Saturday

Psalm 63:2-5 - June 27, 2009

Ps 63:2-5 "I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. 3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. 4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. 5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you." NIV

Are you living in a revelation of God!? The secret power of David’s life is that he has tasted enough of the living God that he knows that nothing else can compare in its ability to satisfy the longings in his soul! The language of David’s praise is compelling: “I have seen… I have beheld.” The revelation of God’s dwelling place has captured David’s heart. What David has seen has awakened within him a revelation of the Father’s love! Wow, consider that. To see the sanctuary, to see the power and glory of God awakens a revelation of God’s love that births a life of praise!! “Your love is better than life!” Think of this. Immediately after reflecting on what he has seen in God’s presence his heart explodes with this sentence; “better than life!” Is there anything that has touched you so deeply that to you it is better than life itself? For David the very thing that has transcended all other things is his revelation of the love of God! To understand this is to understand the power and motivation of David’s life of praise!
“Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you!” David’s encounter with the sanctuary of God, his power and glory has birthed a vision in David’s heart of making God famous through his songs! What a life vision. David has seen the glory and his heart now wants others to be able to catch a portion of this understanding through the medium of his songs of praise, as if to say, “How can I not share with everyone this precious revelation that God has bestowed upon me through this divine encounter. This is now David’s life mission; “I will praise you as long as I live…” Imagine a life so captured by what you have tasted in the depths of your personal relationship with God that you are now compelled to share it with everyone who will listen through your songs of worship and praise.
The wonderful thing about David’s heart in this psalm is that he has a deep understanding of the connection between his life mission and his own personal satisfaction. Even as David states his intended goal of sharing this revelatory worship with the world for the rest of his life he equally states his confidence of its impact upon his own heart. “My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.” For David there is a deep connection between the fulfillment of his mission and his own personal contentment. He knows that his own soul will be the beneficiary of surrendering himself to God through a life of praise. “My soul will be satisfied… with singing lips I my mouth will praise you.” Oh that the church would get this revelation. As we spend our lives in worship before the Lord the world hears the glory of his praise and we ourselves find the very thing that we have been looking for all of our lives; a satisfied soul! Give yourself to God by lifting up your song of praise and seek him for a revelation of His love that will compel you to make this your life vision! Start today.

Friday

Psalm 63:1 - June 26, 2009

Ps 63:1 A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.
"O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." NIV


This psalm reflects the passion that drives a person into the deeper places with God. What is it that drives a person to seek earnestly after God? What is it the moves a heart to whole hearted pursuit of a life time of encounters with the living God? Hunger!!! Jesus spoke of this same hunger in Matt 5:6 as he encouraged the church, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” The powerful principle contained within these words is that there is a reward that awaits the person who pursues God and He will not withhold it from the ones who are truly longing and reaching after Him.
David’s desert experience has become an image that is paralleling his spiritual life. The heat and thirst of the desert, the weariness that comes from these surroundings has crept into his very being and his soul is burning with a desire that is as unquenchable as his natural thirst in the desert. “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you;” There are times in our natural lives when the longings of our heart become so deep that the very core of our being aches for something more. Only a few people in the whole context of mankind ever rightly diagnose this ache as a deep longing for more of God but that is the real nature of the void inside each one of us. We were created to enjoy a deep fellowship with God that was forfeited in the Garden of Eden and ever since there is something inside that will only be satisfied through a fervent pursuit of and encounter with the living God. David’s description of his longing is so intensely real inside of him that he expresses both the thirst of his soul and the longings of his natural body as he cries out to the Lord.
Each person is on a journey towards God. There is a drawing power, a deep inner appeal that is calling out to each one of us inviting us back to the only true source of satisfaction in life. The scriptures promised us that the Holy Spirit would be poured out on all flesh! God has extended His Spirit into the earth to touch the conscience and soften the heart of man. His desire is red hot towards us and He is working to awaken Holy desires in even the most stubborn hearts. Many are resisting this appeal but other hearts are stirring. Other hearts are moving in response to this inner call. They have allowed themselves sufficient time to listen to its voice by pulling away from the dulling distractions of this world that harden our hearts to the hunger within us. They have been awakened and are beginning to recognize their thirst the way that David did and the result is that the inner being comes in contact with the depth of our own inner longings. For those who discern these longings the heart is awakened to spiritual hunger and the soul begins to reach out to the living waters that come only through relationship with the Almighty God! Take the time today to discern the hunger within you. Take time today to turn away from the dulling influence of earthly desires and fix your heart on heaven’s waters that can truly satisfy the hunger within you.

