Psalms
Finding the way to spiritual health (Psalm 32)
Ps 32:1-11 A former work colleague was in a high-pressure job and would tell anyone who cared to listen that she could only cope because she had a strategy of ‘wellness’, a term used nowadays to express the state of…
The path no one knew was there (Psalm 77)
Ps 77:1-20 As we set out in the New Year and reflect on 2021, Covid is still with us and just when we began to think that life will be getting back to some normalcy, the Omicron variant arrived raising…
Cease striving and know that I am God (Psalm 46)
Ps 46:1-11 When we read a psalm that is so full of assurance regarding God, we may inevitably wonder about situations when He seemed distant and absent. Should we not be a little more sceptical of blanket statements that affirm…
Moving from despair to hope (Ps 22:21-31)
Ps 22:21-31 When we are miserable and the world looks bleak, moving from despair to hope seems impossible. It is what the disciples must have felt looking at Jesus dying on the cross. In our lives too, when God’s power…
No fair-weather faith (Psalm 22:1-21)
Ps 22:1-21 Many non-Christians think of religion as a crutch. ‘How wonderful that you have faith to comfort you’, they say, as if faith were a magic pill that took the pain away. The truth is though that it can…
Learning a new perspective on life (Psalm 73)
Ps 73:1-28 A single friend confessed to me once how hard she found going to weddings. On one occasion, it was particularly riling when the bride was known to have had a rebellious phase earlier in her faith. At the…
Giving thanks in time of trouble (Ps 138)
Ps 138:1-8 As we leave behind 2020, many may heave a sigh of relief. For some, who have found it a particular struggle, giving thanks may seem the last thing they want to do. Notice, however, that the psalmist is…
Enduring hope (Psalm 31)
Ps 31:1-24 It is a well-known fact that overcoming difficulties that are major but short-term are psychologically easier than dealing with lesser but ongoing challenges that weaken one’s resistance over time. COVID, of course, is on everyone’s minds these days…
Looking forward (Psalm 37)
Ps 37:1-40 Some missionary friends who had applied for permanent residency in the country they were serving in, found themselves expelled instead with a month’s notice to clear out. The experience was traumatic. They started there as a young married…
Looking back on the year (Psalm 105)
Ps 105:1-45 The end of a year is often a time of stocktaking, of looking back. What was the year like for you? Much the same as the year before? Lots of change and transition? And where was God in…