Psalm 146

Psalm 146:1-10
"Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
I will praise the LORD all my life;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. 

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—

the LORD, who remains faithful forever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets prisoners free,

 the LORD gives sight to the blind,

the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,

the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow,

but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD." 

 
The Psalms are full of truths that are timeless in application, as I read the words in my mind my spirit seems to be praying as if they were written the day before yesterday. 
 
Notice how the Psalmist started off with a testimony of his life purpose, " I will…."  It was an expression of Hebraic poetry to repeat the two "I will" lines with the second one building on the first.  
 
"I will praise… in fact I will do more than that - I will SING my praise."
 
The second "I will" line is more personal than the first.  It's not just "the LORD" that is the recipient of my praise it is "my God" – this is personal, and it is lifelong.
 
Then the choir leader goes from personal testimony to challenge.  No matter how well intentioned, smart, rich, powerful, respected or victorious, don't forget people are people and can't build an eternal kingdom. 

Then there is a list of nine things we should know about God.  As I looked them over and over I found an application in my mind for each one of them today.  Each descriptor can lead me to intercession.

"LORD, I know you set prisoners free.  I trust in your power to set free those friends of mine that are in bondage to the enemy."

"LORD, I know you can provide food to the hungry.  Right now there are people who are starving in Haiti in ways that go beyond poverty."

"LORD, I know you will, and do, reign forever - teach me how to combine joy with servanthood.

Find a few moments this weekend and meditate on Psalm 146 and see what the Lord leads you to pray.

 
Listening,
Pastor Dave 

Thoughts on Haiti

This morning I'm praying about Haiti (like countless other people).  As a church we feel a small degree of the sting that Haitians know as an explosion of pain and destruction. 

 

Corruption, crime, poverty, starvation, and hopelessness have been profound in their grip on these people.  In the midst of what is evil there have been bright lights of the Gospel of Christ and consistent efforts of His people to make a difference.      

 

As I watch the news and hear the stories of death and devastation, as we (fellow humans) take the immediate steps of getting food and water to the people, as we attempt to find living souls displaced or underneath rubble, as we search for answers to a crisis that has changed the face of a nation, I respectfully cast the vision of my faith down the road a little farther.

 

I'm thinking about what might be elements of the "rebuild." I don't claim to be a sociologist.  Pastoral statements in this realm can quickly be reductionistic or painfully simplistic and expose my lack of understanding of a culture or the depth of their need.  But they're my thoughts –

 

1. The "strong man" must be bound (Matt 11:29).  Where evil has claimed ownership and produced its fruit there needs to be a rebuilding that takes away its largely unchallenged reign.

 

2. Change is a buzz word everyone likes to claim but few will be held accountable to its value.  Every politian I remember has been elected on a platform of change, but there are still the problems they claim to have fixed; and most often their "change" has created new ones.  The issue isn't just change – it's advancement.  Haiti will never be the same.  I wonder if the coming change will bring advancement.

 

3.  People are the issue.  Politics will never fix a greed problem.  Charity will never fully end poverty.  Laws will not eradicate crime.  Who people worship determines the way people are, how people think, and what people value.  The hearts of people need to hear, experience, and live the message of Jesus Christ.  This is a soul issue.  A repentant and humble nation before God will value people and know His blessing.

 

4.  God can.  There is a nation that is ready for revival in ways that we are not.  Churches have a new platform with or without buildings.  Christians have a message that is needed.  Light can overtake the darkness.  God can use this in ways that go beyond our ability to imagine.  There is hope for a new foundation!

 

Right now we pray for the immediate needs – water, food, medical care, rescue, mourning, shelter.  But there is a part of me that is thinking and praying deeper, beyond the immediate that is so real.  I pray for a transformation that will demand the world's attention and be a standard for us to reach up to.

 

Praying for Haiti,

Pastor Dave