Daily Bible Reading: Psalms 26-30 and 2 Thessalonians 3

Psalm 26 – “Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and my heart. For I am always aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to your truth” (26:2-3).

“I hate the gatherings of those who do evil, and I refuse to join in with the wicked. I wash my hands to declare my innocence. I come to your altar, O Lord, singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all your wonders” (26:5-7).

“I love your sanctuary, Lord, the place where your glorious presence dwells” (26:9).

“Don’t let me suffer the fate of sinners. Don’t condemn me along with murderers. Their hands are dirty with evil schemes, and they constantly take bribes. But I am not like that; I live with integrity” (26:9-11).

There are parts of the psalms that leave me a little uncomfortable, passages that beg God to separate us from the evil ones or to see us differently as this psalm seems to beg. Something in Jesus’ words to us makes me feel I should identify with them, pray for them, see their shortcomings but love them over all the bad. It’s when I don’t do THAT that I feel I’ve let God down.

Psalm 27 – “The Lord is my light and my salvation – so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble” (27:1).

“The one thing I ask of the Lord – the thing I seek most – is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple” (27:4).

This psalm is one of my favorites. It repeats a lot how the Lord has always helped the writer – and me. But the lines here so special to me are in verses 9 and 10: “You have been my help; don’t leave me, don’t abandon me. O God, my savior. My father and mother may abandon me, but the Lord will take care of me” (27:9-10). These lines are especially meaningful to me since I was “kind of abandoned” by my parents. I do not know all the circumstances but I ended up at the age of two in the care of my grandparents even though my parents were alive and living separately but independently. My grandparents took care of me for you, Lord.

“Teach my how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path” (27:11).

“I know that I will live to see the Lord’s goodness in this present life” (27:13). I have already.

Psalm 28 – “I pray to you, O Lord, my rock. Do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you are silent, I might as well give up and die” (28:1).

Do not condemn me with the wicked, “with those whose words are friendly, but who have hatred in their hearts” (28:3). Reward and punish people as their deeds deserve.

“The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy” (28:7). I TRUST in God to do this, to be my shepherd.

Psalm 29 – “Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings; honor the Lord for his glory and strength” (29:1).

“The voice of the Lord is heard on the seas; the glorious God thunders, and his voice echoes over the ocean” (29:3). He makes the cedars of Lebanon leap like calves and makes the lightning flash. All things in nature reflect His majesty. He is king over all.

Psalm 30 – “I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me. O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health” (30:1-2).

“Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning” (30:4-5).

Remember the Lord and all He has done in your life. Even though you experience times of emptiness and fears of abandonment, you must remain faithful.

You have “changed my sadness into a joyful dance . . . so I will not be silent; I will sing praise to you” (30:11-12).

2 Thessalonians 3 – He asks for their prayers that the gospel may spread quickly. They should keep away from those who abandon the traditions, and they should not be idle or expect payment from people for the word they are sharing.

They should “never grow tired of doing what is right” (2:13). People who refuse to work or to do what is recommended in this letter should be shunned, “so [they] will feel that [they are] in the wrong; though you are not to regard [them] as [enemies] but as [brothers] in need of correction” (2:15).

Daily Bible Reading: Psalms 22-25 and 2 Thessalonians 2

Psalm 22 – Christ’s prayer in extremis: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? I have cried desperately for help, but still it does not come. During the day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer; I call at night, but get no rest” (22:1-2).

Yes, there are times when it feels like this. Laura Story’s song, “Blessings” comes to my mind. It's a contemporary psalm:

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace

Comfort for family, protection while we sleep

We pray for healing, prosperity

We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering.

All the while You hear each spoken need

Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

Refrain

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears?

What if a thousand sleepless nights

are what it takes to know You're near?

What if trials of this life

Are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear

We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near.

We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love

As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea

And long that we'd have faith to believe.

Refrain

Back to the psalm: “Our ancestors trusted in you and you rescued them. They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you and were never disgraced. But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all” (22:4-6).

“Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying, ‘Is this the one who relies on the Lord? Then let the Lord save him!’ “ (22:8).

Our descendants put their trust in God and called to you when they were in need; they trusted God and were not disappointed. Sometimes we must just have faith and be faithful to the testimony of all who have gone before us. It’s not always easy – sometimes we have our Job moments.

