Archive for the 'Psalms' Category

Meditation, Motivation and Meekness

Published on April 13, 2011 in Psalms. 1 Comment

Meditate on Psalm 37 in order to consider what it means to be meek and inherit the earth.

Have you noticed that when Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5),” he gave the thesis or central thought of Psalm 37?

Isn’t the “big idea” of Psalm 37, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth?”

Consider:

  • Psalm 37:9 – “those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.”
  • Psalm 37:11 – “but the meek shall inherit the land”
  • Psalm 37:22 – “for those blessed by the LORD shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off”
  • Psalm 37:29 – “the righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever”
  • Psalm 37:34 – “Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land”

So do this.  Read Psalm 37 carefully.  And meditate on what Jesus meant when he said, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.”  Do this prayerfully (Psalm 119:18), and you will surely be motivated to be meek.

“Where the Wild Things Are,” is only a children’s story

Published on November 24, 2010 in Psalms. 3 Comments

Only God stills the “Wild Things” of life (Psalm 67:7).

When our children were young, Where the Wild Things Are was a favorite.  I can still quote most of it.

The story is simple.  Max mouths off to his mother and gets sent to his room.  To occupy himself, he imagines that his room is a far away land infested with terrifying “Wild Things.”

The Wild Things are a scary bunch.  They roar their terrible roars, roll their terrible eyes, and gnash their terrible teeth. 

Max is having none of it.  He says, “Be still!” and tames them with the magic trick of staring into their yellow eyes without blinking once.  After that, Max and the Wild Things are friends and the wild rumpus begins.DSC_0005

Max has sold more books than Houghton-Mifflin.  Where the Wild Things Are has been made into a movie and it all goes to show that something about the story strikes a chord with people.  (As a lover of books, making a good book into a movie strikes me as positively Canaanite.  It is what it is, as we say). 

So, what is it about this children’s story that resonates?  I wonder if what it is that we like about Where the Wild Things Are is that we all like to imagine ourselves as Max.  We like to dream that we can tame the terrifying problems of life by saying, “Be still,” in a commanding voice.  It’s satisfying to pretend that we are in charge.

Yet, it’s only a children’s story.  If we had known only one person with terminal cancer or studied one war, we have learned that it doesn’t work for us to tell the problems of life to be quiet.  We have no magical powers.  The more we insist on being able to command all the chaos of life, the more fatigued we will find ourselves.

Yet, there is hope.

Psalm 67:7 assures us that only God who established the mountains (v. 6) is the one who can quiet the roaring seas and the tumult of the people.If right now there are some wild things in your life, understand, that it is the God of Heaven and earth can say, “Be still.” 

So, if you are sent to your room without supper, rather than issuing mandates to the wild things, be still and know that God is in control.  Ponder the power of the One who by his strength established the mountains being girded with might (Psalm 65:5), and yet chooses to atone for our transgressions (Psalm 65:3-4).  Rest in God, and when you finally are released from the confines of what has been troubling you, your supper will still be hot.

Exercises to stop thinking about how you have been wounded – – (reading Unpacking Forgiveness isn’t one of the exercises)

Published on September 20, 2010 in Forgiveness, Psalms and Recommended Reading. 3 Comments

If you are struggling to stop thinking about a wound – - if you are on the mental gerbil wheel – - then reading a book on forgiveness is probably not the best way to escape the turmoil.  Rather, through the below suggestions enlarge your thinking about what Christ will do in the future.

On Friday, I posted that a biblical strategy to escape the mental turmoil of past wounds is to cultivate a vivid picture of the final redemptive work of Christ.  (See here).

Below are some practical suggestions for cultivating a vivid picture of the final redemptive work of Christ.  Notice that this list is NOT so much about reading books about forgiveness – - though there may be some good ones out there!  Reading about forgiveness may only cause you to think about the wound more.  Rather, absorb your mind with what Christ will do in the future!

  • Memorize Scripture about what Christ will do upon his return. Rather, than choosing verses that apply to the wrong someone did to you, memorize Revelation 21 or Revelation 22.  (For help with memorization, see here).  Repeat to remember, and repeat to meditate.  Or, memorize 2 Cor 4:16-18 or Matthew 5:1-12.  Notice that the beatitudes talk in large part about what will happen in the future.
  • Think creatively about what it will be like when Christ returns.  Decide where you and your Christian loved ones will meet.  My family is going to meet at the 5th tree on the right side of the river as we face the throne!  How can you lead your family in vividly contemplating glory?
  • Carefully read Jonathan Edward sermon, “The Excellency of Christ.” Reading this sermon is hard work.  But, it’s worth the effort.  This paragraph alone will make your heart sing.

