Fifth Sunday Sing

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Who Do You Worship? – Psalm 36

Who Do You Worship?

Psalm 36

Our scripture reading today is Psalm 36. And before we read it, I want us to think about Psalm 36 in the context of worship. Psalms is the worship book of the Bible. And the worship question that confronts us from Psalm 36 is this: Is your life about you, or is your life about God?[1] In this Psalm, we see David contrasting His worship which is all about God with people whose lives are all about themselves.

The first four verses of Psalm 36 detail the way that the wicked seek fulfillment and pleasure in sin and themselves. Then, in Psalm 36:5-9, David turns his focus on the incomparable delight of knowing and worshiping God. Finally, the psalm concludes with a prayer that the Lord will continue His lovingkindness to His people and protect them from the wicked.

But even though the lives of the wicked are all about sin and self, that doesn’t mean they are not worshiping. It’s just that they love and worship themselves and their sin instead of loving and worshiping the LORD, the one true God. That’s why as we read Psalm 36, I want you to think about the question: Am I living life like it’s all about me or all about God?

Look at the first four verses as we consider:

1. The Worship of the Self and Sin (Psalm 36:1-4)

Psalm 36:1-4

1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD.
An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked:
There is no fear of God before his eyes.

2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes,
When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.

3 The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
He has ceased to be wise and to do good.

4 He devises wickedness on his bed;
He sets himself in a way that is not good;
He does not abhor evil.

These verses are a snapshot of the fallen human heart apart from God’s grace in Christ.[2] We all know that our world is full of wickedness. We see it on the news daily. We hear about mothers murdering their children; fathers abusing kids; nations committing genocide against neighboring nations; every kind of immorality and impurity being not only tolerated, but celebrated. What in the world is wrong? God gave David a special revelation (An oracle within my heart) about what the wicked were thinking. How can people transgress the law of God and their own consciences to continually do wicked deeds?

First, because at the heart of sin is a complete lack of understanding of who God is, so that sinners do not fear Him.[3] David says, “There is no fear of God before his eyes” (Ps. 36:1). If people think about God at all, they think of Him as a lenient and indulgent God who is tolerant of all but the worst sins. They may speak about God’s love, but not His holiness and judgment. Those fooled by sinful thinking assume God will not know or care about what they have done.

Instead, David says, “… he flatters himself in his own eyes, When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.” (Ps. 36:2). He flatters himself by thinking that he is not as bad as other sinners, “I’m not a child molester or serial killer.” He doesn’t look past the surface level to the depth of depravity in his own heart. This self-deception allows him to excuse what he sees as little sins. But listen, no sin against a holy God is a minor sin.

So he lies to his own heart about his sin and becomes even an even worse sinner, “The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good.” (Ps. 36:3). Do you see the downward spiral? Psalm 36:4, “He devises wickedness on his bed; He sets himself in a way that is not good; He does not abhor evil.” He is not only falling into occasional sin, he is planning it.

James Hamilton comments, “Where our minds go when we’re not thinking about anything else reveals what we consider to be ultimate, reveals what we most desire. It’s a revelation of what we worship.”[4] What we comtemplate reveals what we desire and what we love. Let me ask you, when you lie awake at night, are your thoughts drawn to God or to self and sin? Are you worshiping God or worrying about yourself?

This is what the wicked worship—self and sin. “There is no fear of God before his eyes,” (Ps. 36:1). Instead, “he flatters himself in his own eyes,” (Ps. 36:2).

Then in Psalm 36:5, David takes an abrupt turn to focus on worshiping the LORD. “From the depths of depravity, David leaps to the heights of God and His abundant blessings towards those who seek Him.”[5]  

2. The Worship of the LORD (Psalm 36:5-9)

Listen to how David extols the Lord and His attributes:

5 Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

6 Your righteousness is like the great mountains;
Your judgments are a great deep;
O LORD, You preserve man and beast.

7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.

