The Road of Life

Psalm 90 : " 10 Seventy years are given to us! Some may even reach eighty. But even the best of these years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we are gone. 11 Who can comprehend the power of your anger? Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve.

12 Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom. 13 O LORD, come back to us! How long will you delay? Take pity on your servants! 14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives. 15 Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good. 16 Let us see your miracles again; let our children see your glory at work. 17 And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!"

Had a fun football win Friday night and then ran a 5K race on SAT- I haven't been running as much because of football- and the course was a winding up hill for half the race challenge!

While I was running, I became overwhelmed at how good God has been to me. Just to be able to run when last fall I had a torn meniscus and could barely walk- the trail was beautiful- and I was hurting. It is like life- it is bittersweet- glory and pain- successs and emptiness.

I agree with the Psalmist- Come to us Oh Lord- no more delay! Let our children see you anew! Yes- make our efforts successful!
AMEN

The Desire of Delight

Psalm 81:8-16 (NLT):

"Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings. O Israel, if you would only listen! You must never have a foreign god; you must not bow down before a false god. For it was I, the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things. But no, my people wouldn't listen. Israel did not want me around. So I let them follow their blind and stubborn way, living according to their own desires. But oh, that my people would listen to me! Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths! How quickly I would then subdue their enemies! How soon my hands would be upon their foes! Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him; their desolation would last forever. But I would feed you with the best of foods. I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock."

Reflection:

Psalm 81 offers a powerful reminder of the intimate relationship God desires with His people and the consequences of either embracing or rejecting that relationship. The language used by the psalmist is not merely poetic but is deeply rooted in the covenantal relationship between God and Israel—a relationship marked by God's deliverance, provision, and protection.

The Call to Listen:

The opening verses (8-10) set the stage with a plea from God: “Listen to me, O my people…” The tone is both urgent and compassionate. God isn’t just issuing a command; He is calling His people back to a life of abundance and blessing. The command to “never have a foreign god” is a reminder that God alone is the source of true life and fulfillment. In ancient Israel, foreign gods represented not just spiritual rebellion but also a turning away from the life-giving covenant with Yahweh. In modern terms, these foreign gods can be seen as anything that takes priority over our relationship with God—be it material wealth, personal ambitions, or societal norms that conflict with God’s will.

The Promise of Fulfillment:

The imagery in verse 10, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things,” is rich with promise. It suggests an invitation to partake in the abundance that God provides, but it requires a posture of openness and trust. This isn’t about passive reception but an active, eager anticipation of what God will do. God’s desire to fill our lives with good things is a recurring theme in Scripture, but it’s contingent upon our willingness to receive. This echoes the sentiment found in Matthew 7:7-11, where Jesus teaches that God, like a loving Father, desires to give good gifts to His children.

The Tragedy of Resistance:

However, the passage also deals with the tragedy of Israel’s refusal to listen (verses 11-12). God’s lament, “But no, my people wouldn’t listen. Israel did not want me around,” reveals a heartbroken God who respects human freedom even when it leads to self-destruction. The consequence of Israel’s stubbornness is that they are left to follow their own desires—desires that lead them away from the true source of life and into a path of emptiness. This is a powerful reminder that when we insist on our own way, rejecting God’s guidance, we end up enslaved to lesser things that can never satisfy the deep longings of our souls.

The Longing of God’s Heart:

Verses 13-16 express God’s deep longing for His people to return to Him. The repetition of “Oh, that my people would listen to me!” underscores God’s desire for a relationship based on obedience and trust. If Israel were to turn back, God promises swift deliverance from their enemies and blessings that go beyond mere survival—“I would feed you with the best of foods. I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.” The imagery here is one of extraordinary provision—wild honey symbolizes something rare and delightful, found in unexpected places.

Application:

In our own lives, this psalm challenges us to examine the "foreign gods" we might be serving, knowingly or unknowingly. Are we pursuing desires that lead us away from God’s best for us? Are we resisting His call to open our mouths wide to receive His goodness?

