PSALM 28
A psalm of David.
I pray to you, O Lord, my rock.

Do not turn a deaf ear to me.

For if you are silent, I might as well give up and die.

Listen to my prayer for mercy

as I cry out to you for help,

as I lift my hands toward your holy sanctuary.

Do not drag me away with the wicked—

with those who do evil—

those who speak friendly words to their neighbors

while planning evil in their hearts.

Give them the punishment they so richly deserve!

Measure it out in proportion to their wickedness.

Pay them back for all their evil deeds!

Give them a taste of what they have done to others.

They care nothing for what the Lord has done

or for what his hands have made.

So he will tear them down, and they will never be rebuilt!

Praise the Lord!

For he has heard my cry for mercy.

The Lord is my strength and shield.

I trust him with all my heart.

He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.

I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

The Lord gives his people strength.

He is a safe fortress for his anointed king.

Save your people!

Bless Israel, your special possession.

Lead them like a shepherd,

and carry them in your arms forever.

Bursting out
The past few weeks we have watched as the people along the Mississippi River have worked feverishly to prevent levees from bursting. Sometimes their efforts have succeeded at other times they have not. If you have seen a burst levee it is a dreadful sight. A wall of earth that is supposed to hold the water at bay, becomes a channel spewing water directly into neighborhoods and towns. A burst levee cannot hold back water.

Many times in life I feel like bursting. (No I am not talking about how I feel after Christmas dinner at Grandma’s house, although it could apply.) I am referring to times when I want to burst forth verbally about something. At times I want to burst forth in praise, but other times I have heard words of anger and disgust flowing out of my mouth.

James provided some good insight on what comes out of our mouths. “Does a fresh water spring produce salt water? Neither should a believer’s mouth produce abusive and foul language.” (My paraphrase)

David longed to burst forth in praise to God and rightly so for God is worthy of our praise. I say let it out. Shout to the Lord! Sing to the Lord! Burst forth in praise to the King! Sometimes when I am singing I just have to shout “whew”. When God has a hold on your life don’t try to hold it inside, burst out in praise.

Father, help my words to be always uplifting and positive when I burst vocally. Instead of anger or bitterness fill my mouth with praise and rejoicing. I desire to sing your praise today. - Dan Jones

A divine jetty
In just a few weeks I’m moving to Silver Creek, New York, a village along Lake Erie. I already know what one of my favorite places will be. The rocks.

There is about a quarter mile long and 30’ wide jetty of rocks reaching into the mighty lake like a finger pointing to Canada. Someone stacked hundreds of large rocks and poured a sidewalk like a spine down the middle. Sitting on a rock at the farthest end will be one of my favorite places to read, meditate, think, pray, and relax.

I won’t have to swim to enjoy that spot. Or tread water the deep water in order to stay afloat. I won’t worry about any current causing me to drift. I won’t need to keep my eye on other boats or kayaks. The rocks make it possible for to enjoy this beautiful spot and focus my attention of matter completely unrelated to this inland sea.

Neither will I focus on the rocks and wonder if they will collapse. I don’t know the people who put them there, but I trust them. Strange how we put our lives in the hands of perfect strangers!

God is no stranger to me. I trust him to be like one of those Lake Erie rocks. Firm. Solid. Trustworthy. Unmovable. In fact, because of his reliability, I do not need to focus on shifting, lapping, even dangerous life all around me. He’ll be my support through everything. I can fill my mind wit new discoveries and deeper awareness rather than worry and anxiety.

Rock of ages, I don’t always simply trust you as my unshakable foundation. I let worry and anxiety invade as if you were not completely reliable. Forgive me. Help me to increasingly treat you like I treat this jetty; absolute confidence. - Mike Leamon

PSALM 27
A psalm of David.
The Lord is my light and my salvation—

so why should I be afraid?

The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger,

so why should I tremble?

When evil people come to devour me,

when my enemies and foes attack me,

they will stumble and fall.

Though a mighty army surrounds me,

my heart will not be afraid.

Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident.

The one thing I ask of the Lord— the thing I seek most—

is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

delighting in the Lord’s perfections

and meditating in his Temple.

For he will conceal me there when troubles come;

he will hide me in his sanctuary.

He will place me out of reach on a high rock.

Then I will hold my head high

above my enemies who surround me.

At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,

singing and praising the Lord with music…

Teach me how to live, O Lord.

Lead me along the right path,

for my enemies are waiting for me…

Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness

while I am here in the land of the living.

Wait patiently for the Lord.

Be brave and courageous.

Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Single minded but many sins
I don’t think David had enjoying time with God on his mind that spring evening on the rooftop. He had Bathsheba’s gorgeous wet body strumming his desires. I don’t think he had enjoying God’s perfections on his mind when he received news that one of his sons raped one of his daughters. He had his head in the sand of denial. David was a mixed bag of issues – just like the rest of us, just like me.

But I think if we were to strip back the layers of desires and flaws, failures and sins, we’d find a single driving, defining search fueling his life; the search to know and love God. This man genuinely enjoyed spending time with God. Speaking and singing, worshiping quietly and dancing wildly, here was one who felt passionately about his relationship with God.

I think it was this single minded passion, despite his sad and egregious sins, that made David a man after God’s own heart.

I don’t have David’s personality. My highs don’t soar like his do. Nor do my lows descend to the same depths. But I want David’s passion for God expressed through the personality God gave me. I want a single mind for God that drives my life.

Confidence is one of the many benefits this kind of relationship with God offers. Life may grow threatening – a plunging housing market when I need to sell my house, skyrocketing gas prices and a much lower income, family stresses due to living at a greater distance from one another – still this God I have come to know and love is my rock. There is less chance of him abandoning me that my parents turning their backs!

So I will wait patiently – and confidently – for the Lord!

