In the Lord’s presence is FULLNESS OF JOY”. We don’t need to search to find happiness… real joy can be found in enjoying the Lord. The quest for happiness is one where people are trying to find what they were made for. They feel unsatisfied because they aren’t living to do what God made them to do. We were made to reflect the glory of God; we were made to worship Him in word and deed. The secret to lasting happiness is a RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD!

Psalm 83

Psa 83:13 O my God, make them like the whirling dust, Like the chaff before the wind!

The world can be very intimidating. At times they look like the ones who have it all together. They lift their heads high. They are confident. They walk in and walk out and nobody messes with them. Underneath the layer of pride there is a layer of fear.

The world is likened to chaff. We remember this word all the way from chapter one of Psalms. What is chaff? It is the husk on the outside of corn and some grasses. It is not very nice to eat, therefore in order to rid of it, they would shake the corn in the wind and watch the husk blow off. Wheat naturally does this. Much like leaves falling in the autumn, the chaff will blow off the wheat.

If your life is made up of chaff, the Lord is going to do a huge work in your life. Your going to be shaken until all that uselessness comes off of you. If your life contains no chaff than you are ready for the Lord's work! He will use you for His glory. Examine your own heart. Make sure there is no chaff, only pure grain.