Psalm 8: Small and Significant

1 O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, who have set your glory above the heavens!

2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants, you have ordained strength, because of your enemies, that you may silence the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained,

4 What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you visit him?

5 For you have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of your hands; You have put all things under his feet,

7 All sheep and oxen— even the beasts of the field,

8 The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth!

Psalm 8

If we’re using the framework of orientation, disorientation, and new orientation, this is a Psalm of orientation. Notice the bookends of the poem, the repeating sentences in vs. 1 and vs. 8, and you’ll get the sense that David just feels lucky to be alive. He sees the glories of creation. He sees how beautiful it is and how perfect it was meant to be and he simply feels excited to be part of it. When do you feel this way - that you’re just lucky to be alive?

The Bible word for this feeling is “Blessed.” It was the feeling we were made to be lost in all of the time. Because of the fall, we must wait until the last day to feel blessed fully and continually. But even in this age, we can sense glimpses of it when, like David, we embrace who we truly are.

you Are Small

Verse 2 seems to stick out, doesn’t it? It seems as if the whole poem would flow better without vs. 2. However, it’s the appropriate follow-up to vs. 1, even if it seems abrupt.

How majestic is God’s name throughout all of the earth? It’s so majestic that he needs no help in receiving his glory before his enemies. Even toddlers, who can barely form words, can sing about God and it’s enough to prove his goodness amid his foes. He doesn’t need the strength of kings and armies to prove he’s legit.

This, of course, is proven when Jesus was in the temple right before his crucifixion, and children were crying “Hosanna!” While the most powerful men in Jerusalem are plotting his death. Today, billions of people across the globe are clear that Jesus is Hosanna in the Highest, just like those kids said. They don’t need the powerful men of the temple to prove it.

When we declare Jesus, he is glorified, and others may believe us. But it’s not because we’re big and compelling, as if Jesus needed our help in the PR department. It’s because we’ve embraced how small we are. That’s when his bigness can be clearly seen.

And if you look around you’ll figure out that you are indeed small.

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

Psalm 8:3-4

Do you hear David's heart in this line of the poem? It’s like he’s looking up at the night sky in ancient times where there were no street lights or skyscrapers filled with fluorescents, and you could see the galaxies in full bloom. And he says, “When I look up at the stars I don’t just feel small, I realize I am small.

The Milky Way is about 100,000 light years in diameter and contains an estimated 100 billion stars. They’re so far away that light from the nearest star, Proxima Centauri, takes over 4 years to reach Earth. Yet they’re massive enough that we can see them. Stars like Betelgeuse, a red supergiant, have diameters that can be up to 1,000 times larger than the Sun. And that’s just our one galaxy. The estimate is that there are a trillion or more galaxies, apparently going on to infinity

When we think about the vast universe above us, we are perplexed. Like, with all of that going on, why does God choose to spend his time with us? Why does God desire a relationship with us? Why would he become one of us? David is marveling at that question. This brings him to humility which is where a sense of blessedness begins. It’s through embracing our smallness we begin to feel just lucky to be alive.

Notice, though, that David isn’t humbled to the point of despair in this Psalm. He is brought low, but not cast out. In fact, in his lowness, he feels brought near. He says God is mindful of us. God is with us.

You Are Significant

David feels small, but he doesn’t say “ I don’t even matter.” He doesn’t fear being abandoned or forgotten. He embraces his smallness, but he also embraces his significance. Verse 4 questions why God would visit man. In the very next verse, we see that God doesn’t just visit man, he exalts him.

“For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of your hands; You have put all things under his feet.”

Psalm 8:5-6

As human beings, we have been made a little lower than the supernatural realm. We are not as big and as powerful as the angels are. Yet it’s we who have been given souls. God personally formed man with his own hands out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Psalm 139 and Jeremiah 1 say that he personally formed us in our mother’s wombs as well.

We are born in the likeness of God. We are his image. We were chosen to mirror his majesty. He’s the father and we’re his children. He’s the king and we’re princes. He reigns and we reign with him.

One of the best definitions of what it means to be an image bearer of God and to have the privileged position of humanity comes from a theologian named Carmen Joy Imes who says we were created to “be partners with Yahweh.” It’s a significant thing to be the partner of God.

It’s a significant thing to be a son of Adam who was placed in the Garden of Ed “to dress it and keep it.”

