Augustine once asked what makes the heart of a Christian heavy. His answer was not simply sorrow, pain, loss, or disappointment. The Christian heart is heavy because the Christian is a pilgrim who longs for his country. Even when the world smiles, . . . Continue reading →
Thus far in Psalm 45, our knees have gone weak with the handsome splendor of the king, standing heroic in righteousness at the head of the wedding hall. A wedding, though, involves many others besides the groom. Who else occupies this grand . . . Continue reading →
There is nothing quite like a good, old-fashioned wedding. And nowadays, we have to emphasize “old-fashioned”—not to be nostalgic per se, as if the weddings of yesteryear were always better— but because so many odd things can be done in a modern . . . Continue reading →
When I was in high school, my family had a somewhat unorthodox Thanksgiving arrangement. My dad and I always had to work Black Friday, and since my mom’s folks were not getting any younger, Pops would insist that she and my brother . . . Continue reading →
Psalm 44 drove us into an uncomfortable corner as the psalmist boldly asserted his upright innocence in opposition to the Lord’s exile judgment. After being confronted by the psalmist’s protest to God, we are unsure of his honesty and lean toward his . . . Continue reading →
Why God, why? This is a familiar question in our Christian experience; we all ask it from time to time. This query, though, can have a variety of different meanings. It can have the tone of wonderment. Why did God save a . . . Continue reading →
The previous installment in this series reflected on the significance of making an entrance. We see in Psalm 24 the importance of an entrance before God since God’s presence is where blessing is found forevermore. In considering Psalm 24:1–2 about God as . . . Continue reading →
What is, at least in experience and emphasis, the pivotal moment in a wedding ceremony? When the bride enters and walks down the aisle. What is the most discussed aspect of our culture’s superficial awards ceremonies? The red carpet. What is the . . . Continue reading →
Good reasons undergird why we might want to have bodyguards in uncertain situations. Some circumstances could feel troubling if we were on our own. These same circumstances feel much safer if we happen to have along with us a huge guy carrying . . . Continue reading →
In 1815, the Duke of Wellington led his British army against Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo. As Wellington defeated his enemy, the British attempted to send a message back to England using a system of light signals. Because of a . . . Continue reading →
The superscription of this psalm says that it is “A Psalm of David.” There is nothing in the psalm to make us think otherwise, and the circumstances from David’s life described here are familiar to us. Out of jealousy and unbelief, Saul . . . Continue reading →
In the first half of Psalm 41, we witnessed how the haters were piling on David in his season of desperation. Their appetite for harm, though, was just getting warmed up for some serious evil. In addition to cheering for the psalmist’s . . . Continue reading →
Most of us are familiar with the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This is another version of the second great command: Love your neighbor as yourself. This clear but profound rule is also found . . . Continue reading →
Psalm 40 opens with a wonderful tune of thanksgiving, but just as the melody of this gratitude sweeps us away in its beauty, a shrill note tears at the harmony. The high-flying thankfulness crash lands into a lament (v. 12). As he . . . Continue reading →
What is one thing you badly want to do but is just not in the cards? You may dream of playing basketball at a high level but Providence made you short. You would love to climb mountains but your fear of heights . . . Continue reading →
One thing I have realized about home repair projects is that the whole job is not done just because you finish the job you set out to do. You may complete the main task, but cleanup is still a feature of a . . . Continue reading →
Previously, we beheld David crushed by the gravity of what his sin deserved—namely, death. Yet because of the purity of the Lord, he will not protest or complain; the psalmist will not raise a hand against heaven or clamor against the Holy . . . Continue reading →
What makes something valuable? What are the attributes of the precious? The list is by no means short. There is the source material (gold or oak), rarity versus the common, usefulness, desirability, expertise to create—I could go on. One thing, though, that . . . Continue reading →
We saw how Psalm 38 laid out in gruesome detail the slow perishing of the psalmist. All his systems have shut down; there is no fixing him. It is time to close this book, bury this dead, and move on. Yet even . . . Continue reading →
The time eventually comes for an all-systems failure. You have nursed your car for 250,000 miles with only minor repairs and maintenance—brakes, tires, an alternator—but then, one after another, all the dominoes tumble: Engine blows, transmission cracks, the exhaust falls out. This . . . Continue reading →