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. 

Psalms 27

Psalm 27

The LORD Is My Light and My Salvation

Of David.

 ¹The LORD is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold^[a] of my life;
   of whom shall I be afraid?

 ²When evildoers assail me
   to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
   it is they who stumble and fall.

 ³ Though an army encamp against me,
   my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
   yet^[b] I will be confident.

 ⁴ One thing have I asked of the LORD,
   that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
   all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
   and to inquire^[c] in his temple.

 ⁵For he will hide me in his shelter
   in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
   he will lift me high upon a rock.

 ⁶And now my head shall be lifted up
   above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
   sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the LORD.

 ⁷ Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud;
   be gracious to me and answer me!
⁸You have said, "Seek^[d] my face."My heart says to you,
   "Your face, LORD, do I seek."<sup>[e]

 9</sup> Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
   O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
    O God of my salvation!
¹⁰For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
   but the LORD will take me in.

 ¹¹ Teach me your way, O LORD,
   and lead me on a level path
   because of my enemies.
¹² Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
   for false witnesses have risen against me,
   and they breathe out violence.

 ¹³I believe^[f] that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD
   in the land of the living!
¹⁴ Wait for the LORD;
    be strong, and let your heart take courage;
   wait for the LORD!

I think that Psalm 27 is pretty jam packed. David is calling out to God and asking Him to never leave him. When God is with David, he is fearless and without any doubt. When David's enemies come to attack, God will protect him and cause his enemies to and stumble. In verse 3, he speaks of the calm God give him. "Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet^[b] I will be confident." When his enemies come near, he is without fear for he knows that his God will keep him safe. The Message translation says in the second part of verse 3, "When all hell breaks loose, I am collected and cool."

David says that he asks for only one thing, that God will keep him in His house and gaze upon the beauty of the Lord forever. For this is the only place, David says, where he feels safe and where he can find silence in a noisy world. In verse 6, David is shouting and singing songs of praise. Songs that say how God has lifted him above his enemies. David is heading to God singing anthems of praise to Him and making music to God.

From verses 7 to 14, he is asking God to never leave him or discard him. I love the words David uses in verse 10, "For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me in." The Message says, "My father and mother have walked out and left me, but God took me in." This is so applicable and relatable! I see that so often with kids at my church. Maybe their parents are still there but they don't feel like they are there. The parents have given up on these kids, or maybe they have even failed them. So in the best cases, they come looking for a God to take them in and give them the security that they have always longed for. 

David asks God to keep him in the light and well lit path. And while on that path David knows he will see God's goodness on the earth. And his last words seem to be a call of encouragement, "Stay with God! Take heart and don't quit. I will say it again: stay with God." So keep strong and don't give up. Because God's goodness moves the mountains. And He will always be there to pick you up when you can't do it on your own, which is a great deal of the time.

Since i already started i will start with psalm 7

 This is the Message translation. I like to go back and forth between the Message and English Standard Version. The comparison is interesting and brings things to my mind that i may have missed.

Psalm 7

A David Psalm

 ^1-2 God! God! I am running to you for dear life; the chase is wild. 
   If they catch me, I'm finished: 
      ripped to shreds by foes fierce as lions, 
      dragged into the forest and left 
      unlooked for, unremembered. 

 ^3-5 God, if I've done what they say— 
      betrayed my friends, 
      ripped off my enemies— 
   If my hands are really that dirty, 
      let them get me, walk all over me, 
      leave me flat on my face in the dirt. 

 ^6-8 Stand up, God; pit your holy fury 
      against my furious enemies. 
   Wake up, God. My accusers have packed 
      the courtroom; it's judgment time. 
   Take your place on the bench, reach for your gavel, 
      throw out the false charges against me. 
   I'm ready, confident in your verdict: 
      "Innocent." 

 ^9-11 Close the book on Evil, God, 
      but publish your mandate for us. 
   You get us ready for life: 
      you probe for our soft spots, 
      you knock off our rough edges. 
   And I'm feeling so fit, so safe: 
      made right, kept right. 
   God in solemn honor does things right, 
      but his nerves are sandpapered raw. 

 ^11-13 Nobody gets by with anything. 
      God is already in action— 
   Sword honed on his whetstone, 
      bow strung, arrow on the string, 
   Lethal weapons in hand, 
      each arrow a flaming missile. 

 ¹⁴ Look at that guy! 
      He had sex with sin, 
      he's pregnant with evil. 
   Oh, look! He's having 
      the baby—a Lie-Baby! 

 ^15-16 See that man shoveling day after day, 
      digging, then concealing, his man-trap 
      down that lonely stretch of road? 
   Go back and look again—you'll see him in it headfirst, 
      legs waving in the breeze. 
   That's what happens: 
      mischief backfires; 
      violence boomerangs. 

 ¹⁷ I'm thanking God, who makes things right. 
   I'm singing the fame of heaven-high God.


This is a Psalm by David, or sometimes it is thought that it might be a close associate of David writing about him. But anyway, he is panicking! "God! God! i am running to you for dear life!" He is afraid. David is running to God and running away from evil and sin. His sin is like lions that want to rip him to pieces and leave nothing but a dead carcass. it is interesting because David admits to God that he has sinned, "I've done what they say- betrayed my friends and ripped off my enemies. If my hands are really that dirty, let them get me, walk all over me, leave me flat on my face in the dirt." He confesses to God and says that if God chooses to hand him over to his enemies He will be absolutely justified in his judgement. 