It’s as if God set Adam in his divine living room and said, “Put the couch where it would be best, pick art for the walls, and organize the bookshelf. Since we’re going to live here forever, we’ll share the space, and decorate it together.”

God says, “I’ll create the animals, but you’re my partner so you name the animals. We’ll do it together.”

You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen—Even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, And the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas.

Psalm 8:6-8

You are small. You’re not the creator. You’re the created. But you ARE significant, you’ve been given a significant position in that creation, to partner with God in cultivating it. He has given us dominion and set all things under our feet

Even though we sin and lose control of our dominion, and even find sin taking dominion over us, he still confirms our significance.

Hebrews 2 reflects on Psalm 8 and says this:

But one testified in a certain place, saying: “What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And set him over the works of Your hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet.”  For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him…

Hebrews 2:6-8

So truly God has given us everything and called us to rule with him in all of creation, Then why do we have so many worries? Why do we have so many problems? Why do we feel such a lack of dominion?

Sin has broken everything — even our relationship with the world around us. Genesis 3 tells us that, for now,  the grounds produce thorns, and there is pain in childbearing, and people, as significant as they are, die. It’s here YOU may start to question if you are going to be forgotten or abandoned because you don’t see your special position being so…special. Hebrews acknowledges this at the end of vs. 8.

“…But now we do not yet see all things put under him.”

Hebrews 2:8

Humanity is facing problems. We don’t see humanity ruling alongside God in perfection. Have we lost our significance?

No.

It’s been proven to us even further. Hebrews 2:8 says that we don’t see all things put under our feet. Verse. 9 says…

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

Hebrews 2:9

There is no doubt that you matter to God. There’s no question as to whether or not you are on his mind. Jesus has proven your significance by visiting his world and dying on the cross for you so that your death may be destroyed. After your death, like him, you will rise again. And just as he has been exalted to his proper place at the right hand of the Father, one day you will be exalted again to your proper place as his partner in perfection.

David, and whoever wrote Hebrews, both acknowledge their glorious position in the created order. It’s not pride, it’s not arrogance, it’s simply our Biblical identity. When we put away all of our self-loathing and self-hatred and embrace the fact that God has given us significance, we step into that feeling of blessedness.

Where we feel so thankful, so lucky to be alive, our mantra once again becomes what it should have been since Genesis 1…

“O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!”

Psalm 2: Tolerating chaos

1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,

3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.

5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,

6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”

7 I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.

8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.

11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 2

Psalm 2 is a companion to Psalm 1, in that they both set up themes to expect throughout the rest of the book. Psalm 2 tells us that, as we read the rest of the Psalms, we’ll find the mega themes of chaos and kingship.

If you’ve read the Psalms, you know this is true. So many of the Psalms are about kings, or written by a king, or written about bad kings and the damage they do (like we find in Psalm 2:2). And much of the Psalms are poems written by someone experiencing chaos either externally (in the world around them) or internally (in their own little world). “The nations rage” and so do their negative emotions.

What we hope the Psalms would provide, in our naivety,  is an answer that magically makes the chaos of the world (and our world) disappear. What we find instead is the good news. Specifically, something called, “Messianic Psalms,” that promise a coming king who will dispel the chaos forever one day in the future. Not just a king who will make it all disappear, but one who will judge the chaos (Psalm 2:9) and rule over our chaotic hearts with grace and truth.

Who is this promised king?

Well, it certainly isn’t King David. He did not clear the world, or his own life, of chaos. And it wasn’t Solomon, who was king after David. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. That’s about as chaotic as it gets.

After Solomon, there came a slew of kings. Almost all of them led lives beset with chaos until finally the raging nation of Babylon really did “set themselves against” Israel (Psalm 2:2) and took them captive.

After the exile, when God’s people returned to Israel, they went centuries without a king at all. They were ruled by other nations such as Persia and Rome. Then one day a man came on the scene, in places like “the holy hill of Zion” (Psalm 2:6) saying, “Repent, for the KINGDOM of God is at hand.” This man was then baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist to the tune of a voice from heaven saying, “This is my beloved son…” (Psalm 2:7).

The messianic king is JESUS. He went out and dispelled all of the chaos around him. Wherever he went storms were stilled, blind eyes were opened, hungry stomachs were fed, sinners were forgiven, the marginalized were included, demons were cast out, and the dead were raised to life.

