Today's Psalm - Accountablity

Will you behave yourself if no one's watching? The psalmist doens't think so. Psalm 53, ascribed to David, puts it bluntly. Fools say there is no God and so they do whatever they want. Atheism and anarchy in the view of David will lead to abominable acts. Atheists and anarchist, of course, will disagreed because they see the perversity of power and terrible acts committed in the name of faith. But the biblical view is simple. When people aren't held accountable both now and in eternity, they will do whatever they want to advance their own agendas.

Atheism equals foolishness. Sooner or later, though God will rain down judgment.

It's easy to throw stones at atheism. I was on a pastor's retreat recently and I was introduced to a different term -- functional atheism. That's living our lives as though God didn't exist. And the greatest practitioners? Why Christians, of course. We claim we believe in God, but we go through the motions of our day as though God didn't exist. God will excuse me for being rude, inconsiderate, short tempered, and selfish. Maybe the psalmist saw some of that in his own day and that is why he lamented that there was no one who did good. If those who claim faith act as if there is no faith, then what will become of the world?

Today's Psalm - Are You Sure About the All Times Part?

Psalm 34 is another psalm of David's. He begins with an out there kind of statement. "I will bless the Lord at all times. . . " So now that just sounds like an invitation to trouble right? Can we have a few times maybe, David, when we might just want to gripe and complain and dispense with the blessing God?

What about when we are sick or when we are financially destitute or when our loved ones are suffering or when (fill in the time when life really leaves you down). I mean a statement like, "I will bless the Lord at all times . . " sounds like an open invitation to step into Job's shoes and suffer all manner of trouble while maintaining your faith steadfastly in God.

Oh wait, I guess that is kind of the point. Faith isn't a matter of convenience that I hold onto just cause life is going my way. Hmm. The psalm does go on to talk about good times and bad. Timidly, fearfully, grudgingly, the opening line is to be our statement of faith. "I will bless the Lord at all times . . "

Should I duck right after I say that, God?

Today's Psalm - From Bad to Worse

Yesterday, David spoke of being surrounded by the deceitful. He felt alone. In today's psalm (Psalm 13) he asks, how long will God forget about David's plea? Will it be forever.

Each psalm was likely written independently. However at some point later an editor (or several editors) arranged the psalms into a particular order. Most scholars believe it was not a casual or accidental arrangement.

The progression from yesterday's psalm "Help things are bad" to today's "God you must have forgotten about me" is a not an unusual struggle we all share. I'm all alone and I wonder if God even cares is the middle of the night heartache feeling most of us have experienced.

But the psalmist remains faithful. He will still proclaim God's love and trusts that he will experience God's salvation and so he sings. Faith at its strongest is faith when life is toughest.

Tomorrow - "I told you so!"