I'm all yours, Lord God. All else may fail and the world around me grow trying and stressful. But if I have you, I have all I need. So, with your help, I will be brave and courageous. - Mike Leamon

PSALM 26
A psalm of David.
Declare me innocent, O Lord,

for I have acted with integrity;

I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.

Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me.

Test my motives and my heart.

For I am always aware of your unfailing love,

and I have lived according to your truth.

I do not spend time with liars

or go along with hypocrites.

I hate the gatherings of those who do evil,

and I refuse to join in with the wicked.

I wash my hands to declare my innocence.

I come to your altar, O Lord,

singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all your wonders.

I love your sanctuary, Lord,

the place where your glorious presence dwells.

Don’t let me suffer the fate of sinners.

Don’t condemn me along with murderers.

Their hands are dirty with evil schemes,

and they constantly take bribes.

But I am not like that; I live with integrity.

So redeem me and show me mercy.

Now I stand on solid ground, and I will publicly praise the Lord.

Bold Claims
The last verse of the great hymn And Can it Be says:

No condemnation now I dread
Jesus and all in Him is mine!
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach the eternal throne,
And claim the crown,
Through Christ my own.
Amazing love!
How can it be That thou, my God,

Shouldst die for me.

I love this old hymn for it tells the story of my salvation. Each verse takes me closer to the God I love until I am boldly approaching the throne of God to claim my crown through Christ.

Most days I don’t feel as bold as David or Charles Wesley. I shudder to think what the outcome would be if I were to ask God to put me on trial. My thoughts, my desires, my lack of obedience in the small things flood my mind with guilt. I know what the verdict would be. Guilty, not innocent!

Then I hear the voice of Christ assuring me, He has taken my punishment, I am innocent because of Christ. In this realization I am humbled, broken, and amazed. It is amazing love. How can it be, that Christ, my God would die for me.

I thank you Lord for dying for me that I might live. Thank you for declaring me as righteous and then giving me the strength to live that way as I walk in obedience to you. Thank you for forgiving me each time I fail to live in your love. Your love is amazing. - Dan Jones

Arrogance or sociology?
Repeatedly in his poetry, and again in this psalm, David admits that he refuses to hang out with people who refuse to recognize God’s authority and insist on determining their own life direction and creating their own moral compass. He thinks this is a good thing and pleases God. In fact, it seems that avoiding the company of wicked people evidences his pure heart and warrants God’s blessing.

Dare I write it the way many would think or express their disdain for a man like this? Just who does the SOB think he is!? Better than everyone else?

Almost 25 years ago I read a fascinating secular sociology work titled, “A Social Construction of Reality” by two guys named Berger and Luckman. Their observations about the influence of primary and secondary social groups suggest that people like David are onto sociological reality rather than into arrogance!

Primary social groups, our dearest and nearest family and friendship systems, largely determine our perceptions of the world around us; our attitudes, thoughts, assumptions, and beliefs about everything – reality. If a person wants to significantly change his or her entire system of perceptions, that person must change primary relationship networks! The old primary relationships must become secondary. In fact, every social group with perceptions outside those one wants his or her life to be shaped by, but be casual relationships.

This is simple sociology – ah, common sense. So if I do not want David’s religion to be the primary lens through which I understand everything, he and his kind cannot ever become my most intimate social network.

But then, I do want to see life this way. So I’m hanging out with David and his kind of people; friends with everyone, but nearest and dearest with only those who help me develop a God centered view of reality.

God, with your help I will never develop an arrogant attitude toward those who view life differently. Still, help me to allow into my closest circles only those who feed and nourish my faith in you. - Mike Leamon

PSALM 25
A psalm of David.
O Lord, I give my life to you.

I trust in you, my God!

Do not let me be disgraced,

or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.

No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced,

but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.

Show me the right path, O Lord;

point out the road for me to follow.

Lead me by your truth and teach me, f

or you are the God who saves me.

All day long I put my hope in you.

Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love,

which you have shown from long ages past.

Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.

Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, f

or you are merciful, O Lord.

The Lord is good and does what is right;

he shows the proper path to those who go astray.

He leads the humble in doing right,

teaching them his way.

The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness

all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.

For the honor of your name, O Lord,

forgive my many, many sins.

Who are those who fear the Lord?

He will show them the path they should choose.

They will live in prosperity,

and their children will inherit the land.

The Lord is a friend to those who fear him.

He teaches them his covenant.

My eyes are always on the Lord,

for he rescues me from the traps of my enemies.

The eyes have it
Fixing my focus on God presents a constant challenge. It’s much easier to focus on my own ability to assess a situation, wrestle with the options, and create solutions. These are not bad. In fact, I think God expects me to use the critical thinking capacity he gave me. Still, these aught not be my focus as I move through daily decisions.

Immersing myself in understanding the ways of God – character, mind, and heart; this must be the context surrounding and underlying my decision making processes. Knowing him means being led by him to those who humbly submit themselves to him. Knowing him means that his truth defines the path I take daily.

This is why I must spend more time focusing, not on the issues that demand decisions, but on God himself. I need him to teach me all his ways. I need this more than I need some practical direction in any given decision I face. In fact, as my life grows more reflective of him character, mind, and heart, I will need to ask less of specific and practical direction!

It’s all in my eyes! I must focus them less of the decisions staring at me and more on the one who would lead me. I must know him inside and out. Then I will know the paths I should take in the broad sweep of my life and the narrow choices I face each day.

Oh Lord, I give my life to you! I will focus on you through my summer of transition and change. I will seek to know your character, mind, and heart so well, that your leadership comes naturally, indeed instinctively, to me. - Mike Leamon

Colored lenses
I was golfing the other day with some friends and as is par for my game, my ball was in the rough. If you golf much, you have experienced the frustration of trying to find your ball in 3-4” rough. You saw your ball land in what seemed like an open area, but when arriving where you thought your ball was, there is nothing to be seen. The ball is hidden in the tall grass.

