MY LIFE IS SO TEMPORARY…

READ PSALM 90

WHY WOULD I ALLOW THE CARES OF THIS WORLD TO DRIVE MY LIFE?

Psalm 90:1-2

Lord, you have been our dwelling place

in all generations.

Before the mountains were brought forth,

or ever you had formed the earth and the world,

from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

God is eternal; before anything was formed God was there. This is a hard concept for finite man to understand.

Psalm 90:3-4

You return man to dust

and say, “Return, O children of man!”

For a thousand years in your sight

are but as yesterday when it is past,

or as a watch in the night.

Man is frail, God gives him life, and soon he returns to dust.

Religion has always done two things: it has made God more similar to man and has made man more similar to God. Reality is, however, that there is incredible distance between the two.

When man foolishly creates god in his mind, he makes him similar to what he knows and understands.

Romans 1:22-23

Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

How foolish we become, when we forget how holy and wise God is. Man is not capable of understanding God, apart from the Scriptures. When we allow our imaginations to direct our thoughts, we can only rest assured that we will be led in the wrong direction.

Isaiah 55:8-9

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

It is God who sets the standards for man.

Psalm 90:7-8

For we are brought to an end by your anger;

by your wrath we are dismayed.

You have set our iniquities before you,

our secret sins in the light of your presence.

Nothing is hidden from God. Every minute of our life is lived in the sight of the God of heaven.

Psalm 90:9-11

For all our days pass away under your wrath;

we bring our years to an end like a sigh.

The years of our life are seventy,

or even by reason of strength eighty;

yet their span is but toil and trouble;

they are soon gone, and we fly away.

Who considers the power of your anger,

and your wrath according to the fear of you?

Our life is short; our days are in the hands of our God. We live only a few years, so why would we ever live enveloped by the cares of this world, instead of by the blessing of the eternal?

• How much of our time is driven by that which will not last?
• How many of our fears are based on that which we cannot control?
• How many of our thoughts are filled with things that are not true?
• How much of our bitterness is based on those things which are momentary?

How do these truths effect my life?

• I have the Bible, and so can know God.
• God sent His Son to die for those who will believe in Him.
• Christ arose, victorious over death, on the third day and is now seated at the right hand of God.
• My life is in His hands.
• I am frail, but God holds my future.
• I can know this is sure, if I am child of God.

This list should be very long! Stop and take the time to reflect on God, and then live according to the wonderful truths of the Scriptures.

WHEN I DON’T UNDERSTAND…

READ PSALM 89 

I NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT IS TRUE!

Psalm 89:46-48

How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever?

How long will your wrath burn like fire?

Remember how short my time is!

For what vanity you have created all the children of man!

What man can live and never see death?

Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah

The author of this psalm, even after spending much time rehearsing the greatness of God and remembering His character and faithfulness, is overwhelmed by the reality of the situation David’s kingdom is in at this time.

God is punishing Israel. Yet His covenant with David was sure, so now the writer is confused. God had foretold that the wicked kings would be punished, but now the author watches a situation that seems hopeless for Israel.

As we read this psalm, we have a great advantage because we know that Christ came to earth and that He is the eternal King who sits on the throne of David. We know from scripture that one day God will reestablish a physical kingdom. But at that time, the writer could only deal with the present, and he needed to address all the questions that came to his mind.

Had God forsaken them? Was His love gone forever? Would they ever be restored?

The writer could only base his evaluation on what he knew for sure: God was faithful and merciful, the people had been unfaithful and had broken the statutes of God, and were being rightly punished, just as God had promised. He knew that God would remain faithful and that the Lord would keep His word.

How long this season would last was not for him to know; all he could do was cry out to God and trust Him.

Dear friends, we find ourselves at times in very similar situations. Our circumstances are difficult and we have no idea how long they will last. We must do the same as the psalmist, and trust God.

We must rehearse the character of God.

We must rehearse the promises of God.

We must review our lives to see if there is sin to confess.

We must wait upon God.

We must remember what the Bible teaches about trials:

They always have an eternal purpose.

They never last longer than what we can endure.

They are never harder than what we can bear.

They are never meant to crush us.

They are meant to drive us to God

They are always driven by God’s eternal love for us.

2 Corinthians 4:7-9

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

We are frail; God knows what we can bear. We must rely on His power, and at the end His glory will shine through our submissive trust in Him. That must be our only desire.

Psalm 89:52

Blessed be the LORD forever!

Amen and Amen.

We will finish well, like the writer of this Psalm. May our lives bless the Lord. May those who come alongside us see God shining in and through us.

WHEN I LOSE SIGHT OF GOD…

READ PSALM 89

I  HAVE FORGOTTEN THE CREATOR AND SUSTAINER OF THE UNIVERSE, WHO LOVES ME!

