Are you as close as the birds?

Psalm 84:1–12 (ESV): 

1  How lovely is your dwelling place, 

O Lord of hosts! 

 2  My soul longs, yes, faints 

for the courts of the Lord; 

  my heart and flesh sing for joy 

to the living God. 

 3  Even the sparrow finds a home, 

and the swallow a nest for herself, 

where she may lay her young, 

  at your altars, O Lord of hosts, 

my King and my God. 

 4  Blessed are those who dwell in your house, 

ever singing your praise! Selah 

 5  Blessed are those whose strength is in you, 

in whose heart are the highways to Zion. 

 6  As they go through the Valley of Baca 

they make it a place of springs; 

the early rain also covers it with pools. 

 7  They go from strength to strength; 

each one appears before God in Zion. 

 8  O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; 

give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah 

 9  Behold our shield, O God; 

look on the face of your anointed! 

 10  For a day in your courts is better 

than a thousand elsewhere. 

  I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God 

than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 

 11  For the Lord God is a sun and shield; 

the Lord bestows favour and honour. 

  No good thing does he withhold 

from those who walk uprightly. 

 12  O Lord of hosts, 

blessed is the one who trusts in you! 

Even the birds are loved, protected and cared for by God and can make their way as close to God as to His courts and altar. These are inner, intimate spaces and the birds have freedom of access as well as proximity to God. Yet these creatures have no understanding of the significance or privilege it is to be able to enter the temple let alone get so close! Yet they still have permission to enter and abide there. 

As people, those made in His image, God invites us to have the same boldness and freedom to get as close to Him as the birds can. You can not only approach the altar; the place of sacrifice, forgiveness, celebration and gratitude, but you can abide there. You can live from a place of comfort and safety knowing that all your sins are forgiven. They are all dealt with by Almighty God’s sacrifice of His son. You have permission to enter God’s dwelling place and you can get as close as you like, just ike the birds. You can be one of the blessed who not only visit but, ‘dwell in your house, ever singing your praise’! You can live from a place of acknowledging and resting in the sacrifice of Jesus, the freedom, love, security and forgiveness this brings. The power of knowing and dwelling in the truth that Jesus has made a way for you to enter into God’s presence, not just as a one off, but that you can even live in His presence forever, is something that deserves celebrating every day. This truth never changes, and God wishes you to feel welcome and as free as the birds; to come, live and increase in His presence. Come and make your ‘nest’ in the midst of God’s dwelling place, and build your family on the altar for it is a place of protection, certainty and joy. The sacrifice of Jesus provides you with hope and forgiveness, love, security and comfort, what more could you want than the promise of proximity to God for you and your family?

This psalm also talks about the courts of the temple which is the place of community. This is a chance to gather with others, listen to teaching and participate in worship. If you are living acknowledging and appreciating the presence of God in your life, you also have the freedom and the privilege of celebrating, worshipping and gathering with a range of other believers. Not only is it good for you to have an intimate relationship with God as at the altar, but you are also free to build relationships with other believers who learn and teach the scriptures, encourage and provide for one another, eat, sing, praise, pray, play and talk to each other! The courts are as accessible to the birds as the altar, and so you have the opportunity to participate in community. God has given you a home, and He has given you a family of believers with whom you can grow and enjoy life with.

What a joyful privilege it is to be welcomed and free to explore God’s own home like the birds - exploring and resting in His presence. Nowhere else could be as safe, comforting or exciting as that. ‘the Lord bestows favour and honour. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly’. God will take care of you when you come to Him, you are safe with Him and you won’t lack good things when you live your life close to Him. You cannot know His favour, honour, protection, love or greatness from a distance - it is from the altar and the courts - in His dwelling place that you experience these things in great measure. How close are you to God? and His people? 

‘For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.’

Praying for your enemies

 Psalm 83:1–18 (ESV):  

1  O God, do not keep silence; 

do not hold your peace or be still, O God! 

