"When God Seems Distant"
It actually worked out for the best that we didn't cover Psalm 9 last Time. Why is that? Because Psalm 9 is a pair with Psalm 10! In some Bible translations they are joined as one Psalm. Together they form a Hebrew acrostic poem. What's that? You will find out tonight....
If you have ever felt like God was distant at a crucial or painful time, you will connect with the heart of these Psalms. You will find out that your experience is not uncommon. Both Psalms deal with the presence of wickedness. Psalm 10, in my opinion, is particularly disturbing in its accuracy!
The problem and issue we all struggle with is that God seems to do nothing about wickedness. In fact, the wicked are empowered by this fact and are hard core atheists doing whatever they want and getting away with it.
The poor are taken advantage of, the weak are oppressed, and the wicked grow more and more arrogant. In figurative language, the wicked are described like a lion, lying in wait to catch prey. Like a bystander taking a cell phone video of a crime but failing to intervene, God seems to remain uninvolved. Does He even see?
How does the David resolve this tension? Does he struggle to praise God? Does he lose heart because of what he experiences? Does he join the ranks of the atheists? Does he become skeptical of God? I guess you will have to ......
....VIEW AND SEE!
Steve
Psalms 9-10
February 2, 2022 • Pastor Steve Feden • Psalm 9, Psalm 10
Psalm 1
January 9, 2022 • Pastor Steve Feden • Psalm 1
"How to Find Happiness" We will open our Bibles to Psalm 1, which is familiar territory for many of God's people. Psalm 1 will serve as our intro to our year-long study of the Book of Psalms which will be on Wed nights, starting Jan 12. But for now..... Psalm 1 is simple, clear, and makes no demands. Instead, the Psalmist present two choices and urges the reader to make a decision based on what is presented. The big question is, what kind of life do you want to live? The Declaration of Independence guarantees people of America the right to pursue happiness. Donald Trump promised to "Make America Great Again", but couldn't make Americans happy again. In terms of national "happiness", people from Finland topped the 2018 survey, with Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and Switzerland rounding out the top 5. Those are some cold yet happy people! Brrrr. What about America? A humble 18th place and dropping each year. Regardless of national happiness, and how that is determined, the opening statement of Psalm 1 is "Oh how happy is the man......". And the Psalm goes on to describe the life of a happy man and compare his [or her] life to the opposite. Throughout the Psalm we will see some themes repeated from our recent study of Philippians while asking the questions, "Am I happy?", and "Who is responsible for my happiness?" This is a simple and great Psalm that may help get things on track for 2022. Lord knows, we need it! View and See.....!!!
Psalms 2-3
January 12, 2022 • Pastor Steve Feden • Psalm 2, Psalm 3
"The Heart of Worship" Tonight, after an intro to the Psalms and a little fun, we will start the ball rolling with Psalms 2 and 3. Psalm 2 is quoted a number of times in the NT, and could be title "Rebellion is No Joke". If you have ever thought to yourself, "What's the deal with the world? Why are people so set against Jesus?", then Psalm 2 is for you. I have often taught from Psalm 2 at Megiddo in Israel, just above the Valley of Armageddon. Wanna know why? You will understand after tonight! Psalm 3-5 seem to all be connected together and to an event in the life of King David. A very tough time when his Son Absalom "stole the hearts of the people of Israel". His leadership was undermined by his own good-looking, charismatic, and somewhat bitter son. How does he handle it all as his approval ratings plummet and he is forced off the throne. He is a laughingstock whom people are gossiping about. How would you feel? How would you handle it. The Psalms are full of raw emotion and heart. I believe the fruit of our study will be a return to the heart of worship. May God put a song in our hearts! If your life is dry, and your praise is flat, and you need Psalm-thing to sing about, then..... http://....view AND SEE! Steve