He will extend his hand

20231227

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He will extend his hand

Psalm 138:1-8 (JDV)

Psalm 138:1 [Of David.] I will give you thanks with all my heart; I will sing your praise before the “gods”.
Psalm 138:2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name because of your constant love and truth. You have exalted your name and your promise above everything else.
Psalm 138:3 On the day I called, you answered me; you increased strength within me.
Psalm 138:4 All the kings on earth will give you thanks, Yahveh, when they hear what you have promised.
Psalm 138:5 They will sing of Yahveh’s roads, for Yahveh’s glory is great.
Psalm 138:6 Though Yahveh is exalted, he sees the low ones; but he knows the high ones from a distance.
Psalm 138:7 If I walk into the middle of danger, you will preserve me from the anger of my enemies. You will extend your hand; your right hand will deliver me.
Psalm 138:8 Yahveh will fulfill his purpose for me. Yahveh, your covenant faithfulness is permanent; do not abandon the work of your hands.

he will extend his hand

If you have ever asked yourself why you go through so much trouble, and been tempted to feel like God has abandoned you… camp out here in Psalm 138. The psalmist was there, but he saw his days of trouble as signs not that God was gone, but that his deliverance was there in the midst of trouble. That’s what this life is for. It isn’t for us to live above troubles, but for us to know the consistent deliverance of the LORD, who wants to hold our hand as we walk through those trials.

LORD, here’s my hand.

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how to restore your joy

20231226

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how to restore your joy

Psalm 137:1-9 (JDV)

Psalm 137:1 By the rivers of Babylon– there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion.
Psalm 137:2 There we hung up our lyres on the poplar trees,
Psalm 137:3 because our captors there asked us for songs, and our tormentors, for joy: “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”
Psalm 137:4 How can we sing Yahveh’s song on foreign soil?
Psalm 137:5 If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill.
Psalm 137:6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem as my greatest joy!
Psalm 137:7 Remember, Yahveh, what the Edomites said that day at Jerusalem: “Destroy it! Destroy it down to its foundations!”
Psalm 137:8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, fortunate is the one who pays you back what you have done to us.
Psalm 137:9 fortunate is he who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rocks.

how to restore your joy

Singing the songs of Zion after its loss is where many people are today. Deep inside they have lost their reason for joy, and the world around them keeps asking them to sing. If you feel that loss, know that all is not lost. There is hope, because the God of Zion is still here. He has not left us without hope. But if you feel a deep sadness, and you have known the LORD, but you feel like you are just going through the motions now, circumstances have stolen your joy. Don’t pretend. Ask God to intervene, and restore your joy.

LORD, intervene. Restore the joy of our deliverance!

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What did you get?

20231225

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what did you get?

Psalm 136:25-26 (JDV)

Psalm 136:25 He gives food to every body. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:26 Give thanks to the God of heaven! His covenant faithfulness is permanent.

What did you get?

Did you get what you wanted this Christmas? Did you get what you needed today? Be thankful for a God in heaven who looks after you.

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faithfulness in rescue

20231224

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faithfulness in rescue

Psalm 136:10-24 (JDV)

Psalm 136:10 He struck dead the firstborn of the Egyptians. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:11 and brought Israel out from among them. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:12 with a strong hand and outstretched arm. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:13 He divided the Red Sea His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:14 and led Israel through, His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:15 but hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:16 He led his people in the wilderness. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:17 He struck dead great kings His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:18 and slaughtered famous kings– His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:19 Sihon king of the Amorites His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:20 and Og king of Bashan– His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:21 and gave their land as an inheritance, His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:22 an inheritance to Israel his servant. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:23 He remembered us in our humiliation His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:24 and rescued us from our foes. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.

faithfulness in rescue

The first part of this psalm celebrated God’s faithfulness as our creator. This part celebrates his faithfulness as a rescuer of his people. That is what Christmas is all about. A Savior is born — the only one who can rescue us from sin. God remembered his lost people and sent his Son to rescue them — and us.

