Blog: PSALMS- Supernatural Strength and Eternal Prespective

Psalm 84, a Psalm of the sons of Korah to the chief musician. These sons of Korah were Levites. They came from the family of Kohath. And by David's time, they served in the temple worship (2 Chronicles 20:19). They are actually the lineage of Korah, who led a rebellion of 250 men against Moses in the wilderness. (Numbers 16). Korah’s rebellion led to his death, but the Sons of Korah survived. Legacy can be redeemed and restored!

53 of the 150 Psalms are addressed to the chief musician. This was likely a music director or choir leader in the days of David and Solomon. We have to also acknowledge that God is the most chief of all musicians so it is possible this could also be a reference to God. He is the Creator of music. It is a wonderful thought that one day we will hear God sing in heaven.

Charles Spurgeon said that Psalm 84 should be called the Pearl of the psalms. If the 23rd be the most popular, the 103 the most joyful, the 119, the most deeply experiential, the 51st, the more most plaintive (sorrowful). Psalms 84 is one of the sweetest songs of peace.

Psalm 84:1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! ESV

The courts of the Lord references the place of God’s presence! The Tabernacle was the house of God for over 400 years before they ever built The Temple in the days of Solomon. Clearly this voices a deep affection for the house of God and the gathering together in God’s presence.

Psalm 84:2 My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. ESV

This appreciation for God's house wasn't simply because it was beautiful, though it must have been stunning. 183,000 workers gave themselves to this project for seven years. Solomon’s father David began the process, collecting materials from around the world for the construction. Besides stone, precious gems, copper, and bronze, the Bible says that 108,000 talents of gold and 1,017,000 talents of silver were used. One talent equals 75 pounds. As of February 2021, the value of the gold and silver alone exceeded $300 billion dollars.

There are some beautiful buildings in this world but the Temple is in the running to be the most breath-taking structure ever built.

As stunning as it may have been it wasn’t what is being referenced with longing and even fainting for the courts of the Lord. The structure was secondary. This was about the outrageous privilege of meeting with God among his people. We can love a lot of things but most things we love we never truly long for. This describes a longing that is aligning to the deepest sense of purpose known to mankind! A longing that is so great within us that we faint if we don’t experience it. Life without God’s presence is an empty shell of a faint existence.

My heart and my flesh cry out singing for joy to the living God. This is where this Psalmist met with God. We are the fulfillment of the Temple. Church must be more than a place offering programs, social connections or self-helps sermons. You can’t go to church because you are the church. We gather as the church to become more aware of who God’s called us to be as the church! This is where we come together to meet with God in a remarkable way. May we never lose our wonder!

Psalm 84:3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. 

We turn from the beauty of God’s presence to this reference to birds. I wonder if the thought of birds flying over the open top of the Tabernacle is involved in this reference. Imagine birds nesting above freely looking in at all of the tabernacle activities. What a wonderful thing it would be just to make God's house my home.

The sparrow is an example of a bird of seemingly little significance. The swallow is known as a restless bird. No matter how insignificant or restless we may feel God has his eye on us just as He does the sparrow.

Psalm 84:4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah ESV

We see the psalmist moving into a recognition of what a blessing it must be for the priests, who had rooms at the house of God, to live a life of constant praise.

Next he turns his attention to his own journey and the journey of others who walk with God.

Psalm 84:5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. 6 As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. ESV

Highways to Zion exist within our heart. When we pray God’s Kingdom come, we must realize we are the key that unlocks this reality in the world around us. 

Jacob’s Ladder (Gen 28) he says the house of God is the gate of heaven.

Psalm 24:7 Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! (NAS)

You were born to be a gateway for the King! And when this King shows up things begin to change! This Valley of Baca speaks of tears, weeping and hardship. God awakens the blessing of his ancient streams within us in such a way that he reverses the curse into a blessing. The valley of weeping is converted into a place of springs, or a place of refreshing.

On a normal journey, especially when it is difficult, the natural progression is to go from strength to weakness or fatigue. We start strong but after a long hike we’ve grown fatigued or even exhausted. In this text we see a supernatural strengthening from God himself as we go from strength to strength until we reach our destination. 

Psalm 84:8-9 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah 9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed! ESV

This is not only a declaration of praise. It is also a prayer. It was a prayer for provision in times of difficulty and a prayer for protection in times of challenge. This expression of praise that involves an attitude of prayer remains in touch with what matters more than anything else and that is God’s presence!

