Psalm 150 is a short but powerful chapter in the Bible that focuses on praising God. It is a conclusion to the entire book of Psalms, like the grand finale at the end of a fireworks show. In this psalm we learn about a) The Who of Praise b) The Why of Praise and c) The How of Praise. Here’s a summary of the key lessons from Psalm 150:
The Hebrew verb for “Praise” is “Hallel”: a command meaning “to praise, give honor and recognition.” Primarily this is reserved for God who is worthy. Hallelujah is a compound word meaning “Praise Yahweh” or “Praise the Lord.”
Praise is Universal: The psalm begins by emphasizing that praise should be universal, coming from all corners of creation, whether in heaven or on earth. It encourages us to recognize and acknowledge God’s greatness in all aspects of our lives. While we can praise God anywhere, the psalm encourages us to praise Him in His sanctuary, the place of worship. It’s a reminder of the importance of gathering with fellow believers to worship and give thanks to God.
Praise is Essential based on “who God is” and “what He has done.” We give praise for God’s mighty deeds and His surpassing greatness. It’s a call to remember and celebrate the incredible works of God in our lives and in the world around us.
Praise occurs best with creative expressions of music and art. The psalm specifically mentions musical instruments like trumpets, harps, lyres, tambourines, strings, and flutes. This suggests that music can be a powerful medium for expressing our praise and worship to God.
The closing verse emphasizes that God’s excellence is above all, and His greatness knows no bounds. Everything that has breath should Praise the Lord. It reminds us that our praise should be unwavering and constant, recognizing God’s supreme nature. In summary, Psalm 150 teaches us that praise should be a universal, joyful, and enthusiastic expression of our gratitude and reverence for God.
Who saved us? God. Because of what we did? No. How are we saved? In his mercy … his sheer grace! Who does the washing? The Holy Spirit who applies new life to our dead souls. Amen! True forgiveness comes when we surrender to divine transformation not self-help gurus.
David affirms this did not happen in his power. In verse 8 he says, “let the bones you have broken rejoice …” God, you did this! I need you! Then, because he has confronted his sin, in verse 9 he pleads with God to “blot out his transgressions.” Verse 10 is the crux of the passage. David exclaims:
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
(Psalm 51:10, ESV)
Create in me a clean heart. Focus on that word, “Create.” The Hebrew word for create is “BARA,” and its a verb. Create is an action. It’s the word used in Genesis 1 when God creates the world. Throughout the Bible, when this word is used the subject is almost always God. God is the creator. What is the result of his creative action? Something BRAND NEW. God is doing a new work in David’s heart. Now the word heart, as we discussed, refers to our choices and our thoughts. A clean heart indicates and undivided focus on doing God’ will.
I want you to take in how powerful this verse in. Some of you reading this may not think this is possible. Some of you don’t think you can change. And I get it, I think that sometimes too. Someone confronts you about your sin and what do you say? I’ve been this way for 40 years, 50 years, 60, 70, 80 years, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks! What are you saying? “I can’t change! This is who I am!” What I am saying, no, what God is showing you in this one verse is this, YOU CAN CHANGE! By the power of God through the work of his Holy Spirit. David is talking about a TOTAL TRANSFORMATION from the inside out. Only God can do that. Do you believe that? I know some of you don’t, or you don’t care. That why you need to start with a person reflection to see how devastating your sin is, like David.
You can change! And it is not just an instantaneous act, it is an ongoing process. Some of us, God has been working on for a long time. And he is still working in your life. I want to invite all of us to pray verse 10 in our lives, “Lord, create in me a clean heart. Renew a right spirit within me.”
Keep praying that prayer. And as you pray, the Holy Spirit will work on your heart. And when he does, it will lead to radical transparency in your life.
Application: Radical Transparency
There are two things you need to grow in the Christian life. First, the finished work of Christ on the cross. Why? Because then you recognize that you can’t save yourself. Second, the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Why? Because then you realize you can’t grow yourself. You need God. Someone out there say, “I need God.” When God does this it leads to radical transparency. Look how he finishes the prayer:
Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
(Psalm 51:11-12, ESV)
David wants to be in the presence of God. Do you want that? That is where we find security, when we surrender at the foot of the cross. How do you live the forgiven life? You get to this place of radical transparency because God has transformed your heart. This is the power of the Gospel.
Let’s take a moment do an analysis of ourselves. What happens to people when they experience total transformation? I’m going to offer two effects, ask yourself, is this me?
Secure in Christ: They are not defensive. They are teachable. Why? Because my identity is based on Jesus work not my work. My salvation is not based on my efforts, but Jesus effort. Who cares what people say about me, it matters what Jesus has done for me. Amen?
Soft Heart: They are willing to receive correction. They know it’s not about them and they desire God’s work in their lives. People with soft hearts are attuned to the work of the Holy Spirit. He convicts us of sin quickly. We repent faster. He directs us to the needs of others. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit.
