unfailing love

Psalms 122 & 124 – Day 1

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A Question Worth Asking.

“What if the Lord had not been on our side?” – Psalm 124:1a NLT

What if the Lord had not been on our side? What if He had not answered our prayers? What if He had refused to rescue us? What if He had not sent His Son to die in our place? These are all sobering questions that require us to consider NOT the consequences if our God ever failed to come through, but the reality that He always does. He is always faithful and true. He is always on our side. It may not appear like it at times, but His very nature, His character assures us that He is on our side.

These two Psalms are part of what were called the Songs of Ascent. They were sung by the pilgrims making their annual journey to Jerusalem for Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles, both celebrations associated with the Passover. These songs were sung along the way, reminding the travelers of their destination and the One to whom they were making this long arduous journey to worship. They were going to Jerusalem “to give thanks to the name of the Lord, as the law requires of Israel” (Psalm 122:4b NLT). The name of the Lord was synonymous with His reputation. He was El Shaddai (Lord God Almighty), El Elyon (The Most High God), Adonai (Lord, Master), Jehovah Nissi (The Lord My Banner), Jehovah-Raah (The Lord My Shephard), Jehovah Rapha (The Lord That Heals), Jehovah Shammah (The Lord Is There), Jehovah Tsidkenu (The Lord Our Righteousness), Jehovah Mekoddishkem (The Lord Who Sanctifies You), El Olam (The Everlasting God), Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide), Jehovah Shalom (The Lord Is Peace), and Jehovah Sabaoth (The Lord Of Hosts). God’s names were a picture of who He was and all that He had done for the people of Israel. So they went up each year to celebrate His activity in their lives and in the life of their nation.

But they also celebrated the reality that, without God, they would have no hope. Had God not been on their side, “The waters would have engulfed us; a torrent would have overwhelmed us” (Psalm 124:4 NLT). They recognized that life without God would have been no life at all. They understood that their help was from the Lord, the same Creator God who had made heaven and earth. This all-powerful God had chosen to have a personal relationship with them and provide them with His protection, provision and ongoing presence. But rather than take this fact for granted, they people of Israel reminded themselves what life would be like if things were different. They asked the sobering question, “What if the Lord had not been on our side?” We could probably stand to do the same thing. Without Him, our lives would be bleak indeed.

Father, my life is nothing without You. My future would be hopeless without You. My life would have no meaning without You. But because of who You are, I know I have help, hope, and healing at my disposal. I have a relationship with the God of the universe. Thank You. Amen

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

Psalm 109 – Day 1

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When All Else Fails – God Won’t.

“But deal well with me, O Sovereign Lord, for the sake of your own reputation! Rescue me because you are so faithful and good.” – Psalm 109:21 NLT

David has some real classy friends. He loves and prays for them, and in return, they slander him, tell lies about him, falsely accuse him, and wish all kinds of bad things would happen to him, including that he would die and his children become beggars. As the old saying goes, with friends like that, who needs enemies? These people, whoever they are, have it out for David, and they are calling down the judgment of God on him. David is misunderstood, mistreated, disliked, and disdained by his so-called friends. So he does the one thing he knows to do in tough times – he calls on God. He appeals to the only one who can do anything about his situation. And he bases his appeal to God on the reputation of God for holiness, righteousness, justice and equity. He knows that God understands the situation better than anyone else, and that God is the only one who can do anything about it. God is fully aware of the accusations leveled against David and He knows whether they are true or not. David doesn’t have to defend himself to God, because God already knows the truth. David calls out to God because he is poor and needy and his heart is full of pain (Psalm 109:22). He claims, “I am fading like a shadow at dusk; I am brushed off like a locust. My knees are weak from fasting, and I am skin and bones. I am a joke to people everywhere; when they see me, they shake their heads in scorn” (Psalm 109:22-25 NLT). David is in a bad spot. He is under attack and overwhelmed by his circumstances, so he calls out to God. He appeals to His mercy, grace, righteousness, goodness, and unfailing love. He knows that if God is on His side, it doesn’t matter what his “friends” say or do to him. “Then let them curse me if they like, but you will bless me!” (Psalm 109:28 NLT). David knows that God will deal favorably with him. He will rescue and restore him. God will give David plenty of reasons to praise Him when it is all said and done. “I will give repeated thanks to the Lord, praising him to everyone. For he stands beside the needy, ready to save them from those who condemn them” (Psalm 109:30-31 NLT). While everything seemed to be failing around David, he knew his God would not let him down. He is faithful, true, reliable, and always ready to stand by those He loves. Friends may dessert and disappoint us, but God never will. When all else fails, God won’t.

