Since my mother’s death, I’ve been reflecting on her life lessons. Another life lesson I learned from my mom – waste not – want not. Some call it being cheap. I call it being fiscally responsible, a lesson well worth learning. Waste Not – Want Not – Financial Lessons Waste not – want not meant […]
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What are the requirements to be blessed by God? Psalm 41 – Blessed are those, addresses this question, while raising other questions. Psalm 41 In this lament, the answer to the question, who is blessed by God, would seem very simple. We are told in Psalm 41 – blessed are those who have regard for […]
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Hurry up and wait. That’s life. As the saying goes, life happens while you are waiting. For all of the waiting we do are any of us good at it. The writer of Psalm 40 says he waited patiently, but did he? What can we learn about waiting from Psalm 40 – I waited patiently? […]
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I remember sitting in our station wagon with my dad, brothers and sisters, while we waited for mom to finish cleaning the cottage we had rented for the week – cleaning the refrigerator, sweeping the floors, dusting, wiping down the counters. When asked why she bothered, after all we didn’t own the place, my mom […]
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Psalm 39 – I will watch, the psalm begins. But what is the writer watching? And why? Psalm 39 – I Will Watch my Ways Psalm 39 is another lament psalm, attributed to David. The first line of Psalm 39 – “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a […]
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Psalm 38 – do not punish me in your anger. So begins Psalm 38. What does this psalm have to teach us about prayer? And what does it teach us about God? Psalm 38 – For Remembrance Psalm 38 is a penitential psalm, attributed to David. The superscription for Psalm 38 is for remembrance, or […]
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Does it sometimes feel like evil is prevailing, the wicked prosper and the good suffer? If so, read Psalm 37 – do not fret – and you will find an antidote to all of the pessimism and negativity in our world. Psalm 37 Psalm 37 is an acrostic wisdom poem. We hear a series of […]
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While watching the Olympics this past week, it occurred to me that if worry were an Olympic event, I would definitely be a contender. In fact, I would expect to win a medal. After all, I learned from a gold-medal worrier, my mother. I was also recently struck by an article saying that biting your fingernails […]
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In Psalm 36 – Sin directs the heart of the wicked, the writer declares. The psalm contrasts the ways of the sinner with the ways of God. Psalm 36 – the Wicked Psalm 36 begins with an oracle from God, according to some translations. God is speaking to David’s heart: “I have a message from […]
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In Psalm 35 – Oppose those who oppose me, the psalmist cries out to God. Who are those people and what are they doing? And what does the writer want God to do? Psalm 35 Psalm 35 – oppose those who oppose me – is a plea for help that joins three lament section. It […]
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