November 6
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LIKE AN OWL OF THE RUINS
Hear my prayer, LORD!
And let my cry for help come to You.
2 Do not hide Your face from me on the day of my distress;
Incline Your ear to me; On the day when I call answer me quickly.
3 For my days have ended in smoke,
And my bones have been scorched like a hearth.
4 My heart has been struck like grass and has withered,
Indeed, I forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of the loudness of my groaning
My bones cling to my flesh. 6 I resemble a pelican of the wilderness;
I have become like an owl of the ruins. 7 I lie awake,
I have become like a solitary bird on a housetop. – Psalm 102:1-7
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This psalm is entitled “A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the LORD.” According to a commentary from enduringword.com, this afflicted one borrowed his tone and some of his phrasing from Job, who is the Old Testament’s greatest example of affliction. Many phrases also match others in the psalms.
This psalm describes Jerusalem (Zion) in a state of ruin. If this is taken as literal ruin, the psalm may have been written by those in exile who mourned over both their personal and national affliction. Adam Clarke followed this thinking and suggested the author could be Daniel, Jeremiah, or Nehemiah. However, it may be that the ruin of Zion described is more poetic in nature and the psalm is pre-exilic. In traditional Christian liturgy, this has been regarded as one of the seven penitential psalms (along with Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 130, and 143).
In verse 5, as in Job 19:20, he was so weak and thin that there seemed to be nothing between his bones and his skin. He felt like a lonely and restless bird. According to Spurgeon, the psalmist likens himself to two birds (pelican and owl) which were commonly used as emblems of gloom and wretchedness.”
Being overwhelmed is the state of the author of this psalm. When we allow the world to run our whole being, we become confused and discouraged, we resort to complaining. It is interesting how the psalmist compares himself to the owl in the ruins.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it okay to complain and run to God rather than to men?
Tag Archives: Christian devotional
THE NEARNESS OF GOD IS GOOD FOR ME ILMA’S VLOG
November 5
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THE NEARNESS OF GOD IS GOOD FOR ME
When my heart was embittered
And I was pierced within,
22 Then I was stupid and ignorant;
I was like an animal before You.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
24 You will guide me with Your plan,
And afterward receive me to glory.
25 Whom do I have in heaven but You?
And with You, I desire nothing on earth.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 For, behold, those who are far from You will perish;
You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me, the nearness of God is good for me;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
So that I may tell of all Your works.- Psalm 73:21-28
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In this psalm, Asaph continue with his confession to the Lord. In verse 21, he repents of bitterness that actually pierced him inside and in verse 22, he admits being foolish and compared himself to an animal before God. We tend to be savages when we forget how God has created us. He made us in His own image. In verses 23-24, he turns around with giving God credit for his faithfulness to Him, despite all his natural tendencies to sin. He looks up to the promise of being with the Lord when he is faithful. Verse 26 declares his submission to God. He declares that God is the source of all his strength and that he is his portion. In verse 27, he cautions those who are turning their backs on God and who is far from him. Destruction is the consequence of such rejection of the Lord. The highlight of the whole psalm lies in verse 28. He declares that abiding in God is the only way we can receive our salvation. He made a decision that he will only serve God and that He will rely on Him for his safety. He will shout to all of God’s goodness and all that He has done for His people.
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REFLECTION
• Why is the knowledge of God being near to you essential in our lives?
GOD IS GOOD TO THOSE WHOSE HEARTS ARE PURE ILMA’S VLOG
November 3
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GOD IS GOOD TO THOSE WHOSE HEARTS ARE PURE
God certainly is good to Israel,
To those who are pure in heart!
2 But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling,
My steps had almost slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant
As I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are no pains in their death,
And their belly is fat.
5 They are not in trouble like other people,
Nor are they tormented together with the rest of mankind.
6 Therefore arrogance is their necklace;
The garment of violence covers them.
7 Their eye bulges from fatness;
The imaginations of their heart overflow.
8 They mock and wickedly speak of oppression;
They speak from on high.
