divine shield

Posted on January 6, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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divine shield

Psalm 144:1-8 (JDV)

Psalm 144:1 [Of David.] Blessed be Yahveh, my rock who trains my hands for battle and my fingers for war.
Psalm 144:2 He is my covenant faithfulness and my fortress, my stronghold, and my deliverer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in him; he subdues my people under me.
Psalm 144:3 Yahveh, what is a human that you care for him, a mortal son that you think of him?
Psalm 144:4 A human is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.
Psalm 144:5 Yahveh, part your sky and come down. Touch the mountains, and they will be wrapped in smoke.
Psalm 144:6 Flash your lightning and scatter the enemy; shoot your arrows and rout them.
Psalm 144:7 Reach down from on high; rescue me from deep water, and set me free from the grasp of foreigners
Psalm 144:8 whose mouths speak lies, whose right hands are deceptive.

divine shield

David faced his human enemies with the confidence that the same God who subdued his people under him would also rescue him from foreign enemies. He looked at what God had already done for him and gained faith to keep going. It was not self-confidence. It was confidence in his divine shield.

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no resources left

Posted on January 5, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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no resources left

Psalm 143:1-12 (JDV)

Psalm 143:1 [A Psalm of David.] Yahveh, hear my prayer. By your faithfulness listen to my plea, and by your righteousness answer me.
Psalm 143:2 Do not bring your servant into condemnation, because no one alive is righteous in your sight.
Psalm 143:3 You see, the enemy has pursued me, crushing me to the ground, making me live in darkness like those long dead.
Psalm 143:4 My breath is weak within me; my heart is overcome with dismay.
Psalm 143:5 I remember the old days; I meditate on all you have done; I reflect on the work of your hands.
Psalm 143:6 I spread out my hands to you; I am like parched land before you.Selah
Psalm 143:7 Answer me quickly, Yahveh; my breath is spent. Don’t hide your face from me, or I will be like those going down to the Pit.
Psalm 143:8 Let me experience your covenant faithfulness in the morning because I trust in you. Reveal to me the road I should go because I appeal to you.
Psalm 143:9 Rescue me from my enemies, Lord; I come to you for protection.
Psalm 143:10 Teach me to do your will because you are my God. May your gracious Breath lead me on level ground.
Psalm 143:11 For your name’s sake, Yahveh, let me live. By your righteousness deliver me from trouble,
Psalm 143:12 and by your covenant faithfulness destroy my enemies. Wipe out all those who attack me, because I am your servant.

no resources left

When the enemies of your soul have chased it to the end of the line, there are only two options: give in and die, or turn to God and be rescued. David was at the end of the line. He was going to go to the grave, or the LORD was going to rescue him. He had no resources left.

LORD, we thirst for you, because only you have the power to rescue us.

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when they are too strong

Posted on January 4, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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when they are too strong

Psalm 142:1-7 (JDV)

Psalm 142:1 [An insightful song of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer.] I cry aloud to Yahveh; I plead aloud to Yahveh for mercy.
Psalm 142:2 I pour out my complaint before him; I reveal my trouble to him.
Psalm 142:3 Although my breath is weak within me, you know my road. Along this path I travel they have hidden a trap for me.
Psalm 142:4 Look to the right and see: no one stands up for me; there is no refuge for me; no one cares about me.
Psalm 142:5 I cry to you, Yahveh; I say, “You are my shelter, my share in the land of the living.”
Psalm 142:6 Listen to my cry because I am very weak. Rescue me from those who pursue me, because they are too strong for me.
Psalm 142:7 Free me from prison so that I can praise your name. The righteous will gather around me because you deal generously with me.

when they are too strong

A person is only as strong as the partners by his side. Yet, there are some times when our obstacles are too strong and we look at our side and see no one who can help. That’s when we have to trust the silent partner to be a refuge for us.

Thank you, LORD, for being our refuge when no one else can.