The time I am referring to, one of my partners had some glasses that helped the ball to stand out from the grass around it. The glasses were tinted making the white ball stand out from the green grass. With his help I was able to locate my ball and continue on without a penalty.

David desired that God would see him through tinted glasses. I need God to look at me through the lenses of Christ’s death. With David, I plead that God would remember me as righteous, forgiven, and holy in the light of his love. It is not that I attain these things on my own, it is only through Christ I am these things to God.

God remember me in the light of your love and Christ’s death. Without the covering of Christ in my life I am revolting to you. Thank you for loving me and making me into something beautiful in your sight. - Dan Jones

It's been an emotionally chaotic weekend for Mike, who does the posting (interesting given today's psalm!). I candidated at and accepted the invitation to pastor a marvelous congregation in Silver Creek, NY - Christ Chapel Wesleyan Church. So the Friday and Monday posts just didn't happen. Today order returns!

PSALM 24
A psalm of David.
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.

The world and all its people belong to him.

For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas

and built it on the ocean depths.

Who may climb the mountain of the Lord?

Who may stand in his holy place?

Only those whose hands and hearts are pure,

who do not worship idols and never tell lies.

They will receive the Lord’s blessing

and have a right relationship with God their savior.

Such people may seek you

and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob.

Interlude

Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors,

and let the King of glory enter.

Who is the King of glory?

The Lord, strong and mighty;

the Lord, invincible in battle.

Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors,

and let the King of glory enter.

Who is the King of glory?

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies— he is the King of glory.

Interlude

The King of Glory
In OT times the King was top-dog. Our democratic fancies make us averse to kings in America but not entirely. We still crown a high-school senior the Prom King, Elvis was the King of Rock and Roll and Labron James has been nicknamed King James for his prowess on the basketball court. Our culture is full of people we elevate to the status of king in their perspective areas.

Kings are people who command our respect, our attention, and even our allegiance. Their triumphs quell our doubts about who is best and who are the rest. Kings rule. When a King walks into the room you stand, when they ask for something you hurry to get it. Kings have people to take care of their light work.

A king rides in a limo, has cops all around them to keep the paparazzi off them and has crowds of people screaming to get close to them. Every girl wants to marry the king. Kings have money and power and fame and glory and everything you could ever want. Every boy wants to be the king; only one gets to.

The image of Psalm 24 is of an invincible King, strong in battle. Matthew 21:5 “Say to the Daughter of Zion, See your king comes riding to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Matthew 27:37 “Above his head they placed the written charge against him: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

An odd place to find a king, but this is how Christ demonstrated true Kingship.

My Lord and my King, you reign over all the earth and over all my life as well. I give you thanks for abandoning the trappings of your throne to walk this earth in humility so we could become heirs of your kingdom of power. - Dan Jones

No chaos here!
Maxwell Smart bumbles his way through his mission to keep Kaos from wrecking havoc on the world in the spy spoof, Get Smart. This old TV show, now movie, basis itself on the yin yang philosophy of balancing chaos and control in the world.

David reminds me that the real world doesn’t need balance between these two things. There is no chaos, only God in control. I need this reminder because life often seems rather chaotic. My mind perceives chaos all around me and I wonder what in the world is going to happen in the world during the second half of my life. Philosophical Naturalism wants me to believe my perceptions, insisting that all of life happens randomly and without ultimate purpose. It’s only a chaotic survival of the fittest.

David’s generation perceived chaos. The ancient world perceived the gods in constant battle. In fact, that’s how creation came about. Younger gods of land defeated the gods of water, banishing them to places under and over the earth. David addresses perceptions of chaos in his generation and mine in the opening lines of his poem.

Using the images of his own era, David insists that God is in control of it all! If we could somehow come into the King of glory’s presence we would begin to see life from his vantage point. We could begin to relax and live at peace when life seems so out of control.

My goose is cooked! I cannot come into his presence. My hands and heart are not always pure. I am committed to worshiping only God, but I also confess that I suspect I come painfully close to worshiping other things like my country, my financial security, my body. I struggle to live honestly, letting who I really am and what I’m truly thinking and feeling reflect themselves in my words.

Thank God for Jesus who make a way for me to enter the presence of the King of glory so his perception of all creation can increasingly become mine!

Lord, strong and mighty, I worship you as both the Creator and Sustainer of all this exists. You didn’t conquer it. You made it, both the waters and the land. There are no other gods to compete against you. Grant me growing confidence in your ability to control the forces of your creation while never withdrawing or trampling over your wonderful gift of freedom. – Mike Leamon

PSALM 23
A psalm of David.
The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.

He lets me rest in green meadows;

he leads me beside peaceful streams.

He renews my strength.

He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.

Even when I walk through the darkest valley,

I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.

Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.

You honor me by anointing my head with oil.

My cup overflows with blessings.

Surely your goodness and unfailing love

will pursue me all the days of my life,

and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

Old Faithful
If you go to Yellowstone National Park the Park Ranger can give you a schedule for Old Faithful. The geyser is just about as predictable as your watch. We all have things and people in life we know we can always depend on. And we all have our favorite passages of Scripture we turn to when we face trouble.

Psalm 23 is one of those oldies but goodies for many of us. Our Bible is worn thin with underlining and highlighting from the many times we have turned to this Psalm for comfort. There is something beautiful about Psalm 23 that speaks to our every need. God’s provision in the face of calamity; knowing God is victorious even over death itself; the comfort of a loving shepherd; the promise of love, all speak to our basic longing for God.