9 They have set their mouth against the heavens,
And their tongue parades through the earth. – Psalm 73:1-9
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In this verse, Asaph compares the wicked with the pure. In verse 1, he acknowledges the goodness of God who blesses and favors those who are pure. In verse 2, he confesses that he was tempted to sin and in verse 3 he admits the envy he had over those who were prosperous and proud. In verses 4-5, he continues to admit his jealousy over the seeming conveniences and easy lives these wicked people live. In verse 6-7, he enumerates his observations of the proud people. They show off their arrogance as if it were a jewelry to boast about. In verse 7, he exposes how you can clearly see their lusts of the belly and how they feed so much on their own imagination. In verse 8 Asaph adds on to the character of the wicked. They love to put down and belittle others and put themselves high up on a pedestal. In verse 9, he exposes how they blaspheme God and rebel against all that God represents. It is important to recognize the ways of the wicked, so we can examine our lives and guard against impurities from them.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it important to stay pure as a believer?
MY TONGUE SHALL PROCLAIM YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS ILMA’S VLOG
November 2
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MY TONGUE SHALL PROCLAIM YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS
Do not let them say in their heart, “Aha, our desire!”
Do not let them say, “We have swallowed him up!”
26 May those be ashamed and altogether humiliated who rejoice at my distress;
May those who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and dishonor.
27 May those who shout for joy and rejoice, who take delight in my vindication;
And may they say continually, “The LORD be exalted,
Who delights in the prosperity of His servant.”
28 And my tongue shall proclaim Your righteousness
And Your praise all day long. – Psalm 35:25-28
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David Guzik comments on this part of Psalm 35 on verse 26 that David simply and powerfully asked God to be his defense before his enemies. Spurgeon comments on the second part of this verse as “He will shame them for shaming his people, bring them to confusion for making confusion, pull off their fine apparel and give them a beggarly suit of dishonor, and turn all their rejoicing into weeping and wailing, and gnashing of teeth. Truly, the saints can afford to wait.”
In verses 27-28, Guzik says that David is asking that the people of God take joy in his vindication. Through the psalms in general, we see that David did not think of himself as perfect in a sinless sense. Yet in many of the disputes with his enemies, he had no problem seeing that he was on God’s side and they were not. In many of these conflicts, we don’t sense that David was troubled by self-doubt.
In verse 28, Poole writes “Mine enemies’ great design is to magnify themselves, but my chief desire is that God may be magnified.”
This psalm is focused on asking God for defense and yet it also pleads God so that the glory will be to praise and glorify God for his faithful defense of those who are faithful to serve Him.
How often do we ask God to stand up for us and defend us? In our current world, we automatically defend ourselves and fight for our rights. Then we wonder why we never have victory. The enemy wants us to forget our dependence on God who is the only one who can deliver His people from any form of evil or schemes of the enemy.
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REFLECTION
• Why do we need to speak of God’s righteousness often? What does that do to us?
MY SOUL SHALL REJOICE IN THE LORD ILMA’S VLOG
October 31
________________________________________MY SOUL SHALL REJOICE IN THE LORD
So my soul shall rejoice in the LORD;
It shall rejoice in His salvation.
10 All my bones will say, “LORD, who is like You,
Who rescues the afflicted from one who is too strong for him,
And the afflicted and the poor from one who robs him?”
11 Malicious witnesses rise up;
They ask me things that I do not know.
12 They repay me evil for good,
To the bereavement of my soul.
13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth;
I humbled my soul with fasting,
But my prayer kept returning to me.
14 I went about as though it were my friend or brother;
I bowed down in mourning, like one who mourns for a mother.
15 But at my tumbling they rejoiced and gathered themselves together;
The afflicted people whom I did not know gathered together against me,
They slandered me without ceasing.
16 Like godless jesters at a feast,
They gnashed at me with their teeth.- Psalm 35:9-16
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In verse 9, David promised that his soul would be appropriately happy in the LORD. Spurgeon comments on this verse as “We do not triumph in the destruction of others, but in the salvation given to us of God.” Smyth (cited in Spurgeon) suggested several reasons why God might allow such a sorrowful trial.
· To humble His people.
· To cause them to seek Him in urgent prayer.
· To prevent them from pursuing the very thing falsely accused of.
· To test whether His people will rely upon Him in all things.
· To teach them how to behave toward others when they are falsely accused.