Psalm 84:10-12 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12 O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you! ESV

GP2RL: Explore new ways to experience God’s presence more deeply this week as you read Psalms chapters 91-105.

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PSALMS: Supernatural Strength and Eternal Perspective

DISCUSSION GUIDE

UNDERSTANDING THE SEASON: Psalms unveils the authenticity of humanity in the, sometimes painful, but always beautiful pursuit of God. The beauty is that God never wastes a single hurt if we are willing to give it to Him.

We can judge God according to our circumstances or we can judge our circumstances according to our God. God is good even in our times of pain and desperation. We live in a fallen world, but we look to a Risen King. 

Two thirds of the Psalms are what scholars call lament. So often, our greatest purpose is born from our deepest pain. May we press in and go deeper in our authentic pursuit of the heart of God as we explore the treasures of Psalms.

It is a good thing to hear what God is revealing in the hearts of those around us. Feel free to use this question however you feel it fits in your time together as a group.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: 

1. Where are you reading in your Bible and what are you sensing from God? 

Psalm 84:1-12 How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! 2 My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. 3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. 6 As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. 8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah 9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed! 10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12 O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you! ESV 

2. Psalms 84 expresses a deep longing to be in the presence of God. How do you relate to this longing in your own life? What are some ways you purpose to experience God’s presence? 

3. This Psalm specifically speaks of the joy of worshiping God in community. How does worshiping together with others enhance your own spiritual experience? Share a time when you felt particularly connected to God in a group setting. 

4. What practical steps would you suggest if someone came to you asking how they could cultivate a deeper relationship with God? 

5. Read Psalms 84 again asking each person to share one thing that stands out to them from the reading. 

6. Share any thoughts you have about how you plan to implement our action point this week.

Everywhere we go, we bring...

GP2RL: Reflect on seeking refuge and trusting God in His presence this week as you read Psalms chapters 76-90.

Blog: PSALMS- Create In Me A Clean Heart

Psalms, chapters 46-60 focus on finding refuge, forgiveness and restoration in times of turmoil, which is sometimes self-induced. This is where we find David as he writes Psalms 51.

This Psalm was written by David when the Prophet Nathan came to him after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba. He then murdered her husband, Uriah, to cover it up. 2 Samuel 11

Somehow David, in his sin, did all this damage and was just moving forward taking Bathsheba as his wife. Nathan comes to him and addresses these issues. Suddenly David repents.

It wasn’t that David couldn’t see his sin. He simply couldn’t see it alone. We need each other! Once a trusted friend came to David, he was able to see the terrible sins he’d committed. 

Psalms 51:1-4 Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness and guilt and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I am conscious of my transgressions, and I acknowledge them; My sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned And done that which is evil in Your sight... (AMP)

We really need to understand that sin is wrong, sin is bad, sin is damaging and ultimately sin is destructive. First we must all understand that everyone needs to repent and be saved from the sin of Adam. You don’t have to do anything to get your daddy’s last name who got his last name from his daddy and so on. 

Adam is your great, great, great, great…grandfather. Not only do you carry his name but you also carry his nature until you die in Christ. 

This is where many Christians miss it. Only death is powerful enough to conquer your sin. Death! Not determination, not discipline, not denial. Only death. “I’m going to change my attitude”, “I’m going to speak better to my wife and kids”, “I’m going to start doing or stop doing…” How many times have we been determined to discipline ourselves or deny ourselves only to fail another time. 

Freedom isn’t found in our determination. Freedom is found in our death in Christ. Jesus gives the church only two ordinances: communion and baptism. Both remind us over and over again our life is found in His death. 

A conscience that is burdened with the guilt and shame of sin leaves you in a state of turmoil and impacts others more than you realize. We find this in Psalms 51 as well.

Psalms 51:5 I was brought forth in wickedness; In sin my mother conceived me. (AMP)

This verse makes room for theological speculation about David being an illegitimate child of Jesse. It’s interesting that the day David was anointed to be King, he was out in the field tending the sheep. He hadn’t even been invited with all of his brothers to welcome the Prophet Samuel into town. This was a huge event taking place! Perhaps only the “legitimate sons” of Jesse were there for Samuel to select from as Israel’s King. Surely not David!

Last week I heard the testimony of Brittni who, at the age of 18, became a stripper. After quickly becoming well known in this field she was invited to begin making adult movies. She became a porn star in more than 300 adult films over a ten-year period. She described making more money than she’d ever imagined. But her burdened conscience was so tormenting she spent all that money using drugs. She was searching for relief from all the guilt and shame she felt until she met Jesus truly finding freedom.

