Show them Your Grace Graffiti!

Psalm 17

A David Prayer

 ^1-2 Listen while I build my case, God, the most honest prayer you'll ever hear.
   Show the world I'm innocent—
      in your heart you know I am.

 ³ Go ahead, examine me from inside out,
      surprise me in the middle of the night—
   You'll find I'm just what I say I am.
      My words don't run loose.

 ^4-5 I'm not trying to get my way
      in the world's way.
   I'm trying to get your way,
      your Word's way.
   I'm staying on your trail;
      I'm putting one foot
   In front of the other.
      I'm not giving up.

 ^6-7 I call to you, God, because I'm sure of an answer.
      So—answer! bend your ear! listen sharp!
   Paint grace-graffiti on the fences;
      take in your frightened children who
   Are running from the neighborhood bullies
      straight to you.

 ^8-9 Keep your eye on me;
      hide me under your cool wing feathers
   From the wicked who are out to get me,
      from mortal enemies closing in.

 ^10-14 Their hearts are hard as nails,
      their mouths blast hot air.
   They are after me, nipping my heels,
      determined to bring me down,
   Lions ready to rip me apart,
      young lions poised to pounce.
   Up, God: beard them! break them!
      By your sword, free me from their clutches;
   Barehanded, God, break these mortals,
      these flat-earth people who can't think beyond today.   I'd like to see their bellies
      swollen with famine food,
   The weeds they've sown
      harvested and baked into famine bread,
   With second helpings for their children
      and crusts for their babies to chew on.

 ¹⁵ And me? I plan on looking
      you full in the face. When I get up,
   I'll see your full stature
      and live heaven on earth

In psalm 17, we see David praying about how his enemies have come upon him, and lifts up praises to God for protecting him. We see in the first seven verses David asking God to hear his cry. He begs God to just hear him. Verse 5 reads, "My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped." He is telling God that he has not let the world cause him to stumble. 

And in verses 6-7, David knows that God will hear him. He asks God to make Himself known to his enemies. The message translation says, " I call to you, God, because I'm sure of an answer. So—answer! bend your ear! listen sharp! Paint grace-graffiti on the fences; take in your frightened children who are running from the neighborhood bullies straight to you." I love that term "paint grace-graffiti." I get an image God making Himself as visible as the graffiti you see on the side of the free way. It is just an interesting kind of language.  

Through the remaining verses, David asks God to keep under His wing of protection. He wants protection from his enemies who he knows are hiding ready to tear him apart like lions. He says that even though they find their joy in their sinful abundance, he knows that God will have the final word. David closes saying that regardless of what his enemies say or do to him, that he will look God in the face every morning and see the fullness of God. He will know he is in the likeness of Him. 

From these verses, I get a feeling that sometime it will seem as God is not listening to our pleas. But even when our enemies are living lavishly and ready to destroy us, that we can seek refuge in the arms of Christ. He will protect of destruction. And everyday we will wake, and we will have to look into the face of God and know that He is there.

How Awesome Are Your Deeds- Psalms 66

Psalm 66

How Awesome Are Your Deeds

    To the choirmaster. A Song. A Psalm.

 ¹ Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
 ² sing the glory of his name;
   give to him glorious praise!
³ Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
   So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
⁴ All the earth worships you
   and sings praises to you;
   they sing praises to your name.”
                         Selah

 ⁵ Come and see what God has done:
   he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
⁶ He turned the sea into dry land;
   they passed through the river on foot.
There did we rejoice in him,
 ⁷ who rules by his might forever,
whose eyes keep watch on the nations—
   let not the rebellious exalt themselves.
                         Selah

 ⁸ Bless our God, O peoples;
   let the sound of his praise be heard,
⁹ who has kept our soul among the living
   and has not let our feet slip.
¹⁰ For you, O God, have tested us;
   you have tried us as silver is tried.
¹¹ You brought us into the net;
   you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
¹² you let men ride over our heads;
   we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.

