Day 165: Psalm 41, 42, 43 and 44

Blessed is he who has regard for the weak (Psalm 41:1).

Some people are weak, some are strong. Some people are poor while others are wealthy. Some don’t have enough to eat while others enjoy plenty. Some people struggle at math while for others it’s a breeze. Some fall to addictions while others celebrate sobriety. Some people have holes in their clothes and others run out of closet space for clothes they don’t even wear anymore.

The psalmist doesn’t refute the idea that the weak live among us. He doesn’t denigrate those who need help. The focus of this writing is not some sweeping social reform to eradicate poverty or disease. It seems to be a given that for now the weak, as well as the poor, will always be among us. David’s focus is on how we respond to those in need.

Blessed is he who has regard for the weak. Or we could say, It is the moral responsibility of the strong to care for the weak… the “haves” for the “have nots” [6].

I’ve always tried to teach my kids: A real man does not bully (or take advantage of) those weaker than himself; he protects them and treats them with dignity… always. Those with plenty should do more than just say, There but for the grace of God…; they should share. Those for whom things come easy should help those who struggle. The sober should help those who want to be. Do we build bigger closets or clothe the naked?

TODAY’S MEDITATION

How would God have you show regard for the weak?

Day 114: Psalm 37, 38, 39 and 40

The Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming (Psalm 37:13).

This psalm begins with the admonition: Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong (v. 1). The context of this statement is that sometimes it looks like those who care nothing for God or God’s people go on their merry way with no consequences. They hurt us to help themselves, like we’re just rungs on their ladder to the top. Rather than suffer payback for their cruelness and greed, it seems like they are rewarded with long life and prosperity.

Do not fret because of those who are evil. Thank God that even though evil people may do me harm, I have a promise: If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31). The overweening theme of my life has become: God is for us.

This psalm also contains a warning: Do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret – it leads only to evil (vv. 7,8). The psalmist writes that when we get preoccupied with why others – any others – have it so good when we struggle to get by, we are asking for trouble.

You shall not covet . . . anything that belongs to your neighbor (Exodus 20:17).

Wanting what someone else has shows disdain for all that God has given us. Besides, such an attitude shows a serious case of shortsightedness: Their day is coming… and so is ours.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

Is there anything for which you’ve neglected to say, “Thank you,” to your Provider?

Day 163: Psalm 33, 34, 35 and 36

Look for peace and work for it (NCV, Psalm 34:14).

Jesus said: Blessed are the peace-makers (Matthew 5:9). Both of these passages teach us that, as God’s children (those who would carry on the family business, so to speak), we have a responsibility to actively pursue peace. Peace never comes by following the path of least resistance.

The Psalmist writes that we are to look for peace. Believe that peace is a possibility. Don’t assume that violence is inevitable, or that healing cannot happen. Give peace the benefit of the doubt.

He goes on the say we must work for it. Don’t just hope for it; roll up your sleeves and get involved. And if at first you don’t succeed, don’t run home with your tail between your legs; try again. Work for it.

The antithesis of this peacemaker ethic is hiding behind my right to not get involved. That’s what the priest and the Levite did when they happened upon a crime victim in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-35). The Samaritan, on the other hand, got involved and did what he could to heal the ravages of violence. He didn’t end a war or free a nation; he just helped another human being.

We may not be Mahatma Ghandi, or Martin Luther King Jr., or Jesus Christ, but it would be a shame to neglect what we can do just because of what we cannot. Each of us has a role to play. Our part may not make the evening news (that’s something old people used to watch before the Internet), but we can be sure it will make a difference.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

Where would God have you get involved in the pursuit of peace?

Day 162: Psalm 29, 30, 31 and 32

Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit (Psalm 32:2).

Deceit (dih SEET) n. 1) The art or practice of deceiving; concealment or distortion of the truth for the purpose of misleading [5].

Why is there no deceit in the spirit of this man whose sin the Lord does not count against him? Why does he not feel the need to hide who he is, or at least bend the truth to make himself look better?

