Today is Palm Sunday, the first day of Holy Week. On this day, Christians remember Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and we prepare for a deeper participation in the crucial events of this...
When I was in graduate school, my Hebrew teacher was one of the world’s leading experts in the Hebrew language. Thomas Lambdin literally “wrote the book,” having authored what was then one of...
We are in difficult financial times, and our own emotional well-being often sinks with the Dow Jones Industrial Average. In times such...
Psalm 20 is a prayer for the king of Israel. In this prayer, the psalmist asks God to grant the desires of the king’s heart and to make all of his plans succeed...
Several years ago, a friend took me and my children rock climbing. I had never done anything like this before, and, to be honest, it wasn’t my favorite activity. I have some fear...
Psalm 17 overflows with David’s prayers of asking: hear my plea, listen to my cry, pay attention to my prayer, declare me innocent, show me your unfailing love, guard me, protect me, rescue...
A few weeks ago, I noted in a reflection that buses in Britain are displaying signs that read: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” The British atheists and...
Psalm 15 begins with the question of who may worship in God’s sanctuary. The answer: “Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right” (v. 2). Then the psalm lists examples of...
Earlier this month, we noted the claim of the wicked that “There is no God.” Today we find this same boast in Psalm 14. Given the widespread belief in divine beings in the...
Yesterday we focused on Romans 8:23, where it says that we join creation in groaning. Though life can be filled with many blessings, there are times when we suffer and when we cry...
In yesterday’s reflection, we noted the “groaning” of creation as it experiences the wreckage that comes from sin. In Romans 8:23, we join creation in groaning. Even though, through the Holy Spirit...
In the original sense of Psalm 11:3, the foundations are the pillars of social order. Yesterday’s Daily Reflection focused on this meaning...
Nobody has prayed in more presidential inaugurations than Billy Graham. (Note: If you’re interested in these prayers, you might visit a series...
Throughout Britain these days, buses are displaying signs paid for by donations to the British Humanist Association. The signs read: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life....
In the ancient world, there was no separation of powers. The king was the executive, legislative, and judicial authority. Thus Scripture will often speak of God not only ruling from his throne, but...
I can't read Psalm 8:4 without remembering how it sounds in the older translations: "What is man that Thou art mindful of him?" (KJV). And I can’t hear the classic translation of this...
If you were reading Psalm 6 in the original Hebrew, you might be shocked by the opening imperative of verse 4 (which happens to be verse 5 in Hebrew). The verb “to return”...
Where do you worship? When I ask Christian businesspeople that question, I always get the same answer—the church they attend on Sundays. And no wonder. On Sunday mornings, we go to worship...
Throughout the Scripture, God sets apart people for himself and his purposes. Often the Bible uses the language of holiness to depict this act of setting apart. In Psalm 4:3, however, the language...
Thus, the Lord is David’s glory in a double sense. David lives for God’s own glory, and God glorifies David, his faithful servant.
