We need to be very careful here not to try to create a perfect theology about why this is, either trying to get God off the hook or somehow explain this exception in the prayer-formula that we’ve constructed. If you haven’t noticed yet, the Psalms don’t abide by any prayer-formula. We need to not look away and act like these parts of prayer aren’t in Scripture, as if we can sing our favorite worship song loud enough and God will be right there as our waiter holding a silver platter. We need to look toward these deep and sometimes disturbing parts of the Psalms. We will certainly need them. Jesus did.
Psalm 6 Devotional – How long, Lord, how long?
Man. If someone who is struggling and suffering ever needed Scripture to relate to, they only have to look to the Psalms! Psalm 6 continues the prevalent theme of the first five psalms of crying out to God for mercy in the midst of suffering. I’ve read through the psalms countless times, but taking this methodical approach through them to write these devotionals is having a profound effect on me. I’m not sure I have ever noticed how strong the theme of suffering is, and we are only six psalms in! This only makes it even more astounding that Western Christianity has gravitated toward the unbiblical teaching that God will make everything go right for you if you follow him. I don’t mean to write the same thing in each of these devotionals if you are following along each day, I just can’t get away from these themes that God has put in BOLD, ITALICS, ALL CAPS, WITH EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!!… and yet we have still missed them.
Psalm 5 Devotional – A refuge in a war.
The fifth psalm brings with it some familiar themes from the preceding four: God not answering prayer, lament, crying out to God, and struggle against bloodthirsty adversaries. Whenever Scripture repeats itself, this is a flashing red light to take notice, God is trying to make sure we really understand something. It’s ironic then, how these themes have been lost or minimized in much of modern day Western Christianity. We seem to have crafted a religion around comfort and God making you feel good. Like we are selling a product and we need to convince those in the pew that it works. In order to do so, we have to hide these more uncomfortable truths and only emphasize the happy ones.
Psalm 3 Devotional – Who sustains you?
Psalm 3 is one of David’s prayers while fleeing for his life from his beloved son, after seeing his family fall into complete ruin. We find raw, honest emotion in this Psalm.
A Lament for a Church that Preaches Jesus
A lament My heart is heavy from a Bible that says defend the oppressed and a Church that says just preach Jesus. Just preach Jesus, but don’t preach anything he stood for or taught. I will leave your church if you do. Don’t preach about touching lepers or loving the poor or proclaiming liberty to […]
What does the Bible say about suffering?
What does the Bible say about suffering? Turning off the kitten videos and finding God in lament I preached on Lamentations a couple of weeks ago, a book that rocked my world, and continues to rock my world. Essentially Lamentations is the prophet Jeremiah weeping in sorrow over Israel (Judah) finally losing the Promised Land. […]