Devotions
Grace Unleashed (Psalm 85)
Psalm 85 beautifully balances two realities that we often place against each other: grace and wrath. The writer recalls God’s favour to his people in the past, when he withdrew his anger from them (vv. 1–3). He pleads with God to show them grace again (vv. 4–7). He...
The Delight of Corporate Worship (Psalm 84)
Recent psalms have focused much on the destruction of Jerusalem and God’s people wrestling with why it had happened and how long their exile would last. Psalm 84 switches gears. Here, we sense a shift from lamenting God’s absence to rejoicing in God’s presence. This...
Praying for the Persecuted (Psalm 83)
Psalm 83 brings to an end a brief string of psalms (79–83) whose focus is the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC. In these psalms, the people have cried out to God in despair, asking why and how long. The Lord answered those questions in Psalm 81. They had...
God of Justice (Psalm 82)
Last year, Global Finance compiled a list of the world’s ten best cities to live in. The cities selected (from tenth to first) were: Sydney; Berlin; Seoul; Paris; Frankfurt; Melbourne; New York City; Singapore; London; and Tokyo. The rankings were based on eight...
The Rule of Praise (Psalm 81)
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...
The Vine (Psalm 80)
Growing grapes, I am told, is no easy task, and one that must be undertaken with the greatest care. The farmer does not randomly select a site and haphazardly sow seed in the hopes that it will turn out alright in the end. Grapes will not grow if it is too hot or too...