Thursday

Psalm 61:1-3 - June 25, 2009

Ps 61:1-3 "Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. 2 From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3 For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe." NIV

When pain has reached a deep place, when emotional fatigue is intensely strong, when negative circumstances seem unrelenting the heart of man is compelled to cry out! The Hebrew definition of the word heart refers to the very core of our being. Not just emotions, not just passions, but the driving force of spirit, soul and body. David is referring to a pain so deep a fatigue so complete that the very core of his being is drained and on the edge. His emotional and physical health are hanging in the balance between.
Many of us have faced at least one season of such trying life circumstances and for each of us these trials present us with a choice. Many choose to vent their frustrations to the people around them. Others choose to direct their anger and perplexity towards God. Still others have learned the secret that David has learned; David knows the Lord as his refuge and strong tower against the enemy. No matter what difficulty has touched his life David knows that his life is hidden in God. In the midst of this storm David lifts his pain in prayer before the Lord. His appeal is a moving one as he says, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” This plea is filled with passion, faith and humility as he cries from the depth of his need for direction and protection from the almighty God to whom he has entrusted his life.
Many times intense prayer is birthed out of intense pain and intense growth is birthed out of the intensity of our prayers. This passage bears great resemblance to the description found in Heb 5:7 of the prayers of the Lord Jesus. “During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” Loud cries and tears were the heart of Jesus’ life of prayer! This was the foundation of those things that moved the heart of God. When our need or the needs of others drive us to the throne of God those prayers are received with kindness when they are offered with reverence and submission. This seems to be the key to David’s life of prayer as well as the lives of Christ and many others throughout the word of God. In the same way each of us will grow greatly in our spiritual lives as we submit reverently to the Lord

in prayer.

Wednesday

Psalm 60:4 - June 24, 2009

Ps 60:4 "But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow." NIV

This verse is written within the context of an intercessory psalm written during a time of conflict. Israel is at war and God has allowed her enemies to mount up against her. This verse is a revelatory principle expressed in the midst of a heart cry for God to overcome the evil circumstances that David and Israel are facing. David is acknowledging that God is using these hardships to deal with stubborn Israel and yet he is bold enough to cry out to God for his intervention. This is a much needed condition of heart amongst God’s people: Sober appraisal of our neediness before God and a stubborn boldness before Him that humbly persists in His presence and will not faint under His dealings but will stand confidently in expectation before him.
In the midst of such a trying time David emphasizes that even through the midst of such a trial God is watching over those that truly fear him. In every group situation there will be those who believe in God and then a whole different group that not only believe but relate to him with a holy fear and reverence that will not take unhealthy advantage of His kindness to us.
David’s point in this passage is that in each setting where God identifies those who hold up His righteous standard and steadfast love He is working to create an example of the benefits of fearing the Lord. Imagine in the midst of the storm of war with clouds of confusion on every side a bright and shining banner being lifted over the fray for all of God’s faithful ones to see and run to in time of trial. When all of life is full of pressure and we are being weakened by opposition and the compromises of those around us God holds out a standard of integrity and holiness for those who love Him to run to. As we keep our eyes fixed in his direction, even when the battle is hot and confusing thoughts are pressing in, we can know that God will uphold a standard for all to run to who love this righteousness and truth, where his deliverance and safety are waiting. Look to the Lord in your battle today and let nothing shake the stand that you have taken for God!

Tuesday

Psalm 59:16-17 - June 23, 2009

Ps 59:16-17 "But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. 17 O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God." NIV

To have a revelation of the power and strength of God is to have an anchor of confidence in an uncertain world. To have a revelation of God’s love is to have a source of inner security and peace that is unconditional and never changes. David lived in an intimate revelation of both of these truths. David had experienced the strength of God as it had empowered him to do great deeds. First the lion and the bear and later Goliath became the targets of a God empowered champion. As a young man David tasted the joy of being emboldened by a supernatural strength as he challenged the animals in the wilderness who attempted to attack the flock under his care. He knew the joy of delivering his sheep from the attacks of these enemies. This was the foundation of his song. Later his song grew stronger as he was led by the Lord to face the giant in the name of the Lord, declaring God’s glorious name as his battle cry as he rushed to face his enemy.
There is a powerful principle contained in these verses and in this journey. Our life experiences and the battles that we face and overcome build within us an even greater strength. As we gain this strength it becomes harder and harder for circumstances to shake our faith, our joy and our peace! David learned to praise instead of panic, to worship instead of worry. At the time that David wrote this psalm his life is in great turmoil as King Saul has sent soldiers to spy on his home, hoping to capture him and take him prisoner. What an opportunity to be overcome by the pressures of your circumstances and yet David’s eyes are fixed on God as his heart is filled with songs of God’s great strength and abiding love. God built within David a personal history that made him strong in the strength of God. He knew how to draw upon God’s Holy Spirit through worship as a provision for his inner needs and as the means to tap into God’s abundant resources for his natural needs.
There is a powerful lesson of spiritual focus in this passage as well. When David is experiencing such tensions in his life, with enemies all around to capture and kill him he could have become obsessed with his problems and the tensions that surrounded him. Instead he placed his focus on God. He reminded himself of God’s power, God’s love and the hiding place that was available to him in God. Consider this reality in simple terms. The essence of these points is first that God is able to help. Secondly the knowledge of God’s love conveys to our hearts that God is willing to help. Thirdly the knowledge of God as our hiding place identifies the means of God’s help as we hide ourselves. This third principle was clearly the outflow of David’s knowledge of God’s promise to Abraham, “I am your shield, your very great reward!” With God as a shield about us we are safe from any assignment of evil that would rise up against us. Though God allowed David’s life to experience hardship and pressure two things became certain: first that God would not allow his life to be taken prematurely and secondly that even though there would be seasons of struggle the end of the story would prove God’s faithfulness and abundant provision in David’s life. These lessons are lessons that David lived but that speak to us today! Rest in the shade of God’s promises and rejoice in his strength and love today as you wait for his direction in the midst of your need.