When the saints get to heaven, they shall not merely see Christ, and have to do with him as subjects and servants with a glorious and gracious Lord and Sovereign, but Christ will entertain them as friends and brethren. This we may learn from the manner of Christ’s conversing with his disciples here on earth: though he was their Sovereign Lord, and did not refuse, but required, their supreme respect and adoration, yet he did not treat them as earthly sovereigns are wont to do their subjects. He did not keep them at an aweful distance, but all along conversed with them with the most friendly familiarity, as a father amongst a company of children, yea, as with brethren. So he did with the twelve, and so he did with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. He told his disciples, that he did not call them servants, but friends, and we read of one of them that leaned on his bosom: and doubtless he will not treat his disciples with less freedom and endearment in heaven. He will not keep them at a greater distance for his being in a state of exaltation; but he will rather take them into a state of exaltation with him. This will be the improvement Christ will make of his own glory, to make his beloved friends partakers with him, to glorify them in his glory, as he says to his Father, John 17:22, 23. “And the glory which thou hast given me, have I given them, that they may be one, even as we are one I in them” etc. We are to consider, that though Christ is greatly exalted, yet he is exalted, not as a private person for himself only, but as his people’s head; he is exalted in their name, and upon their account, as the first fruits, and as representing the whole harvest. He is not exalted that he may be at a greater distance from them, but that they may be exalted with him.

In the wrong place emotionally? Memorize a Psalm in order to be moved.

Published on August 26, 2010 in Psalms, Sabbatical and Scripture Memory. 4 Comments

If you need to be moved from one place emotionally to another: (1) Identify a Psalm that relates to your experience.  (2) Systematically memorize it over a period of time.  (3) As you do so, experience the movement of the Psalm and be transported by the Spirit in conjunction with the Word.

Psalms are poetry.  This means that they are truth to be experienced.  The idea with poetry is not that we simply learn objective truth.  Rather, poetry, particularly in the case of the Word of God,  transports us through an experience.

You might respond, “Well, when I read Psalms, it doesn’t make that much of a difference.”

We cannot experience poetry with a quick read.  Rather, we need to hear the Words – - to reflect on them – - to prayerfully take in delight at pondering the images.  There is no better way to accomplish this than through memorization.

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But, how does one go about memorizing?  As I have posted in the past (see these posts), a system is needed.  (This post provides a concise summary of my approach).

Below are two pages from my moleskin that picture how I went about memorizing Psalm 65 this summer.  While you wouldn’t be able to read my writing even if it was larger, you can see that my basic approach was to mediate on the Psalm by saying it over and over again.

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If you were to turn to the next page, you would see notes that I made while memorizing the Psalm – - ways that the Psalm moved me.

I appreciated this Psalm initially, but nowhere near the degree to which I savor it now.

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Why Psalm 65?

I chose Psalm 65 initially because of verse 6, “The one who established the mountains being girded with might.”  I was staying in the Lauterbrunnen valley (see below) at the time, arguably the most beautiful valley in Europe.  My goal was for the poetry of the Word of God to interpret the beauty for me so that I could move from the place of initial awe to one of worship.

What I discovered by memorizing the Psalm – - was that this is a Psalm about joy and happiness.  Indeed, the place where it moves the prayerful “meditator” is to one of celebration.

One of my favorite things to do in the Lauterbrunnen Valley was watch this cog wheel train wind its way up the side of the mountain.  It was as though I was watching a life-toy train.  What a joy to meditate on the truth that the Triune God established these mountains, being girded with might (Psalm 65:6).

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Which is the right Psalm for you to begin memorizing?  There are only 150 to chose from.  So it shouldn’t take that long to identify one.

Time to warm up the Keosauqua football cheers

Published on August 11, 2010 in Chris Brauns Radio Spots and Psalms. 2 Comments

It will soon be time for the defending Illinois 3A State Champion Stillman Valley Cardinals to take the field.  So we’re warming up the cheers.  A favorite here is, “One-two-three-four, you know what those cleats are for, stomp-em.”  It’s not especially Christian, but it has a nice rhythm never the less.

