Worship for Today: If the Lord had not been on my side...

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Psalm 124:2,

"If the Lord had not been on our side when... "

In this psalm of ascents by David, a psalm most likely written for
worshipping pilgrims making their way to Jerusalem for one of the
annual celebrations of the Lord, the Lord's help is acknowledged for
keeping Israel from disaster. David speaks of military foes who would
surely have consumed the Lord's people if the Lord had not been on
their side. David says in verse 8, "Our help is in the name of the
Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

I say the same thing:
If the Lord had not been on my side, I would be consumed by my sin.
If the Lord had not been on my side I would be facing his horrific judgment.
If the Lord had not been on my side I would be living in a lost
darkness, not understanding the forces of evil that would hound my
every step.
If the Lord had not been on my side I would not have a wonderful,
exciting hope in the resurrection of life lived in communion with him
and the rest of you.
If the Lord had not been on my side I would be living life on my own
without the companionship and wonderful comfort the Holy Spirit
provides me.
If the Lord had not been on my side...

Why has the Lord been on my side? I don't have a clue. I call it grace
and marvel that he has chosen to provide his Son, Jesus Christ, to die
a horrible death that I might become his child. What a love our Lord
has that he even considered this and then brought it about! What a
love our Lord has that he has invited me to be family!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: This is the day the Lord has made!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Psalm 118:24,

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

I am of the persuasion that the existence of the cosmos is dependant
from moment to moment on the active effort of the Lord to maintain it.
From my perspective the universe, all of the celestial bodies, the
world and all in it, all of what compromises existence in this life,
would cease to exist if the Lord simply withdrew his hand to extend it
from moment to moment. As Creator, the Lord has no need, no dependency
on its existence, but his creation is entirely and utterly dependent
on him. As such, each breath we breathe is an extension of the grace
of God in that existence continues. And after we leave this life, our
existence continues, as surely as we exist in this life today, from
moment to moment because it is the Lord's pleasure to continue it. The
wonderful good news is that the Lord offers his invitation of life
eternal to us all.

Such thoughts are quite sobering to me as I don't often think in terms
of the existence of all things dependent on one person. But what a
person this is! All of existence came at his good pleasure and he has
told us that it is his pleasure to provide an eternity for all who
will come to him in faith. With a desire to create beings of free will
that he could fellowship with, he brought all into existence. John
tells us this is the very one that believers have fellowship with,
"Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ." 1
John 3b. John also tells us that it is the Son of God who is the
creative agent of the Trinity. "Through him all things were made;
without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and
that life was the light of men." John 1:3-4. The writer of Hebrews
tells us it is the Son of God who maintains all things, "The Son is
the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being,
sustaining all things by his powerful word." Hebrews 1:3a.

Today is a new day, another new day the Lord has made. A new gift from
our loving Creator! How can we not rejoice and be glad in this
wonderful gift of life, of existence he has given us?!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: The Lord is due thanksgiving and praise for his wonderful acts!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Psalm 105:1-5,

"Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the
nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all
his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those
who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his
face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the
judgments he pronounced."

The psalmist tells us to thank the Lord as we call on his name. Thanks
can only be legitimately offered by one who experiences a level of
appreciation for something done on his or her behalf. The level or
intensity of thankfulness can be measured by how highly esteemed the
deed done is to the one giving thanks. In this psalm the deeds of the
Lord done on behalf of the nation of Israel are in view as the cause
of thankfulness. The Lord fulfills his covenant he made with Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob. He provided protection for the patriarchs and a
forerunner for them in Joseph when they sought refuge in Egypt from
famine. The Lord prospered Israel there and eventually brought them
out of their bondage in Egypt. The Lord then provided them the land of
Canaan as their inheritance from the Lord so they could enjoy what
others had worked hard to provide.

I go into this detail to note that the psalmist here follows his own
counsel. He says to "remember the wonders he has done, his miracles
and the judgments he pronounced." Verse 5. This is no mere exercise
for a history student but is to be a pursuit that is marked by
glorying in the Lord, verse 3. With this there should be that which is
heartfelt: rejoicing, verse 3, thanksgiving and praise, verses 1,2 and
45.