Then, Jesus’ enemies raged against him (Psalm 2:1). The kings of the earth conspired to overthrow him (Psalm 2:2). So they put him in cords and bound him to a cross. (Psalm 2:3).

Yet even there he overcame chaos. On the cross, he loved us. He loved us so much that he took the wrath of God for our sins. (Psalm 2:5)

Jesus took all of our chaos onto, and into, himself and then died to begin the process of dispelling it forever and ever!

His enemies thought that they had overtaken him. But THIS was laughable (Psalm 2:4). As if you could kill God’s kingly son! He did lay down his life, but after 3 days he overcame even the chaos of death and rose again from the grave, ascending to his throne in heaven shortly after! Truly he is God’s anointed, who will dispel chaos once and for all.

Where are we on the timeline?

This is happening in two phases. Phase 2 is yet to come, where he will judge the world with a final judgment (Psalm 2:9). All those who would not repent of their chaos or believe in the midst of it will be eternally punished.

Jesus came the first time as a servant but he is coming back as a king and his wrath is kindled towards those who will choose chaos over Christ.

But for those who will choose Christ over the chaos, he will make all things new and death will be no more, neither sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. He will wipe away all tears from our eyes and we will live in a new heavens and a new earth, where there is finally no more chaos and never will be (Revelation 21). That’s phase 2.

For now, we’re in phase 1. We’re in the middle of Psalm 2:8 where God says to his kingly son, “Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession.”

After Jesus rose again, he sent out his disciples to preach the good news all over the world. It started in the book of Acts and continues to this day. The gospel is going out to the ends of the earth and people everywhere are repenting of sin, believing the gospel, and putting down their rage. Instead of seeing God’s commandments as bonds and cords (Psalm 2:3), they’re finding freedom in Jesus - the king who sets us free.

Will you join the people who call Jesus king? Will you be part of the fulfillment of Psalm 2:8 which is happening globally, right now, before our very eyes?

If the answer is yes, or has been yes for any length of time, you can start learning a new relationship with the chaos around you and inside of you.

A New Relationship with Chaos

It’s a relationship based on wisdom, not worry.

Psalm 2:10 tells us "Now therefore, be wise…”.  This starts with repentance. Acknowledge the futility of your OWN sin and the chaos IT causes. Strive to venture away from your sin and begin to serve the king.

Psalm 2:11 says, “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.”

To serve the Lord with fear means to recognize Jesus as our king and to diligently follow His teachings. Jesus has made it clear what he desires from us: to love God wholeheartedly, love our neighbors as ourselves, care for the vulnerable, and proclaim the good news.

God has promised his son worshippers from all nations of the earth. We get the privilege to bring him some of those worshippers through sharing our stuff, our service, and our faith with others.

Is this hard? Absolutely. But serving begins to give us a new relationship with hard things.  In sin, we’re experiencing chaos for selfish reasons. Through serving, we’re experiencing chaos for the best reason of all, the salvation of the people around us.

From there, we “Rejoice with trembling” which is an act of worship and allegiance to a new king. We begin to practice gratitude and celebration for all that our new king gives to us - from our next breath to our next milestone. However, It’s not just rejoicing when things are good, it’s rejoicing because he is good.

Psalm 2:12 sums it up: "Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.”

In ancient times, a kiss symbolized submission. For us, it means putting ourselves under Jesus' kingship. In other words, trust in his goodness and authority. That’s the core message of Psalm 2 - trust. Trust the Son.

Trusting in Jesus brings a blessing. What is that blessing?

Something Appears

Well, it’s something we can see in the Psalmists when they’re writing these Messianic Psalms. As you read them, something curious happens.

As they focus on the coming king, their chaos doesn’t just magically disappear. Rather, something new in them begins to appear; A tolerance for the chaos.

Take Psalm 16, for example. It’s a Messianic Psalm. In verse 8 we read, “I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” Essentially, David says, “I am in the midst of chaos, but I can accept that…because I’m also in the midst of my King.”

Can we really accept it? Is that really possible? What if the chaos is really bad? What if it’s death itself?

The very next verses, Psalm 16:9-10 address just that.

“Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.”

If you’ve been through the scriptures before, you know that these verses are prophesying Jesus’ resurrection from death.

He accepted death, knowing he would experience God’s resurrecting power. And after Jesus’ resurrection, his disciples believed like this too. We see this very clearly in the book of Acts where guys like Peter accept even the worst persecutions.

