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Great comfort and strength, stability and security, is provided for our souls when we recognize that our God is King of the universe, and we praise Him for that. Chaos and destruction has been absolutely defeated and continues to be controlled by the Almighty God who loves us. The formlessness and emptiness of Genesis 1:2 has been formed and filled and ordered by our Creator; and as Absolute King, He still maintains and firmly establishes order, predictability, and meaning in our lives and the world we inhabit.

Our spiritual enemies (sin death, devil) are daily seeking to return the world (and our personal lives) to chaos and destruction. But our King says, “Thus far and no farther.” God be praised: for we know with absolute certainty that raging seas will never over flood us that we could lose life with God forever; nor will we ever lose anything important.

In addition, our Supreme Commander and Majestic King has given us testimonies (decrees, commandments) that are very sure indeed. This universal Moral Law holds life together, keeps chaos at bay, and brings innumerable blessings. The Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit to give the power to live a blessed and abundant life according to it.

 

 

 

 

Rejoice in the Lord! And again I say,”Rejoice!” How does one rejoice in the Lord? By giving thanks and praise to Him, by focusing attention on the gracious goodness and awesome power of God. When we praise Him for who He is and thank Him for what He does our spirits are lifted, our souls are refreshed, and we feel better; joy floods our inward being and we feel lighter: thus, re-joice, joy again.

The inscription suggests Psalm 92 be sung on the Sabbath, but the beauty of Joy is that it can be grown any time and any place. God is always good, any time; we tell Him so and we begin to feel it. God’s Creation and Redemption is always around, any place, since sin and forgiveness surround us everywhere; we tell Him about it and we feel the joy.

We may, with a sanctified will, choose to enter the presence of God and flee the presence of Enemies any time we need to. When we are planted in the house of the Lord our spiritual enemies perish and scatter, while we grow stronger and are anointed with fresh oil. We grow and flourish and bring forth fruit. Repent Rejoice Renew Recharge Rejoice.

 

 

 

 

The Bible, particularly the Psalms, uses highly poetic and figurative language to lift ordinary life to a lofty level of existence. Life with God is not boring and mundane but exhilarating and always interesting, and it touches on the eternal and spiritual.

The Word reveals (lifts the veil) the invisible spiritual world that surrounds and penetrates the  visible physical world we see, so that we can walk by faith. That invisible world is filled with dangers and perils from death and disease, devils and demons, but it is also filled with angels and agents of God who are charged with protecting us from unseen ambush.

We do not need to know the details of what goes on in that world concerning our lives; we only need to know our Shepherd and our Fortress is in control. We only need to see enough to know that we can confidently place our selves and our lives under His shadow, His wings, and His shield, a more picturesque way of saying love, trust and pray to God. Then He personally promises to deliver, set on high, answer prayer, honor, satisfy with long life and show salvation. The truster lives securely.

 

 

Reflections and meditations on the human condition have filled the pages of literature for all of history: life  is short and full of trouble and then you die. God is eternal and outside of time and of death.

Death is the Enemy that looms over life’s short existence. Death and a short and troubled life is only present because of Sin, and as a consequence of our own guilt. Not only that, but we also spend our days under God’s wrath because of our sin; and not only that, but we don’t even know the power of that wrath. O, the terror!

But the person who has made the Lord his dwelling place (safe place) is bold enough to ask God to repent and change His mind toward us: satisfy us early with mercy, give rejoicing and gladness, let your work and glory be on us and our children, establish work of our hands, and let your beauty be upon us.

In other words, fill our days with joy and meaning, with peace and bounty for the sake of Jesus Christ, whom You have given to us in Your love. Be bold to ask: In your mercy, hear our prayer.

During the history-long spiritual war between God and Satan, Good and Evil, Light and Dark, Life and Death, Sin and Grace, the Lord once made a unilateral, purely by grace, Covenant Promise and absolute, never to be shaken, guarantee that a descendant of David will forever sit on the throne as King of the people of God.

God is absolutely faithful to His character of Unconditional Faithful Love and His Promise will absolutely have to be fulfilled. Victory over God’s enemies, the people’s enemies, and the King’s enemies is assured.

But now it seems that the Enemy is winning, the kingdom is lost, the promise is broken, the covenant is destroyed, and where is the Lord now? We are left only with questions.

But faith in God’s faithfulness continued to be kept alive until one day, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord.” And this fulfillment: “Blessed be the Lord…for He  hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.”

No matter how bleak the present feels or how dark the future looks, trust the Word and Promises of God; God is faithful.