The church is told to do the same thing. In Colossians 3:2-3, "Set
your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and
your life is now hidden with Christ in God." We are to remember the
things of the Lord, what he has done, what he is like. In Hebrews
12:2-3 we read, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and
perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the
cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the
throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful
men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

As we gaze upon the Lord, when the inevitable appreciation, adoration
and thankfulness wells up in our hearts, we are to find its expression
in the giving of thanks, in glorying "in his holy name", offering him
praise and making known among all what he has done, telling of "all of
his wonderful acts"! Surely our God is due no less!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: Great is the Lord in Zion!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Psalm 99:1-3,

"The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between
the cherubim, let the earth shake. Great is the Lord in Zion; he is
exalted over all the nations. Let them praise your great and awesome
name- he is holy."

I have to confess that at times my perspective of the Lord just might
be a little too much on the "lovey-dovey"/personal side of things.
Please don't misunderstand me, I recognize that the Lord desires a
personal relationship with each of his children. He has expressed a
love for us that transcends even the love our parents have had for us.
He wants to cultivate an intimate relationship with each of us and
seeks to bring that about. Paul calls him our "Abba" Father, a term
indicating a relationship of father and child.

But there is another aspect of the Lord that strikes me in passages
such as this that brings a more balanced perspective in my view of the
Lord. "The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned
between the cherubim, let the earth shake." Our Lord is fearsome! Not
to be trifled with! The Lord is our transcendent God who radiates a
splendor of glory that reflects his majesty! He is our sovereign God
who is all-powerful and all-knowing! He exists in a blinding
brilliance of pristine qualities! He has his own agenda and all that
he wishes comes to pass without fail. There is no opponent he faces
that presents even a modicum of challenge for him. He uses his enemies
for his purposes in ways that are unwitting to them.

Isaiah had a vision of this perspective of the Lord, Isaiah 6:1-5, "I
saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of
his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six
wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered
their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to
one another:
'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.'
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and
the temple was filled with smoke. 'Woe to me!' I cried. 'I am ruined!
For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean
lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.'"

As the psalmist says in verse 9, "Exalt the Lord our God and worship
at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy."

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: Jesus Christ is a faithful Savior!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Psalm 94:18-19,

"When I said, 'My foot is slipping,' your love, O Lord, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my
soul."

This psalmist found the Lord to be his fortress, a rock in whom he
could take refuge, verse 22. He knew his Lord and had a history with
him. The Lord brought him joy. In his experiences with the Lord he
found the Lord supported him, consoled him. How many times? Of all the
times the psalmist looked for support and consolation from the Lord,
how many times did he receive it? Once? Twice? Some of the time? Most
of the time?

Proverbs 20:6 asks an insightful question, "Many a man claims to have
unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?" The answer to this
is one. Just one. There is one and only one who has unfailing love and
will be there reliably and faithfully each and every time he is
sought! Jesus Christ is faithful to all his promises, every time!

Some folks may not feel a need. Not me! I need someone I can turn to,
someone who is faithful and reliable, one that will be a fortress and
rock, one who will support and console me when I need it. One who
brings me joy. Not once or twice, not some of the time or even most of
the time - each and every time! And that is his commitment to me! What
a love our Savior has for us!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: Wherever the Lord is, there greatness is to be found!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Psalm 87:1-5,

"He has set his foundation on the holy mountain; the Lord loves the
gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things
are said of you, O city of God: 'I will record Rahab and Babylon among
those who acknowledge me- Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush-
and will say, 'This one was born in Zion.' Indeed, of Zion it will be
said, 'This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High
himself will establish her.'"

After freeing the Jews, held in slavery in Egypt, following a forty
year wandering in the wilderness, God brought them to the land of
Canaan. It was the city of Jerusalem, in Canaan, that God chose to
have a temple built, in the midst of his people. There the temple
worship would continue as it had in the tabernacle God had Moses build
in the wilderness.

