What Shall We Do?

³⁷ Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

³⁸ Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.³⁹ For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Acts 2:37-39

What shall we do when we find that God is holy and we are sinful? Psalm 1 paints a picture of the blessed man as a fruitful tree, yet this is not the state that we naturally find ourselves in. We find in Psalm 32, and in the rest of Scripture, that there is no blessedness without forgiveness; sin is the universal problem of mankind (Romans 3, Psalm 51). David takes us through both his experience of feeling guilt in sin and joy in forgiveness. He then goes on to describe his close relationship with God as his Preserver and merciful Teacher. Psalm 32 proclaims a complete circle of justification and ongoing sanctification, so in many ways, singing this Psalm is like giving a testimony. Having been forgiven, followers of Christ can sing Psalm 32 while meditating on God’s many mercies throughout their lives. To those who can find no rest from their burden of sin, Psalm 32 is a song of hope, a song for the sinner yet without Christ, a song for the stumbling Christian. Christ is the answer to our problem of sin.

⁶Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. ⁷Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

Isaiah 55:6-7

Psalm 32 (NKJV)

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
² Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Psalm 32 starts with a benediction, a declaration of blessing upon those forgiven by God. The fact that this benediction exists at all, that God forgives even a single sinner, is a source of great wonder. Notice that the blessedness is not earned but instead “the Lord does not impute iniquity.”  Furthermore, the blessed man is changed in the inner man and, as a result, bears outward fruits (Matt 7:17; 2 Corinth 5:17). It is neither a self-deceptive trick nor merely an external change, but, as Jesus explains in John 3:1-21, a person must be born again, made into a new person. We see David’s personal experience in the next two verses.

³ When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
⁴ For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah

In contrast with a tree beside the rivers of waters, David pictures his suffering as the very inner supports of his body decaying and as God’s mighty hand pressing down on him. Maybe there was a time in David’s youth when he did not put his trust in God, so perhaps he is thinking of those first moments when he realized that he was a sinner. Or perhaps he is meditating upon a time when he fell into a pit of sin such as the incident involving Bathsheba and Uriah. Either way, we see that sin is a curse that brings death to those who do not seek God for forgiveness (Rom 6:23; Gal 6:7) and chastisement upon His children (Hebrew 12:6). Personally, verses three and four apply to and remind me of two different times in my life. I remember realizing the stench of my sin before finding peace in Christ, and also these verses describe my temporary periods of defeat to sin. But the horror of sin only makes the next verse of Psalm 32 all the sweeter.

⁵ I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

The Bible contains many remarkable statements such as verse five which we often can overlook. David declares at the end of verse five that God forgave him of all his sins. So what did he have to do to gain forgiveness? Do we have a declaration of any great work or life of holiness? No! Jesus Christ paid the price of sin for all who acknowledge their sin and confess it to God (Acts 2:37-38). This is my favorite verse of the Psalm, for it shows hope and joy after a time of distress. When I have a difficult time remembering God’s forgiveness through Christ, Psalm 32 reminds me how God has been so merciful to me in the past and to past saints such as David.

⁶ For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You
In a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters
They shall not come near him.
⁷ You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

With such mercy available, now is the time to seek God and pray to Him. Verse six goes on to say that the time of forgiveness is limited. There is coming “a flood of great waters” in which only those whose transgressions have been covered will be safe. When singing this Psalm, we are reminded that God is our Father, the One to whom we can now pray and go in times of trouble. Sin no longer bars us from God’s holy presence, and so we can now sing verses six and seven with joy! As a forgiven people, we have a new expectation in God, for He is our good Father in heaven. ¹⁴ For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”(Romans 8:14-15)

⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.
⁹ Do not be like the horse or like the mule,
Which have no understanding,
Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,
Else they will not come near you.

Just as God saves us through justification then sanctification, He answers David’s prayer with forgiveness and then instruction. Though some regard this section as David’s wise counsel to his fellow man, I believe it is more likely that the Lord Himself speaks in verses eight and nine. He first tells us that He will teach us but also gives commands on how we are to respond to His teaching. I could always clearly see the imagery of a stubborn horse or mule in my mind, however more recently I have understood by experience what it is like to be a stubborn mule. I look back and see how God has restrained and rebuked my sinful thoughts or daily habits. Though I often mourn over being like a spiritual mule, it is also comforting how God does not let us wander to our destruction. Verse eight is a promise for all forgiven people to cling to, that God will not leave us in our tendencies toward sin. As Paul reminds us, “it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13) and it is Christ “who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14).

