Psalms of Ascent: Arrival

This week we will finish our journey through the Psalms of Ascent. These ancient songs have been our companions these past five weeks as we have been in the wilderness of the COVID Quarantine. I have been amazed at how timely and relevant these words are for our current context, even though they are 3,000 years old.

These songs of hope, of lament, and of remembrance guided their steps as they journeyed toward Jerusalem. As I read today’s Psalms (132, 133, 134), I am imagining Psalm 132 written just outside the city, looking on at the glory of the Temple. I envision Psalm 133 written in the outer court of the Temple. And Psalm 134 written as the writer joined the crowds in worship.

Outside the City

Standing on the Mount of Olives, gazing over the Kidron Valley and resting your eyes on the beauty of Jerusalem’s Temple would have been an exciting moment for the travelers. After a long journey, the destination is just ahead, and an appropriate song would be a song about what made this city so great.

This song opens with a request for God to remember His servant David’s love for Him. When David became king, Israel was still new to having a king. The divided tribes were still coming together to develop a united kingdom. It was King David who captured Jerusalem and established it as the capital of Israel.

As David was getting settled, he turned his thoughts toward God, as was his custom. He desired to build God a house, a temple, for all to come and worship. And so he sent for the Ark of the Covenant, also known as the Mercy Seat. The Ark comes from the Tabernacle Worship, a tent God instructed Moses to build for the proper worship of God. The Israelites would set up the Tabernacle everywhere they went, but it was a temporary structure. David wanted God to have a permanent structure.

Psalm 132 reminds God of David’s desire for God. It also traces the movement of the Ark as David brought it back to Jerusalem. His desire is that the priests would righteously lead the city and nation in sincere worship of the Almighty.

God’s response to David was not what you would expect. David, the king, wanted to build a house for God, but God said, “I appreciate your heart, but that task is not for you, it is for your son.” Yet God did bless David for his desire by promising him that He will keep His promise toward David forever and one of his son’s will sit on David’s throne forever.

God also identified the city as the place where He will dwell among men. His presences would bring blessings and hope to the city. Later, Solomon would construct the Temple and God acknowledge it as the place where He would dwell, and the people would worship.

Sometimes we desire good things, but God works things out differently than we expect it. It’s a good reminder that even when we desire good things, we have to surrender our plans to God’s and receive the blessings He has for us today. David didn’t reject God because God said “It is not for you to build.” He trusted in the promises of God that his dream would be fulfilled, he just wouldn’t get a chance to experience it. Yet, true worship did return to Jerusalem and God’s presence descended on that place.

What’s your real desire? To see your plans work out the way you want it to, or to dwell near to God?

The Outer Court

Temple worship was laid out by God through Moses and described in the Law. Leviticus, in particular, demonstrates the fact that we can only come to God on His terms and not our own. We have to submit to God’s ways in order to experience true worship.

The Temple was laid out in several layers, each layer represented access to God and would bring new requirements of man. The Outer Court was the place in the Temple that all the nations of the world could gather, men, women and children. Beyond that was a court for only Jewish men, and further still was only permitted by the priests. The Holy of Holies was only accessible by the High Priest, and he could only go in once a year.

I envision this Outer Court as an appropriate place to sing Psalm 133. As the psalmist looked around and saw the crowds of people gathering in unity before God, it provoked a celebration. In this world, unity is hard to come by, and therefore it is cherished.

Have you ever been to a conference or a concert where Christians gathered in unity? It is such an amazing experience. On Easter Sunday, I went to a Drive In Church service in Tallmadge. Due to the quarantine, we all had to stay in our own cars and listen to the service on FM radio. Six churches in Tallmadge joined together to put on a worship service for this special and peculiar occasion.

All six churches were of different denominations and worship styles. Yet that didn’t hinder their participation. The Methodist pastor stood up and he proclaimed this very fact, that we are united because we are all celebrating the Son of God who died and rose again. It is the resurrection that unites us. It was a special moment for me as I celebrated how beautiful it is for the Believers to dwell together in Unity.

True unity is rare. True peace and unity, when achieved, is fragile because we are all sinners. When our peace is disrupted, we immediately look at others and blame them for robbing us of the peace. However, in our pursuit of peace and unity, we have to start with ourselves, with our own heart.

The quarantine is a difficult time and wearisome. To be confined in our homes, in such close proximity to our families, can lead to stress and annoyances.  It’s hard to stay united and keep the peace. But it is such a joy when everyone is together, on the same page and enjoying each other’s company.

