Psalm 121 is a song that the church needs to hear and sing in every season, but especially seasons of distress, doubt, and fear. For here we are reminded that the triune God is our good and gracious Keeper. Note: This sermon was delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic, when our Lord’s Day worship services were […]
Psalm 86 is a prayer of David, the anointed king and judge of God’s chosen people, whose life was being threatened by the enemies of Israel (Ps. 86:14). In these final verses, he cries out to be delivered from the hands of the ungodly men who, by opposing him, stand opposed to the God of […]
In the midst of a life-threatening situation, David is calling upon the name of the Lord for grace. However, while it’s true that David’s need compelled him to pray (Ps. 86:1), he can only stay focused on his present circumstances for so long. As he seeks deliverance from the Lord, he begins to consider the […]
David’s prayer in Psalm 86, like the prayers throughout the Psalter, is highly instructive and illuminating for our times of communion with God. He makes a total of fifteen requests, yet he is essentially he is calling upon the name of the Lord his God for one thing: grace. In the first seven verses, David focuses […]
Our knowledge of God is inextricably linked with our worship of God. However, if we fail to understand the relationship between our theology and doxology, the results can be disastrous. On the one hand, if our knowledge of God (theology) doesn’t inspire whole-hearted praise and devotion to our God (doxology), the result is a cold, dead, […]
In Philippians, Paul writes: “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Php. 3:8). In Psalms, David writes: “I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever” (Ps. 145:1). What would […]
David continues in Psalm 139 to describe the truly awesome nature and wonderful works of our Creator God. Here we discover such beautiful truths as His omnipotence, His Providence, and His infinitude: “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the […]
For the unbeliever, the truth of God’s omniscience and omnipresence is a terrifying reality. There is no word, no deed, no thought, nor hidden motive of the heart that is not completely exposed before our all-knowing God; “no creature is hidden from his sight” (Heb. 4:13). And if we dare attempt to flee from the presence of […]
“Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Ps. 121:4). Traditionally sung by pilgrims traveling up to the temple in Jerusalem, this Song of Ascent declares the faithful, vigilant, keeping power of God over his chosen people. But can we Gentiles sing and apply this Psalm today? If we aren’t making pilgrimages to Jerusalem, celebrating Jewish feasts, or even […]
While the psalmist has praised the Lord for his protection, strength, and victories won for his people in the first half of the psalm, he now calls for the gates of the temple to be opened that he may worship the Lord in his presence (Ps. 118:19). But even while God may have been the defense […]
In this final psalm in the collection of psalms sung during the celebration of the Passover (Pss 113-118), God is thanked because of his perfect goodness and his unending mercies toward his covenant people. Though the church may be surrounded by enemies on all sides, though Satan himself seeks to accuse, to oppress, and to devour, and though we might […]
In contrast to the worthless idols that fill the land, the Psalmist declares that God alone is in the heavens. He is the only God worthy of all our praise, our adoration, our fear, and our trust. But what assurance do we have that this Sovereign God – ruling and reigning in the heavens, doing all that he […]
Though surrounded by the enemies of our God, nations hostile to his sovereign rule, and spiritual forces of evil within and without, we nevertheless rest in God’s infinite wisdom, perfect justice, unchanging character: “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Ps. 115:3). We trust that his purposes will be accomplished and that his kingdom […]
Of all the psalms in the Old Testament, it is Psalm 110 that is the most often quoted and alluded to by the authors of the New Testament. This enthronement psalm is centered on and fulfilled by Christ, who, having taken on the form of a servant and humbling himself to death on a cross, was […]
For those who have placed their faith in Christ Jesus, whose lives are now hidden with Christ in God, God is our shelter, our refuge, our fortress. He is our Champion. He fights for us, defends us, and delivers us. Not only is he overruling all things for our good and commanding the hosts of […]
