Psalm 119 | Part 20 | Psalms for Shepherds

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Psalm 119 | Part 20 | Psalms for Shepherds

An audible devotional on Psalm 119 | Part 20

May 4, 2024 • Holly Culhane, Psalms for Shepherds, P4S • Psalm 119:153–160

Give

Today, we’re looking at verses 153 through 160, the stanza of this Psalm that is based on the 20th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Resh.

As I read this psalm, I thought how much the psalmist sounds like us when we come before our Lord in desperation. We often ask for him to save us from whatever we’re facing. And, while making the request to Him, we often remind Him of His mercies, how we are promised from His Word – which we believe is true and faithful – that those mercies are new every morning, and we beg Him to shower them down upon us in this day and at this time.

We want God to see our needs, just as the psalmist wanted the Almighty to see his needs. In fact, the psalmist used the same word here that Abraham used when he assured Isaac that God would “see to it” or, in other words, provide the sacrifice necessary for the altar Abraham had built.

Abraham knew that God would provide a way to rescue Isaac. And the psalmist knew our Lord would rescue him.

Fellow under-shepherd, please be as assured as Abraham was with Isaac that He will provide what you need during this time. Please be assured that He is full of mercy, and that His Word is truth.

He will and is shepherding you perfectly during this time. My prayer is that you will hear His voice, that you will respond with obedience, and that your faith will be bolstered while you experience His mercy and follow His truths.

Thank you for joining me.

Psalm 119 | Part 22 | Psalms for Shepherds

May 25, 2024 • Holly Culhane, Psalms for Shepherds, P4S • Psalm 119:169–176

This is Holly Culhane with Presence Point and welcome to our last week in the remarkable 119th chapter of the book of Psalms. We’re looking at the concluding passage of this acrostic based on the Hebrew alphabet – verses 169 through 176 – entitled Tav. This psalm is composed of one prayer request: “O Lord, listen to my cry…” then a sweet confession: “I have wandered away like a lost sheep…” followed by a second request: “Come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands.” Timothy and Julie Tennent, authors of a Meditative Journey Through the Psalms, write this about the final portion of this acrostic psalm: “Psalm 119 brings us to a stunning close, one that is crucial for understanding the larger message of the psalm as a whole.” As Christians, we learn to look back from the perspective of the New Testament as we read the Old Testament. In the same way, it is important to read Psalm 119 by looking back at it from the perspective of the final verse of the psalm, which stands as a kind of final testimony, closing statement, or interpretive witness for all that has preceded it. As the Tennant’s point out, “This psalm is filled with dozens of strong affirmations concerning the faithful determinations of the psalmist to follow God and his way of righteousness without wavering.... Suddenly, and perhaps unexpectedly, the psalm ends with the striking admission: ‘I have wandered away – or strayed – like a lost sheep.’...” “It is the final word of grace,” the Tennant’s write, “like that powerful moment in Isaiah when, after a series of exalted, unparalleled revelations, Isaiah says, ‘We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.’” The Tennant’s remind us that, “As it turns out, the final word is the reminder that obedience, single-mindedness, and determined love of God’s commandments are all made possible THROUGH HIS GRACE, without which we are those who have ‘strayed like lost sheep’.” Indeed, we are all sheep who have strayed. And indeed we have been found, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for joining me. May you live deeply into your calling this week to influence well in your sphere of influence.

Psalm 119 | Part 21 | Psalms for Shepherds

May 11, 2024 • Holly Culhane, Psalms for Shepherds, P4S • Psalm 119:161–168

This is Holly Culhane with Presence Point and welcome to week 21 in our series on Psalm 119. Today, we’re looking at verses 161 through 168, the stanza of this psalm that is based on the letter Shin in the Hebrew alphabet. David is continuing his plea to God to save him, but in this stanza, he has a peace, a shalom, that emanates from his reverence and belief in God’s Word. Just as it should for us during times of difficulty. I know that communicating with the Father, praising him, beseeching Him for myself and on behalf of others, and sitting silently before Him listening expectantly for His response brings shalom to me. Doing so several times a day would, most certainly keep us in the same mental and spiritual space that David was in, resting in total and complete confidence in the Father and His Word, hating lies, seeking truth, loving what the Father reveals, telling God that we will do whatever He tells us, keeping God’s instructions, following His directions, and abiding in His counsel. The question is: Do we do that? Do we make decisions that will result in the true shalom He offers, or do we skirt around His Word choosing what we will believe and what we will follow based on what seems easy, or right, or comfortable to us? Do we as the Father’s under-shepherds seek truth, love His Word, do what it instructs, follow His direction, and abide in His counsel? Whether we embrace the Father and all for which He stands will affect how we shepherd those He entrusts to our care, so today I’m suggesting that you pause for at least ten minutes and ask yourself those questions. Listen for the Holy Spirit’s answers rather than your own, and journal what you hear. Thank you for joining me. I pray you’ll live deeply into your calling this week and shepherd well all of those the Father has entrusted to your care.

Psalm 119 | Part 19 | Psalms for Shepherds

April 6, 2024 • Holly Culhane, Psalms for Shepherds, P4S • Psalm 119:145–152

This is Holly Culhane with Presence Point and welcome to week 19 of 22 in our series on Psalm 119. Today, we’re looking at verses 145 through 152, the stanza of this Psalm that is based on the 19th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Qoph (pronounced KUPH or KOPH). This passage is a reminder to us as under-shepherds, to go often to the Father on our behalf and on behalf of the sheep n our lives and to do so as an act of love, with our eyes open, to watch and pray as Nehemiah did, and as Jesus, Paul, and Peter commanded us “to watch and pray”, to be alert, ready, and aware of what is happening around us, because as Warren Wiersbe alerts, “We are soldiers in a battle and we dare not go to sleep while on duty.” We are, in fact, on duty, fellow shepherd. We are, in fact, responsible for those we lead, for how we influence those with whom we come in contact, for the behaviors we demonstrate, for watching out for the well-being of those who report to us, of those we report to, and of those we work, stand, and fight with - at home, at church, and in our communities. I pray that we will often reach out to the Father IN LOVE, not with an ask, but in gratitude. And may we, in fact, remember that ARE in a battle, that the sheep of our pasture are counting on us, and that we dare not go to sleep. Thank you for joining me.