Category: Bible Study

Resolutions

Psalms 76-78

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January 7, 2017

This week we celebrated the New Year and often people make a New Year’s resolution. Some common resolutions are to lose weight, go to the gym or exercise more, and to eat better. People focus on things that will make them feel better or improve themselves. And some people resolve to read their Bible more and improve their relationship with God. These are all good; however, most people give up within a month and go back to their old ways.

Ps 76:11 “Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them; let all the neighboring lands bring gifts to the One to be feared.”

                  In Psalm 78, David retells the story of the Israelites. He recounts the many times they called to God to help them and He answered. David also tells of all the times they turned their back on God. They chose to turn away to the easy path, the gods of the foreign lands. Is this how you will approach a vow with God? Stay close when the need is great and depend less when all is good? Just like with resolutions, having setbacks aren’t permanent. The only failure that is permanent is the failure to start again!

-Susan Johnson

 

(Photo credit: http://alifequest.net/AW82.htm)

Right Hand

Psalm 72-75

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January 6, 2017

When I was a young child, my mom would hold my hand when we walked. She did this all the time, not just for safety reasons. And during storms, my dad would hold me and talk with me. Now, as a parent, I hold my son’s hands. I do this to keep them safe, to comfort them, and sometimes, to bring them back to me.

PS 73:23-24 “Yet I am always with you: you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.”

Hands can be a comfort, even when they are rough from hard work. They can also cause damage, a fist in anger can put a hole in a wall. God with His hand, can save the world or destroy it. He can save His children and destroy His enemies.

Ps 74:10-11 “How long will the enemy mock you, O God? Will the foe revile your name forever? Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!”

With the difficult times we live in, it is easy to ask that God will take care of the problem. I prefer to focus on how God is holding my hand. Like a child being comforted by a loving father, steadfast and strong.

 – Susan Johnson

(Photo credit: http://goldenverses.org/i-am-with-thee)

Change of Perspective

Psalms 68-71

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January 5, 2017

I was and still am, a stay at home mother. It is the best choice I have ever made and one of the most difficult! Spending all day with two young children often left me stressed and frustrated. This was made more trying by my strong willed second son. I prayed daily for patience until another mother of four, newborn twins with two toddlers explained I needed to pray for a change of perspective. This was a game changer for me! Now when I find myself stuck in my emotions, I step back and look from a different angle. This can often help me see what is really causing me trouble or help me get back on the right path.

Psalm 68 & 69 David is focused on all that is going wrong. His enemies fight against him. His friends talk behind his back. He is focused on the negative around him and has taken his eyes off God, and off the good around him. And then he remembers, God is always with him! He has again placed his focus in the proper place. David is a good reminder to keep our eyes on God, during the good and bad times.

Ps70:4 “But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, “Let God be exalted!””

-Susan Johnson

(Photo credit: http://www.godswordimages.com/wallpaper/joy/psalm-70-4/)

Fortress

Psalms 61-67

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January 4, 2017

Living in Minnesota can be challenging, yesterday it was 35 degrees and it started raining. Shortly after that, the temperature started to drop. This caused a thin layer of ice making walking dangerous and driving difficult. Today, the temperature has continued to fall and the wind has picked up. I am counting on my house to keep me warm and safe. I do this because my house has kept me warm and safe for many years.

David claimed God as his shelter and source of protection against all that threatened him. Experience had shown how God cared for him and loved him. There were many times David called upon God to watch over him and God was always faithful to David’s pleas.

Psalm 62:1-2, “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”

David questioned God when he felt his enemies threatening him, and God always reminded him he was with him. God is our fortress, a place to rest and reset to face our troubles.

-Susan Johnson

(Photo credit: http://www.alittleperspective.com/psalm-61-chiastic-structure/)

The Sustainer

Psalms 55-60

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January 3, 2017

Have you ever felt like everyone is against you? We have all had people we don’t know judge us by our clothes, hair, where we live and go to school, and even for being Christian. What about when it’s a friend or worse, a family member? That is how David was feeling. He was betrayed by a close friend and he wanted vengeance; not just from him, but from God. David wanted to run and hide, to find a place where he wasn’t being pursued. We have all felt like this at one time or another, so where can we go?

Ps 56:3-5 “When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? All day long they twist my words, they are always plotting to harm me.”