There is no worse feeling than wanting to avoid going home. When there is conflict in the home, unresolved issues, an unrepentant heart(s), anger or bitterness, it robs home of being a refuge. It’s so important that we come together in our homes, work through conflict, practice regular repentance before God and our family and remove all roots of bitterness. We need each other. Conflict is opportunity to grow, to be made aware of areas of sin and ways to grow closer with Jesus.

Church can be the same way. It is rare thing to experience unity, so when you do, treasure it. Celebrate it. Do all you can to preserve it. The Word of God commands us to be like minded, to seek unity and to treat others kindly. Yes it is hard work, but it is worth it.

Time for Worship

In these Psalms, we are moving from the Place of Worship, to the People of Worship and now to the Practice of Worship. This journey through the Psalms of Ascent is a journey from a dry and thirsty land, along a difficult road, to ultimately be in the presence of God.

Along the way we have acknowledged the difficulties of life, the hardships of quarantine, the disappointments and frustrations we encounter as humans. We have remembered how God has been faithful in the past, have been reminded of His character and goodness, and looked at His promises for our future.

We take these steps with the purpose of encountering God, to be in His presence and to enjoy Him forever. Now we have arrived at the end of the journey and the question is, have you arrived at the destination?

To be in Jerusalem during the festivals and to worship in the Temple was the goal. The Psalmist has arrived and invites us to worship, to bless God, to forget about everything else and enjoy our Creator.

Can you say you have arrived? Have you walked this journey through these psalms and arrived at a place to bless God? To lift your hands in Worship with abandoned and enjoy His presence?

If not, maybe you need to go back through. These Psalms are a very human experience that leads us to the foot of the cross and to the celebration of the empty tomb. What is holding you back? Is there sin that needs to be confessed? Is there pain you need to lament? Is there a lie about God you need to abandon?

I pray that you can experience the joy of the Lord. You no longer have to carry the burden, you can give it to Jesus. His love is bigger than you deepest pain, His light is brighter than your darkest place, call out to Him and He will answer.

If yes, enjoy Jesus today! Crank up your favorite praise songs and sing out loud! Even if it isn’t your normal practice, lift your arms up in praise. Like a child longing to be picked up by their father, raise your hands to the Lord and bless His name.

The amazing thing is, when we pursue God and worship Him, He blesses us more than we can imagine.

Psalms of Ascent: Waiting on the Lord

When I first bought my house, there was a creeping vine climbing up my chimney. It was beautiful, but destructive. It was trying to work its way under my siding, in the vent, and in the windows. I decided it was time to take care of it.

As I researched how to get rid of it, I found that you should cut the vine from its root source. Then you wait. When it can no longer draw water and nutrients from the roots, it began to die. After a certain amount of time, I just grabbed the base of the vine and pulled, and the dead branches easily pulled away from the house. Unfortunately, there were remnants left on the brick and siding of its existence. These only come off by power washing and scrubbing.  

These vines took me time, patience and perseverance to remove. Yet today, I can still see the effects their existence created.

Similarly, going through hard and difficult times in life take patience and perseverance to overcome, but there is hope in God’s deliverance.

Claiming Victory in the Midst of Affliction

Read Psalm 129

You may have to read that a few times to try to get what he’s talking about, at least I did. Rightly you could say this is another lament. A lament, we learned last week, is turning our complaints into worship. It is the faithful act of emptying ourselves of our complaint before God by acknowledging the difficulties and disappointments, reminding ourselves of God’s loving kindness, and asking God to do something about it.

This Psalm opens up with acknowledging the writer, and all of Israel, have suffered under great affliction for a long time. There is no dismissing the hardship or the pain. As a matter of fact, he describes the affliction in graphic imagery, “plowed upon my back.”

But, there is a reminder that the enemy has not prevailed over him. He was not lost in the pain. He was not overcome by the darkness. Why?

Psalm 129:4

The LORD is righteous; he has cut the cords of the wicked.

Literally he is talking about the bonds of captivity being cut, and God setting him free. As I read this, I thought of the vines I cut several years ago. A decisive action took place, but it still took time, patience and perseverance for the vines to be removed. And even then, there is still scaring that remains.

The righteous LORD has made a decisive act and has overcome the enemy. Yet it takes time, patience and perseverance for the reality of His action to be fully experienced. In this Psalm, the writer acknowledges the LORD’s action in the middle of his affliction, and then asks God to thwart his enemies.

The righteous LORD dealt a decisive blow to the enemy when He spread His arms out of love for us on the cross. He voluntarily took our place and shed His blood to deal a death blow to sin, death and Satan, that we might have life (John 10:10; Romans 5:8; 2 Cor 5:21).