Father, sometimes in the midst of difficulty it is easy to lose sight of the fact that You are faithful – all the time. I can easily begin to think that You have left me and forsaken me. But You are faithful. Your love is not fickle or fluctuating. Your character is always consistent. When everything and everyone else fails me, You never will. Thank You! Amen

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

Psalm 103 – Day 2

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Plenty Of Reasons To Praise Him.
(Based on Psalm 103)

I will bless the Lord from the depths of my very being,
I will praise Him for His matchless reputation.
I will bless Him and not forget all He has done for me.
He forgives all my sins and heals me when I am sick,
He pays my way out of the pit, and crowns me with love and compassion,
He provides me with good things to eat and renews my strength so that I soar like an eagle,
The Lord always does what is righteous and provides justice for the oppressed,
Moses got to experience the character of God, so did the people of Israel,
They discovered that the Lord is compassionate, gracious, patient and never runs out of mercy.
He will not always accuse of our sins or remain angry with us forever,
He hasn’t done to us what we deserved or rewarded us in keeping with our sins,
Instead, He has shown unbounding, unlimited mercy to those of us who fear Him.
He has removed the guilt of our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west.
He shows compassion on those who hear Him like a father shows compassion on his children.
He knows everything about us and understands that we are little more than dust.
To God, our lifetimes are like grass, we flourish for a time like a flower in a field,
Then the wind blows it away, and no one can even remember where it was in the first place.
But the Lord constantly and consistently shows mercy to those who fear Him,
And the generations that follow them get to experience His righteousness –
As long as they keep His covenants and obey His commands.
The Lord reigns on His throne from heaven and rules over everything and everyone,
Even angels, in all their supernatural strength, praise the Lord, obeying His commands
And doing everything that He says.
Praise Him, all who are His warriors, carrying out His desires.
Let everything and everyone He has made in every sphere of His kingdom praise Him!

Psalm 103 – Day 1

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Praise the Lord!

“Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.” – Psalm 103:2 NLT

Gratefulness to God begins with an awareness of all that He has done for us. Failure to recognize God’s activity in our lives makes it extremely unlikely that we will be grateful. It’s hard to praise Him for all that He has done for us if we don’t recognize it to begin with. In this Psalm, David seems to be reminding himself of God’s daily activities in his life. He even says, “May I never forget the good things he does for me” (Psalm 103:2b NLT). Then he goes on to list all those “good things:”

  • He forgives all my sins
  • He heals all my diseases
  • He redeems me from death
  • He crowns me with love and tender mercies
  • He fills my life with good things
  • He renews my youth
  • He gives righteousness and justice
  • He is compassionate and merciful
  • He is slow to get angry
  • He is filled with unfailing love
  • He will not constantly accuse us
  • He doesn’t remain angry with us forever
  • He doesn’t punish us for all our sins
  • He doesn’t deal harshly with us, as we deserve
  • He shows us unfailing love that is immeasurable and unlimited
  • He has removed our sins as for as the east is from the west
  • He treats us like a father would his children
  • He is tender and compassionate
  • He knows and understands our weaknesses
  • His love for us remains forever
  • He rules over everything

That’s a pretty extensive list, and it is not unique to David. Every single one of these “good things” are available to us as His children. They are just as true of my relationship with God as they were of David. The problem is that we don’t tend to think about them. Instead, we dwell on all those things we believe God has failed to do for us. We concentrate on what we believe to be are unanswered prayers and unmet expectations. We may have some specific need we want addressed and, in our estimation, God has failed to deal with it adequately. In the meantime, we fail to recognize and appreciate His unfailing love, mercy, forgiveness, and grace He extends to us day after day – like clockwork.