9 For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light. (Psalm 36:5-9).

What a stark contrast to the previous verses! David praises God for His measureless and boundless loving mercy and faithfulness (Ps. 36:5). God’s loyal love never ends, and He always keeps His promises. David worships God for His massive righteousness and unfathomable judgment (Ps. 36:5). We may not always understand what God does and why He allows suffering, but with God all things are made right and true always justice wins. David extols the preciousness of God’s love and delights to take refuge in Him (Ps. 36:7). God’s love satisfies our deepest longings (Ps. 36:8).

I love Psalm 36:9, “For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light,” a verse that is fulfilled so perfectly in our Lord Jesus Christ who said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water,” (John 7:37-38); and who also said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life,” (John 8:12). Jesus died to take the penalty for the sins of rebellious people like David described in Psalm 36:1–4. He did it because of God’s love and righteousness described in Psalm 36:5-9. Trusting in Christ, we find all our delight and joy in worshiping Him.  

David ends this Psalm with a prayer showing …

3. The Wish of the Worshiper of God (Psalm 36:10-12)

Listen to David’s prayer:

10 Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.

11 Let not the foot of pride come against me,
And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.

12 There the workers of iniquity have fallen;
They have been cast down and are not able to rise.
(Psalm 36:10-12).

As David showed in Psalm 36:5-9, God is all satisfying, yet worshipers of God always want more of God. They are so enthralled with God’s love and righteousness that they continually plead for more. And though God has promised His lovingkindness and righteousness, we still need to ask Him for it. Seek to know God more. Ask God for a pure heart.

David also prays that the Lord will protect him from “the foot of pride” and “the hand of the wicked” (Ps. 36:11). Without the Lord’s help, we are all vulnerable to falling into the ways of the world. Don’t let the ways of the world drive you away from worshiping the LORD.

In the final verse, David prophetically looks ahead and sees the place where the wicked meet their final demise. God is righteous and will judge righteously.

Let’s take Palm 36 to heart. Keep looking to our sovereign God, trusting in His protection and preservation. Keep worshiping the LORD, keep looking to Christ, keep drinking deeply from the river of His delights, keep praying in His name, keep preaching His gospel, keep believing Him for the glorious day in which all evil will be put away and everything will become completely new.

 

 

[1] James Hamilton, Sin or God, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZHz385yob0&t=19s.

[2] Steven Cole, Deceived by Sin or Delighted in God?, https://bible.org/seriespage/psalm-36-deceived-sin-or-delighted-god.

[3] Cole, ibid.

[4] Hamilton, ibid.

[5] Cole. Ibid.

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This is the day the Lord has made

This is the Day! – Psalm 118

This is the Day!

Psalm 118

“This is the day the LORD has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24).

I grew up singing the words to that verse. Maybe you did too. I understood it to apply to our rejoicing in every new day that God has made. While of course, Yahweh our sovereign God controls time and our very lives, and therefore each new day we awaken with breath in our lungs is a gift from God, “the day” in Psalm 118:24 conveys a much deeper meaning.

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Psalm 130:5

My Soul Waits for the LORD – Psalm 130

My Soul Waits for the LORD

Psalm 130

1 A song of Ascents.
Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord;

2 Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.

3 If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?

4 But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared.

5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
And in His word I do hope.

6 My soul waits for the Lord
More than those who watch for the morning–
Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.

7 O Israel, hope in the Lord;
For with the Lord there is mercy,
And with Him is abundant redemption.

8 And He shall redeem Israel
From all his iniquities.

Psalm 130 is a “Son of Ascents,” the eleventh of fifteen psalms that pilgrims to Jerusalem likely sang as they went up annually to the temple to worship the Lord. “Psalm 130 puts words to a pattern of conviction, repentance, waiting, and praise that purifies the sinner and glorifies the Savior.”[1] This Song of Ascents takes us from the depths of guilt and despair to the heights of joyous hope in the Lord.

