Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 7)

Day 7 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 35-36

Evening: Psalm 37

(Click here to print the reading plan)

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt

Today’s Devotional Thought:

“Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land. You will watch when the wicked are destroyed” (Psalm 37:34, CSB).

I haven't left the house in nine days now. Not to the grocery store. Not to work. I had to go start my car because my paranoia told me it's been sitting for too long. I have a lot of nervous energy and boredom that online video lectures, podcasts, and Animal Crossing: New Horizon do not seem to be satisfying. 
It's hard to just sit and wait, literally going nowhere. Sure, most of my anxiety is self-inflicted, but it really shows how much we need to move as people. Not move from one video game to another Netflix show; not even from one room to another. We need to get out and about. Cabin Fever is a real thing.

It's a whole other perspective when we look toward God. We want everything on our time table, and then we wonder why God isn't on board. We do first, pray later. We let our agenda dictate our horizon. God really has shown how fragile our lives are.

For the original audience of this Psalm, their central concern was one thing: stay in the land. God promises them this inheritance, not through conquering, but through faithful waiting. They receive security and prosperity when they wait for God.

We are busy people. We've already had a seemingly “apocalyptic” 2020, and we just want this event to end so we can move on to the next world-ending catastrophe of this year. But sometimes the best answer is to wait. Not lazy waiting; wait and see what God is doing.

We as a church are sympathetic toward Israel's anxiety. Paul tells us "our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20), or he uses more painful language of our hope: "we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits--we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies" (Romans 8:23). This really is the irony of Christian hope; it's painful. We place our hope in Christ's death and resurrection. Now what? We wait. This time of isolation illustrates what the church continually longs for. It's even the final words of the Bible: "Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20). During this time of COVID-19, let us come back to what gospel-centered waiting looks like:

O Come, O Come, Immanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appears

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall Come to thee, O Israel.

Ways to Pray:

  1. Father, help us to be faithful and willing to wait even in hard times.

  2. Adoration: You are faithful even when we are anxiously waiting.

  3. Confession: We are people that are often worried about tomorrow.

  4. Thanksgiving: Thank you for keeping your promise to redeem us for our heavenly home!

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 6)

Day 6 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 30-31

Evening: Psalms 32-34

(Click here to print the reading plan)

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt

Today’s Devotional Thought:

“How joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How joyful is a person whom the LORD does not charge with iniquity and in whose spirit is no deceit!” (Psalm 32:1-2, CSB)

How many of you want to be happy? *Jeopardy Theme Song Playing*

I’m not giving you a trick question; there’s not a test at the end of this devotion. How many of you could say you want joy? Better question: how many of you are happy right now? Happiness is a commodity that we talk about a lot, but we never seem to understand how to get.

King David gets it though, and let me put an emphasis on “King.” He had all he could ever want: fame and fortune as the greatest king of Israel. But where is true happiness found? According to David, it comes from being in a right relationship with God.

These verses are important to Scripture; the Apostle Paul uses them again in Romans 4:7-8, explaining that both Abraham (another believer in the Old Testament) and David were justified by faith. They were declared righteous in God’s sight. Why? Because of their faith in the promise of God to redeem them through a Savior. When we see the full scope of God’s plan, we see that this promise is fulfilled in Jesus Christ dying on the cross and rising again from the dead. When we turn from our sin and trust that Jesus is our one and only Savior from sin, we can come into God’s presence not as guilty people. God states that our sins are forgiven; it’s not God making us people deserving of forgiveness in this life; instead, he declares us to be forgiven while we are still sinners.

Does this bring joy to your heart? More importantly, do you believe this? It’s the Gospel; and in the midst of quarantine, it hasn’t changed. So let us find true gospel-joy in what Christ has done for us today.

