Psalm 90 – Plaintive Prayer Concerning The Mortality Of Those Who Have Long Had The Lord As Their “Dwelling Place”
Psalm 91 – Assurances For Those Who Make The Most Hight Their “Dwelling” Place: “With Long Life I Will Satisfy” Them
Psalm 92 – Celebration Of Yahweh’s Righteous Rule And Its Result (What The “Senseless…Do Not Know”): “Evildoers…Will Be Destroyed Forever” But “The Righteous…Will Still Bear Fruit In Old Age”
Psalm 93 – Celebration Of The Invincible Reign Of Yahweh
Psalm 94 – Appeal To Yahweh To Deal Judicially With Those Who Perpetrate Injustices And Oppression: “Take Notice, You Senseless Ones Among The People”
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This link includes a list of posts about Serving the Least, the Lost, and the Lonely.
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Let the Word evoke words. May your life encourage lives.
The beginning of Book IV of Psalms
Psalm 90:1 “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”
As I read and study Christian Apologetics, simply repeating Psalm 90:1 becomes comforting. So many people have bought into the lie that God is a myth, a figment of our imagination. Honestly, I think taking music and art out of schools is all part of taking God away from our children–we lose touch with God when we let go of the peace that is not expressible in words. When I heard the song Blink, I was really struck by its core message, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (90:12). As the days slip away quickly, Lord teach me to count every moment before they fade away. Time truly flies by. Amazing.
Psalm 91:2, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust” is followed by, “If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent” (91:9). This is a bit perplexing because we know that in John 16:33, Jesus himself says, “in this world you will have trouble.” We know that bad things happen to good people, that troubles prevail even with the best of intents. In my experience, troubles have come in various forms, certainly some more dramatic that others. Through it all, I know God was with me and has chosen to let me continue, but this doesn’t mean “no disaster” is guaranteed, that “no harm” is assured. I find peace in the words of Jesus, “in this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!” Amen!!
Psalm 92. A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day. That’s the title for this psalm in the NIV Study Bible. Tomorrow is Sunday and since I’m not on a church staff right now, it is my Sabbath day, the day I refrain from the work that consumes the other six days. As I grow old, even though it’s hard to admit, here’s some reassurance: “They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green” (92:14). Yay! I still have fruit-bearing years ahead of me! I’m making this my life verse as Zoë and I enter this new phase of our lives as parents of adult children. I will “praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High” (92:1).
Psalm 93, just five verses long, reads like a modern day praise and worship song. Robed in majesty, armed with strength, “the seas have lifted up, Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves…mightier than the breakers of the sea–the Lord on high is mighty.” We should sing this song often!
Psalm 94. Trust that the Lord will handle the wicked, those who seem to flourish in this life, though far from God. It breaks my heart to know how some people are stricken with anxiety and fear because they really don’t know the Lord, or perhaps we don’t confess we have days or seasons of anxiety, too proud to admit we are human! Here the psalmist provides some reassurance, “when anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy” (94:19). Not “if anxiety” but “when.” Thanks, Lord, for these words. I find comfort in knowing I’m not the only one who loves you above all else and suffers from anxiety at times.