Genesis 3:15

“he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

In this first prophecy of the Gospel, the enemy of our souls is warned that he will bruise the Messiah’s foot, but Jesus will deal a death blow. The illustration perfectly describes the reality we live in, The righteous LORD indeed made a decisive and victorious blow by cutting the head off of the snake, however a decapitated snack can still bite for hours after the blow has been made.

The enemy has been defeated. Victory has been won. Our present reality may not feel like it, but the enemy of our soul is living on borrowed time. His influence will come to an end and the fullness of Jesus actions will be experienced by all one day.

Psalm 129 is written in the midst of affliction, but holds fast to the victory found in the LORD. Psalm 130 takes us in a hopefully anticipation of the fulfillment of that decisive action.

My Soul Waits For the Lord

Read Psalm 130

The writer moves quickly from his complaint into praise in this song. He does mention the “depths” and the “pleas for mercy,” so we know that he hasn’t arrived in the promised land yet. However, his tone is one of celebration and excitement as He waits for the Lord.

The Power of Confessing Sin

The recognition of God’s loving kindness toward us is acknowledge by recognizing God’s gracious willingness to forgive sins. He concedes that he can do nothing on his own to overcome sin (Romans 3:10, 23).

Isaiah 53:6

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

All of us are sinners and cannot stand before God on our own merit. We cannot earn our way to God (Ephesians 2:8-9). We cannot pay our own way. We all deserve judgment. Yet, God offers us a pardon through Jesus Christ.

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

In Christ, we don’t have to do penance. We do not have to give a certain amount of money to the church. We don’t have to fulfill a to do list to be forgiven. Jesus paid it all. We receive forgiveness through confession.

Sin is an insidious agent. It keeps us from seeing God and understanding His ways. Our sin makes us doubt God, distrust God and even deny God. Yet the moment we confess our sin, when we become vulnerable and name our sin before God, the bondage is cut and our eyes our opened and we can see God for who He is: a gracious and loving Father.

Notice that the writer says God offers forgiveness that He may be feared. God doesn’t threaten us with lightning bolts that he might be feared, he offers forgiveness.

When you understand the depths of your sinful heart, and you cry out for mercy and experience the forgiveness of God, you will rejoice in knowing and fearing God.

Because of God’s forgiveness the writer waits for God with anticipation. Even as the night watchman anticipates the rising sun in the morning, so the forgiven soul joyfully anticipates the return of Christ.

Even as Phil Whickham writes it like this:

I see your face

In every sunrise

The colours of the morning

Are inside your eyes

You’re Beautiful

There is a joy and a desire in this hopeful anticipation for God. It’s the joy and desire that draws us to His Word to spend time with Him. It’s this anticipation that encourages us to be with God’s people to see Him in their lives. It’s this joyful desire that drives us to our knees and lift our voices in praise.

We are forgiven! We are free! Because of what Jesus Christ has done for you and me!

A Calmed And Quieted Soul

Psalm 131

The Psalmist reminds us in this psalm to relax in the arms of a God who has our backs. His knowledge of who God is leads him to surrender his fears and anxieties before God.

A proper understanding of the character and nature of God will lead the believer to a confidence and assurance in this life, no matter what the external circumstances are. When we pursue God and His Word, we will find that He will reveal Himself to us.

James 4:8

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

It’s a promise, that when we pursue God we will find He has already been pursuing us. He waiting to show you more of who He is. If we are overwhelmed by God, we won’t be overwhelmed by this world.

The psalmist makes a decision to not get caught up with the unknown and uncertain things. He surrenders the mysterious things to God and is content knowing, “God’s got this!”

By casting His cares upon Christ, He is able to live without fear, like a contented child with his mom.

I remember waking up from an afternoon nap as a young child and I couldn’t find anyone in the house. I thought I was left all alone and I was afraid. I was running all over the house looking for anyone and I was crying. Mom was in the back yard doing yard work and heard me. She ran to me and picked me up. All at once, everything was ok. Everything was fine. I was calmed and quieted because she was there.

This is the picture the Psalmist gives us. You might be afraid and anxious. Life might be overwhelming. The COVID-19 era may seem like too much for you. But you don’t have to carry that burden, God’s got it. You can run to Him, even as I ran to my mom, and realize He is there for you, He’s got you and He is working this out so that you can have a calmed and quieted soul.

Put your hope in the finished work of Christ and the sovereign hand of the Lord. Let your heart run to Him. Ask Him to give you a calm and quiet soul, one that trusts Him implicitly.

Where are you at today? Are you in the midst of affliction? Remember God has dealt a decisive blow to the enemy (Psalm 129). Do you have sin that needs confessing? He will forgive you and restore your joy for Him. Are you worrying about things that are outside your control? God’s got it, give it to Him and ask for calm and quiet in your soul.