 2  For behold, your enemies make an uproar; 

those who hate you have raised their heads. 

 3  They lay crafty plans against your people; 

they consult together against your treasured ones. 

 4  They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; 

let the name of Israel be remembered no more!” 

 5  For they conspire with one accord; 

against you they make a covenant— 

 6  the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, 

Moab and the Hagrites, 

 7  Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, 

Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; 

 8  Asshur also has joined them; 

they are the strong arm of the children of Lot. Selah 

 9  Do to them as you did to Midian, 

as to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon, 

 10  who were destroyed at En-dor, 

who became dung for the ground. 

 11  Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, 

all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, 

 12  who said, “Let us take possession for ourselves 

of the pastures of God.” 

 13  O my God, make them like whirling dust, 

like chaff before the wind. 

 14  As fire consumes the forest, 

as the flame sets the mountains ablaze, 

 15  so may you pursue them with your tempest 

and terrify them with your hurricane! 

 16  Fill their faces with shame, 

that they may seek your name, O Lord. 

 17  Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; 

let them perish in disgrace, 

 18  that they may know that you alone, 

whose name is the Lord, 

are the Most High over all the earth. 

This is certainly a prayer of frustration, Asaph has had enough of the irritating behaviour of the enemies of Israel. He knows who they are, he names them and asks for God to wipe them out. He is fed up of his nation being threatened and harassed by so many others, so he asks God to radically deal with these enemies. The people of God have a lot of enemies and they will always have someone out to get them. The enemy will cause defeat and disasters and entice people to act on his behalf, so those that belong to God are going to have a hard time. Life can feel like a battle, but i heard someone say the other day - suffering happens just because you are human, so would you rather go though these struggles with or without God?! It is a great question to ponder. Some people allow the frustrations, problems and battles to destroy their faith, instead of allowing their faith to destroy their enemies. 

Asaph feels like not just that his life is problematic, but that the whole of the nation is in trouble. Yet he does not allow the trouble to define his faith, but he allows his faith and knowledge of God reframe the problem. Asaph not only recounts the numerous enemies, and the vastness of the situation, but also remembers the bigness of God, and numerous times God has brought salvation for Israel. Asaph knows that the greatest way to fight and reduce the enemies power is to pray. So he prays that these enemies will become as ‘whirling dust' and that they would be so humbled and depleted that those left will be ashamed of their behaviour. He has read and heard about the previous times that God has saved Israel, so he has faith in the power and authority of God to do it again. He is certain that when God turns His face towards Israel, they will be restored and the enemies devastated. 

What is your response when you feel got at, disappointed, angered and like you have a battle to face? Do you approach God to tell Him what is going on and trust Him to act in such a way that brings relief and rescue, and will even cause the enemies to recognise the mightiness of God? 

Asaph seems to change his mind through the psalm as to what he wants to happen to these foes. At first he speaks of the enemies being ‘destroyed’, and ‘dung for the ground’. However, verses 15-18 show that Asaph has a different outcome that he desires. For he asks that these enemies will be terrified and shamed by God. So that, ‘they may seek your name, O Lord’. Maybe this was influenced by the Holy Spirit as Asaph became more passionate in prayer and the Holy Spirit guided him in his words, so that he could see a greater outcome than complete annihilation. For which would be better; That the enemies not only bow their knees and heads to Israel, but to ‘the Most High over all the earth’ or that they were simply destroyed? 

The desire through any trouble, difficult circumstance or battle should be that God will be seen and known. That He is seen to protect and fight for those who love and obey Him, and that He can and will forgive and save the enemies of His people if they humble themselves and repent. No person is too great an enemy of God or his people that they cannot come to know the love and power of Almighty God. I mean, consider Saul becoming Paul - what a miraculous salvation occurred in his life! (Acts 9) When you see people persecuting those loved by God, why not pray like Asaph does, that their power will be destroyed, and that they will recognise the glory, majesty and terrifying power of the Lord God? Imagine the impact of a few modern day Paul stories - how would that change your life, your town, your nation or even the world?! 