¹⁰ Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;
But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.
¹¹ Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Each person begins in the same state of sin and misery, which David describes in Psalm 51 as his being “brought forth in iniquity;” that is, being a sinner from his very conception. Yet the end of Psalm 32 shows a great contrast between those who trust in the Lord and those who do not. Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior whom we will praise forever and ever! Not only did He save us from our sorrowful life of sin and from our well-deserved end of eternal suffering in hell; He has also clothed us with His righteousness, so that we may shout for joy and be glad in His presence! We are thus commanded in verse eleven to be glad and joyful, to obey God in a way which should be most natural to us as forgiven sinners.

Psalm 32 takes us through a complete journey of both self-examination and meditation upon God. In it we sing of our sorrow in sin, the merciful forgiveness of God, our new expectation in God as our Father, and His guidance throughout our lives. If you are unfamiliar with the salvation that is provided through Jesus Christ, I would encourage you to listen to this excellent sermon on Romans 6:23 here.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23

Hope through the Pain

Psalm 73 Testimony

As I was growing up,  I did love to read the Bible but the Psalms really never stood out to me. I don’t even remember trying to read through them.  I think my belief was, “Well, I sing them in church every week, so do I really need to look at them anymore?” However, later I began to realize that I didn’t even know what I was singing.  I sang the words of the Psalms, but those words didn’t actually process in my head. Even after I came to this realization, I still didn’t desire to read the Psalms or try to study them.

 Then last year something happened that really changed my view on the Psalms...a very dear friend of mine died suddenly from an unknown heart defect he had had since birth.  I was truly devastated. In my grieving many people came beside me and comforted me, giving me many verses from God’s Word. I began to notice a reccurring theme: the majority of these verses came from the Psalms. Then a friend who knew I was hurting asked to do a study of the Psalms with me. Through this study I came to understand how truly beautiful and comforting the Psalms are.   I hope that through this blog you to can come to the same conclusion.

Psalm 73 was one of the first Psalms that I really began to study. I feel like this Psalm shows the deep pain that many people go through, and the questioning that comes with that pain. Some of you probably know what pain I’m talking about; whether it’s experiencing the death of a family member or friend, sickness, or divorce. It’s the pain that makes you want to hit something over and over again. It’s the pain that makes you not want to get out of bed every morning. It’s the pain that makes you question God’s goodness. “God if you really love me then why did my friend die?” Or “God, if you really love me then why did my parents get divorced?” We ask, “If God is all-powerful then why is my brother sick?” “Why did my sister walk away from the faith?” Asaph is asking similar questions. 

However, In the second half of this Psalm Asaph shows his understanding of how God works. He understands how utterly foolish he was for questioning the almighty God. He realizes how deeply God loves him. We all need to remember how deep God’s love is for us and how faithful God is even though we are so ignorant. Pain hurts. Pain seems unfair. But remembering how loving and faithful God is; then looking to the future where Christ will make everything known to us; where we will be perfected, and where everything will be glorious should give us hope. A hope that is above the pain.

Asaph chose God through the pain. I am choosing God through my pain. Will you choose God through your pain?

Below I am sharing different verses that show God’s promises and comfort  through our suffering. Don’t just read it, but really meditate on what it’s saying and how you can apply it to your life.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.  Isaiah 55:8

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.  But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 1^st Peter 4:12-13

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. Psalm 46:1-2

Why Psalm 104 is so Dear to my Soul

 

       Ever since I was young I have liked to be in charge of things. I liked being the leader when playing games with my friends, I wanted to be the one to choose which Land before Time movie my family rented from Blockbuster, and I always wanted to have my own way. I tried to be the god for my own little universe as I attempted to ordain all that happened around me and to me. But this is not the way we ought to behave, we are commanded to depend on God for all the things in our life, for the food we eat, for the clothes we wear and for the very air we breathe. Even the sparrow may build her nest by the house of the Lord, and as He cares for that little creature by granting her shelter, wouldn’t He as much care for the creature that was created in His own image?

         

       This psalm taught me a hard lesson, that no matter how much I try, I cannot stretch out the heaven like a tent, nor can I build a foundation in the depths of the sea. But it did not only teach me what I cannot do, it also taught me what I can do. With my mortal mouth, that cannot cause the sun to rise or bring about the change in seasons, I can praise the One who can! This psalm showed me what a Great and Awesome God is the Lord who reigns in heaven, and how very small and insignificant I am. However, as opposed to rejecting His supremacy as the limitation of our so called free-will, this is a reason for rejoicing because on our own, without the sustaining power of God, the world would spiral into oblivion and disappear.    

           

       This psalm is very dear to my heart because when the cares of human life loom huge and unconquerable, when finals seem so very threatening, when that research paper seems to never be finished, when the world seems about to end because work and stress has piled up into an insurmountable mountain, I remember this psalm and know that God is in control over my life. I remember that He is the One who stills the churning waves of my mind, that I don’t have to worry about being in charge of every little detail because I know that the Lord reigns crowned in heaven and that nothing on earth, be it sea or fire, will ever change that fact.