Psalms of Ascent: Perseverance part 2

One summer break when I was a kid, my neighborhood buddies and I decided it would be a good idea to build a fort in my backyard. We had some woods at the back of the property and a huge field behind that. It seemed like the perfect place to build a fort.

Dad gave me permission to use as much wood as I wanted from the old scrap pile. I grabbed tool belts, hammers, nails and hand saws. I had a vision of building a house, but no real knowledge. I told the guys what I was thinking and we began to build. We had corner posts connected by 2x4. I had no idea how to build a frame and neither did my friends. We started putting on a roof, but I knew there needed to be more support.

I ran to the house to get some water. On my way back, my friend had climbed up on top and was nailing in boards. However, the support was never put in place and the whole structure toppled over. Praise God nobody was hurt. It was a great idea, and a lot of fun, but we failed miserably. Why?

We didn’t know what we were doing. We didn’t ask my dad, who knew how to do it. We didn’t consult a carpenter. We just did our own thing, according to our understanding. In the end, we had a pile of rubbish and a few bruises.

Psalm 127, our second Psalm of Ascent for today, describes this reality when it comes to life.

“Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”

The psalmist uses the illustration of building a house as an allegory for life and work. Really an endeavor we put our minds to fits into this illustration. When we do it our own way, like my club house, it will end up in shambles. But if the LORD builds the house it will succeed.

What does it mean for the “Lord to build the house”?

It is drawing out the point that we often attempt things in our own power according to our own will. One of my friends put it this way after a failure, “I realize I thought of something good to do and invited God along with me, rather than looking to God to see what He would have me do.”

Proverbs 3:5–6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Our ways are messed up. We are human, this means we are limited and we are sinners. Even the good things we come up with are tainted with our own mistakes. To build a house is a good thing, but to do it apart from God’s will is not going to prosper.

In America, we have become so task drive, work driven, materialistic and hedonistic (pursuit of pleasure). We slave away in a “dog eat dog” world. The psalmist points out that we are “eating bread of anxious toil.” When we pursue work according to this world’s philosophy, we will wind up stressed out, anxious and depressed.

If God isn’t in it, you are wasting your time. This doesn’t mean work is worthless. No, it is telling us that work has value and has the potential to be worship. Your work, the vocation you find yourself in, can be worship when it is centered on God.

More important than getting the highest grades, getting the dream job that pays a ton of money, is seeking to honor God with who you are and what you do. If God is not in it, you home and your security are at risk.

Value Relationships Over Tasks

As we move into the next section, verses 3-5, notice how he shifts attention to the work of the family. The family is a gift from God. The family is to be cherished and honored. There is no more important work than being a good father, a good mother, a good son, a good daughter, a good brother or a good sister. God instituted the family in the Garden of Eden.

Ephesians 5 shows us that the marriage relationship was given to us as a picture of Christ’s love for the church. The true meaning of marriage is to teach us an important truth about the God we serve: He is a relational God.

Matthew 22:37–40

[37] And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. [38] This is the great and first commandment. [39] And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. [40] On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

What God is most concerned about for your life and your vocation is that you love Him first, not your job, not your success, not your wealth. His second priority is that you love others, starting in your home and working out to others.

Don’t miss how important Matthew 22:40 is! All the Law and the Prophets depend, or hang on, these two priorities. The Triune Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, have been in perfect relationship for all eternity! He created us relational beings, to be in a relationship with Him and to reflect His relationship with others.

The Christian needs to be focused on their love for Jesus and learn how to cultivate loving relationships with others. This means that we should value relationships above tasks.

“People are at the center of Christian work…The character of our work is shaped not by accomplishments or possessions but in the birth of relationships: “Children are GOD’s best gift.” We invest our energy in people.” – Eugene Peterson

Students’ primary work today is their education, but education should not take away from family time, or be placed above people. Our jobs are very important, but are we working to benefit others or seeking to benefit by taking advantage of others? Each day we have the opportunity to invest in others, to learn about others and to help others feel less alone in this world.

Most importantly, Christians should love others enough to share the Good News about Jesus Christ with others. God invites us into a love relationship with Him and He asks us to invite others into the family of God. How can we work toward bringing others into the family of faith?  

When I was a kid, I tried to build a fort by my own understanding and it failed. Time and time again in life, I try to do things according to my own wisdom and fail. God calls us to come to Him, to trust Him and to follow His plan and He will build the house, safe and secure.