 ¹³ I will come into your house with burnt offerings;
   I will perform my vows to you,
¹⁴ that which my lips uttered
   and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
¹⁵ I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals,
   with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;
I will make an offering of bulls and goats.
                         Selah

 ¹⁶ Come and hear, all you who fear God,
   and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
¹⁷ I cried to him with my mouth,
   and high praise was on^[a] my tongue.^[b]
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
   the Lord would not have listened.
¹⁹ But truly God has listened;
   he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

 ²⁰ Blessed be God,
   because he has not rejected my prayer
   or removed his steadfast love from me!

I feel like this psalm can be split up into three parts. In verses 1-7, the psalmist praises God for His sovereign power in all creation. Verses 8-12 talks about God's favor to His church. And in verses 13-20, he brings it back to his personal praise for his own experience of God's goodness. 

In the first set verses, the words that stick out to me the most are "glory," "awesome," and "praise." Even the first words almost jump off the page at you, "Shout for joy to God, all the earth." I can see the excitement there. He is literally shouting to God, praising Him for all He has done. The psalmist wants the whole world to know of the mighty deeds that God has done.

In verses 8-12, he turns his attention to God's blessing on the church. He begs God's people to lift their praises to Him for He has provided for us abundantly. He says that God has tested us, laid a burden on our backs and let evil men walk over us. But through all of it, He has brought us to a place of abundance. After all of our trials, God has provided for us. These verse are great reminders of why we should praise God, because He has blessed us tremendously and what we must lay down for Him is completely worth it.

Verses 13-20 are the things that the psalmist promises to do. A lot of the verses begin with, "I will..." He talks about the offerings that he will bring God. He calls the people to come to him, and he will proclaim to them what God has done for his soul. He will tell them how he cried to God and God listened. God attended to the voice of his prayer. It closes with these great words, "Blessed be God, Because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!"

The Fool Says, There is No God

Psalm 14

The Fool Says, There Is No God

    To the choirmaster. Of David.

 ¹ The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
   They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds,
   there is none who does good.

 ² The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man,
   to see if there are any who understand,^[a]
   who seek after God.

 ³ They have all turned aside; together they have becomecorrupt;
   there is none who does good,
   not even one.

 ⁴ Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
   who eat up my people as they eat bread
   and do not call upon the LORD?

 ⁵ There they are in great terror,
   for God is with the generation of the righteous.
⁶ You would shame the plans of the poor,
   but^[b] the LORD is his refuge.

 ⁷ Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
   When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people,
   let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

This psalm is a great insight to the depravity of our human nature. It really illustrates the need for a savior. We see how men who have denied God are fools. It says at the end of verse 1, "They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good." These people who do not believe there is a god, do wretched things. None of them do good in the eyes of the Lord. Even the most moral man can do what is good and moral, but if he does not give his heart over to Christ, then he is still a wicked man.

Each verse repeats the same idea, God see none that seek after Him. It says that there is nothing but evil. The psalmist cries out, "Have they no knowledge, all the evil doers who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the Lord?" He is asking God, "Are they ignorant to blessings? They chew up and spit out my fellow believers and there is no convincing them of the redemption of Jesus." I think we have to ask this question today as well. Because there are still people who will just refuse to accept the free gift of grace today. 

The psalmist is concerned for these unbelievers, he says, "They are in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous." God is watching over us as believers and He is keeping us safe. The psalmist is afraid for the unbelievers because they are not in the protective arms of the Father. This is definitely his prayer for their salvation. He is praying that somehow they will find God and will drown in His grace. This should be a daily prayer for us as well, we should pray that the world that has reject God, will one day realize just how lost they are and just how much God was watching them their entire lives. 

Psalms 8- How majestic is Your name?

Psalm 8

How Majestic Is Your Name

    To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith.^[a] A Psalm of David.

 ¹ O LORD, our Lord,
   how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
 ² Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
   to still the enemy and the avenger.

 ³ When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
   the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
⁴ what is man that you are mindful of him,
   and the son of man that you care for him?