When you buy what the world is selling in any area of your life, it will always take you further than you want to go, cost you more than you want to pay and keep you longer than you want to stay. 

If the Bible says something is wrong, it doesn’t matter how you feel about it. You can put sand in a gas tank for a little while before seeing the damage it has done. You may believe you’re getting away with it but problems are in the works in ways beyond your wildest imagination. Only when we turn to face God’s grace can we find restoration and relief as David did.

Psalms 51:10-13 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right and steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted and return to You. (AMP)

I love this because God is restoring his joy as he uses his past as a weapon against the enemy. The very thing the enemy used against David was now in the hands of God as a weapon teaching others about grace and freedom from the devil’s kingdom of accusation, guilt and shame.

The porn star who came to Christ not only became a Christian. She married another Christian and together they now lead a church in San Diego helping others find their way.

It’s sometimes difficult to compute that God can use our complicated past. When you use a calculator and add the wrong value or hit the wrong button it messes up the result. There is this button that clears all mistakes and makes the screen brand new. Even when we have deeply complicated circumstances God is there to clear all our mistakes and help us start anew.

Jesus died to clear your record and cleanse your conscience.

Acts 3:19-20 So repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day].... (AMP)

GP2RL: Make room to sit with God asking him to show you things in your heart he wants to address. Tell a trusted friend.

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PSALMS: Create In Me A Clean Heart

DISCUSSION GUIDE

UNDERSTANDING THE SEASON: Psalms unveils the authenticity of humanity in the, sometimes painful, but always beautiful pursuit of God. The beauty is that God never wastes a single hurt if we are willing to give it to Him.

We can judge God according to our circumstances or we can judge our circumstances according to our God. God is good even in our times of pain and desperation. We live in a fallen world, but we look to a Risen King. 

Two thirds of the Psalms are what scholars call lament. So often, our greatest purpose is born from our deepest pain. May we press in and go deeper in our authentic pursuit of the heart of God as we explore the treasures of Psalms.

It is a good thing to hear what God is revealing in the hearts of those around us. Feel free to use this question however you feel it fits in your time together as a group.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: 

1. Where are you reading in your Bible and what are you sensing from God? 

David is writing Psalms 51 repenting for sinning against God by having adultery with Bathsheba and killing her husband, Uriah, to cover it up.

Psalms 51:1-4 Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness and guilt and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I am conscious of my transgressions, and I acknowledge them; My sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned And done that which is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when you speak And faultless in Your judgment. (AMP) 

2. What stands out to you about these verses? 

3. What would you say are consequences of our unwillingness to repent for sin?

Psalms 51:10-13 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right and steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted and return to You. (AMP) 

4. What stands out to you about these verses? 

5. Part of the joy of God restoring our lives is the power of our story and how our mistakes can be used to help others on their journey. Can you think of a time someone shared their mistake and it helped you personally? Please explain if so.

May we have the courage to admit our mistakes before God to be restored and the willingness to share our mistakes as ministry to others.

Everywhere we go, we bring...

GP2RL: Make room to sit with God asking Him to show you things in your heart He wants you to see.

Blog: Psalms-Planted By Streams of Water

St. Athanasius famously said: “Most of Scripture speaks to us; the Psalms speak for us.”

We are all on a journey just trying to find our way and on that journey, there are a lot of ups and downs.

John Calvin said, “Any emotion a human being has ever felt can be found in the Psalms.” 

Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [following their advice and example], Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit [down to rest] in the seat of scoffers (ridiculers). 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night. 3 And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season; Its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity]. AMP

We live in this space where two realms are colliding as the flesh and the spirit battle against each other.

Psalms 1:4 The wicked [those who live in disobedience to God’s law] are not so, But they are like the chaff [worthless and without substance] which the wind blows away. AMP

The paths of the righteous and the unrighteous both have connection (relationships), direction (pathway) and a destination. You have a choice, and your decisions determine your destiny.

Psalms engages the whole person. They engage with our minds through instruction and understanding, sharing deep truths about who God is. They engage with our bodies through movement and expression (e.g. kneeling, lying prostrate, raising hands, walking, speaking, listening), inviting us to love God with all our strength. They engage with our souls, connecting with our emotions. They engage with our imaginations, calling us to picture or visualize what God is like and what life in the kingdom can be. They engage with our relationships, both with God and one another as we speak to, with, for, and about him. 

