Our Great God!
(Based on Psalm 8)

You are Jehovah, OUR Master!
And Your greatness is visible everywhere –
Whether I look out the window or up into the night sky.
Even the cries of a baby and the babblings of a child speak of Your power,
Leaving those who oppose You speechless and powerless before You.
When I stare up into space I see just a portion of all You have made,
Only that which is visible to the naked eye.
And I can’t help but ask the question:
Why would a God so great waste His time thinking about men,
Or even take a second to consider them at all?
But then it hits me – when You created Adam and Eve
You created them in Your own image
And surrounded them with the abundance and splendor of Your creation.
Then You put them in charge of it all!
Every sheep and cow, domestic or wild,
Birds of all kinds and even the fish that swim in the lakes and oceans.

You are Jehovah, OUR Master!
And Your greatness is visible everywhere!

The Greatness of God.

“O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens.” – Psalm 8:1 NLT

Immensity, power, glory, might, greatness. All those concepts are wrapped up in the single word translated “majestic” in this passage. And David uses it to describe the name of God, His reputation or fame. To David, the greatness of God was everywhere. It was visible and tangible, but you had to be able to recognize it all around you. David saw it on the earth and in the night sky. God’s glory – His reputation, renown and fame – was all-pervasive to David. He couldn’t look out the window and not see the majesty of God revealed. He couldn’t look up into the night sky and not be reminded of the greatness of God. To David, God’s reputation was not only based on His miraculous interventions in the affairs of Israel – His victories in battle, His divine provision and protection – but it was evident in the everyday affairs of life. Everything around David screamed the praise of God, because that is the way God designed it. Even Jesus understood what David was talking about when He quoted this Psalm in an exchange with the religious leaders.

“The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, ‘Praise God for the Son of David.’ But the leaders were indignant. They asked Jesus, ‘Do you hear what these children are saying?’ ‘Yes,’ Jesus replied. ‘Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, “You have taught children and infants to give you praise.”‘ – Matthew 21:15-16 NLT

From birth, man was made to praise God. We are appointed for that purpose. But the effects of the fall and the influence of sin have a way of hijacking our purpose and blinding us to the majesty and greatness of God. We lose the ability to see Him all around us. Our eyes become blind to His presence and power.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem just days before His crucifixion, the crowd of disciples following Him cheered wildly, proclaiming, “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!” (Luke 19:38 NLT). The Pharisees were appalled at what they heard and demanded that Jesus tell His disciples to cease and desist. Instead, Jesus replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” (Luke 19:40 NLT). Jesus knew what David knew. Everything in creation shouts the praise and glory of God. While all men were created to praise God, many do not. But creation does. God’s glory is not relegated to man’s recognition of it. God’s glory or reputation is evident everywhere and at all times.

And the amazing thing to David was that this glorious, majestic, mighty, all-powerful God would give any thought to men. We are insignificant when compared to creation. Yet God has not only taken not of us, He has give us a job to do. He has appointed us as stewards of His creation. He has given us responsibility over all that He has made and that gives us glory and honor. We get to care for what He has created. What an honor. What a privilege. The recognition of that vital role given to us by a mighty God should rock our world and cause us to exclaim with David, “O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!” We should recognize the greatness of God’s reputation and want to do everything in our power to protect it, proclaim it, and live up to it.

Father, give me eyes to see You all around me. Don’t let me look past Your divine presence in creation as I search for You elsewhere. Like David, may I be able to look out the window or up into the sky and see You. Let me be blown away by Your majesty, might, and glory. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

God, My Righteous Judge
(Based on Psalm 7)

I come to You, O God, for any hope of protection,
Fully expecting You to defend me from those who harass me.
If You don’t, I am in deep trouble.
They’ll rip me to pieces like a lion would a lamb,
Leaving me a bloody mess with no hope of rescue.

You are my God, You know me.
If I have done anything wrong to deserve this,
If I am guilty of injustice in either word or deed,
If I have done anything to hurt a friend
Or unknowingly helped his enemy,
Then let those who are after me catch me.
Let them do whatever they want to me,
And leave me dishonored and humiliated.

But here’s what I ask of You as my God:
Rise up in my defense! Stand up for me!
Let Your righteous anger bring a just ruling on my enemies!
Bring everybody into Your court of Law,
Show them who is boss, that You are the one who rules.
You alone have the right to judge the world and all who are in it.

As my judge, I ask that You decide my case because I am NOT guilty!
I long for the day when the wicked get what they deserve,
And the righteous honored by You.
Because You are God, You know the difference between the two.
You examine the hearts or men and know their true motives.

You are my God, my protector,
You are a Savior to all those whose hearts are Yours.
You are a judge who makes right decisions,
Speaking out against injustice every single day.