People who have been transformed, they can be radically transparent because they are not trying to defend, or hide, or minimize. The dam has been shattered in their hearts. They have tasted the living water from the cross of Christ. That is a life transformed by the Gospel.
What is Cancel Culture? Its origins stem back to the 1980s. Back then to be “cancelled” was a slang term that meant to “break up with someone.” This concept has now infected society. It can be defined like this: “When a person or group decides to stop supporting someone or something based on a transgression that is either actual … or perceived.” If you are paying attention, the tornado of cancel culture is everywhere. It seems every day we are hearing about another celebrity whose career is over, another brand has lost business due to boycotts, or another division in our society has ruptured because of offensive comments. Cancel culture is in the air. You might feel the tension at your workplace, in your school, or with a group of friends.
But here is what I want to know: Why are people drawn to it? People are drawn to cancel culture because we like holding grudges. We like having power over people. We like being able to say, “I’m better than that person—I would never do that!” Cancel culture is a form of self-justification—a form of self-salvation. Why? Because we can say—I’m the whistleblower—I saved the day! Our culture is experiencing an absence of forgiveness. Do you feel this tension? When there is no culture of forgiveness … we are going to make sure we don’t mess up. We are going to build a wall around our hearts and ourselves so that no one sees the real me or knows what I actually think. Relational walls are erected, roots of bitterness form in our hearts, and division is pervasive in society—does that seem about right?
David addresses this topic in Psalm 51. I want to argue that Psalm 51 is counter-cultural—it turns the ubiquity of cancel culture on it’s head and shows us forgiveness is possible. It shows us that true repentance and forgiveness have lasting and transformative effects. Psalm 51 ultimately points us to the transformative power of the Gospel. How do you live a truly forgiven life?
Practice Personal Reflection
First, if you want to continue to live a truly forgiven life, you must practice person reflection. What I mean by this is we need to learn the discipline of confession. Here is the truth: the more you confess, the wiser you will get. Why? Wisdom shows you the depths of your sin. You are being honest with yourself. Some of us are not being honest with ourselves. We have a created a narrative based on what other people say about us and it may not be accurate. The path to freedom, the path to the forgiven life, requires that we truly know our sin and ourselves. Then we have to know the God who can forgive us. Do you know that God knows you inside and out?
God is not in the business of cancelling you. Instead, he cancelled your sin on the cross!
“You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross (Col. 2:13-14, NLT).”
Do you believe that? Some of us do not. When you do, when you come to Jesus and give him your life he unplugs your heart so living water can flow in. I want you to imagine that your heart is like a DAM with a ton of water on the other side. God’s mercy and grace is like a raging river of living water. So many of us having put up a wall, a dam, blocking that water. We do not want God in that secret place because we are ashamed and we think he will not forgive us. We do not think his mercy is real. What I want you to see is that you are preventing God’s liberating work in your heart. Confession of sin shatters the dam, it breaks the wall, it unplugs your heart so that the living water of the gospel can flow into your heart! Friends, break the dam! Let the water flow!
Is the living water flowing in the secret places of your heart?
Surrender To Divine Transformation
This point is all about some HOLY SPIRIT counseling. The first point we looked at confession of sin. Yes, you can confess your sin—but a lot of people stop right there; no lasting change develops. So we have to confront this question: Do you really want to change? True, lasting change is only something only God can do. What does David say in Psalm51:7?
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow (Psalm 51:7, ESV).”
The word, “purge,” or other translations say, “cleanse,” is a pointed word. It alludes to the cleansing of a leper, which was a horrific and contagious disease in the ancient world. The ritual cleanse involve hyssop, a medicinal herb in the Ancient Near East. The priest would dip the hyssop in sacrificial blood and then sprinkle it on the leper to “cleanse” them. The result? Whiter that snow.
Have you ever done a “cleanse” of your body? It’s intense. You typically drink some type of liquid that literally cleans you out from the inside—it is quite the experience. It purges you of all the toxins that your body has been holding onto. And know what? You do not feel well while you are doing it. You are asking—“will this pain ever stop?” I think that is why more people do not do it. It is not easy. But in the end … you feel amazing! You think, “why have I never done this before?” Hallelujah! It cleans out all the junk from inside us.
The same thing is true with confession that leads to transformation. It is painful when you open up those secret places but in the end, you feel whiter than snow. When we confess our sins to God and each other, we are purging ourselves of the toxins in our heart—and we are admitting the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the antidote. We need to drink from the Gospel every day! Commentator J.A. Motyer writes this:
“To cleanse is to remove whatever hinders or disqualifies, so cleansing is just what is needed for the error that keeps us away from God.”