Jerusalem enjoyed the prominence any place would have as the physical
manifestation of God's presence. It wasn't that Jerusalem was great
and so God made his abode there, acknowledging its greatness, but it
was God's presence, his glory, that made Jerusalem great. In verse 3
the Sons of Korah say, "Glorious things are said of you, O city of
God". Such a great city that in the Lord's own "register of the
peoples" it will be written that "this one was born in Zion",
acknowledging the honor one's birth there would represent.

Such is the glory of our Lord. Where he is, there is greatness. It is
his very presence that makes it so, such is his glory. And so it is
with us as he indwells us. In these vessels of weakness the Lord
brings strength. In the midst of struggle with our own sin natures,
the Holy Spirit brings change from within. Where the Lord is, there it
is that greatness is to be found. Not because of that habitation but
because of he who inhabits it. The wonderful apostle Paul comes to
mind as I think of these things. Were we to ask Paul, in his humility
he would acknowledge he was nothing, but the Lord... now here is One
to marvel at. And, yet, as I look at Paul's life, from the time of his
persecution of the church and the martyrdom of Stephen to the time of
his great, heartfelt concern for the churches the Lord brought birth
to through him, I see greatness. A greatness that the presence of the
Lord brought to Paul's life.

Wherever the Lord is, there greatness is to be found!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Psalm 82:5,

"They know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in
darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken."

In Asaph's psalm, he notes that there are those who know nothing,
understand nothing and walk about in darkness. I'm not sure if the
"they" refers back to the wicked or those who need deliverance from
them in verse 4. For the purposes of my thought this morning it makes
little difference.What I am reminded of is that apart from the Lord
folks are simply lost to spiritual things. Before I embraced Jesus
Christ in faith, I stumbled around in a spiritual darkness.

In 1 John 2:9-11 we read, "Anyone who claims to be in the light but
hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother
lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.
But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in
the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness
has blinded him." We come into this life estranged from God, living in
a spiritual darkness dominated by a sinful nature. In my case, in
addition to stumbling around in a spiritual darkness, I thought I knew
it all. What a combination! Ignorant and ignorant of my ignorance!

When we embrace Jesus Christ in faith, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell
within us. Paul speaks of a spiritual darkness that is removed by the
Holy Spirit in the hearts of those he dwells within, "We have not
received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that
we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak,
not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the
Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man
without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the
Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot
understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1
Corinthians 2:12-14.

How wonderful God is - who has brought light into our spiritually
darkened hearts! John tells us, "In him was life, and that life was
the light of men. The light shines in the darkness... " John 1:4-5a.
To me, one of the most moving and dramatic realities that has taken
place because of the coming of Jesus Christ to earth is what Isaiah
says in Isaiah 9:2, "The people walking in darkness have seen a great
light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has
dawned." Today I worship our loving Father who has brought light to
those of us stumbling in the great darkness!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: God is to be exalted!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Psalm 70:4,

"May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love
your salvation always say, 'Let God be exalted!'"

In this short five verse psalm, David calls to the Lord to save him,
to come quickly to help him, verse 1. In the final verse he says he is
poor and needy, that God is his help and deliverer and calls on the
Lord again to not delay, verse 5.

It is in verse 4 that David says, "... may those who love your
salvation always say, 'Let God be exalted!'" The appropriateness of
this exhortation lies in the first part of verse 4, that those who
seek God should be rejoicing and be glad in him. This comes from a man
who knows the Lord and is in desperate need. That David has placed his
fate in God's hands as his help and deliverer and had most certainly
been vindicated in trusting in the Lord for his help in times past, he
finds the exaltation of God to be fitting and appropriate for all of
God's people.

This morning I find, with David, there is much to be acknowledged that
leads to the exaltation of God. Because of what God has done for all
mankind, because of what God has done for me, he is to be exalted!
Bringing us all into existence is certainly cause enough. Having sent
his Son as an atoning sacrifice for us all following our sin and
rebellion against God is cause enough. Providing us a way to become
his children, as opposed to simply being subjects in a kingdom is
cause enough. Sending his Holy Spirit to live in us is cause enough.