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the lure of authority

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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the lure of authority

Psalm 141:1-10 (JDV)

Psalm 141:1 [A Psalm of David.] Yahveh, I call on you; hurry to help me. Listen to my voice when I call on you.
Psalm 141:2 May my prayer endure before you as incense, the raising of my hands as the evening offering.
Psalm 141:3 Lord, set up a guard for my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips.
Psalm 141:4 Do not let my heart turn to any evil thing or perform wicked acts with men who commit sin. Do not let me feast on their delicacies.
Psalm 141:5 Let the righteous one strike me — it is an act of covenant faithfulness; let him rebuke me- – it is oil for my head; let me not refuse it. Even now my prayer is against the criminal acts of the wicked.
Psalm 141:6 When their rulers will be thrown off the sides of a cliff, the people will listen to my words, because they are pleasing.
Psalm 141:7 As when one plows and breaks up the soil, turning up rocks, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
Psalm 141:8 But my eyes look to you, Yahveh, my Lord. I seek refuge in you; do not let my throat be exposed.
Psalm 141:9 Protect me from the trap they have set for me, and from the snares of evildoers.
Psalm 141:10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely.

the lure of authority

Lots of preachers are pushing authority nowadays. They are telling us that God has constituted authority and we should not question it — that our duty is mere submission. Well, David was in authority as king of Israel, and he wrote these words. They are the words of a king who is cautious, who prayed for God to protect him from falling into a trap set by the wicked. He prays for God to protect him from sin so that he can protect those who follow him. Authority is not a mere principle in God’s word. It comes with skin on. Human authority is always flawed and we should be careful in our allegiance to it.

The purpose for submission for Christians is to “silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good” (1 Peter 2:15). But when they stray away from God’s will, we must side with God rather than them (Acts 4:19). This is true of any authority, whether in the state or in the church.

Godly leaders recognize that the world is setting a trap for them — that they are in danger of failing in their words and deeds, and that the best advice they can give others is to only follow them as far as they are following Christ.

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daily news prayer

Posted on January 2, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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daily news prayer

Psalm 140:1-13 (JDV)

Psalm 140:1 [For the music director. A Psalm of David.] Rescue me, Yahveh, from an evil man. Keep me safe from a violent man.
Psalm 140:2 They plan evil in their hearts. They stir up conflicts all day long.
Psalm 140:3 They make their tongues as sharp as a snake’s bite; viper’s venom is under their lips.Selah
Psalm 140:4 Protect me, Yahveh, from the hands of the wicked. Keep me safe from violent men who plan to trip my steps.
Psalm 140:5 The proud hide a trap with ropes for me; they spread a net along the path and set snares for me.Selah
Psalm 140:6 I say to Yahveh, “You are my God.” Listen, Yahveh, to my cry for help.
Psalm 140:7 Yahveh, my Lord, the strength of my deliverance, you shield my head on the day of battle.
Psalm 140:8 Yahveh, do not grant the desires of the wicked; do not let him achieve his goals. Otherwise, they will become proud.Selah
Psalm 140:9 When those who surround me rise up, may the trouble their lips cause overwhelm them.
Psalm 140:10 Let hot coals fall on them. Let them be thrown into the fire, into the abyss, never again to rise.
Psalm 140:11 Do not let a slanderer stay in the land. Let evil relentlessly hunt down a violent man.
Psalm 140:12 I know that Yahveh upholds the just cause of the humbled, justice for the needy.
Psalm 140:13 Surely the righteous will praise your name; the upright will live in your presence.

daily news prayer

This psalm is a good guide to take with us as we read the daily news. Things are happening all around us, and most of them are bad things. This prayer asks God to make a difference. It is a prayer for protection and for God’s intervention to keep evil plans from accomplishing evil goals.

Sometimes the evil can be found in the news itself. It is often slanted to hide evil and to promote it. Slanderers and those who promote violence against the innocent are often painted as the good guys by an ignorant media.

Praying this prayer is not the only thing we should do, but it should be the first thing. If trhere is to be change, it will be initated by God in response to our prayers.

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offensive road

Posted on January 1, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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offensive road

Psalm 139:23-24 (JDV)

Psalm 139:23 Investigate me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns.
Psalm 139:24 See if there is any offensive road in me; guide me toward the permanent road.

offensive road

I have traveled to several countries. There are some offensive roads out there. Dirty, deceptive, and dangerous.

