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He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. Psalm 104:5 (Psalm 104 and 145)

David not only wrote songs for an army marching toward, battle, but returning in victory. Psalm 145 conveys everything from thanksgiving to mercy, focusing on the personal characteristics of God as it applies to His relationship to man. Psalm 104 recognizes God’s detailed attention as Creator and Caretaker.

The marvels and grandeur of all creation declare the love of God.  Rather than continue with my ramblings today, I encourage you to read and bask in David’s words and possibly the tune and lyrics of Swedish pastor, Carl Boberg and missionary Stuart K. Hine, heard in the hymn, How Great Thou Art.   

Love,

Gretchen 

But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. Psalm 131:2 (Psalm 47, 86, 131, 133)

We are called daily to simple childlike trust. Instinct and culture drives mankind to independence of everyone and everything, but this goal is unattainable, for no man is an island. Jesus taught that it is appropriate and desirable that all men approach the Father, His and ours, as children.

The weaning of a child is time for celebration. The child has survived the fragile state of infancy. Now a toddler, this child is still totally dependent on guidance, sustenance and protection. My own young daughters, who knew there would be warmth and food, would come to me at some time each day, often in hush of mornings or evenings, push gently on my stomach and say, “Make a lap.” I cherished those moments of bending to receive the comfort of our communion. David knew the great comfort of finding every need met by a gentle, loving and Almighty Father. That comfort is ours too, for Jesus reminded us to come before the Throne as a child. (Mark 10:15, Luke 18:17)

When in trouble, every youngster turns to the safest place they know, usually an adult who has proven faithful and kind. God set Himself as our place of refuge. It isn’t our weakness that defines our habits of safe harbor, but rather, God’s strength alone. He has made a place for each of us within His arms and upon His lap.

Snuggle down!

Gretchen

Praise be to the the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.  Psalm 144:1                                                                                                                                       

No king is saved by the size of his army, no warrior escapes by his great strength. Psalm 33:1

For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5

David did not chose to be a warrior king. He was a shepherd, a musician and poet, in our modern language, a lover not a fighter. His position as Israel’s leader demanded he go to war, so, for wisdom and strength, he turned to the One who anointed him. God’s power would prevailed.

Psalm 144 is a battle hymn, a marching chant, who’s rhythm kept an army moving in unison formation, reminded and assured of their purpose and victory. Psalm 33 reflects David’s later humility, learned through total reliance on God.  After David conquered Jerusalem, he built a permanent residence within the fortress.  This song was part of the dedication celebration, with mindfulness to the planned Temple his son Solomon would complete.

Every man journey’s is fraught with controversy, conflict and challenge. Our troubles are as unique as we are, therefore, our deliverance from despair is personal and intimate and deserving of a new, specific, song of praise. God’s eternal and enduring love far exceeds today’s pain of sin. Joy comes in the morning! Praise be to God.

Happy Thursday,

Gretchen

Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to Your love remember me, for You are good, O LORD. Psalm 25:7 (Psalm 25, 29, 36, 65, 100)

The song of a sin sick soul. 

God chooses to forget our transgressions. For the One that matters, they never happened once they have been confessed and forgiven. If only our minds and hearts were so capable and forgetful. David reminds himself often that he is not known to God by his failures, but as a man with only one desire, to vigorously chase God’s heart.

God sees us are we are, not what we were, but thoroughly, transparently and truthfully, the person He created, His supreme design restored to its original glory.

Every fleeting dream, and each devastating loss is breathed in the presence of an Almighty Comforter. The world may misunderstand or misinterpret intent, and as much as they pretend that one’s best effort is good enough, we all know it is not so.  But, in these things, where mankind disappoints, God is perfection. He gets you, and He’s got it right because He is good.

Love,

Gretchen

I will lift my eyes to the hills-where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the maker of Heaven and earth.  Psalm 121:1-2 (Psalms 69, 120, 121, 9) 

The songs of ascent are a set of Psalms with a specific use and we know when and how they were employed. People gathered at the Temple, an important place of common ground where knowledge, strength and encouragement was gained. The Temple brought unity and life for the nation of Israel, as it was the essence of God’s presence among His people.

Jerusalem was set on a hill.  It was a fortress, the capitol city of the strongest nation on earth at the time.  The Temple set on a precipice within the hilltop megapolis. Whether people were climbing the stairs to enter its portals, or walking along the road from afar, meeting other sojourners on their way to celebrate and worship, eyes were lifted in the hope of Creator God, maker of all.

The primitive, ancient people did not understand that the moon’s light was reflective rather than radiant.  They knew the effects of overexposure to the sun, and so they suspected the moon had a danger too, just less obvious. They were cautious and sought shade from its rays as well. They were wrong, but the greater significance is their foundational knowledge that the weaver of night and day, of a cycle of life that needed sleep for productive wakefulness, never slept, never set aside His watchfulness over His creation.  We are loved and cared for without ceasing.

Happy Monday!

