Psalms 63, 64, 65, & Romans 6

Got off track what with a department shift at work and a big test at school. Hopefully a few double posts in the coming days will catch me up.

Psalm 63

More praise for God, a definite reminder of God’s majesty. I really like the imagery in this one, this is a beautiful psalm, in my opinion. It reminds me of just how much I really need God. Having gotten away from my daily reading in the last few days, the timing of reading this psalm this very moment is almost like a direct reminder to me not to get too caught up in my worldly affairs.

Psalm 64

This psalm makes me think of all the life plans I’ve made over the years before I reorganized my priorities to place God first in my life. I thought I had it figured out and that I knew what I wanted to do. But those plans always fell apart. It my current path, I’ve encountered more roadblocks, fatigue, and frustrations than any previous plan, but even still, knowing I’m walking God’s path for my life just makes it that much easier.

Psalm 65

I found a Bible commentary website somewhere on-line, can’t remember where right now, that had some a full page’s worth of writing on each and every verse. Sometimes I feel like I’m doing good just to get a paragraph out of a chapter. Clearly I have a long way to go, which makes sense. I don’t think anyone’s ever truly done learning everything God has in store for us in these pages.

This psalm is more praise of God’s majesty. It’s a reminder to me that God’s glory can be found in everything and everywhere. I’m hoping I can store this away mentally for future use on those days that life is beating me down and I let myself drift away from Him. Remembering that I’m right smack dab in the middle of His majesty must surely be a huge boost to one’s spirit.

Romans 6

I’ve mentioned in this blog before that sometimes, the voice that leads me to sin is fond of the argument “I’m going to end up sinning anyways, might as well get it over with and move on.” The opening verses in this chapter tell me that this voice is wrong!

1What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

It is not inevitable that I will give in to my temptations. We focus so much on the fact that we are imperfect and that Christ died for our sins so we could have eternal life, that I, personally, forget sometimes that His death also freed me from the grasp that sin has on me. I don’t have to give in to get it over with. I should never stop fighting.

The second part of this chapter speaks about being a “slave to righteousness” in the manner that we used to submit ourselves to slavery to sin. Reminds me of a sermon I heard awhile back. The pastor made the point about how some people find such a passion for their hobbies, be it sports, or reading history, etc., that they can quote stats and dates and anecdotes without blinking an eye. He said that this is the sort of enthusiasm we should have for growing and learning about our understanding of God’s will. It’s a level of enthusiasm I strive for.

Psalms 60, 61, 62, & Romans 5

Psalm 60

The crux of this psalm, for me, are verses 11 & 12:

11 Give us aid against the enemy,
for the help of man is worthless.
12 With God we will gain the victory,
and he will trample down our enemies.

It reminds me that when I face struggles, though my friends may give me good advice, it’s God to whom I must turn and rely on the most. That’s not to say that God won’t tell me that so-and-so could help me out, or put a friend (or complete stranger, for that matter) in a position to help me. I just need to remember that He is the one I should lean on.

Psalm 61

I rather like this psalm, it’s a very soothing prayer of praise.

Psalm 62

Yet another psalm about being assaulted by men. The abundance of these really make me think that I haven’t seen the worst of things. I pray that I never do, but am thankful that I can turn to God if and when the road gets tougher.

Romans 5

This chapter opens with a few verses that remind me to stay joyful even while suffering because it’s all part of the process that’s going to make me a better Christian. It’s definitely not easy to do though. I’ve been through some definite highs and lows in the last year, and I haven’t always maintained that level of joy. It’s easy to despair and convince myself of all manner of negative things. I need to remember that if I don’t find joy in the Lord even in my darkest hours, my witness is meaningless. I’m essentially showing people that yes, while God makes me happy in the good times, he does nothing for me in the bad. And that’s simply not true.

Psalms 57, 58, 59 & Romans 4

Psalm 57

Yet another Psalm asking God to ease troubles brought about by the world, but with a key verse that tells me a little something more than the previous psalms with a similar motif. Or at least, I didn’t catch it in the others, which just demonstrates why some themes need to be reinforced time and time again.

