Today's Reading: Psalm 141 & 142

A Guard Over My Mouth

A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!  It only takes a spark to set off a forest fire. In the same way, a careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can set off a uproar. By your speech you can ruin people’s lives, turn harmony to chaos, or sully someone’s reputation.  The tongue is a powerful thing.

That’s why David prayed that the Lord would “watch over the door of my lips.”  He recognized that the words he speaks are important and have consequences.  Proverbs 15:23 tells us about positive words, “To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!”  Contrast that with Proverbs 29:20 which says, “Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?  There is more hope for a fool than for him.”  Our words can be positive and uplifting, or they can be hasty and hurtful.  It is a paradox of human nature that the same tongue can be used for good and for evil.

We all need a guard over our mouth.  We need someone to watch over the door of our lips.  Why? Because we are all prone to hurtful words spoken in haste.  According to James 3, we all need to tame our tongue.  The problem is that, “no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison”  (James 3:6). It is not enough to speak helpful words “most” of the time if we sometimes use our mouths for hurtful or evil things.  We need someone to keep watch over our lips.

Praise the Lord for the Holy Spirit!  On your own, you are never going to be able to do anything to bring your tongue under control.  You are going to have to let the Holy Spirit do it for you!  One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to give us the right words to speak.  Luke 12:12 says, “The Holy Spirit will give you the words to say at the moment when you need them.”  Stop trying to control your mouth in your own effort.  It is time to cry out to God and ask that He place a guard over your mouth.

Here’s how to control your tongue: pray this prayer from Psalm 19:14, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer."  

Then, get out of the Holy Spirit's way and let Him keep watch over the door of your lips!

Today's Reading: Psalm 120 & 140

I Know That The Lord

When you get to know someone – really know them – you can anticipate how they will act in various situations.  You only know someone if he or she actively shares information with you, particularly intimate, private information. You may know certain things “about” someone, like their name, where they live, where they work, etc.  You may even know some things about them like their favorite movie, or where they like to shop, or their favorite sports team.  Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter may help you know “about” someone from the things they post.  But do you really know them?  Do you know their innermost character and “what makes them tick?”  Probably not.

To really “know” someone, you need to spend time with them and they need to share personal inside information with you. They need to “open up” to you and let you know the feelings and attitudes and viewpoints that can’t really be seen from a social media post.  As you get to know them, you can begin to anticipate the decisions they will make and the causes they support. In many cases, you can predict their next move.

I once had a very close friend who was accused of doing something hurtful to another person. Others around him began to charge him and accuse him. But I knew this friend, and based on my personal knowledge of him, I was certain that he could not have done what he was accused of.  I knew what “made him tick,” and there’s no way he could be guilty of the things they accused him of.  It turned out that I was right.  After the truth came out, my friend was completely exonerated. I was not surprised because I knew that he couldn’t have done what they said.

David knew God.  He didn’t just know about Him. He had spent time with God, sitting in His presence and, as a result, David knew what God was like, and could anticipate what He would do. You could say that David knew the Lord’s innermost character and had personal knowledge of the things He would – or would not – do.

In today’s key verse (Psalm 140:12), David said, “I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted and will exercise justice for the needy.”  How did David “know” this?  Because he had spent time getting to know God and what He is like.  He connected with the Lord in such a way that he could anticipate how He would act in certain situations. Even if someone accused the Lord of wrongdoing, David had intimate knowledge of God’s innermost character and “knew” that those things could not be true.

This is one of joys of becoming intimate with the Lord. When He befriends you and begins to share His private, intimate, innermost character with you, you can anticipate how He will act in your life. You can live a life of confidence and trust and, like David, be able to say, “I know that the Lord will…”

 

Today's Reading: Psalm 52 & 56

In Praise of God's Word

Why did David praise the word of the Lord?  What is it about God’s word that prompted his praise and thankfulness?  After all, David was in a deeply distressful period of his life.  He was at risk daily of being killed by king Saul and his agents. He was living a life of scarcity and loneliness, hiding in caves and mountains. There really wasn’t much to be thankful for at this point in his life. Yet he takes time to give thanks for and to praise the word of God.

