Choose Joy

Psalm 100 wastes no time with preliminaries. Rather than try to convince the reader to praise the Lord for His goodness and our many blessings, the composer issues three commands in the first two verses. The Commands. Shout joyfully to the LORD (100:1). This is quite a beginning! The Hebrew gets straight to the point. In fact, the term “joyfully” doesn’t appear in the Hebrew.

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Abundance without Gratitude

While we have experienced financial ups and downs in the last century—some of them significant—we nevertheless benefit from an unprecedented level of abundance. Never in human history have so many people lived in the kind of comfort and security we enjoy today. And American culture leads the world in luxury. Many families have a driveway full of cars, a house full of modern appliances—many dedicated to entertainment

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What God Does

While the first two verses of Psalm 91 depict the faithful character of God, verses 3 and 4 describe what God does. The psalmist names three actions the Lord takes on our behalf: 1. He delivers: from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence 2. He covers: with His pinions/under His wings 3. He shields: by His faithfulness

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Cease Striving

The psalmist’s inner battle with the grind of personal weakness, recorded in Psalm 46, ended with a truce. He arrived at a critical decision that required every ounce of faith he could muster. He decided to withdraw from battle. I Will Not Strive. The last four verses of his song (Psalm 46:8–11) are nothing short of magnificent.

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God in Your Midst

The psalmist’s reaction to nature in upheaval was, “I will not fear” (Psalm 46:2–3). His response to feelings of personal weakness continues in Psalm 46 with a change of scene, which prompts another resolution. I Will Not Be Moved. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High.

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A Fear Response

The psalmist was most likely a priest. As a man of letters, he would have known the history of Israel better than most. And their path had not been a smooth one. They continually faced dangers from foreign armies as well as dangers within. Consequently, the psalmist looked for help from his almighty God.

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Find Solace in Nature

David’s songs of inner turmoil don’t offer easy answers; he’s too realistic for that. David had seen the lowest of lows several times in his life, so he knew that counting your blessings won’t work every time. Sometimes, we get so low that no memory will jar us loose from our turmoil. In Psalm 42:6–8, David offers another technique.

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A “Churning Place”

I have a “churning place.” It’s in my stomach. On the upper, left side, just below the rib cage. When disturbing things happen, when troubling words are said, when certain letters that contain ugly words are written or extremely critical comments are read, my inner churning starts. Do you have something similar? One friend of mine says his spot is in his head, specifically his forehead.

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The Thief of Discontentment

By now, the best way to ease the grind of discontentment should be clear. The book of Proverbs counsels us to find personal delight in the things money cannot buy, such as love and interpersonal harmony. Wisdom also points to another intangible hope that satisfies the heart in ways that material possessions fail to do. Better is a little with righteousness, than great income with injustice. (16:8)

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Frozen by Fear

One of the most paralyzing problems in all of life is fear. Our fears are directed in so many areas: fear of the unknown, fear of calamity, fear of sickness, disease, and death, fear of people, fear of losing our jobs, fear of enemy attacks, fear of being misunderstood . . . or rejected . . . or criticized . . . or forgotten . . . or being mistreated.

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