Faithful on Fridays Blog

Psalm 119: Sixth Octave

Marriage is considered by the Church to be a covenant. It’s undoubtedly a legal contract, but so much more. It’s a declaration of love, for better or for worse, and showing loyalty in difficult times. Marriage on earth is the lower story picturing our eternal marriage, the upper story, with our Heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. His covenant, which now includes all believers, is described in one word: chesed. This word describes God as loving, kind, compassionate, and merciful; that’s covenant love. Even when we turn away from Him; His chesed is steadfast, loyal, unswerving, and enduring. This is lifelong love: a marriage covenant.

For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then My faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,” says the LORD, who has mercy on you. Isaiah 54:10 

Psalm 119:41-48, our sixth octave, begins with this theme: come to me. The Psalmist’s cry is for God to open the doors of salvation to receive that covenantal love. He desires it, he needs it, and he believes in those promises even when he can’t explain them. Jesus confirmed His salvation and covenant love when He said:

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 

The Psalmist uses all six of those vital words that we began with in the first octave: 

1. God’s rules, judgments, or decisions (vs. 43)
2. God’s laws, instructions, or teachings (vs. 44)
3. God’s precepts or our responsibilities; what we should focus on (vs. 45)
4. God’s testimonies or what we’ve continually witnessed from Him (vs. 46)
5. God’s commandments, His commission or assignments (vs. 47)
6. God’s statutes or what He wants me to do (vs. 48)

The Psalmist’s words are sprinkled throughout this section and give the heart of the message. His desire is to receive all that God has for him personally. My question for you, dear reader, is this: do you also have that desire? Do you trust God, in His chesed or covenant love, to lead and guide you into a deeper walk with Him? Will you echo the Psalmist?

Let Your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, Your salvation according to Your promise; Psalm 119:41 

I pray for our hearts to be open to all God has for us, whether we understand or can reason it out. I pray that He will open the gates of His Salvation and pour out His Holy Spirit in new and refreshing ways. We can never reach the limit of all God has for us, but we can go deeper and wider in His covenant love. Lastly, will you lift up your hands in submission to Him (vs. 48), receive your commission (twice he says that you’ll love), and meditate on what He wants you to do? I know He’s speaking to you right now and nudging you; will you pray with the Psalmist, “Come to me, O LORD?”

Light: Part One

I love the concept of the lower and upper stories of Scripture. The Bible is a fascinating book that reveals truth at both levels: our physical and spiritual life. A great example is light; let’s consider both the lower and upper story beginning with Genesis 1. 

Historically, God instructed Moses to write this book of beginnings after he lived for years in the Egyptian culture. It was full idolatry with Ra being the ‘creator of the universe’: their power deity of the sun. They believed Ra daily traveled across the universe; when he closed his eyes, it was nighttime and when he opened them it was daytime. In that way he ruled through darkness and light. That’s how Moses grew up, yet Elohim, Creator God, chose him to write the truth of creation. That’s the lower story. When you read Genesis 1:1-5 you’ll see the creation of ‘light’ mentioned five times, however, ‘darkness’ was already covering the earth. Why did Elohim create darkness first?

The lower story of darkness often describes chaos, destruction, or death; it’s the absence of light and God’s presence. When the Spirit appeared Elohim spoke light into our world. In the upper story God used darkness as a springboard for light, His presence, into our world. Even today Jewish people begin their day at sundown when darkness falls, 

And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. 

What a beautiful lower and upper story to consider; with God, there’s a boundary between light and darkness (Job 26:10). However, He wasn’t finished with light for our world, He spoke even more into the heavens by creating the sun, moon, and stars to keep the light separated from the darkness. He called it good or beneficial for us, proving it with a lower story (Ex. 10) when Moses declared such a thick darkness over Egypt that it could be felt. God’s people did not experience that darkness because they had Elohim: Light. 

The Apostle John began his gospel account in a similar way, using the upper story of creation.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5

You gotta love this mystical writer of the gospel as he continually uses this upper story to point us to Jesus, the Light of the World. If you’re experiencing any chaos, destruction, or death in your life, darkness, it helps to remember that God’s Presence is available to bring light (revelation) into your situation and dispel that darkness. You can simply ask Him and He’ll respond.

Psalm 119: Fifth Octave

Many years ago God placed in my heart a burning passion to work with special children. I completed that assignment and retired after twenty five years. Being a seasoned teacher didn’t qualify me as teachable, a humble heart does. My desire is to be a teachable teacher, not of children anymore, but of the Bible. My prayer, along with the Psalmist, is to always have a heart to learn and therefore grow in Christ. Come along with me today as we focus on verses 33-40: the fifth octave of Psalm 119.