No matter how bad they were treated by the government or their fellow Jews, they walked in wisdom, served Jesus, and rejoiced in him! Their problems didn’t go away, but what came over them was an awareness that even when they were in the midst of chaos, they were also in the midst of of Christ.

They could see God “laughing” (Psalm 2:3). God, who sent the messiah king, is totally in charge, even when the chaos seems to be. They knew this. And when they, or the Psalmists, focused on this they found the chaos to be much more tolerable.

Here’s the gist, the goal of the believer should not be the fool’s errand of escaping all chaos, but worshipping the right king. Which will have the byproduct of making the chaos much more tolerable.

Sometimes, we too may be able to laugh at it.

Psalm 1: A Lens for All We Cannot See

Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.

He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Psalm 1

Psalm 1 serves as a glorious gateway to the entire book of Psalms. It tells us what we will encounter if we continue reading: a stark contrast between the righteous and the wicked.

The righteous are blessed, like a tree planted by streams of water, while the wicked are like chaff blown away by the wind. The righteous prosper, but the wicked are forgotten. Using the framework of orientation, disorientation, and new orientation, Psalm 1 is a Psalm of orientation. It shows us the world as it was meant to be, where everything is in its proper place.

Everything in Psalm 1 is stated concretely and with certainty. Since this Psalm serves as an introduction to the entire book, one might expect the following 149 Psalms to depict God's people living in ease and His enemies in disgrace. However, that’s not exactly what we find.

By the time we reach Psalm 3, we find God’s servant pleading for help because their enemies are prospering:

“Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me.”

Psalm 3:1

As we continue through the Psalms, we encounter numerous instances where the righteous feel like chaff and the wicked appear to be thriving. It’s almost like the opposite of Psalm 1 unfolds.

For example, in Psalm 94:3, the author asks, “Lord…How long will the wicked triumph?” Similarly, in the famous Psalm 22, David cries out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?”

How do we reconcile Psalm 1 with the rest of the book?

We need to check our assumptions at the door

This is true when we enter the Psalms—and the Scriptures as a whole. What does it mean to prosper in our eyes? And what does it mean to prosper in God's eyes? Could the two perspectives be vastly different?

When we see someone on their knees begging God for help and abandoning all hope in their own strength, we may see someone who is suffering. God sees their suffering too, but he also see’s something more. Something we can’t spot.

He sees them prospering. He sees them blooming and growing up into a mighty Oak as they learn some of life’s most important and powerful truths: that they are weak and in need, but that God is for them.

Conversely, the unrighteous might feel that their lives are so good, they have nothing to pray about. But, in reality, their souls are weakening. Let’s say we see the wicked making millions through unethical practices and living it up with all that money. To us they seem strong. But perhaps, they are more like chaff than ever. God see’s that if you just take away the money, they’ll be blown away.

Look Beyond the Present Moment

We also need to look past what we see right now to understand Psalm 1. It speaks of a certain future for both the righteous and the wicked, not necessarily a guaranteed present. The present moment can be deceiving.

As you follow Jesus through this season of your life, you may feel small like chaff. But several years from now, you’ll find that in this season you were more like a small seed. And what will seeds be like in the future? Big, beautiful trees that bear fruit.

In this same season, you may be surrounded by those who don’t follow Jesus, and their lives may look like an abundant field of wheat. But their future is certain: they will soon be discarded from the harvest, as they were really just chaff.

Psalm 1 is like a gateway, telling us what we’ll see as we journey through the Psalms. But it is also like a lens through which we can interpret the rest of the Psalms (and most of life’s circumstances). The contrast between the righteous and the unrighteous doesn’t always look the way you’d think it would, but through this lens we can see the true direction both are heading in.

You may feel helpless, but if you’re seeking God, you’re actually heading for hope. You may see others as invincible, but if they’re running from God, they’re heading for destruction.

How To Use The Psalms, Starting With Your Favorite

Many believers cherish a favorite Psalm, one that has provided comfort and strength throughout their journey with Jesus. While repetition of a single Psalm can be comforting, intentionally adding a couple more Psalms to the mix can be profoundly stabilizing.

The Three Types of Psalms

Walter Brueggemann, a distinguished scholar, offers insightful teachings on the Psalms, categorizing them into three types: Psalms of Orientation, Disorientation, and Reorientation.