In the mean time, here is a radio spot that recalled an old Keo cheer. 

I was thinking about high school cheers the other day. I’m from Keosauqua, Iowa and our cheerleaders kept it simple:

“They got our ball, we want it back,”

“1st and 10, do it again,”

and “we got spirit yes we do, we got spirit how ‘bout you?”

That was about as complicated as we got.

Another Keosauqua cheer was “let’s get fired up.” Granted: it’s not great poetry. But, it was a nice exhortation for Keo.

“Let’s get fired up,” is an even better idea for the Christian life. “Let’s get fired up.” The question, though, is? How do you get fired up? Just willing ourselves to be fired up is not going to make it happen any more than it would work for pastors to use pom poms. There’s a picture of your: your pastor doing a cheer with pom poms.

Here’s how we get fired up. Go to the Word. Think about these verses from Psalm 103.

“Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s (Psalm 103:2-5).”

Let’s get fired up? We are fired up by the Word of God. We serve a Savior who forgives our sins and redeems our lives. He crowns us with glory and honor and satisfies our desires with good things so that our youth is renewed. Forget not all his benefits!!

Where are you?

Published on June 23, 2010 in Chris Brauns Radio Spots and Psalms. 0 Comments

Where are you at this very moment? Are you on bypass 20? Alpine or Perryville? Are you just getting off onto Riverside? Or, are you on 11th Street? Some of you may be on Kishwaukee headed up to Rockford? Maybe you are still in your kitchen.

Wherever, Psalm 139 tells us that God knows exactly where we are at. The Psalm says:

2 [Lord] You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.  5 You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.  6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.  7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?  8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

Wherever you at this moment, God knows and he is aware of your precise location. He knows the make and model of your car, how close your license plate is to expiration, and how many French fries your kids dropped in the back seat of your mini-van. He numbers the hairs on your head.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for us. Almighty God is an all knowing God. We say He is omniscient. Nothing is outside His awareness.

Why not look to Him for help? The God who knows about the guy who just cut you off (or the person you just cut off) is aware of what is going on in your world. He loves you. Pray today, in the name of our Savior the Lord Jesus, and ask for His help. He knows all things.

Read Psalm 114 Aloud

Published on March 27, 2010 in Psalms. 0 Comments

Perhaps, you’re reading the Bible but nothing stands out to you.  Try this exercise.  Practice reading a particular section aloud.  Use expression.  Interpret it as you read.

This morning I did this with Psalm 114 and it was a real blessing.  It is only 8 verses long!

The ESV Study Bible summarizes:

The imagery conveys how powerful the LORD is; even the strongest natural forces would not dream of resisting him.  However, the events of the Psalm are not simply displays of raw power: God uses his power for the sake of his people.

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Psalm 114 (ESV)
1 When Israel went out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2 Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion.
3 The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.
5 What ails you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back?
6 O mountains, that you skip like rams? O hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water.

Images from the Moon

Published on January 10, 2010 in Psalms. 0 Comments

I never cease to be amazed by the wonders of creation.  Psalm 19:1 !

The Big Picture:

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) was launched in June, 2009, and is currently orbiting the Moon around its poles at a low altitude of just 50 kilometers (31 miles). The primary objective of the LRO is to prepare for future lunar exploration, scouting for safe and compelling landing sites, potential resources (like water ice) and more. The high-quality imagery used in the mapping of the lunar surface is unprecedented, and a few early images have included detailed overviews of the landing sites of several Apollo missions, some 40 years after they took place. LRO is now on a one year mission, with possible extensions up to five years. Collected here are several recent LRO images, and a few then-and-now comparisons of Apollo landing sites.NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) was launched in June, 2009, and is currently orbiting the Moon around its poles at a low altitude of just 50 kilometers (31 miles). The primary objective of the LRO is to prepare for future lunar exploration, scouting for safe and compelling landing sites, potential resources (like water ice) and more. The high-quality imagery used in the mapping of the lunar surface is unprecedented, and a few early images have included detailed overviews of the landing sites of several Apollo missions, some 40 years after they took place. LRO is now on a one year mission, with possible extensions up to five years. Collected here are several recent LRO images, and a few then-and-now comparisons of Apollo landing sites.