As David saw himself, so I have seen myself, one who is poor and
needy. How wonderful the Lord did not delay but came for me! Certainly
our God is to be exalted!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: God has chosen those of faith!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Psalm 65:4,

"Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy
temple."

So, just who are those God chooses to bring near to live in his
courts? Does Scripture tell us? In the previous verse David says it is
those who, when overwhelmed by sins, were forgiven their
transgressions. Verse 3. In Romans 4:6-8, Paul quotes David from
another psalm, Psalm 32:1-2, "David says the same thing when he speaks
of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart
from works: 'Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose
sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never
count against him.'" There in Romans 4 Paul clearly says it is those
who embrace Jesus Christ in faith. Romans 4:16 tells us, "Therefore,
the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be
guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the
law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the
father of us all."

I am a firm believer in salvation by faith. Faith is the key that
unlocks the door of salvation. God has chosen that it will be all who
embrace him in faith, who trust in him, that he will bring near to
live in his courts! In the Romans 4:16 passage Paul tells us this is
the expression of God's grace that he has lavished on us: the promise
comes by faith!

As I consider all of the requirements God could have made of us to
become members of his family, I am overawed at the grace he has
extended us! Salvation is not for the most religious of us, it is not
for the best behaved, it is not for the most intelligent, the most
beautiful or the most charming. It is not for the most successful of
us or the richest or strongest of us. It is for all of us who will
embrace him in faith through the gospel message! As Paul tells us in
Romans 1:16-17, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the
power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the
Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God
is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just
as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'"

Anyone and everyone has the opportunity to become a child of God if
they will but embrace him in faith. How wonderful the grace of God
that it is this he has based his choice of who it is he will "bring
near to live in your courts!"

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: We have grounds for confidence in God!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Psalm 60:12,
 
"With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies."

 

We are told in the introduction to this psalm that David penned this when he fought Aram Naharaim and Aram Zobah and when the slaughter of twelve thousand Edomites by his general, Joab, took place. As such, our verse here has a very literal reference to military victory that David was assured would be coming from God.

 

David was a man of war, and in many of his psalms military challenges, concerns and victories are referred to. Just as the context of military engagement presents an enemy or enemies, so our lives as members of the kingdom of God are presented with enemies. David's psalms of military activity become metaphors for the conflicts that we are engaged in our lives.

 

Our enemies are of another type than military. Paul says, "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12. Peter calls the devil our enemy, "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8. Our own sin nature is a combatant against the Holy Spirit who inhabits us, "For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want." Galatians 5:17. John calls the world an enemy who hates us, "Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you." 1 John 3:13.

 

Just as David faced very real and intimidating enemies, we do likewise. Just as David found victory and had complete confidence in God, we do as well. This confidence flows from two very important realities that are great causes of worship. First, God is powerful. Very powerful. Nothing is beyond his ability to bring about just what he wants. Abraham acknowledged this and it was credited to him as righteousness, "He [Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised." Romans 4:20-21. The second is that God has our very best as his unshakable intention toward each of us. Paul tells us, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28.

 

This morning I worship our God who is very powerful and has the very best intentions of good toward me! 

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: What God has done is great cause for worship!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Psalm 54:6-7,

 

"I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you; I will praise your name, O Lord, for it is good. For he has delivered me from all my troubles, and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes."

 

In this psalm, David calls out to God to save him from enemies, "ruthless men" who are attacking him. In the header to the psalm we are told the occasion that David wrote it was when the Ziphites had informed King Saul of his whereabouts amongst them.

 

David ends this psalm in a promise to worship the Lord through the sacrifice of a freewill offering. The worship of this offering is in response to what the Lord has done for him. Reflecting on the Lord's deliverance of him from all his troubles is what leads David to this worship.

