David’s prayer in Psalm 86 is an interesting patchwork of petition and affirmation. Sandwiched between each of the four petitions (vv. 1-4, 6-7,11-14, and 16-17) is an affirmation of God and His character. When each of these affirmations is an integral part of…
As Jesus was praying in a certain place, His disciples came to Him when He had ceased and asked that He teach them to pray (Luke 11:1). Our Lord then proceeds to instruct His disciples on the verbal (vv. 2-4) and spiritual (vv….
The enduring challenge of faith is to unite what is learned intellectually about God with how you decide to live. In Psalm 86, David sums up this truth in one verse—”Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my…
One of the reasons for Jesus’ incarnation was to bring abundant life (John 10:10). To do this, humanity had to be reconciled to God so that there could be peace—the full satisfaction of God’s wrath toward humanity’s transgressions and lawlessness and the cessation…
Humans speak of life in three tenses—past, present, and future. In Psalm 85, as a son of Korah recounts the past, addresses the present, and looks to the future, he ever looks in faith to the timeless One—the great I AM. Send…
Priorities are discerned and values are exhibited by the choices you make. When confronted with two possibilities and only one can be chosen, your priorities and your values determine which option is, in your heart, better than the other. When facing the exact…
The walk of faith in God is a pilgrimage. For Abraham, the father of the faithful, his pilgrimage began the day he “obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went…
A soldier is most vulnerable when he is unprotected and cannot see an approaching, armed enemy. In the great battlefield called life, those who live without God are like soldiers facing a ruthless, armed foe in darkness and without any form of protection. …
Although it appears as the concluding summary, the theme of Psalm 84 is “O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You!” (v. 12). In the first eleven verses, one of the sons of Korah elaborates on three supreme blessings of faith. These are:…
Psalm 83 is the last psalm of Asaph in the Hebrew songbook. Verse two seems to indicate that this composition was written right before the temple’s defilement and Jerusalem’s unexpected overthrow by her enemies as described in Psalm 79:1-4. This psalm and its…