This psalm is a prayer of conviction, repentance, trust, and worship. We can see a four-step progression in the four stanzas of two verses each. In Psalm 130:1-2, the psalmist is in the pit of despair, weighed down by guilt. In the second step, Psalm 130:3-4, he trusts in the Lord’s forgiveness for his sin. Then, in Psalm 130:5-6, he rests in God’s word and expectantly waits for the presence of the Lord. And finally, in Psalm 130:7-8, he calls on all God’s people to hope in the Lord’s redemption. Here is a man who has sinned, but in spite of his sin, he is eager to draw near to the LORD for he knows that the LORD is a God who mercifully forgives sinners.

Psalm 130 reminds us that when we gather for worship on a day like today, we celebrate the fact that our God has not treated us as our sins deserve but has indeed been merciful to us in Christ.

Our first step to worship is to …

1. Cry out to the Lord for mercy (130:1-2).

The psalm begins, “Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord” (Ps. 130:1). The psalmist cried out to the LORD in deepest despair. The language is similar to the cry of Jonah when he was in the depths of the sea because of his disobedience to the LORD. There, he prayed,

“I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction,
And He answered me.
Out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
And You heard my voice.
For You cast me into the deep,
Into the heart of the seas,
And the floods surrounded me;
All Your billows and Your waves passed over me.” (Jonah 2:2-3).

The rest of the psalm clearly shows that the reason for his despair is the guilt of his sin. His problem, he says, is iniquities, a word that in the Old Testament means things that are twisted or bent. In the moral sense, it means the choice to pervert or distort what is good or true. In Psalm 130:3 he says, “ If You, Lord, should mark iniquities …”, and again in Psalm 130:8 8, “… And He shall redeem Israel From all his iniquities.”

He cries out to the Lord from the depths of sin and guilt. His iniquities have brought him low. He knows that his only hope is mercy from the Lord. So he cries out to the Lord for forgiveness and redemption from his sins. When you are in the depths of your sin, there is no other way out than the LORD.

No matter how low you may be, you can cry out fervently to the Lord. The psalmist says, “Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications.” (Ps. 130:2). Notice the intensity of his cry. He uses God’s name eight times in these eight verses, alternating between Lord (Yahweh), the covenant name of God that emphasizes His faithfulness to His promises; and, Lord (Adonai), which emphasizes His sovereign lordship and thus His ability to fulfill His promises.

Have you ever reached such a point of despair over your sin? Cry out to the Lord.  The second step is …

2. Trust in the Lord (Ps. 130:3-4).

Look at the question in Psalm 130:3, “If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” Of course God knows all our sins, but the psalmist means, “If the Lord were to count up all my sins and judge me for them, I don’t have a glimmer of hope.” None of us can stand before the Holy God in our sin.

And so what is the answer? The grace and mercy of God in Christ. Psalm 130:4 says, “But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.” Without forgiveness, we’re doomed, but with it, we learn to fear Him. We fear God because we know that He had every reason to condemn you, but He did not. We do not shudder in terror of His punishment now (1 John 4:18), but we do fear Him, respect Him, and hold Him in reverent awe. His forgiveness does not make us flippant about our sin, it makes us fear the Lord. Forgiveness leads us to greater worship and reverence of God.

So the psalmist tells us that no matter how deep you may be in guilt and despair, you can cry out to the Lord for mercy. He adds that there is forgiveness with God, and it leads to fear, because without it, you’re doomed. The third step is …

3. Wait for the Lord (Ps. 130:5-6).

The psalmist has prayed his prayer, he has cried out to the Lord for mercy, and now he waits expectantly for God to answer. He says, “5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning–Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.” (Ps. 130:5-6 NKJV). The night watchman wanted nothing more than for the sun to arise on the horizon, and for the day to dawn. His work would be finished. What is the psalmist waiting for? The LORD. He is not just waiting for help, but he is waiting for the Lord Himself.