The Hebrew word that sets the tone for these verses comes from the the root word to throw, shoot like an arrow, or even rain. That’s what teachers do; we throw it out there and hope you’ll catch it. We shoot our arrows of knowledge and truth aiming at the bull’s eye. That’s the prayer of the Psalmist, “Teach me, O LORD,” and that should be the prayer of a believer in Jesus Christ.

This raining down of God’s Word into our lives (vs. 33-35) is a lifelong process. That’s why the writer stated he would keep it to the end. He desired to understand what God required of him (a statute) and put it into practice with his whole heart or with all that he had; he was in it for the long-haul. I like that. When God leads us in His path (our commission in life) we find joy and delight knowing that we are pleasing Him and joy increases over time. That’s a love relationship, not bondage or legalism, but sincere, heartfelt love. That’s freedom.

In verses 36-40, hope you have your Bible handy, there’s a request for an eager heart; one that is inclined and constantly looking up. Walking up an inclined path requires more energy and strength, but it’s always worth the effort. The Psalmist realized what God had repeatedly done for him (testimonies) was more important than worldly possessions which have no spiritual value … and he’s willing to work for it. The Lord wants to be your center and He will give you life, His kind of life, the higher life that’s full of abundance, peace, joy, and things the world cannot offer you. 

It’s perfectly acceptable to ask God to confirm His promises to you, He even enjoys it, but we also need to be willing to accept His correction or endure consequences when we’ve missed the mark. Again, it’s a lifelong process. Make us teachable, O LORD.

The Psalmist completed this soul-searching prayer with a bold statement. Behold or pay attention to this: I have a burning desire to know God and have Him renew my life. Let that be the prayer of our hearts this week: I want to be teachable, I want to know God more, in a deeper way. If that’s true of you today be assured that He hears you and He will answer. His relationship with you is one that He cherishes.

Psalm 35:11-28

Have you ever been in a situation when you proved you were a good friend, however, your friend turned against you anyway? You know you didn’t do anything wrong, you didn’t deserve the harsh treatment, but regardless … it happened. King David felt that way, as we close this lament (vs. 11-16), and grieved that he was being lied about and laughed at: it wasn’t fair. When those troubles arise your best bet is to begin your warfare, like David, by being honest with God. He already knows your circumstances, but He wants to hear it directly from you.

This king knew better than to hide his feelings from God, so he admitted his depression and simply asked, “How long?” That’s the million-dollar question and it’s a good one, however, God doesn’t usually give you a timeframe. He’s looking for faith and trust in His decisions for your good. Can you do that? You can, and it’s vital that you do, since every time we have to trust God with circumstances outside our ability to change them, it builds our faith. It’s not fun, it’s not enjoyable, but sometimes God deems it necessary.

Last week I explained the phrase, “let them”, which David used 15 times in this Psalm, to mean an intense and commanding desire for God to do something. He now (vs. 19-25) changes his perspective, “don’t let them”, in other words, “Here’s what I don’t want.” In case God didn’t understand what he wanted, he clarified it with the negative: what he doesn’t want. 

When David gets to the heart of the matter his desire is actually vindication. He wants to be cleared of accusations, blame, or doubt from his people. He wants to be justified in his actions as king, and only God can do that. In His righteousness, the LORD will defend David and put others to shame for their unjust treatment. You don’t want to be on the opposite side of God because it’s a spiritual principle that you will harvest what you plant, or in our vernacular, ‘what goes around, comes around’. 

So David closed this lament with hope that his people will delight in his righteous ways and decisions, and be glad that his enemies didn’t win. That’s a good attitude for us as well. We can rejoice with people who are finally vindicated and declare, like David, “Great is the LORD, who delights in blessing His servant with peace!” David ends with promising God that he’ll give his testimony of His righteousness whenever and wherever he can. He’ll shine the light on God and boast of His divine character he’s now experienced in a different way. Isn’t that just like God? Inexhaustible in goodness and care for His people.

This has been a different kind of warfare Psalm written at a low point in David’s life, and yet so transparent into David’s soul. May we all experience God’s vindication when we need it and testify of His love.

Psalm 119: Fourth Octave

Open your Bibles to verses 25-32, the next section of eight verses, and as you read along, God is speaking to you every week. The fourth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is daleth; it aligns nicely with our sound ‘d’. The first word that begins this section is dabqa translated as ‘to cling, stick to, or be joined to’. English idioms or expressions come to mind when I think about sticking to something: stick with me, stick around, stick to it, or stick to your guns. This section is about being sticky, but specifically, what are we sticking to?

