Psalms 26-30
FIVE SIMPLE PLEASURES:
Staying in bed til 10am- Finishing the white gloss in the hall
- A family trip to the gym
- Planning my daughter’s 18th
- Family film night
PSALM 26: I’M DOING OK
Test me, Lord, and try me,
examine my heart and my mind;
for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love
and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness. v2-3
And that is what I’m aiming for right there.
PSALM 27: EVERY REASON TO TRUST GOD
The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid? v1
Having confidence in God is nothing to do with us and all about Him. He can take it. He can do all things. He is faithful. There is nothing, absolutely nothing for me to be afraid of.
PSALM 28: A LOT TO SING ABOUT
Praise be to the Lord,
for he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him. v6-7
I didn’t get to church in the whole of February – the longest time ever! And I missed it. More than I thought I would. I missed the people. I missed the opportunity to focus on God. I missed the singing. I’ve been listening to worship songs in the car as I’ve been driving up and down the A1, but it’s not the same. I’m really excited to going to church today. I intend to wholeheartedly praise God with my singing!
PSALM 29: CREATION SHOUTS OUT GOD’S GLORY
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendour of his holiness. v2
And that is what I’ll be doing this morning. Walking my dogs in the woods, taking in the wonder of God’s creation and then worshipping Him for all that He is and has done.
PSALM 30:
Weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning. v5You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever. v11-12
Of course, there’ll be times when we are sad. Desperately sad. We are human. It is natural to be sad and it is OK to admit to being sad. To feel like our heart is breaking. To experience the pain of loss or betrayal. To mourn. To miss someone. It’s more than OK to voice that, to find a way to express it.
But God works in everything to bring good. To bring healing. The deep sorrow is for a season. Even in that season, there will be people who warm our hearts, things that make us smile, a peace that only God can bring. Joy will be possible. The sun will rise in our lives again. We will learn to live again.
There’s no need to force it or to pretend. Wait. Trust. It will come. Trust healing will come. Trust that there will be joy again.
