THANKFUL

Chatting with Jesus

Monday, June 3, 2024

Lord, since the psalmist wrote with eloquence and used flowery phrases, was he merely trying to appear humble?  Did the shepherd boy turned warrior turned King of Israel have an editor who jazzed up his psalms, or did he write from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit? I think we know the answer.

Life’s ups and downs molded the psalmist’s wisdom. He admitted his lack of creative writing skills, but always acknowledged the source of his inspiration. He knew the gift he possessed didn’t come from his vast knowledge of the language or properly following grammatical rules. Like we do, he certainly must have used double negatives. And like us, his dangling participles probably left people confused. But whether his communication skills were superb, or he left people thinking him as still an uneducated shepherd boy, he couldn’t stop talking about you. He wrote:

“I will tell everyone about your righteousness. All day long I will proclaim your saving power, though I am not skilled with words” (Psalm 71:15 NLT).

What? “Not skilled with words?” Who is the psalmist trying to kid? The psalmist wrote the book on wordsmithing.

Lord, today, as we read the Psalms, we find inspiration, courage, and comfort that is found nowhere else. Since our enemy knows our track record, he claims we are unworthy of your grace and forgiveness. Such nonsense. The psalms verify we who have put our trust in you will never be disappointed. The cross covers it all. We belong to you forever.

The psalmist isn’t shy, warning us not to make his mistakes. His “covered up and nobody will know” sins were broadcast from the rooftops. Sin brings humiliation and embarrassment, but also brings God’s grace and forgiveness to the repentant.   

Lord, we’re grateful for the psalmist’s honesty. If we’re honest, we are so much like him. Help us live by your outline for righteously ordering our lives. Amen, Jesus.