 

 

The Psalms powerfully express the widest range of the spectrum of emotions in human experience: from despair to hope, from complaint to praise, from death to life, from excruciating depression to overwhelming joy, from defeat to victory.  The extremes are often related to which is closer, God or the Enemy: the closer God is the more peace and joy; the closer the Enemy the more sorrow and turmoil.

Psalm 88 may be describing the lowest depths of despair, darkness, depression, and discouragement because Death is the enemy most near. God and life are far away; only complaint and no praise and everything is negative. The only positive note is that he is still praying to the God of his salvation.

It is instructive to note the close connection between Praise and Life and between Complaint and Death. In the Revealed Word heaven is always pictured as only praise and no complaint; hell is always pictured as no praise but only complaint. It would seem that the sanctified, Spirit-filled believer can move closer to God and life and heaven on earth by turning complaints into prayers and praises. So we read this Psalm in the context of the entire Psalter.

 

 

 

 

Out of all the billions of people inhabiting God’s created earth over time God chose the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to be the race through which He would bless all nations (save all people). Out of all the millions of geographical locations on earth God chose Zion (Jerusalem) to be the spot from which He would redeem all nations.

Israel, the land and the nation, flows through Christ and comes out as the Church. Zion, the city and the Temple, flows through Christ and comes out as the Church. Out of the Church flows the Word that saves and into the Church flows the people who are saved from all the nations. The Church then is the Mother of all believers in Christ and God registers them as “born in Zion.”

The Gentiles, the nations, the Muslims, the secularists, the heathen, and every other unbelieving  group of people are not the enemies. They are potential family members, who are presently under the sway of the enemy; they are to be rescued and born into the kingdom of God (Zion) through the Gospel. The true enemies (Sin, Death, Devil) cannot be redeemed, changed, or improved; they must be crushed.

 

 

Is there ever a time when we don’t need to pray? Is there ever a time when we have no need, trouble or distress? Is there ever a time when we are free from temptations, when the enemy is not reminding of something we need to worry or stress about, or when the enemy is not nearby? Is there ever a time when we don’t need God? An even better question: Is there ever a time when God is not there, available, close by, and ready to hear our prayer, respond to our need, and take action for our good?

Our Loving Lord is nearby, as close as our heart and our mouth, waiting for us to turn to Him instantly and constantly. God allows issues (enemies) always in our life so that we will always need Him and always pray. And so we pray without ceasing.

Therefore, it would really be a good idea to learn something about God and something about prayer. So we pray: “Teach me Thy way…Unite my heart to fear Thy name.” If we pay attention we will learn about a God who works wonders, does the impossible, and effects things we never expected or anticipated. We learn that He is better than we ever thought.

 

 

 

God is good: He answers prayer, abundantly, extravagantly, beyond our asking or imagining. We ask Him to revive us again and show us mercy and salvation. He answers with Shalom, which means wellbeing, health, security, prosperity, a good life and everything good, and peace to boot.

One of the terrible consequences of the Enemy Sin is that God hates Sin and it makes Him angry with us. We return to Him in repentance and faith, He forgives and covers our sin, and ceases His anger toward us. Now we pray for new life and He answers in spades.

God sends His faithful, covenant Love (Jesus) and His Righteousness (Jesus) to earth. Holiness and Love, Justice and Mercy meet at the Cross. This Gospel produces a faithful response (by the Spirit) and the result is Peace, in all its fullness. Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ God’s righteousness paves the way (makes a path) for the Life and Peace and Presence of God to enter the spirit of the believer, overcome the Enemy, make a difference, and change life forever. All this is in answer to prayer. Is God good or what?

 

 

 

The Temple is the place where God dwells on earth; it is the Presence of God; it is “heaven on earth.” That Place is the spirit inside the body of the believer in Jesus Christ. That “Presence” is much more available since the Day of Pentecost; however, it is also a little more elusive.

The OT believer knew exactly where Yahweh was and how to reach Him. Getting there and being there was the high point of the day (morning and evening sacrifice), or the week (Sabbath Day), or the year (one of three annual Festivals). The Pilgrimage journey to get there may be arduous, but it is filled with excitement and anticipation. Worshiping there fills the inner yearning for the best place to be in all the world. There is nothing like it. Outside of the Presence are bad things, Sin and Evil.

Going to church, attending Bible study fellowship, and spending time alone with God in Bible and Prayer is the present day experience of entering into the Presence of  God, or “longing for the courts of the Lord.” Living in The Presence is worth the time and effort. Being with your friend beats  being with your enemy.