How Long? - Psalms 13 & 14

How long? A question any Christian has asks in times of trouble. What strikes me about Psalm 13 is that it's ok to ask God questions, to pour out what you're thinking. And I shouldn't say it's ok, but also good. David does it here in the Bible! I think of Jeremiah doing the same thing (Jeremiah 12:1-4, 20:7-10) during his hardships for the sake of following God's Word, and the saints awaiting justice in Revelation 6:9-11.

When we ask this, when we feel forgotten by God, we remember God's past mercy (חֶסֶד). And this gives us joy and confidence since we know that through it all, God's accomplishing his purposes. Think of David's hardships during the conspiracies of Absalom and Adonijah. It corrected David, showed him the consequence for sin, and prepared the throne to be passed on to Solomon who completed the construction of the temple. This Psalm is a prayer for patience and trust.

Yahweh, our Lord. How Majestic is Your Name in all the Land! - Psalm 8

This Psalm is a calm interlude from the ones surrounding it which talk of the attacks and sufferings enemies are bringing.

We see the simple praise which God receives from even infants contrasted with the defiance of terrible people. Jesus quotes it in Matthew 21:16 to demonstrate the trust (or faith) infants and children have in him.

And this praise is for God’s creation in all its vast array (akin to Romans 1:20). It’s a very fitting Psalm for me today considering that yesterday at church for Trinity Sunday we focused on how in Creation God created humanity to bear his image, with the humility (8:4-5) and responsibility that this all entails in ruling over God’s world (8:6-9) in a benevolent way, the way Christ rules over the Church.