Ways to Pray:

  1. Father, remind me of the joy that the Gospel brings.

  2. Keep me from thinking that my own goodness is good enough to save me.

  3. Adoration: Father, you are the promise-keeping and forgiving God that offers forgiveness through Jesus. Thank you!

  4. Confession: Forgive me for often trusting in myself to be good, or trying to justify myself in your sight.

  5. Thanksgiving: Thank you that you freely offer salvation to everyone who turns from their sins to your Son.

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 5)

Day 5 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 24-26

Evening: Psalms 27-29

(Click here to print the reading plan)

Today’s Devotional Thought from Pastor Stern:

“One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: / That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, / To behold the beauty of the Lord / And to meditate in His temple.”  (Psalms 27:4 NASB)

If you could make one request of the Lord, what would it be? During this national crisis, I imagine that most of us would ask for an end to COVID-19 or restoration of the American economy. But David asks for only “one thing,” and it’s not what we might expect. So notice three aspects of this “one thing.”

First, notice that David wants to dwell “in the house of the Lord” all the days of his life.

In other words, he never wants to leave God’s home, which reminds me of a young child playing at her friend’s house. When her mother comes to pick her up, she says, “Please mom—I want to stay longer. I love it here! Can we have a sleepover?” And this is exactly how David was at the Tabernacle where God’s holy presence dwelt with his people.

But of course, we no longer worship at the Tabernacle or the Temple as New Testament believers. Our worship isn’t tied to one building or one city. However, our deepest desire should also be for the holy presence of God in the New Heavens and New Earth—the New Jerusalem. And thankfully, we get a dim foretaste of this reality in the assembled worship of the local church every Lord’s Day. And it’s one of the reasons this season of COVID-19 is so hard. We can’t gather with other believers in public worship as a foretaste of our heavenly occupation; but we long for it!

Second, notice that David wants to behold “the beauty of the Lord.”

David isn’t simply looking forward to spending his life in God’s house; he also wants to gaze at the beauty of God. But what is this beauty? Stephen Charnock, a 17th century English Puritan, says that God’s beauty is his holiness. He writes, “Power is his hand and arm, omniscience his eye, mercy his bowels [i.e. heart], eternity his duration, his holiness is his beauty” (Works of Stephen Charnock). That’s why the Psalmist says, “O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” (Psalms 96:9 KJV). So our longing as believers should be for the beauty of God’s holiness. In other words, we're like desert nomads who thought muddy puddles were spectacular until we saw the ocean for the first time.

Finally, notice that David wants “to meditate” in the temple of the Lord.

Perhaps you’ve had the privilege of spending time alone at places like the Philadelphia Museum of Art. You’ll walk past countless paintings without feeling anything. But suddenly, you’re captivated by a certain work. Maybe it’s the eyes, the mouth, or something else. But you stop, find a chair, and just meditate on the painting until you lose track of time. This is what I think David is describing; he’s in the house of God gazing at the beauty of God. And he wants nothing more than to meditate on his beauty forever.

So rather than meditating on our problems during this national crisis, let us meditate on the beauty of God’s holiness. Then our prayer becomes the same as David:

You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” 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!  (Psalms 27:8-9 ESV)

Ways to Pray:

  1. Father, I don’t simply want to see your gifts in my life; I want to see your beauty! Let my heart be fixed on you. Don’t let me be content with the light of the moon when I can gaze at the radiant beauty of your holiness through the eyes of faith!

  2. Forgive me for meditating on the threat of COVID-19 more than I meditate on your beauty. Draw my gaze to you, so that I can point others to you as well.

  3. Please end the spread of coronavirus so that I can worship in person with the Body of Christ every Lord’s Day! I long for this foretaste of heaven to come!

Bonus Devotional Thought from Jonathan Hatt (Hope’s pastoral intern):

Vindicate me, LORD, because I have lived with integrity and have trusted in the LORD without wavering. Test me, LORD, and try me; examine my and mind. For your faithful love guides me, and I live by your truth (Psalm 26:1-3, CSB).

Look at David's heart in these verses:

  1. David's life is a reflection of the goodness that the LORD has shown him.

  2. Because of his own integrity, David seeks vindication from the LORD. This righteousness isn't some inherent righteousness within David himself. How do we know this? 

  3. David longs for vindication because of the covenant God has kept with him (v.3)

During our time of isolation, it can be tempting to take a mental or spiritual break. There's so much going on in the world. I have my job (if I still have one) to worry about, right? How does this psalm speak to our situation right now?