Do you want to change? You need to take the cleanse of God through daily confession. The toxins of sin build up in our heart, just like food toxins build up in our gut. We need to be washed! And washing … this is a work of God. It is not something that we can do through our moral efforts. Look at Paul’s words in Titus 3:5. He blows up this idea of American individual achievement:
“He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5, NLT).”
Who saved us? God. Because of what we did? No. How are we saved? In his mercy; his sheer grace! Who does the washing? The Holy Spirit who applies new life to our dead souls. Amen! True forgiveness comes when we surrender to divine transformation.
Sing In Genuine Worship
When forgiveness is on the playlist of your life—it is so different! A heart that has been genuinely forgiven, that has experienced the mercy of our God—thanksgiving flows from it! This is the opposite of the message of cancel culture. I would ask you to reflect—is your heart more influenced by the message of cancel culture—or the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In cancel culture there is no singing, there is no joy. Only anger. There is no grace and gratitude; there is only power and what we think we are owed. Cancel culture is ultimately about putting ourselves in the place of God. The message of cancel culture hinders our worship—our playlist is filled with angry, violent rage music. Our culture will always try to get us to worship something else—the rich, the powerful, the new thing. However, when you have tasted the mercy of God—all you can do is worship him! Look at David’s result:
“Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you (Psalm 51:13, ESV).”
That is the power of a forgiven life worshipping our great God. We sing—with joy! People will notice. You know what; I think people are done with cancel culture. We are done with the shaming, and the anger and the division. The world wants something different—it is written on their hearts Paul says (Romans 2:15). When the world sees lives transformed by the Gospel—when people can look at your own life and see a change—they will know something is different. When people come through the waters of baptism and testify to the grace of God—that is power! When people look at a person who they thought would never change, but they did, all they can say is, “That was God’s work!” J.A. Motyer again gets it right:
“Who better to pass on the message of forgiveness than a real sinner who has himself been really forgiven, but whose humiliation in the process empties his words of all pomposity and gives them a real cutting edge? And what a great privilege does he now have than to tell others the good news.”
Who better to tell people about the forgiven life than someone who has lived it? Are you living the forgiven life today? When you have experienced the Gospel, you want to sing!
Questions of A Forgiven Life
I want you to ask three questions, which lead us down the path of the forgiven life. Ready?
First, where are you HIDING? This is the personal reflection part. The reason we do not engage in confession is because we are hiding something. We might be afraid what would happen if someone found out. God wants to come into that secret place and show you that he paid for that sin. He wants to bring you into the light and cleanse you. What is the Holy Spirit showing you?
Second, what are you HOLDING? This is the divine transformation part. Some of us have become comfortable with our sin. We do not want to let it go because it is what we know. Jesus wants to come into that secret place and show you something better. What is the Holy Spirit showing you?
Third, what do you need to RELEASE? For some of us there is a barrier between us and God when we worship. The songs play—others sing—we are silent. And it’s not because we can’t sing; something is holding us back and we need to release it to God. We need open our mouth in praise. We need to remember … we need to believe the Gospel again. What is the Holy Spirit showing you?
The Gospel is all about our Savior’s sacrifice. His body was broken for you so we could pour out praise to him. All glory to Christ! Where are you hiding? What are you holding? What do you need to release? Allow those questions to lead you on the path of the forgiven life.
This is Pastor Dave writing to you from before taking my Sabbatical on the topic of “Vulnerability”.
We can either vulnerably walk towards love or we can protect ourselves from the potential pain that exists in every human relationship. C.S. Lewis said,
“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket–safe, dark, motionless, airless–it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from the perturbations of love is Hell.”[7]
The alternative to a lifestyle of protection is to allow ourselves to be seen. As frightening as it may sound, we are made for this. Dr. Daniel Goleman writes in his book Social Intelligence, “We are wired to connect.”[8] The research is clear that neuro-biologically we are designed to be in relationship with others. He goes on to say, “Neuroscience has discovered that our brain’s very design makes it sociable, inexorably drawn into an intimate brain-to-brain linkup whenever we engage with another person.”[9]
But for many, connection is scary. Secular researcher Brene Brown noticed that when you ask people about love, they tell you about heartbreak. When you ask them about belonging, they tell you excruciating experiences of being excluded. When you ask them about connection, they tell you about disconnection. The reason for this is because our desire for connection is resisted by intense competing feelings of shame. Shame asks, “Is there something about me, if they see it, which makes me unworthy of connection?” Shame says, “I’m not good enough, rich enough, beautiful enough.”[10] The problem with shame is that no one wants to talk about it – and the less you talk about it, the more you have it. What is the solution?