Psalm 89:5-9

Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD,

your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!

For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD?

Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD,

a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,

and awesome above all who are around him?

O LORD God of hosts,

who is mighty as you are, O LORD,

with your faithfulness all around you?

You rule the raging of the sea;

when its waves rise, you still them.

What a wonderful description of God the writer of this psalms brings to our attention.

Creation praises God! How sad, when men look at nature and fail to see the wonder of its Creator. How can we live our days distracted by the cares of this world and fail to be overwhelmed with praise? We get up in the morning and expect our bodies to function: our eyes to see, our ears to hear, our noses to smell, our hands to touch, our minds to think, and we do all this without gratitude and praise.

The writer reminds us of God’s faithfulness, and again we should be overwhelmed with gratitude for God’s faithfulness to us. How many times I have been unfaithful, but I have gone to God fully expecting His forgiveness. As I live my life, I am so prone to look at my circumstances and then question God’s faithfulness toward me. How my attitude for the day would be different, if I took the time to recognize God’s faithfulness to me.

GOD HAS NO RIVALS!

There is no one like Him. No one can divert or prevent His plans. Nothing confuses Him. Nothing delays His will. He is in control of all people; nature cannot resist Him; no one is born or passes away apart from His eternal will.

Psalm 89:11

The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;

the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.

All is His. And yes, that includes me. I am His, I am His prized possession, He bought me with a price, He is aware of everything about me. No trial comes my way that God has not allowed. No trials last longer than what God knows is necessary for me. No trial is too hard for me, as God promises to give me the strength necessary to endure it. No trial enters my life without an eternal purpose, ordained by the God Whom I praise.

Psalm 89:15-16

Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,

who walk, O LORD, in the light of your face,

who exult in your name all the day

and in your righteousness are exalted.

Why do I feel at times so lost, so discouraged, maybe even hopeless? Well, the answer is easy: I have lost sight of my God. I am not walking with an awareness of His presence, His care, His wisdom, His power, and His love.

When I live in His presence, my attitude toward life is very different. My thoughts do not run wild, my fears are conquered, and my doubts find rest. Yes, I am blessed!

Psalm 89:17-18

For you are the glory of their strength;

by your favor our horn is exalted.

For our shield belongs to the LORD,

our king to the Holy One of Israel.

The children of Israel lost sight of God often. At times it was because of the trials they faced, other times because of their sin, but never because God was not faithful to them.

God was always merciful to forgive them and provide for them the shield and protection they needed.

HOW ARE YOU TODAY?

May you and I find strength in Christ, may we not lose sight of His faithfulness! 

WE HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF PRAISING OUR KING

READ PSALM 89

IF JESUS CHRIST IS OUR KING, OUR LIVES ARE CHANGED!

Psalm 89:1-4

I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever;

with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.

For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever;

in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”

You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;

I have sworn to David my servant:

‘I will establish your offspring forever,

and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah

The writer is praising the LORD and making sure that all generations know his God.

The eternal creator God, the One Who sustains all, had made a promise that could not be broken, because it was based on His faithfulness.

God had promised that the kingdom of David would be established forever. His reign would never cease.

We know that this promise was fulfilled when David’s descendant, Jesus Christ, came to earth. We have the privilege of worshiping the King of Kings!

Mark 15:1-2

And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.”

How wonderful it is for us to know that Jesus is King forever. Jesus will reign forever based on His faithfulness and not ours. We fail so often, but we are assured of His faithfulness.

Philippians 2:9-11

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

We have the privilege of confessing that Christ is King. But notice that this confession implies a response in our lives. We must bow.

What does this mean?

We must bow in reverence. Our lives should exemplify that we recognize that Jesus is God and that His character is majestic. He is holy! As we recognize that, we can only have the same reaction that Isaiah had.

Isaiah 6:1-7

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

        “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;

        the whole earth is full of his glory!”

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

       

As we approach the Eternal King, we can only recognize our utter unworthiness to be in His presence and the incredible privilege we have of calling Him our king.

It also means that He is our Lord!

Too many professing Christian are satisfied with calling Christ their king, without humbly submitting their lives to Him as their Lord, their Master.

No one who has no desire to submit to His reign and obey His commands can truly worship the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, we rejoice that our relationship with Christ is based on His faithfulness, but we must also  fully acknowledge Him as our Lord.

1 John 3:9-10

No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

       

What a privilege we have to know and worship the eternal King, but let us not forget that our lives must be different from those who do not. May our witness of changed hearts be clear, and cause others to praise God. 

GOD DOES NOT OWE US AN ANSWER!

READ PSALM 88

NEVER QUESTION THE CHARACTER AND LOVE OF GOD!

