West View United Methodist Church

Psalm 139 is a powerful reminder of how deeply you matter to God: "For it was You who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (verses 13-14). Even more, there's nowhere we can hide from God's presence, a thought that is at once comforting, or if, like Jonah, you're trying to run away from God, a bit disturbing. But, the thing is, we don't need to run from God. God is light, and for God "the nigh...t is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to You" (v. 12). God's light shines in our darkness, even when we're not aware of it at the time. And in these dark and troubling times in which you and I are living, I take comfort that, "If I ascend to heaven, You are there; or if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there" (v. 8). Remember, in the ancient world, Sheol was the realm of the dead, the deepest, darkest Pit that anyone could imagine. And yet, even there, God can reach us. As an elder and saint in the Russian Orthodox church once said, "You may be certain that as long as someone is in hell, Jesus will remain there with him. Jesus entered into our darkness and God-forsakenness so that you never would be forsaken. Trust Him today with your joys and your sorrows, your hopes and your fears, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen. - Pastor Matt #APsalmADay

Psalm 138 is a passionate song of thanksgiving and praise to God. The Psalmist here is filled with hope that, "though I walk in the midst of trouble" (v. 7), God will bring him through his current challenges and deliver him. I'm especially struck by his confidence that "the Lord will fulfill his purpose for me" (v. . When you're going through a hard time, that isn't easy to say, and, as we've seen, there's plenty of psalms filled with anguish over where God is when troubles... come. Here, though, we see what it looks like to trust that God's purpose for our lives cannot be thwarted, no matter how bad it seems out there. There is no power in heaven or on earth that can separate us from the love of God we know in Christ Jesus our Lord (See Romans . May Psalm 138, then, move us to sing, "’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His word; Just to rest upon His promise; Just to know, Thus saith the Lord. Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him, How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er, Jesus, Jesus, Precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more." Amen! - Pastor Matt #APsalmADay

Psalm 137 is perhaps the most heartrending of all psalms, a song of great sadness from the perspective of Jewish captives and exiles in Babylon who have survived the destruction of their homeland. To add insult to injury, the Babylonians order the exiles to sing songs of their home country for the entertainment of their captors. But, "how could we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?" (v. 4). Of course, Psalm 137 also ends with a call for vengeance so bitter and cruel tha...t it is impossible for us to pray those words, especially as Christians. To put it bluntly, the prayer is that God will pay back the Babylonians (and the Edomites who assisted them) in kind for what they have done by causing their babies' heads to be smashed against rocks. That is a horrific prayer. We shouldn't sugarcoat it. But, if you find yourself wondering how such a bloodthirsty cry for vengeance made its way into Scripture, examine your own heart and the feelings of bitterness to which you cling. After all, Jesus said that if we are angry against a brother or sister then we ourselves are in danger of God's judgment (Matthew 5:11), so let us not judge, lest we be judged. Today, I'm thankful there's nothing we need to hide from God but that God can redeem our brokenness, pain, and, yes, even our desire for vengeance against those who've wronged us. Give those urges over to God, who loves you, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen. - Pastor Matt #APsalmADay

Like Psalm 135, Psalm 136 is a historical psalm recounting God's deeds on behalf of Israel throughout history. Only this time, the song is structured around the refrain, "For his steadfast love endures forever," which occurs over and over again. Likely Psalm 136 was first sung by two or more singers, and as soon as a singer would sing of one of God's great deeds in history, the chorus would sing in reply, "For his steadfast love endures forever." The Life With God Bible (fro...m Renovare) has a wonderful idea for personalizing this psalm in prayer: "Naming God's specific acts of faithfulness in our own lives and responding with "God's love [or, Your love] never quits" offers a powerful pattern for personal reflection and prayer, especially when we're spiritually out of sorts and things seem to be going badly. It reframes our distress in the context of God's love." What a powerful practice that is, actually naming something that God has done for you and then remembering, "For God's steadfast love endures forever." May you know that love today, in Jesus' name. Amen! - Pastor Matt #APsalmADay