Psalm 18

Verse 30... 

This God—His way is perfect;
   the word of the Lord proves true;
He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.

Though I may never understand God's way, it is still perfect. He is true to His word. He is my refuge. He shields me, even in my doubt.

Abide with me: fast falls the eventide; 

the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide. 

When other helpers fail and comforts flee, 

Help of the helpless, O abide with me. 

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day; 

earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away. 

Change and decay in all around I see. 

O Lord who changes not, abide with me.

--Henry F. Lyte

Psalm 19

Verse 1...
The heavens declare the glory of God,
   and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. 

Whenever I'm able to "flee to the mountains" for a day of hiking, the beauty of the landscape, the sounds of rushing water and singing birds, the opportunity for prayer and reflection, and the uplifting conversation with kindred spirits all come together to give me a needed "spiritual re-boot."

Verse 14... 
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
   be acceptable in Your sight,
   O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Christ is the Water of Life

The Well Is Deep

Life is a journey; long is the road,

And when the noontide is high

Souls that are weary faint 'neath their load,

Long for the waters, and cry:

Refrain: 

The well is deep and I require

A draught of the water of life,

But none can quench my soul's desire

For a draught of the water of life;

Till one draws near who the cry will heed,

Helper of men in their time of need,

And I, believing, find indeed

That Christ is the water of life.

Life is a seeking, life is a quest,

Eager and longing desire;

Unto the true things, unto the best,

Godward our spirits aspire.

Life is a finding; vain wand'rings cease

When from the Saviour we claim

All we have longed for, solace and peace,

And we have life in His name.

(Albert Orsborn)

Consolation and good hope

My friends are taking their little girls to ballet class, taking the training wheels off their little boys' bikes, videoing the latest Scripture memory achievement, and deliberating on the name for baby #4. And I just sit shaking my head at Facebook and unfollowing all the happy people that make my heart hurt... 

Or perhaps it's God I'm shaking my head at... 

I confess my heart is chronically ill with restless discontent! 

O Lord, give me "consolation and good hope" to accept Your will for my work here on earth.

Green pastures are before me,

Which yet I have not seen;

Bright skies will soon be o'er me,

Where darkest clouds have been.

My hope I cannot measure,

My path to life is free;

My Saviour has my treasure,

And He will walk with me.

(Anna L. Waring)

Psalm 20

Verse 7...
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
   but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

No matter the apparent strength of the world's leaders, the devil's forces, and the terrorist armies, we have a King that reigns over all. Only He is worthy of my complete trust and confidence!

Parallel tracks and prayer

My dear one,

I feel like we are on two parallel tracks running in the same direction. I can see you there just out of reach, yet traveling across the same landscape at the same time. And it's so frustrating!

It's teaching me to persevere in prayer... to cast my burdens at the feet of the One who has control of every detail of my life.

Lord, teach us how to pray aright,

With reverence and with fear;

Though dust and ashes in Thy sight,

We may, we must draw near.

We perish if we cease from prayer;

Oh! grant us power to pray;

And when to meet Thee we prepare,

Lord, meet us by the way.

Burden'd with guilt, convinced of sin,

In weakness, want, and woe,

Fightings without, and fears within,

Lord, whither shall we go?

God of all grace, we bring to Thee

A broken, contrite heart;

Give, what Thine eye delights to see,

Truth in the inward part.

Give deep humility; the sense

Of godly sorrow give;

A strong, desiring confidence

To hear Thy voice and live;—

Faith in the only Sacrifice

That can for sin atone;

To cast our loves, to fix our eyes

On Christ, on Christ alone;—

Patience to watch, and wait, and weep,

Though mercy long delay;

Courage, our fainting souls to keep,

And trust Thee though Thou slay.

Give these, and then Thy will be done;

Thus, strenghen'd with all might,

We, through Thy Spirit and Thy Son,

Shall pray, and pray aright.

(James Montgomery)

Psalm 21

Verses 1-7...

O LORD, in Your strength the king rejoices, 

and in Your salvation how greatly he exults! 

You have given him his heart's desire 

and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah. 

For You meet him with rich blessings; 

You set a crown of fine gold upon his head. 

He asked life of You; You gave it to him, 

length of days forever and ever. 

His glory is great through Your salvation; 

splendor and majesty You bestow on him. 

For You make him most blessed forever; 

You make him glad with the joy of Your presence. 

For the king trusts in the LORD, 

and through the steadfast love of the Most High 

he shall not be moved.

This psalm and the one I'll read next (Psalm 20) together form form a pair of royal psalms. ESV Study Bible: "Psalm 20 is a prayer that God will give success to the Davidic king, particularly in battle. Psalm 21 gives thanks to God for answering the request of Psalm 20."

These words highlight a righteous ruler... and while we may not find many of those today, we look to Christ as the ultimate fulfillment of the king described in this psalm.

Spurgeon: "The rejoicing of our risen Lord must, like His agony, be unutterable. If the mountains of His joy rise in proportion to the depth of the valleys of his grief, then His sacred bliss is high as the seventh heaven. For the joy which was set before Him as He endured the cross, despising the shame, and now that joy daily grows, for He rests in His love and rejoices over His redeemed with singing, as in due order they are brought to find their salvation in His blood."

Psalm 22

Verses 1-2...
My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
Why are You so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest. 

