Transcript

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 75 CEV; Ch. 76 ERV; Ch. 77 NCV

Podcast Introduction

It’s  Psalms Wednesday, and we’ll chapters 75-77. I’m calling this episode ˆThere Is Still Good News.”

Comments on Psalm 77

I wrote the following comments at the end of 2020, and I think they still apply. For the most part, the covid pandemic is over, though here in the US, as I record this, non citizens are still being required to provide proof of vaccination, and here in CA, many…possibly most health providers still require mask wearing in their facilities. Asinine measures in my opinion…during the pandemic and even more so now. But still, tyranny seems to be on the rise. The war in Ukraine continues, Russia and China seem to be teaming up, which could be a fulfillment of end times prophecy. There is unrest in France. Crime is on the rise. Another school shooting just happened in Nashville…at a Christian school, and the shooter seems to have been a woman with gender dysphoria…otherwise known as trans. She was killed by law enforcement after having killed 3 nine year olds and 3 faculty members. Economies are in turmoil. Inflation is raging. Banks are failing. I could go on. Let’s face it…the world is still in upheaval. Let me share my thoughts from 2020. 

Date: December 15, 2020

When we look back at 2020, and I include nearly every person old enough to be aware of his or her surroundings, we will remember the COVID 19 pandemic, and the effect it has had on our lives. We will remember the reports of loss of lives, the lockdowns, the isolation of loved ones, the masks, the ruination of millions of businesses, the loss of jobs, the depletion of savings accounts, the complete upending of hundreds of millions, if not billions of lives. Who would have thought that this could happen, as it has, on a global scale?

When we consider how life has changed for nearly everyone on the planet, we have to ask, “Where is God in all this? Is He aware of what’s happening? Doesn’t He hear our cries for help?”

I think this Psalm fits our time well. 

Verse 1

I cry out to God;

I call to God, and he will hear me.

Beloved, be encouraged. When we call out to God, he *does* hear us. He hears the cries of the righteous, those who are His. And beloved, He is our loving Heavenly Father. 

1 John 3:1 tells us, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!..“ 

And since we are His children, we know that He will not leave us empty handed. Listen to this promise from Matthew 7:11-12: “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” 

Verse 5

I keep thinking about the old days,

the years of long ago.

For us, we don’t have to remember that far back to better times. And it is painful to think that life may not return to what we considered “normal” for a very long time, if ever. Some have said that we have to used to a “new normal”. If you’re anything like me, you don’t want to accept a new normal. I don’t know what’s ahead. But I do know that whatever waits for us, God is there. And He does not change. God. Does. Not. Change. He is still our loving Heavenly Father. Just like He was yesterday. Just like He is today. And just like He is forever.

Verses 6-9

At night I remember my songs.

I think and I ask myself:

“Will the Lord reject us forever?

Will he never be kind to us again?

Is his love gone forever?

Has he stopped speaking for all time?

Has God forgotten mercy?

Is he too angry to pity us?”  Selah

When we are depressed, when we have anxiety, sleep is often elusive. I think that’s one of the reasons for the spikes we’ve read about in drug and alcohol abuse, and obviously – suicide in 2020. 

We lie in bed and we worry. And those of us who are believers might ask ourselves these questions. To be sure, sin is rampant in the world today, and I can’t help but believe that a righteous, holy God must surely be angry at what He sees. And the Bible tells us that judgement is on the way. We know that. We don’t know when, but we know that just as night follows day, judgement is coming. 

But beloved, because God never changes, His promises for those of us who are His do not change. I do not know what life will look like in the near future, but I do know that He will care for us. He will not abandon us. We are His. As Romans 8: 38 tells us, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.”

Verse 10

Then I say “This is what makes me sad:

For years the power of God Most High was with us.”

Isn’t it just like us to take for granted the things we have? It isn’t until we lose those things that we appreciate them. Do you have a roof over your head? Thank God for it. Do you have food in your belly? Thank God for it. Do you have transportation? Thank God for it. 

We even take the presence of God for granted. We take the blessings of God for granted. Those things I just asked you about? Those are blessings from God. Here in America, we took for granted the fact that we could freely attend church with our brothers and sisters in Christ. That was a blessing from God. And we can say with the psalmist, “For years the power of God Most High was with us.”

And then the rest of the psalm recounts many of the ways that God’s power was manifested on the earth.

Again I say, God does not change. No matter what happens here on earth, God is God. But because of the rebellious lot that is the human race, God allows seasons of drought and seasons of rain. When He puts us through a drought, people become thirsty for Him. Sometimes droughts last a long time. So be it. 

Beloved, it is our calling to stand fast. To cling to His Word, and to share the Good News with a lost and dying world. Not everyone wants to hear. Some never will, and some have just not gotten thirsty enough. That’s tragic for them, but it’s their choice. Nonetheless it is on us to never tire of sharing the Good News which has the power to save men’s (and women’s) souls. 

Beloved, we have the answer. And His name is Jesus. 

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Transcript

Download .txt file.

Transcript corrected by Sister Denise.