I’m convinced that one of the reasons so many people find prayer boring is they don’t really pray, they perform! They hold back from God all the ugly stuff.

But prayer isn’t a place to be good, it’s a place to be real.

Two-thirds of the Psalms are what scholars call lament!

Lament is different than complaining. Complaining is just griping about your life, and just makes a bad problem worse. Lament is bearing your soul to God going down into your pain, but then offering it up to God.

It takes practice to keep God in the forefront of our minds as we face various circumstances of this life. 

About 3 centuries after Christ men and women known as the Desert Fathers and Mothers went out into the Egyptian desert to pray and meditate on God’s Word. This was after the years of intense persecution when many Christians were martyred.  These monks and nuns were separating themselves from the worldliness in the church, which was increasingly adapting to and being accepted by Roman culture.

The Desert Fathers and Mothers lived in cells or huts made of reeds and practiced rigorous spiritual disciplines like silence, solitude, simplicity, fasting, penance, and obedience to an elder. Their “internal martyrdom” purged their souls of sin and worldliness and led them into lives of intimacy with the Lord and ministry to others.  Their testimony to the transforming life of Christ was so powerful that thousands of people traveled to visit them in the desert to receive spiritual direction or healing.

One of the beautiful things that emerged from the disciplined life of the Desert Fathers and Mothers was their practice of Breath Prayers.  They contemplated Christ’s presence in quiet solitude, meditating on short, one breath prayers. Often, they did this while sitting outside their cells and weaving baskets from reeds.

They breathed in God’s Word slowly and deeply.  Gently, they repeated their prayer, over and over, letting it descend with their minds into their hearts, to form their will in the image of Christ. They would breathe their prayer before going to sleep at night until it prayed itself within their souls while they slept.  Then when they awoke in the morning the prayer was still on their lips!

Prayer is relaxing into God's goodness as you practice abiding in Him.

I’d like to encourage you to begin exploring these breath prayers as a way to more habitually meditate on God’s Word day and night.

Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [following their advice and example], Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit [down to rest] in the seat of scoffers (ridiculers). 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night. 3 And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season; Its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity]. AMP

GP2RL: Read two chapters a day in Psalms. As you read pause to give voice to the emotions you identify with in prayer before the Lord.

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Planted by Streams of Water

DISCUSSION GUIDE

UNDERSTANDING THE SEASON: Psalms unveils the authenticity of humanity in the, sometimes painful, but always beautiful pursuit of God. The beauty is that God never wastes a single hurt if we are willing to give it to Him.

We can judge God according to our circumstances or we can judge our circumstances according to our God. God is good even in our times of pain and desperation. We live in a fallen world, but we look to a Risen King. 

Two thirds of the Psalms are what scholars call lament. So often, our greatest purpose is born from our deepest pain. May we press in and go deeper in our authentic pursuit of the heart of God as we explore the treasures of Psalms.

It is a good thing to hear what God is revealing in the hearts of those around us. Feel free to use this question however you feel it fits in your time together as a group.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: 

1. Where are you reading in your Bible and what are you sensing from God? 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: to help develop a context for a greater understanding of the verses for today. Psalms opens with beautiful imagery of God’s people being like fruitful trees planted by streams of water. 

2. Share an example of a season when you felt like you were thriving spiritually and what you believe were key contributors to that season. 

3. The various themes found throughout the Book of Psalms are praise, thanksgiving, lament, trust, and wisdom. Which themes resonate with you the most, and why?

Psalm 1:1-4 Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [following their advice and example], Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit [down to rest] in the seat of scoffers (ridiculers). 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night. 3 And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season; Its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity]. 4 The wicked [those who live in disobedience to God’s law] are not so, But they are like the chaff [worthless and without substance] which the wind blows away. AMP 

4. What stands out to you about these verses? 

5. What are some practical steps we can take to align ourselves with the principles out lined in Psalm 1 and experience spiritual fruitfulness? 

6. How will you be intentional about our action point this week?

Everywhere we go, we bring...

GP2RL: Read two chapters a day in Psalms. As you read pause to give voice to the emotions you identify with in prayer before the Lord.

Blog: The Spirit of the Practices

2 Corinthians 3:4-6 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. ESV

Luke 6:6-11 On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. nd the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him.But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. ESV 

GP2RL: Create a plan to engage in a few different practices paying attention to how God is meeting you in each!