Gretchen

For You make me glad by Your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the works of Your hands. Psalm 92:4 (Psalms 2, 92, 61, 66)

The leading themes or ideas of the Psalms are trust, praise, rejoicing and mercy. At the center of these acts is the resting faith in God’s justice.  These four Psalms are hymns of rejoicing.

Infinity is incomprehensible, as it is applies to the One True God. He forever was (infinite to the past) and is eternal to the future. Somewhere, out under the stars, David wrapped his mind around this truth and found peace.  He Praised God for His creative power and authority, His present acts of protection and provision, and then He took his praise into forever. He lifted his talent, his words of art, and gave glory to that which he knew would come about, an earthly Messiah and eternal life.

Though our lives are just a minuscule wisp of vapor in time, we can do as David did, worship God through the ages. Eternity is more than just a very, large concept, it is our single hope and joy.

Blessings,

Gretchen

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:2 (Psalm 40, 70, 27)

David cut his teeth on God’s law. He was raised in a Godly household. Knowing God’s law enlightened David to the depth of his sin. His knowledge of drowning in a quicksand of one’s own making was first hand. He knew the panic, the horror, the lingering stench of self loathing! And then!!!! He was placed on solid ground and with a tether, anchoring his feet so they would never wander again.

In joy and sorrow, David spells out the things he has learned about God. He created infinite wonders. He is love, truth, protector, light, a stronghold, and faithful to those who seek mercy, and rest their hope in grace. There is nothing on this earth that secures like God’s majesty, wisdom and strength.

We must never lose our consciousness of need. God’s hand reached down, because David asked, and lifted (not pulled, there’s a difference) David up. God did not send a demolition crew, an aluminum extension ladder or a bulleted list of trouble shooting suggestions.  He moved and David found a new song to add to the thousands of others he was already singing. 

Sing Loud! Sing Proud!

Gretchen

Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you are a shield around me, O LORD; You bestow glory on me and lift up my head. Psalm 3:2-3 (Psalm 3, 14, 28, 71)

The entire spectrum of emotions are felt throughout the Psalms. From the joy of salvation to the devastation of sin and grief, these hymns speak to every human, mental state. Psalms 3, 28 and 71 voice a “Peaceful trust,”  a sense of God holding you as a father securely and tenderly holds a helpless, infant child.

Contrasting peaceful trust would be violent, or turbulent trust.  Indeed, I have found myself drawn to faith, kicking and screaming, not wanting any part of life that demands a certainty beyond my immediate control, therefore, voiding the need for true, untethered faith. David’s survival depended on a faith that allowed him go to the edge of reason and still make righteous decisions, daily.

Paul uses Psalm 14:1-3 to argue that no human is sinless, but God hears every plea for mercy and justice. Every prayer becomes a praise, every praise evolves into hope, hope becomes faith, faith leads to assurance that God hears and answers, EVERYTIME. The future is full for those who seek God’s glory and rest in His arms. In this, David rested in peace. So should we.

Love,

Gretchen

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. Psalm 42:1 (Psalm 42, 43, 55,)

David, in his later years, organized a group of poetic Levites into a musical guild. This was part of his plan for worship in the temple Solomon would build. Psalm 42 and 43 are associated with this group called the Sons of Korah.

David moved in and out of success. His young years were spent tending his father’s sheep in the great outdoors. While given responsibilities and chores, no doubt this young artist packed a party in his pocket and found amusement in the mundane, and great beauty in the ordinary. When he first penned Psalm 42 and 43 he was hiding among heathen people who were not friendly, or kind, but they did not wish to kill him as King Saul did, they only mocked his faith. Safe in body, he was ill in soul as he gazed upon the carefree life of nature; deer, doves, babbling brooks, and envied their effortless existence.   

Back and forth from despair to confidence in God alone David conversed with himself, “When will this end?” “God will take care of me!” “Had it not been for the lessons in the wilderness I would never have become a Godly man.” Sooooo….. I will praise.

We are like David, we rise and fall, multiple times a day in this fast paced life. We observe people and things passing by and wonder, “What if?” David questioned the vanity of a waterfall plunging deep into a canyon, only to bubble up, surviving and continuing on. Why can’t life be that simple? IT IS! Cast your (my) cares on the LORD, and He will sustain you, He will never let the righteous fall. Psalm 55:22

Happy Winter’s Day,

Gretchen

Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble. Psalm 41:1 (Psalm 41 and 62)

Psalm 62 is a song of complete devotion and dependance on God, in all circumstances. Psalm 41 is thought to be from the time of Absalom’s, David’s son, attempted overthrow.

Absalom’s coup was incredibly well crafted and executed. David had to leave Jerusalem for a period of time, becoming a fugitive once again. This rebellion ended in Absalom’s death, and David’s grief was profound.

Although anointed as Israel’s leader at a very young age, David knew every economic and cultural status of his time.  He lived every experience. From pauper to king, deranged lunatic to humble servant and noble ruler, David was there in living color.  He knew that God was faithful, his only strength, salvation and hope.

The word ‘times’ is plural.  We are all going to struggle and it will change you. Let it be for the good. David chose to chase after God’s heart, and he had no regrets.

Love,

Gretchen