Steve Webb 0:00
When we call out to God, he does hear us.

Steve Webb 0:10
This is the Lifespring! One Year Bible. Welcome! I’m coming to you from Riverside, California, and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily podcast where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. It’s Psalms Wednesday, and we’ll read chapters 75 through 77. I’m calling this episode “There Is Still Good News.” I’m recording this episode on Tuesday, LeeAnn’s birthday. And as soon as I get this episode edited and scheduled for publication tonight at 10 o’clock, I’ll be taking her to her favorite restaurant in Huntington Beach right next to the pier. As expected, this was a really busy day in our family business, so I’m sorry, I don’t have time to do an Essentials segment for you today. I’m sorry about that. But it’s very seldom that personal events affect the show, so I hope you’ll give me some grace. Thank you. Let’s get started with a word of prayer. Our loving heavenly Father, how we thank you for our time together. And I pray God that as we read today, as we study, I pray, Lord, that you would teach us. Help us to find something that we can apply to our lives today. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Okay, are you ready? Let’s begin.

Steve Webb 1:23
Psalm 75’s title is “To the Chief Musician. Set to ‘Do Not Destroy.’ a Psalm of Asaph. A song.” For the newer Lifespring family members, the “Chief Musician” is thought by some to be the Lord, while others think it’s the director of the musicians. Psalms 57 through 59 also use the tune “Do Not Destroy.” And in addition to being a musician, Asaph was also a prophet in the music he wrote.

Steve Webb 1:52
Psalms, chapter 75. Our God, we thank you for being so near to us! Everyone celebrates your wonderful deeds. You have set a time to judge with fairness. The earth trembles, and the people shake; you alone keep its foundation firm. You tell every bragger, “Stop bragging!” And to the wicked you say, “Don’t boast of your power! Stop bragging! Quit telling me how great you are.” Our Lord and our God, victory doesn’t come from the east or the west or from the desert. You are the one who judges. You can take away power and give it to others. You hold in your hand a cup filled with wine, strong and foaming. You will pour out some for every sinful person on this earth, and they will have to drink until it is gone. But I will always tell about you, the God of Jacob, and I will sing your praise. Our Lord, you will destroy the power of evil people, but you will give strength to those who are good.

Steve Webb 2:52
The title of Psalm 76 is “To the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A song.” This is a celebration of one of God’s great victories on behalf of his chosen people. It’s possible that it refers to the defeat of Sennacherib. And if this is true, then this Asaph would not be the Asaph of David and Solomon’s time but one who came later, possibly a descendant.

Steve Webb 3:18
Psalms, chapter 76. People in Judah know God. People in Israel respect his name. His Temple is in Salem. His house is on Mount Zion. There he shattered the arrows, shields, swords, and other weapons of war. Selah. God, you are glorious coming back from the hills where you defeated your enemies. They thought they were strong, but now they lie dead in the fields. Their bodies are stripped of all they owned. They could not defend themselves. The God of Jacob shouted at them, and their army of chariots and horses fell dead. God, you are awesome! No one can stand against you when you are angry. You stood as judge and announced your decision. You saved the humble people of the land. From heaven you gave the decision, and the whole earth was silent and afraid. Even human anger can bring you honor when you use it to punish your enemies. People, you made promises to the Lord your God. Now give him what you promised. People everywhere fear and respect God, and they will bring gifts to him. God defeats great leaders; all the kings on earth fear him.

Steve Webb 4:33
Psalm 77 is entitled “To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.” Jeduthun was a worship leader who was appointed by David. Here’s what Charles Spurgeon had to say about him: “The sons of Jeduthun were porters or doorkeepers, according to 1 Chronicles 16:42. Those who serve well make the best of singers, and those who occupy the highest posts in the choir must not be ashamed to wait at the posts of the doors of the Lord’s house.”

Steve Webb 5:03
Psalms, chapter 77. I cry out to God; I call to God, and he will hear me. I look for the Lord on the day of trouble. All night long I reach out my hands, but I cannot be comforted. When I remember God, I become upset; when I think, I become afraid. Selah. You keep my eyes from closing. I am too upset to say anything. I keep thinking about the old days, the years of long ago. At night I remember my songs. I think and I ask myself: “Will the Lord reject us forever? Will he never be kind to us again? Is his love gone forever? Has he stopped speaking for all time? Has God forgotten mercy? Is he too angry to pity us?” Selah. Then I say “This is what makes me sad: For years the power of God Most High was with us.” I remember what the Lord did; I remember the miracles you did long ago. I think about all the things you did and consider your deeds. God, your ways are holy. No god is as great as our God. You are the God who does miracles; you have shown people your power. By your power you have saved your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah. God, the waters saw you; they saw you and became afraid; the deep waters shook with fear. The clouds poured down their rain. The sky thundered. Your lightning flashed back and forth like arrows. Your thunder sounded in the whirlwind. Lightning lit up the world. The earth trembled and shook. You made a way through the sea and paths through the deep waters, but your footprints were not seen. You led your people like a flock by using Moses and Aaron.