Waiting is an expression of a sure hope. What is the basis of his hope? His hope is based on God’s word, “And in His word do I hope.” Don’t base your hope on your feelings or your circumstances, but base your hope fully on the word of God. Trust God’s promises to you in Scripture. Based on God’s sure word of promise, he eagerly anticipates and expects a renewed intimacy with the LORD.

But the psalmist can’t stop writing there. For six verses, he has described his own struggles and his own fight to wait on the LORD. But, now, he urges all of us into the same experience. So in the fourth step he calls us to …

4. Hope in the Lord (Ps. 130:7-8).

7 O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption. 8 And He shall redeem Israel From all his iniquities. (Psalm 130:7-8).

When you’ve been in the depths and then been washed with God’s forgiveness, you want others to experience the same thing! Why should we hope in the LORD? Because with Him, there is mercy, lovingkindness. “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.” (Psalm 103:13 CSB).

With the LORD is abundant redemption! No matter how great your sin, His redemption is abundant. It covers all your sins. Do you have great sin? God has greater grace! Your sin cannot take you out of God’s reach of redemption. Is there hope for the sinner? Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes! With the Lord is unfailing love and with the Lord is full redemption. When you cry out to Christ for mercy, He will hear and He will answer. He has never turned away a repentant sinner. You may be sunk under a load of sin, you may be crying out from the depths, but God’s word declares that He is full of love and mercy. He will hear your voice, be attentive to your prayer, forgive your sin, and restore you to fellowship with Him forever. Forgiveness is open today. Come be forgiven!

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[1] Marshall Segal, Four Habits of a Happy Heart, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/four-habits-of-a-happy-heart accessed 08/29/2025.

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Praying for Jerusalem’s Peace – Psalm 122

Praying for Jerusalem’s Peace – Psalm 122

At our Wednesday night prayer meeting, we have started to look at Psalms 120 – 134, the “songs of ascents”. Another name for them might be “songs for going up” or “songs for the journey”. In ancient Israel, they were probably sung by travelers making their way to Jerusalem for the annual feasts. Jerusalem was a high point in the land of Palestine, and as they journeyed, they were literally “ascending”. And these songs we intended to help them also ascend spiritually as they joined together in song and prepared their hearts to worship the Lord.

I intended to share some thoughts about Psalm 122 on Wednesday, but didn’t make it back in time due to some car trouble As I read this psalm and you follow along, I want you to see if you can pick out a key word or idea in this psalm. The very first verse captures some of the excitement, the anticipation, of the psalmist preparing for the journey. “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”” (Psalm 122:1).

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God Alone – Psalm 62

God Alone

Psalm 62

Sometimes God brings us to a place where we find that God alone is our only hope. It could be you arrive at such a desperate place through a devastating circumstance or an internal crisis where all other comforts fail, and other hopes disappoint. In that place, you feel weak and vulnerable, and almost everything seems to be against you. It’s a place you feel overwhelmed by despair and grief.

But with God, it can also be a place of mercy and salvation. In the crucible of that testing place God forges enduring faith in us. If it were not for that place, how could we ever know that God truly is our only Rock and that our only abiding hope is found in Him? When God bring us to that place, and we find that God alone is all we need, that dreadful place becomes a beautiful place. Our desert becomes an oasis where we are refreshed by God alone.

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Fifth Sunday

Psalm 21 – Victory In Jesus

Psalm 21 – Victory In Jesus

Psalm 21:1-13

1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD;
And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!

2 You have given him his heart’s desire,
And have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah

3 For You meet him with the blessings of goodness;
You set a crown of pure gold upon his head.

4 He asked life from You, and You gave it to him–
Length of days forever and ever.

5 His glory is great in Your salvation;
Honor and majesty You have placed upon him.

6 For You have made him most blessed forever;
You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence.

7 For the king trusts in the LORD,
And through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved.

8 Your hand will find all Your enemies;
Your right hand will find those who hate You.

9 You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger;
The LORD shall swallow them up in His wrath,
And the fire shall devour them.

