BOLD Outreach Reflections from Psalm 11

Subtitle: HOLD THE LINE!!!

"I have taken refuge in the Lord.
How can you say to me: 'Flee to your mountain like a bird? ...
When the foundations [of life] are undermined, what can a righteous person do?'
The LORD is in his holy temple.
The LORD's throne is in heaven.
His eyes see.
They examine Adam's descendants.
The LORD tests righteous people, but he hates wicked people and the ones who love violence. ...
The LORD is righteous.
He loves a righteous way of life.
Decent people will see his face." Psalm 11: 1, 3-5, 7
(God’s Word, Copyright 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society, http://www.godsword.org/).

As I am writing this we are in the depth of the fall football season. High school playoffs are underway. College teams are playing for bowl game appearances and pro teams are making a push for playoffs and the Super Bowl. Several years ago, I also played on a football team. My position was on the offensive line. When I was a senior in high school I was the starting left guard (first person to the left of the center) and also played center (the guy who hikes the ball to the quarterback). I weighed 155lbs fully dressed in my game gear and pads. Most of our opponent's linemen had 25 to 50lbs on me. On pass plays the offensive linemen had one job to do – that was to HOLD THE LINE and protect the quarterback until he was able to throw the ball downfield to an open receiver. The defensive linemen also had one primary job and that was to run over, around or through us (the offensive line) to get to the quarterback before he could throw the ball. It may have been easy for the fans or the coaches and other teammates to scream "HOLD THE LINE" at us, but it was not so easy for us to do it when our opposition was bouncing us around. There were a few games where our team so beaten up and demoralized by our opponents that we could hardly wait for the game to end. We were not only defeated but also totally humiliated by our opponents.

Sometimes my life is like a football game and I feel like I am getting bounced around. The opposition is screaming at me. Common sense is telling me to run away. I hear voices telling me to "flee to the mountains like a bird" or "save yourself, run for cover" or "look for an easier way out." I think you are getting the picture; it is difficult to stand firm in our beliefs when everyone and everything seems to be standing in opposition to us. When David faced these trials he turned to his people and stated with confidence, "I have taken refuge in the LORD. ... His eyes see. ... The LORD is righteous. ... Decent people will see his face."

Let me take the liberty to paraphrase his thoughts, "Don't tell me to run when God is watching out for me. I will trust in Him to protect me. I will HOLD THE LINE. I will not run because God is fighting with me. He is testing me. He is righteous and will do what is right for me. I will stand in his presence and wait on Him to deliver me from those who are oppressing me."

God spoke to us His words of promise through the words of David's pen. David's courage and faith become instrumental in giving us courage and faith to stand firm in the promises of God. God's promises have already been fulfilled for us in Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has destroyed our enemies – sin, death, and the devil. In Christ, God looks out for us and provides us with the gift of eternal life. In Christ, we are given God's righteousness and the certainty that we will see Him face to face.

We are no longer on the losing team waiting for the clock to run out, but rather we are on the winning team anxiously waiting for the end of the game. Satan, defeated and humiliated, is throwing cheap shots and punches at us. He is a sore loser. But he cannot destroy us because we are living in Christ by God's grace through faith. David's words in this Psalm remind us to set our focus on Jesus Christ, the righteous Son of God. In Christ, we can take refuge and stand firm against our opponent, Satan. With BOLDness we can "hold the line" and BOLDly proclaim this good news to others.

BOLD Outreach Reflections from Psalm 10

Mercy, Witness, Life Together – God promises to hear the cries of the oppressed.

"Arise, O Lord! ... You have seen it; yes, you have taken note of trouble and grief and placed them under your control. The victim entrusts himself to you. You alone have been the helper of orphans. ... The Lord is king forever and ever. The nations have vanished from his land. You have heard the desire of oppressed people, O Lord. You encourage them. You pay close attention to them in order to provide justice for orphans and oppressed people so that no mere mortal will terrify them again." (Psalm 10: 12, 14, 16-18, God’s Word, Copyright 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society, http://www.godsword.org/).

Less than one week ago, thirty-three miners in Chile were rescued from a room where they had taken refuge after an explosion trapped them in a mine over one-half mile below the surface of the earth. They had spent weeks waiting for their rescuers to drill a hole down to them that would be big enough for them to be lifted out.

Many of the miners stated that they had hope in their rescue because of their faith in God (and His promise to hear the cries of the oppressed). Their faith in God sustained them and gave them hope. One miner stated that there were thirty-four people present in the hole because God was also present with them throughout their ordeal.

