Why give thanks to God? There are many answers to that question, not least because of his saving grace wrought at the cross. But here the psalm has a particular and perhaps slightly enigmatic reason in its focus: “for your name is near” (75:1). The reason why, then, we are

What is the least mentioned characteristic of God in the contemporary church? I suppose different answers could be given to that question, but to my mind the answer is given in this psalm: fear. We are quick to exult in God’s love (as we should), but without a balancing

In this psalm is a great principle that any disciple of God can use for their own suffering or perplexing situation still today. The psalmist is in difficulties. It is “the day of my trouble” (77:2). We are not told exactly what this “trouble” was, but that it is characterized as

Christ’s resurrection is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Like the foundational stone in a building, everything rests on Him. Remove the cornerstone, and the whole structure falls. So it is with the resurrection. It is not an added belief—it is the foundation of our

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” A story began with a blank page. And today, so can yours. Whatever you’ve thought about Christianity—however unclear, misunderstood, or distant it may have felt—there is still a new beginning. Because of the resurrection, there

Family histories are normally replete with messages affirming the preeminence of that family’s particular genetic heritage. Sure, there are a few nuts in every family, but by and large it is natural for us to prefer the testimony of our family—with all its foibles—over that of

The psalm continues with a description of the capitulation of God’s people to sin and rebellion against God. It is a sad lament. Why does the psalmist spend so much time telling us of these things? The answer is that he writes these things to warn us. Immersed in this description

Calamity breeds its own kind of despair. It is difficult to know how to respond when something tragic and terrible occurs. How can we answer the cries of those who are brought low? How can we find strength to help those trod down under foot? How can we discover the inner strength

When you are faced with a situation that is apparently beyond your ability to influence, what do you do? In this psalm we find a man calling out to God to ask God to “restore”; God is the only one who can do it, and so it is to God that this man calls. The prayer is simple, and

The psalm begins with praise and ends with appeal. This morning, begin your day with praise, and then listen to the appeal that this psalm makes. The praise is loud! “Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob!” (81:1). No moderate, refined praise is this!

These kind of Psalms are hard for us to read, much less to interpret. We are not used to the idea of God’s judgment in any shape or form being expressed with confidence and certitude. And it is especially hard for us to read of this appeal for God to judge against the enemies of

One of the most compelling natural instincts we have is for “home.” You see it with the way that ex-patriots struggle to accommodate themselves to new cultures, with how missionaries on furlough sometimes feel quite disorientated, with that longing we have for the place where we

A few years ago Christians around the world would be found regularly praying for revival. Since then, that habit of asking God to restore his people—which is the theme of this psalm—seems to have waned. Why is that? One of the reasons, I suspect, is because the theology of

A prayer for help—“Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy” (86:1). Perhaps you feel like that this morning. You are in need. Listen to this psalm and let its word encourage you to pray to God for help. First, remember who God is. “For you, O Lord, are

“Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.” This and other similar “old saws” suggest that we are most at threat from physical danger. Certainly, physical danger is not to be eschewed or ignored as if it were nothing. Only those who have never suffered

Do you want to give your life something that lasts forever? So many people down through the years have attempted to make a name for themselves that lasts beyond the merely temporal and immediate. Great works of art. Military conquest. The list goes on. And yet the sands of time

The vision and the promise are clear. But where are the results? This is a confusing disjunction with which to be faced at the best of times, but especially when the vision belongs to God (verse 19), and the promise is guaranteed also by God (verse 35). “But now you have cast

Following Jesus is not a sudden rush to the finish line. It is step-by-step progress in the life of discipleship, walking in the power of the Spirit. And that path is marked by the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,

This, surely one of the greatest psalms, if not one of the greatest chapters in the whole Bible, resonates with the God-given wisdom of that man of God, Moses. And the essence of its wisdom? “You return man to dust,” and therefore “teach us to number our days that we may gain a

There is a secret to safety even in the midst of danger. “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty” (91:1). Whatever may befall us, whatever dangers we may face, those who make God their “dwelling” will find that God is their “refuge”