Psalm 93 - Majesty, finally here!

1 The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty;
the LORD is robed in majesty
and is armed with strength.
The world is firmly established;
it cannot be moved.

2 Your throne was established long ago;
you are from all eternity.

3 The seas have lifted up, O LORD,
the seas have lifted up their voice;
the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.

4 Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea—
the LORD on high is mighty.

5 Your statutes stand firm;
holiness adorns your house
for endless days, O LORD.

Psalm 92 - Sounds of the Season

1 It is good to praise the LORD
and make music to your name, O Most High,

² to proclaim your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night,

³ to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
and the melody of the harp.

⁴ For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD;
I sing for joy at the works of your hands.

⁵ How great are your works, O LORD,
how profound your thoughts!

To me there is nothing quite like Christmas music! I love the light, relaxing, familiar sounds. The repetition of annual family traditions and the sounds of those well-known carols gives a sense of security that all is well with the world after all.

Though many of the songs I cherish are religious in nature and date back hundreds of years, I openly confess that some of the newer (and yes, secular) tunes are staples on my list of favorites:

The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting)

I'll Be Home for Christmas

Merry Christmas Darling

Winter Wonderland

Silver Bells

Then there are the just plain fun ones:

All I Want for Christmas is my Two-front Teeth

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

How can you help but smile!

But admittedly, the most cherished songs for me are the ones (new and old) that remind me of the true "reason for the season":

Silent Night, Holy Night

O Holy Night

Away in a Manger

O Come, All Ye Faithful

Mary Did You Know?

(And multiple others)

Oh yes, I realize that Psalm 92 wasn't originally written as an accolade to Christmas music but just for a few days.....

Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.

~Victor Hugo

Psalm 91 - Peace on Earth

This is one of those Psalms that is so familiar and so powerful that it needs little explanation:

He who dwells in the the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord,
"He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God in whom I trust." ...

He will cover you with his feathers
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday. ...

If you make the Most High your dwelling
- even the Lord, who is my refuge -
then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all our ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone....

"Because he loves me," says the Lord,
"I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call upon me, and I will answer him.
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."


I found this video while looking for my favorite Christmas tunes. I had never rated this necessarily a favorite but while reading today's psalm, I thought that it was very appropriate in light of the beginning comments about the writer of the song:

Enjoy!

Psalm 90 - Satisfy

It has taken a while but I have made it to another milestone!

Begin - BOOK IV -

Psalm 90 is a prayer to God asking that he show compassion on his servants. While reading the chapter, I came to a verse that I had highlighted for emphasis:

14 Satisfy us in the morning
with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy
and be glad all of our days.

I looked up the definition of the word "satisfy" and found the following:

"to fulfill a desire or need"

We are needy souls!

Our bodies are but fleeting flesh that return to dried up dirt.
Our minds fade with age.
Our emotions wane with the wind.

The psalmist compares us to grass that under the scorching summer sun withers and wilts and becomes dry and brittle -

BUT-
Look at the grass in the early morning!
When the dew falls and freshness covers it and satisfies its need,
It springs to life and is renewed.

Cover me, Lord!
Renew and refresh these dry bones!
Prepare my body and mind for the tasks I am about to undertake!

17 May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us;
establish the work of our hands for us --
yes, establish the work of our hands.

Psalm 89 - Home

This may sound strange to some but I just returned home from practicing the music for a funeral for tomorrow.... and I feel so blessed. In man's eyes, funerals are sad occasions filled with grief and sorrow and sometimes regret and guilt. But for the believer the words of the psalmist in the 89th chapter ring loud and clear as we celebrate the home-going of a saint of God.

^1-4 Your love, God, is my song, and I'll sing it!
I'm forever telling everyone how faithful you are.
I'll never quit telling the story of your love—

Search high and low, scan skies and land,
you'll find nothing and no one quite like God.

Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us—
you've been so good to us! We're walking on air!
All we are and have we owe to God,
Holy God of Israel, our King! (Message)

It has been an honor to know Roy and Linda Dent. They have modeled what faith in the face of fear looks like. With strength and courage they have endured a full year of trial after trial and obstacle after obstacle and continued to give God glory in ALL things.

Linda is "home" now! We long to join her there and we celebrate the life that she had with us but even more the life that she now has with Him.

God bless you, Roy and Linda Dent!


Blessed be God forever and always!
Yes. Oh, yes.

Psalm 88 - Forsaken

We have been through many psalm that feel like they would be better placed in the book of Lamentations. --gut-wrenching monologues of grieve, suffering, and pain. In the previous psalm, the writer would at least end with a voice of praise assuring the reader that in the end all was designed to glorify and honor God.

This psalm is a little different!

The only uplifting line is at the very beginning.

¹
O LORD, the God who saves me....
That is as good as it gets if you just take the psalm at first glance.

Then it starts
.....day and night I cry out before you.


What good can we find contained in these words of pain and suffering? What is the reason for writing such depressing words?

Here is what I think:

1. Pain and suffering are apart of the human condition. In John, we are told that "in this world you will have trouble..." Being a Christian is not a free pass to avoid human suffering. Did anyone ever suffer much more than Christ himself?

2. I think the psalm models for us how to handle our pain and suffering. The entire psalm is a lamentation and a heart cry to God for help. Even though the writer is in obvious emotional pain, he does not curse God but cries to Him for help! He boldly asks for explanation - "why God" but also for salvation - "rescue me" "you are my only hope"

I like the Message version for sentiments I believe we can see as possibly our own!

^1-9 God, you're my last chance of the day.
I spend the night on my knees before you.
Put me on your salvation agenda;
take notes on the trouble I'm in.
I've had my fill of trouble;
I'm camped on the edge of hell.....

⁹ I call to you, God; all day I call.
I wring my hands, I plead for help.

^13-18 I'm standing my ground, God, shouting for help,
at my prayers every morning, on my knees each daybreak.
Why, God, do you turn a deaf ear?
Why do you make yourself scarce?
For as long as I remember I've been hurting;
I've taken the worst you can hand out, and I've had it.
Your wildfire anger has blazed through my life;
I'm bleeding, black-and-blue.
You've attacked me fiercely from every side,
raining down blows till I'm nearly dead.
You made lover and neighbor alike dump me;
the only friend I have left is Darkness.


Unresolved.
The pain continues - like it did for Job.
Beyond understanding but unwavering in petition.
- "at my prayers each morning..."
The relationship stands firm
Christ is still the answer.
Call to Him!
He IS in control!

Psalm 87 - City of God

Short and sweet --

That pretty much describes Psalm 87. I have thought for days on an application for Psalm 87 and I can only think it means EXACTLY what it says ---

² the LORD loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

Jerusalem - a very special place.

Whether referring to the physical city of Jerusalem in Israel or whether taken to context to reference the New Jerusalem of prophecy, I must agree. It IS a very special place.

It is a place I long to visit both while a resident on this planet and a place I LONG to rest eternally.

³ Glorious things are said of you,
O city of God:
Selah

Jerusalem
I want to walk
Your streets that are golden
And I want to run where the angels have trod.
Jerusalem
I want to rest on the banks of your river
In that city
City of God!

Jerusalem, Jerusalem
Lift up your heart and sing
Hosanna in the highest
Hosanna to the King!