Psalms of Ascent: Perseverance part 1

We are pilgrims in a dry and thirsty land, daily journey toward the promises of God. God gave the Israelites, and us, the Psalms of Ascent to remind us that we are not on a vacation, but on a mission. This series of songs for the road reminded the singers that the road is difficult, the route can be dangerous, but God is with them and His loving kindness never fails. This week we will be challenged to “Lament the changes” (126), understand “God’s work is relational” (127), and “The Fear that produces Joy” (128).

Lament the Changes – Psalm 126

A quick read of Psalm 126 feels positive and joyful, and it really is a song about joy in the Lord. So why would I title this, “Lament the Changes”?

The Good Old Days

As I read through verses 1-2, I hear the psalmist say, “things are not the way they were.” Remember the good old days, remember when we were free, Jerusalem was prospering and we were full of joy? He is looking back at better times and implying that his current situation is not as good. It is lamentable.

Last year I was challenged to rethink my understanding of lament when I read Michael Cards book, “A Sacred Sorrow – Reaching Out to God in the Lost Language of Lament.” He unpacks the biblical understanding of lament from just mourning loss, but instead seeing it as truly a worshipful experience. He says,

“Laments, we must realize, are God’s Word…It is supreme honesty before a God whom my faith tells me I can trust. He encourages me to bring everything as an act of worship, my disappointment, frustration, and even my hate. Only lament uncovers this kind of new faith, a biblical faith that better understands God’s heart as it is revealed through Jesus Christ.”

A lament is taking our complaints to God, emptying ourselves of our complaints and then replacing the complaints with the truth of God’s Word. He also identifies how we have “two fundamental questions of complaint: God, where are you? (Presence) God, if you love me, then why? (loving kindness)”

As Christians, we need to understand the importance of lamenting in the proper way. We are not called to ignore or dismiss struggles and disappointments. Instead we are called to name them, to take them to God and identify them, so that God can do a healing work in our hearts.

Remember when we went to school, work, played sports, ate out at restaurants, gathered in our churches, and we didn’t seem to have a care in the world? We had it so good!

Or did we? A lament also allows us to reframe our memories. It brings clarity to the past and our current situation and it gives hope for the future.

Take a moment now and consider the changes going on in your life. Think about how your life has changed in the last few weeks. What are the things that you are missing out on? What plans did you have for this spring that you cannot fulfill? What are you most disappointed about?

It’s okay to acknowledge the hurt and pain of frustrated plans, of disappointments, of missing out on good things. I hear the pain and sorrow in the voices of students I talk to who are missing out on key events of their Senior Year of High School and College. Canceled Proms, athletics, graduations and grad parties.

It is hard to be separated from friends and family. It is hard to have athletic seasons canceled. It is hard to have dramas and musicals canceled. It is hard to have band performances canceled. Let’s all acknowledge together that there are a lot of very difficult and hard things going on all around us. Name it, identify it and reveal it to the Lord.

The Loving Kindness of God

But don’t stay in the complaint. Don’t just ask “where are you God?” and “Why would you let this happen to me?” Don’t just remember the way things were, remember the good things God has done for you (v 3).   

In your lament, empty yourself of your complaints and then being to replace them with truth. Remind yourself of the basics of God’s goodness toward you. You’re alive, God granted you breath today. The sun still rises, the grass is growing and the seasons are still changing, a clear testimony that God is on the throne (Daniel 2:21).

Now notice how verse 3 transitions from “the great things the Lord has done for them,” to “The LORD has done great things for US; we are glad.”

Look at the personal nature of what God has done and is doing for you right now. Remember the truths of Christmas and Easter, that God entered into our space as a babe and lived a ordinary human life, yet without sin. That he went to the cross to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins, he was buried and rose again the third day.

A Christian’s reflection on the life and resurrection of our Lord should always bring us back to a place of gladness. How could we not be joyful knowing that He is Risen! He has overcome the grave and He promises to give us victory in this life!

“Dear God, Do it Again”

In remembering what God did for his people in the past, he petitions God to once again restore his people. He transitions his lament from complaint, to truth and now to a request. God restore the hearts of our people, turn our sorrows into joys.

In this brief verse he recalls a time when the people were enslaved and set free. Now, in his lament he sees the people enslaved in a different way and desires freedom from their captivity again.

In the language of lament it is good to give our complaint to God, to reorder our thinking by remembering the truths about God, and now to make our hearts request known to Him.

We pray for health and safety to return to our land. We pray for the coronavirus to be conquered. We pray for our grandparents, our parents, our families and friends to be safe in this season. We pray for the days where life can return to normal.

And yet, we should also pray that life doesn’t return to normal. That God would set us free from the bondages of sin and the distractions that we used to be a part of. That when He restores our land, that He gives us the strength to establish new rhythms that honor Him. We will talk more about this in Psalm 127.