Psalm 88:1-2
O LORD, God of my salvation;
I cry out day and night before you.
Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry!

Even a quick read of this psalm causes us to immediately see that it is different from most other psalms. The psalmist is crying out to God and throughout his writing, he never shows any resolution to his great difficulty.

Psalm 88:15
Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.

The writer makes it clear that his problem has afflicted him from his youth. He has struggled to understand why God would not deliver him. His situation has caused his family and friends to shun him.

Psalm 88:8
You have caused my companions to shun me;
you have made me a horror to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;

It is possible that he is even contagious and therefore he is trapped in an overwhelming situation.

Psalm 88:3-5
For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life draws near to Sheol.
I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am a man who has no strength,
like one set loose among the dead,
like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom you remember no more,
for they are cut off from your hand.

He questions why God would continue to allow his trial to go on and on. Is God punishing him for some reason? He has no answer.

He has no answers and gives us no answers in this psalm.

Meditating on these words, it seems difficult to find comfort or hope in watching a trial that does not find resolution.

The writer here is crying out to God that his pain is leaving him without family and friends. He is losing his strength, cannot figure out why all this is happening, and cannot see any light at the horizon. Remember also that it was to be sung by the Israelites. I want you to notice how, inspired by God, he began this psalm.

The writer begins using the name Yahweh for God. In using this holy and most precious name for God, he was reminding himself and all those who would read it some very important qualities of God. God is holy; He is the creator and sustainer of all. He is sovereign over everyone and everything. At His presence man can only worship in total humility.

Dear friends, it is possible that you are going through trials that have no apparent reason or explanation. You have been asking God to deliver you for a long time. When waiting is hard to accept and you feel so alone, you are in danger of starting to question the character of God. But whatever the situation you might find yourself in, God never stops being perfectly holy and good.

The writer remembers that God is the One who has saved him and is his only hope for the future.

As you go endure trials, never lose sight of your Savior. You have trusted Him for your eternal destiny, and you must trust Him for your daily trials, no matter how hard they may be.

I think this psalm clarifies some important concepts. God does not owe us an explanation for our trials, and we cannot expect that He will always deliver us. When this happens, we must not question His character or His motives. He continues to be our Savior.

We don’t always need to have answers or provide answers for others, but we must always trust the God of our salvation.

GOD DOES NOT GIVE UP

READ PSALM 87

GOD WILL ALWAYS KEEP HIS PROMISES

Psalm 87

On the holy mount stands the city he founded;

the LORD loves the gates of Zion

more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.

Glorious things of you are spoken,

O city of God. Selah

Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon;

behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush—

“This one was born there,” they say.

And of Zion it shall be said,

“This one and that one were born in her”;

for the Most High himself will establish her.

The LORD records as he registers the peoples,

“This one was born there.” Selah

Singers and dancers alike say,

“All my springs are in you.”

Some wonderful assurances jump to the forefront, as we read this psalm about God’s love for Jerusalem. God keeps His promises, He is faithful to them even if the recipients are not, and He will bring about what He has promised.

We know the history of the Israelites: they were chosen by God, and they went through seasons of true worship and times of utter rebellion. God was faithful to punish them and cause them to return to Him. And He was always willing to forgive His penitent people.

God loves to forgive.

Psalm 86:15

But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

If it were not so, Israel and its holy city would not have any hope now or in the future. In fact, even though they now are far from God, one day they will return to God. They will recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the kingdom will be reestablished, and even their enemies will worship the only true God.

As we read about the children of Israel, we must be both warned and encouraged. We know that when God chooses us as His own, nothing can separate us from His love.

Romans 8:38-39

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What wonderful assurance for those who are His! But we must remember that we, who profess to be His children, must do so in truth. One of the most alarming passages in this regard contains the words of Jesus Himself.

Matthew 7:21-23

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

There is far more than just walking an aisle or asking Jesus to come into your life to knowing that we are His children.

The epistle of 1^st John reminds us that there are some very clear evidences of new birth in the lives of true believers: They love Christ and His Word. They practice His Word and walk according to them, and they love the fellowship of other believers. In other words, they live lives in dependence on Christ; they are repenting of their sins and they love their local church.

Dear friends, when I meditate on this psalm, I am so encouraged to know that God is faithful in spite of my unfaithfulness. I am humbled by the fact that He reached down to save me when I was not even looking for Him, and that He is at work in my life.

God loves Israel, and even though they seem so distant from Him, He will bring them back. We are blessed that in this season God is bringing us Gentiles to Himself and using us to make Israel jealous of His love.

Romans 11:11

So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.

Salvation is in the hands of God. We must make sure that our faith is grounded in truth and that it is real. We must rejoice in God’s steadfast love and faithfulness.