This verse could be seen as merely addressing the merciful side of our God from a humanitarian perspective. He takes note of trouble and grief and places them under His control. ... He hears the desires of oppressed people... He encourages them... And then He provides justice for orphans and oppressed people. But God's mercy goes beyond providing physical care. In Jesus Christ, God not only shows His power over our physical needs, such as when He healed the sick and calmed the storms, but He also took on the punishment for our sins and conquered sin, death and the devil.

Jesus is the king whose reign is forever and ever. He provides justice for the oppressed and calls them to Himself to live with Him for eternity. This is our outreach promise. Those who call on the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, will be saved. Our mission as His children is to be witnesses to the mercy of God through our words and our deeds that others may come to know Him as their Lord.

The Chilean miners gave us their witness to the presence of God throughout their ordeal. May we be BOLD enough to follow their example – trusting in the outreach promises of God.

BOLD Outreach Reflections from Psalm 9

Subtitle: A Mighty Fortress is Our God

David wrote, “I will give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart. I will tell about all the miracles you have done. I will find joy and be glad about you. I will make music to praise your name, O Most High. … The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust you, O Lord, because you have never deserted those who seek your help. … You take me away from the gates of death so that I may recite your praises one by one in the gates of Zion and find joy in your salvation.” (Psalm 9:1-2, 9-10, 13-14, God’s Word, Copyright 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society, http://www.godsword.org/).

When trouble forces us to turn our thoughts inward and re-evaluate our position and purpose in life, we would be in a pretty sorrowful state if we didn’t have a place to go to find peace and rest. At times we all need a stronghold, a bunker that is safe, or a fortress that can withstand the attacks of our enemies in the world.

The loss of our self-esteem, depression, despair, the loss of income, the death of a loved one, or a constant reminder in the daily news of Satan’s presence in our world, could lead us to doubt the presence of God.

God is aware of this and so He gave us this message through His servant David to give us a reason to have hope. David’s suffering and times of trial were turned into times of prayerful music and reflection on all of the blessings God had given to him.

Our sorrow may also be turned to joy as we remember all the ways God has been our resting place in the midst of our earthly battles. Like a well-built bunker, God has provided shelter and protection while wars are being raged all around us.

A Question For Reflection
When troubles come, do we whine and complain about our circumstances, or do we praise God for all of the blessings He has given to us?

David states that he has been saved from death – “so that [he might] recite [God’s] praises ONE BY ONE… and find joy in [God’s] salvation.” (Psalm 9:14, God’s Word, Copyright 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society, http://www.godsword.org/).

Recently people of Wadena, Minnesota gathered in the church sanctuary to give thanks to God following the trauma and destruction of a storm that damaged many of their homes. They were assured that the TRUE sanctuary is found in Jesus Christ. They, like David, had been saved from death to declare the praises of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Did you catch the outreach promise in this verse? We are saved from death to declare the praises of God and will find joy in His salvation.

BOLD Outreach Reflections from Psalm 8

Subtitle: How Children Reveal the Majesty of the Lord.

“From the mouths of little children and infants, you have built a fortress against your opponents to silence the enemy and the avenger (Satan)” (Psalm 8:2, God’s Word, Copyright 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society, http://www.godsword.org/).

I have a granddaughter (my first). She is nine months old. She has been exercising her lungs since the day she was born. Her speech and language are being developed a little more everyday. Her parents (my son and daughter-in-law) have had the privilege of observing this development almost daily for the past nine months, while my wife and I have only had that opportunity a couple of times because of the distance that we live from them. I don’t think I have ever thought about her sounds as being used to silence Satan.

In what way does God use the squeals and squawks, coos and cries, giggles and burps of an infant to silence His enemies and Satan? Hmmm! What was David thinking about when he wrote those words? Was he watching his children playing or in total awe of the beauty of a newborn son or daughter?

It seems he was reflecting on the beauty of the creation of God. He may have looked at the miracle of the birth of the child and compared it to the beauty of all of God’s creation. The heavens, “the creation of [God’s] fingers, the moon and stars that [God has] set in place” (vs. 3), and the humble beginnings of a child; so totally different, and yet, so intricately designed with care and precision.

Can anyone honestly look into the eyes of a child and deny the existence of a divine creator? Can anyone really believe that we are products of evolutionary mutations? Can anyone really believe God does not care about His creation? A two-year old child has more intelligence than any animal on earth. We have a purpose and place in the order of God’s creation. God has placed us here to care for the rest of His creation and use the resources of the world to bring glory to Him.

