Worship and Suffering: Praising God from the Ashes
In scripture, suffering and worship go hand in hand. The greatest book on suffering ever written, the book of Job makes this connection at the very beginning when everything begins falling apart in Job’s life, “20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in […]
Why are Biblical Lament and Celebration Extremely Important Today?
They are important because they are rooted in history. When you look at both biblical lament and biblical celebration, especially in the psalms, they are rooted in historical context. They reach back into their history. They remind themselves and their listeners (their co-mourners/co-celebrants) that what they are experiencing has deep roots going back generations. There […]
Psalm 51:5 Does God Create “In Utero Sinners”?
“Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.” – NRSV “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” – NIV “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” – NASB, ESV, RSV What is going on here? The first […]
Praying Scripture
I just posted something that will be of interest to some of you on praying scripture over at Wineskins — “Bono Gives us a Lesson on Praying the Psalms” Try out the exercise at the end of the post and see how it works for you.
In the Bible Courage is Almost Always Based on Two Things
As I was working through where the word courage is mentioned in both Testaments, something really jumped out. There were two things that came up over and over again as the reason for the courage we are to have. Here are some verses to consider in both Testaments to give you an idea of what […]
4 Words that Connect Deuteronomy 6, Psalm 1 and Ephesians
Dueteronomy 6:4-9 is one of the most popular passages in the entire Old Testament. Those verses serve as instruction about intentionally passing on faith to the next generation before the Hebrews enter the promised land. There are four words in Deuteronomy 6 that are later echoed in Psalm 1 and Paul’s letter to the Ephesians…I […]
The Prayers of Hallelujah, Hurts and Hates
I have been reading a lot on prayer lately and ran across this point from Eugene Peterson in his terrific little book on prayer, “Answering God: The Psalms as Tools for Prayer,” It is easy to be honest before God with our hallelujah’s; it is somewhat more difficult to be honest in our hurts; it […]
Hallelujah in the Psalms
In Hebrew the word hallelujah (“praise the Lord”) is actually two words, not one – hallelu is an imperative form of the verb hallel, which means “to praise” + one of the words for God in the Old Testament, “Yah”. Hallelujah is more than an expression of praise, as it is often used today…it is […]
Psalm 146 – A God We Can Trust
Psalm 146 1 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul. 2 I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. 3 Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. 4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very […]
Psalm 139 – Intimacy With God
When I read Psalm 139 the word that comes to my mind most often is the word “intimacy”. This psalms highlights the knowledge God has of our lives starting in verse 1 and going through verse 6 and then picking up again from 13-18. But intimacy is more than knowledge… Sandwhiched between all the language […]