Praise Theme

Psalm 22

I really love the vulnerability of this psalm. David is the composer and it is another psalm of lament. The theme of the psalm is "Why have you forsaken me?" As I read it, I get the idea that David is saying, "I have many enemies and I can understand why they might oppose me but I can't understand why you, Lord, have also forsaken me." There is a lot of strong imagery in this psalm, revealing David's artistic heart: I am a worm; you made me feel secure on my mother's breast; many bulls surround me; roaring lions... open their mouths wide against me; I am poured out like water; my heart has turned to wax. The imagery also serves to increase the level of vulnerability. David is completely vulnerable before the Lord. If God has truly forsaken him, then he has no hope and is stripped of all defenses.
There have been a few times when I have felt this way also. Usually it is in a time of trial when I've come to the end of all my strategies, strength and wisdom. It is then that I realize how completely dependent I am on the Lord. I realize that my strength is weakness, my wisdom is foolishness and my strategies are worthless. It is a terrifyingly wonderful place to be. I know that people often say that they are just trusting the Lord and wherever he leads or however he provides will be good. I have often said that myself. The reality of my own heart is that usually those are just words because while I might appear calm and trusting, I am depending on my own abilities to come up with a plan and a direction. The issue is that the theme of my praise then can only be me: look what I have done, see how I have rescued myself, see how I have provided. The theme of David's praise comes from God because David is completely dependent on God.
So, what is the theme of my praise? When I ask myself these questions, I sense the sinful and the redeemed self struggling against itself because there is the redeemed part of me that wants the theme of my praise to be the Lord and his wisdom, strength, provision and glory. However, the sinful self really likes the spotlight. My pride rears its ugly head and the lie of Satan is terribly appealing: "You don't need God. You can do it on your own. Then all the glory will be yours." It becomes an issue of trust. Do I trust God enough to pray, "Father, bring to the place where I depend solely on you"? Or do I trust myself more.
I know what my praise theme will be when I stand before the throne of Christ. I pray that I would learn the tune and words to that theme while I am still here on earth.

The Joy of Your Presence

Psalm 21

Another psalm of David. This psalm contains both elements of praise and elements of an imprecatory psalm. By the way, I love that word! I think it is one of those words that sounds like what it means. Say it with me: imprecatory! David talks about himself in the third person: the king, he, etc. maybe so that the work of the Lord would be emphasized and maybe so that it could be sung by and instruct others, including future kings.
The praise section is so joyful and intimate. I'm not sure, but it feels like the use of the third person adds to the sense of intimacy. The whole psalm is very focused on the work and power of the Lord. When David is singing about the king, it all about what the Lord has done for the king. When David is singing about the king's enemies, it is all about what the Lord will do to the enemies. Ultimately, it is not the king but the Lord who is exalted and the Lord who receives praise and songs from the people. To sum up the psalm in a word: trust.
The line that stuck out to me is from verse 6: "Surely you have... made him glad with the joy of your presence." First, what stood out is the double joy. The king is glad with joy! I love the imagery and the flow of that sentence. There is sometimes when the joy of life and the joy of the Lord makes me glad. I want the Spirit to shape my heart and affections so that I am glad with the joy of the Lord. The second thing that stood out was the joy of the Lord's presence. I live my life deistically. God is there but not here. I know he exists but I don't often experience his presence. I acknowledge the truth about God but I live as if he sits at a distance as more of an observer than someone who is intimately acquainted with the details of my life. I try to figure things out and solve them through my own abilities rather than trusting in God. Because of this, I don't often experience God's presence which means that I too often miss out on the joy of God's presence. I want the Spirit to shape my heart and my spirit to recognize and rejoice in the presence of God. He is not distant. He is close, personal, and present.

Devouring People Like Bread

Psalm 14

This is another psalm by David and once again it takes the form of a lament. This time his lament is more commentary than prayer. He recognizes that in the sight of God there is no one who does what is good, that everyone has turned away and become corrupt. As usual, there is a contrast between the people of God and the "fools" who live as if God does not exist. The fools are opposed to the godly and are seeking to destroy them. The psalmist uses strong imagery: "They devour my people as though eating bread." However, the fools are overcome with dread since God is present with the godly. The implied claim is that ultimately the Lord will prevail. David ends with a longing for that time.
This fits very well into the teaching of the rest of Scripture. The teaching on the depravity of humanity is found everywhere, in Romans 3 for example, as is the teaching that God will ultimately prevail, especially in the Revelation of John. I don't live in a context where I have to cling to that hope very often. My life is pretty good and I don't face much in the way of opposition from people or even from Satan. I acknowledge that he is the tempter and I give into his enticements far too often but for the most part his opposition in my world takes the form of laying low and lulling people to sleep.
That is why the last line of v. 4 caught my attention: "they never call on the Lord." Unfortunately, this all too often describes my life. Because I don't face much opposition and because God has blessed me with abilities I can live much of my life as if I don't need God. I have a plethora of resources literally at my fingertips. The truth is that I don't really want God to put me in a situation where I am obviously and completely dependent on him because that scares me. I'd rather trust myself, which is absurd, isn't it?
David's trust, in this psalm, was utterly in God. God is the refuge of the godly, God is in the midst of the company of the righteous and it is God who will bring salvation from Zion and God who will bring joy and gladness to Jacob.