Often when reading the Psalms, I find myself applying them to myself and the particular moments of my life right now or thinking back to the particular moments that have been. Well, “of course,” you say, “that is what we are supposed to do.” If we say that, then are we saying that there is a formula to reading the Bible? I would propose the theory that there is not a correct way to read the Bible, other then calling on the Holy Spirit to illuminate it to us, and of course we do have to open the Bible. This brings me to where I have been in my personal study of God’s Word. I have been working my way through the Psalms and spent time in Psalm 92,
A simple definition of Psalm 92 is to define it as a song that was prepared for singing and praising on the Sabbath, in which our minds should be drawn to the glory, power, and goodness of God. So again, just as I wrote in the previous paragraph, we can say, “of course.” What if we were to read this Psalm as we entered into church on Sundays? What I mean is, we walk into church, say our hellos to others, then take a moment prior to service starting and, read Psalm 92. As I read the Psalm, I see the glory and power of God and the call to worship Him. Have any of us ever felt distracted in church, distant from God, concerned about anything other than the awesome power and presence that we have the privilege and power of entering into?
I know how to answer that last question for myself, and as I think about how my mind could wander it is not all bad. Have you ever sat in church on a Sunday morning and thought about how great it would be if your son or daughter was next to you? Have you ever sat in church on a Sunday morning and wondered if the person you had invited, who said they were coming, was going to come? These are not bad questions, or more to the point the answers that we hope for are good things. But, what about the times you sit in church, about to worship the Lord, and then your mind wanders to questions, thoughts, and answers that are drifting far from being able to be described as godly? What do we do? I want to encourage you not to beat yourself up, I know that I have walked out of church before apologizing to the Lord for not “being all there.”
Something that I have taken to doing each moment as I move into a time of prayer with the Lord, and also on Sunday mornings as I arrive at church early to unlock the doors is to start with a simple prayer that is followed by the reading of Psalm 92. My prayer at those moments has simply been to say, “Come Holy Spirit; Lord help me.” As I begin to quietly read Psalm 92 the words of the opening verse fill me with joy, hope, and the fact that the Lord is present and loves me. “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O’ Most High” (Psalm 92:1 NASB).
In this blog I just wanted to share a little bit of how I look to connect with the Lord. I want to encourage you to seek the Lord at each and every moment of your life. I never want to miss one opportunity in my life to praise the Lord, and I pray that each of you never miss that opportunity either. God bless each one of you.