If a person refuses to turn to You, but keeps on sinning,
You will be forced to give them what they deserve.
Your righteous justice will come like an enemy in battle,
You will use every weapon at Your disposal to dispose of them.

These people are like a woman suffering labor pains,
Their actions have left them pregnant,
And eventually they will bring into the world more lies, deceit and wickedness.
These people are always looking for ways to harm others,
But only end up hurting themselves in the end.
All the grief they intended for others ends up in their own laps.
They don’t realize just how self-destructive their lifestyle really is.

And all this makes me grateful to God for His justice.
It makes me want to sing His praises,
Because He is in full control and will make all things right!

God Is Just.

“I will thank the Lord because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” – Psalm 7:17 NLT

David has been falsely accused. He has been slandered by those who hate him and his former boss, King Saul, has been led to believe that David is out to kill him. But nothing could have been further from the truth. In spite of the fact that David had been anointed by God as Saul’s eventual replacement as king of Israel, and that Saul had hired a team of 3,000 trained mercenaries to kill him, David  had chosen not to seek revenge or attempt to expedite the end of Saul’s reign. Yet, he suffered. So he called out to his God. He appealed to the one who was capable of doing something about his situation. And all David wanted was justice. He wanted God, as judge, to rule on his behalf. If he was guilty, he was willing to suffer the consequences. “O Lord my God, if I have done wrong or am guilty of injustice, if I have betrayed a friend or plundered my enemy without cause, then let my enemies capture me. Let them trample me into the ground and drag my honor in the dust” (Psalm 7:3-5 NLT).

But David was confident in his innocence. He knew that God was all-knowing and well aware of what was going on inside his heart. “For you look deep within the mind and heart, O righteous God” (Psalm 7:9b NLT). So he begs God, “Declare me righteous, O Lord, for I am innocent, O Most High!” (Psalm 7:8b NLT). David had a strong grasp of the God’s role as judge of all mankind. He also knew that God was a righteous judge. He ruled rightly in all cases. He also knew that God was fully capable of bringing down the hammer on those who were guilty and unrepentant. “If a person does not repent, God will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow. He will prepare his deadly weapons and shoot his flaming arrows” (Psalm 7:12-13 NLT). God was not only capable of judging rightly and justly, but of bringing the appropriate punishment when guilt was established.

David had no confidence in the justice and fairness of men. He knew men well. He had been burned by them before. David was well aware of the deceitfulness of the human heart. He wrote about it often. “The wicked are stringing their bows and fitting their arrows on the bowstrings. They shoot from the shadows at those whose hearts are right” (Psalm 11:2 NLT). “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” (Psalm 26:9-10 NLT). David put his trust and confidence in the justice of God. He knew he could trust God to judge fairly, impartially, righteously and accurately. He knew God would defend him, protect him, and ultimately save him – because he was innocent. So David declared, “I will thank the Lord because he is just; I will sing praise to the Lord Most High” (Psalm 7:17 NLT). David expresses gratitude and offers praise to the sovereign ruler over all the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. He knew God to be just. He knew God to be an honest judge who is always right and never wrong. He knew God was fully aware of all the facts and would never accuse wrongly or punish undeservedly. The wicked would receive what they deserved. The innocent – those whose hearts are true and right – would receive justice. Because God is just.

Father, You are just and right in all You do. You never punish inappropriately or decide a case wrongly. You are the honest judge. You are the right judge. You are the holy judge. I can trust You. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

God Is On My Side
(Based on Psalm 6)

Lord, You are holy,
And have every right to be angry when I sin.
I know there are times when I deserve Your discipline,
When You are perfectly just in correcting me.
But I ask that you do it in compassion and not anger.
Discipline me, but do it in love.

I come to you in weakness, not worthiness,
Every ounce of my being needs your healing.
Even my heart is suffering and in pain.
I know You’re going to do something, but when?

Return Lord, because it feels like You’ve left me.
I know You love me, so I ask that You rescue me – soon.
While death might seem like a relief,
I prefer to praise you on this side of the grave.

My circumstances have me worn out from sorrow,
I spend most nights crying instead of sleeping.
My eyes are constantly blurred with tears
Thanks to the events of life and the unsympathetic enemies in my life.

But here’s what I know: You are completely aware of my situation.
You have heard my crying, seen my tears;
And You are going to answer my call for help.
So all those who wish to do me harm better watch out.
God is just and He is going to give you what you deserve.
I may look defenseless, but I have God on my side!

God’s Unfailing Love.

“Return, O Lord, and rescue me. Save me because of your unfailing love.” – Psalm 6:4 NLT

God rescues.
God saves.
God heals.
God shows compassion.
God hears.
God restores.
God answers.
God rebukes.
God disciplines.
God loves.

