Over the past month I’ve had many reasons to cry out with the writer of Psalm 16 – keep me safe! Traveling thousands of miles, sideswiped once, unfamiliar territory. and visits to the hospital. All reasons to cry out: Lord, keep me safe. Safety is a basic need. On Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, it comes […]
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Many of us have reason to cry out with the writer of Psalm 13-how long, Lord? How long do we have to wait? Must we suffer forever? How much longer until our trials are over? The writer of Psalm 13 wrestled with these questions. Psalm 13 The author asks four times in Psalm 13 – […]
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Have you ever wanted to fly away, escape from all the trials of this world? I know I have. All of us need a refuge at times, a safe place. Where do we find true refuge? We hear in Psalm 11 – in the Lord I take refuge. Psalm 11 The writer of Psalm 11 […]
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The first words of Psalm 4 – answer me, reminds me of a petulant child, stomping their foot and making loud demands. The words also can be a cry for help, or a cry of despair. Psalm 4 The writer of Psalm 4 is confident that God is with him. He calls upon “God of […]
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Many say that the trauma of slaves remains embedded in their ancestors on a cellular level today. If that is true, then the trauma of slavery remained a part of the Hebrew nation throughout the Old Testament since the time of Moses. Theirs is a history of trauma that impacts their worldview. And so, trauma […]
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There’s something in the Bible for everyone: for young lovers full of vigor, seniors struggling with disability, for kings and leaders, for the poor or depressed, for simple farm laborers, for family members. That’s part of the beauty of Scripture. It can also be problematic because people often chose to manipulate Scripture to fit their […]
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The next four psalms in the psaltery, Psalm 140-143, are laments, perhaps in preparation for the explosion of praise and thanksgiving found in the last five psalms. Our psalm for this week, Psalm 140, reminds us that conspiracy theories are nothing new. With all of the conspiracy theories around, this psalm reminds us we need […]
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In my thirties and forties, I remember encouraging others to start preparing for their retirement, not just financially, but mentally and spiritually. Everyone ages, but not everyone ages with grace. You can’t expect to reach sixty or seventy or eighty, and become magically gracious, kind, loving and wise, if you never practiced any of these […]
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“Grass doesn’t grow on a busy street!” Or so the cliché goes in regards to bald heads. The image of grass growing on a bald head has been stuck in my head this week as I reflected on Psalm 129. Psalm 129 Psalm 129 is composed of two sections. The first is a message of […]
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What do you worship? What are the hidden idols in your life? Idols crop up everywhere. Throughout history they take new forms. We are hard-wired for worship. Often we are misled into seeking out false idols to fill that need for worship. Our idols may not be images of silver and gold, but may be […]
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