Psalms of Orientation

These Psalms express praise and highlight the beauty and goodness of God's creation. These are prayers offered up when life is good and everything feels right. For example, Psalm 8 marvels at the wonder of just being alive:

"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you visit him?"

When do you feel oriented? When do you feel that life is as it should be and you are simply lucky to be alive? For my daughter, it’s like the Psalmist - she feels oriented when she looks at the moon and stars. We recently visited the Kennedy Space Center, and she was in awe of the galaxy. For me, it's evenings with my family, enjoying time together with snacks, movies, and laughter.

Psalms of Disorientation

These Psalms come into play when life is tough, expressing sorrow, frustration, and a plea for God's help. Psalm 13 is a potent example:

"How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? Consider me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death."

When do you feel disoriented? When does everything seem out of order? It could be during times of great injustice or personal crisis.

The Psalms cover the full range of disorienting emotions, including depression, anger, anxiety, and even the feeling of being abandoned by God. This inclusion reassures us that these emotions are a normative part of the Christian experience, welcome in our prayers to God, and that we are not bad Christians for feeling them.

Psalms of Reorientation

These Psalms celebrate God's deliverance and the restoration of order after a period of chaos. They reflect moments of salvation and renewed hope. Psalm 34, for instance, is a common example:

"I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!"

When have you felt divinely reoriented? When have you been filled with gratitude because God came through and saved the day? For me, it’s the support and healing I've received in my struggles with OCD. I’ve felt like the “poor man” in Psalm 34 on many occasions. I cried out and God saved me in his goodness.

Add to Your Favorite Psalm

Now, consider your favorite Psalm. Reflect on that one Psalm you’ve gone back to over and over. How does it fit into Brueggemann’s framework? Is it a Psalm you read when you're oriented, disoriented, or reoriented?

Now, match your favorite Psalm with two others that correspond to the other states of being.

For example, If your favorite Psalm is one of reorientation, pair it with a Psalm of orientation and one of disorientation.

Or, If your favorite Psalm is one of orientation, such as Psalm 19, pair it with a Psalm of disorientation, like Psalm 22, and then one of reorientation like Psalm 30.

Instead of just going back to one Psalm while experiencing one emotion, you’ll be going back to the Psalms with each emotion, thus experiencing a more steady recognition of God as life continually unfolds.

So, In moments of orientation, pray your favorite Psalm of gratitude and awe.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." - Psalm 19:1

In times of disorientation, pray your favorite Psalm of despair and doubt.

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?" - Psalm 22:1

And when you experience reorientation, pray your favorite Psalm of salvation and grace.

"I will exalt you, Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me." - Psalm 30:1

This practice will enrich your emotional and spiritual health, guiding you through the ups and downs of life, which the Psalms are designed to do.

What Are the Psalms?

The word Psalm means “sacred songs.” The Psalms are a hymnal in the middle of our Bibles.

It was the hymnal of the Jewish people. It was the hymnal Jesus and the writers of the New Testament would have grown up with, which is partly why the New Testament quotes from the book of Psalms quite often.

In the early church, and throughout church history, the church would sing or chant the Psalms during their worship services.

The music they used has not been preserved, so we’re just left with the lyrics which were prayers written in poetry.

This tells us something about God: That he uses beauty to communicate.

It’s interesting to think that the Holy Spirit could have inspired the Bible to read like anything. The Spirit could have inspired the scriptures to read like the manual for your car. And it would have been dry and boring and only searched when your dad couldn’t fix something on the first try.

Instead, the Spirit inspired poetry. Why?

Because he loves us & wants to prove that he knows us.

The creator wants to speak to us and talk to us about the human experiences we have that we cannot explain.

After all, that’s what Poetry is. Poetry is an art that expresses concepts and experiences we have no ordinary words for.

Poetry takes the words we DO have and structures them in such a way as to lift the veil on the unexplainable. And there are a lot of unexplainable things about God.

Just try to answer this question, “How good is God?” Or this one, “How long does God’s love last?”

Can you put the greatness of God’s grace into an ordinary word?

No.

You need a poem for that. Like this one:

Psalm 136:1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

2 Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever.

3 Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever:

Notice the repetition? Yeah, It goes on to say “His mercy endures forever” 23 more times in this one Psalm.

It’s like God is so good, so mighty, so merciful, so gracious, and so slow to anger you could never just describe it with a basic sentence. Poetry uses things like repetition to paint a picture that ordinary words can’t even sketch out.

