Amy Boucher Pye

Category: Psalm 98 devotionals

  • Devotional of the Week: Total Fairness (7 in Psalm 98 series)

    Photo: Danny Ayers, flickr
    Photo: Danny Ayers, flickr

    He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity. Psalm 98:9

    Parents and carers often find themselves the arbiters of disputes: “That’s not fair!” or, “He did it!” or, “It’s her fault!” The quest for justice can feel unrelenting as the siblings compare the dollops of ice cream they receive or the amount of screen time they lose when they are punished. Surely one of the effects of the fall of humanity is this continual weighing out and complaining.

    But praise the Lord, for he judges the world fairly. Unlike parents who might miss the fight in the kitchen, not knowing which child is at fault, he sees and knows all that happens. We can trust that he will be just in judging disputes, for after all, he defines the standard of fairness.

    And not only is the Lord the ultimate judge, but in the form of Jesus he is also our advocate, pleading on our behalf before the Father and standing in our place to wipe our slate clean. When we surrender our lives to him, we can find ourselves transformed through his Holy Spirit. No longer do we wince when we receive the smallest piece of pie, but we rejoice over our sibling enjoying the piece covered with the biggest chunk of chocolate.

    Praise the Lord with a new song! Shout for joy, all the earth!

    Prayer: Lord, we worship and adore you. You make all things new; we sing with grateful hearts for your love, mercy and grace. Amen.

     

  • Devotional of the Week: Glorious Creation (6 in Psalm 98 series)

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    Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Psalm 98:7

    I sat by the lake, listening to the lapping waves, watching the sun set as I gazed across the water to the hill beyond. Peace settled on me and I gave the Lord thanks for his goodness, his creation, his beauty. My thanks bubbled into joy as I felt my praises join those of creation as we lifted our voices in song.

    The psalmist in verses 7–8 notes how creation worships the Lord – the sea reverberates, the rivers clap their hands, the mountains sing for joy. Because the Lord created the world, it reflects his DNA. We can see his creativity and care in the graceful flight of a bird, the tender petal of a flower or the strong presence of a mountain.

    Today, I encourage you to be present to God’s creation, whether you live in the country or in a city. Even in a mass of concrete buildings, we can hear the joyful song of a bird. Open your ears to the buzzing of insects, the wind that flutters the leaves, the gentle drops of rain. Take time to wonder at the intricate design in a leaf or a shell or a rock. And know that the Lord who created the glorious flowers of the field, which one day blossom and the next are thrown into the fire, loves you much more than all of these.

    Prayer: Lord God, your world astounds us. Help us to be good stewards as we care for its creatures and vegetation. Amen.

     

  • Devotional of the Week: Jubilation (5 in Psalm 98 series)

     

    Photo: Mesut Sahin, flickr
    Photo: Mesut Sahin, flickr

    Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music… Psalm 98:4

    Music can touch a deep part of our beings, opening up locked-down emotions and bringing forth memories we had forgotten. Perhaps when we sing or play instruments, we’re able to shut off a rational part of our brain as we enter more fully into the experience. The Lord through his Holy Spirit can touch us deeply with his love and healing grace.

    Here in this third stanza of Psalm 98 the psalmist not only comments on the wonder of the power of music in worshipping God, but he commands us to join the earth in bursting into jubilant song. At times we might not feel like singing or playing an instrument, but as we worship through our wills, putting our feelings aside, the Lord can to change our emotions. He can bestow peace where there has been disquiet; he can soften our hard hearts, bringing repentance; he can soothe anxious feelings with the gentle sound of the harp, as with David playing for Saul (see 1 Samuel 16:14–23).

    Music can calm us or energize us. Through it we can pour out our praise and worship to the living, loving God. May we this day, as we wait for the coming of Jesus, lift high the Lord – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

    Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, you came to earth as a baby and lived as God and Man. We praise you with our songs. Amen.

  • Devotional of the Week: Never-ending Love (4 in Psalm 98 series)

    Photo: Chris R., flickr
    Photo: Chris R., flickr

    He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel… Psalm 98:3

    Today in celebrity culture we see the phenomenon of the “starter marriage,” so called because people view their first marriage as a stepping stone to move up the social scale as they find a more affluent mate. The qualities of love, faithfulness and commitment lose power as the current spouse is tossed aside for the new one.

