Ye have not looked unto the maker

In Isaiah 22, God comments on how the Israelites have undertaken great effort to protect themselves. God says (verses 10-11, KJV),

Ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall. Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool.

Important efforts, no doubt. Unfortunately, the Israelites had not done something more important: appeal to God, himself, for protection. God complains (verse 11, KJV),

But ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.

This is a major problem for all of us. Getting caught up in the rhythms of life, we assemble our own efforts to protect and provide for ourselves. But in the process, we forget God's role in bring things into existence in the first place. A presence that power surely can protect and provide for us. So why are we so quick to forget that?

Rather than to try protect and provide for ourselves, let us learn to appeal to God. As David says in Psalm 62:8 (KJV),

Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.

Rejoice in the Lord

Following God is not about adhering to a set of rules. It's about achieving righteousness through faith. After all, Abraham was declare righteous not because he was a good guy. Rather, as stated in Genesis 15:6 (KJV),

He believed in the LORD; and [God] counted it to [Abraham] for righteousness.

Then, once we achieve that righteousness through faith, it doesn't end there. Rather, we have the opportunity to "rejoice" in our newfound union with God. Paul instructs in Philippians 4:4 (KJV),

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

So we should pursue faith, and in that process, we should also "rejoice"!

Psalm 50

Psalm 51, in which David repents for his actions with Bathsheba, is one of the most famous Psalms, and therefore it tends to overshadow the Psalm immediately preceding it. But Psalm 50 is densely packed with spiritual insights, and it is useful exploring in detail.

In this post, I'll focus on a handful of verses from Psalm 50 (all from the KJV), taking them a bit out of order. Starting with verse 21, God states that, while the people were sinning,

... I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.

Just because God doesn't immediately punish us for our sins doesn't mean he's not paying attention. He "will reprove" eventually. Verses 3 and 4 look ahead to that time,

Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.

Yikes! Verse 23 puts forth what we must do to avoid that dreadful judgement, 

... him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.

The word "conversation" means behavior. And if our behavior is "aright," verse 15 promises,

Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

Note that, once we're delivered from our troubles, we will "glorify" God. But what does that (very biblical-sounding) word "glorify" mean? Verse 23 provides the answer,

Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me.

So, when reading Psalm 50, one must bounce around a bit, but a theme emerges. God pays attention to our behavior, and we'll have to answer for our behavior eventually. Therefore, we should try to order our lives according to his will, and if we do, he'll save us from trouble. And when he does save us from trouble, we should praise him, which brings him glory.

With that outline in mind, try reading the full Psalm 50, and let it guide your prayers.