The Psalmist writes that his life is sticking or clinging to the dust. Even though God breathed life into dust and created mankind I don’t think that’s the direction he was heading in that statement. Dust is symbolic of sorrow and grief, that’s not where we want to hang out. However, let’s face it, we all get depressed; we’re all disappointed with life at one time or another. The question is: will we stick around there? 

The writer shows us that honesty with God is vital to victorious living (vs. 25-26). In his lamenting the Psalmist acknowledged his emotions, asked for help, and God responded. No counselor could come up with a better plan; tell yourself the truth and ask God for help. We see that word ‘statute’ or ‘decree’ again which simply means ‘what we should do’. “Lord, what should I say or do here?” We also see the word ‘precept’ again (vs. 27): what we should pay attention to. “Lord, where should my focus be to get out of the dust?” He decided to focus on the wonder of God, who He is, and what He’s done. Good advice. 

Verses 28-30 (see why you need your Bible?) are cries for help, however, he knows where his help will come from: God’s Word, that’s where your strength will come from as well. This writer realized a choice needed to be made; will I stick to the dust or will I stick with God? The God who is full of wonder and miracles wins out in verse 31. This author has made the choice to trust God and be joined to Him as in a marriage partnership (Gen. 2:24). Our earthly marriages, wonderful or challenging, depending on the day, are only pictures of our sticky relationships with Jesus Christ. If you’re going to be sticky with someone, clingy, let it be the Lord; He created us that way and I think He likes it.

I love the way this fourth octave is completed. “I will run…” God’s commands bring victorious living; we should run toward them … not away from them. His instructions will set our hearts free to be who He has destined us to be. Nothing less. If you’re going to be sticky and clingy, don’t let it be to the world’s ways; they only bring you down. Stick with Jesus and let him set your heart free.

Psalm 35:1-10

The Book of Psalms contains a vast array of writings to encourage us in all seasons of life. Sometimes the waves of life lift you up, sometimes they bring you down, and sometimes life is on that even keel with good balance. King David experienced all of that and yet he wrote this prayer to the LORD when he was frustrated, and tired of seeing his enemy in triumph. It’s not supposed to be that way for God’s people. 

So, what does he do? He called on God to come and fight his battles for him. He’s physically and emotionally exhausted, therefore he asks God to step into warfare on his behalf. He knows the ‘battle is the LORD’s’ because he’s seen it before, but now he’s voicing his strong desire for God to stand up for him with His divine weapons drawn. On the other hand, this is personal to him so he voices his prayer, 

Say to my soul, “I am your Salvation.” Vs. 3

When those waves of life bring you down you can do the same thing; “God, remind my soul that you’re my Savior; I need to hear it again.” ‘Your Salvation’ means David needed reassurance that God remains his Rescuer, his Deliverer, his Protector, his Vindicator, and his Provider … so tell me again, Lord.

Apparently David felt that encouragement since the next verses take on a new ‘mood’: 15 times in this Psalm he used the phrase, “Let them …”  The King has moved on from a humble request to an intense and commanding one; his desire is for his enemies to experience God’s wrath. “Let them …” means he wants God to take action against his enemy. Read his urgent requests in verses 4-8: he’s not kidding. He asked God to issue orders for shame, dishonor, a turning, disappointment, dispersement like wind-blown weeds, and dark, slippery paths for his enemies as they pursue His people.

He called on The Angel of the LORD, Jesus Himself, a Man of War (Ex. 15:3; Is. 42:13; Jer. 20:11) and the Captain of heaven’s armies to show up and fight for him. They’re in hot pursuit, they’ve set traps and dug pits without cause, conversely, this new mood is for God to turn things around and let it all happen to them. And when it does, David will rejoice with singing and dancing, declaring, “Who is like You?”, a God of justice who takes cares of the poor and needy. There’s no God on earth that loves His people like Yahweh and fights for them until victory is won.

Remind yourself this week if you’re experiencing spiritual warfare in your life, that people are not your enemy, that’s the lower story, Satan is. We fight our battles with His power living in us, His strength and confidence, and our strongest weapon: The Word of God. When you feel surrounded, helpless, or hopeless seeing the enemy win, then pray like David and declare Psalm 35:1-10.

