September 28 thru October 4, 2009

Day One, Psalm 92:1; When I was growing up, one of my mother’s favorite phrases was “If you know what’s good for you…” followed by a statement regarding specific behavior. The message was clear, if you act in a certain way (or fail to act in a certain way) there will be consequences—and she didn’t mean an extra piece of chocolate pie! While the Bible, the wisest of all books, isn’t primarily a psychology or self-help book, it does contain bits of practical wisdom that if followed can provide us with a happier more hope-filled life. This verse has such a gem in it. The writer asserts that it is a GOOD thing to give thanks to the Lord. Over the past 100 or so years, research has consistently verified the accuracy of this ancient observation. People who are aware of all the wonderful things in their lives (even the small ones) tend to be happier and less prone to pessimism and worry. Someone once asked me why there were so many “defeated” Christians in the world. Forty years of observation has lead me to conclude that the answer lies in the failure to follow the sage advice contained in this passage. If we know what’s good for us we will learn to count our blessings and be thankful—then life will truly become good, no matter what we face. It is good to give thanks to the Lord…”

Day Two, Psalm 92:2; Several years ago I read about a study that indicated that the first fifteen minutes of the morning tended to set the tone for the day. The study also concluded that the way we spend the last few minutes before retiring at night can affect our sleep patterns. The psalmist seems to have discovered these principles because he advises us to affirm God’s steadfast love when we rise, and then affirm his faithfulness to us before retiring for the night. A few years ago, there was a popular slogan that reminded us “There is nothing that can happen today that God and I can’t handle.” What better way to start the day than to remind ourselves of this fact? In the same vein we should take time at the close of the day to remind ourselves of the various situations that God has helped you handled during the day, as well as “drop” the situations you know you will face tomorrow into his loving hands and leave them there. (It is good...) to declare thy steadfast love in the morning, and thy faithfulness by night.

Day Three, Psalm 92:4; Almost thirty years ago, my father spent an afternoon making a small wooden table for our daughter. It wasn’t anything fancy, just wooden legs supported by a wooden frame and a plywood top, but it brought gladness to the heart of his granddaughter. Today, it continues to gladden the hearts of her two daughters as they have tea parties, etc. on it. Too often we think that only the “big stuff” can make us happy, but the psalmist says that even the simple things that are the work of God in our lives and the works of God in the world around us can become a source of gladness. How long has it been since you took time to really notice the wonderful world that God has made? You can find reasons for gladness even in the busiest of days when you “take time to smell the roses.” For thou, O Lord, hast made me glad by thy works; at the works of thy hands I sing for joy!

Day Four, Psalm 92:5b; I recall a friend of mine who was facing a decision. He told me that he knew God’s will because he had polled some of his friends who were Christians. When he shared the answer with me, I was apprehensive about the answer was convinced to be right and told him it seemed to contradict some basic Biblical teachings. I then asked him if he had asked God’s guidance in the matter. He replied that he had originally done so, but didn’t like the answer so he decided to talk to his Christian friends about it. When needing advice, most people do one of two things—they either go to someone they know will agree with them or they seek out someone who possesses the knowledge they are lacking along with the skill to apply it to their situation. If you had an opportunity to get guidance from a person considered by his peers to be an expert in an area you needed assistance, you’d probably jump at the chance and consider yourself a fool not to follow his advice. The Bible is filled with testimonies to the fact that Almighty God is willing to share his wisdom with us if we simply ask him to do so. When we make that request of God, we are tapping into the most profound thinker of all time—one who will give us the solution to our most complex problems. Thy thoughts are very deep!

Day Five, Psalm 92:11; A woman who had experience much trouble during her life once complained to me about her brother. I reminded her that he had often come to her aid in ways that went beyond what could be expected of even a brother. She looked at me with a puzzled look on her face and asked me for specifics. Since her brother’s actions on her behalf were well known around the church (and town), I decided I wouldn’t be breaking any confidences to cite a few examples. As I listed off some the ways he had helped her, her demeanor changed and she blurted out, “I had no idea…”. This poor woman had known that her creditors had stopped hounding her and some other problems had been resolved, but she had been so self-absorbed that she was oblivious to why they had ceased. The psalmist, continuing the theme of “It is good” that he set in the first verse, reminds us that it is good for us to open our eyes and ears so we will be aware of the various “enemies” that would have harmed us if the Good Lord hadn’t intervened on our behalf. My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies, my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants

Day Six, Psalm 94:18,19; Have you ever thought you were totally defeated only to have things suddenly turn around for you? Have you ever been so worried about a situation that you were depressed, out of sorts and feeling completely helpless, only to have some obscure thought or event brighten your life, and in doing so it seemed to open your mind to solutions you had overlooked? I’m sure most of us have that experience. This is exactly what the psalmist is talking about. He states that there had been times when he felt he was in free fall—that there was no hope of recovery, only to have the Lord catch him and stand him back up. He speaks of being so overly concerned about problems that happiness seemed a fond memory, but suddenly God comes to him and gives him hope that cheers his heart even in the midst of his troubles. In a practical sense, this is what is meant by the steadfast love of God for us—he’s always there for us. When I thought, “My foot slips,” thy steadfast love, O Lord held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, thy consolations cheer my soul.

Day Seven, Psalm 94:22; Relationships don’t just burst into full bloom. When a child is born, it learns to trust its parents as they care for it. When we are introduced to someone we gradually get to know them—sharing bits and pieces of information about ourselves in order to determine whether to raise our trust level. As our trust level deepens and we establish mutual interests we begin to feel more and more comfortable and a strong friendship develops. We often hear that we need to “grow” in the Lord, the meaning usually being that we need to become more observant of his teachings as we learn them. But I think growing also means allowing our relationship with him to progress to the point of becoming best friends. As I reflected on this verse, several key words jumped out at me, “stronghold”, “rock” and “refuge”. But the real key word to unlocking the meaning of this verse is the word “become”—“the Lord has become my stronghold, rock and refuge.” The word “become” indicates that this is a relationship that has progressed over time, it has evolved from the first timid steps of trusting God to a full-blown relationship of complete confidence in the most difficult of times. So, even if capacity to trust seems to falters at times keep working on your relationship with God and eventually it will become all that you need and more. But the Lord has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.