Category: Devotions

Psalm 141
Day 141: Be blessed

When was the last time you were criticised?
Perhaps that’s far too soon for comfort.
Maybe today you will go back and work for that person who hurt you through criticism.
Criticism is often seen as negative and something to be avoided. Some people feel like they have spent their whole life being misjudged and brought down by some critical words of the ‘experts’.
Maybe because of this we can easily forget that criticism is very important for improvement. David thinks so in this Psalm, v5.
Here are 5 keys to healthy criticism from that verse.
1. Create a safe place for people to criticise. “Let a righteous man strike me.” Give permission, create the space for this to happen.
2. Welcome the thoughts of a righteous man.
3. Kindness is seeing things from a different perspective and speaking it.
4. All criticism whoever it is from does cause initial hurt.
5. Refusing to take such criticism is like refusing oil on the head, the symbol of blessing.

The blessed are criticised.

Psalm140
Day 140: Be blessed

I am in North Korea, rescue me, protect me.
I am in Syria, every day, war.
I am in the Maldives, venomous words come against me.
Pause, think.

I am in Saudi Arabia, surrounded by those who want to bring me down.
I am in Afghanistan, snares, nets and traps are hidden from me.
Pause, think.

I am in Iraq, I need mercy.
I am in Somalia, I need shielding.
I am in Mali, living with the enemies agenda.
Pause, think.

I am in Iran, threats are constant.
I am in Yemen, those who kill need stopping.
I am in Eritrea, slandered and violated.
I am in Sudan, poor and needy.
We are everywhere, we speak in every verse …
Surely the righteous and upright will live? Surely ….
For we are the blessed ones.

Psalm 139
Day 139: Be blessed

Yesterday I held a 4 day old baby. I had forgotten the incredible sense of wonder that the experience brings.
For 9 months this bundle of joy was hidden. But it was in that secret place that God was doing the most amazing work.
Her inmost being was created
She was knitted together, woven together.
God saw her throughout, He knew everything about her.
He has worked out already the amount of years she will live.
It is mind-blowing.
And for me the words that summarise it so far is this: she is “wonderfully made”.
Author and Pastor, R. C. Sproul shares the story of a college student he once taught who had cerebral palsy. Sproul writes: One day he came to me vexed with a problem and asked me to pray for him. In the course of the prayer, I said something routine, with words like, “Oh, God, please help this man as he wrestles with this problem.” When I opened my eyes, the student was quietly weeping. I asked him what was wrong and he stammered his reply, “You called me a man. No one has ever called me a man before.”

There can be no greater privilege to lead someone to realise that they are wonderfully made by God.
The good news is that the Creator hasn’t stopped creating.
You may be in a hidden place today but it is here that God is producing something wonderful in you.
This is blessing

Psalm 138
Day 138: Be blessed

It’s not too difficult really. Jesus told us to seek first the kingdom of God… and David, in this Psalm calls us to praise God for His love and faithfulness.
Praise Him with all your heart, v1
Praise Him above all else, v1
Praise Him in submission, v2

It’s so simple, most miss it.
The ones who don’t will see God exalt His Name and His Word …
… above all things, v2
… over all the earth v4
… by preserving you, v7
… by coming against your enemies, v7
… by fulfilling His purpose in you, v8
… by loving you forever, v8

When God is exalted things become easier…
… you call He answers, v3
… you can go through the trouble, v7
… you can live with purpose, v8

Now, that’s not that difficult is it?
Let’s praise Him and we will be blessed.

Psalm 137
Day 137: Be blessed

There are some periods of your life when you have to fight for your blessing. For some, every morning they have to make a decision to choose the path of focusing on blessing and not that of feeling cursed. This beautiful Psalm shows us “how we can sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land”, v4. I see 3 keys for blessing. They show us how possible it is to live in a broken body every day; how we can survive the disappointment, the anger and the grief; and above all, it shows us how we can change the environment, whether that be the sound that is coming from a home, a church or the place we work in. But before we see them let us look at the environment that this Psalm focuses on. It is set in the time of Ezekiel and it is worth taking the time to read the verses in that book mentioned.
There is a river of regret, of being in a place you are not meant to be, v1.
There is a river of being overwhelmed, Ezekiel 3:15.
There is a river of the glory of God departing, Ezekiel 10:15-18
Yet even in the river of exile …
It can be a place of heaven opening, Ezekiel 1:1
Of visions of God, Ezekiel 1:1
Of hearing the Word of God, Ezekiel 1:3
Of having the hand of God upon you, Ezekiel 1:3
How do we turn the river of regret into a river of God?
Through 3 simple keys that look the same but involve discipline and choice every day:
v 5 “forget” not. KEEP CHOOSING THE LORD.
v 6 “remember”. STIR HIM WITHIN YOU.
v 6 “consider”. THINK OF HIM THE MOST.
As I write this, I think of a group of Christian friends who are changing their workplace into a river of God through these 3 keys. Wherever you are, whatever the circumstance, you can do this too.
Choose blessing, stay blessed.

