Walking Through the Psalms“A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.” – Psalm 84:10 (NLT)“Stimulation or Transformation?” A young man stopped by the church today looking for a Narcotics Anonymous group. They don’t meet here anymore, so I got online to tell him where ...

Walking Through the Psalms“Blessed are those whose strength is in you.” – Psalm 84:5 (NIV)“The Lord Is Your Strength!” In John 15:26, Jesus tells His disciples that He will send them an “Advocate.” Some translations will say “Comforter” or “Counselor.” The word in Greek is Paraclete. It’s a legal term that refers to a lawyer or an attorney. But don’t think shyster or some accident-chasing, trying-...

Walking Through the Psalms“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…But I would feed you with the finest wheat. I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.” – Psalm 81:13-14, 16 (NLT)“Choose God’s Way” Have you ever watched your adult child or grandch...

Walking Through the Psalms“Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.” – Psalm 81:10 (NLT)“Open Wide for God!” My wife is weird. She says she’s “picky.” I say “weird.” You be the judge. She doesn’t like things that are sweet. So most kinds of candy are out, except Skittles and Peanut M&M’s. She doesn’t like most kinds of meat. She won’t eat thick steaks, thick hamburgers, and she d...

Walking Through the Psalms“Blow the ram’s horn at new moon, and again at full moon to call a festival! For this is required by the decrees of Israel; it is a regulation of the God of Jacob.” – Psalm 81:3-4 (NLT)“Don’t Forget to Remember” On July 14, 2023, Kenneth Webb was cooking up some food at his home in Jackson, Mississippi. It was something he loved to do. But his deep fryer splashed some gre...

Walking Through the Psalms"You have fed us with sorrow and made us drink tears by the bucketful…Turn us again to yourself, O God of Heaven’s Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved." – Psalm 80:5, 7 (NLT)“A Tsunami of Grief” I was talking with someone recently who lost their spouse after 60 years of marriage. Their pain was beyond my comprehension. Tears filled their ...

Walking Through the Psalms“Turn us again to yourself, O God. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.” – Psalm 80:3 (NLT)“Reining In the ADHD” I have a friend who is ADHD. If you’ve ever been around anyone like that, they can be maddening to try to talk to. He never looked at me when I was talking. He looked past me, around me, at others walking by, but rarely was he looking ...

Walking Through the Psalms“Listen to the moaning of the prisoners. Demonstrate your great power by saving those condemned to die.” – Psalm 79:11 (NLT)“Need a New Life?” What a powerful prayer the psalmist prays in our passage today. And how amazing is our God in how He has answered that prayer over and over again! The writer may have been referring to those who were captured when Jerusalem was tak...

Walking Through the Psalms“Do not hold us guilty for the sins of our ancestors! Let your compassion quickly meet our needs, for we are on the brink of despair.” – Psalm 79:8 (NLT)“Breaking Generational Curses” “Generational curses.” Have you ever heard that term? It’s a phrase that’s often used to describe issues that have plagued family lines generation after generation. It might refer to addicti...

Walking Through the Psalms“Despite his wonders, they refused to trust him.” – Psalm 78:32 (NLT)“Because of His Wonders, Trust Him!” This verse is the defining epitaph of the people of God who came out of Egypt. Psalm 78 gives a painful, blow-by-blow account of how God provided what they needed, performed miracle after miracle, protected them from their enemies, and delivered them time and time aga...

Walking Through the Psalms“O my people, listen to my instructions. Open your ears to what I am saying, for I will speak to you in a parable.” – Psalm 78:1-2 (NLT) A while back, I had someone make a sermon suggestion to me. When I asked them why they thought I needed to preach on that particular topic, they told me they knew someone who really needed to hear it. I said, “If I preach it, do you real...

Walking Through the Psalms“Yet they kept on sinning against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert. They stubbornly tested God in their hearts, demanding the foods they craved.” – Psalm 78:17-18 (NLT)“Grow Up!” My wife hates to run. She didn’t participate in sports as a kid and spent most of her school days in a library, rather than in a gym like I did. She’s never experienced a runner...

Walking Through the Psalms“You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep, with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds.” – Psalm 77:20 (NLT)“Don’t Bite Your Shepherds!” Last week, I was speaking at a campmeeting in Pennsylvania. After one of my morning sessions, a young man came up to me and told me he was really enjoying the sessions. I thanked him. He then leaned in and quietly told me th...

Walking Through the Psalms“Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was there!” – Psalm 77:19 (NLT)“The Amazing Paths of God” Several years ago, God called me to help do a “re-start” with a church in Pennsylvania. It was a small church plant that never really got off the ground. There were 40-50 people who were renting a hotel ballroom to hold ser...

Walking Through the Psalms“Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be kind to me? Is his unfailing love gone forever? Have his promises permanently failed?” – Psalm 77:7-8 (NLT)“Now Is Not Forever!” Say this out loud: “NOW is not FOREVER!” Take a moment to think about that very hard thing you’re going through. Let the fear, the frustration, and the anxiety well up just a bit. Now, be...

Walking Through the Psalms“Jerusalem is where he lives; Mount Zion is his home.” – Psalm 76:2 (NLT)“Your Heart, His Home” God moved. And He moved a lot closer. In our passage today, the Psalmist was referring to the Temple. The people of God would come there to worship Him. It was a Special Place. It was a Holy Place. People would travel from all over to come to God. But then something amazing and...

Walking Through the Psalms“We praise you, God, we praise you, for your Name is near; people tell of your wonderful deeds.” – Psalm 75:1 (NIV)“Tell Me Your Story” Two different women reminded me a while back of what our most powerful possession is. It’s Our Story. One stopped me after church to thank me for being open about sharing my life and journey of faith. She told me how God used that to touc...

Walking Through the Psalms“Remember that we are the people you chose long ago, the tribe you redeemed as your own special possession!” – Psalm 74:2 (NLT)“Chosen” My youngest son and his wife have recently adopted a child. The process is a lot harder and more difficult than many people understand. It can take years from the time you start the paperwork to when you finally have the child. There are ...

Walking Through the Psalms“But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign LORD my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.” – Psalm 73:28 (NLT)“Don’t Drift!” A few years ago, a family from Ohio had one of those experiences that parents have nightmares about. It was their first trip to the ocean, and they were enjoying the sun, the beach, and the...

Walking Through the Psalms“My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.” – Psalm 73:26 (NLT)“Fading Bodies, Soaring Souls!” Isn’t it funny how our bodies change as we grow older? Our eyesight and hearing begin to get worse. Our bodies hurt more, bruise more, and sag more. Our vertical jump becomes a horizontal shuffle. Our lightning...