One of the most amazing realizations David expresses in this Psalm is found in verse 10. The NET Bible translates it this way: “He does not deal with us as our sins deserve;  he does not repay us as our misdeeds deserve.” This is another way of looking at God’s incredible mercy and grace. You see, mercy is God not giving you what you deserve (withheld punishment), and grace is God giving you what you don’t deserve (unmerited favor). David understood that God had every right as God to deal with us harshly due to the sin in our lives, but He chose to show mercy instead. Rather than give us what we deserve, God gives us what we don’t deserve – His grace. Until we come to grips with the reality of that statement, we will never truly praise God for who He is and what He has done. Christ’s death on the cross is the ultimate expression of God’s love and grace. His death made possible our forgiveness. His sacrifice allowed God to withhold our punishment because in dying in our place, Christ paid our debt in full. The righteous wrath of God was satisfied once and for all. As a result, God has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. We no longer stand before God as guilty and condemned, but as forgiven and redeemed. He sees us as righteous and holy.

So if we think about it, we have just as much to be grateful for as David did – even more. We have enjoyed the benefit of Christ’s sacrificial, substitutionary death on the cross. So, like David, we should be able to say, “Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name” (Psalm 103:1 NLT).

Father, the good things You have done for me are real and deserving of my gratitude and praise. I should be praising You for who You are and all that You have done and continue to do on a daily basis. Open my eyes and help me see Your activity in and around my life. Give me an increasing awareness of Your grace and mercy so that I will praise You more. Amen

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

Psalm 86 – Day 2

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What Do I Want From God?
(Based on Psalm 86)

Turn Your ear to hear my prayer, O Lord;
Please answer me, for I am in sad state and in need of help.
Keep me safe, for I am faithful to You.
O God, save me for I am Your servant and I trust in You.
Show me mercy, O God, for I cry out to you daily.
I am bearing my soul to You, O Lord; restore my joy!
You are good, forgiving, and merciful to all those who call on You.
Hear my prayers, O Lord, and pay attention to my requests for favor.
Whenever I am in trouble, I call on You, because You hear and answer me.
There is no other god like You, and no one does the things You do.
Every people group on the face of the earth that You created will one day worship You,
And will one day honor Your great name, O Lord.
You alone are God and You do great and extraordinary things.
Instruct me in the way You want me to live my life,
And I will continually conduct myself according to Your truth.
I want to reverence Your name with my whole heart.
I will continually praise You with all my heart, O Lord my God;
I will make Your great reputation known every day that I live.
The mercy You have shown me is immeasurable,
You have delivered me from the lowest, darkest place.
The arrogant have stood against me,
And terrifying men who have no place for You in their lives have sought to destroy me;
But You are a gracious God, full of compassion, patient,
And with more than enough mercy and truth to go around.
Turn to me, show me mercy, support me by Your power, and save me.
Show me a sign of Your favor, O Lord,
So that those who hate me might see it and be disheartened.
May they realize that You support and comfort me, O Lord.

Psalm 70 – Day 2

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I Need You!
(Based on Psalm 70)

Hurry up, O God, and rescue me!
Hurry up and help me, Lord!
Disappoint and embarrass all those who seek my life.
Turn back and humiliate all those who desire to hurt me.
Let all those who laugh at me be the rejection of their own shame.
But let everyone who seeks You rejoice and be glad,
And let all those who love and long for Your salvation be able to say,
“Our God is great!”
As for me, I am poor and in great need,
So hurry God, because You’re my only help and salvation.
Do wait another minute!

