Walking Through the Psalms“LORD, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive?” – Psalm 130:3 (NLT)“The God Who Forgives AND Forgets!” I read one of the saddest blogs I’ve ever seen a while back. It was from a woman who was grieving over her relationship with her mother. She said that her mother never praised her, but only criticized her as she was growing up. Even now, as an ...

Walking Through the Psalms“From the depths of despair, O Lord, I call for your help.” – Psalm 130:1 (NLT)“Are You Ready to Listen?” A few years ago, I preached a message called, “Are You Ready to Listen?” The storyline was from the Book of Judges, Chapter 6. The Israelites have gone their own way (again) and are now being overrun by their enemies. With their resources almost exhausted and their la...

Walking Through the Psalms“Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.” – Psalm 127:3 (NLT) I remember the day my first son was born. It was like a dream. As I stood there in that room, all I could do was stare at him. He was tiny, beautiful, and perfect. My heart was so full, I thought it was going to burst. All I could think about was how much fun I was going to have being a f...

Walking Through The Psalms“Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted.” – Psalm 127:1 (NLT)“Make Sure You Get the Foundation Right!” Several years back, Dartmouth College was in the midst of a $200 million building project when it suddenly came to a halt. The construction company told the college the bad news: The 70-foot deep foundation hole they had dug was ten feet furth...

Walking Through the Psalms“Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.” – Psalm 126:5 (NLT)“Plant in Tears, Reap in Joy” Can you imagine what the homes and fields of the Israelites looked like after being left idle for 70 years? Think about how overgrown they would be and how much work it would take to clear, plow, and get the ground ready again. Though they were now free, there was ...

Walking Through the Psalms“When the LORD brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream!” – Psalm 126:1 (NLT)“Like a Dream” What a beautiful description. Because of their disobedience, the Israelites had been in exile for 70 years. Everything they held sacred had been taken away. Their homes. Their communities. Their temple. As the years passed, many had begun to believe that God had ab...

Walking Through the Psalms“What if the LORD had not been on our side?” – Psalm 124:1 (NLT)“What If God Wasn’t There?” Life is hard sometimes. And it changes fast. Health issues come up. Relationship problems come storming in. Financial crises come out of nowhere. Your company downsizes. Your “sure thing” investment turns out to be a bust. Your perfect children turn into teenage aliens. You find ou...

Walking Through the Psalms“We keep looking to the LORD our God for his mercy, just as servants keep their eyes on their master.” – Psalm 123:2 (NLT)“Freedom in Slavery” Several years ago, I preached a message called “Freedom in Slavery.” I used the text from Romans 6 about how Paul says that we only find true freedom when we become slaves of God. I know that sounds funny, but it’s true. When God b...

Walking Through the Psalms“Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.” – Psalm 121:4 (NLT)"God's Awake So You Can Sleep" Several years ago, I spent a few days with my grandkids when they were living in Baltimore. The second night, as usual, I was still up long after everyone else had gone to bed. About 20 minutes after they had all turned in, my grandson Maddox came downstairs. H...

Walking Through the Psalms“I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth!” – Psalm 121:1-2 (NLT)“Where Does YOUR Help Come From?” Forty years ago, I had major ear surgery on both ears. My surgeon, Dr. Hough, was one of the world’s leading ear specialists. He was also a deeply devoted Christian. One time when I came to his office, I ...

Walking Through the Psalms“Rescue me, O LORD, from liars and from all deceitful people.” – Psalm 120:2 (NLT)“Worry About Your Character, Not Your Reputation” Have you ever had someone lie about you? I have. It’s really hurtful. Maybe it’s something they thought was true, but it wasn’t. Maybe it was something they heard (or misheard) and decided to pass on. Or maybe it was simply something they mad...

Walking Through the Psalms“I took my troubles to the LORD; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer.” – Psalm 120:1 (NLT)“Where Are You Taking Your Troubles?” Where do you take YOUR troubles? Some of us take our troubles to our homes. We snap at our spouse, yell at our kids, and kick the dog. Some of us take our troubles to our jobs. We roll our eyes at our boss, get snippy with our co-worker...

Walking Through the Psalms“I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands.” – Psalm 119:176 (NLT)“They Are Only a Prayer Away” Read this verse again. Can you hear it? It’s the voice of your son. It’s the sob of your granddaughter. It’s the cry of the heart of someone dear to you. Someone who grew up in the church. Someone who has heard the sermons,...

Walking Through the Psalms“I rejoice in your word like one who discovers a great treasure.” – Psalm 119:162 (NLT)“A Crater of Diamonds!” In Murfreesboro, Arkansas, is the Crater of Diamonds State Park. It’s one of the few places on Earth where the public can search for diamonds at their original volcanic source. It’s an eroded volcanic crater that is now a 37-acre plowed field. What’s cool is you ...

Walking Through the Psalms“Your promises have been thoroughly tested; that is why I love them so much.” – Psalm 119:140 (NLT)“Read the Reviews” Having traveled a good bit, I learned a valuable lesson about hotels. Read the reviews. I used to just look at the pictures that the hotel posted about itself. The pictures are almost always fantastic. Beautiful rooms. Wonderful breakfast buffets. Elegant ...

Walking Through the Psalms“It is time for you to act, LORD; your law is being broken.” – Psalm 119:126 (NIV)“Let God Be God” “It is time for you to act, LORD!” Have you ever prayed that prayer? Maybe, like the psalmist, you’re tired of seeing all the evil in the world, and you want Jesus to come back NOW and stop it all. Of course, that means that your own friends and family who are without Jesus ...

Walking Through the Psalms“Give discernment to me, your servant; then I will understand your laws.” – Psalm 119:125 (NLT)“Learning to Discern” I’m a big believer in listening to intuition. It’s a tough concept to teach, but it is an important concept to learn. I can’t tell you how many times along the way I’m about to make a decision, and something starts stirring inside me that this is not a good...

Walking Through the Psalms“Though the wicked hide along the way to kill me, I will quietly keep my mind upon your promises.” – Psalm 119:95 (TLB)“Let It Go!” Some people are not worthy of the amount of thought we give them.  That’s what hit me when I read our verse for today.  Think about it.  Somebody says something ugly to you or does something malicious.  And they’re KNOWN for doing such things...

Walking Through the Psalms“My eyes are straining to see your promises come true. When will you comfort me?” – Psalm 119:82 (NLT)“A Prayer for Those Who Are Straining” Straining. That word jumped out at me. It’s the perfect description for so many people I know right now. Maybe it’s a perfect description for you. Some of us are straining to hold it together. Others of us are straining to get it tog...

Walking Through the Psalms“My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees.” – Psalm 119:71 (NLT)“The Gift of Letting Them Suffer” You learn more through failures than you do through successes. I know that sounds counterintuitive, but it’s true. Think about things that you messed up. Think about decisions you made that were really dumb. Think about things that you d...