The Central Moment

Are you feeling down or even fighting depression? Psalms 42 and 43 take us on a journey of emotional honesty but, ultimately, lasting hope and restored joy.

Because of Christ’s obedience to his Heavenly Father we, too, can have a new song in our hearts. All of this is embedded in a Psalm written centuries before Christ but quoted by the New Testament writers as prophetically pointing to Christ.

Comparing ourselves with worldly people who are more successful, more prosperous, or more popular is a temptation for most of us. But the Lord gives us a pathway for being uniquely who we are while staying faithful to him. 

The fear of the Lord and submission to his will do not play well in western culture any more. Yet, in the face of human arrogance, the Lord’s love remains far reaching and priceless.

The ‘imprecatory’ psalms wish harm and judgment on wrong-doers. They do not, at first glance, seem consistent with Jesus’ teaching to love our enemies. So what do we do with them?

Praise both precedes victories and follows victories. It redirects our focus from our strengths to God’s capacity. May the idolatry of self-dependence be broken in our lives!

Forgiveness has been called our greatest need and God’s greatest triumph. When the guilt and burden of sin is lifted off of us, freedom and life begins to pour into our lives.

 Anxiety is generally related to things that we cannot control. Yet the Lord is our refuge, hiding us in himself and taking our times into his own hands.

Are you walking through difficult times that are hard to understand? Are you searching for a solid reference point for hope? May Psalms 30 be one that fills your heart with healing faith.

What enables us to walk without fear through life? It’s two things -- settled theological convictions that govern our thinking and hungry hearts that wait on the Lord.

Perhaps the most famous psalm ever written, the Shepherd’s Psalm brings us to the place of restoration, reassurance, and renewal. It is the picture of a living in a way that takes on life’s threats without fear and with hope.

The 22nd Psalm became Jesus’ psalm as he suffered on the cross. It is a remarkable prophetic picture of what Jesus endured. But, in the end, it declares that God will not forsake us!

Have you ever had blessings pronounced over your life? May the realities of the pronounced blessings of Psalm 20 not only nourish and resource our lives, but may they detach us from reliance on our own resources.

Words have great power, and God’s words are unparalleled in their beauty and power. So what about the words of our mouths?

There is no distance with God. No matter where we are or what we are facing, our voice can reach his ears!

Today we look at a psalm that hopefully has our names written all over it. It is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus, but, in him, it becomes our story as well.

SUMMER WITH THE PSALMS: The year 2022 has not been getting easier -- crime, opiod deaths, mass shootings, inflation, gas prices, human atrocities being inflicted on the people of Ukraine, Covid surges, supply chain and worker shortages, an overwhelming crisis at the southern border. Let’s be honest and lament in prayer -- but let us also never lose sight of God’s loving kindness and goodness!

SUMMER WITH THE PSALMS: The foundations morally and socially of our nation are being shaken. So do we run for shelter or do we seek to live out the purposes of God in our decaying world?

SUMMER WITH THE PSALMS: The plight of the victim is never outside of God’s notice and care. May we also hear the cries of innocent victims who need to be protected and defended.

SUMMER WITH THE PSALMS: Victories feel wonderful -- and may we never take them for granted. But, more importantly, may they always remind us of the God who never forsakes those who seek him!

SUMMER WITH THE PSALMS: Many make it their habit to begin their days with prayer. We see that same pattern in David’s life as he anticipates God’s joy and favor no matter what each day might bring.

SUMMER WITH THE PSALMS: The third Psalm is like an altar call. It is based on the mercy of God and his ability to hear our cries. So we are called to know… tremble… search…offer…and trust.

SUMMER WITH THE PSALMS: There are times when we have to simply turn our critics over to the Lord and put our doubts into his hands. Around us, in us, and above us -- that is how encompassing his protection can be!

SUMMER WITH THE PSALMS: The second Psalm made it all the way into the New Testament! King Herod and Pontius Pilate fulfilled the first part of this Psalm, and Jesus is living out the rest. Whose side are you on?

SUMMER WITH THE PSALMS: How we live matters. That is where the book of Psalms starts. It’s a call to reform the things we pay attention to, the choices we make, and the affections that shape our hearts.