Psalm 126 | Psalms for Shepherds

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Psalm 126 | Psalms for Shepherds

An audible devotional on Psalm 126

August 3, 2024 • Holly Culhane, Psalms for Shepherds, P4S • Psalm 126

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This is Holly Culhane with Presence Point and welcome once again to our Psalms for Shepherds podcast. This week we continue our journey in the Psalms of Ascent with Psalm 126.

Although perhaps written as a corporate lament, there is much language of hope and joy in these six verses. Nearly every verse contains an expression of joy – laughter, images of restored fortunes, streams in the desert, and abundance of harvest.

However, we can also see in the song that the current state of the psalmist is not one of joy, ease, and abundance, yet he writes and sings in hope. Much like the hope we found in Psalm 125!

It was the looking back at God’s faithfulness, at what He had done in the past that allowed the psalmist and singers to proclaim in that moment that they were filled with joy.

The question we must ask ourselves is this: Do we live like this, dear shepherd? Facing the day as author Pete Santucci says, “like giddy dreamers whose dreams had actually come true”?, remembering God’s grace, His merciful love, the beauty in your life, and your standing in Christ no matter what may come?

The psalm is a reminder to remember… to remember the goodness of God.

The writers of the She Reads Truth Bible reading plan, The Psalms of Ascent, sum up Psalm 126 this way:

“This song uses the memory of hardships [and rejoicing] as encouragement to remember that joy is worth the journey. And with that hope, this song calls the singers to be confident God will continue to use sadness to bring a better joy as they press forward.”

Yes, the joy in Jesus is worth the journey through this world.

Today, do you need to be reminded of how in the past our Good Shepherd has kept and cared for you, or a loved one, or one or more of sheep in your life?

Pour out your prayer to Him, and may this psalm be a template for you.

Look back.

Choose praise and joy.

Lay your requests before Him with the confident expectation that He will certainly be faithful again. After all, He has promised it.

My prayer is that your sadness and mine, when it comes, will bring a better joy to us as we press forward, and that you find yourself held, hope-filled, and at peace in the presence of your Shepherd today.

Thank you for joining me this week. As you allow Jesus to shepherd you, may you shepherd well those He has entrusted to your care.

Psalm 133 | Psalms for Shepherds

October 26, 2024 • Holly Culhane, Psalms for Shepherds, P4S • Psalm 133

We continue this week in the Psalms of Ascent with Psalm 133. This psalm may be familiar to many of you, as David speaks candidly about the importance of unity -the word often translated as "harmony" in many Bibles - a timely reminder for our world today. Psalm 133 How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron's head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe. Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting. This psalm describes unity - harmony - as precious, refreshing. Is that not true? This psalm is really quite self-explanatory. The question for us as shepherd leaders in today's world is this: Do we promote harmony? Do we encourage unity: Is our presence both "precious" and "refreshing"? If not, what must we do to change it? What part of our heart do we need to give the Father access to so He can cleanse it? What behaviors or patterns do we need to discontinue, change, or fine-tune, so that, we are more harmonious, more unifying? Thank you for joining me this week. I pray you live deeply into your calling to shepherd well all those you encounter.

Psalm 132 | Psalms for Shepherds

October 19, 2024 • Holly Culhane, Psalms for Shepherds, P4S • Psalm 132

This week, the journey through the Psalms of Ascent continues with a song that celebrates the Lord's faithfulness to David in several ways and can therefore, if we let it, remind us of God's faithfulness to us. Verses 1 through 5 of this psalm recount David's request to build a house for God - a "sanctuary for the Mighty One of Israel". Verses 6 through 10 recall how God allowed David to move the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. In verses 11 through the end of the psalm, the psalmist reminds us that God chose David's line for the throne, and that throne was situated in Jerusalem, a city of people, a priesthood, and faithful followers God swore to protect and make His own. The psalm is a wonderful reminder of all God has done and has promised, but how do we apply it to shepherd leadership?... We need to do what David did. We need to give God His rightful place; We need to express to God our joyful worship; We need to remind God of His faithful covenant; and We need to trust God for His bountiful blessings. It seems so simple as we list those four requirements, but the practical application requires intentionality and a heart in tune with the Father. Please don't let this day pass until you stop and consider... How am I doing at giving God His rightful place - in every aspect of my life? How am I doing at expressing to God my joyful worship? How am I doing at reminding God of His faithful covenant, and in trusting God for His bountiful blessings? Be encouraged to journal your thoughts. Set a reminder to review them. Take time every day to remember. It will deeply impact your ability to be a godly shepherd.

Psalm 131 | Psalms for Shepherds

October 12, 2024 • Holly Culhane, Psalms for Shepherds, P4S • Psalm 131

As we continue in the Psalms of Ascent this week, we turn to Psalm 131. Charles Spurgeon described this song best when he said, “It is one of the shortest psalms to read, but one of the longest to learn.” Psalm 131 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David. LORD, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD — now and always. In this psalm, the themes of humility and contentment in the LORD are undeniable. Anyone who has walked this earth and walked with the LORD for any length of time knows that both humility and true contentment are only developed through the trials, hardships, highs, and lows of a life of long obedience to Yahweh. In this psalm, King David shows us he learned this as well. To continue to quote Spurgeon, the psalm “speaks of a young child, but it contains the experience of a man in Christ.” I agree. And it also puts my heart at rest and reminds me to cease striving. Dear shepherd, let’s still ourselves and stop striving for self. Just as God’s Word says in another psalm - be still and know that He is God. After all, how can we shepherd well, submitting to the Father rather than self, if we are serving our desires and preferences, rather than God’s? How can we sacrifice for others, if we are self-focused? Please take a moment to… Pause in His Presence. Reflect on His Presence, His Protection, and His Provision. And whatever circumstances you face right now in your shepherding responsibilities, put your hope in Him. He is God. He is all that we need. We can rest in Him. And we can wait on Him with hope. Fellow sheep and under-shepherd, I encourage you to make Psalm 131 your prayer today.