Psalm 69 – Day 2

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It’s Never So Bad That God Can’t Do Good.
(Based on Psalm 69)

Save me, O God,
For the waters of difficulty are flooding my soul.
It’s like I am sinking into a bottomless mud pit,
I find myself in deep waters that flow over my head.
I have been calling for help so long my throat hurts and I am exhausted,
Even my eyes grow weary looking for your salvation to come.
It seems like there are more people who hate me without cause
Than there are hairs on my head.
These enemies who would destroy me, even though I don’t deserve it,
They make me pay back a debt I never owed.
O God, You know every foolish thing I’ve ever done,
And none of my sins are hidden from You.
Don’t let all those who hope in and wait on You be disappointed because of me,
Don’t let those who seek You be ashamed because of me.
For it’s because of You that I suffer all this contempt,
It is for Your sake that I am disgraced.
I am like a stranger to those who I used to call friends,
And a foreigner to my own family.
My unbridled love for Your house has ended up devouring me,
And all the scorn they have for You is now directed at me.
Even when I cry and fast, all I get is insults.
I mourn my circumstances, and they ridicule me.
The well-respected gossip about me,
While the drunks make up songs about me.
But as for me, I pray to You and ask that Your answer come at a favorable time,
Show me mercy, answer me by showing me Your salvation.
Rescue me out of the mud and don’t let me sink any further.
Deliver me out of the deep water, from those who hate me without cause.
Don’t let the waters of adversity overcome me,
Don’t let me be swallowed up or sink down.
Hear me, O God, because of Your love,
Turn to me and rescue me out of Your great compassion.
Don’t turn Your face away from Your servant,
I am in trouble; hear me and answer quickly.
Draw near to my soul and deliver it,
Redeem it, and rescue me from my enemies.
You understand full well all that I am going through,
The insults, reproach, shame and dishonor.
You’re very familiar with all my enemies, because they are Yours, too.
I am brokenhearted because of the constant scorn,
My soul is sick, and I long for someone to show me pity.
I long for compassion, but there in none coming.
Instead, they feed me a steady diet of venom,
They give me vinegar to drink.
May what they serve up to me become a trap for them.
And may all they hoped to gain from this turn against them.
Blind their eyes, let them shake with fear.
Pour out Your divine judgment on them;
Let them experience Your just anger.
May their homes become desolate and their tents empty.
For they take joy in harassing the one You have chosen to discipline,
And they gossip about the one You have punished.
Repay them to the same degree they have paid me,
Don’t let any of them enjoy Your salvation.
Don’t let their names be written in the Book of Life, blot them out.
But I am poor and in pain, so let Your salvation deliver me.
When You do, I will praise You in song and give You thanks,
Which will please You more than any sacrifice I could make.
Others who are weak and powerless will see this and be glad,
And they will be encouraged to seek You as well.
For You hear those in need and do not ignore those imprisoned by pain.
Let heaven and earth praise You, the oceans and everything in them.
For You will save Zion and build the cities of Judah,
So that Your people can live there and call it their permanent possession.
The descendants of Your servants will inherit it,
And all those who love Your name will live there.

Psalm 69 – Day 1

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Living Lessons.

“The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.” – Psalm 69:32 NLT

Do you ever wonder why difficulty comes into your life? As a Christian, do you ever question why God would allow you to suffer at all? Pain, persecution and trials of all kinds are difficult for us to handle, even as Christ-followers. As human beings we seem innately wired to run from trouble, or to confront it head on. In either case, our intent it to escape it or remove it from our lives. Yet this reality of pain and suffering is one of the things we human beings all have in common. Yes, it comes in varying degrees of difficulty and some seem to suffer more than others. But no one gets to go through life completely untouched by sorrow, hurt, difficulty, trials, and the feelings of despair they bring.

