July 28, 2024 • Pastor Dave Engbrecht • Psalm 94:19
Anxiety is a reality of life. These are uncertain times. Every season of life presents its own version of anxiety. Anxiety brings heaviness; everything seems out of control. There’s a feeling of uncertainty. Yet, Jesus presents a clear path amidst that heaviness.
Taste and See
July 21, 2024 • Pastor Tim Veenstra, Isaac Wood • Psalm 34
The psalms use beautiful word images to paint pictures of what a relationship with the Lord can be. In other places in the Bible, authors have taken the language of the psalmist and reiterated the idea of tasting the goodness of God. What an invitation! To experience, tangibly, through the senses, the goodness of God. Have you tasted and seen?
Royal Posture
July 14, 2024 • Pastor Peter Damaska • Psalm 99
They show up in fairy tales, on magazine covers, and on the big screen. We talk about them from time to time not always knowing how they connect to us or bring meaning to our lives. “They” are Kings & Queens.
They are royalty—romanticized figures who seem out of touch and out of place in everyday life. But thankfully, the Psalms don’t overly romanticize the image of God as our King. Rather, we see how serious God is about
affecting our world and about our response to Him. His posture toward us is an invitation to partner with Him.
Psalms of Lament
July 7, 2024 • Pastor Tim Veenstra • Psalm 22
It may be surprising to know that psalms of lament are the most common subcategory of passages in the book of Psalms. Laments give voice to the intensity of pain, confusion, doubts, and sorrow that are part of the human experience. It’s not a question of if we’ll experience pain in this life, but rather where do we turn to in our pain? How do we process our pain?
The Justice Paradox
June 23, 2024 • Pastor Tim Veenstra • Psalm 82
Have you ever heard the phrase, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” The psalms give us an honest look at David’s inconsistency. He wants God to enact justice but wants himself to be exempt from the justice he is due. This is the justice paradox: we want God to be fair, but also personally receive unfair treatment. How do we make sense of this?
PRAISE!
June 16, 2024 • Pastor Tim Veenstra • Psalm 145
The psalmist David writes, “My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.” When we look at the work of God’s hands, and when we reflect on His great salvific work in our lives, how can we do anything but praise His holy name for ever and ever? The people of God are people of praise!
Sound Observations
June 9, 2024 • Pastor Peter Damaska • Psalm 19
Psalms, the ancient prayer book in the Bible, showcases the interactions of people with God. In these poems, the beauty of creation is highlighted, the dynamics of relationships are exposed, and the characteristics of God are on display. Psalm 19 highlights the Word of God and invites the reader to respond. Will we welcome wisdom or choose something else?
