Psalms Journal Post #6

Psalm 28

This Psalm is a great reminder of the truth of the Gospel. David is lamenting something, crying out to his rock, not to turn a deaf ear. He cries for mercy from God. The first 5 verses our this deep and emotional plea. Then David begins to praise God, recognizing that God will always hear us. He attests that God is his shield and his strength. The parallel is so drastic. Even with this dark and emotional plea in the first few verses, David has not forgotten his God, the LORD who will uphold him. He cries out to him, know full well that God will hear him and not let him come to ruin.

This Psalm gives me hope. No matter what we have done, we too can count of God as our strength and shield knowing he is the God of mercy and grace. He is our great shepherd and will carry us forever. Grace is only dependent on God’s goodness and isn’t merited on our behavior, but as David illustrates so well in this Psalm is that those who have been redeemed will naturally want to ascribe honor and praise to the one who has saved them! 

Church History post #6

The church was now firmly split between the Latin West and the Greek East. The Pope was the central figure of ecclesiastical power and the stage was being set to see just how much that power could be abused. Starting with Gregory the VII and culminating in Urban II the brutal Crusades would begin to dominate Europe and the Holy Land. The church was under the almost absolute authority of the Pope. The Pope used this power to establish great armies to go and reclaim the Holy Land from Muslim rule, with little success. The position of Bishop was almost entirely political and for centuries the church was fighting simony, or the use of ones power to claim religious authority for themselves or others. The church was being reformed for a time by well-intentioned leaders but eventually power and politics took over, leading to the crusades, the darkest hour of the church.

Psalms Reflection Journal #5

Psalm 25

As I read through Psalm 25 I am reminded of a simple truth: that no matter how righteous we think we are, or in light of the cross, how righteous He has made us, we should always seek God’s righteousness. David writes this Psalm as a prayer, that he would put his trust in God. He is ascribing to God praise for His faithfulness, “No one who puts their hope in you will ever be put to shame”. David was a man after God’s own heart, a man who communed and spoke to God in so many ways, and even he understands the importance of making this a habit. David does not believe he has “made it” or “arrived” but is in a constant pursuit of God’s presence. 

We too should have this attitude towards God. As co-heirs with Christ we know our salvation is secure, but we should also remember the importance of pursuing God. We still need God to “Show us the way” and “guide us”. God is faithful to answer us and in turn give us His spirit if we too are faithful in pursuing Him. God wants an intimate relationship with us and that cannot by nature be one-sided. 

Church History post #5

In this era of church history, the structure is again changing. With imperial power waning in the West and strengthening in the East, tension had arisen and this has led to an unprecedented jump in the power of the Pope. Now with more than just the religious authority, the power granted the Pope was going to create issues. No longer was the church united under the bishops who would lead their local congregations but now authority was in question and power up for grabs. Politics began to reign and soon we would see massive, painful, and deep schism rip into the church. Some wounds still exist today.

Psalms Reflection Journal #4

Psalm 19

I love the outdoors! I have had the tremendous opportunity to travel to some of the most beautiful places on earth! I spent a summer in the mountains of Northwestern Montana in Glacier Park and Flathead lake. I was able to stand on the edge of the Cliffs of Moher. I’ve climbed to the top of a 14,000ft mountain in Colorado. In all those places, I was moved to worship God. The beauty of His creation is a testament to Himself like no other! When David says,” The heavens declare … the skies proclaim” he must of been experiencing the same thing, sheer wonder at the AWESOME power of God. 

What I find interesting about this Psalm as well is that after speaking about nature praising Him, he turns his attention to the law of God, the scriptures. It is as if to say, how INCREDIBLE are the praises of nature to the Creator without words, but how much greater are the Words of God? They are refreshing, more precious than gold, and sweeter than honey! For as much as we can appreciate and worship God by looking at His creation, how much more should we be moved to worship but His law? 

Church History Post #4

The world is still changing, the Empire has dwindled in power and the church has grown even more powerful. In this period of church history we see a few changes in the structure of the church. First, the role of the bishop. The local bishop was a tradition that had been established for awhile now, the difference is now, the bishop is no longer just the leader of the local church but has a much larger role in the universal church. The bishops of Rome, Alexandria, Cartage, Antioch, etc held a massive amount of power within the church. Through the different councils and synods, the bishops influenced Christian doctrine. The second big change was the way bishops were elected. Before they were simply elected by the local church. Now, with the Emperors holding more stake in the church, many bishops were given their positions through the state. 

Church History Post #3

         In this section of reading we see yet another pretty major shift in the structure of the church. Now Christianity is the religion of the state. Under Emperor Constantine, Christianity was not only no longer persecuted but it was elevated to a higher status. Constantine the Emperor himself gave special consideration and personal allegiance to Christianity. (Though he was not baptized until on his deathbed and he still practiced the rites of the Pagan gods, he did “worship” Christ as well.) Christianity for the first time was in favor. Now the church began to grow and flourish, (if only monetarily), and the system of Bishops became even more engrained. Now there was a group of “advisors” to Constantine, bishops who helped him as a part of his entourage. The Church had meeting places, rather ornate ones, to meet in rather than just homes. This shift brought about interesting changes in the church theologically and practically, but as far as the church structure goes, the changes were mostly positive. The centralization of leadership gave the church more unity in doctrine and this time period saw some of the most prolific writing in church history.    

Psalms Reflection Journal #3

         This Psalm is notable for a few reasons. I think primarily it is known as the Psalm Jesus quotes from the Cross. This is a deeply personal Psalm, filled with the honest questions of a man who feels abandoned by God. The whole Psalm seems to be a bit bipolar. The first two verses he is lamenting the feeling that God has left him, then he is praising God, then he begin to put himself down, then he praises God again. 

          Personally, this Psalm has always resonated with me. To me this Psalm encapsulates the tension between what we feel, and what we know. In my life I have definitely felt like God was not there. I have felt abandoned or left to suffer in my own sin. On the other hand, however, I know the truth that God will never abandon His people. I know I am not a “worm…. scorned by everyone” no matter how much I feel it. The beauty of the Psalms is that the authors are real, honest, and unashamed of their emotions. They pour out their feelings to God and let Him know just how they feel, but, they always remind themselves, and thus their readers, that how we feel is not always a proper reflection of what we ARE. 

Psalms Reflection Journal #2

This week I decided to spend some time with Psalm 7. This is a Psalm that has meant a lot to me over the years. I am painfully aware of my own failures. These failures hurt my family, they hurt me education, and I know they broke God's heart, but the constant reminder of this Psalm is that God will not forsake His people. 

In Psalm 7 David is pleading with God to deliver him from his enemies. While I don't have an physical enemies looking to kill me, (that I know of...), I know that I tend to be my own enemy and that Satan is always looking for opportunities to trip me up. "My shield is God Most High". I know that He is faithful to protect me. That doesn’t mean that bad things won’t still happen, obviously things would get worse for David, but God doesn’t resign to let us stay beat up, but he works things for our good. 

God also makes some strong promises about what He will do to those who are evil. Evil men will be brought down in justice by our God, but this is also a foreshadowing of things to come in Jesus. On the last days we too can rejoice will David saying, “I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.”