Hobart Herd Devotionals – Psalms 100-102
This great Psalm is where we find the worship chorus, “He has made me glad”! Having just preached a sermon on the joy of the Lord, this Psalm resonates with the gladness and joy that is ours in the Lord Jesus Christ. As followers of the Lord, we should exude the joy of the Lord to a world that grieves and suffers under the fake happiness of our sinful society. True joy can only come from the Lord and is a gift, (fruits of the Spirit, Gal 5:22-25) that becomes part of our lives as the Holy Spirit controls our hearts and minds. Every day should be a day we can serve the Lord with gladness as we do everything for the glory of the Lord. We should enter every day with the joy of the Lord as our strength, gladness in our hearts, and a song of joy on our lips.(vs. 1-2) Let the whole world know that “Joy is the flag that is flown from the castle of our hearts because the King is in residence there”.(worship chorus, “Joy Is a Flag”)
When it was time to enter into the courts of the temple, the Israelites were to bring their hearts of thanksgiving and their voices of praise. How many times do we come to worship the Lord out of obligation without a heart of joy, thanksgiving and praise? I need to determine in my heart to “enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart”, and “enter His courts with praise.” I can by the act of my will, led by the Spirit say, “this is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice for He has made me glad.” Sometimes we think the Joy of the Lord is just an emotion when things are going well; when really the gift of the Lord’s Joy comes by allowing the Holy Spirit to be in control of our will and produce the gladness, joy, praise and worship that is God’s will for our lives.
Why can we have the gladness and joy of the Lord in our lives continually? Because as the Great Creator, God gives us the capacity to receive and serve Him in all we do, and glorify Him with all our hearts.(vs. 3-6)
Father, may I receive Your gift of joy be faith, trusting and bringing thanks to You. I can always enter Your presence with thanksgiving and Your courts with praise. May I trust that the day Your have made is a day of gladness and joy, and may the world know by our face, lips, and heart that You are a faithful God of love. In Jesus Name, Amen! Pastor Rob
Hobart Herd Devotional – Psalms 101
Psalms 101:1, 1 I will sing of your love and justice. I will praise you, Lord, with songs.(NLT) The response of my heart to God’s faithfulness, love, and justice, should be songs that praise Him for who He is and what He has done. My life should respond by living in righteous integrity before Him.(vs. 2) The rest of this Psalm is a charter on how to live for the Lord in righteousness and truth.
In verses 3-5 we see that David will guard his eye gate, and avoid those who would lead him to fall astray and be led away from God and His ways. What do these people look and act like? They have a perverse heart that lead my mind to thinking evil.(vs. 4) They secretly slander and talk behind their neighbors backs, including me. They have a “haughty look” and an “arrogant heart” that leads me to act and look the same way they do.(vs. 5) So many times I have been led astray by people who do these things. Why should I want to act, look or live like this when I know the destruction and pain of a wrecked and destroyed life?
Psalms 101:6 My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; He who walks in a blameless way is the one who will minister to me.(NAS)
If I want to walk in integrity, blameless and righteous before the Lord, I need to look for the faithful, and walk in faithful service with them. Put God’s faithful, righteous people of integrity around you and join with them in faithful worship and service.
Father, I recognize Your faithful love and justice, and want to live in You. Help me, like David, to allow You to put a guard on my eyes and heart. Show me how to avoid those who would lead me astray, and surround myself with Your people of faithful love, integrity, and hearts of service. In Jesus Name, Amen! Pastor Rob
Hobart Herd Devotional – Psalms 102
How do I deal with the times that I have reached my limits and need the Lord to rescue me from the depths of despair and pain? Psalms 102 is a Psalm that I can read and pray that will rebuild my faith and trust in God who is faithful and will never leave or forsake me. Verses 1-2, is the plea in prayer for Lord to hear I cry and come to our rescue quickly. In that moments when we are at our end, we can cry to the Lord and know that He will listen and be there for us.
In verses 3-11, we have the description of the brokenness of heart, body, and spirit that we feel when we think there is no hope, no end to the pain, and no reason to keep on living. We can’t eat or drink; we can’t sleep, our bones ache, and our heart is smashed and broken.(vs. 3-7) Our enemies laugh and scorn us using our name as a curse or description of derision. The picture of eating ashes is one derived from the ashes that were worn in sorrow and pain in coming to the Lord for healing. The picture is of someone who was eating the ashes and drinking the tears of sorrow. All of this came from the feeling of the Lord showing His indignation and wrath on our sins and seeming to have cast us away.(vs. 9-11)
How do we come out of this pain and agony? Psalms 102:12-13, 12 But Thou, O LORD, dost abide forever; and Thy name to all generations. 13 Thou wilt arise {and} have compassion on Zion; for it is time to be gracious to her, for the appointed time has come.(NAS) We remember the God who is always with us and abiding forever for all generations. We remember the compassion and grace He has shown to us in His appointed time. Most of the time we need to trust and wait on the Lord’s timing and recognize that He has a plan the whole time we are in distress. Even the whole earth will come to fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth will bow down and glorify Him in His time.(vs. 15-16) The Lord does not turn away from the prayer of the destitute and hurting. Psalms 102:18 This will be written for the generation to come; that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.(NAS) God always keeps the promises of His Word and it is written that every future generation might know and trust in Him. By the way, this is why truth in knowing our history is so important, and the knowledge of His word being taught to our children and grandchildren.
It may seem that God is cutting your life short, but understand as His child He is working His eternal plan through all our pain and sorrow, even when we have brought a lot of it on ourselves. He will never leave us or forsake us. He will establish your life and the lives of generations to come. Psalms 102:27-28, 27 “But Thou art the same, and Thy years will not come to an end. 28 “The children of Thy servants will continue, and their descendants will be established before Thee.”(NAS)
Father, thank You that You are always there in my deepest pain and despair. That even though I feel I can’t live through the pain and the problems that surround me, You are always the same, and will never leave or forsake me. You will use what I am going to as a testimony to Your faithful love, grace and mercy to the generations to come. Thank You that in the Lord I can trust in the eternity to come, knowing that the love and joy of the Lord is mine forever. In Jesus Name, Amen! Pastor Rob