In part 1 of this post, we introduced the interpretive problem of Psalm 91 and examined some less than satisfactory answers to that riddle. In part 2, we will discuss how Jesus’ own life, death, and resurrection helps us to interpret Psalm 91. However, before we get there, we must build some more framework. We…
Psalm 91 is arguably one of the most beautiful chapters in all of the Bible. I remember being drawn to it as a kid when I heard it read publicly at our church. More recently, I was drawn to Psalm 91 after the Coronavirus outbreak. I even preached a sermon on it a couple of…
When you’re not sure how to pray for other Christians, you should follow the example of Paul by thanking God for them (Eph 1:15-16). You can also follow his example by asking God to give them a spirit of understanding (Eph 1:17). That is what he did when he “mentioned” them to God in prayer…
Please click here for an audio version of this message. What will you do when trouble comes? How will you confront health calamities and career calamities? The 2020 pandemic is putting pressure on all of us. How are we to have merry hearts, which are like a good medicine, in these dark days? These things…
Churches are starting to meet again. Some began last Sunday, for us it is this weekend, and others in the coming weeks. Courts have ruled that worship cannot be limited. So now it’s a wisdom matter, not a legal matter. However, it is a very serious wisdom matter and no pastor or church should make…
Author’s Note: I published this on my blog about seven years ago. It seems timely for us to revisit this psalm. – JO Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is…
An unexpected crisis, a frustrating detour, or a messy stumbling-block, can send us into a tailspin. Things like pandemics really play havoc with our 21st Century sensibilities. Our autonomous lifestyle rebels and shouts that this should not be happening to us. The present Coronavirus intrusion bedevils the pop philosophy that tells us we should live…
At the outset of the present quarantine, everything was bizarre, electric, and controversial. People filled their time arguing over lethality, R₀ rates, and balancing lives with dollars. But the shock, the novelty and the drama are wearing off now. What about when quarantine just turns into a long, dull wait? Managing terror is one thing.…
How many times have you heard someone say this about the word all? “All means ‘all’ and that’s all that all means?” While this is true (the word all does mean “all”), the word all doesn’t always mean every possible thing all at once. While this may seem obvious, we don’t always apply this simple…
I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you,…