Remember that king David did not have a boring life. We could give a fairly long list of psalms where David calls out to God for his own life. Even look at vv. 8-9, and you can see that there is certainly trouble in his life right then and there. But in the midst of this chaos, David cries out for deliverance because of his own integrity. Um, David you seem to be forgetting a little something called "free grace."

But that's the thing about this psalm: David is wholly dependent upon God's covenant faithfulness here; he needs God's grace right then and there.

You might be struggling today in your Christian walk (I know I sure can be). Why pray when my 401k needs to be taken care of? Why read Scripture when I need to hear the latest podcast finally explaining COVID-19 for all of us? Why fellowship with people close to you (on Zoom or Skype obviously) when it's easier to share Facebook articles about all of this?

Where our distress is, there will our heart be also. Here's our hope in this psalm today: God's faithful love (steadfast love in ESV) has not changed. Jesus has still been raised from the dead. We can refocus our minds back on this truth and let it be our guide on how we live (just like David in v.3). Let's reset our priorities back to God's promises to us in the midst of this chaos.

Ways to Pray:

  1. Make my life and thoughts into a reflection of the Gospel

  2. May God's faithful love guide what I worry about, what I listen to, and what I post today.

  3. Adoration: Father, you are the one who keeps my feet on level ground (v. 12), who has shown faithful love through your Son Jesus.

  4. Confession: Forgive me for not walking and reflecting the truth of this faithful love you have shown me.

  5. Thanksgiving: Thank you, Father, that this time of uncertainty can remind us of your faithfulness

  6. Supplication: May each of us strive in living the integrity that the Gospel brings to our lives.

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 4)

Day 4 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Today’s Devotional Thought:

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Psalms 20:7 ESV).

For people in the modern world, trusting in chariots and horses may seem like a pleasant metaphor. But remember, these were prime examples of human power and might in the ancient world. Therefore, I wonder how David would have written this verse in 2020. “Some trust in doctors.” “Some trust in science.” “Some trust in politicians.” “Some trust in the economy.” And what are we trusting to get us through this global pandemic?

Well, in one sense, we are trusting in human power. If we’re sick, we trust in a doctor to provide care. If our business is struggling to make ends meet, we trust in a bank to provide loans. If we lose our jobs, we trust in the government for unemployment. And we’re trusting in doctors, scientists, and epidemiologists to create a vaccine for COVID-19 as soon as possible, Lord willing.

Now there’s nothing inherently wrong with this kind of trust. I’m sure that David placed a certain kind of trust in his horses and mighty men of war (read First and Second Samuel). But he knew not to place his ultimate trust in human might and wisdom. That’s why he says that those who trust in chariots and horses will “collapse and fall” (verse 8a). But those who trust in the name of the Lord will “rise and stand upright” (verse 8b). In other words, placing our ultimate trust in human beings doesn’t work. On the other hand, placing our ultimate hope in the Lord always works out in the end (even if we don’t see it in this life).

So in this current pandemic, we can place limited trust in doctors, bankers, politicians, and epidemiologists. But thankfully, our ultimate trust is in the Lord God Almighty who will never fail.

Ways to Pray:

  1. Forgive me for trusting in human wisdom and strength more than you, O LORD.

  2. Thank you for being more reliable and trustworthy than any mere human.

  3. Let me trust you more today.

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 3)

Day 3 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Today’s Devotional Thought:

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”  (Psalms 16:1-2)

As you read these two verses, notice three aspects of David’s prayer:

  • First, the request: “Preserve me, O God”

  • Second, the rationale: “for in you I take refuge.”

  • Third, the assertion: “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

Today I want to camp out on this third and final aspect. What does it mean to “have no good” apart from God? Well, imagine a scale with two sides. On the one side, you put every good thing you can imagine in this world. On the other side, you put God alone. Which side is better? According to David, God outweighs everything, and nothing is truly good apart from him.

Now this is relevant for our national crisis today. A lot of things we thought of as good have been taken off the scales of life: access to toilet paper on demand (I’m kind of joking), freedom of movement, job security, confidence in the world economy, and our own sense of control. And for many, COVID-19 is currently threatening life itself or the life of a loved one.