10 Their offspring You shall destroy from the earth,
And their descendants from among the sons of men.

11 For they intended evil against You;
They devised a plot which they are not able to perform.

12 Therefore You will make them turn their back;
You will make ready Your arrows on Your string toward their faces.

13 Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength!
We will sing and praise Your power.

On our Fifth Sunday Sings I often love to bring to you a portion from the book of Psalms. Psalms is the songbook, the hymnal, of the Bible. These songs were inspired by the Holy Spirit of God as scripture, were sung by Israel in their worship, and are given to us for teaching and admonishing one another (Col. 3:16). We are to sing them with grace in our hearts to the Lord. In their praise, we worship the Lord. In their theology, we meet God. In their prayers, we learn to pray.

Today, I want us to look briefly at Psalm 21. David, king of Israel, composed this Psalm as a song of praise and thanks to Yahweh, the Lord God, in the aftermath of victory. It is a companion to Psalm 20 which is a prayer for going into battle. In Psalm 21, David rejoices in the great victory that the Lord had won. It’s all about what God has done. A quick reading of the Psalm brings that easily to light.

(1) “The king shall have joy in YOUR strength, O LORD”
(1) “in YOUR salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!”
(2) “YOU have given him his heart’s desire”
(3) “YOU meet him with the blessings of goodness”
(3) “YOU set a crown of pure gold upon his head”
(4) “YOU gave it [life] to him”
(5) “Honor and majesty YOU have placed upon him”
(6) “YOU have made him most blessed forever”
(6) “YOU have made him exceedingly glad”
(8) “YOUR hand”
(8) “YOUR right hand”
(9) “YOU shall make”
(9) “The LORD shall swallow”
(10) “YOU shall destroy”
(12) “YOU will make them turn their back”
(12) “YOU will make ready YOUR arrows”
(13) “Be exalted, O LORD, in YOUR own strength!”

It’s clear, isn’t it? King David has returned from battle victorious, but he’s not taking credit for a single aspect of the victory. The Lord delivered him, and David is honoring God and rejoicing in the Lord. David knew that every victory he experienced was from the Lord. And like David, we could sing this song giving credit to God for every spiritual blessing and victory.

But I want you to notice something else about this psalm. Rather than writing in the first person using “I” and “me”, David writes it in the third person, using “he” and “him”.  This could be because David wanted the congregation to sing about the victories God gave him. But I think there is more to it than that.

Notice that in Psalm 21:1-6, David looks back with gratitude for the victory that God gave, but in verse 7-12, he looks forward with confidence and hope. I believe that David wrote the psalm this way because he wanted us to see the greater King in the future. This is a psalm ultimately about the Messiah, our Lord Jesus. Like many of the psalms do, it speaks about David but looks past David to fulfillment in Christ Jesus. It is a prophetic picture of the certain victory which God will grant His Messiah-King. David praised God not only for the blessings and victory that were his, he praised God for the blessings and victory that belong to Christ. David rejoices in these blessings. He sings praise to the Lord God.

So, if these blessings and victory belong to Christ, what do they mean to us today? Here is where our union with Christ comes in. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” If I am in Christ, and Christ receives all these blessings, so do I! This is why we sing and rejoice.

What are these blessings that belong to Christ?

  1. Salvation – Psalm 21:1 says, “The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD; And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!” The Lord saved David from his enemies. God delivered him and gave him life and victory. Jesus Christ was delivered from death and received the victory over sin when God raised Him from the dead. This is what we sing about—Christ’s resurrection, Christ’s victory. After writing a whole chapter in 1 Corinthians on the resurrection, Paul says, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 15:57). Because Christ has been delivered from death, we who are in Christ have been delivered from sin. Salvation is ours in Christ.

Christ is blessed with salvation, and second, Christ is blessed with …

  1. Answered Prayer – “You have given him his heart’s desire, And have not withheld the request of his lips.” (Psa. 21:2). The Lord answered David’s prayer for victory in battle. But even more, God always answered Jesus’ prayers. At the tomb of Lazarus Jesus prayed, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me…” (John 11:41-42). David rejoices that God answers the prayer of His anointed, namely Christ. And because we are in Christ and we pray in the name of Christ, we can also rejoice in answered prayer.

