Psalm 119 | Part 15 | Psalms for Shepherds

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Psalm 119 | Part 15 | Psalms for Shepherds

An audible devotional on Psalm 119 | Part 15

February 22, 2024 • Holly Culhane, Psalms for Shepherds, P4S • Psalm 119:113–120

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This is week 15 of our series on Psalm 119, and we’re looking at verses 113 through 120. This stanza of the Psalm is based on the 15th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, known as Samekh, and reminds us that God protects His people, God upholds the obedient, God rejects the wicked, and that God alone should be feared.

This passage is a perfect reminder that respecting God’s judgments begins with respecting His Word, and that respect begins with a wholehearted commitment to Scripture. A commitment that we, as God’s under-shepherds, should demonstrate.

Beyond that whole-hearted commitment to Scripture, the psalmist speaks of the importance of patiently relying on God’s Word for the ultimate victory. We must rest on God’s protection, making Him our hiding place....our refuge and shelter from the attacks of the enemy, whether they are by Satan and his forces or by those with whom we work or serve. God is our shield, our defense to fend off the attacks that do come our way.....and we must be leaders who protect the flock in our care, NEVER losing confidence in the ultimate triumph we have through God’s Word.

As the psalmist wrote, “I WAIT for the Lord... and, He is counting on God’s Word to never let him down because of his deep trust He has in the Father. Fellow shepherd leader, if you do not ABSOLUTELY know that you can trust the Father and that He is faithful, then a follow-up exercise to this podcast would be to take a moment and make a list of every single time you have experienced God’s faithfulness in your life. We need to remember that as we shepherd, as the enemy plants seeds of doubts in our minds, when things get harder than expected ---- or harder than we would like ---- We. Can. Trust. Our God!

Thank you for joining me this week. I pray that you will take time to make your “How God has proven Himself faithful to me” list and search your soul for how you regard His Word, His statutes, and His precepts.

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.