David's honesty of emotions is a reassuring comfort to me. God's children face troubles that sometimes darken their perception of God's nearness, but David provides me with a model for my prayers in those gloomy circumstances. "They breathe truth that breathe their words in pain" (Shakespeare). I hope to be an example to the world around me of how the saints of God can remain faithful in times of stress or affliction. 

Verse 24...
For He has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted,
and He has not hidden His face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to Him.

Festivities and fireworks

My dear one, 

Did you enjoy some Fourth of July festivities today? My church held its annual picnic, complete with barbecue, sweet tea, watermelon, blueberry pie, kettle corn, games for the kids (and kids at heart), and fireworks. One friend even pulled up some John Philip Sousa on his cell phone.

I absolutely love fireworks, and could only have enjoyed the evening more if you had been at my side. ...Or were you? My own little mental fireworks continue to go off...

I continue to ask the Lord for wisdom, patience, and the contentment that is found in Him alone. And I pray the same for you.

Always,
Your Evenstar

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: 

He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: 

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 

I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; 

Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: 

Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: 

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

When I see the Lord as my Shepherd, I see myself as a needy, dependent, rebellious, foolish sheep, and I see Christ as the One who protects me, leads me, feeds me, restrains me, carries me, chastens me. I trust Him, I know His voice, I follow Him.

The King of love my Shepherd is, 

Whose goodness faileth never; 

I nothing lack if I am His, 

And He is mine forever. 

Where streams of living water flow 

My ransomed soul He leadeth, 

And where the verdant pastures grow, 

With food celestial feedeth. 

Perverse and foolish oft I strayed, 

But yet in love He sought me, 

And on His shoulder gently laid, 

And home rejoicing brought me. 

In death's dark vale I fear no ill 

With Thee, dear Lord, beside me; 

Thy rod and staff my comfort still, 

Thy cross before to guide me. 

Thou spread'st a table in my sight; 

Thine unction grace bestoweth; 

And O the transport of delight 

With which my cup o'erfloweth!

And so through all the length of days 

Thy goodness faileth never: 

Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise 

Within Thy house forever! 

--Henry W. Baker

(And here is my favorite arrangement of "The King of Love My Shepherd Is"...)

Psalm 24

Verses 1-2... 

The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, 

  the world and those who dwell therein, 

for He has founded it upon the seas 

  and established it upon the rivers.

Hiking with friends has given me a renewed wonder at the beauty of God's creation!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander

And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,

When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,

And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:

How great Thou art! 

Goodbye June...

My dear one, 

The month of June has been profitable and busy. I enjoyed my first international travel experience as a guest performer/teacher, joined a fantastic gym, bought a new car at a great price (and in a great color), and successfully ignored a birthday. As busy as June has been, I've been able to pull back a bit, savor quiet moments, and enjoy fellowship with dear church folks and colleagues. National news headlines are more sobering than ever, but they push me to study the Scriptures more hungrily than ever. An acquaintance renewed back in January after eight long months renders me silently (and unjustifiably) hopeful. My admiration for this one only grows, but I can't speak much on this matter without feeling like a fool... I was listening to the words of an Ella Fitzgerald song that resonated well with my romantic dreaming:

Imagination is funny 

It makes a cloudy day sunny 

Makes a bee think of honey 

Just as I think of you

Imagination is crazy 

Your whole perspective gets hazy 

Starts you asking a daisy 

"What to do, what to do?"

Have you ever felt 

A gentle touch and then a kiss 

And then, and then 

Find it's only your imagination again? 

Oh well...

Imagination is silly 

You go around willy-nilly 

For example, I go around wanting you 

And yet I can't imagine that you want me too

Psalm 25

Verses 4-5...

Make me to know Your ways, O Lord;
     teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
     for You are the God of my salvation;
     for You I wait all the day long.

So much for which to be grateful. So many areas in which I need God's wisdom.

Lord, grant me the grace to wait for Your leading and the faith to follow Your paths.

Psalm 26

Verses 3, 8...

For Your steadfast love is before my eyes,
     and I walk in Your faithfulness.
O Lord, I love the habitation of Your house
     and the place where Your glory dwells.

I'm meditating on these words this morning and trusting the Lord to completely satisfy my restless heart. Sundays are good for my soul. Yesterday was no exception.

Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;

Wean it from earth, through all its pulses move;

Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art,

And make me love Thee as I ought to love.

I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies,

No sudden rending of the veil of clay,

No angel visitant, no opening skies;

But take the dimness of my soul away.

Hast Thou not bid us love Thee, God and King?

All, all Thine own, soul, heart and strength and mind.

I see Thy cross—there teach my heart to cling:

O let me seek Thee, and O let me find.

Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh;

Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear,

To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh;

Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.

Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love,

One holy passion filling all my frame;

The baptism of the heav'n-descended Dove,

My heart an altar, and Thy love the flame.

(George Croly)

Psalm 27

Verse 14...

Wait for the LORD; 

     be strong, 

     and let your heart take courage; 

     wait for the LORD!

Though I've primarily been using ESV for the verse quotes I insert here, in this case I love the KJV even better:

Wait on the LORD: 

     be of good courage, 

     and He shall strengthen thine heart: 

     wait, I say, on the LORD.

Elisabeth Elliot: "Waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to God about it whenever it intrudes upon one's thoughts."

While You wait in gracious wisdom and my doubts begin to rise,

I recall Your loving kindness, and lift my hopeful eyes.

While Your hand withholds the answer, I will not withhold my heart.

I will love you in Your silence, I will trust You in the dark.

(Eileen Berry)