 

This morning I am reminded that reflection on what the Lord has already done for me is wonderful food for thought and fuel of my worship of him. To think that God sent his only Son to die a miserable death so that I might have a place in his family is certainly cause for my worship of him. To recognize that God has allowed me a place at his table, as a member of his family solely on the basis of faith without having to jump through the hoops of law-keeping is certainly cause for my worship of him. Reflecting on God sending his Holy Spirit to dwell within me, changing me from within, guaranteeing me a great hope in the resurrection, providing me comfort, a constant companion and great encouragement is certainly cause for my worship of him.

 

To know that God cares for my well-being, that he listens to my prayers, that he has my best in all of his intentions toward me provides an inexpressible joy and great cause for my worship of him! Surely this is a God to worship!

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: God is our God and guide!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Psalm 48:14,

"This God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end."

 

As an expression of their worship of the Lord following a military threat Israel faced, the Sons of Korah acknowledged the Lord's hand in the deliverance of Mount Zion. "When kings joined forces, when they advanced together... you destroyed them like ships of Tarshish shattered by an east wind." Verses 4-7. As a result, in meditating on God in his temple, they recognized the wonder God had made of Jerusalem. To consider her ramparts, her citadels was to acknowledge how wonderful the Lord was that enabled the Israelites to gain the victory.

 

In the closing verse, the Sons of Korah make the statement, "This God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end." Although we know that Israel eventually turned her back on God and spurned her Messiah, it was not because God had forsaken her, it was that Israel had forsaken their God.

 

Today, as members of God's kingdom, we likewise acknowledge that God is our God forever, our guide even to the end. The wonder of it all is that God is willing, desirous to be our God. It could have been that God just simply had no use for members of a fallen race who had turned their backs on him in sin and rebellion. But God loved us so that he sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. In an act of kindness and mercy that escapes grasping its fullest, God made a way for us! He has redeemed us from his own judgment for our sins and is now willing and eager to be our guide, "even to the end." What a wonderful God this is! 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: Exalting the name of the Lord...

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Psalm 34:1-8,
 
"I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him."

 

What a claim! "Taste and see that the Lord is good"! You can't extol the virtues of what you have not experienced, at least not convincingly. David invites us all to exalt the Lord's name together with him. Having been delivered from Abimelech, he acknowledges that the man who takes refuge in the Lord will be blessed. He says they are radiant and their faces are never covered with shame.

 

David says he will extol the Lord at all times and that the Lord's praise will always be on his lips. David was truly a man who was in love with his Lord. People who love always extol the praises of the object of their affection. Our love of the Lord is best measured by the praise and worship we express in our love of him. I'm not talking about the hymn selections on a given Sunday, but that wonderful, refreshing, irresistible excitement we feel about the Lord as we gaze at him throughout the week and see the things he does. It is usually while I'm in the pages of Scripture this takes place for me, but not always. Often I feel I do not express enough about how wonderful our Lord is. There are times when I am alone with him and I express to him how wonderful he is, but then I feel like I need to tell more folks about him. Perhaps that is why David looked for others to "Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together." I often feel that way, as many do.

 

This poor man called, and the Lord saved him... what a Lord this is!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: God changes us from within!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Psalm 26:1-7,
 
"Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth. I do not sit with deceitful men, nor do I consort with hypocrites; I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked. I wash my hands in innocence, and go about your altar, O Lord, proclaiming aloud your praise and telling of all your wonderful deeds."

 

David's psalm is one where he cries out to the Lord to not take his soul away with the "sinners", verse 9. He claims he leads a blameless life and on the basis of it requests the Lord to be merciful to him, verse 11. Are we to conclude that David felt his life was without sin, a perfect man? Not at all. In another psalm he freely confesses he was a sinful man, sinful from his conception, Psalm 51:5.

