>Believing that part of honoring the Lord's Day is to rest from my regular work and since my regular work is writing, I don't write on Sundays. But Psalm 92 is too good and too appropriate not to share today, on this day that the Heidelberg Catechism calls the "festive day of rest" (Lord's Day … Continue reading >Festive Day of Rest, Psalm 92

>It's tempting to simply skip Psalm 88 and go on to Psalm 89, which begins by extolling God's love and covenant faithfulness. This morning that sounds infinitely preferable to Psalm 88's lament.Psalm 88 is a long lament, but—unlike most in the Psalter—it does not include an assertion of confidence or hope in God. This lack … Continue reading >Grace trumps the grave, Psalm 88

>In seven short verses, Psalm 87 extols the church by directing the reader's mind from the loveliness of the covenant with the patriarchs to the glories of Jerusalem at the height of Israel's power to the beauties of the church within an ugly world and finally to the splendors of the eternal holy city.The church … Continue reading >Born in Zion, Psalm 87

>Back at the end of Psalm 72, we read, "The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended." But fourteen psalms later in Psalm 86, another prayer of David appears.David's prayers echo with emotions and images that touch the common chords on the harp strings of human hearts.He begins Psalm 86 confessing not only … Continue reading >David’s Prayer, Psalm 86

>Psalm 85 seems particularly appropriate at this time of year. Most farmers have finished their harvest and fields sport various hues of crop stubble; some fields are dotted with big round bales of corn stalks like giant golden marshmallows. Local cooperatives' pickups pulling double tanks of anhydrous ammonia fertilizer no longer slow traffic. The agricultural … Continue reading >Our land’s increase, Psalm 85

>To borrow a quotation from a well-known poem and place it totally out of context, "breathes there a man with soul so dead, who never to himself has" experienced, when reading Psalm 84, a hymn of praise raise within his heart?Psalm 84 sings in my mind more than any other in the Psalter. Of course, … Continue reading >Lovely Dwelling Place, Psalm 84

>Psalm 74 laments the sad state of society and the apparent demise of true religion. The Psalmist begins by asking "O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?"The Psalmist has good reason to cry to God and feel forsaken; the temple has been … Continue reading >For such a time as this – Psalm 74

>Way back when, before the URCNA Synod and my subsequent catch-up time, I was posting a series of meditations on the Psalms. The last one concluded David's songs and Book Two of the Psalter, which brings us to Psalm 73.A former pastor of ours once said, "Psalm 73 is a great one to read when … Continue reading >Tap Dance on Head – Psalm 73

>It's with a measure of sadness that I share from Psalm 72, which is the last Psalm of David and concludes the second section of the Psalms.The note before the Psalm says that it is "Of Solomon." Perhaps Solomon wrote this Psalm as a reflection of his father David's teaching and prayers. It transitions from … Continue reading >David’s last prayer – Psalm 72