Even as God’s anointed king of Israel, David was not immune to difficulty. In fact, long before his kingdom began, he found himself in dire straights, running for his life and spending his days living in the wilderness instead of a palace. Psalm 69 reflects the words of a man who is in deep trouble. He is up to his neck in difficulty. We don’t know the circumstances surrounding his situation, but it is clear that David is having a hard time. He says, “I am in deep water,” “I sink into the mire,” I am exhausted,” “I weep and fast,” and “I am in despair.” Things are not going well for David, and so he is calling out to His God for help. He asks God to save him, rescue him, to show him favor, to answer his prayer and show him favor. He appeals to God’s unfailing love and mercy. David knows that God is his only hope. He fully understands that God alone has the power to rescue him from all that is happening to him. While David doesn’t enjoy what is going on, he sees it as an opportunity to watch God work. He knows that this is a chance to witness the power of God displayed in and around his life. His pain and suffering provide a platform on which God can display His power. And when God does rescue, David will have plenty of reasons to praise and thank God. Not only that, all those who love and honor God will also have ample reason to be encouraged and emboldened to trust God too. David knew that his difficulties were simply temporal occasions for God to display His eternal power. Our trials are no trouble for God. He is not worried, dismayed, in panic, or fearful about the outcome. He simply wants to reveal His strength through our weakness. He wants to display His power through our impotence. God loves to save. He longs to rescue. And when His children praise and thank Him when He does, He is glorified and honored. When God rescues us, others are encouraged. When God intervenes on our behalf and we sing His praises to those around us, they are prompted to trust in God the next time they go through trials and difficulties. Our troubles become opportunities to witness of God’s saving power. They provide us with real-life examples of God’s presence and power. They remind us of God’s love and mercy. And when we thank Him for His salvation from trouble, and tell others what He has done for us, He is glorified. And all who seek God’s help get encouraged.

Father, You long to intervene in our lives and You long to show Your power. You have chosen to do so through our weaknesses. You have determined to display Your glory through those events in our lives that reveal our own weaknesses. May we see those times as opportunities to see You work. And when You do, may we give You the glory and praise You deserve. So that others will be encouraged to trust You more. Amen

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

Psalm 67 – Day 2

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Making His Ways Known.
(Based on Psalm 67)

God, I ask You to show mercy on us and bless us,
To look down on us and show us Your favor.
That the world might see Your true character as You work through us,
Your salvation revealed to a watching world.
Cause the nations of the world to confess Your greatness, O God,
Give them plenty of reasons to praise You.
Cause the people of the world to rejoice,
Shouting joyfully as they see You work among them.
For You judge righteously, leading and guiding all those who live on the earth.
Give Your people cause to praise You, O God,
Give them plenty of reasons to praise You!
Just as the earth faithfully produces crops for us,
So our God will bless us.
He will bless us,
And everyone living on the earth will learn to honor, fear, and respect Him.

Psalm 66 – Day 2

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Prayer = Praise.
(Based on Psalm 66)

Shout joyfully in praise to God, everybody and everything on earth!
Sing songs about the glory of His reputation,
And when you do it, make your praise of Him glorious and abundant.
Tell Him how awe-inspiring His deeds are,
And that His great power causes His enemies to cringe before Him.
Sing, “Everyone and everything on earth will bow down before You,
And one day they will all sing Your praises.”
Come and consider all that God does,
What He does among men is both awe-inspiring and fear-producing.
He turned an uncrossable sea into dry land so the Israelites could pass through.
The result was a lot of rejoicing!
His power allows Him to rule for all time – uninterrupted,
He constantly keeps watch over the nations of the earth,
So those who rebel against Him have no business getting full of themselves.
As His people, it is our job to bless Him and make His praises known.
He is the one who gives us life and preserves us,
He keeps us from falling.
O God, You have tried us and proved us,
You have refined us like silver is refined.
You were with us when we ended up in the trap,
It was Your idea to use this pressure in our lives.
You allowed others to lord it over us,
We passed through fire and water,
But in the end, You brought us into a better place.
So I will worship You and fulfill all my commitments to You.
Every promise I made to You when I was in trouble, I will keep.
I will offer up to You the sacrifices You require, whatever the cost.
If You fear God and love Him, come and listen to all I have to say about Him,
Come listen to what He has done in my life.
I cried out to Him for help, and ended up praising Him for what He did.
But unconfessed sin in my life would have prevented that from happening.
But God not only heard me, He answered me.
So I bless and praise God who did not reject my prayer
Or withhold His mercy from me.