So, why not pray like Asaph did? Ask God to pursue those enemies, to terrify them so that they seek the name of God. Then they will humble themselves in shame and repentence and glorify the Most High over all the earth. Surely, better than the demise and destruction of any enemy, it is better to see them acknowledging their sin and turning in shame to God. Living the rest of their lives in the humble realisation that God is Most High. If Saul hadn’t of had that encounter and become Paul can you imagine what would not have happened? For a start, almost half the books in the New Testament would not exist! We are grateful for and marvel at Saul’s conversion, but that happened after years of him tormenting and persecuting God’s own. People would have been praying for his reputation and power to end, and it did, just not in the way most people expected. This event and encounter in one man’s life led to the gospel spreading, churches built, the gentiles receiving salvation and other leaders invested in and grown. All because an enemy of God was terrified, humbled and ashamed, and was able to receive the forgiveness and salvation that God invites everyone to enjoy. Who do you need to pray for today so that God’s name can be glorified and His goodness spread throughout the Earth once again?

Do you judge fairly?

 Psalm 82:1–8 (ESV):  

1  God has taken his place in the divine council; 

in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: 

 2  “How long will you judge unjustly 

and show partiality to the wicked? Selah 

 3  Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; 

maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. 

 4  Rescue the weak and the needy; 

deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” 

 5  They have neither knowledge nor understanding, 

they walk about in darkness; 

all the foundations of the earth are shaken. 

 6  I said, “You are gods, 

sons of the Most High, all of you; 

 7  nevertheless, like men you shall die, 

and fall like any prince.” 

 8  Arise, O God, judge the earth; 

for you shall inherit all the nations! 

This psalm is a great reminder of the responsibility we have to one another. God has created and equipped each of us to bear responsibility on Earth for justice. He has delegated us authority in whatever areas we have jurisdiction, whether that be; in the family, at work, in the community or even as a judge/leader in some capacity. Yet God is in supreme authority over all things to ensure justice is done on an overall and eternal level (v1). 

There are several things you need to know about justice that Psalm 82 reveals:

1) It is a delegated authority that you have from God to ensure justice is done for all people. 

How are you using that God-given authority and conscience to ensure you ‘give justice to the weak…..maintain the right of the afflicted’? 

2) You are expected to treat everyone fairly (v3-4). 

Do not discount people because they are different to you, or others speak negatively of them. Give everyone a fair chance. Society talks about equality - it is not a new idea - God has instructed us to do this in His word! Have consideration for those who may not present themselves as well as others, be mindful and ask God for discernment as you encounter others in your daily life. If you are kind and fair to everyone, then you are displaying the love and kindness of God.

3) ‘you are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you’. You are made in God’s image, under His authority, therefore you are expected to demonstrate justice as He does. 

 It is His instruction, and He has entrusted and equipped each of you to rule, govern, guide, discipline and instruct others in His ways. Humanity is uniquely created to reflect God, His will and His ways, we are all ‘gods, sons of the Most High’. Therefore it is your duty to display God’s character. You are God’s child and you have been created and empowered to do what is right and fair for all people. Therefore be mindful of how you treat and speak about others - they too are created in God’s image, they also are His children, and you are expected to help and support those that need it by exercising your God-given authority to be a fair administrator of justice.

4) At the end of days God will ‘judge the earth’, including you. 

All things on Earth will come under God’s scrutiny as He assesses whether they lived up to His expectations. This includes you as an individual. How will He find you have been living your life? Have you been abiding by His laws and expectations, being fair and just? On that day, God will consider how you have followed Him, and treated people. If that day were today, what would you change? If there is something that you know you would do different, then start doing it. You do not know when this day will come, so live today determined to honour God and bring justice to those around you, one day it will be too late to live different and you will face God and Hid judgement.

Celebrating God

 Psalm 81:1–16 (ESV):  

1  Sing aloud to God our strength; 

shout for joy to the God of Jacob! 

