Tag Archives: Selfish

Singing with the King (45) – Glory

Let the glory of the LORD endure forever; let the LORD be glad in His works. (Psalm 104:31)

Cross and Stars You ever wonder about the personal pronouns in the Bible? They are there for several reasons (and not just grammatical), and here are a few:

When God uses them, they become a way for us to relate to Him, because they reveal a very personal perspective of a Holy, transcendent God.

They are there because we are largely self-centered and selfish creatures.

They are there to allow us to identify with the authors, so when they say “I”, or “me” or “my” or “mine”, we can find ourselves in “their” shoes, saying or doing the same thing.

But the absence of personal pronouns can be telling. Take Psalm 104. It is a song of God’s glory, and His works, and how all creation declares the same. And we don’t get around to a personal pronoun until verse 33. Why is that?

The psalmist (probably David) is completely caught up in Who God is and What He has done. And when he is finally able to gather himself, what does he do? He worships.

I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. (vs. 33)

Notice the extent of this singing and praising. And justifiably so, if we are considering the glory, the grandeur, and the greatness of The One True God.

There’s a scene in Carl Sagan’s movie Contact, where Ellie Arroway’s father talks about the size of the universe. And when he’s done, he states that if we are the only creatures in the universe, then that’s a lot of wasted space. My friend Dr. Ray Bohlin of Probe Ministries made a great comment when we saw the movie, reminding me, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” So it’s not a matter of wasted space. The universe is just doing what it is supposed to be doing. Declaring the glory of God.

Take some time and read Psalm 104. Get caught up in the LORD; join with David and declare the glory of God. Then do it for a lifetime!

Singing with the King (34) – My God (2)

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Psalm 18:1,2)

Alone at sunrise

Last time we talked about the seagulls from Finding Nemo, and how we could identify with them. Like them, we can be very selfish creatures. But then I asked you consider the “my’s” of King David. Here are the remainder.

My Rock— this is a different word from the previous one, and has a whole different range of meanings: to confine, secure, to shut in, besiege, to shut up, and to enclose. God does indeed do those things for us, for our good, and for our protection.

My Shield—The word shield means to cover, surround, or defend.

The horn of My salvation—horn has to do with power and might. So when David speaks of the Lord as being his horn of salvation, it is a powerful salvation, a mighty salvation.

My Stronghold— Another place of security, safety, and refuge. The stronghold by definition is a high place; indeed one of its translations is a high tower. It is a place of defense.

David gave us the right perspective.

So when you think about the Lord, how many “my’s” can you come up with? How many ways can you relate to Him? How many roles does He play in your life? How many needs does He fulfill? I know David could have gone on much more than eight. Can you?

What is it like to live you live in God’s context? To have His perspective? Well, the LORD should be not only all you need, but all you got.

Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. (Psalm 73:25)

Singing with the King (33) – My God (1)

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Psalm 18:1,2)

Seagulls on a Dock

Several years ago, we took the kids to Disney World. And one of the places we stopped at was The Seas with Nemo and Friends. It had been several years since the movie, and the kids we quite a bit older, but when we come walking up to this particular attraction, what do we hear? All the seagulls were saying: “Mine, mine, mine, mine!” It put a smile on all our faces. Now since we are such selfish creatures, we can relate to such things, even when we were very little. It’s all about the stuff we have; the stuff that belongs to us.

But look at the verses above. Rather than making all the my’s and mine’s about all your stuff, why not make it about the Lord?

My Rock— these are cliff or crags or mountains. In other words, a high place, even an inaccessible place, that can only be touched or reached by our Great God.

My Fortress— the Hebrew definition for this word is stronghold. Another translations is a net or snare. That’s not a good thing for being hunted by an enemy, but to be caught by the Most High God, is another matter.

My Deliverer —One who delivers. We are carried off, preserved and rescued.

My God— David proclaims the Lord, He is God; MY God. Think about this. The King of kings and Lord of lords; the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of the universe is willing to be associated…with you!

“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

Next time we’ll wrap up the rest of the “my’s”.