There are two reasons we might pretend to be someone we’re not: 1) We are not secure in God’s love and acceptance; or 2) we are not secure in our friends’ love and acceptance.

The believer in Christ who has received God’s grace need never be insecure. He has been accepted not on the basis of his performance, but because of God’s great love. On the other hand, friends sometimes do judge us not only by our present performance, but often by our past performance as well. The person who is truly confident in God’s love need not put on a mask for her friends. Her transparency, and assurance of God’s forgiveness, may be the very thing God uses to make them aware of their own need for grace.

Does someone need your acceptance?

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God (Romans 15:7).

TODAY’S MEDITATION

What does it mean that God loves you just the way you are, whether you ever change or not?

Day 161: Psalms 25, 26, 27 and 28

Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me (Psalm 27:10).

My father committed his life to Christ when I was three weeks old. That day marked the end of being controlled by addictions to alcohol, tobacco and gambling. He never touched any of them again – he was miraculously changed… literally. My brother and sister, who are 10 and 12 years older than me, grew up with the old Dad; I grew up with the new one. The new Dad was a different person, and a different parent.

Not everyone has the benefit of being raised by loving parents. The Bible’s emphasis on God as father is lost on them, because they haven’t experienced what a father is supposed to be. Many adult children have stood next to open graves conflicted about how to mourn the loss of a parent who never acted like a parent. They are often counseled to mourn the relationship they should have had, but was for them denied.

We may not have had Fred MacMurray (My Three Sons – ABC/CBS 1960-1972) for a dad, but hopefully we have enough exposure to healthy family relationships to understand the concept of parental love. The psalmist is saying that even if the people who love him most were to turn their backs on him, as unlikely as that might be, he knows God will always be there for him.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

Did your parents model God’s love to you? Do you model it for your kids? If you didn’t grow up with a healthy model of parental love, ask God to be your Father, and teach you how to father your children.

Day 160: Psalm 21, 22, 23 and 24

He has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help (NIV 1984, Psalm 22:24).

I wonder if David wrote Psalm 20 before or after he wrote Psalm 22.

This psalm of David betrays a time when his suffering was all but unbearable. He is confused why God does not seem to be present, let alone come to his rescue. Verse 24 is the resolution for the lament that begins, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (v. 1). We know that Jesus identified with this psalm as it provided a voice to his cry on the cross: “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” – which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (NIV 1984, Matthew 27:46).

Loneliness is the essence of suffering. When we are hurting to the depths of our soul, we cannot help but feel like we are walking that path alone. And yet, even when it appears God is deaf and blind, we can draw strength from the knowledge that he hears and he sees.

It should be remembered that David did make it through his time of suffering and loneliness. His kingdom was established/restored [4]. And so did Jesus. The first rays of sunlight on the third day revealed the stone rolled away and the tomb empty.

God is not unaware of or unmoved by your suffering; it pierces his heart.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

During those times in your life when it seemed God had abandoned you, how did things work out? Don’t give up. Everything will be okay.

Day 159: Psalm 17, 18, 19 and 20

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress (Psalm 20:1).

Let me share with you the lyrics to a simple worship song I wrote some years back based on Psalm 20.

“Benediction (Psalm 20)”

May you hear the voice of God

When you find yourself in trouble

May his sanctuary rest where you are

May the mighty name of God

Rise up to protect you

May he give you the desires of your heart

And when all your plans succeed

We will shout for joy

At your song of victory

© 1994 Tim Irwin

I wrote this thinking of a friend of mine who was going through a dark time in his marriage. To make a long story short, his wife left – taking the kids of course – and he was understandably broken.

It would be a nice fairytale ending if I could write his wife came back and their home was restored, but that’s not the way things worked out. Sometime after she married someone else, he was introduced to a beautiful, godly woman, and the two fell in love and built a new home together, founded on Christ.

Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).

TODAY’S MEDITATION

Meditate on Psalm 20.