by Stuart | 19 Nov 2021 | Devotionals, Psalms
This is the last of my devotionals in the Psalms. The document containing all these posts, before today, comprised 102,318 words. That’s toward the upper end word count of a commercial novel! In many ways, it feels like the end of the line. Commentators have long...
by Stuart | 17 Nov 2021 | Devotionals, Psalms
Jesus once told a Samaritan woman that God is looking for worshippers who will worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Worship, in other words, should be offered enthusiastically (“spirit”) and according to how God has revealed himself (“truth”). It might sound...
by Stuart | 16 Nov 2021 | Devotionals, Psalms
Psalms 146–150 are sometimes called “the final hallel.” These closing five psalms all begin the same way: “Praise the LORD” (or, in Hebrew, hallelujah). It is generally thought that Book 5 of the Psalms (107–150) was compiled long after the return from exile. These...
by Stuart | 23 Aug 2021 | Devotionals, Psalms
Matt Redman recounts the story of a time when apathy was widespread in his home church’s musical expression. Songs were sung, but the congregation was simply going through the motions. The pastor decided to get rid of the musicians and the sound system for a season...
by Stuart | 16 Aug 2021 | Devotionals, Psalms
Psalm 81 is a psalm that fits, once again, into the broader context of the Babylonian exile. This psalm, however, is unique in that it speaks from God’s perspective. Rather than the people crying out to God for relief and asking why and how long, here he speaks back...