The danger with old faithful is that we become immune to its beauty. Like park rangers who have grown tired of answering questions about a geyser we can skim over the words of Psalm 23 without taking notice of their rich promises. Instead, we must cherish their beauty and truth as if we were reading them for the first time. Our favorite Scriptures need not become old even though they remain faithful in ministering to our needs time after time.

My Shepherd, I praise you for leading me to places of rest and nourishment in life. I find great comfort in the familiar words of the Bible and you never disappoint me when I spend time in your presence. - Dan Jones

Great nourishment, lousy location
I like eating at restaurants that have offer special ambiance. For example, there’s nothing like the Rainforest Café. And nobody does international ambiance quite like Disney in Epcot. In contrast, my favorite breakfast place is a plain local diner where the waitresses call everyone “honey” and remember their regular customer’s usual order.

Most of my meals, however, are eaten at home. Nothing special. Just the ordinary kitchen or dining room. Truth is, these meals are as nutritious, if not more so, than restaurant meals surrounded by ambiance. Best of all, they are much cheaper!
I am glad that the spiritual feeding God offers doesn’t depend on fancy ambiance! Some of the most spiritually nutritious experiences don’t happen surrounded my stained glass and really nice music. These soul feeding experiences happen in ordinary and risk-filled places; places symbolized by fields with snakes in the grass.

Feasting in the presence of enemies refers to sheep grazing in fields where snakes make their home. The shepherd will place oil on the sheep’s head that acts as a repellent, allowing the sheep to graze safely in the presence of snakes!

There is spiritual nutrition available to me in the most dangerous environments! Messy people, hurtful events, stressful seasons, all offer circumstances in which God can feed me.

Thanks Good Shepherd for your ability to provide the spiritual nourishment in any context. Help me to be open to every meal you offer, especially those you have prepared in what seem to be unlikely places. - Mike

Psalm 22:19-31
O Lord, do not stay far away!

You are my strength; come quickly to my aid!

Save me from the sword;

spare my precious life from these dogs.

Snatch me from the lion’s jaws

and from the horns of these wild oxen.

I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.

I will praise you among your assembled people.

Praise the Lord, all you who fear him!

Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob!

Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!

For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy.

He has not turned his back on them,

but has listened to their cries for help.

I will praise you in the great assembly.

I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you.

The poor will eat and be satisfied.

All who seek the Lord will praise him.

Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.

The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him.

All the families of the nations will bow down before him.

For royal power belongs to the Lord.

He rules all the nations.

Let the rich of the earth feast and worship.

Bow before him, all who are mortal,

all whose lives will end as dust.

Our children will also serve him.

Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord.

His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born.

They will hear about everything he has done.

Enduring faith flows beneath the storms of doubt
The waters of my emotions get choppy when crises blow in. With David I too feel forsaken by a distant and inattentive God. Doubts birthed in various philosophies sometimes slip into my mind when I cannot see God’s hand or understand God’s mind. Could he merely exist as a force one and the same as the physical universe (the pantheism of Star Wars)? Did he get it all started in that cosmic big bang and then move on (the deism of America’s Founding Fathers)? Is the existence of God merely the ghost of outgrown human need as some recent authors insist?

Yet even in those days when doubts toss my boat, I have found that a deep and steady current of faith always flows just beneath the storm. I know that God is there and that he is good. I know he guides history to the conclusion he intends for it (I read in Revelation!). Even more completely that David, I know that, on that day, “the whole earth will acknowledge the Lord.”

With the deep current of faith flowing, no one need fear doubts. In fact, though to the outsider is may seem hypocritical and contradictory, a person of faith can praise God even while struggling through a season of doubts!

Thanks God, for the gift of a deep and abiding faith that doubt cannot attack. No matter the emotional upheavals that come my way and the winds of doubt, I will bow before you. - Mike Leamon

Praise the Lord
There is a popular worship song that encourages everything that has breath to praise the Lord. While the song is inspired by the command in Psalm 150, the idea is certainly implied in Psalm 22. Rich, poor, weak, strong, all are to praise the Lord. Even the future generations will hear about the wonders of God and praise Him.

The future generations of Psalm 22 include us. Our purpose in life is to praise God, to glorify Him and enjoy His presence forever according to the old Confession. Certainly this is our created purpose, yet we find it hard to live out. We praise God when things are going well but struggle to lift our voice in praise during tough times.

I recently was reminded of a comment by Rick Warren in an interview. He stated he saw life not as a series of hills and valleys but of two parallel streams running through all of life. The one stream is the good of life, the other the bad things in life. We never are without something good, a blessing from God nor are without something bad, a product of the curse. No matter which stream is flowing stronger we are always in a place to praise God and in a place where we need His help.

Rick Warren is right, no matter what is happening in life we are never beyond needing God’s help and there is always something to praise God for.

God of glory and grace, I confess I need your grace today and I glory in your blessings. Thank you for reminding me of your presence in my life that brings both blessing and transformation. - Dan Jones

Psalm 22:1-18
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Doe of the Dawn.”
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far away when I groan for help?
Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer.
Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief.

Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
Our ancestors trusted in you,
and you rescued them.
They cried out to you and were saved.
They trusted in you and were never disgraced.

But I am a worm and not a man.
I am scorned and despised by all!
Everyone who sees me mocks me.
They sneer and shake their heads, saying,
“Is this the one who relies on the LORD?
Then let the LORD save him!
If the LORD loves him so much,
let the LORD rescue him!”

Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb
and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast.
I was thrust into your arms at my birth.
You have been my God from the moment I was born.

Do not stay so far from me,
for trouble is near,
and no one else can help me.
My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls;
fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in!
Like lions they open their jaws against me,
roaring and tearing into their prey.
My life is poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart is like wax,
melting within me.
My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay.
My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.
My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs;
an evil gang closes in on me.
They have pierced my hands and feet.
I can count all my bones.
My enemies stare at me and gloat.
They divide my garments among themselves
and throw dice for my clothing.

