God, Please Remember Me

Psalm 38

A psalm of David, asking God to remember him.

Many of my readers or followers on Twitter know that I am a musician. Music brings healing to me during so many hard times in my life. Did you know that worship music often comes straight from the Bible?  The more I read and study the Bible, the more I catch those references when listening to music. Often when I get stuck not finding the right words to pray (as I am not one who is good with words), I search out a good song to help me get started with my prayer to God.

King David, who had his share of troubles in life, was a man after God's heart. And he was a musician and for me I can so relate to his Psalms because of his genuine openness about his failures. Below is Psalm 38 where David is crying out to God for help.  I can relate to David in so many ways - I've made such bad choices, have hard decisions to make, want so desperately to please God, and fall short over and over again, oh yeah, did I mention he was a musician.

My point, is that when we need to pray and can't find the words, it's OK to look to other sources for help - the Bible for scripture, worship music, printed prayers, or just ask the Holy Spirit to pray for you on your behalf.

Psalm 38

¹ O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger
    or discipline me in your rage!
² Your arrows have struck deep,
    and your blows are crushing me.
³ Because of your anger, my whole body is sick;
    my health is broken because of my sins.
⁴ My guilt overwhelms me—
    it is a burden too heavy to bear.
⁵ My wounds fester and stink
    because of my foolish sins.
⁶ I am bent over and racked with pain.
    All day long I walk around filled with grief.
⁷ A raging fever burns within me,
    and my health is broken.
⁸ I am exhausted and completely crushed.
    My groans come from an anguished heart.

⁹ You know what I long for, Lord;
    you hear my every sigh.
¹⁰ My heart beats wildly, my strength fails,
    and I am going blind.
¹¹ My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease.
    Even my own family stands at a distance.
¹² Meanwhile, my enemies lay traps to kill me.
    Those who wish me harm make plans to ruin me.
    All day long they plan their treachery.

¹³ But I am deaf to all their threats.
    I am silent before them as one who cannot speak.
¹⁴ I choose to hear nothing,
    and I make no reply.
¹⁵ For I am waiting for you, O Lord.
    You must answer for me, O Lord my God.
¹⁶ I prayed, “Don’t let my enemies gloat over me
    or rejoice at my downfall.”

¹⁷ I am on the verge of collapse,
    facing constant pain.
¹⁸ But I confess my sins;
    I am deeply sorry for what I have done.
¹⁹ I have many aggressive enemies;
    they hate me without reason.
²⁰ They repay me evil for good
    and oppose me for pursuing good.
²¹ Do not abandon me, O Lord.
    Do not stand at a distance, my God.
²² Come quickly to help me,
    O Lord my savior.

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I Wonder What That Sounds Like

Psalm 108^[a]

A song. A psalm of David.

¹ My heart, O God, is steadfast;
    I will sing and make music with all my soul.
² Awake, harp and lyre!
    I will awaken the dawn.
³ I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing of you among the peoples.
⁴ For great is your love, higher than the heavens;
    your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
    let your glory be over all the earth.

I was a musician trained in college.  I must admit even though I studied all types of music, both genres and cultures, I never really studied music of the Bible.  It just wasn't part of the curriculum. Yesterday's devotion about David praising God got me reading the Psalms.

And then a thought made my think..I wonder what it sounded like? And so I spent the day making up music to the Psalms of David.  Today, perhaps you could make up a song to the Psalm of praise above..and I wonder what yours will sounds like?

There are so many ways to praise God. But let's extend that..what it would sound like to forgive someone, to pardon someone, to use kind words to someone, to be like Jesus -- what would that sound like?

I'm thinking it would sound glorious!

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Putting an End to It

Acts 2:24-26New American Standard Bible (NASB)
24 [a]But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the [b]agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held [c]in its power. 25 For David says of Him,‘I saw the Lord always in my presence;For He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken.26 ‘Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted;Moreover my flesh also will live in hope;

Those who live in the life of addiction, battling each day for sobriety, understand how life can be so discouraging. It doesn't take much to crush our spirits, for our self-confident to fly right out the window. It's so much easier to withdraw physically and emotionally from people and to lose all objectivity. And it's does not take much to set this into motion either!

We can choose to look at life in the here and now moment - which may not be all that pretty to be honest. Or we can choose to find hope in what is coming. We are not perfect and we are not going to get it right all the time. Thank goodness for an amazing and patient God!!  We can make the choice to stay down and belittle and berate ourselves, or we can choose to better ourselves.

Who said that you or I are going to get it right the first time? Who puts those expectations out there saying you MUST achieve them or else? God knows we are sinners and are going to make those mistakes. 

I love how King David in this verse (again he too was a sinner but he was a man after God's heart) says 'Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted." yes we make those mistakes but it's the attitude that have about those mistakes. His is one of complete and abandoned joy.

Tomorrow is a new day - a gift! Open it up and experience that gift! One day at a time.

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There's a Party In the House

Psalm 65

For the choir director: A song. A psalm of David.

¹ What mighty praise, O God,
    belongs to you in Zion.
We will fulfill our vows to you,
²     for you answer our prayers.
    All of us must come to you.
³ Though we are overwhelmed by our sins,
    you forgive them all.
⁴ What joy for those you choose to bring near,
    those who live in your holy courts.
What festivities await us
    inside your holy Temple.

So many of us live with the thought that we can't draw near to God because we are so full of sin. While that is not true, it's hard to wrap our mind around the thought that someone wants to be with us - one so filled with sin.

But King David (who was a sinner too remember) shows us that there is hope - there is joy in drawing near to God. In fact, he writes that there are festivities in the holy temple. It's a party! And nothing is more joyful that a party!

In order to really enjoy the party, we must truly believe that God has fully forgiven our sins and what our conception of this God is. Once you confessed to God your sins, you are forgiven..completely. So I wonder, what do you believe? Is your party filled with joy?

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