But if David is right and we have nothing “good apart from God,” then suffering isn’t what we originally thought. Health, wealth, and prosperity are good but end in despair apart from God. And why? Because we have no good apart from him! Likewise, pandemic and economic downturn are terrible but can end in eternal good if we have God.

So we need to examine ourselves: can we truly say that we have nothing good apart from God? Or do we think that God is good as long as we have something else too?

Ways to Pray:

  1. Preserve me and my family from this virus.

  2. Preserve our healthcare workers and vulnerable members of our community.

  3. Let me take refuge in you alone through your Son, Jesus Christ.

  4. Adoration: You alone are my good—nothing else!

  5. Confession: Forgive me for seeking good in the world apart from you.

  6. Thanksgiving: Thank you for using this national crisis to point me to yourself as my ultimate good.

  7. Supplication: May those who are looking for good from this life discover that there is no good apart from you (see Psalm 17:14-15).

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 2)

Day 2 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Today’s Devotional Thoughts from Pastor Stern:

As you pray through Psalm 9 today, consider these three verses:

“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds” (Psalms 9:1). 

In this time of national uncertainty, how should Christians respond? Wouldn’t it be glorious if we responded like David in this verse? First, he gives thanks to God with his whole heart (not a half heart!) Second, he recounts the wonderful deeds of God. And as New Testament believers, we have even more wonderful deeds to recount. David could recount God’s covenant faithfulness to Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Ruth, and so many more. But we can recount the accomplishment of redemption through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ! What deeds have you been recounting lately in your heart—God’s deeds or something else?   

Ways to pray:

  • Forgive me for not giving thanks with my whole heart in this national crisis.  

  • Forgive me for not recounting your wondrous deeds as much as I recount the latest infection rate of COVID-19; may my eyes be fixed on you alone!

  • Lord, thank you for....

  • Please give me more opportunities to recount your wonderful deeds, O Lord!

“And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you” (Psalms 9:10).

How can you have confidence in “times of trouble” (cf. verse 9) like our nation is facing today? According to David, there are two conditions. First, you must know the name of God. And this doesn’t mean simply pronouncing the sounds. You need to have an experiential knowledge of the Triune God of the Bible—the holy God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who raised his Son Jesus Christ from the dead. But second, head knowledge of his name isn’t enough; you must trust in the Lord. This trust means repenting of sin and looking to Jesus Christ alone for hope, life, salvation, and everything. But amazingly, David tells us that those who trust in the name of God are never forsaken. So are you trusting God? Are you seeking him? 

Ways to pray: 

  • Heavenly Father, during this time of global pandemic, may more and more people come to know and trust your name. If possible, use me as an instrument to make your name known to my friends, family, and neighbors.

  • Forgive me for my unbelief. Let me not only know your name but trust it completely. Let me believe that I shall never be forsaken, no matter how dark things seem.

“Put them in fear, O Lord! Let the nations know that they are but men!” (Psalms 9:20).

If coronavirus should teach us anything as a nation, this is it. He is the Lord. He is holy. He is to be feared with a holy reverence. He's God, and we're not. But sometimes we think we’re smarter than God. We think we’re wiser than God. We think we can control everything through science and human innovation. But it only takes one virus from a market in China to bring the world to its knees. We would do well to remember that we “are but men.” And thankfully, we have a gracious Savior in heaven who loves us and gave himself for us (Galatians 2:20).

Ways to pray:

  • Use this crisis to humble me in my walk with you, Lord GOD.

  • Use this crisis to humble America, the Church, and the world. May we trust in you alone!

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19

Day 1 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Today’s Devotional Thought from Pastor Stern:

As you read Psalm 4, pay attention to verse 8. David says, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” He describes himself as having peace, sleep, and safety. I imagine that many of us are missing these during a season of COVID-19. But where do they come from? God alone makes us ‘“dwell in safety.” So let us pray this verse for ourselves and our community.

Ways to pray:

  • Give me peace, sleep, and safety tonight.

  • Give medical workers peace, sleep, and safety tonight.

  • Give the sick peace, sleep, and safety in Christ.

  • Forgive me for seeking safety apart from You.

  • Thank you that I can know this peace and safety through Christ!