Praying Scripture
During the times of our deepest sorrows it is difficult to pray. We want to pray, for we have reached the end of our rope, yet words fail us. Paul tells us in Romans 8 the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with words we cannot express during these times. The words of Scripture can also fill our mouths when our spirit cannot formulate words.

Jesus understood this reality on the cross. The words of Psalm 22 flooded his memory and escaped his lips as his reality parroted the cruelties of the Psalm. In His deepest time of despair it was Scripture that carried him through. The words of God prayed back to God.

I was in a seminar last fall where the speaker referred to Scripture and prayer as two parts of breathing. We breathe in God’s breath of life when we read Scripture. (All Scripture is God-breathed, 2 Tim. 3:16.) We exhale that same breath when we pray Scripture back to God. In reading and praying we complete the full cycle of respiration. Praise God for the comfort and support the Bible gives us even in our deepest crisis.

Holy God, you gave life to all creatures through your breath in the Garden of Eden and you continue to give life through your Word today. Thank you for your Word and the blessing of both reading and praying. - Dan Jones

From her breasts onward
Sure this psalm powerfully sets the stage for Jesus’ crucifixion. What was metaphor for David became literal for Jesus. I suspect the closer Jesus came to the time of his death the more this Psalm dominated his mind.

This psalm also demonstrates that fully devoted children of God, even those dear to God’s own heart, experience depression. This wasn’t a momentary melancholy. That he can count all his bones suggests loss of appetite over a period of time. In fact David’s entire self description corresponds to symptoms of clinical depression! Phooey on those who suggest that good Christians don’t battle depression!

But what grabs me the most today is David’s affirmation of God’s faithful work in his life from his earliest moments outside the womb. Depressed or not, David anchors his life in God’s life-long faithfulness. Feeling forsaken, he still insists that the trust he knew instinctively at his mother’s breast, remains the trust he clings to in this dark, dark season.

I too have always had a keen sense of God’s work in my life. From my earliest childhood memories I have possessed a deep love for God and a desire to serve him with my whole life. Interestingly, I too have known seasons of deep depression. Is it possible that one cannot be had except accompanied by the other!? Do deep spiritual sensitivities to God also open one up to deep emotional valleys? I don’t know.

I do know that, somehow, from my mother’s breast till now, I have and will forever love the Lord.

Mysterious God, thank you for the gift of a deep desire for you, even if it must be accompanied by extended seasons of dark night. I’m yours, regardless the seemingly fruitless side affects. - Mike Leamon

PSALM 21
For the choir director: A psalm of David.
How the king rejoices in your strength, O Lord!

He shouts with joy because you give him victory.

For you have given him his heart’s desire;

you have withheld nothing he requested.

Interlude

You welcomed him back with success and prosperity.

You placed a crown of finest gold on his head.

He asked you to preserve his life,

and you granted his request.

The days of his life stretch on forever.

Your victory brings him great honor,

and you have clothed him with splendor and majesty.

You have endowed him with eternal blessings

and given him the joy of your presence.

For the king trusts in the Lord.

The unfailing love of the Most High will keep him from stumbling.

You will capture all your enemies.

Your strong right hand will seize all who hate you.

You will throw them in a flaming furnace when you appear.

The Lord will consume them in his anger;

fire will devour them.

You will wipe their children from the face of the earth;

they will never have descendants.

Although they plot against you,

their evil schemes will never succeed.

For they will turn and run when they see your arrows aimed at them.

Rise up, O Lord, in all your power.

With music and singing we celebrate your mighty acts.

The source of success
Sometimes everything goes perfectly. The best laid plans of mice and men – work! The details fall into place just the way they needed to. Those involved finish the project (or battle in this case) with celebration and feelings of walking on air. Pat ourselves on the back. Or not.

While success brings honor to those involved, the credit for the success itself, in the end, goes to God. Zig Zigler observed that success happens when planning and preparation intersect opportunity. The vast majority of opportunities cannot possibly result from our design. They are beyond our ability to control. Is this merely chance?

On the surface, the first ingredients belong to us. Planning and preparation demand our hard work, study, and huge expenditure of energy. We can be sure David didn’t go into battle half cocked! Nevertheless, best laid plans of mice and men going awry fill the history books and our own stories. In the end, both ingredients either belong to God or to chance.

I choose to believe its all about God. I wrestle with understanding how God involves himself in all our plans and projects. But, with David, I know he is the One who acts in victory and in defeat, success and failure, to bring about his good plans for this human race he lavishly loves.

Sovereign God, help me to better understand your ways and so be transformed by the renewing of my mind. But ultimately, grant me the gift of simple trust that brings me into the company of David so together we will always give credit to you for every success. - Mike Leamon

To the victor go the spoils
My wife and I were treated to a viewing of Prince Caspian yesterday. The movie demonstrates how fierce war can be and the cost of fighting. David was no stranger to war and fighting. From an early age he had engaged enemy forces in combat. Beginning with lions and bears and graduating to giants and then hordes of Philistines, David knew the pain of war.

David was hailed as a mighty warrior by all of Israel even before he was king. It would have been easy for David to begin to feel he was invincible, able to conquer any foe despite the overwhelming odds against him. But David is not that way, he prays for protection and upon returning safe from battle acknowledges the Lord’s hand in the victory.

David knows God has been the source of victory, yet David is blessed with the spoils. What a wonderful reminder for us. God will bring about the victory and we receive the blessing.

Almighty God, when I stand and face opposition help me to know the victory comes from you. Forgive me when I let pride convince me I have accomplished the victory. - Dan Jones

PSALM 20
For the choir director: A psalm of David.
In times of trouble, may the LORD answer your cry.
May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.
May he send you help from his sanctuary
and strengthen you from Jerusalem.
May he remember all your gifts
and look favorably on your burnt offerings.
Interlude

May he grant your heart’s desires
and make all your plans succeed.
May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory
and raise a victory banner in the name of our God.
May the LORD answer all your prayers.