The Return of Joy

As Christians, we walk by faith through the dry and weary land. It is on this journey that the promises of God give us hope and strength. The chapter closes with verses 5 and 6, promises that joy will return to the faithful. God acknowledges that there will be difficult times, but the believer will reap shouts of joy.

“Joy is not a requirement of Christian discipleship, it is a consequence. It is not what we have to acquire in order to experience life in Christ; it is what comes to us when we are walking in the way of faith and obedience.” – Eugene Peterson

When we empty ourselves of our complaints, remember God’s loving kindness toward us, and take our requests to God, we will experience the joy in the presence of God. The picture the psalmist gives us is that of a farmer sowing and reaping. The tears of lament are the seeds, and joy is the harvest.

Dear Christian, keep the faith. Learn the language of lament. Don’t just try to suppress your struggles, acknowledge them before God. Take your complaints to God, He is big enough to handle them. Recognize that things are not as they were, but God is still good and He is still working all around you. He will restore your joy and your hope as you seek Him through lament.

Click here to read Part 2 on Psalm 127

Happy Easter!

I love Easter, for it is the greatest day in the Christian Calendar, the day we remember and reflect upon the supernatural event that has transformed history: the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

I was awoke this morning by a text from a good friend, simple yet profound: “He is Risen”! The traditional call and response believers have been reciting for 2,000 years. I grabbed my phone and promptly texted back, “He is risen indeed!”

I hope your day started similar and that you received text, calls or zoom calls wishing you a happy Easter. As I began my morning in the book of Mark and spent some time in Romans, I wanted to craft a text that could summarize my thoughts on this wonderful day, that is clouded by the fact that we are not gathering in our faith communities as we honor the “Stay At Home” orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

I began to pray about it, first on behalf of my youth group, their parents, my family and my friends, what do they need to hear on this day. This is what I sent:

Happy Easter! Jesus is RISEN! He is not dead, He’s ALIVE and seated in Heaven! Today He REPRESENTS you to the Father! He is FOR you! His blood REDEEMED you, He has your back! You are LOVED by Him, be blessed today!

Read Hebrews 4:14-16

After sending it, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. There is so much good stuff in there from the Word of God, truths that God has been working out in my heart for decades and I still struggle to grasp the fullness, richness, depth and beauty of them. Yet each day, month and year I reflect on them, God graciously continues to teach me and draw me closer to Him by reminding me of who He is and what He is doing.

I hope you know these truths, I hope you know Jesus Christ as the Risen LORD and your personal Savior. If you do, these statements are promises God issues on your behalf. If you haven’t decided to follow Jesus, know that these promises await you if you choose to follow Him, may these words beckon you home.

I began to consider writing a blog post about this text when my mom asked if I would be willing to share a few thoughts on our family Easter Zoom call. (Let me just say I am thankful for Zoom and other technologies that allows us to stay connected in these times). I hadn’t fully formulated my thoughts, but I was excited to share with my family this text and try to unpack what I was thinking briefly. And now I sit down to try to summarize this before Easter is over.

Jesus is Risen!

There is an empty tomb! It’s a historical fact, through many proofs and records. This is the cornerstone belief to the Christian faith. Paul wrote about its importance in 1 Corinthians 15, which I would encourage you to spend time in.

One evidence for the resurrection that continues to amaze me is the transformation of the disciples. Friday they fled, hid, cowered and cried. Saturday they mourned and stayed hidden. Sunday they ran to an empty tomb and marveled. A few short days after seeing the resurrected Lord, they were preaching boldly to thousands and willing to die for their Lord.

Even today, the testimony of changed lives continues to proclaim the truth of the resurrected Lord!

The resurrection means that Jesus ‘death, burial and resurrection accomplished freedom and forgiveness for us. It provided the means for us to be justified (made right with God) and adopted by God. It secures us Kingdom life now and a secure promise for eternity.

But Easter doesn’t just remind us of what Jesus did, it reminds us of what He is doing! Have you ever thought, “What is Jesus doing today? What is He doing for me now?”

That’s what drew my attention to Hebrews 4:14-16:

 [14] Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. [15] For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. [16] Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

When Jesus entered into our world as a baby, He took on the fullness of being human and experienced the everyday normal life of the human existence. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that He can sympathize with us because He is familiar with our weakness, He was tempted, He was tired, He knows what it means to be human, yet he never sinned.

His sinless life was lived on our behalf. Romans 5 tells us how He became our representative in righteousness, and in Him we have life. What this means is that when you find that you are unfaithful to God, you broke His commandments, remember that Jesus was faithful and obeyed on your behalf! He paid your way and offers you His righteous standing before the Father.