Psalm 119: Third Octave

Open your Bible to Psalm 119:17-24 as we continue with the next octave or eight verses. The Hebrew word that sets the tone for this section is ga’mol. It’s a great word because it’s meaning is reward and God’s goodness: He rewards those who seek Him (Heb. 11:6) and enjoys doing good for us (Luke 12:32). The opening line is a request to experience God’s goodness in a big way. The Psalmist acknowledged being a servant of God and the desire to live the higher life, kingdom living, as he practices what he preaches. What a qualifier. If we want good things from God we need to look at ourselves and be honest: do we walk the talk? Actions do speak louder than words.

Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things He does for me. Psalms 103:2 

The next verse is another request, a desire for God to give clarity as he spiritually sees His wonderful teachings. His ways bring wholeness, joy, and peace: the higher life. That means he must forgive, obey His instructions or commandments, and spend time getting to know His goodness. 

The LORD is good to those who depend on Him, to those who search for Him. Lamentations 3:25 

The Psalmist knew that life on earth is temporary (vs. 19-20), we’re just passing through, so to speak. Our eternal home is with God, residing in heaven, and then we return to this renewed earth with Jesus (2^nd Coming). His request is for God to reveal his individual mission. Commandments, the word used here, are not the Ten Commandments, they’re God’s commission or charge for us: our purpose on earth. He’s overwhelmed with desire to understand God’s righteous ways and complete that mission. 

The LORD is good and does what is right; He shows the proper path to those who go astray. Psalms 25:8 

We’re reminded in verses 21-23 of our enemies who won’t understand our desire to please God; it’s foolishness to them. We may experience mockery, scorn, or contempt, but our eyes stay on the prize: God’s goodness. How do we fight those spiritual battles of depression, rejection, anger, pride, or fear? Our strategy is simple: meditate on His Word every day. His testimonies counsel us, show us how to respond to life circumstances, and what we should say in stressful situations. 

The LORD is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in Him. Nahum 1:7 

God’s Word is our instruction manual and should us bring us delight. When we’re unsure of what to say or do we find the answers in His Word. His Word is designed to counsel you, that’s the kind of therapy you can count on, and it’s free … don’t miss your appointment.

O LORD, do good to those who are good, whose hearts are in tune with You. Psalms 125:4 

Psalm 27:11-14

David began this warfare Psalm with a declaration of faith, The LORD is my light and my Salvation whom shall I fear … and emphatically repeated it. He’s confident that no enemy will triumph over him. He’s on such a high that even when confronted by his enemies, he knows what to do: seek God’s face, His direction, His guidance, and His constant presence.

And yet this man of God sinks low and gets back into heartfelt prayer. Emotions will do that; they vary, usually based on our outward circumstances. David seems to know that roller coaster of emotions and closes out this poem with a request for God to teach and lead him on a level path. He’s undoubtedly tired of the ups and downs of life and wants more balance; we call that an even keel.

That lower story refers to a flat, blade-like structure on the bottom of a boat that helps keep it upright by providing stability against sideway forces like wind or waves. When those waves rise and fall the cargo on the boat is no longer evenly distributed and the boat leans too much and could capsize. Can you see the upper story? When we allow our ‘cargo’ to lean too heavily on one side or the other we’re no longer on an even keel and we’re in danger. The wind and waves of life are a constant, they’ll always be there, but learning how to stay on course and in balance with our emotions, as David was asking, is vital. 

Remember what Jesus did when the wind and waves threatened His boat (Mark 4:35-41? He rebuked them by speaking “Peace! Be still!” Are we ready to do warfare against emotions that cause us to be ‘high’ one day, and ‘low’ another simply because of how life looks at the moment? Speak to those storms and command them to be still: that’s warfare. 

David asked his LORD to help him deal with his enemies or opponents who were unyielding and stubborn. He had adversaries or those who stressed him out by putting him in a tight position, there were false witnesses who lied and slandered him, along with violent ones (vs. 12), the Hebrew word ‘hamas’, yes, Hamas, who were cruel and oppressive. What was David’s answer? He looked to God’s goodness, in this life and also in the next, and was willing to wait for Him to show up (vs. 14). 

And so we wait as well, however, we wait in confidence that God hears our prayers, listens to our hearts, and will answer when the timing is right. Until that time arrives, we stand confidently in our position in Christ, we are Nike believers or overcomers, and regardless of how our life looks today, it will change. That’s true warfare, my friends, trusting God with what matters most in your life, continually looking to Him, and believing that when the time is right … you’ll see breakthrough. Don’t give up: endure.