David, of course, did not have the full Bible we enjoy today. But he praised the word of God.  Perhaps he had some fragments of the writings of Moses, or Joshua, or Samuel, or the priests of Israel. We don’t really know for sure if David had any form of God’s written word, but we know that he certainly had God’s word written upon his heart. David had grown up as an Israelite boy, where he had been taught the Book of the Law. As a child, David had “hidden God’s word” in his heart (see Psalm 119:11).  But more than that, God had spoken to David on numerous occasions through Samuel, the Judge and Prophet of Israel and again as David inquired of the Lord, the Lord spoke to him directly via the impressions of the Holy Spirit on his heart.  David certainly had God’s word, but why did he praise it?  What prompted his praise and thankfulness?

David praised the word of the Lord because he recognized its power in his life.  He had come to know the word of God as something that was always with him and that he could always fall back on as a form of comfort, encouragement, conviction, guidance, and confidence.  To him, it wasn’t just some empty “religious” words, but it was communication from the very heart of God.  For this, David gave praise.

Spending time in God’s word does some pretty amazing things!  As you turn to His word, your anxiety and fear gives way to peace ruling in your heart. Like David, you no longer fear what man can do to you, because you recognize that God is on your side. Not only do you get peace, but you get wisdom for life causing you to feel more confident to make decisions and act in God-honoring ways. The word of God brings you to the place where God confides in you as His friend. Oh, how God loves to speak to us through His Word!  One of the most awesome benefits to reading the Bible is that suddenly God really becomes real – He’s not just “out there” somewhere, but He is tangibly showing up in your life.  Ultimately, the word of God has power to cause you to know your faith and live out your faith. Instead of just remembering Bible stories or things that others have said, the word really starts to come alive for you. For all of this, and more, we should live in praise of God’s word.

 

Today's Reading: Psalm 34

 

Near to the Brokenhearted

We are in the period of David’s life where he has become a prolific writer of musical lyrics that will one day be compiled into the Book of Psalms. The Hebrew word for Psalms is “Tehillim,” which literally translated means “Praises.”  Thus, the Book of Psalms is a compilation of praises in the form of Hebrew poems, songs, and prayers.  David was a poet and harp player and is credited with writing about half of the 150 Psalms found in our Old Testament.  Many of these poems and songs came to be used by the choirs that sang in Israel’s temple worship services.  And many are still sung today as a means of worship by the Christian church around the world.

Psalm 34 is a poem that invites the reader to “taste and see that the LORD is good” (Verse 8). It is a song about the goodness of God and all the blessings that He brings to those who seek Him and praise Him continually.  Some of these blessings include: gladness, freedom from fear, radiant faces, not being ashamed, protection, having no lack, living and loving many days, prayers that are heard, deliverance from affliction, and the promise of redemption.  Wow!  What an amazing song/poem.  It is a song that should be always on our hearts.

In verse 18, David says that the “LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”  It is one of the amazing characteristics of our God that He recognizes our moments of disappointment and sorrow and makes it His undertaking to come alongside us with His nearness and saving presence.

We all go through periods in our lives when we are brokenhearted and crushed in spirit.  Perhaps a relationship has broken down, or a loved one has passed away, or an opportunity has been lost, or sickness has afflicted our body or the body of a loved one, or the pain of loneliness has set in.  In one way or another, brokenheartedness is part of the human experience.  When those crushing moments come, we must respond by remembering that our God is near and wants to save us with His grace and love.  There are three key points to see in this promise from God.

First, GOD IS CLOSE.  He is ever present. There is nowhere we can go, or nothing we can go through where God is not there.  If we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us (James 4:8).  When difficulties and sadness come your way, don’t pull away from God. Instead, let His comforting Spirit encircle your broken heart.