Brown went on to say that people who experience strong connection with others have the courage to be imperfect. They fully embraced vulnerability. They believed that what made them vulnerable made them beautiful.[11]
The trick is, in order for shame to decrease and for connection to happen, we have to be really vulnerable and risk. To do this, we must believe we are enough, because God has given us all we need. Vulnerability takes courage because it is risky. What if people judge us or don’t like us? What if people misunderstand us? What if they hurt us? What if they reject our true self?
This is where faith enters. Vulnerability requires faith because although it produces pain and rejection, but Christ calls us to do it anyway. There will inevitably be people who don’t like us, who judge us, who misunderstand us, who hurt us, and even those who reject us. There is no doubt. But nowhere are we promised a life without difficulties or pain. However, the clearer we are about who we are before Christ, the less significant this pain will be. The more faith you have in God and His ways being the best for you, the less courage is required.
In C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Lucy is hearing about Aslan, a Christ figure in the fantasy world of Narnia and asks, “Is he—quite safe?” Mr. Beaver responds with one of the most simple yet profound quotes “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” Like Aslan, Christ is not safe, but He is good. Our call to humble ourselves, to bear our crosses, to deny ourselves, to love, serve, and forgive one another, and to be authentic and vulnerable with others is in no way safe, but it is all part of the King’s plan and it is good.
Is it safe to be the first one to say ‘I love you’, or ‘Will you forgive me?’ Absolutely not, but is it good to initiate love and forgiveness into a relationship? Yes.
Here is the great paradox: vulnerability is both the core of shame and the birthplace of joy, creativity, belonging and love. Therefore, to overcome shame we need to let ourselves be seen, deeply seen, and to love with our whole hearts, even though there’s no guarantee.
This is Pastor Dave writing to you before taking my sabbatical.
If you’re reading the psalms describing Who God is, pray them back to God, turning them into a form of worship, devotion and meditation. “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers” (Ps 1:1-3, ESV).
The word “meditate” in the Bible is different from eastern meditation. Meditation in the eastern worldview is “emptying the mind.” In the Christian worldview meditation is “filling the mind” with the Word of God. In Hebrew, the word picture is that of digestion.[3] The picture is a cow chewing the cud. A cow doesn’t just eat grass. It eats it, then the gastric juices start working it, then the cow throws it up and chews on it more because it has renewed flavor. In other words, it squeezes every ounce of nutrients before finally digesting it. That is the way we are to be when we take in God’s Word. It involves serious thinking. Do you seriously take time that you might know the Scriptures? Sometimes we get impatient in our study of God’s word, we don’t understand it or when we apply it, it doesn’t yield immediate results, but we must think like a farmer. What would happen if you planted a seed in your garden and then dug it up each morning to see if anything was happening? It would die and never produce fruit. You have to have faith that the seed is doing what God created it to do.
One of the weapons our Lord used to fight against the enemy was memorized Scripture (Matt 4:1-10). The psalmist says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Ps 119:11, NIV). There is no substitute for memorizing the Bible. Pastor John Piper said it this way, “Memorizing Scripture allows me to hit the devil in the face with a force that he cannot resist to protect myself and my family from his assaults. What are you hitting him with? He is millions of times stronger than you. And he hates you and your family, and your marriage, and this church, and God. How anybody walks through this devil-ruled world without a sword in their hand is beyond me.”[4] Memorizing Scripture strengthens your faith. Paul said, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17, ESV). Memorizing Scripture helps you overcome temptation to sin. God’s warnings and God’s promises are the ways in which we are able to overcome the deceitfulness of the devil.
God did something amazing for me years ago when I sat in a summer class in a seminary classroom and I heard Dr. Mark Bailey, the president of Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS), look at us students and recite a small portion of Isaiah 53. Probably just 4-5 verses. I was stunned at the beauty of God’s Word spoken like that. I had never heard it before like that. He just recited it by memory, no commentary, just the Bible. It was one of the most powerful things I have ever heard in my life. I had never heard anyone do that before and it absolutely blew me away. I made a decision right then and there to begin the process of Bible memory and I cannot tell you how helpful in my spiritual life this one thing has been. There is incredible value of memorizing Scripture.
Psalm 119:14 says “I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.” (NIV) Great riches? Think about that. Sometimes we think about God’s Word and we think, “This is life restricted!” It’s all about do’s and don’ts. Thou shalt not this and thou shalt not that. That’s not the case at all. The psalmist says, “I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free” (Ps 119:32, NIV). God created you and He knows how the design works best. A life lived in accordance with the Bible is life unleashed, a life running on all cylinders. This is life how you were meant to live. Read the psalms and live life to the full!
Church, I pray we pursue Christ with all our might during the time he has given to us. How do you number your days well? I want to suggest we pray more and prayer better. At the end of Psalm 90, the author offers a pattern for prayer. The author shows us four items we should pray for in the midst of crisis.
First, WISDOM (verse 12). Wisdom is knowing how to living rightly in response to God and his Gospel. Pray, every day, that God gives you a heart of wisdom. Let that be the music of your life.