Psalm 56 talks about putting our trust in God when man is attacking us. For every time someone is talking you down, God is your refuge. When a friend may be talking behind your back; put your trust in God, and He will keep you safe. He won’t punish the ones speaking against you, He will comfort you.

PS 60:16 “But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.”

No matter what you or I are going through, God is stronger. God is our refuge and will always protect us!

-Susan Johnson

(Photo credit: http://www.psalmsquotes.com/psalm-55-22.htm)

Tough Lessons

Psalm 49-54

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January 2, 2017

Once again, David is reminding us how God hasn’t left us. We just feel separated from Him. Is this because God has left us? Or is it because we try to do things our way, on our own? It is hard to see God’s hand in times of trial. When I look back at my life and the “mistakes” I have made, I can now see some of those as times God set me on the right path. At the time, they seemed like I had failed and lost my way. Now, years later, I can see my plan was wrong. This doesn’t mean every mistake I’ve made was God redirecting me! I am human and can make a huge mess of God’s beautiful plans. Thankfully, He can set things right.

Ps 49:7-8 “No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him-

The ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough- “

Ps 50:15 “But God can redeem my life from the grave, he will surely take me to himself.”

Sometimes we need to accept when things do not go as we planned. This can be true even after much prayer and belief your plan is God’s plan. There are times we need to fail or not have everything go as planned. It is in those times we can learn to rely on God completely. It doesn’t mean God wants us to suffer, however, it can bring us closer and build our strength.

Ps 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

-Susan Johnson

(Photo credit: http://hiswordinpictures.blogspot.com/2012/01/psalm-501.html)

“Why Me?”

Psalm 43-48

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Sunday, January 1, 2017

The week before Christmas was a rough one for me. People traveling home, car trouble, injury, and the start of seasonal work. While there was nothing really bad, it did make me feel alone and stressed out. Through it all, like David, I was tempted to question if God had left me on my own. Ps 43:2, “Why have you rejected me?” And like David, I was tempted to bargain with God. I would put Him first, after He smoothed my path. “3 Send forth your light and truth, 4 then I will go to the alter.” This isn’t how this should work! I should lean on God during the trying times, knowing He is carrying me through. I sometimes focus on what is affecting me, not seeing all the things He is protecting me from. Thankfully, God is always faithful, even when I fail Him.

There are times, we think as Christians, everything should be smooth. If this were true, we would be less likely to trust God’s care. PS 44:8-9, “In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever. But now you have rejected us and humbled us; you no longer go out with our armies.” So, has God rejected me, just because things aren’t going the way I want? Most likely, I am doing my own thing and not relying on God. It is during the tough times, the everyday bumps in the road where I find I need to examine what I’m doing and am I working for God and His plan.  So, like David, take a minute to focus on God, especially the “little” things, and know He is always faithful!

When we can turn our eyes to God like in Psalm 46, “God is our refuge and strength…. Therefore, we will not fear.” Putting your trust in God, through the good times is easy; fully leaning on God in the tough times, really hard! It is at these times we need to hold on to the knowledge God is with us and continue to praise Him. He wants our praise during the bad times in our lives as much as the good.

– Susan Johnson

Make Our Days Count

Psalms 38-42: Making all of our days count by living for God.

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The New Year is just around the corner, and I have to say that I love each January 1st for all the possibility that it brings. When I was younger, I would pull out my journal or notebook and brainstorm the different New Year’s resolutions that I could pursue in the upcoming year. 365 days, 8760 hours, 525,600 minutes, or 31,536,000 seconds seemed like so much time waiting to be filled up with the sky only being the limit of what could be accomplished.

But, flash forward to the middle of the year (about the time of Fuel to be exact) and all the possibility seems a little less grand. The things that could fill up the New Year shrink a little more and a little more as the calendar days get a big slash through until wham, the calendar says December 31st.

Every year, as I begin to assemble my next planner and everything I want to accomplish, I always stop and think about the ways that God might use me in the upcoming year. It’s interesting that nestled between all of the psalms that we’ve been reading, we find psalm 39. In this psalm, David is struggling with sin for which he is seeking forgiveness. In the middle of his laments and prayers, we see this line in verse 4-5:

“LORD, reveal to me the end of my life and the number of my days. Let me know how short-lived I am. You, indeed, have made my days short in length and my life span as nothing in Your sight. Yes, every mortal man is only a vapor.”