 ⁵ Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings^[b]
   and crowned him with glory and honor.
⁶ You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
   you have put all things under his feet,
⁷ all sheep and oxen,
   and also the beasts of the field,
⁸ the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
   whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

 ⁹ O LORD, our Lord,
   how majestic is your name in all the earth!

This is one of David's many psalms that proclaim the name of God. You always get a sense of David's excitement and just childish giddyness for how much he loves his God. The first verse can sum up this entire psalm, "O Lord, our lord! How majestic is Your name in all the earth!" And in verse 2, David says that even babies and infants cry out the name of the Lord. In the second part of the verse, God has established His strength to stand against the enemies of Christ.

Fro verse 3, he directs our attention to the heavens. In this context when he says "your heavens," he is referring to the stars and the sky. "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place." David is admiring the creation that God has has created. Not just the creation, but the creativity of God himself. God is a creative god. His creativity can be seen in the smallest atom that makes up our complex bodies. We are a work of art, as is all of His creation. 

David goes on to ask God "why did u make us because we are nothing without for you." But God did make us to have dominion over the things of this earth. God has given us His tools, the creature of this world. And we need to use these tools to bring Him honor and glory. This is kind of the bulk of the psalm, God is to be praised because He has blessed with a mere existence and a task to use His creation to glorify Him.

Psalm 145 This one is fully loaded!

Psalm 145

David's Praise

 ¹ I lift you high in praise, my God, O my King! and I'll bless your name into eternity. 

 ² I'll bless you every day, 
      and keep it up from now to eternity. 
 ³ God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough. 
      There are no boundaries to his greatness. 
 ⁴ Generation after generation stands in awe of your work; 
      each one tells stories of your mighty acts. 
 ⁵ Your beauty and splendor have everyone talking; 
      I compose songs on your wonders. 
 ⁶ Your marvelous doings are headline news; 
      I could write a book full of the details of your greatness. 
 ⁷ The fame of your goodness spreads across the country; 
      your righteousness is on everyone's lips. 

 ⁸ God is all mercy and grace— 
      not quick to anger, is rich in love. 

 ⁹ God is good to one and all; 
      everything he does is suffused with grace. 

 ^10-11 Creation and creatures applaud you, God; 
      your holy people bless you.

   They talk about the glories of your rule,
      they exclaim over your splendor,

 ¹² Letting the world know of your power for good,
      the lavish splendor of your kingdom.

 ¹³ Your kingdom is a kingdom eternal;
      you never get voted out of office.

   God always does what he says,
      and is gracious in everything he does.

 ¹⁴ God gives a hand to those down on their luck,
      gives a fresh start to those ready to quit.

 ¹⁵ All eyes are on you, expectant;
      you give them their meals on time.

 ¹⁶ Generous to a fault,
      you lavish your favor on all creatures.

 ¹⁷ Everything God does is right—
      the trademark on all his works is love.

 ¹⁸ God's there, listening for all who pray,
      for all who pray and mean it.

 ¹⁹ He does what's best for those who fear him—
      hears them call out, and saves them.

 ²⁰ God sticks by all who love him,
      but it's all over for those who don't.

 ²¹ My mouth is filled with God's praise.
      Let everything living bless him,
      bless his holy name from now to eternity!

I think this psalm is pretty amazing, it is really loaded with power. Here we have one of last few praise psalms of David, It is almost an introduction to the final psalms of all of the psalms. It seems very different than an intro into text, I almost feel it has this intricate musical introduction. Like an epic intro to your favorite song. Reading it out loud, it almost sounds like a hip hop song. 

From the very first few verses, we have David just proclaiming the awesome name of God, "¹ I lift you high in praise, my God, O my King! and I'll bless your name into eternity. I'll bless you every day, and keep it up from now to eternity." David, as he always does, is shouting out to his God that he will praise Him until he physically can praise Him no more. David's heart is genuine in his love for Christ. He will never stop, not until eternity. There is a lot we can learn from this. Our love for God should be forever as well, we should love our God till eternity.Through these verses we really see where David's humility is a great example of what our worship should be. Humility is key to true worship to God.

