Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. Psalm 30:4-5 I love the hope and determination of this passage.  For … Continue reading When Mourning Continues into the Morning

What does it mean to have the Lord's favor?  What kind of "favors" do we ask of the Lord, and on what basis?  Do we even ask? Psalm 27 is a beautiful psalm of petition and praise of God's salvation.  Like so many psalms, this one deals with real life fears and pressing dangers.  In … Continue reading Lord, do me a favor!

One good thing about so much cultural upheaval and increasingly darker shades of this present darkness, is that desires tend to be redefined and sanctified for the true believer. Sometimes trouble runs so deep, it taps into a new "normal" of what we really want. If you've had to suffer through watching your parents age, … Continue reading Trouble Runs Deep…Grace Runs Deeper

Psalm 14 is an incredible song. In some ways it reminds me of the best of fantasy/dystopian literature.  It's dark, frightening, and borderline hopeless.  In fact, if it weren't for verse 7, you'd wonder what good Psalm 14 can accomplish besides, at best, just stating the facts.  Well, every verse matters, because when God's mercy … Continue reading Future Hope Trumps Present Evil

I used to know what "hope" looked like.  I had pictures in my head of what life looked like when God came through with keeping promises.  That future portrait isn't as clear as it once was.  I need to look through a different lens. We all have a little "extra" we put on the basic promises … Continue reading When You Can’t See Ahead…Look Back