David rejoiced in answered prayer through Christ, and third, Christ is blessed with …

  1. Eternal Life – “He asked life from You, and You gave it to him–Length of days forever and ever.” (Psa. 21:4). David looked ahead to Christ and rejoiced in the eternal life that is His through His resurrection. Eternal life is knowing Christ. Rejoice that you know Him!

David rejoiced in eternal life in Christ, fourth, Christ is blessed with …

  1. Glory and Honor – “His glory is great in Your salvation; Honor and majesty You have placed upon him.” (Psa. 21:5). God placed upon Christ the highest glory and the highest honor. Rejoice that we who are in Christ will be glorified in Him. This glory is Christ’s and ours in His presence. “For You have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence.” (Psa. 21:6). Rejoice in the blessing of God’s presence through Christ.

These blessings are Christ’s because He trusts in God the Father. “For the king trusts in the LORD, And through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved.” (Psa. 21:7). David knew these blessings because He trusted in Christ, and that is how we know them as well—by faith, by trusting in Christ. It’s through the mercy of the Most High. It’s by God’s grace showered on us in Christ.

The first seven verses describe the blessings Christ in His victory over sin and death through His resurrection. The rest of the psalm is about the future victory of Christ at His second coming. Christ will have the …

  1. Victory – In Psalm 21:8-12 we see that all of Christ’s enemies will be exposed (Ps. 21:8), they will be destroyed (Ps. 21:9-10), and completely defeated (Ps. 21:11-12).

And so David concludes the psalm, “Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power.” (Psa. 21:13). When we look at Christ and see all that God has done through Him and for Him, we rejoice and sing praise! God has delivered Him, answered His prayers, given Him eternal life, glory, and honor in His presence, and total victory.

These spiritual blessings in Christ also belonged to David because he trusted in the Lord. And they are ours when we are in Christ. Rejoice in the blessings Christ has received! In Him, those are your blessings as well!

 

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5th-sunday-singing-e1583163614310

Overcoming Fear

Overcoming Fear

Psalm 27

Two weeks ago we looked at Jesus’ instructions to His disciples in Matthew 10 as He sends them to preach the Kingdom of God in a hostile world, and the theme was “Do Not Fear”. Last time, we considered the Christmas Story from Luke and again the theme was “Fear Not”. Now, as we close out the year 2023 and begin 2024, the Lord has led me to Psalm 27 where again, the theme is overcoming fear. David begins this psalm by making two statements about the Lord God, and then asking the rhetorical question, “Whom shall I fear?” Listen to verse 1, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps. 27:1).

David’s circumstances could have produced great fear. He had evildoers coming at him to devour his flesh (Ps. 27:2). He had an entire army encamped against him (Ps. 27:3). He was being falsely accused and his enemies were breathing out violence (Ps. 27:12). David is praying for his life. He was facing life-threatening danger and yet David could say, “My heart shall not fear” (Ps. 27:3).

We live in difficult times today. Many people fear what is happening now and fear for the future. How do we overcome fear?

David overcame fear by clinging to the Lord. Let me give you just a quick outline of this Psalm that teaches us to overcome fear by clinging to the Lord.

To overcome fear…

1. Cling to the Lord’s protection (Ps. 27:1-3).

David was a mighty warrior who had defeated the giant Goliath. He commanded an army of mighty men of valor. But David does not boast in his wisdom or strength. He declares, “The LORD is my light and my salvation … The LORD is the strength of my life” (Ps. 27:1). When the Lord God is your light and salvation, when the He is your stronghold, you are in a formidable place of protection. With the Lord as your protection, no matter what the enemy throws at you, you need not fear.

Second, to overcome fear…

2. Cling to the Lord’s presence (Ps. 27:4-6).

David writes, “One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple.” (Ps. 27:4).