           

       I rest in the assurance that a new day will dawn, one day the finals will be over, one day the paper will be written, one day I will be rid of this body of sin, and because of these things I will praise the Lord, who sustains my life and gives peace to my soul.

           

       This is what the psalm has taught me, and what sins it has caused me to see in my own life. But psalms do more than simply cause the reader to see the transgressions in their lives, the beauty of the psalms is that they can also bring joy and gladness to the hearts of the reader.

           

       On an earthly level, another reason I love this psalm is because of the way it speaks about nature. I have loved animals and flowers and trees and everything in nature ever since I was very very small and this psalm is a wonderful testimony to the fact that nature is God’s creation and we ought to delight in it. Who can read of the leviathan frolicking in the depths of the sea and not smile when they picture this great, bumbling creature dancing around with others of his kind. The pictures of creation that the psalmist paints are amazing. All of nature plays, and they are content and not filled with worry or stress because God fulfils their every need. The leviathan can frolic because the Lord has given him his food, and when it is time for him to die he does so, without complaint or objection because he knows somewhere in his little brain that God is the one who gave him life, so He is also the one who decides when to take it.

           

       This psalm fills me with delight every time I read it or sing it. The picture of God as the sustainer of this magnificent world He created is one that brings rest and gladness to my soul, which then bursts forth as a acclamation of praise to my God for all of the wonders He has done.         

Meet Blind

An interesting story resides behind the creation of this blog, and it goes like this. Once there was a rather weak Christian who attended the Theological Foundation for Youth conference. Who this person is doesn’t really matter, but for the sake of the story let’s name this person Blind. Blind had been singing the Psalms for several years, yet never truly appreciated or thought about the Psalms. Now at the conference, Blind discovered something very strange; other similar aged younger people seemed to love the Psalms. In fact, many of the people at the conference understood the Psalms and memorized them. This love for the Psalms puzzled Blind, so Blind went home and started to study the Psalms both through personal devotions and with a friend.  Through the Psalms, this rather weak Christian found new strength from the promises and words of guidance in the Psalms. I was this person, Blind, but now I see.


The Psalms filled me with joy, so I was pained to find that many other young people in the Reformed church, though exposed to Psalms, still sang the Psalms with eyes that could not see. I remembered all those godly saints I met at the Theological Foundation for Youth conference, and I proposed this idea of a Psalm blog to them and other lovers of the Psalms that I met. As a result, “Selah” was created.

Through My Shades

When I view my life and the world around me and then meditate on the Psalms, it is as if I put on a pair of shades.  The Psalms reveal the truth that we often muddle with the lies and distortions of our fallen world.

Yet for much of my life, I was blind to the Psalms.  God however pressed on me the depth and application of Psalm 1 through the exhortation of a fellow Christian and thus opened my eyes to the rest of the book of Psalms.

   1 Blessed is the man
   Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
   Nor stands in the path of sinners,
   Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

By going through the first verse line by line, this fellow Christian challenged me to carefully inspect who I allowed to influence my life.  What amazed me about verse one was how it seemed to apply to all my struggles, for during that time, I was particularly questioning my addiction to rap music such as Eminem and Lil Wayne songs.  Lyrics full of proud statements and sinful actions constantly filled my head and received my praise, and I felt that the God was yelling at me through this Psalm.  Then in the peak of my distress with the way I was living my life, the piercing ray of verse two set forth what I was to do.

   2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
   And in His law he meditates day and night.

Every day, I think of verse one and two like this; I will be blessed if I do not allow modern music to control my thoughts, nor get in situations where people I hang around will tempt me to sin, nor follow everything my friends do.  Instead I will seek God’s word for instruction.  

I do not claim to perfectly follow these words, and the same struggles often invade my life day by day.  But I can say that God has given me a mighty weapon.  He has given me this Psalm to sing and meditate on, and He has given me the rest of His word to guide my life.  I can testify with a multitude of other Christians that the words of Psalm 1 are true and that God blesses the Christian who delights in His word and on it “meditates day and night”.

After my run-in with this Psalm, I went on to study other Psalms such as Psalm 16 and Psalm 51, and I found that every aspect of the Christian life is dealt with in the Psalms.  In Psalm 16 I can sing about God’s guiding hand which leads me toward salvation, while Psalm 51 gives me a prayer to repent of my sins.  Nevertheless with all the variety and depth of the Psalms, every truth seems to go back to Psalm 1.  Rejecting Christ and following ungodly influences will ultimately always lead to uncertainty and despair, while the man who seeks and obeys God through Christ will be blessed beyond measure.

So basically my story is this.  I was dead, but then God saved me from my sins.  Then I was blind to the beauty of the Psalms, but now I see them through the shades of Psalm 1.