The psalmist asks God to investigate him, and all the roads in his life. He wants to be guided toward God’s permanent road — the one that leads to his will. That’s a good prayer for us as we begin this new year.

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God has enemies

Posted on December 31, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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God has enemies

Psalm 139:17-22 (JDV)

Psalm 139:17 God, how valuable your thoughts are to me; how immense their sum is!
Psalm 139:18 If I counted them, they would outnumber the grains of sand; when I wake up, I am still with you.
Psalm 139:19 God, if only you would kill the wicked — you bloodthirsty men, stay away from me —
Psalm 139:20 who invoke you deceitfully. Your enemies swear by you falsely.
Psalm 139:21 Yahveh, don’t I hate those who hate you, and detest those who rebel against you?
Psalm 139:22 I hate them with extreme hatred; I consider them my enemies.

God has enemies

It would be nice to live in a world where everyone is honest, and all those who claim to love God really do. The psalmist does not live in such a world, and neither do you and I. God has enemies, and we would be making a mistake to count them as our friends. We should love them, but loving an enemy is not the same thing as adopting him as a friend. For a true believer in God, inclusion has its limits.

May this coming year be one in which we love God, our neighbor, and our enemies — with a clearer vision of who is who.

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his purpose for us

Posted on December 30, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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his purpose for us

Psalm 139:13-16 (JDV)

Psalm 139:13 Because it was you who bought my kidneys; you wove me together in my mother’s belly.
Psalm 139:14 I will praise you because I have been awesomely and miraculously made. Your works are miraculous, and I know this very well.
Psalm 139:15 My bones were not hidden from you when I was made in secret when I was formed in the depths of the earth.
Psalm 139:16 Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them happened.

his purpose for us

The next big challenge that the enemy is hatching to destroy us is to teach our children that there is no real purpose to life. This psalmist has come to realize that life is all about the purpose of God. He began writing out our life’s purpose while we were still being knit together in the womb. It is the hem that defines the garment. It is the reason for time itself. We cannot escape God because he has a reason for creating us. We can try to run from it, but it will find us. We can choose what we will, but we were designed for him. The wisest choice is to cooperate with that purpose that defines us.

LORD, lead us in the way which conforms to your purpose.

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He’s there

Posted on December 29, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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He’s there

Psalm 139:7-12 (JDV)

Psalm 139:7 Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
Psalm 139:8 If I go up to the sky, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
Psalm 139:9 If I live at the eastern horizon or settle at the western limits,
Psalm 139:10 even there your hand will go before me; your right hand will grasp me.
Psalm 139:11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light around me will be night” —
Psalm 139:12 even the darkness is not dark to you. The night shines like the day; darkness and light are the same to you.

He’s there

Not only does our creator know everything about us, he’s everywhere we can go. There is no hiding from him. Go east, he’s there. Go west, he’s there too. Turn out the lights. He has not left. We need light to see, but he does not.

This is actually very good news for those who are trying to find God. You do not have to climb a high mountain or fly away in a spaceship. He’s right there next to you. Seek him!

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He knows

Posted on December 28, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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He knows

Psalm 139:1-6 (JDV)

Psalm 139:1 [For the music director. A Psalm of David.] Yahveh, you have searched me and known me.
Psalm 139:2 You know when I sit down and stand up; you understand my thoughts from far away.
Psalm 139:3 You observe my travels and rest; you know all my roads.
Psalm 139:4 While a word is not yet on my tongue, you know all about it, Yahveh.
Psalm 139:5 You besiege me — back and front; you put your hand on me.
Psalm 139:6 This miraculous knowledge is beyond me. It is unattainable; I am unable to reach it.

He knows

This psalm is the go-to text if you are studying God’s omnipresence, but this first part of the psalm celebrates his omniscience. He knows everything — and these verses make a particular point that God knows everything about you and me. He knows us better than we know ourselves. It is ridiculous to think that we can understand ourselves better than our creator.

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