Devotions
Are We Not Divided? (Psalm 133)
The beloved hymn, “Onward Christian Soldiers,” has come under a great deal of scrutiny in recent months. After the armed insurrection at the US Capitol in early January, many called for an end to the use of this song in church worship services. The specific objection...
Worship for the Disillusioned (Psalm 132)
Psalm 132 celebrates the arrival of the ark of the covenant in Jerusalem during the time of David. Though it was probably not written by David (see v. 10, where David is referred to in the third person), it seems to have been penned prior to Solomon’s dedication of...
Steppingstones to Trust (Psalm 131)
There is perhaps no more consistent theme in the Psalms than that of trust. Time and again, the psalmists express deep, abiding trust in the Lord. We rejoice in their grand statements of faith. We tweet them. We embroider them. We memorise them. But we don’t always...
Rock Bottom (Psalm 130)
Have you ever hit rock bottom? What was the cause? Perhaps your business failed miserably, or a dearly loved family member died. Perhaps your health failed. Perhaps other people strongly opposed you. Rock bottom might have been completely out of control. Sometimes,...
Headwinds (Psalm 129)
Biosphere 2 was an experiment carried out in an Arizonan desert in the United States between 1987 and 1991. The idea was to create an artificial ecological system as the perfect environment for growing plants and other living systems. The lessons learned, it was...
God Bless Us (Psalm 128)
In 1897, a Xhosa Methodist clergyman serving at a mission school near Johannesburg composed a song that would become to be recognised as a pan-African liberation song. Versions of the song were later adopted as national anthems for various African nations, including...