In verses 2-4, we see that David is very intent on his praises to God. This is another key to true worship and will keep our worship renewed and fresh, being intent in praising God. We must praise Him even and especially when we may not physically feel like it. Verse 4 says, "Generation after generation stands in awe of your work; each one tells stories of your mighty acts." David tells us that we need to continue our praise throughout the generations. So we should worship with sense that our children's children will learn from how we praised God. We should tell stories of His mighty acts and pass down His stories of love and grace through all our families. It must be a legacy of worship.

Verses 5-7, speak of the wonders of God and how His magnificence has all of the world talking. It is headline news! From 8-13, David is, again, proclaiming God, another key to our worship is proclaiming the name of God unashamed. After this, David talks about how God gives and takes away. He says that we should have high respect and reverence for Him like a kingdom has for their king. Having a reverence for God makes our worship so much more genuine. 

In the closing verses, David is really bringing it home. He goes on about how God's love is everlasting and He will stand by the side of those who call His name. When we draw to Him, God will draw near to us. Verse 21 says, "My mouth is filled with God's praise. Let everything living bless him, bless his holy name from now to eternity!" David's final words in this psalm are a celebration! He cannot do anything except praise God. He wants everything that is alive to worship Him. The final key to strengthening our worship is to make it a celebration. Always come to God and praise Him with a party of worship!

I wanted to include in this blog this amazing video everyone has probably seen on youtube. After writing this, i so see this as a modern day psalm. 

Psalm 24

Psalm 24

The King of Glory

    A Psalm of David.

 ¹ The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof,^[a]
   the world and those who dwell therein,
² for he has founded it upon the seas
   and established it upon the rivers.

 ³ Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
   And who shall stand in his holy place?
⁴ He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
   who does not lift up his soul to what is false
   and does not swear deceitfully.
⁵ He will receive blessing from the LORD
   and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
⁶ Such is the generation of those who seek him,
   who seek the face of the God of Jacob.^[b]
                         Selah

 ⁷ Lift up your heads, O gates!
   And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
   that the King of glory may come in.
⁸ Who is this King of glory?
   The LORD, strong and mighty,
   the LORD, mighty in battle!
⁹ Lift up your heads, O gates!
   And lift them up, O ancient doors,
   that the King of glory may come in.
¹⁰ Who is this King of glory?
   The LORD of hosts,
   he is the King of glory!
                         Selah

This is an amazing praise psalm written by David. It begins with David proclaiming that everything and everyone on this earth belong to God and that He has established a kingdom here. All that we have and all that we are is not our own. It all belongs to God, because without Him we have nothing. This seems to be a crucial point of David's. The fact that we need to be humble and realize how we are nothing and how much we depend on the grace of God.

From verses 3-6, David is asking who can come into the presence of God. He says, "He who has clean hands and a pure heart."We cannot enter His kingdom unless we have a pure heart that has been renewed by the blood of Jesus Christ. It also says he who does not cave into false teachings, will have a place in His presence. This man, will receive blessings from the Lord. We must teach our children and their generations to live this way as well, because then and only then will they receive those same blessings.

From verse 7 till it closes in 10, we have this amazing chorus. David is calling to the gates and doors of Heaven to come open so we can see this amazing King. "Who is this king of glory?" is the next part. David then continues to proclaim the mighty works of God. He says that God is strong in battle and mighty to save. Then he says it again, "Who is this king of glory?" But he closes this psalm by bringing it back to first point, "The Lord of hosts, He is the king of glory!" That God is Lord over all and that is why He is the king of glory.

Psalms 42

Psalm 42

Book Two
Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul?

    To the choirmaster. A Maskil^[a] of the Sons of Korah.

 ¹ As a deer pants for flowing streams,
   so pants my soul for you, O God.
² My soul thirsts for God,
   for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?^[b]
3 My tears have been my food
   day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
   “Where is your God?”
⁴ These things I remember,
   as I pour out my soul:
how I would go with the throng
   and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
   a multitude keeping festival.

