Saint Lucas Lutheran

August 23-29 2010
Moments in the Psalms

MONDAY, AUGUST 23  Psalm 35:1  “Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.”

HELP!     The above words are a clear cry for help.   There are some basic facts behind such a cry.  Fact one – the Psalmist (David) has enemies.  Fact two – the Psalmist  cannot face or overcome his enemies alone.  Fact three – the Psalmist wants the LORD to see the Psalmist’s enemies as His own enemies.

God’s people have enemies.  Powerful enemies.  In Luther’s words we recognize a formidable threesome:  the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh.

To go it alone against any or all of these would be spiritual suicide.  Thankfully there is no need to do that.  God sees our enemies as His enemies, our problems as His problems.  He wants us in faith to see Him as the Solution to our problems.  Whether it is Israel at the Red Sea or David facing Goliath or Jesus experiencing death and hell or you with your present circumstance – the LORD invites us  to turn to Him.  HELP!! 

Rest assured, He will do just that .

PRAYER:  LORD, give me the eyes of faith to see that You take my problems personally.  That You will hear me and deliver me.  In this way help me to face my enemies with courage and confidence.  AMEN!

TUESDAY, August 24  Psalm 36:7  “How priceless is Your unfailing love!” 

PRICELESS!    Priceless says the television commercial as it presents to us images of people enjoying special moments with someone they love and who loves them.

That could be the story of your life and mine if only we would see it.  In Christ Jesus, we are loved with an unfailing, infinite, eternal love.  That love is the most precious thing in all the world.  It’s best seen in the suffering of Christ as He pours out His holy precious blood in a willing sacrificial payment for our sins and the sins of the whole world.

Sister or brother – you are loved!  Always.  In every circumstance.  The commercial triggers images of special moments like the ones we ourselves have experienced in our lifetime.  Fact is, every moment in life God’s special love for us in Christ is there to meet our needs. Why not enjoy being loved by God today.  Experience the security of knowing His love will meet your every need now and forever.  That’s yours.  That’s priceless!

PRAYER;  LORD, nothing in all the world is more valuable to me than Your love for me expressed in the sending of Jesus to be my Savior from sin and death.  Help me to always savor and enjoy that priceless love.  AMEN!

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25  Psalm 37:4  “Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.” 

HEART’S DESIRE    What is your hearts desire?  Really.  Do you know?  How do you hope to get what you desire?

There is a way.  A way to get what your heart desires.  A guaranteed way, backed not by the FDIC but by GOD.  The way to get what you desire is to desire what God wants you to have.  It’s as simple – and as difficult – as that!

God’s desire is always and ever to prosper you and not to harm you.  He desires to give you hope and a future – now and forever.  (See Jeremiah 29:11 for example)  What God wants for you is nothing but good.

So, delight yourself in the LORD.  Delight yourself in His love for you in Jesus.  Want what God wants for your life.  (That’s the best!)  Desire His will with all your heart. 

You’ll get it every time.  Guaranteed!

PRAYER:  LORD, satisfy my heart’s desire by leading me to desire what You want me to have and to experience.  AMEN

THURSDAY, AUGUST 26  Psalm 38:22  “Come quickly to help me, O LORD, my Savior!”

QUICK!   Manufacturers of pain relievers like to advertise how quickly their product can relieve pain.  When you have a headache or some other pain, you want relief ASAP. 

The same goes for help and deliverance from the troubles that plague us sinners in this life.  Whether it is the consequences of our own wrong behavior or the pain that is inflicted upon us by the sins of others, we need relief.  Crushed by our problems, we feel our life going down the drain.  We need help now.

Of course there is finally only One who can help us in our need.  He has many helpers but the help ultimately always comes from Him.  He alone is our Savior.  In Christ He saves us from our sin and its consequences.  He is our salvation in every other need too. 

He knows the right time to help and help He will.  QUICK!  LORD!  We pray. 

PRAYER:  LORD, I am completely dependent upon You for everything.  Help me to hold on to Your promises until I experience Your deliverance.  Come to my help quickly for Jesus’ sake, I pray.  AMEN





FRIDAY, AUGUST 27  Psalm 39:7  “But now, LORD, what do I look for?  My hope is in You.”

HOPE     A local Psychiatrist,  who is nationally known,  was reflecting on his experience with his patients.  He stated that the major difference he observed between his patients who were Christians and those who were not was that his Christian patients had hope.

Because of our weakness, we Christians too may at times experience low hope; but, we don’t need to feel a sense of no hope.  Yet, sometimes we may say or even feel that some situation is hopeless.  What to do then?

The Psalmist has the answer:  “But now, LORD, what do I look for?  My hope is in You.”  In times of low hope,  or even no hope,  we need to look past the times and circumstances to the LORD.  This is the God who loved us enough to send His Son to save us from our sins.  The God who desires us to live in His heavenly presence forever.  The God who loves to make and keep promises including to be at our side, to hear our prayers,  to keep us in His care, and to work out everything for our good (everything as in everything!).

What should you and I expect in our present difficulties and future problems?  Well, if we look to God, we can expect His help.  That results in hope!

PRAYER:  LORD, I’m counting on You and Your promises.  You are the God of Hope, fill me with all hope as I put my trust in You alone.  AMEN  (See Romans 15:13)


SATURDAY, AUGUST 28  Psalm 40:1  “I waited patiently for the LORD;  He turned to me and heard my cry.”

PATIENCE    LORD, give me patience, and give it to me now.  Is that you?  It sounds sort of funny, but, in reality it’s sad. 

We focus often in these devotions upon crying out to God for help.  We speak of putting our trust in Him.  About having hope.  But, along with faith and hope we need patience as we await His help. 

It’s no coincidence that the first attribute of love that God lists through the apostle in I Corinthians 13 is patience:  “Love is patient”, he writes.  God is love.  God is patient.  Those who rely on His love need to imitate His patience.  That is especially so as we await His help in answer to our cry.

We need to trust that He loves us and therefore His time and His way of answering our cry will be just the right one.  So, in faith and in hope we wait – patiently.  He will turn to us.  He will answer our cry.  The deliverance will be there and, until then,  the strength.   PATIENCE!

PRAYER:  Dear LORD, as the hymnist wrote, help me to “be patient and await His leisure in cheerful hope, with heart content…” AMEN.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 29     Psalm 40:7,8  “Then I said, ‘Here I AM, I have come – it is written about me in the scroll.  I desire to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”
OMG     Perhaps you know that those three letters are used as an abbreviation by some persons who send text messages – OMG = O my god.   Needless to say, the expression is almost always simply a misuse of God’s Name.  There is no intent to praise Him or petition Him in most cases.  His Name is used more like a strong exclamation point.

Not so in this Psalm!  “O my God” says the Psalmist, and, He means it!  The Person speaking here is the Messiah, the One pure worshiper of God.    He has come – as it was written about Him in the scroll – with the pure and holy desire to do God’s will.  God’s law “…is within my heart” He said.  He knows and does God’s will from His heart with all His heart – perfectly.  For you. 

God’s will was for Him to perfectly fear, love, and trust in God with all His heart and to love His neighbor as Himself.  He did it!  He trusted in God  - even when He was forsaken on the cross, dying because of His saving love for His neighbors – all of them. 

PRAYER:  Father, give me a heart like that of Your Son, my Savior.  Be my God so that I may serve You with all my heart.  AMEN