Second, He is near TO THE BROKEN HEARTED. It is often the brokenhearted who see Him best and sense His comforting presence the most. He is not a God who is unaffected by our pain.  He longs to bring comfort and encouragement to our downcast souls.

Finally, HE SAVES THE CRUSHED IN SPIRIT. This statement takes God’s work a step further.  He not only is near, but He wants to intervene in our moments of brokenheartedness. His nearness is there to save us.  He is a mighty saving God and is in the business of restoring your joy, your confidence, your hope, and your salvation. 

Today's Reading: Psalm 31

My Times are in His Hand

David was sad. His life was spent with grief, and his years with sighing. His sorrow had sapped his strength. Cruel enemies pursued him with malicious intentions, even seeking his life. At this sad and grief-filled time in his life, David turned to the best possible resource available to him – his trust in God. He had no other refuge but that which he found by faith in the Lord his God.

Having taken to trusting in God, David makes a wonderful claim – “my times are in Your hand.” By these words, David was acknowledging God’s divine providence, protection, provision, and guidance.  This to him was a most cheering fact: he had no fear as to his circumstances, since all things were in the divine hand of his loving Heavenly Father.

The great truth is this – all that concerns you as a follower of Christ is in the hands of the Almighty God. Your “times” may change and shift; but they change only in accordance with God’s unchanging love, and they shift only according to the purpose of Him with whom is “no variableness nor shadow of a turning” (James 1:17).  Your times, that is to say, your ups and your downs, your health and your sickness, your poverty and your wealth, your joy and your grief – all those are in the hand of the Lord, who arranges and appoints according to his holy will the length of your days, and the darkness of your nights. Storms and calms will vary with the seasons of divine appointment. Sometimes He calms the storm, sometimes He calms you during the storm.  It is all in His gracious, kind, and loving hands.  Whether times are refreshing or gloomy remains with Him who is Lord both of time and of eternity.  We, like David, should rejoice in this eternal truth!

The ultimate results of His work of grace upon us, and of His transformation of us in this life, are in the highest hand. We are not in our own hands, nor in the hands of “the fates”; but we are under the skillful operation of the hands of our Maker, who makes nothing in vain. The end of our life is not decided by the some random “fate” or by accident; but by the hand of love. We shall not die before our time, neither shall we be forgotten and left upon this earth too long.

It is important to note that David's times were in God's hand because that’s where he had placed them. He had by faith intentionally committed all to God. Observe carefully verse 5 of this Psalm: "Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.” We, too, as followers of Christ, must be intentional about our trust in the Lord.  We, like David, must commit our spirit to Him and trust that the entirety of our lives are in His loving and gracious hands!

 

Today's Reading: Psalm 7 & 27

Inoculated From Fear

We live in difficult times. People are traumatized. There is much fear and anxiety permeating our world. Fear is an instrument of the devil. Satan is the purveyor of fear and is doing a masterful job of infecting humanity with a “virus of fear.”  Using communication vessels such as TV news, radio, social media platforms, politicians, and governments, Satan has done a expert job of placing the fear and dread of sickness and death into the hearts and minds of billions of people around the world. This unprocessed fear cuts us off from our full aliveness and spirit, and it separates us from others. So, how do we, as followers of Christ, cope with such fear?  How do we keep our lives from being overcome by this satanic fear?

David was also facing fear. His life was in danger on a daily basis as he was hunted and hounded by king Saul who was certainly out to kill him. If he did not properly handle his fear, he could have easily been overcome and turned into a cowering scaredy-cat. But he kept his life from being overcome by the darkness of fear by “inoculating” himself with a spiritual “vaccine” of sorts. He insulated himself from fear by applying three truths of God to his life.  David’s threefold inoculation from fear is described for us here in Psalm 27:1 – The Lord is my LIGHT. The Lord is my SALVATION. The Lord is my STRONGHOLD.  If we are to cope with the darkness of fear all around us, we too must vaccinate ourselves with these same three truths.

