“Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
The psalmist is almost certainly talking about the lying lips and deceitful tongue of another person here, but if you’ll indulge me for a minute, let’s run in a slightly different direction. You have perhaps prayed for God to deliver you from the trouble caused by another person, but how about the trouble caused by…you? Read the rest…
“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
These are some incredibly powerful truths here. Let’s treat them in order. Read the rest…
“But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Battling sin is a task for today. We live in a world of doing the hard stuff later and the fun stuff now. Battling sin isn’t fun. It’s hard. It’s dangerous. It brings guarantees of success, yes, but also of pain. And yet it is a task we cannot put off until tomorrow. We must tackle it today. Read the rest…
“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.'” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Lamentations is a series of complaints to God. Jeremiah wrote these toward the end of his ministry when Babylon had conquered and destroyed Jerusalem. It is mostly a bitter book. It’s tone is both corporate and personal. Chapter three here in particular is very personal. The prophet describes feeling totally abandoned and even actively attacked by the Lord. They are words that ring with familiarity to those who have experienced loss and grief and seasons of great distress today. Read the rest…
“O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you ‘Violence!’ and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.” (ESV – Read the book)
This will be a longer comment, but it’s going to cover the whole book. Habakkuk is one of my favorite books in the Bible (and not just because it’s really fun to say!). It is definitely my favorite among the minor prophets. I am drawn to it because it asks a question that people still ask today, and offers an answer that while not immediately satisfying (in fact, initially, it is deeply unsatisfying), after some reflection leads us into a greater peace and faith than we had before. Read the rest…
The Nexus 