Psalm 136
Day 136: Be blessed

It was an ordinary day in 1937 and John Griffiths allowed his 8 year old son Greg to come and help him at work, controlling the railway bridge that crossed the Mississipi river
The morning went quickly and at noon they headed off for lunch, down a narrow catwalk onto an observation platform about 50 feet above the Mississippi. John told his son stories about the ships as they passed by. Suddenly, they were jolted back to reality by the shrill sound of an engine’s whistle. Looking at his watch, John realised to his horror that it was 1.07pm, that the Memphis Express was due any time and that the bridge was still raised. He calmly told Greg to stay put and then ran back to the controls. Once there he looked beneath the bridge to make sure there was nothing below. As his eyes moved downwards he saw something so terrible that he froze. For there, lying on the gears, was his beloved son. Greg had tried to follow his dad but had fallen off the catwalk. Immediately, John realised the horrifying choice before him: either to lower the bridge and kill his son, or to keep the bridge raised and kill everyone on board the train. As 400 people moved closer to the bridge, John realised what he had to do. Burying his face under his arm, he plunged down the lever. The cries of his son were instantly drowned out by the noise of the bridge grinding slowly into position. John wiped the tears from his eyes as the train passed by. A conductor was collecting tickets in his usual way. A businessman was casually reading a newspaper. Ladies were drinking afternoon tea. Children were playing. Most of the passengers were engaged in idle chatter. No one saw. No one heard the cries of a heartbroken father.
An ordinary day of extraordinary love.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.
For ever.
Never ending.
Love.

Psalm 135
Day 135: Be blessed

If my lips could sing as many songs as there are waves in the sea:
if my tongue could sing as many hymns as there are ocean billows:
if my mouth filled the whole firmament with praise:
if my face shone like the sun and moon together:
if my hands were to hover in the sky like powerful eagles
and my feet ran across mountains as swiftly as the deer;
all that would not be enough to pay you fitting tribute,
O Lord my God.

Hymn probably composed in the Talmudic period, 3rd-5th century A.D

All that would not be enough ….
Well, here are 12 reasons to praise the Lord
1. You are a servant of His, v1
2. He is good, v3
3. It is pleasant to do so, v3
4. You have been chosen, v4
5. He is great, v5
6. He is Creator, v6-7
7. He is your deliverer, v8-10
8. He is a giver, v11-12
9. His name endures, v13
10. He will vindicate you, v14
11. He is compassionate, v14
12. He speaks, He hears, He sees, He breathes life, v16-17

Hold on, that’s 16 not 12 reasons. Maybe there are too many reasons not to praise Him?
Even in the 3rd century they realised is.

Praise and be blessed

Psalm 134
Day 134: Be blessed

Open your clenched fist.
Stretch out your withdrawn arms.
Turn them over into giving hands.
Do it in the night, when you have to trust Him completely.
This is the image of the Servant of the Lord.
This is Christ.
This is you.
This is blessing.

Psalm 133
Day 133: Be blessed

God’s people getting along? In unity? Some would say more of a challenge than a blessing!
The enemies of unity are:-
a) Ego.
“I don’t need help. I can do it on my own.”
The first step in defeating this enemy is simply to think of yourself less.
Unity is conceived when we think about “we” more than “me”.
Spinning more plates doesn’t increase your talent – it increases your likelihood of dropping a plate.
What’s it going to take to make us think we cannot do everything on our own? We need others. We need someone to help spin the plates.
b) Ignorance
Today many do not know how to converse with people, there are little relational skills. They have never been taught and they are not willing to learn. Some people are just not out-going and they do not think in this way. But even the most introverted person in the world can learn to enjoy the benefits of being united with others.
c) Time
Other people are never convenient.
If you wait till you feel like it, you will never have genuine fellowship. The time excuse says that others are not that important.

The keys to unity are:
a) Don’t pretend.
Let’s not fall into superficiality for fear of upsetting people and rocking the boat. We need the courage to confront. Let’s not sweep anything under the carpet. But remember not to be rude, nor wound another.
b) Be respectful.
We’re all different. We all have someone who irritates us. When you stop long enough to understand someone then you know what they’ve been through and why they are like they are.
c) Don’t fantasise about what church, home, work should be like.
“He who loves his dream of community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter … ” Bonhoffer.
d) Be a loyal supporter.
If the devil is the accuser. Then if I step into that place of criticising and complaining about God’s family then I am doing the devils job.
e) Don’t listen to gossip.
We know not to speak it, but don’t listen to it.
People who gossip to you will also gossip about you.

Unity breeds blessing.

Psalm 132
Day 132: Be blessed

By no means is this everyone’s favourite film, but I do like Tree of Life. It is based around a Texan family in the 1950s and focuses on their relationships and struggles. The mother wants her children to see a world of wonder, whist the father wants his children to see a wicked world.
In a beautiful scene one of the children, Jack is kneeling beside his bed saying his prayers. He says the usual list of requests that any 12 year old would, but then he begins to say things that I found so moving and challenging, because they echo my own heart.
“Where do you live?”
“Are you watching me?
I want to know what you are.
I want to see what you see.”
This is wondrous longing.
The reason I write about it is because the Psalmist recalls David’s longing for God, for His presence.
Where do you live?
He lives in a place where there is commitment, v2; where desire for Him is more than that of other things, v3-4; where He is sought after, v5.
Where do you live?
He lives in a place where you and Him can meet in worship, v7; in a journey made by both of you, v7-8; in the transferring of righteousness on to you, v9; in joy, v9.
Where do you live?
He lives in a permanent place and a desired place, v14; a place of provision, v15; and of salvation, v16; of power and direction, v17; and of great reward, v18.
Are you beginning to realise how blessed you are?!!