· To warn them against making false accusations against others.
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REFLECTION
• How can David still rejoice in the Lord despite all the plots of the enemy and how all these people have gathered against him?
MY SOUL SHALL REJOICE IN THE LORD ILMA’S VLOG
October 31
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MY SOUL SHALL REJOICE IN THE LORD
So my soul shall rejoice in the LORD;
It shall rejoice in His salvation.
10 All my bones will say, “LORD, who is like You,
Who rescues the afflicted from one who is too strong for him,
And the afflicted and the poor from one who robs him?”
11 Malicious witnesses rise up;
They ask me things that I do not know.
12 They repay me evil for good,
To the bereavement of my soul.
13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth;
I humbled my soul with fasting,
But my prayer kept returning to me.
14 I went about as though it were my friend or brother;
I bowed down in mourning, like one who mourns for a mother.
15 But at my tumbling they rejoiced and gathered themselves together;
The afflicted people whom I did not know gathered together against me,
They slandered me without ceasing.
16 Like godless jesters at a feast,
They gnashed at me with their teeth.- Psalm 35:9-16
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In verse 9, David promised that his soul would be appropriately happy in the LORD. Spurgeon comments on this verse as “We do not triumph in the destruction of others, but in the salvation given to us of God.” Smyth (cited in Spurgeon) suggested several reasons why God might allow such a sorrowful trial.
· To humble His people.
· To cause them to seek Him in urgent prayer.
· To prevent them from pursuing the very thing falsely accused of.
· To test whether His people will rely upon Him in all things.
· To teach them how to behave toward others when they are falsely accused.
· To warn them against making false accusations against others.
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REFLECTION
• How can David still rejoice in the Lord despite all the plots of the enemy and how all these people have gathered against him?
PRAYER AGAINST THE ENEMY’S SCHEMES ILMA’S VLOG
October 30
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PRAYER AGAINST THE ENEMY’S SCHEMES
Contend, LORD, with those who contend with me;
Fight against those who fight against me.
2 Take hold of buckler and shield
And rise up as my help.
3 Draw also the spear and [the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me;
Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”
4 Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life;
Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me.
5 Let them be like chaff before the wind,
With the angel of the LORD driving them on.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery,
With the angel of the LORD pursuing them.
7 For they hid their net for me without cause;
Without cause they dug a pit for my soul.
8 Let destruction come upon him when he is unaware,
And let the net which he hid catch him;
Let him fall into that very destruction.- Psalm 35:1-8
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According to enduringword.com, this psalm is simply titled A Psalm of David. This is one of what are commonly known as the Imprecatory Psalms, which in strong terms ask God to defeat and destroy the enemies of His people. As you read through the book of Psalms, the Imprecatory Psalms become more intense. Psalm 7 is perhaps the mildest, while some count at least 30 curses in Psalm 109. It is difficult to assign this psalm to any particular period of David’s life. However, the phrasing of Psalm 35:1a is similar to what David said to Saul in 1 Samuel 24:15, so it may be linked to the period of David’s life when Saul pursued him. In the first few verses of this psalm, David asks God to fight for him against his enemies. It is interesting how David gives God suggestions how to attack his enemy for him. He is even saying to God to tell his soul “I am your salvation in verse 4. Why would a man ask his own God such detailed things? Because David has a long intimate relationship with God, He knows very well that God would be true to His promises for deliverance to those who are faithful to him. It is where he gets confidence.
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REFLECTION
• Do you think it was wrong of David to tell God what to do with his enemies? Why?
GIVE THANKS TO THE GOD OF HEAVEN ILMA’S VLOG
October 29
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GIVE THANKS TO THE GOD OF HEAVEN
Who remembered us in our lowliness,
For His faithfulness is everlasting,
24 And has rescued us from our enemies,
For His faithfulness is everlasting;
25 Who gives food to all flesh,
For His faithfulness is everlasting.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
For His faithfulness is everlasting. – Psalm 136:23-26
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This psalm is written to enumerate the various things that God delivers us from and for all the provision that He has showered us with. Enduringword.com gives us some commentaries on these psalms. The song makes a sharp yet skillful transition from God’s great wonders of the past to His faithful help in the present. It is good for us to look to the past for evidence that His mercy endures forever, but even better for us to see the evidence in our own day.