Those are just a few of the things that David knew about God. So when things weren’t going so well in David’s life, he turned to God. David was suffering greatly. We don’t know why. He was weak, in agony, sick at heart, in grief, and physically worn out from crying. He wasn’t even sure if what he was going through was because of something he had done. It didn’t seem to matter. Whether his suffering was the result of his own sin or the sin of someone else, he was going to turn to God. He was going to appeal to God’s unfailing love and mercy. David says, “I am weak.” His appeal is not based on his worthiness, but his weakness. He knew that he needed God. His strength was gone, his resources spent, his options wiped out. Like David, we need to come to the place that we understand our greatest argument before God is our NEED. As long as we harbor any thoughts of self-sufficiency, we will miss out on God’s unfailing love. It is not that He stops loving us, but that we fail to experience the full affects of that love because we keep trying to meet our own need. James 4:6 reminds us that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” He opposes the prideful – those who resist Him and refuse to humble themselves before Him. But He shows favor to the humble – those who have been humiliated by circumstances or who simply understand their need for God.

David had a strong belief in God’s ability to hear him and to do something about his situation. In fact, in verses 8-9 David speaks in the past tense. He says, “The Lord HAS heard my weeping. The Lord HAS heard my plea.” Then he speaks confidently about the future: “The Lord WILL answer my prayer.” David had confidence in his God. He understood the character of His God. For David it was not a matter of whether God would act, but how long until He would. “How long, O Lord, until you restore me?” (Psalm 6:4 NLT). Isn’t that the question we all ask? But only God knows the answer and He is not obligated to tell us the answer. Joseph spent more than three years in a prison suffering for a crime he did not commit. The Israelites spent 70 years in captivity for sins they DID commit. God will act when the time is right. He will do what is needed right when it is needed to be done. We need to look to God, not for the solution to our problem. God may delay, but that does not mean God is not doing anything. Waiting is part of the process of trusting. It is while we wait for the answer that we learn to know the One from whom the answer will eventually come. The objective is NOT a solved problem, but the problem solver. We must seek to know God in the midst of our circumstances.

Andrew Murray puts it this way: “Waiting in the sunshine of His love is what will ripen the soul for His blessing. Waiting under the cloud of trial, that breaks in showers of blessing, is just as necessary. Be assured that if God waits longer than you could wish, it is only to make the blessing doubly precious. God waited four thousand years, until the fulness of time, before He sent His Son. Our times are in His hands, He will avenge His select speedily. He will make haste for our help and not delay one hour too long.” – Andrew Murray, Waiting On God.

Father, help me to learn to wait well. And while I am waiting, let me look for You. Don’t let me obsess with the answer I am looking for, but instead, let me obsess with You. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

A Healthy View of God
I feel like I pray, but no one ‘s there.
Even my groans go unnoticed.
You are my King, the ruler of my life,
And my God, the one who gave me life,
So ultimately, I’m calling out to You,
Expecting You to do something, because no one else can.

I know this about You, Lord: You aren’t attracted to evil in the least,
You can’t even stand having it around,
Including people who think more highly of themselves than they do of You.
You hate the behavior produced from a life lived in opposition to You.

Eventually, because You are God,
You will be forced to punish all who love falsehood more than truth,
Who take away life with their hands, or destroy reputations with their words.
You are holy and can’t help but hate what is unholy.

But You are also loving – unceasingly so,
And it’s because of Your love that I can even enter into Your presence.
So when I do, I come before You with an attitude of worship and awe.
I ask You to lead me and guide me and to protect me from my enemies.

There is no shortage of people out there who lie
And who desire to hurt others, including me.
They act as if they love me, flattering me with their words,
But they don’t mean what they say.
But I will let You be their judge and not me.
You judge righteously, so give them whatever they deserve.
At the end of the day, their sin is against You, not me.
I’ll leave them in Your hands.

But for all of us who love You and turn to You for help,
May we find refuge and, as a result, rejoice accordingly.
Help us understand more than ever just who You are – Your nature,
And discover the joy of trusting in You.
It’s our relationship with You that makes us godly, not us,
So bless us and  surround us with Your protection like a shield.

A Knowledge of God.

“But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy. For you bless the godly, O Lord; you surround them with your shield of love.” – Psalm 5:11-12 NLT

Where does David go in times of trouble? He goes to God. He turns to the only one who can help him. He cries to God for help – as his King and his God – and then he waits expectantly. As a king himself, David understood the sovereign rule of God. He was in charge. He alone possessed the power and authority to do anything about David’s problem. But he was also David’s God, so He deserved honor, respect, and worship. David understood the holiness and righteousness of God, that He was set apart and separate from the sinfulness of men – including the wicked, prideful, evil doers, liars, murderers and deceitful. God was not like earthly kings who could be all those things and more. He was a righteous, holy King – who was just, good, and merciful. So David could appeal to His unfailing love and ask for God to lead him in the right way to go. Unlike David’s enemies, who lied and flattered for their own benefit, God was truthful, loving, and a righteous judge who always deals justly and honestly with men.