What else is unexplainable? The human experience. Take for example despair.

Can ordinary words express how it feels to destroy your life with sin? Can you express, with ordinary words, the fear you feel when you’re facing a huge threat & do not sense the presence of God? Can ordinary words portray how you feel when your child is terminally ill?

No.

So the spirit has inspired poetry. Check out this verse:

Psalms 6:6 I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears.

Medically speaking, there is not enough water in your tear ducts to fill up a room and submerge your bed. But have you ever felt so much despair, agony, depression, or fear that it was like you were drowning? Most of us have.

Now, how do we know we have felt that way if we don’t have ordinary words for it? How do we know we’ve shared this experience if it’s unexplainable?

Through sharing poetry.

And here’s the astounding thought we’re unearthing by recognizing that the Psalms are poems: How does God let us know that he knows that we feel this way?

By inspiring poetry!

Poetry that can be read, prayed, set to music, and sung.

It all boils down to this astonishing, beautiful truth: The Psalms are a way in which we can walk with an unexplainable God during unexplainable circumstances.

God loves us so much. He wants us to know that unexplainable experiences do not separate us from him.

• We may be bewildered, but he is not.

• We may be at a loss for words, but he is not.

• We may fall silent, but he can speak.

• We may not sense his involvement, but the Psalms beautifully reveal that he is very near to the brokenhearted.

What are the Psalms? The Psalms are God-inspired poems that show how God relates to us in our human experience and show humans how to relate back to God.

Even when everything is unexplainable.

Reading the Psalms in a Month

Many people have a favorite Psalm, including myself. Even more people have a favorite verse from a single Psalm. That’s great.

However, focusing in on a single Psalm, or a single line from a Psalm, is great in the way having a sea shell is great. It’s beautiful, it’s special, you can make jewelry out of it and wear it wherever you go.

But when we behold the entire book of Psalms (The Psalter), understanding the reason these poems, songs, and prayers are ordered the way they are, and how the various sections of the Psalms work together — it’s like we have the whole ocean, along with the entire shoreline.

We understand our favorite Psalms more richly when we see that it’s just one chapter of a book (The book of Psalms). And that book has a message. That message is the good news that God is with us when the waves are raging or when the sea is calm and tranquil.

Not only is he with us, he is bringing us through the waters. He turns disorientation into reorientation. He turns our burdens into blessings.

He does this through prayer and he does this through a king like David (JESUS!) who conquers the enemy and reigns with mercy and justice.

This Summer may be a good season to read all the Psalms and see how the Psalms are all about Jesus.

Here’s a guide, based on the Book of Common Prayer, that will help you do just that.

Keep Telling your stories

Psalm 107:2 says, "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy."

This call to share our testimonies is more than just a suggestion; it’s a spiritual discipline that can transform our lives and the lives of those around us. Whether in church, in Griggs groups, in daily conversations, or even on social media, sharing our stories is a powerful practice. Here’s why…

1. It's Biblical

The Bible is filled with exhortations to share what Jesus has done in our lives. Psalm 66:16 says, "Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul."

Similarly, Psalm 40:10 declares, "I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation."

Psalm 34:1-3 says, "I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together."

These passages highlight the importance of verbalizing both our experiences in salvation and sanctification. Sharing our testimonies is, at least partly, God’s will for what we talk about.

2. It's Evangelistic

In our daily interactions, we’re going to encounter differing beliefs and opinions on the supernatural.

Take, for instance, a conversation I had once as a teenager with a lady in downtown Indianapolis who said, “Whatever your soul believes, that's what happens to it when you die.”

She was saying that if your soul believes in reincarnation, then reincarnation happens for you. If your soul believes in purgatory, then that’s where you wake up in the afterlife. If your soul believes heaven is an eternal choir loft you float to after getting your wings, then get your harp ready.

I felt ready to poke 1,000 holes in her logic, but confrontation isn't always an effective response when you want someone to “taste and see” the good news.

Jesus calls us to be "wise as serpents and gentle as doves" (Matthew 10:16). Testimonies offer that opportunity. When we share what God has done for us, we preach good news without unnecessarily closing the door on the relationship.

We aren’t presenting ourselves as superior to others. Instead, we’re admitting our moments of need. We’re saying we needed a good God to intervene on our behalf or else we’d be lost. And he did!

