War & Punishment

In Psalms 50-60 there is so much about war and the struggles of war.  It also seems that God is punishing people through many of these Psalms.  What do you think is the reason for all of these Psalms?

Equipping the Saints Prayer

Day 3: Give Thanks for the abundant blessings from those who have already made their commitment to the campaign!

Equipping the Saints Prayer - Day 2

Day 2: Give thanks for the vision God has given St. Luke's to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ.

The Lord upholds my life

In Psalm 54, David amazes me with how much he trusts God.  Even when his life is in danger, he trusts that the Lord is with him and will protect him.  He knows the Lord will destroy evil with His truth and promises to worship, serve and praise the Lord.

What would my life be like if each day I could live with that assurance?  How would it change me today?

Extra post - Join the 21 day prayer for Equipping the Saints

Join us in the 21 Days of Prayer for the Equipping the Saints Campaign. Today is Day 1:
Give thanks for God's faithfulness and rich blessings to St. Luke's for more than 101 years.

Create in me a clean heart, O God

Psalm 51 is a Psalm of David written sometime after Nathan the prophet had confronted him about his sin with Bathsheba.

Have mercy...  David knows he has done wrong.  He asks the Lord the wash and cleanse him.  He acknowledges that he has no one to blame but himself.

In verse 7, he asks God to cleanse him with hyssop.  This is a branch from a bush with fragrant leaves used for sprinkling blood or water in rituals prescribed by God.

In verse 8, he seems to imply that living in the guilt of his sin has been crushing him and he seeks relief from that guilt.

Verses 10-12 should sound familiar from our weekly liturgy. Once we have been forgiven and released from the hold of sin and guilt, our response, as David's, is to let others know so they can experience the same joy and peace.

How important is it for our church service to include a confession of sins and a pronouncement of forgiveness?
The practice of confession to the pastor used to be much more common than it is today. Are we missing out?
What part does confession play when we hear the Gospel?

O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,

Psalm 38 is a plea for mercy.  It was interesting to me that David doesn't seem to be asking to 'not be punished' but for God to not punish him in anger.  This occurs in several other Psalms as well.  The results of his sin weigh him down to a point that he cannot handle.  He pleads to God for mercy and rescue.

Do you recognize the words of verse 22?  Where do we use those?

Do you ever use words like those in verses 1 and 18 in your prayers?  The world tries to convince us that sin is not a serious matter.  Consider those words in your prayers tonight.