From verse 6, it picks up with David saying to God, "Ok now God, stand up and destroy my enemies! My accusers have packed the courtroom and they are waiting to see Your verdict for me. And I am ready and confident that I will be proclaimed innocent." (paraphrased to say the least.) David knows that he is innocent in God's eyes and God will protect him.


It takes a bit of a shift in verses 11-14, he talks about how nobody gets away with their sin. God knows and is already in action. I find 14 really amusing, especially in this translation, "Look at that guy! He had sex with sin, he's pregnant with evil! Oh, look! He's having the baby- a Lie-Baby!" Its just so absurd! We can become "knocked up" by sin, if we let it. It can conceive in us and grow into a hideous grotesque being that will consume our entire life. I would have never thought about it like that before, and now my mind is just blown!


David's closing thoughts are this, "I'm thanking God, who makes things right. I'm singing the fame of heaven-high God." God is to be praised and David says that clear as day. He had blessed David so immensely and he knew it. So David would write these beautiful songs and prayers that we sing and read. We get a glimpse into the heart of this man we have heard about since we were little kids. I feel like it is getting to know more of your grandpa after he has passed. When your a kid, you don't know much about him. But as you get older, you hear stories and it really makes you appreciate him and his heart.

Steve the aspiring Psalmist

So i am taking a class that is taking through all of the Psalms. I am really stoked about it and i am having a great time digging into the prayers of our biblical role models. The psalms are really just prayers of people who are broken just like you and me. There are a few authors of the psalms and David is one of my favorite so far. This guy had it all, he was in God's good grace and he was serving God with his fullest. But he blew it. He became overcome by sin and had an affair and committed murder. in the psalms, we see him for who he really is and that is a broken hearted sinner. Accepting just judgement but pleading with God to forgive him of his sin. I am trying to read a psalm everyday and just think and pray about it. I will try and keep my blog update with each Psalm. So here we go.

Word,
Steve

Mars Hill Orange County's worship leader is Thrice frontman Dustin Kensrue

This is an article on what is going on with the worship and music @Mars Hill OC. I really enjoy this guys music and it is really inspiring to see an artist i already liked use his gifts to serve God.

Meet The Staff: Dustin Kensrue

by Mars Hill Church Orange County

What do you do at Mars Hill Church?

I am the Worship Director for Mars Hill in Orange County, which means that I lead worship in OC a lot; I oversee the services liturgy, music, production, scripture reading, etc; and I help to train band leaders and build bands. I also will be writing more original songs, and helping others to do that well.

What did you do before being a worship director?

I have been playing music in my band Thrice for 13 years. That has been my main job for about the last ten. I have released solo albums as well. For a little over two years before I was called to be part of planting this church, I was director of college ministries at Voyagers Bible Church, and I lead worship at the church about once a month.

When did Jesus change your life?

He has been changing it pretty consistently my whole life. I don’t remember a time when I did not believe in some sense, but there have been huge milestones along the way. I went through a big crisis of faith in my early twenties because my trust had been in my intellect and not in God. He humbled me greatly through that period and taught me that faith was essentially trust with good reason. While I couldn’t know everything, I have been shown more than enough to trust that God is real, that he loves me, knows what is best for me, and is sovereign in all situations. The second and at least equally large milestone was going from an Arminian outlook (that I was ultimately responsible for my salvation by making a decision to follow Jesus) to a Reformed outlook (seeing that the Bible teaches that I was dead in sin and that God had to give me a new heart before I could ever choose him.) The gratefulness at what he had done in my heart and assurance I had that he would equip me to do what he called me to do, resulted in a new confidence and rest in the gospel. My time in connection with MH, has been intstrumental in the ongoing process of being transformed by grace, being in an environment where the Gospel is central to everything.

What is one of your favorite verses of scripture?

Too many. I read this one this morning though and I would say it’s one of my favorites.

“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:3–7, ESV)

What is your biggest challenge as a worship director?

Probably trying to make sure all the necessary and urgent things are done so that I have time to do the things that God has called me speficically to do; namely, lead in gospel-centered gathered worship, write solid gospel-centered worship songs, teach others to do the same, and help in whatever way I can to reform music/worship culture at large in the church.

What is your greatest joy while serving as a worship Director?

Being in an environment where I get to witness God’s moving in an amazing way.

What are you looking forward to seeing God do in Orange County?

I look forward to watching him save a ton of people, to bring them from death to life. I look forward to seeing the impact of what He’s done at Mars Hill affecting the local churches in their focus, leadership training, identity, worship, community, and mission.

What prayer(s) has God most recently answered in your life?

• A healthy and generally happy third daughter, which is a huge help with 3 kids under 5.
• My latest record with my band seems to be bearing much fruit in encouraging believers and challenging those outside.
• He continues to be faithful in providing for my family.
• My dad has had miraculous results with his brain cancer treatment, and I’m thankful for whatever time God gives us with him.

What book did you last read? Do you recommend it?

“On Being a Theologian of the Cross: Reflections on Luther’s Heidelberg Disputation, 1518″ by Gerhard O. Forde. It’s not a light read but it is amazing. Most Protestants would be amazed at the force and thrust of arguments of the man who made possible their faith. It offended me anew with the gospel. It will completely uproot and destroy any lingering works-righteousness in you.

What do you and your family do for fun in Orange County?

My beautiful wife and daughters and I go on walks around the man-made lake in our neighborhood, go to Irvine Park, hang out with our families, and our oldest just started playing soccer too.