This psalm so reflects the pain of Christ’s passion, it is hard to imagine King David being treated like a worm or being mocked. But he was surrounded by enemies before he consolidated his power. “My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; . . . like lions they open their jaws against me, roaring and tearing into their prey. My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me” (22:12-14).

“They have pierced my hands and feet. I can count all my bones. My enemies stare at me and gloat. They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing” (22:16-18).

Still, as desperate as this psalm is, it ends with a reaffirmation of God’s saving message: “For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them . . .The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the Lord will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy” (22:26).

Even when in private moments he [David] will doubt and wail, publicly he will continue to praise God; for he knows God does not neglect those who hurt. And our testimony of faith will eventually turn the world to Him.

Psalm 23 – Reading this psalm in a new translation made me cry, it was so simple and direct:

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need. He lets me rest in fields of green grass and leads me to quiet pools of fresh water. He gives me new strength. He guides me in the right paths, as he has promised. Even if I go through the deepest darkness, I will not be afraid, Lord, for you are with me. Your shepherd’s rod and staff protect me . . . I now that your goodness and love will be with me all my life; and your house will be my home as long as I live” (23:1-6).

Having been through the deepest darkness several times, I am so moved and comforted.

Psalm 24 – “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths” (24:1-2).

Who has the right to ascend His holy mountain or enter His Temple? “Those who are pure in act and thought, who do not worship idols or make false promises” (24:4).

“Open up, ancient gates. Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter” (24:7). Friends see this as referring to our hearts. Open your heart, God’s Holy Temple, and let the King of Glory enter.

Psalm 25 – “O Lord, I give my life to you. I trust in you, my God. Do not let me be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat” (25:1-2).

“Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me” (25:4-5).

Remember, O Lord, your constant love, and forgive the terrible errors of my early life before I knew you or yearned to do your will.

“Turn to me, Lord, and be merciful to me, because I am lonely and weak. Relieve me of my worries and save me from all my troubles. Consider my distress and suffering and forgive all my sins” (25:17-18).

2 Thessalonians 2 – Do not get excited or alarmed by predictions of the end.This is especially relevant this December. There are a lot of people out there sucked into the fear that the world will end this month on the 21st. It a Mayan-calendar based prediction, but a few years ago Harold Camping, a radio broadcaster and scripture guru predicted it would end on May 21st 2011.

“For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction” (2:3). This is the antichrist who “will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them” (2:10).

He urges them to keep to the tradition they were taught and be patient.

Daily Bible Reading: Psalms 19-21 and 2 Thessalonians 1

Psalm 19 – “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world” (19:1-3).

The great sun is compared with both a “bridegroom” and “an eager athlete.” And then these famous words:

“The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart” (19:7-8). “The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb” (19:9-10).

“How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. May the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (19:12-14).

Psalm 20 – “In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry. May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm. May be send you help from his sanctuary and strengthen you from Jerusalem” (20:1-2).

“Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God” (20:7).

David also prays that he will have victories because of the Lord’s great power.

Psalm 21 – David is supposed to have written this psalm, but he refers to himself in the third person. I guess he is a king.

“How the king rejoices in your strength, O Lord! He shouts with joy because you give him victory. For you have given him his heart’s desire; you have withheld nothing he requested” (21:1-2).

“[Y]ou have clothed him with splendor and majesty, You have endowed him with eternal blessings and given him the joy of your presence” (21:5-6). The king “trusts in the Lord. The unfailing love of the Most High will keep him from stumbling” (21:7).

All those who “hate” the Lord will suffer terribly. “The Lord will consume them in his anger; fire will devour them. You will wipe their children from the face of the earth; they will never have descendants” (21:9-10).

His feelings of being favored by God make him believe that he will be able to destroy all his enemies. He sounds a little too ruthless in this confidence. 

2 Thessalonians 1 – Paul praises the church in Thessalonika more and tells them God will reward them for the suffering they are going through.

He reminds them again of the retribution that will come for those who oppress them. “It will be their punishment to be lost eternally, excluded from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his strength on that day when he comes to be glorified among his saints. . . “(1:9).

So, he says, he will “keep on praying for [them], asking our God to enable [them] to live a life worthy of his call. May he give [them] the power to accomplish all the good things [their] faith prompts [them] to do” (1:11).