But there is more in this Psalm. It is a prophetic statement concerning the role of God’s own Son. He would be the offspring of man, crowned with glory and honor, and placed as the ruler over all of God’s creation (vs. 4-8). This promise was fulfilled many years later when God’s own Son Jesus Christ is born of a woman, and through His death and resurrection defeated Satan and conquered death.

David understood and believed in this outreach promise. Therefore, he could look at a child, hear their infant sounds, and compare them to the beauty of singing in heaven. The song he heard was a refrain of praise glorifying the name of the Lord: “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the earth!” (Psalm 8:9, God’s Word, Copyright 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society, http://www.godsword.org/).

BOLD Outreach Reflections from Psalm 7

Subtitle: David sings the Blues

What is David’s view of the LORD in this Psalm?

It is not what we might typically expect from someone who is on the run again. We have David, the king of Israel, and his closest allies running for their lives as David’s own son attempts to take over the kingdom. To make a seeming helpless situation worse, a descendant of Saul (the first king of Israel; whose family was removed from the throne by the hand of the LORD) is screaming obscenities and throwing stones at David from the top of a hill, as David passes through a valley below him.

If it were Rodney Dangerfield, you might expect to hear, “I can’t get any respect! What’s the matter with people nowadays? Don’t they have any respect for their authorities? Blah, blah, blah…I get no respect, I tell yah, NO RESPECT!!!”

But David’s response reveals his character. He writes a song of praise and names the attributes of the LORD, our God. His list becomes our outreach promises for today.

• The LORD is my refuge.
• The LORD saves and rescues.
• The LORD judges thoughts, motives, and integrity.
• The LORD is a fair judge.
• The LORD’s judgment is above all others.
• The LORD is a righteous judge.
• The LORD is a shield who protects those who place their trust in Him.
• The LORD’s judgment is merciful.

David would rather stand before the judgment of the LORD than before the judgment of self-centered men. He recognized the depth of the mercy and forgiveness of the LORD.

When Jesus stood before His accusers, they devised and carried out their evil plot against Him. They were partners with Satan, but they unknowingly served as God’s agents. The pit they dug to catch and destroy Jesus Christ became the very pit that Satan fell into (vs. 15). The cross was intended to become the undoing of Jesus Christ, but it became Satan’s undoing. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross destroyed the power Satan that would have kept us from having a relationship with our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ.

With David we can give thanks to the LORD for His righteousness (vs. 17). When we are feeling down in the dumps, we can sing the blues with David, and reflect on the righteousness of Jesus Christ, who has shown us great love and mercy, by setting us free from our adversary, Satan.

Sing, sing, sing… and shout praises in the name of Jesus!

BOLD Outreach Reflections from Psalm 6

Subtitle: God Hears the Sound of Crying

For some crying comes easily. For others (tough and rugged individuals) crying is resisted, hidden, or reserved for the most intimate and private forms of grieving loss, loneliness and pain.

Do you see King David as one who cried easily?

Or, as one who resisted crying until he could no longer hold his pain within?

David wrote, “I am worn out from my groaning. My eyes flood my bed every night. I soak my couch with tears. My eyes blur from grief. They fail because of my enemies” (Psalm 6:6-7, God’s Word, Copyright 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society, http://www.godsword.org/).

Here is God’s promise. He hears us when we cry out to Him. David had cried his heart out before the Lord and then (in the very next verse) states, “Get away from me, all you troublemakers, because the LORD has heard the sound of my crying. The LORD has heard my plea for mercy. The LORD accepts my prayer” (Psalm 6:8-9, God’s Word, Copyright 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society, http://www.godsword.org/).

Today I heard someone say that God brings healing to us – not by bringing us out of adversity like a pampering parent would do to a sick child, but by bringing us through adversity by giving us the strength to endure the suffering and pain or by allowing others to serve us who can empathize with our suffering. His solution for freeing us from the punishment of sin, death, and our adversary, the Devil, is the death of His own Son, Jesus Christ. We are delivered from death by the death of another. We are giving Christ, who can empathize with our suffering. We can take comfort from the tears and groaning of the great King David. We can be sure that God hears our crying, just as David was sure that God heard his crying, and even more so, because we have the testimony of Jesus Christ’s suffering and death, which led to God’s victory over Satan.

With David, we can tell our troublemakers (Satan, doubt, despair, grief, bitterness, etc.) to go away. Jesus Christ has won the victory! God has heard our collective cry for help and has had mercy on us through Jesus Christ, our Lord. May you be comforted by this outreach promise fulfilled in Christ and have the courage to share this good news with others, TODAY.