when the pressure mounts

Posted on April 9, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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when the pressure mounts

Psalm 55:1-3 (JDV)

Psalm 55:1 God, listen to my prayer and do not hide from my request for help.

Psalm 55:2 Pay attention to me and answer me. I am restless and in turmoil with my problem,

Psalm 55:3 because of the enemy’s words, because of the pressure of the wicked. You see, they bring down disaster on me and aggravate me in anger.

when the pressure mounts

When I conjure up images of David, I don’t see him restless and in turmoil, or aggravated. I see him confidently toppling giants and leading his nation into worship and prominence. The psalms show us a glimpse of the vulnerable David. He is the great leader who runs to God in prayer and seeks divine help when the pressure mounts.

Lord, make us leaders who know what to do when the pressure mounts.

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he will because he has

Posted on April 8, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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he will because he has

Psalm 54:4-7 (JDV)

Psalm 54:4 God is my helper; the Lord is the supporter of my throat.
Psalm 54:5 He will repay my adversaries for their evil. Because of your faithfulness, annihilate them.
Psalm 54:6 I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you. I will praise your name, Yahveh, because it is good,
Psalm 54:7 because he has rescued me from every trouble, and my eye has looked down on my enemies.

he will because he has

David’s confidence in God’s rescue from his current predicament is not blind faith. It is a thoroughly rational expectation of deliverance based on past deliverance. This is not his first rodeo. He has trusted God in the past when enemies tried to destroy him. God has saved him in the past, he will today.

You and I need to learn from our past as well. God can be trusted. He is in the deliverance business. He is our helper and supports our throats when everyone wants to cut them. How do we know he will today? Because he has in the past.

Lord, we choose to do the rational thing, and trust your faithfulness.

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moral compass

Posted on April 7, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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moral compass

Psalm 54:3 (JDV)

Psalm 54:3 You see, strangers rise up against me, and violent men intend to kill me. They do not let God guide them. Selah

moral compass

David is convinced that if his enemies really knew him, they would not be so keen to destroy him. But isn’t that what we all think? We know there is a lot of evil and violence in the world, but we rarely include ourselves in the mix.

But David’s real reason for asking God to step in and intervene to rescue him from his enemies is that they have no moral compass. They do not let God guide them. Without the restraining influence of God’s Holy Spirit in your life, anything can happen.

Lord, guide us! May we always follow the promptings of your Spirit and do what you want.

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he is listening

Posted on April 6, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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he is listening

Psalm 54:1-2 (JDV)

Psalm 54:1 God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might!
Psalm 54:2 God, hear my prayer; listen to the words from my mouth.

he is listening

David’s enemies are at it again, and so David goes back to God again. Every effort to destroy him is met on his knees, because David knows that God loves him, and wants to listen to him. Do you know that? You can know that. The closer you get to God, the more confident you will be that your problems are his to deal with.  Lift your hands to the sky because God is listening.

Lord, thank you for wanting to hear what we have to say.

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the hope of restoration

Posted on April 5, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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the hope of restoration

Psalm 53:6 (JDV)

Psalm 53:6 I wish that Israel’s deliverance would come from Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

the hope of restoration

The hope of this believer was not escape to some heavenly hideaway. He defined deliverance (salvation) as restoration. That is how Jesus defines it too. He is making all things new! We can live with the tragedies and injustices of today if we hold strongly to the biblical hope of the renewal of the earth.

Thank you,Lord, for giving us the hope of restoration.

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I feel this, I know that

Posted on April 4, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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I feel this, I know that

Psalm 53:4-5 (JDV)

Psalm 53:4 Will evildoers never understand? They devour my people like they devour bread; they do not call on God.
Psalm 53:5 So they will be filled with dread – dread like no other – because God will scatter the bones of those who besiege you. You will put them to shame, because God has rejected them.

I feel this, I know that

Notice how the psalmist reflects on his own feelings while talking about the fate of his oppressors.