Second, FORGIVENESS (verse 13). I’ll be honest, this is a prayer many of us need to learn to pray. There are many people who waste years of their lives walking with un-forgiveness. It causes bitterness in the soul. It robs LINKS off your chain of life. It steals your joy. FORGIVE! And forgive quickly. In verse 13 the psalmist writes.
Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants!
(Psalm 90:13, ESV)
Our God is a God of forgiveness. He spilt his own blood on the cross so that we could be forgiven, and so we could have the power to forgive others. Don’t waste your time withholding forgiveness.
Third, STABILITY (verse 14). Look at how beautiful verse 14 is:
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
(Psalm 90:14, ESV)
This, friends, is the goal. If you can live everyday rejoicing in the steadfast love of the Lord, you won’t waste your time. You were made for this. Everyday God wants you to wake up, experience his mercy, and be a person of joy. If you are walking through life right now with no joy, ask yourself, why?Ask the Lord to show you who, or what, stole your joy, but then come back to the cross. Come home. Only Christ can satisfy.
Fourth, RENEWAL (verse 15). When you come back to your true dwelling place in Christ, you will be renewed.
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil.
(Psalm 90:15, ESV)
Wow. May that be our prayer! “Lord, make us glad! Whatever pain we have walked through during our time on earth … make us glad in you—the author of time! Teach us! Shape us! Renew us!” When that is our prayer, we will use our time wisely.
So, know where to DWELL. Reflect on the DUST. In prayer, learn to number your DAYS. It’s then, as you heart looks upward in prayerful song, that you will gain a Heart of Wisdom.
CONCLUSION: The Heart of Wisdom
Did you notice that wisdom is linked to time?Why? It is the fool who does not consider the time they have. It is the fool who wastes their time on frivolous things. A person who wastes time does not understand their purpose on this earth, which is to give glory to God!
Friends, we live in challenging times. Some of us are walking through tragedy right now. Other of us, we are facing hard questions or hurdles in life. Others still are facing health challenges. The question is, when those challenges come, and they will, how are you using your time?
We all have a preset Paper Chain the our Creator gave to us. He wants to use us in powerful ways. But he also wants us to trust him and love him and pursue him. Take stock of the links, they are coming off day after day, year after year. And one day you will come to the end of the chain, and you will be face to face with the living God. He is going to look at you and say, “how did you use your time?” And you will give an account. What do you want him to say? “Well done …” or “Depart from me …”?
Which do you want? Don’t you want the favor of God in your life? So many of us are running away from God for selfish reasons. Some of us, we know God is calling us to go in a certain direction, or to live a certain way. We know favor is over there, but we go over there. When we don’t follow Jesus with all our hearts.
We are missing the links as they fall off the chain, don’t miss them!
At the end of Psalm 90, the author is asking the question, Is God still with us? Do we still have his favor? They want to see God work in their lives. Lord, they pray, we need you! We need to see you work! Some of us, that is our prayer also. God we need to experience your steadfast love! We need to you know are with us. We need the truth of verse 14:
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
(Psalm 90:14, ESV)
Some of us, right now, we don’t have that joy, we are not satisfied. Stop running away from God. Do you want his Steadfast Love? Trust in Jesus. Give your life to Jesus. When you do, you will experience joy unimaginable, because Jesus himself is the heart of wisdom.
Know where to DWELL. Reflect on the DUST. Number your DAYS. Then you can sing the song of wisdom. Amen.
In our super busy, crazy distracted, pressurized world the tension so many of us feel, including kids and teenagers is this: I need more time.Can anyone relate to that? Have you ever uttered the following phrases? “There are not enough hours in the day.” “Just give me give a few more minutes.” “I need a personal assistant!” Even my six year old will negotiate with me about time.
The reason we feel this way, I think, is that we don’t always know how to use time properly. In fact, we lose track of time for at least two reasons. First, we get too distracted. These are the social butterflies who get off task. Second, we get too focused. These are the hard working “A-Types” who get lost in their projects. What happens then is time flies by, our kids get older and we get older. Then we look in a mirror at our older selves and ask: “Where did the time go?!” In the moment, we were not thinking about time.
There is, however, a universal moment when we are acutely aware of time: when disaster strikes. A loved one dies. A friend moves away. A national tragedy occurs. This is the backdrop of Psalm 90. Community disaster has occurred. We do not know the details, but most commentators agree something tragic happened. The psalm is a PRAYER for wisdom—a SONG of wisdom if you will. It talks about time. It tells us to use the time we have … wisely. Look at Psalm 90:12:
“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12).”
This verse is a prayer for the people of Israel—and for us. It has three elements. How should we pray?First, “Lord, teach me.” We need a teachable heart to understand what God is doing. Second, “Number our days.” Show me how to use my time. Third, “Give me wisdom.” We do not know how long we have and we must become aware of the time we have.