KIdner comments on this part of the psalm: “After all, ‘his steadfast love endures forever’, and the refrain is designed to show the relevance of every act of God to every singer of the psalm.” Spurgeon says “Sin is our enemy, and we are redeemed from it by the atoning blood; Satan is our enemy and we are redeemed from him by the Redeemer’s power; the world is our enemy, and we are redeemed from it by the Holy Spirit.”
Spurgeon suggested many things that Psalm 136 as a whole teaches:
· The past, present, or future will not end His mercy.
· The storms of life will not end His mercy.
· Distance from loved ones will not end His mercy.
· Death itself will not end His mercy.
· God’s never-ending mercy should make us merciful to others.
· God’s never-ending mercy should make us hopeful for others.
· God’s never-ending mercy should make us hopeful for ourselves.
Shouldn’t our gratitude also be everlasting as much as God’s faithfulness is? Giving thanks to the God of heaven is the only way we could respond to God’s everlasting faithfulness.
Without gratitude, we cannot praise the Lord and remember his unfailing love.
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REFLECTION
• How can gratitude to God change our attitudes in life?
GOD’S LOVINGKINDNESS IS EVERLASTING ILMA’S VLOG
October 26
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GOD’S LOVINGKINDNESS IS EVERLASTING
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
4 To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
5 To Him who made the heavens with skill,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
6 To Him who spread out the earth above the waters,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
7 To Him who made the great lights,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting:
8 The sun to rule by day,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
9 The moon and stars to rule by night,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.- Psalm 136:1-9
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According to an internet sources, this psalm, extremely similar to Psalm 135, closes the Great Hallel. Unique to all the psalms, Psalm 136 uses the antiphonal refrain “For His loving-kindness is everlasting” after each stanza, perhaps spoken by the people in responsive worship. The author and occasion remain unknown.
Verse 1 declares the goodness of the Lord and his lovingkindness that is everlasting. Verse 2 praises God’s sovereignty and power over all other gods. He is incomparable to any other gods. In the third verse, Lord of lords is the attribute that is praised. He is Master of all masters. Verse 4 exults his creation and miracles. He is the only one who can create out of nothing and with Him all things are possible. Verse 5 reiterates verse 4 but explains how creative God is. He makes all things beautiful. In verses 6 -9, the author talks about how God placed boundaries in His creation and how He has placed order in all the things He has made.
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REFLECTION
• Why should all believers reflect on God’s lovingkindness daily?
PLEA FOR DELIVERANCE AND FOR GOD’S LOVINGKINDNESS ILMA’S VLOG
October 25
________________________________________PLEA FOR DELIVERANCE AND FOR GOD’S LOVINGKINDNESS
All this has come upon us, but we have not forgotten You,
And we have not dealt falsely with Your covenant.
18 Our heart has not turned back,
And our steps have not deviated from Your way,
19 Yet You have crushed us in a place of jackals
And covered us with the shadow of death.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
Or extended our hands to a strange god,
21 Would not God find this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
22 But for Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
23 Arouse Yourself, why do You sleep, O Lord?
Awake, do not reject us forever.
24 Why do You hide Your face
And forget our affliction and our oppression?
25 For our soul has sunk down into the dust;
Our body cleaves to the earth.
26 Rise up, be our help,
And redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness.- Psalm 44:17-26
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In this psalm, the author pleads God to act and end their misery in the hands of the enemy. In verse 17, he declares that the people of God have not forgotten Him and in verse 18, reiterates their faithfulness to Him. In verse 19, we hear the voice of humankind’s limited understanding why God allows suffering in the hands of the enemy. In verse 20-21, the psalmist clearly knows his God. He knows that God sees everything and yet he is baffled why God has not followed through with his faithfulness to deliver them from the hands of their enemy’s cruelty. In verse 22, he tells God about the persecution being done to God’s people and in verse 23, he pleads God to rise up to deliver them from such sufferings. Many Christians forget that suffering is part of being a true disciple. Without it, we will not learn to endure and grow our faith.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it hard for many of us to understand the concept behind suffering?