He is our High Priest and our Advocate before the Father. Why do I need a High Priest and an Advocate? Because there is an enemy of your soul who is accusing you before God, pointing out all your faults, weaknesses and sins.

We have an Accuser, an Adversary

Revelation 12:9–11

[9] And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. [10] And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. [11] And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

Satan, the devil, is an accuser of the faithful. He wants to tear you down. He wants to distract you from the truth of who God is and what God is doing. As we consider this time of uncertainty, where gatherings have been canceled, normal life has been altered, and the fear of sickness is all around us, the enemy wants to get you to doubt God’s love for you. He wants you to doubt that God is in control. He wants to consume you with the fears of this world.

But we have an advocate who is seated at the right hand of the Father. Jesus is in Heaven declaring the victory that He has won on your behalf! That He paid your debt in full, that He obeyed for you, that He has sealed your spot on His team. He represents you!

He is not dead, He’s ALIVE and seated in Heaven! Today He REPRESENTS you to the Father!

Romans 8:33–34

[33] Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. [34] Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Jesus is praying for you and defending you today! When Satan brings the accusations against you, when he brings the lies of worthlessness, of meaninglessness, of unforgiveness to you, Jesus is standing in your place. Jesus is saying you are so valuable (Ephesians 2:10, Psalm 139:13-16), you have a purpose (1 Peter 2:9-10) and you have been forgiven in Christ (1 John 1:9).

He is FOR you! His blood REDEEMED you, He has your back!

It is so important for you, as a believer in Jesus Christ, to know that God is for you, that He has your back! There are many misconceptions out there about what coming to faith means. Some teach that if you truly believed you would have no more problems and that life would get easier. But that is a lie from the enemy.

Jesus promised that there would be trouble in this world. The Bible is full of stories of how believers encountered hard times, of natural disasters, of diseases, of captivity and oppression. Consider Psalm 124:1:

If it had not been the LORD who was on our side—

If God was not for us we would have been consumed. If God was not on our side, our enemies would have wiped us out. If God was not for us, floods would have swallowed us. If God was not for us, disease would destroy us.

Implicit in these statements is the fact that God is for them, was with them and preserved them. You can have hope that God is for you and He is with you and He will keep you!

Psalm 124:8

Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

Nothing is too big for God. He is the Creator of all things. He is the sustainer of all things. He is the author and perfector of our faith! Easter is a message of hope in the midst of darkness. Do not be defeated or dismayed, Jesus has overcome the darkness of death and offers you the fullness of life in harmony with Him (John 10:10).

Easter means we can be confident that God is working in our lives today.

Philippians 1:6

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

May prayer for you is that you can know these truths, and grow in them. That you would have your eyes fixed on the Risen Lord knowing He loves you so much, He is for you and you can trust Him every day of your life!

Happy Easter! Jesus is RISEN! He is not dead, He’s ALIVE and seated in Heaven! Today He REPRESENTS you to the Father! He is FOR you! His blood REDEEMED you, He has your back! You are LOVED by Him, be blessed today!

Read Hebrews 4:14-16

Psalms of Ascent: Posture

What have you learned about yourself in these first few weeks of the quarantine?

As you think about that question, recognize a simple truth that we are all servants of something. We allow our passions, desires, commitment, etc. to rule our lives. When we go about our everyday life when things are normal, we may not even realize what is ruling our life, until those things are stripped away.

As we face the realities of social distancing due to a pandemic, our lives are disrupted and our attitude reveals what we are in service to. Is it our friends that we cannot get together with? Is it our academic pursuits? Is it praise from our teachers, bosses, and teammates? Is it sports? Is it money? The list goes on and on. Some of the things are good, but even good things become idols when we let the rule our lives.

We are currently pilgrims traveling a new and unprecedented time with the changes being made for us due to the coronavirus. As we travel these roads, we can find a lot in common with the Israelites who were far from their home land and traveling toward Jerusalem, singing the Psalms of Ascent.

Last week we were reminded that we have to prepare to travel. We live in a land that leaves us wanting and need to move toward peace (Psalm 120). We have promises of help along the way from our God (Psalm 121). We are heading to a city of peace to be together again in worship of our God (Psalm 122).

This week we will continue on this journey in Psalms 123, 124, and 125.

What we will see from these psalms is that as we are pilgrims on the journey of life, we will find hope when our posture is one of being servants (123) to a benevolent and merciful God, who knows our desperate need of help (124) in the everyday ordinary life, and promises we can rest in knowing He has our back (125). God is for us!