First Vaccine: THE LORD IS MY LIGHT. The Apostle John wrote, “This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”  (1 John 1:5) When you look to Him (rather than listening to the messengers of Satan), your heart is enlightened with His truth. He becomes your counselor, comforter, companion, and deliverer in all your distresses. The way of God is bright.  As our light, he shows us the way in which we must walk, and gives us comfort in walking therein. Inoculate yourself from the darkness of fear with the light of God and His word.

Second Vaccine: THE LORD IS MY SALVATION. When all is said and done, your future is held in the masterful hands of your Creator. As a follower of Christ, there is no doubt about the ultimate end of your life.  When He is finished with you in this world (and not a moment sooner), you are promised eternal salvation in His glorious kingdom.  Knowing this truth keeps your heart wrapped in confidence and joy.  Inoculate yourself from fear with the joy of God’s salvation.

Booster Shot: THE LORD IS MY STRONGHOLD.  Psalm 18:2 says, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”  As Christians, we are uniquely blessed with protection from all of the difficulties and fears that this life tries to bring upon us.  Run to Him.  He is your hiding place.  Inoculate yourself from fear by finding your strength in the safe hands of your God!

With David the Psalmist, we should confidently say, “of whom (or what) shall I be afraid?”

 

Today's Reading: 1 Samuel 24

When Conviction Trumps Opportunity

David had more than one opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Saul, kill him, and put an end to his own torture of being hunted and hounded by the king. But he did not act on those opportunities.  Instead, he chose to respect God’s chosen leader and keep him alive even though it meant his own torment and discomfort would continue.  Some would say that whenever God opens a door of opportunity, we must go through it and take hold of the situation that has presented itself.  But is that always true? Actually, no.  There are times when personal character matters more than seizing opportunity.

In this case, David had a personal conviction from God about laying a hand on God’s chosen leader. David’s logic (though it seemed illogical to some) was simply that one should never attack the Lord’s anointed – even though the opportunity to do so presented itself. 

What application does this have to Christians today? Who is, or are, the Lord’s anointed who should not be attacked? Does this mean we should never challenge or attack a Christian leader or Pastor? That we must recognize him as God’s anointed and not “lay a hand” on him?  In the New Testament, congregations are not led by kings or prophets. They are led by “pastors,” a word that means servant-shepherds. Yes, I know in many circles the pastor and his wife are treated like royalty. Some even refer to the pastor’s wife as first lady.  But this verse was never intended to place people above others or remove them from accountability for their actions. While we must hold our leaders accountable for issues to do with false doctrine, sin, and stewardship failures, we must be very careful not to “attack” or “oppose” or “dispute with” our pastor-shepherd for issues that are not critical or vital to the life of the church. He is God’s under-shepherd and has been chosen by God for his service to the church.  As such, we must be careful to support and defend him privately and publicly.

More importantly for us, we need to see the underlying principle here – Conviction Trumps Opportunity!  We must never yield to an apparent opportunity when doing so will compromise our convictions.  David chose not to lift a finger against Saul because in his heart he knew God would not be pleased.  In the same way, we must be careful not to go through “an open door” just because it is there.  We must seek God’s will and search our own hearts.  If seizing the opportunity compromises our convictions, we must decline.  Perhaps you’re competing for a promotion at work, but you know another employee is more deserving than you.  Be careful that you don’t “attack” that other employee just to better your situation.  Or, maybe you’ve just been in a minor traffic collision that was really your fault, but when the police report is made, you dishonestly claim the other person was at fault just so you can protect your driving record or insurance premiums. 

Remember – conviction always trumps opportunity.  Put God’s principles first, then if a door opens that doesn’t require compromise of your convictions, you can be confident in going through that door.