Now I know that the LORD rescues his anointed king.
He will answer him from his holy heaven
and rescue him by his great power.
Some nations boast of their chariots and horses,
but we boast in the name of the LORD our God.
Those nations will fall down and collapse,
but we will rise up and stand firm.

Give victory to our king, O LORD!
Answer our cry for help.

God bless you!
It is an automatic response for many of us. You hear someone sneeze and you immediately respond with “God bless you” or “Bless you.” In our society we say this to be polite. We really are not thinking about what we are saying, we just automatically respond with the words of blessing.

Praying for God’s blessing or voicing words of blessing over another person is not something trivial. For believers there should be an expectancy of blessing in our lives when we are living centered in Christ. It is not that our lives are worthy of God’s blessing, it is that God desires to bless His people.

Scripture teaches that God desires to give us good things and even the desires of our hearts. When our lives are centered on God it is God who creates the desires in our hearts. Granting those desires is therefore a fulfillment of God’s will for our lives as He created the desire to begin with. Our prayer of blessing for others is to pray in line with God’s will for their lives.

Instead of shying away from the blessings of God we should revel in them giving God glory for his greatness and sharing those blessings with others. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Gracious God I pray for a blessing on my brother and friend Mike Leamon this morning. May he see the desires of his heart come to fruition as you bless him and supply all of his needs today. Grant him success in all his endeavors and fill his heart with joy and celebration of your greatness. We praise you today for your demonstrations of grace in our lives. - Dan Jones

Trusting power
In power I trust. It takes power to accomplish important objectives, to bless the down and out, and to give me the desires of my heart. Everything rises and falls on power.

Trouble is, I too often lapse into the human default mode of trusting human power. My nation prints all over the place that it trusts in God but acts more like it trusts in our modern versions of chariots and horses. Unfortunately I often act no differently.

I trust my ability to provide for my family, and worry about being several weeks without income between jobs. The economic power of the housing market is weakened and I need to sell my home. I trust my physical power to make it sellable and the realtor’s professional power to market it, but worry that it’ll set unsold after I move.

Having done my best to be responsible, I still struggle to place my complete trust in God to accomplish the good I hope for. The mood of this Psalm finds David completely trusting God’s power to accomplish every good thing in life. This is the trust I seek to develop.

All powerful God, there are always forces at work that affect my life. With your help and David’s perspective, I will never fear them. I will act as responsible as I know how and trust your divine power to work through all things to accomplish your good plans in my life. - Mike Leamon

PSALM 19
For the choir director: A psalm of David.
The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

The skies display his craftsmanship.

Day after day they continue to speak;

night after night they make him known.

They speak without a sound or word;

their voice is never heard.

Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world.

God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.

It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding.

It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.

The sun rises at one end of the heavens

and follows its course to the other end.

Nothing can hide from its heat.

The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul.

The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are clear,

giving insight for living.

Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever….

How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?

Cleanse me from these hidden faults.

Keep your servant from deliberate sins!

Don’t let them control me.

Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.

May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you,

O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Faithful witness
Creation really does speak of God faithfully. I have planted millions of seeds as a farmer and watched how God took a hard shelled seed of corn and transformed it into a vibrant green plant 14 feet tall with two golden ears of corn each having 300+ seeds on them. All of this from dirt, rain, sun and time. No effort of mine can create a stalk of corn, yet as seeds, dirt, sun and time respond to God’s leading they testify to God’s awesome power and love.

Not so with the human race. We defy the power of God, running from the voice of our creator, trying to grow ourselves. We think we don’t need God; we can do life on our own. Even those who have responded to the call of God and are seeking Him, fail to testify to God’s grace and love as faithfully as a seed of corn.

David saw creation and recognized God’s work. He saw his own life and shuddered at what was hidden inside him. I see the grass, the trees, and the fields of hay, soybeans, corn and vegetables and see a faithful response to God’s creative power. I want to be as faithful as a plant. I desire to display God’s work of grace and love as honestly and rightly as a corn plant.

Holy God, with David, I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart might be to you O Lord, my Rock and Redeemer. - Dan Jones

Ordinary reverence
How can I best revere God? What kinds of words and meditations will please him? Sometimes I think the answer lies only in overtly religious words and deeds. After all, how can I revere God when I’m not thinking about him, say in prayer or meditation? And surely he feels most revered when I dress up and go to church in reverent corporate worship.

Elsewhere David and other psalmists affirm the God-honoring nature of specifically religious words and deeds. Psalm 1 speaks about meditating on God’s laws. In Psalm 15, David asks who may dwell in God’s sanctuary as if time spent in a holy place doing religious things and speaking religious words were of great value. And they are!

But in this Psalm, David affirms another rather ordinary reality that reveres God.

The heavens glory and honor God by their mere existence and daily functioning according to God’s design. Just the sun bursting across the eastern horizon reverences the God who decreed that this should happen every single morning.

So to myself. When I live my life every moment, just the way God commanded it to be, I am bringing great pleasure to the Designer. Even when I am not thinking about religious thoughts or doing religious deeds, just by living out my days as God decreed brings him pleasure.

Thank you, God, for the privilege of living for your honor just by my God-ordained existence. Whether mowing the lawn, eating a meal with my wife, or laying my head on a pillow in sleep, every move I make demonstrates your genius! May the way I think and the choices I make add to that demonstration rather than detracting from it. – Mike Leamon

PSALM 18:32-50
God arms me with strength,

and he makes my way perfect.

He makes me as surefooted as a deer,

enabling me to stand on mountain heights.

He trains my hands for battle;

he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.