    I admit my example is extreme, and not one I’ve seen in Christian circles – and I don’t want to incite pain by mentioning broken marriages, for we live in a fallen world where followers of Jesus suffer betrayal too. But though we fail, we know that the Lord will never stop loving us or being committed to us. He will never tire of us, disposing of us in the quest for the bigger or better or more accomplished. His love remains.

    Do we believe this at the level of our hearts? Do we live out of the assurance that the Lord’s love is foundational for our lives? If we find we are struggling to believe God’s promises, a simple exercise can impart deep-reaching change. That is, write out the Lord’s promises in Scripture as if he is speaking them directly to us, inserting our name. So with Psalm 98:3, I would say, “He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Amy.” Something to try?

    Prayer: Your love, Lord, never ends. Your faithfulness, Father God, remains. Your grace fills my soul, and I am home. Amen.

  • Devotional of the Week: Goodness Revealed (3 in Psalm 98 series)

    Photo: Flickr, Liz West
    Photo: Flickr, Liz West

    The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. Psalm 98:2

    I cringed when I read a letter I wrote many years ago in which I was trying to share my faith with a friend. Although I had good intentions in writing, my words were awkward and stilted. Yet this desire to share the good news of God’s saving grace is rooted deeply within us, not least because the Lord himself doesn’t hide his works of redemption. As the psalmist says, the Lord makes known his salvation and goodness, not only to his own people, but to the nations.

    The Lord chose the Israelites as his own, saving them from slavery in Egypt. He planted them in a new land, a place where they could thrive and flourish. As they defeated the marauding nations, often as the underdog, the Lord’s power and glory was revealed. The other gods were shown to be worthless in the face of the true and living God.

    How might the Lord want to make his salvation and goodness known in your life, and thereby to your friends and neighbors? How might you share your faith with someone? Perhaps you might write a letter (or email, text message, or a post on social media), yet hopefully you’ll employ more graceful words than those I used decades ago.

    Prayer: Father God, your power is beyond our imagination, and yet you love us with a tender devotion. May we share your goodness and grace this day. Amen.

  • Devotional of the Week: The Arm of the Lord (2 in Psalm 98 series)

    The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo, public domain
    The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo, public domain

    His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. Psalm 98:1b

    Symbols matter – we need them to help us interpret what is true and real in our world. Although the Lord God doesn’t have a human body (except, of course, for Jesus being born centuries after this psalm was written), he uses the language of symbol to communicate so that we might understand truth.

    One such symbol is his strong and powerful arm, which appears not only in the Old Testament – such as in several places in Deuteronomy, which describe how the Lord delivered the Israelites, or in Isaiah’s prophecy – but also in the New Testament. For instance, Mary, in what is known as the “Magnificat,” her song glorifying the Lord over being the mother of Jesus, uses the image as praise: “He has performed mighty deeds with his arm” (Luke 1:51).

    Whether found in the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament, this image of the Lord’s arm reveals how God intervenes in his world. He who provided freedom in the land of milk and honey for the Israelites also enacts salvation and new life for us, not only through the death of his Son on the cross, but through the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. The Lord is not removed from his world and his people, but delights in rescuing and redeeming us.

    Prayer: Lord God, as you work salvation through your powerful arm, help me to serve others today, for your glory. Amen.

  • Devotional of the Week: A New Song (1 in Psalm 98 series)

    Photo: Dave Coram, flickr
    Photo: Dave Coram, flickr

    Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things… Psalm 98:1a

    How better to start a new devotional series than in singing to the Lord a new song! And how wonderful to focus on one of the biblical psalms. Join me these next weeks as we explore this ancient song together. Perhaps today or this week you could take a few moments to read Psalm 98 through, letting its call to praise sink into your heart and mind.

    Biblical commentators aren’t sure who wrote this psalm, although it has been attributed to King David. Many see it as a song exulting the Lord for his help to the Israelites as they fled Egypt and entered the Promised Land (the long journey commonly known as the Exodus). The Lord asked them to remember his deeds, lest their hearts become cold and they return to their evil ways.

    To keep our hearts tender, we too need to remember the Lord’s goodness, and one way to ensure we do not forget is to sing of his gracious love. Praising him takes our eyes off of ourselves and our troubles. As we ask him to reveal how he’s working in our lives, we may begin to see our sometimes challenging circumstances more from his viewpoint; we may understand the marvelous things he is doing in the midst of them. His grace is new every morning.

    What song can you sing today?

    Prayer: Father God, you have done wonderful things in my life. Help me give you thanks, always having a tender and grateful heart. Amen.