 2  Raise a song; sound the tambourine, 

the sweet lyre with the harp. 

 3  Blow the trumpet at the new moon, 

at the full moon, on our feast day. 

 4  For it is a statute for Israel, 

a rule of the God of Jacob. 

 5  He made it a decree in Joseph 

when he went out over the land of Egypt. 

  I hear a language I had not known: 

 6  “I relieved your shoulder of the burden; 

your hands were freed from the basket. 

 7  In distress you called, and I delivered you; 

I answered you in the secret place of thunder; 

I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah 

 8  Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! 

O Israel, if you would but listen to me! 

 9  There shall be no strange god among you; 

you shall not bow down to a foreign god. 

 10  I am the Lord your God, 

who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. 

Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. 

 11  “But my people did not listen to my voice; 

Israel would not submit to me. 

 12  So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, 

to follow their own counsels. 

 13  Oh, that my people would listen to me, 

that Israel would walk in my ways! 

 14  I would soon subdue their enemies 

and turn my hand against their foes. 

 15  Those who hate the Lord would cringe toward him, 

and their fate would last forever. 

 16  But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, 

and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.” 

This psalm is a call from God to His people to remember to celebrate Him. To rejoice at the festivals that He has proclaimed and recall why they should be celebrated. God is reminding the Israelites that they have reason to celebrate. Recalling to their minds His salvation from Egypt, His provision and faithfulness. At times, we all need reminding that God deserves to be praised, worshipped and honoured. To take time to look at what God has done, consider His promises and recollect His works of the past. God instructs His people to make time to reflect and celebrate. For when you stop to consider, His marvellous character and unlimited kindness can easily be seen.

God recounted to the Israelites that He had set apart particular times to celebrate Him through feasts and festivals. This was so that they could not only recall the great things He has done, but that they could also have fun doing it. God wants His people to; rejoice, make music, sing, dance, laugh and be happy. What a great God! He not only does some amazing things, but He wants us to publicly celebrate together. Plus He joins us in those festivities as He says this is 'our feast day'. Not your day of remembrance, but 'our' day of celebration. In the fun and partying, God is there with us. As you celebrate who God is, He joins in - isn't that wonderful! So as God has given us set moments and festivals throughout the year in order to set our minds on Him, He is present. Therefore have fun celebrating His goodness. Participate in annual festivities no matter how old or young you are or how much you want to, because God tells you to, plus He will be there. You need to ensure that you make time to recall the works and character of God and the impact He has had in your life, across the World and throughout history. It is God's expectation that you do, and He will join you in it.

It is good to honour God through celebration. Getting together and enjoying yourselves through recollecting that God delivers and answers (v7) is a good thing and God recommends it, in fact He commands it, ‘it is a statute for Israel, a rule of the God of Jacob’. It is a duty of God’s people and His legal right to be celebrated! It is essential that God’s faithfulness is remembered. It is important because God is worthy of being rejoiced in - He deserves it. Plus it is essential that we learn to enjoy God and His works and wonders because we are good at going astray (v11-13). Therefore God tells the people of God that it is His right to be praised and to be celebrated, publicly and regularly, and it is good for you and I to remember His greatness for He does, ‘subdue their enemies’ and ‘satisfy you’. Therefore make it a part of your life to set aside time and make an effort to celebrate the wonderful breakthroughs, miracles, provision, consistency, love and faithfulness of God with others. 

No matter if you feel like life is easy or hard, it is important to set your mind to remember and celebrate God's goodness. Ensure that you set aside the time to attend celebration events that commemorate God’s works and goodness, get involved and enjoy God. The Israelites had a lot of festivals and events to commemorate through the year to help them recall His provision, love, mercy and salvation. In His kindness to us, God has set an expectation that we enjoy Him and His goodness by getting together to enjoy recounting His goodness and gifts with festivals and feasting. He has given us great reasons to party!

When are you next going to celebrate God with others?