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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He will extend his hand

Posted on December 27, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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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

Posted on December 26, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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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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