To open our mouths wide to God means to live in a posture of expectation and submission. It’s about being willing to trust that His ways, though they may require humility and surrender, lead to a life of true delight. It is a reminder that God’s blessings are not just about material prosperity but about the richness of a life lived in communion with Him—a life where even the unexpected, like honey from a rock, becomes a source of deep satisfaction.

Conversely, to follow our own desires, rejecting God’s guidance, leads to a life of spiritual malnourishment. We become poor gods to ourselves, always striving but never truly fulfilled. The psalmist’s words challenge us to choose wisely, to open ourselves to God’s abundant provision rather than settle for the hollow promises of self-reliance.

Psalm 81 is both a warning and a promise. It warns us of the dangers of turning away from God, but it also promises the incredible delights that come from walking in His ways. The desire of delight is found not in the pursuit of our own desires but in the submission to God’s will, where He fills our lives with the best of things, even from the most unexpected places. It is indeed a delicious life with Him—a life where true joy and satisfaction are found in His presence.

The Control of Katrina

How does one Biblically respond to Katrina?

#1 God is in control- He was not absent from the storm. He was the fury of it. He was the pilot of it. Nothing happens outside of His sovereignty.

#2 The rain falls on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matt 5). Katrina represented judgement for some and graduation to heaven for others. See Jesus commentary in Luke 13 on human disaster. The question is always- "Am I ready for my death?"

#3 God is love and compassionate. In the storm, is also God's love. It is the same love shown on the cross. Where was God when Katrina struck? He was in the same place as when His Son hung on the cross. He is in control and full of love.

#4 For the believer. tragedy is turned to triumph. Rom, 8:28 promises that all things work for good. How can that be? The reaction to the tragedy shows God's truth. It shows mans depraved nature (Rom 3:23) in the looting and crime. It shows the existence of God in how we value life (we spend money and risk lives to save lives). It gives God's people a chance to show compassion (II Corin 1). It wakes us up from trivial lives of idolatry.

What is more comforting? Katrina with no God in control or Katrina being used by God to fulfill His purposes?

How you answer that question shows what risk you have taken for eternity.

See Joseph's faith in Genesis 50.

Psalm 74:9 You stand up to judge those who do evil, O God, and to rescue the oppressed of the earth. 10 Human opposition only enhances your glory, for you use it as a sword of judgment.

WIN WIN WIN !

Wow- a great, exciting victory last night! Our players played so hard. We still made a ton of mistakes, but I loved their fire and passion!

I am so humbled. My God is so generous to me.

Did He cause us to win? I can't argue that. He does care about the game and sovereignly uses the outcome for His good purposes.

But reagrdless.... it was pure fun. A thrilling come from behind, down to the last play..WIN.

Game Day

Tonight at 7:00 we get another chance to win after a two week wait. Man, this has been tough. We have a very tough opponent tonight. We will have a packed stadium and the game will be live on TV. we have had good preparation and are OK healthy.

I love gameday. It actually starts for me yesterday, we go out in shorts and rehearse game situations on our gamefield. We then watched our middle school win a good game.

The school relaxed our dress code today, we are wearing jeans and school colors- we will have a pep rally at the end of the school day.

It is just a fun day.

I'm thankful to live in a country where we can do this. At the same time, I will be thinking about New Orleans today and praying.

I hope to report big win in my next post.

God's Special Treasure

Micah 2:16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke with each other, and the LORD listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and loved to think about him. 17 "They will be my people," says the LORD Almighty. "On the day when I act, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient and dutiful child. 18 Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not."

Oh to be a treasure of the Lord- to be remembered- to be adopted- to be paid for by the blood of Jesus-to be spared- to be His people.


Do we really understand what it means to be in His shelter?

All I can say is a hollow "thanks"- O h Lord, Do I even know to whom I pray? Please translate this limping metaphor of praise.