Know Where To DWELL
The first verse of Psalm 90 teaches us about God. Look how it begins: “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations (Psalm 90:1, ESV).” I want you to focus in on three words: Generations, Lord and Dwelling. The phrase, “all generations,” conveys that this Psalm is addressed to all God’s people past, present and future. This is a personal prayer, which acknowledges that God is our LORD, he is sovereign over all things in our lives. Whatever happens—he is in control.
Now focus on that phrase: “Dwelling Place.” It can also be translated God is our HOME, which would have been significant for God’s people, Israel. Remember that Israel was a nomadic people, having roamed around a left their homeland. That God is their dwelling place is a reminder that no matter where they were physically, they could always find hope, identity, and safety in their God—he solves the problem of human rootlessness.
That may be true for you as well. Maybe you don’t have hope, you are questioning your identity and calling, you don’t feel safe. God is your dwelling place. The problem is, too often we go and try to find our dwelling somewhere else. We don’t come to our true home for what we need—we go and drink from other wells when Jesus is the only one who offers living water.
Reflect On The DUST
The middle section of this psalm, vv. 3-11, teaches us about ourselves; it shows us humanity’s relationship to their Creator. What does the author say in v. 3?
You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals!” (Psalm 90:3, NLT)
For this movement, the key question to ask is: Who are we? Focus on that word, dust, for a few moments. This word teaches us a truth about ourselves and a truth about God. First, returning to dust recalls Genesis and the curse of Adam. Like our ancestor, we are sinners who rebel against a Holy God. Second, the phrase, “You turn people back to dust,” is a picture of God protecting his own people from their enemies. God is a shelter for his people. We are sinners and we need our Holy, powerful, loving God to save and protect us. Those are amazing truths.
The question for this section is this: Who are you? In his book on prayer, Tim Keller makes this assertion: “We can only know ourselves rightly when we see ourselves in relation with God.” Underneath vv. 3-11, the psalmist makes it very clear we are sinners deserving God’s wrath. Look at vv. 8-9: “You spread out our sins before you—our secret sins—and you see them all. We live our lives beneath your wrath, ending our years with a groan (Psalm 90:8-9, NLT).”
This is the key to understanding why we waste time: we spend it on ourselves! We engage in selfish pursuits. Until you understand you are a sinner, that you are focused on yourself, that you are living life, not for the eternal but for the temporal—you will waste time. Stop living for yourself!
Number Your DAYS
Now we come to v. 12: “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12, ESV).” What does it mean to number your days? Most people would think numbering your days refers to “counting down your days.” In one sense, that is correct here. However, I want to make a distinction: this phrase refers to a preset period of time that God has planned for us.
Let me make this clear: before you were born God ordained the number of days you have on this earth. You cannot change that. You don’t have any control over it. All you can do is choose to use the time you have been given wisely. How do you do that? Dwell in the right place. Reflect on the dust. If you do that, you will place your trust in God alone.
Did you notice wisdom is linked to time? Why? The fool does not consider the time they have. The fool wastes their time on frivolous things. A person who wastes time does not understand their purpose on this earth, which is to give glory to God! We live in challenging times. Some of us are walking through tragedy right now. Others are facing hard questions or hurdles in life. Others still are facing health challenges. The question is, when those challenges come, and they will, how are you using your time?
If prayer is hard for you, let me offer two suggestions that have been helpful to me. First, schedule a time. Put a reminder on your phone. Add it to your calendar. From 12:00 to 12:15, I am going to have focused prayer time. We schedule what we prioritize. Second, consider praying the psalms or using a liturgy. If you don’t have the words to pray, it’s okay to get some help. There are many great prayers for saints over the years that can give FORM to your requests.
Here is the truth, when prayer is applied to the sword, it sets it on FIRE! This is WARFARE PRAYER! We should never go into battle against our enemy without praying. And, even when we are in battle, we should never STOP praying. Pray without ceasing Paul tells us elsewhere. How should we pray? Paul offers a few qualifiers.
First, “In” the Spirit, but what does this mean? It does not refer to speaking in tongues. Rather, it means to “seek the Spirit’s guidance, direction, and help constantly in prayer.” Practically, this means that the Spirit stands beside us, showing us how to pray and for whom to pray. Have you ever asked the Holy Spirit to help you pray? Here is a helpful image from author Rob Ventura.
ILLUSTRATION
A small boy was being taught by his father how to steer a ship. As the boy began to steer, his father stood directly behind him. The father knew that if he didn’t help his son, the boat would crash on the rocks or be swept away in the swift current. The father did not push his son aside, though, telling him it would be better for the father to take the helm. He leaned over his son, put his hands upon his son’s hands, and then guided his son’s hands on the wheel.
