Journal Entry // March 14, 2021
You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples.
Psalm 77:14 ESV
I sometimes neglect to remember the two truths of this verse and simply walk through life and faith as though this world is all there is and that I am at the center of it. As the Psalmist says a few verses earlier, I need to remember, ponder, and meditate on all of God’s good works.
Continue reading “Remember Wonder”
Journal Entry // March 13, 2021
We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds.
Psalm 75:1 ESV
On the anniversary of one of the low points of my life, this verse is exactly the medicine I need to reflect upon this morning. The enemy would have me contemplate the guilt and shame that culminated in this day a year ago. The enemy would have this day as a reminder of how weak and frail and sinful I truly am. He would not be wrong. But the lie that the enemy brings in this day is that I am done and finished. That I will never recover what was lost. That I am in a pit of despair without hope of being lifted out.
Continue reading “His Name is Near”
Journal Entry // March 7, 2021
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
Psalm 67:1 ESV
God’s presence in my life truly does seem to feel like the phases of the moon in the sky. From the new moon where there is no moonlight, to the waxing and waning to the intense brightness of the full moon. It is this full moon presence of the Lord that the Psalmist is referring to in this verse. The presence of the Lord is the picture of his face shining upon us.
Continue reading “Shining Face”
Journal Entry // March 6, 2021
we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.
Psalm 66:12 ESV
Psalm 66 is an interestingly relevant study into my current metal state. There is a focus on the trials and adversity that the Psalmist remembers, but there is a dedication and hope about the present and the future. This is where the Lord is leading me. I think I have been so focused on the “fire” and “water” that my present has become clouded and muddied. I have placed too much emphasis on learning from my past mistakes and mulling over what has been lost to the detriment of seeing the hand of the Lord leading me to a place of abundance.
Continue reading “Place of Abundance”
Journal Entry // March 3, 2021
Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
Psalm 62:8 ESV
This feels more difficult than it should feel. It seems so simple at times when I am reading God’s word. Trust him… Show your trust by being open and honest with him… He will care for you. It all makes sense, but it just feels more difficult in practice. Why do I not trust him? Why do I keep my heart shut to him at times? Why do I run away from him instead of towards? These are the nagging questions that accuse me at times. Questions that if I’m honest with myself, tend to drive me to despair or lethargy or disconnectedness. There comes this darkness that envelopes me at times and I feel an intense pressure to escape. To not run toward my Rock and my Refuge, but to a life apart. To disengage with the world and reality and give over to escapism.
Continue reading “Pouring Out”
Journal Entry // February 23, 2021
But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.
Psalm 52:8 ESV
There were several phrases and ideas in my reading this morning that struck me and would have made for helpful journal entries. Phrases that helped me understand what God delights in, what a broken heart and spirit mean, and how quickly we can turn from praise to wickedness. In the end, I chose this passage because it compares nicely with Psalm 1 and is a great word picture of living a life that fully trusts and rests on God alone.
Continue reading “Green Olive Tree”
Journal Entry // February 21, 2021
The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”
Psalm 50:23 ESV
A sacrifice of thanksgiving. This is not the first time I have read this phrase in the last month or so. I think I have probably journaled about it previously as well. It is an interesting phrase that the Psalmist uses to emphasize his point about what we bring to God in worship. We tend to think that what is most important is the outward expression of our worship or the object we bring in particular. I want to bring my sacrifice to the Lord in a manner that I deem appropriate.
This may look like:
• Daily reading the Bible, praying
• Going to church
• Giving of my financial resources
• Giving of my time and energy
• Giving up personal enjoyments
Journal Entry // February 20, 2021
Your right hand is filled with righteousness.
Psalm 48:10 ESV
God’s right hand is filled with righteousness and he will do what is good and right for his namesake. And because of this, we are called to rejoice because of his judgements as we think on his steadfast love and bring praise to him.
Do I rejoice over God’s right hand being filled with righteousness and his holy judgements? I don’t think I really do. I think I let my thoughts lead to an unhealthy fear of God. The Psalmist tells us that this should all lead us to rightly fear the Lord because he is righteous and pronounces good judgements. But I still think I am living in a manner that fears the Lord not because his judgements are righteous and holy, but because I am not and I continue to fall under his righteous wrath.
Continue reading “God’s Right Hand”
Journal Entry // February 14, 2021
I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.
Psalm 40:8 ESV
This is the natural outworking of putting my hope in God. The Lord has saved, reconciled, and redeemed me from the slavery of sin and rebellion that gripped my heart. Not only has he promised to bring me safely home to be with him, but he has given me a new heart and placed his Spirit within to dwell there with me. And in my heart is written his law.
Continue reading “Law of Delight”
Journal Entry // February 13, 2021
And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.
Psalm 39:7 ESV
And what is this hope that David is waiting on? It is not the type of hope that we use in our modern day vernacular. It is not this wishful hope that we have no idea if it will come to pass. It is not hoping that I win the lottery or hoping that it doesn’t rain next weekend. No, this hope in the Lord is a surety that what God has promised will come to pass. That even in the darkest of moments when it looks like his promise is failing, we can trust that the Lord will surely bring about what he has promised.
Continue reading “Hopeful Waiting”