Are you prepared to worship God? In this week's article,Preparing Our Hearts for Worship, Rev. David Gilbert talks about the importance of preparing our hearts for worship by meditating on the "shots of truth" and heart focusing facts that speak of the greatness of our Lord and his grace, found in Psalm 100. ...

"Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation." (1 Peter 2:2) In the year 2020, we can find ourselves longing for many things: an end to COVID-19, the restoration of social order, the political mudslinging to stop, masks to be forever put away, and so on. And while the yearning for peace, stability, and the banishing of...

About 20 years ago, Joanna Weaver wrote a book calledHaving a Mary Heart in a Martha World. This is a catchy title, and it captures the struggle we saw this past Sunday in Luke 10:38-42. Martha, though wanting to serve Jesus out of love, became distracted, preoccupied, or pulled away by that very service. The cares of the world, in this case not evil in themselves, took an...

"There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns." (Psalm 46:4) John Owen writes, "It is utterly impossible we should walk before God, unto His glory, or with any real peace, comfort, or satisfaction in our own souls, unless our minds ar...

"But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." (Philippians 3:20) As Paul writes to the Philippians, this young church is being threatened by a group of people professing the truth faith but in deeds denying it. The most glaring display of their ungodliness, Paul says in Philippians 3:19 is that "their god is their belly," and th...

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling." (Psalm 46:1-3) The language in verses 2-3, while figurative, looks back to day three of creation. Then the mountains ...

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1) The Psalmist here gives us a memorable statement about our God. He is a very present help in trouble. But in the original, this phrase reads quite differently: A help in tight places or distresses, exceedingly he has been found. What does this mean? Let me open up this phrase by pointing you to...

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling." (Psalm 46:1) During tumultuous circumstances, which we're facing in our day, the Psalmist bids us to look to God. Who...

"To God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling." (Psalm 46:1-3) Psalm 46 is written to comfort God's people in distress. It does so by directing our attention to t...

A Word of Victory"He said, 'It is finished.'" (John 19:30) These three English words translate as just one word in the Greek: tetelestai. The connotation of this word indicates that a task has been carried out, that obligations have been met. What task has been completed? Everything that God required for the salvation of our souls has been finished. Our sins demanded a c...

In my Christian experience, one of the things that stirs my soul, keeps me focused on spiritual truth, and helps me maintain a faith-filled perspective is the singing of hymns rich with biblical truth. John Newton is perhaps my favorite hymn writer. He's not as poetically skilled as Cowper, Watts, or Wesley, but there is something indelibly powerful in his simple proclamat...

For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. (Psalm 9:10b) Moses told Israel, as they prepared to enter the Promised Land, "It is the LORD your God who goes before you. He will not leave you or forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6) Then, after Moses' death, the LORD repeated these words to Joshua. "Just as was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you o...

"And those who know your name put their trust in you" (Psalm 9:10) Shakespeare once asked, "What's in a name?" In our culture, names are chosen because we like the way a name sounds or because it has family ties, but less often due to their meanings. That's not how it was with the Hebrews. In their culture, names took on great significance. In fact, names often served as ...

The 18th century was a season of hymn-writing greatness with the likes of Wesley, Watts, Newton, and Cowper. But there was another English author whom the Lord gave as a gift to the church with her poetic skills, Anne Steele. Anne, the daughter of a Baptist minister in Broughton, struggled with poor health. However, her afflictions bore fruit in her beautiful reflections o...

"The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble." (Psalm 9:9 - Part 2) In our previous meditation, without specifying so, we answered two questions about this verse: (1) How do we understand the character/work of the LORD? He's a stronghold; and (2) For whom is he a stronghold? He is a stronghold, a fortress, an unceasing, impenetrable, high ...

"The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed...."(Psalm 9:9) As David passed through a multitude of messy situations, the LORD used the furnace of affliction to refine his servant. Chiefly, David learned the trustworthiness of the LORD when the vice of trouble squeezed him. What is the LORDYahweh, the covenant-keeping, ever-faithful, never-changing, omnipresent Godlike in ...