Psalm 119: Second Octave

Back in 1991 a book was released called DOS for Dummies which gave simpler instructions for computer operating systems. It paved the way for a series of ‘how-to’ books geared for those of us who need simplicity. I don’t think God views us as dummies, but He was the originator of instruction manuals.

The second series of eight verses from Psalm 119 (vs. 9-16) is similar to a ‘how-to’ book. If you read last week’s introduction you’ll remember that each section, or octave, begins with the consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Step One: open your Bible.

The first Hebrew word translates ‘how’. How do you walk in the Spirit? How do you stay clean or pure in God’s sight (vs. 9)? That’s the question the Psalmist asks and answers in these eight verses. Step Two: guard where you walk as instructed in the Word of God (vs. 9). I think you get the drift; there are some places you shouldn’t go, some things you shouldn’t see, and some things you shouldn’t do. God cautions us to pay attention to those influences; they can tear you down in a moment. 

Step Three: seek God (vs. 10) with your whole heart. Prayer and Bible study aids our spiritual walk giving us direction and, therefore, not wandering aimlessly through life. It’s called the ‘higher life’ or Kingdom living. Having His Word in our heart (vs. 11) keeps us from the temptations to sin which daily bombard us. Look at verse 12; the writer prays that God would teach him how to live in the Spirit through His statutes or decrees. Those specific instructions are for each of His children and He encourages us to find them. That’s called ‘seeking God’.

There’s something powerful about verbalizing the Word of God (vs. 13): Step Four. Whether reading a verse aloud in prayer or quoting it to someone; speaking and therefore hearing brings increased awareness. 

Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak. 2 Corinthians 4:13 

We close out this section (vs. 14-16) with a declaration of delight in what God is doing in our life and testimony bringing renewed commitment. That refocus caused the Psalmist to state four “I wills.” I will meditate on God’s word, I will focus on His ways, I will delight in His instructions, and I will not forget His Word. When we come into alignment with those commitments as our mission in life, we’ll find the same delight. Our ‘how-to’ instructions for walking in the blessings of life in the Spirit are here in Psalm 119. Read this octave slowly and carefully this week, even try reading it out loud as a prayer to the Author of Salvation and watch Him slowly change your thinking, your attitude, and bring about change in your life.

Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12:2a

Psalm 27:5b-10

Learning to pray the Psalms has great value when you’re going through something rough. David’s experiences as a warrior-king certainly prove that when we read these next few verses. Not only will God spiritually, and sometimes physically, hide or conceal him from his enemies, He’ll also lift him up so high they can’t reach him. David revealed his knowledge that The Rock gives him a position in the world. He stands there in authority above his enemies who surround him, with his head held high; that’s the lower story. 

Our upper story is that we have one enemy: Satan. Yes, he may take some shots and hit some marks, but in the end we’re the victorious ones: we are Nike people. We are overcomers. These warfare Psalms remind us how to fight our battles and give us strategies to defeat him every time.

At His sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music.

Psalms 27:6b

Our everyday battles aren’t usually physical, they’re mainly spiritual, and praise is a great weapon because it encourages us and Satan hates it. David offered sacrifices to the Lord with shouts of joy, singing, and music even when he undoubtedly didn’t feel like it. That makes it a sacrifice. When we rise above our emotions, standing on the The Rock of our faith, declaring His character and benefits of believing in Him, we’re winning the war. Praise and worship brings joy, confidence, and peace back into our spirits and as David shows us, leads us back into prayer.

David asks for grace, undeserved favor, as He obeys and seeks the ‘face of God’. What does that look like? For me it’s my quiet, devotional time with God when I can be honest and discuss the hard stuff in my life. It’s acknowledging my impotence and His power to change my circumstances. It’s humbling myself by openly asking for forgiveness, mercy, and grace when I’ve blown it. David made a lot of mistakes as king, he fell into sin many times, and this Psalm shows us we can come back to God every time. The LORD is his Helper, his Rescuer, and will always take him back.

We have something David didn’t have: we have the Holy Spirit living in us. David asks God not to be mad at him, abandon him, or forsake him; we know the Spirit of Christ will never do that. He lives in us. People will let you down, even our parents as David wrote (vs. 10), but he is confident his LORD will give him another chance. Repentance is a powerful thing, and a forgiving God is our assurance He’ll never let us down. He may use the time of trouble to teach us, draw us back to Himself, and show us the power of prayer, however, it’s always so that we’ll experience the ‘good life’ or the ‘higher life’ in Him. Warfare Psalms always lead us back to Him.