Joy Bombs in the Psalms – Glow Stick People Edition! | Psalm 71

I feel like if we all were together in person, we should each have a glow stick, and we’d break it and put our bracelets and our necklaces on and we would celebrate all of the mercy and grace and love that we’ve been reading about this week together. God is full of grace and mercy and love and forgiveness. Whatever you need, he’s able to provide that for you. The Psalms are here for us to pray together, to remember that we’re not alone in this human experience and that God stays the same throughout the ages. He’s the same God who extends mercy and grace and love and forgiveness to any human who comes to him asking for it. He’s just that good. Today we’re spending time in Psalm 71… Let’s dive in.

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Transcription:

We’re all broken. That’s how the light gets in.

It’s one of my favorite quotes of all time. Welcome to the Bible for Busy People. I’m Erica, your host, and it’s Friday. So you know what that means. It is time for joy bombs in the Psalms. I feel like if we all were together in person, we should each have a glow stick and we would break it and put our bracelets and our necklaces on and we would celebrate all of the mercy and grace and love that we’ve been reading about this week together, that we have been studying in the Bible together. God is full of grace and mercy and love and forgiveness. Whatever you need, he’s able to provide that for you. One of God’s names is Jehovah Jireh. It simply means ‘God will provide.’ So ask him for what you need. If you have never come to Jesus and said, Lord, I know you died on the cross for my sins, please forgive me. I want peace that I can’t explain in this life, and I want to live in heaven with you forever. If you’ve never done that, today is your day. The Bible says today is the day of salvation. He will come and he will set you free from all your fears. He will deliver you from all your fears. That’s what Psalm 34 says. So, we’ll start celebrating right there. If today is the day where you realize I need that 15th chance from God, I have not been living right. It’s time for me to turn away from the wrong that I’m doing and turn back to God so he can heal me. Today is your day. Come to him. He wants to heal your heart. No matter how far you’ve run, his arms are still open. Jesus’ arms were open on the cross and they’re still open when you’re ready to run back to him, to repent, to turn right.

So today, if you are in that place of brokenness and you’re needing God to heal your broken heart, your broken life, you want him to put the pieces back, we’re going to pray a prayer together from Psalm 71. Maybe this is you today. You feel broken, your spirit is broken, your heart, whatever it is, take a moment to name the thing that hurts. I’ll give you a second here, and you and I are going to give it to God. We’re going to come to him right now and pray to him as the psalmist invites us to do. These words are treasure left behind for you and I. These psalms are here for us to pray together, to remember that we’re not alone in this human experience and that God stays the same throughout the ages. He’s the same God who extends mercy and grace and love and forgiveness to any human who comes to him asking for it. He’s just that good. Psalm 71. Now, here we go.

O Lord, I have come to you for protection; don’t let me be disgraced. 2 Save me and rescue me, for you do what is right. Turn your ear to listen to me, and set me free.

Perhaps you need to be set free today from feelings of self-worthlessness. You are worth so much. Worth so much that Jesus came to die for you. You are so valuable and precious to him. He can set you free from that. He can set you free from a fear of failure. Maybe you’re turning back to God today and you’re going, “Oh, I’m going to mess up again.” He can set you free from that fear of failure. Failure is a bruise, not a tattoo. Alright, moving on to verse three now.

Be my rock of safety where I can always hide. Give the order to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

Do you need a hiding place today? Somewhere to go to get away from all the noise in the world, and the noise of your own heart that’s breaking in your chest. He is your rock and your fortress. Verse four.

My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked, from the clutches of cruel oppressors. 5 O Lord, you alone are my hope. I’ve trusted you, O Lord, from childhood. 6 Yes, you have been with me from birth; from my mother’s womb you have cared for me. No wonder I am always praising you! 7 My life is an example to many, because you have been my strength and protection.

There, it goes back to those broken places. That’s how the light shines through, right? Verse eight, now.

That is why I can never stop praising you; I declare your glory all day long.9 And now, in my old age, don’t set me aside. Don’t abandon me when my strength is failing. 10 For my enemies are whispering against me. They are plotting together to kill me. 11 They say, “God has abandoned him. Let’s go and get him, for no one will help him now.” 12 O God, don’t stay away. My God, please hurry to help me. 13 Bring disgrace and destruction on my accusers. Humiliate and shame those who want to harm me. 14 But I will keep on hoping for your help; I will praise you more and more. 15 I will tell everyone about your righteousness. All day long I will proclaim your saving power, though I am not skilled with words. 16 I will praise your mighty deeds, O Sovereign Lord. I will tell everyone that you alone are just. 17 O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do. 18 Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me. 19 Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens. You have done such wonderful things. Who can compare with you, O God? 20 You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth. 21 You will restore me to even greater honor and comfort me once again. 22 Then I will praise you with music on the harp, because you are faithful to your promises, O my God. I will sing praises to you with a lyre, O Holy One of Israel. 23 I will shout for joy and sing your praises, for you have ransomed me. 24 I will tell about your righteous deeds all day long, for everyone who tried to hurt me has been shamed and humiliated.

What I love about this Psalm is that the writer is choosing to praise God in the middle of his circumstances that are not perfect. And he’s saying, AND when you do these things, I’ll praise you then too. Those are our marching orders. Let’s praise him in the messy middle, and praise him when the breakthrough comes. If you are being broken, it is merely so that you can shine in this dark world. It’s going to be for your good and his glory. You can trust him till next time you are loved.

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