 

What is David's claim? It is that his life demonstrates he is of another order than the wicked. We as believers stand in that same company. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" While it is evident that all mankind is sinful, with deceitful hearts, something takes place within the life of a believer following his embrace of Jesus Christ in faith. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us and begins to change us from within. Although we are all painfully aware of the times we disappoint God and ourselves by occasionally falling into sin, we would be giving false testimony of God were we to not acknowledge the changes God has made within us. We are changed people and the wonderful changes God has made within us manifests that we are of another order from what we were before Jesus Christ sent his Holy Spirit to dwell within us.

 

As David, we can certainly point to these changes in our lives as demonstration we are headed to an eternity of glory, a different destination we were headed beforehand. All of this is from God who so loved us he made a way for us in a demonstration of grace and mercy I can scarce comprehend!

 

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: The Lord wants us!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Psalm 23:1-3,
 
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake."

 

Here in this traditionally favorite psalm by David, he speaks of the Lord being his shepherd. As his shepherd, the Lord will see that he will never be in want. The pasture the Lord provides him is marked as green with quiet waters that bring restoration of soul. David also says that in this pasture are paths of righteousness the Lord guides him in for the Lord's own sake.

 

The green pastures with quiet waters speak to me of a lush environment, vibrant, full of life with all the nutritional requirements the soul needs to grow strong and prosper. It is within the environment of this lush pasture that restoration of soul takes place and it is here that paths of righteousness are found.

 

I find it fascinating that David observes that it is for the Lord's own sake that David is guided by the Lord in these paths of righteousness. I am reminded of what Paul says in Romans 3:21-22a, "But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." The Lord has provided a path to be right with him as he  desires to make us a part of his family. I find it incredible that the Lord desires us and has paid dearly to provide us a righteous standing with him! It is not just that we want the Lord- he wants us!

 

I guess the obvious point of us being on a path of righteousness for his name's sake is that the Lord will be known by those who are his. We represent him here on earth and it is within the quality of that reflection we present to the world that the Lord's name's sake is at stake. The wonderful reality is that it is when we represent him best is when life for us as his sheep is at its best. Those paths of righteousness are provided by the Lord to bring to life the very best there is!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: The Lord gives us a heart of love.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Psalm 20:1-5a,
 

"May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God."

 

David expresses a wonderful sentiment for the Lord's people in this psalm. He wishes them the Lord's success when confronted with distress and in need of protection. It is his desire the Lord remember their worship of sacrifices and offerings. It is David's hope that the Lord provide the desires of the hearts of God's people and success for their plans. And then, as a cheerleader, he says, "We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God."

 

How wonderful it is that the Lord has raised up people like David who care for our success, our victories in life. While the world seems to be filled with people who have little room for the welfare, success and happiness of others due to being consumed for their own, the Lord raises up folks like David.

 

Certainly it can be said of David, "God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him." 1 John 4:16b-17. David certainly expressed his care and concern for others in this psalm. But greater than David is the One who fashioned David the way he was. Our Lord transforms us from within such that we have love, care and concern for one another. If we but look around us we find that the Lord has placed people just like this in our lives. 

 

This says a lot to me about the heart of our Lord...

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: The Lord watches over us!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Psalm 11:4,
 
"The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them."

 

Here is an observation by David about the wicked. The question is asked in verse 3, "When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" As opposed to the response suggested in verse one, "Flee like a bird to your mountain" as the wicked bend their bows and set their arrows against the strings to shoot at the upright in heart, David points to the Lord, in whom he has taken refuge.

 

The Lord is on his throne in his holy temple, David points out. He sees what the wicked are doing. The Lord will rain "fiery coals and burning sulfur" on them, "a scorching wind will be their lot." David observes that "the Lord is righteous, he loves justice and upright men will see his face." Verse 7.

 

It may not be the timing I desire (because the Lord's timing is always perfect, something which cannot be said of mine) but I am assured the Lord will right all of the wrongs. He will see that justice is done and I don't need to fret or flee. There is great solace here for all of us that know the Lord, that we can rest easy knowing we can take our troubles and cares to the Lord. No matter what we face, in the end we will see the Lord and take great satisfaction in our Lord's disposition of the threats we encounter.

 

How wonderful it is to know the Lord!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com