When I read about Jonah, or the Israelites in the wilderness, my first instinct is to think: “What a bunch of stubborn boneheads! Don’t they ever learn?” Just about the time I start to congratulate myself on what a fine example of obedience I demonstrate, compared to others, the Lord sees fit to humble me. …
Affliction is a relative thing. For some believers it means giving up their lives under severe persecutions. For others, they may loose all their possessions or be thrown in jail. For me, it may be a more trivial affliction, such as a temporary financial problem, relationship difficulty, or health problem. Whether the affliction is great …
Do you remember, as a child, being taken somewhere by your parents? If it was a place you really wanted to go, like the state fair, you were very excited. Additionally, you were absolutely confident in their choice to take you where they said they would. Not only was it exciting, it was a great …
God remembers our prayers! He knows our needs. He cares about His children. What great comfort we can take in this knowledge. The heavens are vast, as shown in this NASA photograph. Just as the Lord remembers each and every star, he can remember our prayers and fulfill them to our delight, as Spurgeon says. …
We don’t have to look far back into history to find oppression of innocent people. The holocaust during WWII certainly comes to mind along with many other cases of the brutal treatment of people whose only crime was being born in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Bible specifically records the oppression of …
In this wonderfully uplifting Psalm, we find our two themes of praise and remembrance again. It seems that when I get focused on myself and my problems, that I forget to praise God and remember his blessings. We also find in verse 8 the remarkable thought that God is a forgiving God, though he punished …
The Psalmist must have found great comfort in God’s house. He delighted being there among others who were offering their praises up to the Lord. The passion of the Psalmist for God’s house and presence is truly amazing. His flesh cries out for the living God! He desires a place near the alter. He wants …
There is hardly any place in Scripture that conveys such passion and exuberance for God as Psalm 103. Words can hardly describe the praise we would give to the Lord from our inmost being, from the depths of our soul. Even Mr. Billy Goat seems to be quite excited in the picture, as if he …
As you read the Psalms, it becomes clear that God defends and protects the poor. Psalm 14 indicates that restoration and better days are ahead. In fact, if you are responsible for oppressing the poor, God takes note of it, and is not pleased. Poor in terms of possessions is not the only thing that …
There is perhaps no more beautiful expression of a desire to seek God than “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” Once the image is in your mind, you can never forget it. Musicians have crafted it into their melodies (see Sons of Korah below) so …