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Click here to see more.

Did you know that a caterpillar has 228 separate and distinct muscles in its head?

Published on January 8, 2010 in Psalms, Recommended Reading and Romans. 0 Comments

God is almighty and al-righty and it is obvious from his Creation (Romans 1:18-20).  There is no excuse for not believing in Him.

Take 15 minutes and watch the, “Just Stop and Think,” video by Francis Chan, or read the below.

Francis Chan in his book, Crazy Love.

Did you know that a caterpillar has 228 separate and distinct muscles in its head? That’s quite a few, for a bug.

The average elm tree has 6 million leaves on it.

And your own heart generates enough pressure as it pumps blood throughout your body that it could squirt blood up to thirty feet. (I’ve never tried this and I don’t recommend it).

Have you ever thought about how diverse and creative God is? He didn’t have to make hundreds of different kinds of bananas, but He did. He didn’t have to put 3000 different species of trees within one square mile in the Amazon jungle, but He did. God didn’t have to create so many kinds of laughter. Think about the different sounds of your friends’ laughs—wheezes, snorts, silent, loud, obnoxious.

How about the way plants defy gravity by drawing water upward from the ground into their stems and veins? Or did you know that spiders produce three kinds of silk – when they build their webs, they create sixty feet of silk in one hour, simultaneously producing special oil on their feet that prevents them from sticking to their own web. (Most of us hate spiders, but sixty feet an hour deserves some respect!) Coral plants are so sensitive that they can die if the water temperature varies by even one or two degrees.

Did you know that when you get goose bumps, the hair in your follicles is actually helping you stay warmer by trapping body heat? Or what about the simple fact that plants take carbon dioxide (which is harmful to us) and produce oxygen (which we need to survive)? I’m sure you knew that, but have you ever marveled at it? And these same poison-swallowing, life-giving plants came from tiny seeds that were placed in the dirt. Some were watered, some weren’t; but after a few days they poked through the soil and out into the warm sunlight.

Whatever God’s reason for such diversity, creativity, and sophistication in the universe, on earth, and in our own bodies, the point of it all is His glory. God’s art speaks of Himself, reflecting who He is and what he is like.

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their measuring line goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,(Ps 19:1-4)."

This is why we are called to worship Him, His art, His handiwork, and His creation all echo the truth that He is glorious. There is no other like Him. He is the King of Kings, the Beginning, and the End, the One who was and is and is to come. I know you’ve heard this before, but don’t want you to miss it.

I sometimes struggle with how to properly respond to God’s magnitude in a world bent on ignoring or merely tolerating Him. But know this: God will not be tolerated. He instructs us to worship and fear Him.

Go back and reread the last two paragraphs. Go to the web site www.crazybooks.com and watch the “Just Stop and Think” fifteen minute video. Close this book if you need to, and meditate on the almighty One who dwells in unapproachable light, the glorious One.

Don’t Ask the Depressed, “How Are You Doing?”

Published on August 12, 2009 in Chris Brauns Radio Spots, Depression and Psalms. 3 Comments

Let me tell you something to avoid asking a friend who is feeling down. I am not saying it is always wrong, but be careful. Ask this question and you may make the situation worse.

Here is the question to avoid, “How are you doing?” “How’s it going for you?”

Not always, but often, people think themselves into a mental tailspin. Introspection, thinking about how you feel, can be a kind of mental quicksand. When you ask a person with that struggle, “How are you doing?” You only encourage him or her to continue focusing inward.

Psalm 77:1-20 is the story of someone in a mental battle. The Psalmist said he couldn’t sleep and felt like God was against him. Twice (Psalm 77:3,6) he says that he “mused.” I looked that word up. “To muse” means to turn things over and over in ones mind without achieving any resolution.

The turning point came when the Psalmist stopped thinking about how He was doing and began to focus on God. He asked Himself, “Has God’s unfailing love failed?” (Psalm 77:7-9) The answer to that question is obviously “no.”

So, maybe instead of asking people how they are doing, we should ask them, “How is God doing?” (Psalm 77:12)

The answer to that question is that God is glorious. There is none like Him. He never sleeps or slumbers and He always accomplishes exactly what He seeks to do. He is a loving, merciful God. And, If you are truly a Christian, then He works all things together for your good (Romans 8:28).