David saw God as a place of refuge and protection. He could run to God in the tough times and find comfort in God’s open, loving arms. Because David understood the mercy and love of God, he could sing praises even in the midst of suffering. He could experience joy even when surrounded by those who were out to destroy him. David had found God to be his protector and provider time and time again. God had proven Himself faithful to David in the past, so he knew he could trust him for the future. He knew if he called, God would hear. He knew if he was under attack, verbally or physically, God would protect him. He knew if his enemies attacked him unfairly, God would deal with them justly. He knew that when he was at a loss for what to do next, God would show him what to do. David knew God as his King, guide, protector, provider, judge, advocate, refuge, and holy God. God was his source of joy and peace, the object of his praise, the focus of his prayers, the answer to his problems, the directer of his paths, and the reason for his worship. Oh, that I would know God like that. “Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring” (Hosea 6:3 NLT).

Father, I want to know You more. I want to have an understanding of Your character and nature like David did. Knowing You didn’t rid David of all his problems, but it gave him a different perspective on how to handle and view them. I want to respond to the circumstances of life as he did – prayerfully, expectantly, worshipfully, and joyfully. I want to understand Your holiness better, rest in Your love more often, and sing Your praises in the good times and the bad times. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

These are difficult days, Lord,
A good friend has died and it all seems so unfair.
It feels as if Satan is laughing,
And our side has lost another valuable player!

It’s hard to understand how this could be part of Your plan.
It seems unjust and unfair.
It makes no sense. It seems unproductive.
There has to be a better way than this!

But I know You know what You are doing.
I trust You because You are trustworthy.
You have never given me reason to doubt You,
So why should I start now?

I suffer from a limited perspective.
I can only see so far and then everything becomes blurry.
But You know all things and see all things,
The future is as clear to You as the past.

Nothing surprises You or catches You off guard.
At no time are You in heaven wringing Your hands in worry.
You are in complete control,
Which should bring me complete peace.

Give me eyes to see life from Your perspective.
Replace my limited perspective with an eternal one.
Let me see You when everyone else around me sees nothing.
But when I can’t see You, help me trust You anyway.

I know You are God. I know You love me.
I know You are all-powerful and in complete control.
But help me believe those things
When everything around me shouts otherwise.

I put my hope and trust in You.
I give You my confusion and my questions.
Show me mercy. Shower me with grace.
Shine in the darkness and light my way, O Lord!

Set Apart By God For God.

“You can be sure of this: The Lord set apart the godly for himself. The Lord will answer when I call to him.” – Psalm 4:3 NLT

More than likely this Psalm was written shortly after Psalm 3. David has had to abandon Jerusalem because his son, Absalom, has taken over his kingdom. David is in hiding somewhere in the wilderness outside Jerusalem. His own son has been spreading lies about him, ruining his reputation and turning the hearts of the people against him (2 Samuel 15:1-5). These are difficult days for David. He is facing one of the toughest moments of his life, having to listen to false accusations against himself, and watching as his kingdom is taken over by his own son. The natural response would have been anger. But instead, David turns to God. In spite of the circumstances, David knew that his God was still for him. He reminds himself and us, “You can be sure of this: The Lord set apart the godly for himself. The Lord will answer when I call to him” (Psalm 4:3 NLT). The Hebrew word translated “set apart” means “to show special favor.” It conveys the idea of God distinguishing or to show to be different. David knew that God was going to deal with him differently because he belonged to God. David refers to himself as “godly.” That word simply means “faithful one.” David is saying that he has been faithful to God. He is not claiming perfection or sinlessness, but only that he has not abandoned God. He continued to trust in and on God. He belonged to God, so he knew that God would hear him when he called.

The people who accompanied David when he fled Jerusalem were asking him, “Who will show us better times?” (Psalm 4:6 NLT). They were distraught and wondering what was going to happen to change their circumstances. They wanted to know when things were going to get better. David knew that God was the key to their hope. He knew through experience that God was the source of joy. God had given David more joy than any amount of success or affluence could ever bring. “You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine” (Psalm 4:7 NLT). David knew that God alone could hear him when he called, declare him innocent, free him from all his troubles, show him mercy, and keep him safe even in his sleep. No matter what was going on around him and to him, David knew that he could trust God.

Father, I want to trust You more. I want to have the confidence in You that David expressed. He had found You to be faithful in the past, so he could confidently trust You for the future. He did not let the conditions around him determine His faith in You. He trusted in Your character, not his circumstances. He recalled all the wonderful things You had done for him and realized that You had set him apart for Yourself. David belonged to You, so he knew he could trust You. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org