Wow, what humility to pen these verses. Mortality has always been hard to come to grasp with, and death is one of, if not the, final enemy that is defeated at the end of time. That being said, what would you give if you could know how ‘short-lived’ you would be? Would you want to know? I would be hesitant to ask for knowledge, but I understand why David would want to know. If you can learn to make the most of the time you have left.

God may never reveal to us when the end of our life will be, but Moses in psalm 90:12 says a similar phrase when he asks God to “Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.”

When we are able to number our days and see how fleeting they are, we can recognize the importance of making each one count (so think about that the next time you binge watch your favorite show on Netflix). We all make choices of what we are going to pursue, so I encourage you to think about what choice you are making this year.

Each year, between the week of Christmas and New Year’s Day, we can always stop and reflect. We started this week by looking to the cross, we can begin each year recognizing that the cross and all the many gifts, blessings, and guidelines it brings with it is at the center of our life. Then, as the New Year comes to pass, we can rely on God to accomplish the work He has in store for us. By centering our lives around God, we can truly make our days count.

-Cayce Ballard

 

The Path

Psalms 35-37: The Path of Wisdom leads to faithfulness.

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Through this week’s reading, we’ve seen how God is our creator, provider, and refuge. We’ve seen how through Jesus’ death on the cross, we’ve received a beautiful inheritance in pleasant boundary lines, and how we can come to know God better through our communication with Him, in our prayers and praises. These truths point us to the great love that God has for us, love which David wrote about in some of my favorite verses in the Bible:

“LORD, Your faithful love reaches to heaven, Your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, Your judgments like the deepest sea. LORD, You preserve man and beast. God, Your faithful love is so valuable that people take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They are filled from the abundance of Your house; You let them drink from Your refreshing stream, for with You is life’s fountain. In Your light we will see light.” – Ps. 36:5-10

These verses sum up all the topics we’ve dwelled on over the last few days and show the true character of our God. In Psalm 36, David talks about the way that God shows love to the faithful. But, what does it mean to be faithful?

The whole Bible is written to answer this question, and it is a question we spend our whole lives trying to discern and live out. Psalm 37 answers this question in part by showing us what is means to be wise. In this psalm, David shows the dichotomy, the difference between, the evildoer and the wise man, and that difference is how the person lives out the law of God. This psalm is like a mini-sermon, in which David tells the listener not to follow or be annoyed with evildoers, but instead to trust in God, take delight in him, commit your way to him, and wait expectantly for him. David, the Psalmist shows us how to live the faithful life.

When my nieces were learning how to walk, I remember the way their steps were so hesitant, preferring to either be on their knees crawling or sitting. But, when I would take their tiny hands in mine to help them, their steps would become faster and more deliberant. When we live outside of God’s helping hand, we are forever like my nieces who waddle and fall as they attempt to walk by themselves. But, through the wisdom and instruction of God, he can lead us down a good path, and when we fall, God will hold us up. (Ps. 37:23-24)

When we live inside of God’s wisdom, we can pursue the good path, for the path of the faithful is full of light. David says it best when he says, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act, making your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday.” – Psalm 37:5-6

-Cayce Ballard

Our Refuge

Psalms 31-34: God our stronghold, our refuge.

“The LORD is the stronghold of my life –

of whom should I be afraid?” – Ps. 27:1b

Imagine you are in a battle, with your enemies pressing you on every side. You need a place to regroup, get rest, and then continue fighting. Where would you seek your refuge?

This scenario might be hard to imagine for most of us, who have never fought a battle, but David, who wrote several of these psalms, knew exactly what it was like to be pursued by an army. In many of these psalms, he refers to God as his refuge, fortress, and stronghold. God is the place where he goes to receive rest, to be rescued.

One of the main attractions to visit while in the city of London is the Tower of London. This structure, that was built over the past millennia, was designed in such a way that it would prevent attacks from arrows, canons, and more. The base of the White Tower even has walls that are 15 feet thick!

Though the strongholds that David was referring to may have not been built like medieval buildings, the purpose of them would be the same. They were designed to be impenetrable. To be a safe place amidst the arrows, swords, and fighting. A refuge that David could come to for peace in the turmoil of a fighting life.

We, like David, can come into the refuge of God’s fortress. God can be our stronghold! When we follow God’s direction and trust in him, we have walls shielding us that are much thicker than those of the Tower of London. Praise God who protects even in the turmoil of this life.

-Cayce Ballard

The Tower of London
The White Tower