Psalm 57: 9

9 I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.

It’s easy to go to Church on Sunday and tell everyone how great God is for easing my troubles. But that is, almost literally, preaching to the choir. It’s much harder to say, post on Facebook, for example, the same statement, where a very real fear of ridicule and isolation reside. I have close friends who consider themselves agnostic or atheist, would my statement provoke derision or push them away as a friend?

In the end, those are exactly the people, regardless of how they treat me for it, that God expects me to praise and sing of him in front of.

Psalm 58

I’m struggling with what to take from this psalm. Honestly, verse 10 seems at odds with what the New Testament tells me, that I should forgive my enemies.

Maybe it’s saying those who would interfere with my attempts to live and follow God’s will will be swept away, so that others will see that and know that God is real. Maybe that’s where the gladness from verse 10 is originating, from knowing that others are witnessing God’s power.

Psalm 59

I’m starting to think that there’s a psalm for every type of manner in which I could possibly be assaulted by my fellow man. This is one more of that and more praising as well. It’s also making me think that maybe my own praises are lacking. Not that they need to be more artful like the psalms, but rather maybe I’m just not saying it enough.

Now matter how much you love someone in a relationship, it doesn’t matter how heart-felt you say it, if you don’t say it enough, the object of your affections starts to doubt. Now, I know God knows my heart, but my half of this relationship with God is human, and humans rules still apply to me. Perhaps, if I don’t say it enough, I’ll start to doubt my love for Him.

Romans 4

This chapter seems to me to point how righteousness comes from faith, not works. It’s a matter of internal motivation, that we all have to make sure we’re being honest with ourselves about. Am I doing this good deed because the rules say “do good deeds” or am I doing the good deed because I love God, and am letting the Holy Spirit that resides within me take over and do the good deed?

I don’t think that I do good deeds simply because I’m supposed to. I believe I am being honest with myself, but just in case I’m not, I pray that God helps me to know where my heart truly lies, and to mold it in to the shape that He wants it.

Psalms 54, 55, 56, & Romans 3

This one's a little late, I had to spend some time thinking about the chapter from Romans. Still don't think I got everything out of it that I could.

Psalm 54

This is a short one, only seven verses long, and I’m not getting a whole lot out of it, which probably means I’m not looking hard enough. I don’t really feel attacked or slandered at the moment. To be honest, my troubles have always felt self inflicted, I’ve never really felt “attacked” by evil men in my life. Well, except for Jr. High.

Perhaps this in itself is a testament to God’s glory. Perhaps he knows better than I do how I would’ve handled it, and he’s deemed it best just to keep them away from me. Or perhaps this Psalm is gearing me up, laying the groundwork for some future struggle. In either case, it’s comforting to know that God will deliver me from those troubles.

On second thought now, earlier in life I struggled with social anxiety from time to time. I think this Psalm can be just as useful when one fears the slander of men just as it is when one is actually being attacked. I can calm those fears, knowing that God will deliver me, should they arrive.

Psalm 55

The Psalm starts as one in fear of danger, and goes deeper to speak of betrayal. Again, I can’t really say that I relate here, betrayal is something I’ve never truly experienced, and I thank God for that. While the Psalm doesn’t speak to me specifically, I do find it a solid reminder that whatever sorrows I may be contending with right now, it’s not that bad.

Psalm 56

Once more, a prayer of one in serious trouble. It’s a staunch reminder of a conclusion I came to a while back that every now and then I need reminding of: being a Christian doesn’t mean bad things will never happen to me, it means I have someone to turn to when they do. I pray that when, not if, trouble arrives, I will remember these Psalms that they might remind me of God’s protection.

Romans 3

The first part of this chapter seems to be an admonition against using circular logic to justify sin and claiming exemption for punishment for it. I don’t think I’ve ever tried to justify sin, per se, but I know my thought process has contained the phrase “I’m going to give in and sin eventually anyways, might as well get it over with” far too often for my liking.

The next part basically tells me that no one is without sin, which obviously includes myself. It seems to say that the old laws were not necessarily a set of rules to be obeyed rigidly and punished when infractions occur, but rather so that we might know sin, and identify it in ourselves.

The last part ties in to what my Sunday School class discussed today in Ephesians, that God is God of all who believe in Him. Though the passage is referring to Jewish converts and Gentiles, I think it also applies today. Methodists, Baptists, Catholics, etc., we’re all Christians. We all worship the same God.