You have given me your shield of victory.

Your right hand supports me;

your help has made me great.

You have made a wide path for my feet

to keep them from slipping.

I chased my enemies and caught them;

I did not stop until they were conquered.

I struck them down so they could not get up;

they fell beneath my feet.

You have armed me with strength for the battle;

you have subdued my enemies under my feet.

You placed my foot on their necks.

I have destroyed all who hated me.

They called for help, but no one came to their rescue.

They even cried to the Lord, but he refused to answer.

I ground them as fine as dust in the wind.

I swept them into the gutter like dirt.

You gave me victory over my accusers.

You appointed me ruler over nations;

people I don’t even know now serve me.

As soon as they hear of me, they submit;

foreign nations cringe before me.

They all lose their courage

and come trembling from their strongholds.

The Lord lives! Praise to my Rock!

May the God of my salvation be exalted!

He is the God who pays back those who harm me;

he subdues the nations under me

and rescues me from my enemies.

You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies;

you save me from violent opponents.

For this, O Lord, I will praise you among the nations;

I will sing praises to your name.

You give great victories to your king;

you show unfailing love to your anointed,

to David and all his descendants forever.

No God like our God
You can find lots of gods in our culture. Muslims, Buddhists, New Agers, and cults all have a god they worship. Many of the gods of this world are similar. They possess some sort of positive quality that elevated them to god status from either human form or mythological triumph. In the end they are all died or where never alive to begin with. They exist in forms, ideas, pictures, and idols.

Jesus Christ actually lived as a human being on the earth. He walked on this planet, talked with people, ate our food, and breathed our air. He lived, and he died! One crucial difference between the God of the Christian and the gods of everyone else is that Jesus was resurrected. He lives today. Jesus is as much alive today as when he walked on this earth.

The cross and resurrection of Christ are distinct from all other religions. No other religion can claim what we do. While we were the enemies of God, Christ died for us. Christ’s death on the cross as the substitute payment for the sins of all who believe is unique to all history. There truly is no God like our God.

God of uniqueness and originality you stand above all other gods in the universe. There is nothing like you and I profess your power over all things. I want nothing but you to hold first-place in my life. - Dan Jones

Because of Him
Nothing worth accomplishing or experiencing can be credited to me. I have talents. God gave them. I have resources. God gave them. I have knowledge and wisdom. God gave them. Everything I am comes from God.

I am a product of nature; a man and a woman, sperm and egg, passion and timing. That nature had a designer. I am a product of nurture; Christian parents, holiness churches, and middle America in the 1960’s and 70’s. Divine Providence guided that nurture. Everything that shaped me fell under God’s good oversight.

I am an amalgam of my choices. I gave my life to Christ very young and began trusting him to shape those choices. Every direction I have taken has been under his influence. By choice, he still holds sway over my choices, though they are all made by me and with incomplete understanding. Every direction I go, he goes their first.

The Lord lives! Praise to my Rock!

You are the One who is over, through, in, and beyond all that exists. And I am happy to live and move and have my being in you. I am happy that I cannot escape you! May the God of my salvation be exalted! - Mike Leamon

PSALM 18:16-31
He reached down from on high and took hold of me;

he drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy,

from my foes, who were too strong for me.

They confronted me in the day of my disaster,

but the LORD was my support.
He brought me out into a spacious place;

he rescued me because he delighted in me.

The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;

according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.

For I have kept the ways of the LORD;

I have not done evil by turning from my God.
All his laws are before me;

I have not turned away from his decrees.
I have been blameless before him

and have kept myself from sin.

The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

To the faithful you show yourself faithful,

to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
to the pure you show yourself pure,

but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.

You save the humble

but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.

You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning;

my God turns my darkness into light.
With your help I can advance against a troop;

with my God I can scale a wall.

As for God, his way is perfect;

the word of the LORD is flawless.

He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

For who is God besides the LORD ?

And who is the Rock except our God?

I get who I am
It’s true. Most of us see what we already believe. And who we are at our core shapes all that we believe. Classic caricatures of this reality are the eternal optimist and pessimist. One Christmas the optimist receives a box of manure and rejoices that surely this means he has a horse waiting for him. The pessimist actually receives a horse and immediately laments all the work required to maintain the gift.

Is it possible that this same dynamic affects our relationship with God? David suggests that a faithful person sees a faithful God, a blameless person, a blameless God and so also a pure person experiences God’s purity. But a crooked person is only capable of experiencing a shrewd God.

God is no less faithful to a faithless person than he is to a faithful person. But if faithlessness becomes more than a momentary struggle; if it begins to define who I am, I will not experience the faithfulness of God in all its beauty. In fact, I will unlikely experience faithfulness in any relationship – or blamelessness, or purity.

Who I am doesn’t change the reality around me, but it does change how I experience it. And so, my character determines my own reality. How sad if this reality is a hell of my own making.

Faithful, pure and blameless God, I want to see and know you as you really are. I do not want anything in me to distort my experience of you. Please continue to create in me the very same qualities you possess so I can connect fully with you. - Mike Leamon

You get more than what you are
Be mean to someone and they will most likely be mean to you. Be nice to someone and they will probably be nice back. The golden rule normally works out. People give back to you what you give to them. When I am grumpy all day, the people I work with become grumpy. When I am happy they cheer up.

The Old Testament is full of the eye for an eye principle. Here we find an example of the positive side not just the negative side. If we live faithfully with integrity and purity in humility, God will be faithful and pure and demonstrate integrity by rescuing us. This is what David says. Not a bad deal when you think about it, but in Jesus we find God goes further than David realized.

David writes this Psalm while he is fleeing from Saul. He has not yet experienced his colossal failure with Bathsheba and the resulting chaos in his family. Later David will discover how much deeper God’s love is than we read here. God is faithful when we are faithless, He is pure and true and holy even when we are not. God can never violate His character thus He is always these things. In everything that happens to us God is just and faithful (Nehemiah 9:33). I am glad God goes further than what I deserve.

