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We continue our journey this week in Crisis Counsels through Psalm 3, a psalm written by King David after he had fled from Jerusalem during the rebellion of Absalom. Absalom had superior forces, and David was under serious threat. Yet he says in the psalm: I lie down and sleep; I... Read More →

Our focus this week in Crisis Counsels is Psalm 3, which was written by King David when he was forced to flee from Jerusalem during the rebellion of Absalom. David was in dire circumstances, but in the Psalm he says, But you, O Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one... Read More →

Our focus this week in Crisis Counsels will be Psalm 3, which begins, O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying to me,“There is no help for you in God.” Psalm 3:1–2 Prior to verse 1, the Psalm begins with an opening note which says, “A Psalm of... Read More →

This week our focus has been on this well-known passage from James: Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be mature and complete,... Read More →

We have been reflecting this week about this passage in James:  Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be mature and complete,... Read More →

Our Scripture for this week in Crisis Counsels is this passage in the letter of James:  Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may... Read More →

This week in Crisis Counsels we are looking at the following passage in the letter of James:  Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may... Read More →

This week in Crisis Counsels we are looking at a passage in the New Testament letter of James:  Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that... Read More →

The final verse in Psalm 42 is an exact repeat of a verse that appears in the center of the Psalm: Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God. Psalm 42:11 The same words are in verse 5. In... Read More →

In Psalm 42 the Psalmist swings between feelings of despair and affirmations of faith. He says near the end of the Psalm: I say to God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I walk about mournfully because the enemy oppresses me?” As with a deadly wound in my body, my... Read More →

Psalm 42 expresses the situation of a person who is in great trouble and despair. The Psalmist appears to be sinking; as he says in verse 7: “Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; all your waves and your billows have gone over me.” But as he lifts his soul to God,... Read More →

The powerful poetry of Psalm 42 comes to a crescendo in verse 7, which says: Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; all your waves and your billows have gone over me. The image of being overwhelmed by mighty waters expresses the feeling of the Psalmist, who has... Read More →

If you are feeling down, Psalm 42 is a perfect Psalm to read, because the Psalmist connects deeply with what you are feeling. The sixth verse says, “My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember You, from the land of the Jordan, and from Mt Hermon, and from Mount Mizar.”... Read More →

In Crisis Counsels we are considering Psalm 42, where the Psalmist confronts a time of great trouble. At the center of the Psalm is this verse: Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.... Read More →

In Crisis Counsels we are following the spiritual journey of the Psalmist in Psalm 42, as he wrestles with a time of great trouble. As he seeks to find spiritual direction, he says, “These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng, and led them in... Read More →

This week in Crisis Counsels we are moving verse by verse through Psalm 42, a Psalm which speaks directly to difficult times. The third verse of the Psalm reads, “My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me continually, “Where is your God?” In a time of great... Read More →

This week in Crisis Counsels we journey through Psalm 42, which begins – in the verse we considered yesterday – with one of the most beautiful images in the Psalms: “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for you, O God.” (Psalm 42:1) It is the theme verse of one... Read More →

This week in Crisis Counsels we begin a journey through Psalm 42, in which the Psalmist calls to God in the midst of distress. We will find that this Psalm connects in many ways to our present circumstances. The Psalm begins, “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul... Read More →

In Crisis Counsels this week we are reflecting about the events on each day of Holy Week. Tomorrow there will be no issue of Crisis Counsels, and I invite you instead to connect with the online Good Friday meditation that we will be presenting at noon on Facebook Live. Today is... Read More →

This week in Crisis Counsels we are reflecting about what took place on each day of Holy Week. On Wednesday, the major event was an anointing of Jesus by an unnamed woman, described in the gospels of Matthew and Mark as follows: “It was two days before the Passover and the... Read More →

This week in Crisis Counsels we are reflecting about the events that took place each day of Holy Week. On Tuesday of Holy Week, Jesus delivered the Olivet Discourse – so named because it is a set of teachings that Jesus spoke on the Mount of Olives. In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus... Read More →

This week in Crisis Counsels we will be following the course of events during Holy Week. Yesterday, Palm Sunday, we remembered how Jesus entered triumphantly into Jerusalem. Monday of Holy Week was the day that Jesus cleansed the temple. The gospels report, “Jesus entered the... Read More →

Today’s Crisis Counsels brings the story we have been considering from II Chronicles 20 to its conclusion. The story began with messengers reporting to King Jehoshaphat of Judah that three nations – the Ammonites, Moabites, and Meunites (also known as the inhabitants of Mount... Read More →

In Crisis Counsels we have been considering a story from II Chronicles 20, where the people of Judah, faced with a terrifying invasion, were led by the musician/prophet Jahaziel to march out to meet the invading forces. Even though the people of Judah were woefully outnumbered,... Read More →

In Crisis Counsels we have been tracking a story about a great crisis that confronted the land of Judah in the mid-9th century B.C. Faced with a huge invasion, King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah looked to God in faith. The musician/prophet Jahaziel proclaimed a message from... Read More →

In Crisis Counsels we have been following the story of the people of Judah in a time of great crisis, when they faced an invasion by an overwhelming army. God spoke to the people through the musician/prophet Jahaziel, who told the people to go out and confront the invaders in the... Read More →

In the previous Crisis Counsels, we heard how the people of Judah, when faced with a terrifying invasion, were told by the musician/prophet Jahaziel that they should go out into battle position against the invaders; but they would not need to fight, because the Lord would bring... Read More →

In Crisis Counsels we have been tracking a memorable story from II Chronicles 20 about a time of great crisis in the land of Judah in the mid-ninth century B.C. Faced with an invasion of three foreign armies allied together, King Jehoshaphat and all the people of Judah first... Read More →

In yesterday’s Crisis Counsels we heard the message spoken by the musician/prophet Jahaziel to the people of Judah when they were in a great crisis. Faced with a massive invasion, the people were confused and terrified. But Jahaziel said, “Listen all Judah and inhabitants of... Read More →

Yesterday in Crisis Counsels we heard about Jahaziel, a musician who suddenly became a prophet when “the spirit of the Lord came upon him.” (II Chronicles 20:14) It happened at a moment of great crisis, when the people of Judah were facing an enormous invasion of enemy forces.... Read More →

Our Crisis Counsels have been drawing inspiration from a Biblical story in II Chronicles 20, which describes a time of crisis in mid-ninth century B.C. Judah, during which the king and all the people turned to God in prayer, not knowing what would unfold, but trusting in God for... Read More →

In Crisis Counsels this week, we continue to draw inspiration from the Biblical story that is found in II Chronicles 20, which describes a time in the mid-ninth century B.C. when the land of Judah was subjected to a massive invasion that threatened the lives of all the... Read More →

The past two days in Crisis Counsels we considered the story of King Jehoshaphat, one of the most faithful of the kings of Judah, who confronted an enormous crisis when his country was subjected to a powerful invasion of foreign forces. II Chronicles chapter 20 describes how... Read More →

Yesterday in Crisis Counsels we considered the story of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah in the ninth century B.C., who faced an enormous crisis when his country was invaded by an outside power. His first and central response was to look to God in faith, trusting that in all times God... Read More →

The Bible recounts many times of crisis in the story of the people of Israel. One of those is described in II Chronicles 20. During the reign of Jehoshaphat, the people of Judah were subjected to an enormous invasion. The Scripture reports, “Messengers came and told Jehoshapha... Read More →