  • Instead of complaining about what is happening to him, as if he does not understand what is going on, the author of this psalm says that his persecutors fail to understand.
  • He feels like his nation is being eaten up by evil nations around him, but he knows that his oppressors themselves are going to be filled — not to satisfaction — but with dread.
  • He feels the shame of being lowered to the level of the marginalized. It feels like God has rejected his people. But he knows that this oppressing nation will soon be put to shame when God acts in defense against them.

Lord, give us the awareness and understanding to know that our suffering and disappointment is only temporary. You will rescue us, and put your enemies to shame.

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in the blip

Posted on April 3, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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in the blip

Psalm 53:2-3 (JDV)

Psalm 53:2 God looks down from the sky on the human race to see if there is anyone who is wise, anyone who seeks God.
Psalm 53:3 Everyone has turned away; all alike have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one.

in the blip

This sounds very pessimistic, doesn’t it? But the point of the psalm is that God is going to change things. He is going to intervene in human history and judge and destroy all those who do not conform to his holiness. So, this terrible age — like the one in which the psalmist lived — is but a blip on the radar screen of history. Even if terrible things are happening now, don’t despair. Pray for the coming of our Lord. He is the one who can and will make things right.

Lord, we know you are going to condemn those who insist on ignoring your presence and your ways. Redeem us from that terrible fate! Change us now Lord, before that great and terrible day.

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anybody’s fool

Posted on April 2, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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anybody’s fool

Psalm 53:1 (JDV)

Psalm 53:1 The fool says in his heart, “There’s no God.” They are corrupt, and they do repulsive things. There is no one who does good.

anybody’s fool

Once you divorce yourself from the existence of God, and jettison accountability to him, you necessarily make wrong decisions and everything you do is corrupted. Taking the wrong road never gets you to where you want to be. Doing actual good is no longer possible.

That is why the Bible calls the atheist a fool. In one fell swoop, the person who rejects God had condemned himself to a lifetime of wrong choices, and a legacy of corruption and repulsive acts.

That is not to say that believers cannot make wrong choices. We absolutely do. But we have made the choice that ultimately matters most. As long as we stay with God, we have hope for a bit of his light shining through our darkness. We also have hope for restoration and redemption. But without God, there can be no light, no hope.

Lord, give us all the wisdom to acknowledge your existence. We do not want to be anybody’s fool.

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tree in the house

Posted on April 1, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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tree in the house

Psalm 52:8-9 (JDV)

Psalm 52:8 But I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God; I trust in God’s covenant faithfulness permanently and continually.
Psalm 52:9 I will praise you permanently for what you have done. In the presence of your faithful people, I will put my hope in your name, for it is good.

tree in the house

The psalmist had just given over his enemy to God, trusting God to take care of all the turmoil the enemy had caused. Instead of focusing on the pain and suffering caused by someone else, the psalmist decided he was going to be an olive tree in the house of God.

Olive trees live a very long time, and remain fruitful for a very long time. What is the secret of a long life in spite of troubles and adversaries? Determine to be different than your enemies. Determine to focus on pleasing God by providing fruit for his household.

Lord, we choose to leave our enemies to you to sort out. We choose to bear good fruit for your house.

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knee warfare

Posted on March 31, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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knee warfare

Psalm 52:6-7 (JDV)

Psalm 52:6 The righteous will see and fear, and they will derisively say about that “hero,”
Psalm 52:7 “Here is the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his wealth, taking refuge in his destructive behavior.”

knee warfare

David was betrayed by a man named Doeg, who saw an opportunity to get ahead in this world by throwing David under the bus. Instead of taking action against Doeg, David prayed. He let God handle his problem. He sought refuge in God. He chose to fight his battle on his knees.

When God responds to such prayer, those problems become signs. The people like Doeg who think themselves heroes become zeroes. Neither their accumulated wealth nor their violent temper will be able to preserve them from his judgment.

Lord, give us the wisdom to fight our battles on our knees so that you get the glory for our victory.

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