Seeing Jesus in the Psalms

  Psalm 110 Since the Psalm is short today I will include it in its entirety here for us all to reread, and as always the reference above is a link to the Psalm. I hope you use the links I provide, and that is why the PDF or the blog post are far superior to the WhatsApp text pasted in without links and formatting. 1 “'The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.”  2 The Lord will extend your powerful kingdom from Jerusalem ; you will rule over your enemies.  3 When you go to war, your people will serve you willingly. You are arrayed in holy garments, and your strength will be renewed each day like the morning dew.  4 The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”  5 The Lord stands at your right hand to protect you. He will strike down many kings when his anger erupts.  6 He will punish the nations a...

Psalm 87 Citizenship is sometimes a confusing part of our identity. I have many foreign-born friends and acquaintances. And interestingly, some of my friends of foreign identity were born in Belgium but adamantly identify as Italian. Lyssa and I are Belgian. Don’t you believe me? My identity card says I am. But my passports from England and America both say I am a citizen of those countries respectively.  “When the LORD registers the nations, he will say, ‘ They have all become citizens of Jerusalem. ’” Interlude Psalms 87:6 It looks like I will (or already) have at least one more citizenship. Another close friend, when asked her country of origin, prefers to reply, “I am a European.”  Paul says that you can even be broader and more inclusive if you have faith in Christ. “In the new life there is no difference between Greeks and Jews, those who are circumcised and those who are not circumcised, or people who are foreigners, or Scythians. There is no difference between slaves...

  Psalm 84 This Psalm brought so much joy to my heart this morning and resonated with the wonderful message we heard in our local gathering of God's family this Sunday. And before I break it all down, let me challenge you to go back and read the Psalm and consider that God lives in His people: the church is the dwelling place of our God. In fact I am so filled with a similar heart of thanksgiving today that I read here in Korah’s descendants’ Psalm that I want to start with my own praise session: MAIN POINT: Get close to God by getting close to where He is and where He works, and you will find immense joy. I love what I see God doing in my heart. I love what I see God doing in Lyssa’s heart; she is so wonderful to others and to me. Praise You, God for the work you are doing in and through her. I love my church and the messages I have heard over the past months there. I love the fellowship, the friendships, the loving caring attitudes, the worship and praise, the connect groups, the...

Psalm 83 “Then they will learn that you alone are called the Lord, that you alone are the Most High, supreme over all the earth.” Psalm 83:18 If I don’t see that God alone is the Master of the universe, then I am His enemy. Asaph sees it that way, and he wants God to respond to all enemies of God in such a way that they too will see it. I don’t know about you, but when I read once again a Psalm where the author is asking God to take action, I am uncomfortable. And I hear it as sort of accusing God for being too slow to act. I worry that Asaph is too aggressive in his desire for retribution and vengeance by asking God to utterly disgrace them. And some people might wrongly conclude that this is an Old Testament phenomenon. ‘Jesus isn’t like that,’ you might hear from someone. But Asaph isn’t out of step with God and God’s plans, desires or ways of thinking. So once again it is old William’s heart that needs to be adjusted. I wonder if it is repeated so often in the Bible because I am so...