Page 40 - Living light - The Psalms

Friday July 12 - Restoration
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
In this week’s psalm David has extolled God, praising him for his care, provision and protection; inviting all to taste and see that the Lord is good (v 8). Today’s verse parallels Isaiah 42:3: ‘A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out.’ Jesus quoted this scripture in Matthew 12:20, prophetically declaring his own ministry.
Jesus is in the restoration business! Sometimes, like Jacob’s limp (Genesis 32:25), we carry the outward scar of an old life, but inwardly we are made new. It’s akin to kintsugi (literally meaning ‘joining with gold’), Japan’s ancient art of embracing imperfection – the repair makes the restoration look even more beautiful than the original! You may feel like a bruised reed, weak and unable to stand upright, unable to carry any weight; you may feel like a smouldering wick, no longer shining brightly and in danger of going out. Take heart, Jesus came to restore such a person; others may think you no longer have value, but not Jesus!
Dear friend, know that ‘the Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.’ The same David, anointed by Samuel as king, but now seemingly washed up, would be restored to fulfil his destiny. Dear friend, may your crushed spirit and broken heart be restored by something far more precious than gold – the blood of Jesus!
Father, I come to you just as I am. Take the pieces of my life and make them into a beautiful trophy of your grace. Amen.
Saturday July 13 - God my refuge
The Lord will rescue his servants; no-one who takes refuge in him will be
condemned. Psalm 34:22
Psalm 34 is an acrostic psalm; its verses start with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which aided memorisation. The last verse contains the punchline: ‘no-one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.’ In other words, ‘those outside God’s refuge will be condemned.’
Jehovah machseh (God my refuge) – what a way to end! We started with David sheltering in the cave of Adullam and end by finding him secure in the shelter of God. Secure because it’s the place of no condemnation. Why? Because Jesus was condemned in our place. Paul states emphatically, ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus...’ (Romans 8:1). Our refuge is found in Christ, and in Christ alone.
God condemned the lawless world in the days of Noah (Genesis 6:5-8). To avoid this condemnation you had to enter the ark. It was the sole means of salvation; there was no other way. Climbing to the top of a mountain, or building your own raft, would not cut it. Noah and his family had to enter the ark before the rains of judgement arrived.
Dear friends, we close with a profound, eternity-determining question – is God your refuge? Is he Jehovah machseh to you? Are you in the ark – in Christ through faith in his atoning death and resurrection? If you are then let’s rejoice; if not then think hard about coming on board!
Father, thank you that you alone are my refuge and in you I find my security. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
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PRAYER FOR TODAY