What to Do This Sunday at Home

Like many churches in the Philadelphia area (and in the world), Hope Presbyterian Church will be unable to meet for public worship on March 15th and March 22nd because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as you stay home this Sunday, remember that it’s still the Lord’s Day. God has given us six days to do our ordinary work, but this is a day of rest, worship, and mercy. So here are a few thoughts on how to spend the day:

  1. Consider a social-media/news fast on Sunday. Media has a purpose, but in times like this, it can lead to anxiety and fear. If you’re just at home anyway, take the time that you would have spent online or watching the news and devote it to prayer, Bible reading, in addition to private and family worship. This is part of the reason Hope isn’t going to stream something on Facebook. I would rather see our people truly resting from the influx of news. Turn off your devices!

  2. Consider private worship on Sunday. Don’t we all wish we had more time to pray and read our Bibles individually? Well, here it is. Don’t view Sunday as a time to get caught up on Netflix. Wouldn’t it be amazing if Hope Church grew closer to God through prayer and private Bible reading in this time of crisis? You could read through the book of Psalms and pray as you go. You could read a letter of the Apostle Paul several times in a row. You could memorize a favorite passage. There are so many great possibilities!

  3. Consider family worship on Sunday. If you have family at home, devote time to family worship. Here's a link to the bulletin we would have used this Sunday. You may want to sing the songs, reflect on the catechism question, pray and read the Bible together. It could be a great time of family connection. (Here's the best sermon I've ever heard on family worship and how to do it.)

Hope in the Lord …. and go and sin no more

What is the worst sin you’ve ever committed? I have spent a lot of time thinking about this recently; maybe too much, but I cannot always control what thoughts enter my head. Spurgeon said, “All sins are great sins, but yet some sins are greater than others.” I am still unsure how to judge the seriousness of my sins. Should I consider which sins had the worst consequences? Is the amount of harm I caused to myself or to others most important?  How much worse are repeated sins compared to one-time sins? Is the amount of embarrassment and shame I would experience if my sin became known important? Should how much I broke someone’s trust matter? How wicked are those sins of unrepentant disobedience where I do not feel particularly guilty or repentant? Are public sins worse than private sins? My list is long, and no matter how much I hated and repented of my past sins, I could not seem to completely break free of the guilt and disgrace of what I had done. It took a while, but I finally found comfort in Jesus’ words to two sinners.

In John 5, Jesus heals a lame man and tells him to “sin no more”. In John 8, Jesus saves an adulterous woman who was about to be stoned. When the woman departed, He told her to “go and sin no more.” Jesus did not tell either sinner to “think about what you’ve done.” He did not tell them to make amends or to unburden their heart to others. Jesus did not demand that they offer sacrifices to God. He did not recommend a multi-step plan. All of these responses to sin may have their place, but none of those activities can change the past. Too often our response to our sin causes us to dwell unnecessarily on the past. But Jesus commanded these sinners to accept God’s grace and focus their hatred of their sin both on the here-and-now and on the future.

So how do I respond in a hopeful and helpful way to my guilt and regrets? One passage has been quite helpful. In 2 Corinthians 7 Paul contrasts godly guilt that leads to repentance and greater intimacy with God against worldly grief that lacks any redemptive purpose and leads to death. Also, throughout the Psalms, God’s people have prayed for God to examine their hearts and show their hidden faults (Psalms 139, 26, 19). But finding and pointing out my sins is the easy part. Praying for God to “lead us not into temptation” (Matthew 6) and to “lead me in the everlasting way” (Psalm 139) is a reminder of the priority of living in the present and looking to the future without reliving the past.

In hindsight, if I had spent more time reading the Bible, listening to godly preaching, and participating in Christian fellowship and small group study, then maybe I would have been reminded of Jesus’ words of comfort sooner. Then again, perhaps my months of struggle prepared me to listen and to obey the Word of God when I was reminded of what Jesus said. All I know is that focusing the hatred of my sin on what I am currently thinking and doing (or not doing) is a much more hopeful response to Jesus’ command to “go and sin no more.”

 

What Pastor Stern is Reading This Week (Last Week of January 2020)