new politic

Posted on March 2, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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new politic

Psalm 47:2 (JDV)

Psalm 47:2 you see, Yahveh, the Most High, is awe-inspiring, a great king over the whole land.

new politic

Our lowly Jesus, meek and mild, is also a great king who rules over the land all around us. He comes in peace, but he will not allow his enemies to continue ruling in his stead. If you cannot worship God as king, you are not worshiping the biblical God. Our faith is rooted in a promise of a future in which all God’s enemies will be subdued under his feet, either reconciled to him or destroyed forever.

He reigns today, and is calling his kingdom’s citizens to himself through the gospel. His return to the land around us will be glorious. It will also be dreadful for his enemies, and both of these facts are plainly described in scripture.

How do we worship God as king? We must acknowledge his authority to reign over us — today and tomorrow. We must respect his right to reign. God’s kingdom is not a democracy. As we enter the sanctuary, we need to leave our present forms of government and politics at the door. There is a new politic here.

How do we worship God as king? We see him emerge from the empty tomb and bow at his feet. He is victorious, and we celebrate his victory and participate in it, because we have placed ourselves firmly in his camp. We submit to his will, no matter how unpleasant it might prove for us today, because we see his victory ever before us.

Our great king, we worship you!

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make some noise

Posted on March 1, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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make some noise

Psalm 47:1 (JDV)

Psalm 47:17 Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with a ringing cry.

make some noise

Noise is not always appreciated, but it always gets your attention.

I had to have a little talk with one of my grandchildren once. He had gotten into the habit of running around the house screaming as if he were in a life or death struggle. I told him if he kept doing that, one day he might actually be hurt or in trouble, and people would not notice.

I’m thinking about how our society tends to make a lot of useless noise about so many things, but many of our churches are as quiet as a morgue.

The psalmist would have a problem with that. Worship and testimony about God should stop people in their tracks and be noticed. Clap and shout, blow trumpets and sing, and throw in an electric guitar and drums. Worship is about waking a sleeping world to God’s existence, and who he is.

Lord, may we never be afraid to make some noise as we acknowledge you.

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with us strugglers

Posted on February 28, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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with us strugglers

Psalm 46:11 (JDV)

Psalm 46:11 Yahveh of Armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our high spot. Selah

with us strugglers

Having God with us does not mean we will be free from struggle. Remember, he is the God of Jacob. Jacob struggled many times, and long periods of time in his life. He even struggled in the uterus of his mother! He even struggled with God himself.

This psalm is about God being our refuge in times of struggle and conflict and warfare. We will have conflict — both internally and externally. But we also have a God who is with us — a God we can rely on to give us peace in the midst of that conflict.

Thank you, God — for being with us strugglers!

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look over their heads

Posted on February 27, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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look over their heads

Psalm 46:10 (JDV)

Psalm 46:10 “Stop your fighting, and realize that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the land.”

look over their heads

Fear causes us to turn on each other, and before long that fighting escalates and it it hard to see anything else. This psalm — the inspiration of Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” — was written in that context.

We need that message today. We need to learn to look over the heads of those with whom we have conflict, to see God’s smiling face. If we can hang on to the reality that our God is higher than our conflicts, bigger than our fears, then we can get the strength to forgive, to cooperate, and to enjoy our differences instead of attacking one another.

Lord, give us the wisdom to look over the heads of our enemies, and see your smiling face — drinking in your peace.

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the wars he is ending

Posted on February 26, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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the wars he is ending

Psalm 46:8-9 (JDV)

Psalm 46:8 Come, really see the actions of Yahveh, who is “bringing devastation on the land.”
Psalm 46:9 He makes wars cease throughout the land. He shatters bows and cuts spears to pieces; he sets wagons ablaze.

he wars he is ending

As I write this, I have been reading every day from an interesting book called Factfulness, by Hans Rosling. Rosling makes the case that the world is actually getting better in a number of ways, but even intelligent people all over the world fail to see it, for a number of reasons. We are pre-programmed to expect things to only get worse, and that is what we see, regardless of the facts.

The psalmist was speaking to a world much like ours. They were used to thinking of God as the one who is orchestrating the world’s chaos. He encouraged them to look at the wars that God is ending. The sovereign God is at work.

Lord, thank you for shattering the bow, and cutting the spears to pieces.