This authenticity resonates with people because having a sense of need is universally relatable. We free others from a feeling of being attacked, yet challenge them to consider the power of the gospel.

3. It's Helpful

While sermons hold a unique power in delivering God’s word, testimonies offer a different, and necessary kind of impact.

Sermons might be likened to constructing a great room. With the context of a passage, you lay a foundation. With each verse, you build walls to hold up God’s truth. Then you furnish your space with biblical application.

While having a fancy room is great, if you don’t turn on a light, it doesn’t do you too much good. No one is going to be able to find a place to sit down and admire its beauty.

Testimonies, then, are like windows that let light into that room, providing illumination so that others can see what the Word says, means, and does. It helps people experience the grandeur of the Word.

Jesus understood this power and often encouraged His followers to share their stories. In this way, his help for one person would in turn help the multitudes.

For example, in Luke 8:39, after healing a man possessed by demons, Jesus told him, "Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you."

Everyone in his neighborhood knew how powerful his demons were, and they were afraid of them. I’m sure his story helped his neighbors with those fears and gave them an experience of a greater power - the power of the word of God.

Let’s follow that man’s example and keep telling our stories!

Front Porch legal clinic

Front Porch Legal Clinic is a monthly opportunity for extremely low-cost legal services for anyone needing them. You get the same treatment and the same level of service as those who can pay a lawyer’s hourly rate. 

You can sign up at the link below! 

www.administerjustice.org

They meet at Front Porch Housing and only ask for a 30$ Co-pay. The 30$ co-pay gives you access to the clinic for the duration of your issues. If you have questions, please reach out.

GVL Skate Church

GVL Skate Church is a ministry that meets Monday nights in the Poe Mill Skate Park. They skate, eat together, and then study the scriptures and pray.

The leader of GVL Skate Church, Josue Rodriguez, spoke at Griggs about the mission and vision of Skate Church.

It’s all about the great commission, meeting skaters where they are, and then sharing the gospel of Jesus with them.  One way ANYONE can get involved, even if you don’t skate, is to Venmo @GVLSkateChurch a gift of any amount, which they will use to buy food for their Monday night meetings. To check them out, you can follow them on Instagram here.

The Poe Mill Achievement Center

We are huge fans of the Poe Mill Achievement Center. PMAC was launched in June 2018 with 35 children attending summer camp and they have only grown from there. 

They run an after-school program every weekday in concurrence with the Greenville County Schools schedule. Children come straight from school to PMAC, where they engage in academics, physical fitness, games, art, dance, music, and character building activities throughout the afternoon. They also provide a snack each day and supper at the end of the day. In the summers they run “Camp PMAC” which is an all-day program since the kids don’t have school. 

We are happy that a handful of our Griggs Kids are also part of this program and we have been able to send some volunteers to PMAC from time to time. We usually get to do a project for them in the summers when we run our local mission trips. You can find them at  1215 Buncombe Road in the Poe Mill Neighborhood.

If you’re interested in getting involved you check out their amazon wish list here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/218HZPIHUSIFR?ref_=wl_share 

If you’d like to volunteer, you can contact Hannah Dixon at hannah@pmacgvl.org for information. Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age and able to commit to volunteering weekly. PMAC is also looking for qualified high school and college students as summer camp and after-school interns! We’d love some of our Griggs college students to apply! 

Soteria Community Development Corp.

Drive down shaw street and you’ll see Soteria Community Development Corporation. You’ll know the building because you’ll see a mural of the word “Human” on the side of it.

Soteria’s founder and leader is Jerry Blassingame. After experiencing severe trauma as a kid, Jerry found himself running from God and selling drugs. After a couple of arrests he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. While incarcerated, he met Jesus and caught a vision for a ministry that would help people just like him - those impacted by the criminal justice system.

Through a series of miracles, Jerry was released (and eventually pardoned). With his second chance at life he started Soteria (which means Salvation). Soteria gives housing and jobs to incarcerated men that are re-entering society and provides low-income housing.

One of the jobs the men do is furniture making. They make all kinds of great pieces which you can find on instagram at @SoteriaAtWork.

You can read more of Jerry’s story by ordering his book on Amazon.

Ministry Park

Ministry Park is the space between the two churches at 27 2nd Ave, right in the middle of Poe Mill. It serves as an outdoor space for all of the neighborhood ministries. There’s a playground, picnic tables, and a pavilion with a sound system. This is a great location for block parties! Last year, we held the Poe Mill Spring Block Party there.

