Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 101

Living like a King By this title, I don’t mean ‘living it up’ with a self-indulgent lifestyle. I mean living like a king in the medieval sense, which was to live like THE King. C.S. Lewis understood this and knew that the best education to this end was to observe kingly living in others. So…

Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 99b

Worship at his Holy Hill Having been introduced in the first half of this psalm to Christ as King, and having seen the expected regality and rule, we now turn to something a little unexpected, for the second half of this psalm presents Christ as Priest. I say ‘a little unexpected’, for while we as…

Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 99a

a 2 min read Worship at His Footstool This is the third of three psalms in Book 4 of the psalter (Psalm 90-106) that begin ‘The LORD reigneth”, and each leads us onward. In Psalm 93, we considered the LORD as the heavenly King presently, and even whilst the kings of this earth rage against…

Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 97a

a 3 min read The Glorious Coming of Christ If there ever was a subject to give us hope and assurance in troubled times, it is this: Christ is coming! Coming in glory, to bring peace, righteousness and prosperity to earth. Again, this psalm continues from the closing thought of the previous. ‘The LORD reigneth;…

Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 96

A Universal Call to Worship Having gone into the sanctuary to worship in Psalm 95, we now go out ‘among the heathen (the nations)’ (v3, 10), to ‘declare’, to ‘say’, to call all ‘the people’ to worship the LORD, who alone is worthy. There are two aspects of worship mentioned: vocal – ‘Sing unto the…

Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 95

Our Great God Following the doubt of Psalm 94, the psalmist once again lifts his voice in praise for the hope that is found in his God. This note of praise grows through subsequent psalms, prophetically looking forward to the day when Christ shall return to take up the throne of His father David. Let…

Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 94

Jehovah is Judge Having rejoiced in our Sovereign Saviour, this psalm once more looks round this wilderness way; and seeing many living and acting in selfish, unjust ways, with no thought of God, the psalmist begins with a lament for justice (v1-11) ‘Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the…

Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 93

Our Sovereign Saviour This is not a long psalm, and it’s worth memorising. ‘The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved. Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.  The floods have…

Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 92b

Flourishing in the Wilderness In the previous meditation we saw that worship is the conduit to spiritual rest and flourishing. Perhaps it should be said that this kind of worship – wilderness worship – is necessarily an act of the will, for the natural emotions evinced by the wilderness would lead us, as they did…

Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 92a

Worship in the Wilderness This psalm has thrilled my soul these past few days. Initially it seems out of place to have a ‘Psalm or Song for the Sabbath Day’ in a section characterised by the wilderness journey, for typically there is no rest in the wilderness. When we think of Israel’s wilderness wanderings, they…

Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 91b

The Blessing of Dwelling on Christ We concluded yesterday with the thought of being ‘occupied alone’ with Christ, and we want to continue in Psalm 91 today and do just that by considering three verbs within the psalm in the intensive form. 1) He shall charge his angels over him (v11-13) This takes our mind…