God of justice and faithfulness, thank you for remaining true to yourself even when I am not true to you. Thank you for extending to me not what I deserve, but what I don’t deserve: grace. My goal is to live a life that reflects your character and grace. - Dan Jones

PSALM 18:1-15
For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:
I love you, O LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.

The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called to the LORD;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.

The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.

Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.

He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.

Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies,
great bolts of lightning and routed them.

The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

Saved from my enemies
Who are our enemies? Most of us, if not all of us who read this blog, are free from enemies like David had. No one is hunting us down with guns and knives trying to literally end our lives. For us who are free from the threat of physical death the word enemy takes on a different form.

Enemies come in the form of sickness, financial troubles, discouragement, harassment at work, words of hatred and even our own thoughts. These enemies are no less potent than the sword slinging ones. Their poison works slower, but it leads to the death of ministry, they steal our joy, rob us of our energy and even force us to relocate from one job to another at times.

In some ways, I think it is easier to be bested by these subtle enemies than the blatant ones. We don’t know how to fight the subtle enemy. So let’s take a cue from David. Fight subtle enemies the same way you do blatant ones: with God’s strength and sword. Run to God, wait for him to vindicate you.

God of strength and power, I need you to be my strength and deliverer against the subtle enemy of doubt, discouragement, and frustration in my life today. Help me not to succumb to my enemies but to stand in your strength. - Dan Jones

Good storms
I love a rousing thunderstorm, complete with pelting rain, forked lightening, and the booming clash of warm and cold air masses – just so long as I am sitting in the shelter of a gazebo with a cup of coffee in my hand. There is something about the sounds and smells of a storm that I love.

I’d feel quite differently, however, if I were a soldier sloshing through such a storm hunting dangerous fugitives. If I’d been a member of Saul’s army, I’d not only cursed the storm, I’d probably feared it. Natural events in the ancient world communicated supernatural messages, omens. For both David and Saul, God thundered his anger in this storm. And David celebrated! God had once again delivered him from the hands of a mortal enemy.

More often then not, storms are reason for grumbling. Rather than lounging with coffee in some gazebo, I am more likely on the road, wanting to mow the lawn, or walking between buildings when storms arrive. Stormy days get in my way and dampen my mood far more frequently than they refresh me. No wonder weather storms provide perfect metaphors for difficult and unpleasant life experiences – a stormy time of life.

Stormy life experiences never refresh me! I’ve yet to find a gazebo or breathe in fresh air in these kinds of storms. But I cannot escape the reality that, what was an obstacle for Saul and his men, became, for that very reason, protection for David – the same storm producing very different results. Could it be that my stormy experiences are in fact God’s protective action?
Could it be that the storms I would curse are, in fact, God’s providential provision of a fortress, or an experience of deliverance?

God of stormy days, thanks for reminding me that the same storm I am experiencing could be the very event that keeps enemies at bay. The next time life rains and pours on me I’ll thank you rather than grumble. - Mike Leamon

PSALM 17
A prayer of David.
Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea;

listen to my cry.

Give ear to my prayer—

it does not rise from deceitful lips.

May my vindication come from you;

may your eyes see what is right.

Though you probe my heart and examine me at night,

though you test me, you will find nothing;

I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.

As for the deeds of men—

by the word of your lips

I have kept myself

from the ways of the violent.

My steps have held to your paths;

my feet have not slipped.

I call on you, O God, for you will answer me;

give ear to me and hear my prayer.

Show the wonder of your great love,

you who save by your right hand

those who take refuge in you from their foes.

Keep me as the apple of your eye;

hide me in the shadow of your wings…

And I—in righteousness I will see your face;

when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.

Bent over to listen
If you have ever spent much time around young children you have spent some time on your knees. In order to fully enter their world you have to get down to their level. Standing and talking to a small child makes them crane their neck as far back as possible and look straight up into the air. You, on the other hand, are looking down on them from on high. Communicating with a small child is best done down on their level where you can both look eye to eye.

What a wonderful picture of our God. We, his children, often try to crane our necks up at God, shouting out instructions like a sassy child. God, patiently bends down, gets down on His knees and talks to us on our level. God bends down to hear our prayers. He listens closely.

The incarnation is certainly the most obvious way God bent down to enter our reality, but through the Holy Spirit, God enters our reality on a daily basis, communing with our spirit. We serve an amazing and loving God who has come down to our level. And like small children, He sweeps us up in his arms of protection and love every time we run to Him.

Abba, Father, you are such a loving and wonderful God. Thank you for coming down to our level and picking us up in your arms of love. Your voice of reassurance is a great comfort to me today. - Dan Jones

What I want
Looks like arrogance, but it’s what I want. David claims that if God probed him he’d only find righteousness! He’s resolved not to sin, and by golly, he’s kept to God’s path and his feet haven’t slipped as much as an inch. Is David arrogant? Ignorant? Or…

Perhaps it’s a little of all three. But it’s the “or” that I want and pursue in my life. I think David has examined his life and honestly says to God, using my far less poetic prose, “There isn’t any willful sin in my life.” He isn’t putting on a deceptive show for God. He speaks the truth, “I’ve resolved not to sin against you.”

Every moment, every day, that’s exactly what I want. Both things. I honestly commit to follow all of God’s will for my life. And I refuse to knowingly leave out, add to, or contradict anything God wants from me. I want every hint of rebellion gone. I want only one bent to exist in the depth of my being; a bent in God’s direction.

God of my heart’s desire, keep me as the apple of you eye and hide me in the shadow of your wings so that your love will purify me and your care will keep me from all known sin. - Mike Leamon