Jackpot
Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
Psalm 73:1
This Psalm is the Old Testament version of “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). This promise answers a disconnect in us: we are worried about created things while we have the Creator for our heavenly Father.
Asaph knew what was up. We all deal with it: jealousy of arrogant, wicked people. Their lives seem easy—safe and sound and secure—while they blaspheme or ignore God. But their end is not good. “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God” (Luke 21:21).
May he who is our Riches save us from true poverty. For us it is good to be near to him, our portion and treasure and joy and all.
The Reformed Doctrine of Spinners
Ezekiel’s wheels within wheels probably refers to the spinning stars of the night sky, which represent God’s rule over his creation. As such they have been associated with his providence or masterful storytelling in all things.
Nowhere do we see this more clearly than in the life and death of his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. For instance, when (according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God) he was handed over for crucifixion, it was in perfect step with God’s master plan:
“You know that after two days the Passover is coming,” said Jesus. “Then,” writes Matthew, “the chief priests and the elders of the people…plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, ‘Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar…’” (Matthew 26:2-5). And so it was fulfilled that the Lamb of God was slain on Passover.
Wheels within wheels all spinning together to complete God’s purposes in perfect time. So if we are so privileged to have enemies scheming against us in secret, let us rest assured that all is in perfect motion for maximizing God’s glory in our deliverance.
Endgame
The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Matthew 24:29–30
In the 2015 motion picture Avengers: Age of Ultron, Tony Stark creates an AI super bot to protect earth from hostile alien forces (which goes horribly wrong). In his defense he contends that the Avengers need to prepare the earth for imminent invasion from the sky. “That up there,” he says, “that’s the endgame.”
The real world is not unlike this. Every man, woman, and child will meet their Maker when the God-Man Jesus Christ returns on the clouds of heaven to bring God’s justice upon this planet. Being a Christian is putting on the real suit of armor—the righteousness of Christ—ahead of time. Fortunately for you and I, he gives it freely to all who ask.
To be a disciple of Christ is to have that terrible Day squared away. We are forgiven and justified and adopted and ready for the Day of the Lord. So we can face all our other days with courage and honor, waiting for and hastening the appearance of the Lord Jesus from heaven. Let all God’s people say, “Come quickly, Lord!”
Cloudy With No Chance of Comparison
Who in the clouds can be compared to the LORD?
Psalm 89:6
God is not like us; we get that. Heavenly powers seem more like him, and in a way they are. But Psalm 89 teaches us that he is as far above angelic majesties as he is above us.
The fact is, they fear him more than we do, being more familiar with his glory. So let’s not be scared of anyone. Let’s trust and serve the Lord with boldness, knowing that his mightiest servants in heaven do just the same.
Airish Beasts
The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours.
Psalm 89:11
The earth we sort of understand; we can admire it, study it, and test it. But the heavens are further out of reach—and not just outer space. The psalmist also has in mind the greater heavens, the invisible realm where God rules angels and demons alike.
On earth we can sense an opponent, whether it be animal, vegetable, or mineral. But when spiritual forces threaten, we are easily defeated. The father of lies tempts us with beautiful or horrible untruths which can sweep our souls off their gospel footing or drive them into despair.
But God scatters our invisible enemies with the breath of his lips. He has wrestled the airish beasts on the cross when he took away their only weapon, our cosmic guilt. Let us remind ourselves (and them) of this: we are loved and forgiven and safe and sound in Christ. Praise the Lord!
Stillver and Gold
You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.
Psalm 89:9
The sea doesn’t scare us too much these days. We hop and skip over oceans while watching movies (perhaps the 2026 hit motion picture The Odyssey). But let someone untie the wind sack of Aeolus and we could find ourselves plummeting back to the dark ages (or further, like that one episode of The Twilight Zone).
There are still other waters we must navigate these days, and they’re not still. Satan and his powers in high places crash upon us with every lie and temptation known to man (thanks to them). The nations of earth are like raging waters, bringing chaos where there should be order. And how about our own hearts? Our feelings toss us to and fro, and we are troubled and afraid.
Let us then remember that our God rules over it all, every ocean and every emotion. In our scariest times, let us turn our hearts to his word where we will hear him say, “Be still, and know that I am God.” That is Treasure worth sailing the high seas for.
The Present
A very present help in trouble
Psalm 46:1
God is with us now. He never leaves us nor forsakes us. He is always there, especially when we need him most. We may be filled with regret about the past or anxiety about the future, but the Lord calls us to trust him right now. For right now we are in his presence—the Father to the fatherless, the Friend of sinners, the Helper. He will always help us. What a gift! So let’s enjoy the present.
Mic Check
Oh, that my people would listen to my voice!
Psalm 81:13
“God, what do you want from me?” We’ve all been there. But of course we already know the answer, for “he has told you, O man, what is good” (Micah 6:8). Here he tells us even more simply what exactly he wants from us: to hear.
The Pharisees spun their wheels on them doing the right thing; they were the main characters in their world. But when God is all, we delight to hear what he’s got to say.
We can’t figure everything out and we can control very little. Let us then stick to what we were created for: following the wondrous voice of our Creator.
As one of the poets has said,
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way.
Upness
He built his sanctuary like the high heavens.
-Psalm 78:69
Solomon’s temple stood atop Mount Zion—not the highest mountain in the world, not even the highest mountain around—but high enough to get the point across: God dwells up there. The temple itself took an upward form as well, being 30 feet wide and 45 feet high.
Solomon’s temple is long gone but God Most High remains the same. We may not live by any mountains at all, but let us improve all upward things we do see—hills, trees, the palatial clouds of summer—to this end: that we may meditate upon the wonders of he who came down to call us up.
Sunsets of Autumn
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.
Psalm 65:8
Morning and Evening is a great devotional by Spurgeon, but the Lord has a better one that all the world observes. These are holy moments none can ignore. People everywhere grow still when those shrill trumpets sprout dazzling banners of red, pink, and orange at the coming and going of the greater orb. If you can’t dig sunrises and sunsets, you can’t be human.
The year also comes in and goes out with a bang: the cheerful colors of spring and the breathtaking finale of fall. So too are our Christian lives. Our conversions scented with the sweet fragrance of flowers and our last days crowned with the brilliance of late leaf both alike announce God’s glory to all.
Like autumn sunsets, the Lord Jesus has saved the best for last. By his death he has sweetened death. Let us then enjoy the spring, summer, and autumn of our days without fear. In this way the church ought to be a forest of mixed seasons—a sky where, here and there, sunrises and sunsets are always singing.