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faithfulness in creation

20231223

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faithfulness in creation

Psalm 136:1-9 (JDV)

Psalm 136:1 Give thanks to Yahveh because he is good. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:2 Give thanks to the God of gods. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:4 He alone does great miracles. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:5 He made the sky skillfully. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:6 He spread the land on the waters. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:7 He made the great lights: His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:8 The sun to rule by day, His covenant faithfulness is permanent.
Psalm 136:9 The moon and stars to rule by night. His covenant faithfulness is permanent.

faithfulness in creation

The first part of this psalm celebrates God’s faithfulness as demonstrated by his creation. The miracles he performed are called “nature” in much of the world today because the sky and space seem permanent. But their permanence is a reflection of his. Nature is a machine that always works because of its faithful creator.

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reverence and praise

20231222

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reverence and praise

Psalm 135:19 House of Israel, praise Yahveh! House of Aaron, praise Yahveh!

Psalm 135:20 House of Levi, praise Yahveh! You who revere Yahveh, praise Yahveh!

Psalm 135:21 Praised be Yahveh from Zion; he dwells in Jerusalem. Praise Yah!

reverence and praise

Reverence and praise go together, and God deserves both because he lives among us. He has not abandoned us to cold fate. He is at work in our lives, our families, and our nations.

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i-dolls

20231221

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i-dolls

Psalm 135:13-18 (JDV)

Psalm 135:13 Yahveh, your name endures permanently, your reputation, Yahveh, through all generations.
Psalm 135:14 since Yahveh will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants.
Psalm 135:15 The idols of the nations are of silver and gold, made by human hands.
Psalm 135:16 They have mouths but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see.
Psalm 135:17 They have ears but cannot hear; there is not even breath in their mouths.
Psalm 135:18 Just like them are their makers, all who trust them.

i-dolls

In some of the places where I have lived, the inhabitants used dolls for their worship traditions. Imagine that — using a manufactured replica of a human child to celebrate and venerate your god. Such practices make us less human, when we make our gods less than human themselves.

Let’s get it right folks!

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miracles against

20231220

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miracles against

Psalm 135:8-12 (JDV)

Psalm 135:8 He struck dead the firstborn of Egypt, both people, and animals.
Psalm 135:9 He sent signs and miracles against you, Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his officials.
Psalm 135:10 He struck dead many nations and slaughtered mighty kings:
Psalm 135:11 Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the kings of Canaan.
Psalm 135:12 He gave their land as an inheritance to his people Israel.

miracles against

Be careful when you pray for a miracle because God can send miracles against those who do not obey his will. All that we are, and all that we own are already at his disposal. So, it makes sense for us to dedicate our lives and possessions to him. He owns them anyway.

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autonomy

20231219

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autonomy

Psalm 135:5-7 (JDV)

Psalm 135:5 You see, I know that Yahveh is great; our Lord is greater than all gods.
Psalm 135:6 Yahveh does whatever he wants in the sky and on land, in the seas and all the depths.
Psalm 135:7 He makes the clouds rise from the ends of the land. He produces lightning for the rain and brings the wind from his storehouses.

autonomy

The only one with true autonomy is our God. He is greater than all of his creation, including those spirit beings masquerading as the gods of the nations. He is not influenced by others. He is the uninfluenced influencer. What passes as autonomy for us is merely anarchy. Hopefully, we will not wait until judgment day to find out who we had let control our lives while we pretended to have free will. The wisest and most responsible choice we can make right now is “thy will be done.”

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still good

20231218

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still good

Psalm 135:1-4 (JDV)

Psalm 135:1 Praise Yah! Praise the name of Yahveh. Give praise, you servants of Yahveh
Psalm 135:2 who stand in the house of Yahveh, in the courts of the house of our God.
Psalm 135:3 Praise Yahveh, because Yahveh is good; sing praise to his name, because it is delightful.
Psalm 135:4 Since Yahveh has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his treasured up possession.

still good

God’s servants are not able to stand in his temple today, but they can still praise his name, because he is still good and his name is still delightful. He has still chosen Israel as his treasured possession and he has grafted into that olive tree Gentile believers. Praise Yah!

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