Through the father’s guidance the son steered the ship to safety. Likewise, my friends, we pray best when the Spirit grips our hearts and guides our thoughts, steering us in the course that he has charted for us. Just as his boy could not steer the ship on his own, so we cannot pray rightly without the Holy Spirit. Let us have confidence in him and seek to be filled with him (Eph. 5:8).
Second, we should pray on “All” Occasions. Or, it can be translated at all times. Believers need to be in a constant state of prayer because we are under constant attack! Our enemy does not stop coming for us. Resist the devil, fight back with the sword!
Third, with all kinds of “prayers” and “requests.” In other words, we should use every conceivable prayer at our disposal in warfare. The word requests is also translated supplication, which means to “beg or plead” for other people. In spiritual warfare use every conceivable prayer at your disposal for yourself and others. Prayer is crucial for the health of the church! The great preacher Charles Spurgeon captures the power of prayer for the church:
“What can we do without your prayers? They link us with the omnipotence of God. Like the lightning rod, they pierce the clouds and bring down the might and mysterious power from on high…. The Lord give me a dozen importunate pleasers and lovers of souls and by his grace we will shake all London from end to end.”
I love that image, prayer brings the LIGHTNING from heaven. What follows lighting? FIRE! Prayer is what lights the sword of the Spirit on FIRE! What can we do without prayer? Church, are we praying? One thing I can tell you is that we are under assault everyday. Satan wants to make our church ineffective for the kingdom. We push back the kingdom of darkness through PRAYER! When we engage in warfare prayer, we can shake Basking Ridge, New Jersey from end to end!
Has it ever felt like Satan set a trap for you? You don’t see it coming but then you are caught. If you have ever set a trap for an animal, you know there are two components. First, it needs to be hidden. Second, it needs to be baited. That’s how Satan works—he disguises his trap. They he lays the bait to make it enticing. In fact, it is so enticing it makes you overlook the danger that is apparent. Have you taken the bait? Spiritual Warfare requires that we recognize the traps in our lives. Don’t take the bait!
Train With The Sword
The second half of Ephesians 6:17 introduces the sword.
“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17, ESV).”
The sword is the last piece of the armor and it serves both a defensive and an offensive role. The Greek word Paul uses for, “Sword,” refers to a small sword. It was a short sword and could even refer to a knife. There is a reason Paul uses this word—that is what it is like to fight against Satan and his demons. Sometimes you get so close you are locked in hand to hand combat trying to thrust and thwart with this short sword. That is the reality of spiritual warfare: Satan wants you in a knife fight. He wants to cut you and make you bleed so you are ineffective for the kingdom. If we are going to be ready for combat we have to train. The sword, as we will see, is God’s word. To train we must read God’s word, we must memorize God’s word, we must be able to speak and use God’s word clearly and effectively. You have to train with the sword. How? By the power of the Spirit.
Pray In The Spirit
Here is the truth: Prayer sets the sword on FIRE! This is warfare prayer! We should never go into battle against our enemy without praying. Even when we are in battle, we should never stop praying. Pray without ceasing! In v. 18, Paul tells us to use every conceivable prayer at our disposal in warfare. The word, “requests,” is also translated supplication, which means to “beg or plead” for other people. In spiritual warfare, we use every conceivable prayer at our disposal for others and ourselves. Prayer is crucial for the health of the church! The great preacher Charles Spurgeon captures the power of prayer for the church:
“What can we do without your prayers? They link us with the omnipotence of God. Like the lightning rod, they pierce the clouds and bring down the might and mysterious power from on high […] The Lord give me a dozen importunate pleasers and lovers of souls and by his grace we will shake all London from end to end.”
I love that image! Prayer brings the LIGHTNING from heaven. What follows lighting? FIRE! Prayer is what lights the sword of the Spirit on FIRE! What can we do without prayer? Church, are we praying? One thing I can tell you is that we are under assault every day. Satan wants to make our church ineffective for the kingdom. We push back the kingdom of darkness through prayer. When we engage in warfare prayer, we can shake Basking Ridge, New Jersey from end to end!
Open Your Mouth
Lastly, Paul tells us to open our mouths in spiritual warfare. This is an instructive point for all of us. Some of us open our mouths too quickly—we are combative. Others of us fail to open our mouths—we are passive aggressive. What Paul teaches us at the close of this section is this: discern when to open your mouth. How does he finish the section? He tells us to pray …
“And also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel […] (Ephesians 6:19, ESV)”
Paul is not afraid to ask for prayer himself. Paul, this spiritual giant, this spiritual warrior who has been run out of town multiple times for the preaching the Gospel, for unsheathing the sword, he asks for intercessory prayer in this battle. This is a challenge for many of us. Some of us have a difficult time going to God in prayer. Others of us do not like to ask for prayer because we do not want to appear weak. We want to seem like we have it all together. This is another bait of Satan.