Psalm 123 – I am a servant of God

When adversity hits, who do you look to for help? I can think of several people I call on in times of need. I’m looking for advice, reassurance and encouragement. This psalm opens up with the importance of looking to the God of heaven for help. The illustration is one of a servant looking expectantly to their master for with expectations of help, and the help offered here is mercy.

Over the years I have watched a lot of sports, and I often find myself observing the coach and their relationship with his/her players. My observations have led me to my own philosophy of coaching, seeing what I want to emulate and what I want to avoid.

As a coach, I value relationship and positive reinforcement. I want my players to be confident and empowered to play at their highest potential. When adversity hits us in the middle of the game and my player looks at me for help, I don’t want to yell at her and tell her how horrible she is playing. No I want to be merciful and encouraging. I reminder her of what we have practiced and that I am confident in her abilities. My goal is to instill hope.

This is the picture I get from Psalm 123, in the game of life, I look to God for help and what He gives me is Christ. What I mean by that is that faith in Jesus means we are on His team, He is our Coach. When we look to Him, He is not the angry demanding coach, He is merciful and benevolent. He speaks life into our situation knowing that we encounter enough contempt and scorn from this world.

Paul put in this way in Romans 12:1–2

[1] I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. [2] Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Some translations render “spiritual worship” as “reasonable service” or “spiritual act of worship.” It continues the emphasis that we are servants of God and we serve Him by getting on the alter in our everyday life. That means that we surrender ourselves to Him daily. It means that we look to Him and serve Him in our everyday ordinary life.

The act of looking to Him reminds us that He is above us, He is in Heaven, He is God and we are not. The act of looking to Him reminds us that we serve Him, He doesn’t serve us. When we look to Him, we place ourselves in the proper posture to receive mercy and hope from a benevolent God.

“A servant Christian is the freest person on earth.” – Eugene Peterson

Psalm 124 – Help in the Everyday Ordinary Life

“Psalm 124 is a song of hazard—and of help. Among the Songs of Ascents, sung by the people of God on the way of faith, this is one that better than any other describes the hazardous work of all discipleship and declares the help that is always experienced at the hand of God.” – Eugene Peterson

As we read through Psalm 124 we see the reality of troubles in this life. If we pause for a moment we can make a list of countless struggles we face each day, and somedays more than others. The posture the psalmist takes in reminding us is that these terrible things could have over taken us IF God wasn’t for us.

Psalm 124:1

If it had not been the LORD who was on our side—

A provocative opening statement captures our attention. God is on our side! God is for us and will help us!

Do you believe God is for you? Why or why not?

In a few short lines, he writes an acknowledgement of the daily struggles and hazards along life’s journey. This means that God knows our struggles, He knows our pains, He knows the difficulties we face, and He knows more about our situation then we could ever imagine.

He knows that life can be overwhelming and could have consumed you, but God is on your side! He knows that life can be treacherous and hazardous, but God is on your side! He knows that relationships are hard, that school is difficult, that the coronavirus is extremely contagious, but God is on your side!

Psalm 124:8

Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

God has our back, THE God who made heaven and earth. We have to remember the immensity of our God, that He is bigger than any problem we face and He promises to deliver us from our biggest struggles.

Nothing could be clearer than the truth that He delivered us from our ultimate enemy: sin. As we approach Good Friday and Easter Sunday, remember that in our everyday ordinary life, we are sinners and deserve judgment. But our God, who is on our side, sent His only Son into this world to be the perfect sacrifice and demonstration of love by going to the cross for our sins. In Christ we are delivered from the bondage to sin! In Christ we have escaped God’s wrath! In Christ we have all of our needs met, and can have confidence in His willingness to help us in our time of need.

Psalm 125 – Rest in God

Psalm 125 is a source of confidence for those who trust in God. It pictures the city of Jerusalem as well fortified and surrounded by mountains, giving even more fortification. The psalmist’s goal is to give you confidence that God has your back, that He is protecting you and you can rest in Him.

He is not denying the difficulties of life, but reminding us that God is a mighty fortress of protection that we can take refuge in Him.

Paul says it this way in 2 Corinthians 4:7–9:

[7] But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. [8] We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; [9] persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

There is an acknowledgement of the difficulties of life, the struggles we will face and the times we will stumble, but we have this hope that God is the one in control. As Christians, we have the opportunity to display God’s power when we learn to live in dependence upon Him. The power we have to overcome, does not come from within us, it comes from Jesus Christ.

Look to Jesus, He is a strong tower and we can run to Him and be safe! When we do we will experience the mercy and hope He has promised to us.

When we look to the God of heaven, we will find hope when our posture is one of being servants (123) to a benevolent and merciful God, who knows our desperate need of help (124) in the everyday ordinary life, and promises we can rest in knowing He has our back (125). God is for us!