David isn’t just praying for an escape from his troubles, but for an ongoing experience of God Himself, both in this time of trouble and forever thereafter. He wants his fear to drive him to a deeper experience of the Lord Himself. We will overcome our fears to the extent that we focus on the Lord Himself and are captivated with His glorious beauty. Make that the one thing you seek: To dwell in the Lord’s presence and to behold His beauty all the days of your life.

To overcome fear, cling to the Lord’s protection and His presence. Thirdly…

3. Cling to the Lord’s promises (Ps. 27:7-12)

In the second half of the psalm, David prays that the Lord will hear him, care for him, and guide him. His prayer is based on the promises of God. He sought the Lord believing God would hear him. He trusted in the Lord believing that God would not forsake him. He followed the Lord believing that God would lead him.

Finally, to overcome fear…

4. Cling to the Lord’s power (Ps. 27:13-14)

David concludes his prayer saying, “13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. 14 Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!” (Ps. 27:13-14).

“I would have lost heart” at the beginning of Psalm 27:13 is added by the translators because the Hebrew breaks off abruptly. You could almost translate it: “If I hadn’t believed . . . I would see God’s goodness in this life.” It’s almost as if David is saying, “If I didn’t have God in my life, if I didn’t believe and trust in Him . . .” and then he shudders at the thought. He can’t even complete his sentence. Have you ever felt that way? “If I didn’t have God in my life, I don’t know how I could ever get through.”

David was confident that God would redeem him in this lifetime, and he was willing to wait upon the Lord for his deliverance. David is taking the long-term approach here. He’s praying for his life, for the duration of his life.

I challenge you to pray for your life starting today. Look to God in times of trouble; come to God for strength every day; commit to a lifetime of persevering prayer. Take heart and be strong! You will see God’s goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord.

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Revive Your Prayer and Worship – Psalm 119:145-152

Revive Your Prayer and Worship

Psalm 119:145-152

145  I cry out with my whole heart;
Hear me, O LORD! I will keep Your statutes.

146  I cry out to You;
Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.

147  I rise before the dawning of the morning,
And cry for help; I hope in Your word.

148  My eyes are awake through the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your word.

149  Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness;
O LORD, revive me according to Your justice.

150  They draw near who follow after wickedness;
They are far from Your law.

151  You are near, O LORD,
And all Your commandments are truth.

152  Concerning Your testimonies,
I have known of old that You have founded them forever.

I am delighted that Dr. Shockley is teaching in the Book of Psalms in our Adult Bible Study on Sunday mornings. Psalms is the songbook of the Bible. So as we come to worship I often read and pray through a passage from Psalms that relates to our worship at the beginning of our worship service on Sunday.

It is under the category of prayer that singing finds its place in Christian worship. The psalms were sung prayers, and it is right to sing unto the Lord under the new covenant as well. Singing can also fall under the category of teaching in worship. Paul writes in Colossians 3:16 that we are to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” We may not always remember this, but our hymns and songs are vehicles for proclaiming God’s truth and thus can serve a teaching function as well as the function of prayer as we offer them with thankful hearts to the Lord. Prayers both spoken and sung are essential in biblically faithful worship.[i]

In this passage the psalmist is in prayer, and we are given a glimpse into how he prayed, why he prayed, when he prayed, and what his prayers were about. But most of all we learn about the important interconnection between prayer and God’s Word. If your worship and your prayer life has lost life and needs reviving spiritually, this passage will help. This stanza gives us four patterns of prayer that God can use to revive our prayer lives and our worship:[ii]

1. Pray Earnestly (Psalm 119:145-146)

The psalmist has a desperate urgency as he comes to God in prayer:

145  I cry out with my whole heart;
Hear me, O LORD! I will keep Your statutes.

146  I cry out to You;
Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.

One of the ways to revive and breathe life into my prayer life is to recognize my desperate need for God’s help. Like we sing in the old hymn “I need Thee every hour.”