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our high spot

Posted on February 25, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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our high spot

Psalm 46:7 (JDV)

Psalm 46:7 Yahveh of Armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our high spot. Selah.

our high spot

Just in case we didn’t catch the imagery of verse five, where the psalmist talks about God being within the city, he says the same thing here. He is the God of Armies, but he is also the source of our peace. He is down among us, but he is also our high spot — the place to go when we need a refuge in times of trouble.

Thank you Lord, for everything you are to us.

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his ever-flowing presence

Posted on February 24, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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his ever-flowing presence

Psalm 46:4-6 (JDV)

Psalm 46:4 There is a river – its streams delight the city of God, the holy dwelling places of the Most High.
Psalm 46:5 God is within her; she will not be shaken. God will help her when the morning dawns.
Psalm 46:6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms shake; the land melts when he raises his voice.

his ever-flowing presence

As I write this, there is a river outside my window. Every morning when I wake, it is there. All day long its water flows, like a never-ending promise of provision and peace from God.

If you have ever visited Jerusalem, you would have seen glory and grandeur, majestic buildings and wonderful sacred sites. But you would have not seen this river that the psalmist describes. The streams of no river are delighting the city of God — yet.

Consequently, many read this psalm as if it is looking forward to the great city of God in the future.

I don’t think so. Verse four is the symbol, verse five describes the reality. The river whose streams delight God’s city is God himself. His presence is the source of our provision and peace, even when the world falls apart all around us.

Lord, thank you for your ever-flowing presence.

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when it’s all a wash

Posted on February 23, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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when it’s all a wash

Psalm 46:1-3 (JDV)

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.
Psalm 46:2 Therefore we will not be afraid, even if the land trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas,
Psalm 46:3 or if its water roars and foams and the mountains quake with its uproar. Selah

when it’s all a wash

Let’s stop at this Selah and think about this part of the psalm before going to the next.

These verses bring up the image of a great flood, shaking the mountains and tossing them into the depths of the sea.

If you have ever seen the power of rushing water, you get the idea. There are natural disasters that threaten us, and we wonder where we can go to escape. The answer is God. He is our refuge during such times of trouble.

Thank you, Lord, for being there when everything else washes away.

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forgetting our past

Posted on February 22, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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forgetting our past

Psalm 45:10-17 (JDV)

Psalm 45:10 Listen, daughter, focus and consider: forget your people and your father’s house,
Psalm 45:11 and the king will desire your beauty. Bow down to him, because he is your lord.
Psalm 45:12 The daughter of Tyre, the wealthy people, will seek your favor with gifts.
Psalm 45:13 In her chamber, the royal daughter is all glorious, her clothing embroidered with gold.
Psalm 45:14 In colorful garments she is led to the king; after her, the virgins, her companions, are brought to you.
Psalm 45:15 They are led in with gladness and celebrating; they enter the king’s palace.
Psalm 45:16 Your sons will succeed your ancestors; you will make them princes throughout the land.
Psalm 45:17 I will cause your name to be remembered for all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you permanently and always.

forgetting our past

These first words in the psalm are mostly addressed to the newly crowned king, praising him because God has blessed him with greatness. But these later verses are addressed to the king’s bride. She is advised to forget her people and her father’s house, because in place of her fathers shall be her sons. There is a lesson for those of us who are the bride of king Jesus as well. We need to let go of the baggage of the past, and concentrate on the joy that awaits us. Our future is what the marriage is all about.

LORD, help us to forget what is behind, and press on to the joy that awaits us.

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the best place to be

Posted on February 21, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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the best place to be

Psalm 45:8-9 (JDV)

Psalm 45:8 Myrrh, aloes, and cassia emit from all your garments; from ivory palaces harps bring you joy.
Psalm 45:9 Kings’ daughters are among your honored women; the queen, adorned with gold from Ophir, stands at your right hand.

the best place to be

The king’s glory was a common theme in the psalms, and the songs about him always hinted at the greater king to come.

Oh, to be in the presence of the king! To catch a whiff of his exotic fragrance — to hear the strumming of the strings as they play in his honor — it is the best place to be.

And the people you see! Do you see that queen, adorned in gold? And other kings’ daughters are there, just adding to the splendor of his presence. It is the best place to be.

Today, I want you to know that experience. My king in all his glory is coming. You don’t want to miss the thrill of being in his presence.

Come, Lord Jesus! Your presence is the best place to be.

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