Monday

Psalm 59:9-13 - June 22, 2009

Ps 59:9-13 "O my Strength, I watch for you; you, O God, are my fortress, 10 my loving God. God will go before me and will let me gloat over those who slander me. 11 But do not kill them, O Lord our shield, or my people will forget. In your might make them wander about, and bring them down. 12 For the sins of their mouths, for the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride. For the curses and lies they utter, 13 consume them in wrath, consume them till they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob." NIV

David is surrounded by enemies and yet his eyes are on one thing! The servants of Saul are watching his house to capture and kill him if they can find him and his good intentions are being greeted with jealousy and envy yet in the midst of all of this he knows the source of his strength and his eyes are on one thing alone; the Lord his fortress. One of the powerful insights presented by David’s psalm is that regardless of these horrible circumstances David is still living with expectation before God. One common response to difficulty in the lives of those who have been serving the Lord is to yield to the temptation to give up and let go of any confidence that God will make a way where there does not seem to be one.
David could be despairing now with the potential of a terrible death awaiting him if he is caught by his oppressors and yet he is singing songs of joy. It is obvious from his response that he is finding great strength in the knowledge of the prophetic word that he has received from the prophet Saul. David is speaking in regard to his trials as if the outcome has already been decided and he is merely awaiting the final outcome. The word of the Lord has provided such an anchor to David that his prayers are a reflection of his assurance that God will not only deliver him but punish his adversaries and set them as an example of the fate of the wicked. David’s cry is filled with an expectation that God will win the day and that in the end the testimony of this trial will be one that exalts the power of God before all the earth. Each one of us should realize that God is at work on a level that is much bigger than the scope of our immediate needs. God is building for himself a testimony of power and might that will fill all of the earth.

Sunday

Psalm 57:7-8 - June 21, 2009

Ps 57:7-8 "My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. 8 Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn." NIV

Is your heart steadfast? One of the great characteristics of a heart transformed by the Spirit of God is steadfastness of heart. David had learned a lesson that is one that each one of us needs to lay a hold of. David found strength in God to live with a heart that did not faint. Though David lived a life that for many years was one of constant struggle and tension he developed strength of heart that could not be overcome by circumstantial pressures. Yes he had heart ache. Yes there were times when he wrestled with his soul for a place of victory but at the end of the day he lived in that victory!
His heart was steadfast.
Many people are easily shaken from their confidence in God by the fiery trials that come against them. Often we are tempted to accuse God of not being faithful to the principles that He has set forth in His word. One of the common responses to God in the midst of trial is to doubt and even to accuse Him of being the cause of our troubles. Heart after heart cannot bear the trial of circumstantial difficulty and the lack of maturity in our faith is exposed by the troubles that we face. God is not the author of our trials but He encourages us to endure them as discipline like a good soldier embracing the difficult training that will later save his life in battle. God in His goodness allows us to walk through trials knowing that if we will let our heart be strengthened by the process the end result will be a life that is unshakable. This is one of the greatest forms of Christian witness; a life that cannot be shaken from its peace and composure by the trials of this life.
As we consider this high standard of an unshakable heart of faith the question comes to mind, “What was David’s secret? What was the source of His confidence in God?” At least a portion of the answer we are seeking for can be found in Psalm 57:7-8 as we have been considering David’s journey. He presents three habits in these verses that seem to regularly appear in David’s writings. David presents an example of a lifestyle of worship that has developed within him an intimate companionship with God. Secondly, he displays a habit of confronting the soulish nature within himself and exhorting it to be refocused on the Spirit of God instead of the difficulties of his situation. He cries out to himself, “Awake my soul!” He refuses to allow himself to fall into a state of spiritual slumber or apathy that is the beginning stage of yielding to the dominion of soulish responses such as depression and anger. David chooses to stir himself up and live empowered by his life of worship. The third quality that David exemplifies in this passage is spiritual discipline. Many people when things get difficult seek refuge in the comforts of their flesh yet David reflects a decision to wake himself early and place himself in the presence of the Lord where he can find strength for the day! What a cry from the mouth of David, “I will awaken the dawn!” The troubles of the day look different when that day was begun with prayer and praise. When the heat is on press in to God harder rather than withdrawing into self-indulgent comforts and you will find the Spirit of God filling you power to overcome with joy!