 ⁵ Why are you cast down, O my soul,
   and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
   my salvation^[c] 6 and my God.

   My soul is cast down within me;
   therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
   from Mount Mizar.
⁷ Deep calls to deep
   at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
   have gone over me.
⁸ By day the LORD commands his steadfast love,
   and at night his song is with me,
   a prayer to the God of my life.
⁹ I say to God, my rock:
   “Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
   because of the oppression of the enemy?”
¹⁰ As with a deadly wound in my bones,
   my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me all the day long,
   “Where is your God?”

 ¹¹ Why are you cast down, O my soul,
   and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
   my salvation and my God.

It seems simple enough. Just as a deer is drawn to water from the stream, we are drawn to God to quench our thirst. He is what the psalmist is seeking. It is interesting how he phrases it as ,"My soul thirsts for the living God." He isn't looking for a temporary god that will soon pass, but he longs for a god who is alive and living in us. In verse 3, "My tears have been my food day and night. while they say to me all the day long, 'Where is your God?'” The psalmist is crying out that he has been in tears for so long while the world has just been pounding on him, "WHERE IS YOUR GOD?" It must have been so heartbreaking to hear that everyday, day in and day out.

In verse 4, he has the thought that, "You know what? I have gone over these things in my head over and over, wasting away my time. When it was time to worship, I was there, eager to arrive and praise God. Shouting praises, singing thanksgiving, celebrating, all of us, God's feast!" He knows he shouldn't care about how the world views him and antagonizes him, doubting his all powerful God. Verse 5 is kind of like a chorus to the psalm, "Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God soon I'll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He's my God." (The Message)

When he is sad, he knows to fix his eyes on the Lord. That the God that put a smile on his face will always be there. I really love the tag line, "He is my God." The esv says it, "He is my salvation and my God." I don't really think that he is taking ownership of God, but he is taking ownership of his salvation because it comes from God.

In verses 6-10, it seems like the psalmist is down again, but he thinks of God in the mountains and the waters of the earth. Still in sadness, he knows through God's steadfast love, He will deliver him from the torment of his persecution. God will take him from all these people shouting, "Where is your god?" And he rises up with that chorus again, "Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God soon I'll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He's my God." He finds comfort that as long as he keeps his eyes on God, he will be delivered from evil.

Psalms 13

Psalm 13

How Long, O LORD?

    To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

 ¹ How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
   How long will you hide your face from me?
² How long must I take counsel in my soul
   and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

 ³ Consider and answer me, O LORD my God;
   light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
⁴ lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
   lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

 ⁵ But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
   my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
⁶ I will sing to the LORD,
   because he has dealt bountifully with me.

I think here we see David feeling God has abandoned him. I think that God will sometimes, not really abandon us, but let us fend for ourselves for a time. In those times, i think we really discover how dependent we are on God and how we can't do this life right without Him. David is so emotional through all of the psalms that he wrote. So many ups and downs. I feel as though God probably didn't leave him alone for very long, before he started to freak out.

David is feeling the pressure of being alone. He thinks his enemies are constantly  watching over him, waiting to attack. He feels like he is only safe in his home by himself. In verse 3, David pleads with God, "Consider and answer me, O LORD my God. Light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death." David would rather be dead than feel this separation from God. He would prefer his enemies to have defeated him than feel the emptiness he is feeling. But through all of the trials David had endured, he stayed to God and his faith. Verses 5-6 say, "But I have trusted in your steadfast love. My heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me." He still trusts that God will show Himself to him. David knows that even though he doesn't feel God with him at that moment, he knows that God is still there because of His many blessings in David's life. 

I feel we can learn so much from David in his psalms. We see an honest man seeking to much the kingdom of God, but he feels God has left him for dead. But just like us, even when we feel that God isn't there, we have a hope that He still is. That hope is what gives us that feeling that He truly is there. God will not forsake us, but He may give us up to our flesh for a time. In my life, there are times when I feel as though God has left me to just starve out in the world. But I find so much comfort in knowing that my god is a god that will not ever leave me to die.