It’s also a great place for teaching and preaching. We held our Wednesday night services there throughout the entire summer of 2021.

And we’re not the only ones who use the space. Here’s the current lineup of ministries you can find at the park:

TUESDAY NIGHT FRIENDS

Mark Clayton has been hosting Tuesday Night Friends for years. Every Tuesday night at 6 p.m., a group meets at the park for a meal and teaching. Mark has a great crew of regulars from the neighborhood who are faithful to come each week. They go deep into the scriptures. It’s not like a short, evangelistic devotional thought. Mark usually prints out 3-5 pages of notes for everyone, and they study the Bible for almost 45 minutes.

NOTHING BUT JESUS STREET MINISTRY

We love this effort! Each Saturday at 4 p.m., a big crowd gathers at Ministry Park for food and fellowship in the name of Jesus. NBJSM gives out much-needed supplies as well, such as blankets and coats. Several churches are involved, and they meet rain or shine all year round.

WORSHIP IN THE PARK

Every Sunday at 4 p.m., Scott Weinart, who was instrumental in founding Ministry Park, and his team host a worship service in the park. There is a meal and a time to eat, and then you basically enjoy a church service together. Scott is a fantastic Bible teacher who has spoken at Griggs a couple of times and is able to pull out rich gospel-centered truths from each text.

We’d be glad to help you get involved in any of these weekly gatherings at Ministry Park. For more information, just drop us a note.

The Upstate Church Collective

Hey Griggs Family,

I wanted to make you aware of an awesome program a couple of our leaders are participating in this year called The Upstate Church Collective.

UCC was started by Fellowship Greenville and Summit Church for the purpose of “Equipping church leaders with the character and competency for faithful, lifelong ministry.”

During this first track, the focus is especially on lay-leaders.

Every other Sunday night, some leaders from five churches gather to hear and discuss a topic of biblical church leadership. We break up into small groups and talk about how that topic applies to our specific churches.

Throughout the 10-month program, each leader is coached and encouraged to be the strongest leader they can be. Josh Moll and I (Pastor Mitch) are the coaches for our Griggs folks.

Though this is beneficial for every lay leader in the church, the collective wants to identify people who are called to plant and revitalize churches and help them do so by both training them and helping them raise support.

So the future could entail more gospel-preaching churches planted and re-planted across the upstate. It’s amazing to think about what could happen when churches collaborate.

My hope is that this will help some of our leaders feel more confident in their spiritual gifting and abilities as they serve Griggs. And who knows, maybe one of our young seminary guys can one day revitalize a church just like Griggs, in a mill village like Poe Mill, with a team of people and some funding from the other churches participating!

We have a handful of our leaders attending the Sunday night sessions already, but we can bring another group through the program next year too.

So let us know if you have any questions. It’s all new, but we’re glad to be along for the ride.

• Pastor Mitch

All About the CBR Journal

One aspect of our vision for 2022 is being a Bible-reading community as we are committed to spiritual health first and foremost. Though we do have hopes for numerical growth, new programs, and building projects, all of those take a back seat to spiritual health. They must be a result of spiritual health.

Bible reading is a key factor in our spiritual health. Jesus tells us that “man cannot live by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God.”

Griggs is a family, and we want each member to be fed. We cannot accomplish this through simply preaching on Sundays. We must equip one another to feed ourselves each day of the week.

The tool we’re using to guide us in this endeavor is the CBR or Community Bible Reading Journal. Also called the SJT, the Seeing Jesus Together Journal. We used this to some degree last year, but this year we’re diving in with both feet.

The CBR Journal is a simple Bible reading tool that prompts you to read two chapters of scripture each day—one from the Old Testament and one from the New. It’s also a journal where you can pen your thoughts as you read.

Each day, you’re asked to share one thing you’ve learned with your community (i.e., your church, your Griggs Groups, or your friends).

We want as many people as possible at Griggs to use the CBR Journal. We aim to create a culture of sharing what we learn, implementing time for reflecting on what we’ve read in Griggs Groups, and asking folks to share what they’ve been learning from the stage in our Sunday morning and Wednesday evening services.

If you need a new CBR Journal, you can buy one here.

Listen to this Sermon

Listen below if you want to hear the heart behind why must be a Bible reading community (along with a few tips for daily bible reading).