Prayer is the best way to respond to trouble. Psalm 50:15 says, “Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” How should you pray when troubles come? Consider how Psalm 138 answers. It is a prayer of thanksgiving. Every prayer should involve and include thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the main ingredient of this prayer of praise.  This psalm of thanksgiving is ascribed to David. We do not know the historical background of this psalm. However, the text gives several clues. Verse 8 says, “I walk in the midst of trouble.” It also mentions “the wrath of my enemies.” As enemies troubled David, he responded by going to God in prayer. But this psalm is not a lamentation or cry for deliverance....

Henry Martyn wrote, “I experienced a solemn gladness in learning this MEM part of the 119th Psalm.” Psalm 119:97-104 is a prayer in which the psalmist addresses the Lord in every verse. It is a prayer with no petitions. It is a prayer of devotion: “Oh how I love your law!” He did not say he believed, obeyed, or proclaimed God’s word. He says, “Oh how I love your law.” It is a personal confession: “Oh how I love your law!” It is a present-tense testimony. He did not remember when he loved the word of God. He did not...

In the previous three stanzas of Psalm 119, the psalmist is overwhelmed by a fierce storm of affliction. Verses 81-88 is the low point of the psalm. The storm nearly wiped out his faith. In this section, the psalmist is coming through the storm. He is anchored to the sovereignty of God. He is standing on the rock. Verses 89-96 record the psalmist’s faith-filled testimony about the permanence, power, and perfection of God’s word. It is good news for all who trust and obey the word of God. God’s word is a solid rock upon which you can stand. It will not always make sense to...

Psalm 119:81-88 is the midway point of the Mt. Everest of the Psalms. It is also the lowest point of this psalm. The psalmist discusses his troubles throughout this psalm. But no other stanza, before or after this section, describes his anguish, despair, or weariness as here. His turmoil is evident from the opening verse of the stanza. Even though he maintains his devotion to the word, he does not experience spiritual breakthrough in this stanza.  This stanza also stands out because verse 84 is the first verse of this psalm that does not mention the word of God. It is as if the psalmist momentarily lost his sense of direction. It can...

This parable at the end of Luke 16 responds to an incident at the beginning of Luke 15. Tax collectors and sinners drew near to Jesus. The Pharisees and scribes complained that Jesus received sinners and ate with them. Jesus responded by telling a series of parables.  Luke 15 records three parables about salvation.  Luke 16 records two parables about stewardship.  Luke 16 begins with the Parable of the Unjust Steward. Verse 13 warns: “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Note verse 14: “The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.” The Pharisees were...

There are two types of God-talk in Psalm 119. The author speaks about God and to God. This tenth stanza consists of the latter, as the psalmist addresses the Lord in each of these eight verses. This stanza is a prayer. It teaches two lessons about prayer.  Handle everything with prayer. In previous sections, the psalmist says a lot about the difficult circumstances and ungodly opposition he faced. He will further discuss his challenges in this section. Yet we do not find him angry, bitter, or resentful. He responds by going to God in prayer. His example teaches us to handle everything with prayer. When trouble comes, pray about it instead of doubting, worrying, hustling, fighting,...

Imagine you lived during the days of Jesus. You were able to see and hear the ministry of Jesus in person. Somehow, you finagle your way to the front of the large crowd, close enough to speak to Jesus. What would you ask or say to him in that moment?  That scenario is the occasion of the text. Verse 13 reads: “Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’” In Jewish custom, the firstborn son was the heir of the father’s estate, executor of his father’s will, and recipient of the lion’s share of his father’s wealth. The man of our text was the younger brother, who was deprived of his inheritance...

The Teth stanza of Psalm 119 begins with grateful praise: “You have dealt well with your servant, O Lord, according to your word.” This testimony affirms the goodness of God. In verse 17, the psalmist prayed, “Deal bountifully with your servant.” The Lord answered his prayer. The psalmist testified, “You have dealt well with your servant.”Verse 64 is a universal statement about the goodness of God: “The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes.” Verse 65 is a personal testimony of the goodness of God.  The Lord had dealt well with him.  The Lord had shown kindness to him. The Lord had been good to him.  This is the testimony...

The stanza begins with a testimony: “The Lord is my portion.” “Portion” refers to a personal inheritance, acquired possession, or great endowment. It is a real estate term. The Lord used the term to explain why the priestly tribe of Levi would not receive property or possessions in the promised land of Canaan. Numbers 18:20 says, “And the Lord said to Aaron, ‘You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel.’” Joshua 13:33 says, “But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel is their inheritance just as he said to them.”   We do not know...

George Bernard Shaw visited the studio of sculptor Sir Jacob Epstein. The famous playwright noticed a massive block of stone in the corner and asked what it was for. “I don’t know yet,” Epstein answered. “I’m still making plans.” “You mean you plan your work,” said Shaw. “I change my mind several times a day!” Shaw replied, “That’s all very well with a four-ounce manuscript, but not with a four-tone block.”  It is good, wise, and right to make plans. The weightier the goals, the weightier your plans. “If you fail to plan,” said Benjamin Franklin, “you are planning to fail.” That old and famous axiom is true. The Bible teaches us...

Psalm 119 repeatedly confronts us with the fact that devotion to God’s word brings troubles and blessings. The hard truth that devotion brings trouble is mentioned in the previous stanzas. It is stated explicitly in this stanza. Yet the tone of the psalmist is upbeat.  He was not down, distressed, or defeated.  He was not on the verge of giving up on his faith.  He was not looking for deliverance from his troubles.  There is only one prayer request in this stanza. It is not a prayer for deliverance. It is an expression of confidence in the faithfulness of God. Alexander Maclaren wrote: “This section has...

Matthew 28:18-20 records the Great Commission of Jesus Christ: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” The Lord has commissioned the church to make disciples. Teaching is essential to the disciple-making process.  Disciples think and live by the teaching of Christ. Who is qualified to teach others? It is those who have been taught. No one who does not have a teachable spirit should be...