(REFLECTIONS ON Psalm 137:1-9) 1 By the rivers of Babylon,There we sat down and wept,When we remembered Zion.2 Upon the willows in the midst of itWe hung our harps.3 For there our captors demanded of us songs,And our tormentors mirth, saying,“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.” In today’s Psalm, we see an image of […]
(REFLECTIONS ON Psalm 136:1-26) In Psalm 136, the phrase “For His lovingkindness is everlasting“ is repeated after each verse of proclamation. The repetition is intentional and it is a liturgical call and response. The psalmist first proclaims who God is, what He has done, and the congregation responds each time with, “For His lovingkindness is everlasting.” There is […]
(REFLECTIONS ON Psalm 135:1-21) 1 Praise the Lord!Praise the name of the Lord;Praise Him, O servants of the Lord,2 You who stand in the house of the Lord,In the courts of the house of our God! Who are the servants of the Lord? They are the ones that praise the name of the Lord, who stand […]
(REFLECTIONS ON Psalm 133:1-3, Psalm 134:1-3) 1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity! For Israel, to dwell together in unity was not just about individuals, families, or people, but about unity with God. It was the meeting of the people of God, in His holy temple, and […]
(REFLECTIONS ON Psalm 132:1-18) As the pilgrims walk up towards the Lord’s sanctuary to worship, they are reminded that in the House of the Lord, on top of the Ark of the Covenant, between the two cherubim, is the mercy seat where the glory of the Lord dwells with His people. And they remember David: 1 […]
(REFLECTIONS ON Psalm 131:1-3) Today’s Psalm is only 3 verses long. It keeps things simple, and that is the point. The simple life is not about removing oneself from this complicated, complex, chaotic, noisy world, but rather to dwell in the space of peace that the Lord provides. The secret to the simple life then is […]
(REFLECTIONS ON Psalm 130:1-8) As we read the words of the psalmist: 1 Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord.2 Lord, hear my voice!Let Your ears be attentiveTo the voice of my supplications. What do we imagine that the psalmist is going through? Although we may quickly conclude and associate the pleas […]
(REFLECTIONS ON Psalm 129:1-8) 3 “The plowers plowed upon my back; They lengthened their furrows.” Let us take some time this morning to visualize this verse. Plowers are farm workers who prepare land for planting by plowing the soil. Plowing involves turning and loosening the soil to break up compacted ground. During this process, workers create furrows, which […]
(REFLECTIONS ON Psalm 128:1-6) Why? Because blessed is everyone that does. Are we missing out on the blessings of the Lord, because we can’t get over the word FEAR? We accept words like love, grace and mercy, and to love the Lord, be loved by the Lord, but when we are told to FEAR the Lord, […]
(REFLECTIONS ON Psalm 127:1-5) For something to be done in vain means that no matter how much effort is put in, there are no results. Doing something in vain means that our efforts are pointless and without meaning, because in the end nothing will change. Interestingly, when we say someone is vain, which is related to […]