Where is God calling you to SPEAK? Where do you need to open your mouth? Spiritual warfare is a close combat exercise. Satan is coming after us. In fact, he may be getting in your face right now trying to intimidate you into silence. Paul closes this section on warfare by challenging us: Open your mouth! Do not be silent! Fight back with the Sword of the Spirit, the spoken word of God.
This is Pastor Dave writing to you from before taking my Sabbatical this summer.
Being authentic is being true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character. Think about this. Romans 12:9a says “Love must be sincere.” The word “sincere” comes from the Latin words sine cera, which means “without wax”. This phrase comes from an ancient practice of hiding the cracks in cheap pottery with wax in order to make it appear of higher quality. Quality products were often stamped with the words sine cera to show they had not been tampered with. Paul is telling us to love in a way that is true, pure, genuine, and authentic.
The Greek word translated “sincere” is the word “anupokritos.” The last part of the word is our word hypocrite. The prefix “an” means “without.” So the Greek word actually means, “without hypocrisy.” In classical Greek the word “hypocrite” meant someone who wore a mask is a play. Once again we have the picture that Paul says the true believer should love without a mask. Our love should be real and not pretend. So it is not difficult to understand that love is to be “without wax” and “without hypocrisy”. Jesus was opposed to hypocrisy. He said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matt 23:27).
Let’s look at this from the perspective of being the receiver of love. We have a responsibility to be “without wax” and “without hypocrisy” so that when we are shown love it is for who we really are, not who we pretend to be. This will cause us to actually feel true, authentic love.
In the children’s story, The Velveteen Rabbit, two real rabbits come across a toy rabbit and wonder why anyone would want a fake rabbit. We can also wonder why anyone would want to be in relationship with someone who is not real or not honest about who they are. Would we rather be in relationship with a role someone is playing or with the actual person? Most of us would say the person, yet we continue to perpetuate the gap between reality and fantasy by acting out the parts we think people want to see.
Perhaps you are familiar with the story of Cyrano de Bergerac, the story about a man who pursued a woman’s love by pretending to be someone he really wasn’t. Imagine if you were playing a part for someone, portraying a personality that is not fully your own and that person ended up loving you, would the love be real? Of course not and you would always wonder if they would rescind their love if they knew the real you.
Authenticity is when we are courageous enough to allow our outward appearance to match our inward state. Often we need to let go of who we think we should be in order to be authentic about who we are. We need to be real about who we are, what we struggle with, what we are going through, and allow people to see us for who we are. We need to draw strength and courage from God in order to extend an invitation for others to love us right there, despite the flaws, just as Christ does. Authenticity, like faith, is not something you either have or don’t have, it is a collection of choices that we have to make in every day circumstances.
One time, I, Dave, was leading a worship practice on a Friday night with the band but unfortunately, toward the end of practice, I broke a guitar string. No big deal, it happens. After practice was over, I committed to purchase new strings the next day and then I would be all set for the Sunday service. The only problem was that Sunday rolled around and it was not until about five minutes before the service that I looked down at my guitar and realized that I had completely forgotten to buy the new strings. I totally dropped the ball. I quickly showed the worship team what a five-string acoustic guitar was and apologized for forgetting. They were gracious and said, “Well, you can play without it.” That was nice of them, but in my head it still really bothered me. In my head, I wasn’t being so nice to myself. In fact, what I noticed was this self-destructive internal monologue happening inside of me. You know that little voice that talks to you in your head? I was calling myself a failure, telling myself that everything I touch turns to stone, and really just beating myself up.
As a worship team, we went into an office to pray before church and I said to the team, “Hey, I have something to say. I feel really bad about this guitar string, can you guys help me? I have this failure conversation happening in my head, and it’s not good. It’s really going to affect me this whole service, would you pray for me about this?” The bass player said, “Sure!” and he did. Thank God, the service was fine (minus one string!), which was not ideal, but most people never noticed. But here is what was so meaningful about this – after church, the bass player came to me and said, “Hey thanks for being honest with us this morning about how you were feeling. We are blessed to have you as our pastor.” That mistake provided a moment for authenticity and a deeper connection was made that would not have otherwise been made. And that in and of itself is really valuable.
My point is, one way you can minister to people is to admit that you struggle too. Sometimes, you don’t exactly know how to share that with people but it’s worth learning how to do it. Just be honest and say “Hey, here’s my issue, and here’s what I’m doing about it, can you pray with me?” If you will take the risk and be vulnerable, showing others that you’re broken too, then I believe that will bear much fruit. People love to see inside of us because that’s their world too. They can identify with people who are less than perfect – so take the risk and make the connection. As we grow in sharing ourselves in an authentic way, we open the door to vulnerability.