The first two verses each begin “I cry out.” The verb expresses earnestness and intensity; he prayed passionately! This earnestness is also clear in the next phrase “with my whole heart.” Spurgeon says, “Heart-cries are the essence of prayer.”  

His requests are simple. In Psalm 119:145 He asks the Lord to answer him, “Hear me, O LORD!” And in Psalm 119:146 he prays, “Save me.” His first thought in difficulty was to turn to God for answers and deliverance.

Notice the purpose of his prayer. In both these requests, his earnest heart’s prayer is for help so he can obey the Word of God. He prays with desperation for the sake of dedication.

  1. 145b “Hear me, O LORD! I will keep your statutes”
  2. 146b “Save me and I will keep your testimonies”

This prayer is not motivated by a desire for ease or comfort; it’s motivated by a determination to obey God more and more. We don’t come to worship or prayer so that we will get from God what we think we want, but in order to become more what God wills for us: faithful obedience.

May God help us to see our own desperate need and to pray more earnestly, so that our prayers can be more effective and our worship more pleasing to God.

2. Pray Constantly (Psalm 119:147-148)

147  I rise before the dawning of the morning,
And cry for help; I hope in Your word.

148  My eyes are awake through the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your word.

The psalmist rises early before dawn to pray. And he lies awake at night meditate on God’s word. In other words, he prayed constantly throughout the day and night. His life was not compartmentalized to a “time with God” and then time for everything else. Every part of life, day or night, he was God-centered, God-oriented, and God-worshipping. In v. 147 he prays and in v. 148 he meditates on Scripture, which suggests there’s a 2-part 2-way communication involved in our duty to pray constantly.

The New Testament often uses the familiar phrase “watch and pray,” (Matt. 26:41; Mark 13:33; Col. 4:2; 1 Peter 4:7). Nothing will inspire your worship on Sunday more than constant prayer and meditation on God’s word the rest of the week.

3. Pray Biblically (Psalm 119:149-150)

149  Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; O LORD, revive me according to Your justice.

Here he specifically prays for revival. Notice this prayer for revival is based on God’s grace and God’s will. He prays, “according to Your lovingkindness“ and “according to Your justice.” In effect, he is praying, “God because you are full of love and grace, I want you to hear me. Revive me so that I might live based upon your truth, your decisions, your will.

He needed God to revive him because of the tough situation that he was facing due to his enemies. He says in verse 150:

150  They draw near who follow after wickedness;
They are far from Your law.

But even though his enemies were near, God was nearer, so he could:

4. Pray Trustingly (Psalm 119:151-152)

151  You are near, O LORD,
And all Your commandments are truth.

152  Concerning Your testimonies,
I have known of old that You have founded them forever.

The wicked may “draw near,” (Psalm 119:150), but the psalmist remembers, “You are near, O Lord.” God was there first! God is never far away from those who love His law and believe His Word is truth.

MacArthur comments: ‘When you have a thought, the Lord is near to read it; when you pray, the Lord is near to hear it; when you need His strength and power, He is near to provide it. In fact, He lives in you and is the source of your spiritual life. An awareness of His presence will keep you from being anxious or unstable.”[iii]

The psalmist had this confidence in the nearness of God because God’s Word is firmly founded forever. As the old hymns sings, “How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord is laid for your faith in His excellent Word.” May God revive our prayers and our faith in our big God, in our glorious God, in our very gracious God.

We often think of prayer as a spiritual discipline for private worship and devotion, and so it is. But prayer is also a public devotion that is to be a part of corporate worship. When we sing hymns or pray in unison, let us do so with our hearts and minds fully engaged. Today as we worship in song, let us sing our prayers earnestly, constantly, biblically, and trustingly.

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[i] https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/prayer-worship

[ii] Philip G Layton, https://sermons.faithlife.com/sermons/111313-20-reviving-your-prayer-life-by-god’s-word

[iii] John MacArthur. Truth for today : A daily touch of God’s grace. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, p. 343.

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