Steve Webb 6:59
I’ll be commenting today on Psalm 77. I wrote today’s comments at the end of 2020. And I think they still apply. For the most part, the COVID pandemic is over, though, here in the US as I record this non-citizens are still being required to provide proof of vaccination before entering this country. And here in good old California, many, possibly most, health providers still require mask-wearing in their facilities. Asinine measures, in my opinion…during the pandemic, and even more so now. But still, tyranny seems to be on the rise around the world. The war in Ukraine continues. Russia and China seem to be teaming up which could be a fulfillment of end times prophecy. There is unrest in France and other parts of the world. Crime is on the rise. Another school shooting just happened in Nashville at a Christian school. And the shooter seems to have been a woman with gender dysphoria, otherwise known as trans. She was killed by law enforcement after having killed three nine year olds and three faculty members. Economies are in turmoil. Inflation is raging. Banks are failing. I could go on. Let’s face it the world is still in upheaval. Let me share my thoughts now from 2020. When we look back at 2020, and I include nearly every person old enough to be aware of his or her surroundings, we will remember the COVID-19 pandemic, and the effect it’s had on our lives. We’ll remember the reports of loss of lives, the lock-downs, the isolation of loved ones, the masks, the ruination of millions of businesses, the loss of jobs, the depletion of savings accounts, the complete up-ending of hundreds of millions, if not billions of lives. Who would have thought that this could happen, as it has, on a global scale? When we consider how life has changed for nearly everyone on the planet, we have to ask, “Where is God in all of this? Is he aware of what’s happening? Doesn’t he hear our cries for help? Well, I think this Psalm fits our time well. In verse 1, we read, “I cry out to God; I call to God, and he will hear me.” Beloved, be encouraged. When we call out to God, he does hear us. He hears the cries of the righteous, those who are his. And, Beloved, he is our loving, heavenly Father. 1 John 3:1 tells us, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!..“ And, Beloved, since we are his children, we know that he will not leave us empty-handed. Listen to this promise from Matthew 7, verses 11 and 12. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” And then verse 5 says, “I keep thinking about the old days, the years of long ago.” Well for us, we don’t have to remember that far back to better times, do we? And it is painful to think that life may not return to what we considered “normal” for a very long time, if it ever does. Some have said that we have to get used to a “new normal.” Well, if you’re anything like me, you don’t want to accept a new normal. I don’t know what’s ahead. But I do know that whatever waits for us, God is there, and he does not change. God doesn’t change. He is still our loving Heavenly Father, just like he was yesterday, just like he is today. And just like he is forever. And verses 6 through 9, say, “At night I remember my songs. I think and I ask myself: ‘Will the Lord reject us forever? Will he never be kind to us again? Is his love gone forever? Has he stopped speaking for all time? Has God forgotten mercy? Is he too angry to pity us?’ Selah.” (Remember, “Selah” means “Pause and think about it.”) Beloved, when we are depressed, when we have anxiety, sleep is often elusive. I think that’s one of the reasons for the spikes we’ve read about in drug and alcohol abuse, and obviously, suicide in 2020. We lie in bed and we worry. And those of us who are believers might ask ourselves these questions that David asked. To be sure, sin is rampant in the world today, and I can’t help but believe that a righteous Holy God must surely be angry at what he sees. And the Bible tells us that judgment is on the way. We know that. We don’t know when but we know that just as night follows day judgment is coming. But, Beloved, because God never changes, his promises for those of us who are his, don’t change. I don’t know what life will look like in the near future. But I do know that he will care for us. He won’t abandon us. We’re his. As Romans 8:38 tells us, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” Verse 10 says, “Then I say ‘This is what makes me sad: For years the power of God Most High was with us.’” Isn’t it just like us to take for granted the things we have? It isn’t until we lose those things that we appreciate them. Do you have a roof over your head? Thank God for it. Do you have food in your belly? Thank God for that. Do you have transportation? Thank God for it. We even take the presence of God for granted. We take the blessings of God for granted. Those things I just talked to you about. Those are blessings from God. We took for granted the fact that we could freely attend church with our brothers and sisters in Christ. That was a blessing from God. And we can say with the psalmist, “For years the power of God Most High was with us.” And then the rest of the psalm recounts many of the ways that God’s power was manifested on the earth. Again, I say God does not change. No matter what happens here on earth, God is God. But because of the rebellious lot that is the human race, God allows seasons of drought, and seasons of rain. And when he puts us through a drought, people become thirsty for him. Sometimes droughts last a long time. So be it. Beloved, it is our calling to stand fast, to cling to his Word and to share the Good News with a lost and dying world. Not everyone wants to hear. Some never will. And some have just not gotten thirsty enough. It’s tragic for them, but it’s their choice. Nonetheless, it is on us to never tire of sharing the good news which has the power to save men’s and women’s souls. Beloved, we have the answer, and his name is Jesus. It’s more important than ever to share the Good News, Beloved. The people around us need to know about the hope that is within us. Pray that the Holy Spirit will lead you to people whose hearts are hurting and who are ready to hear about Jesus. Do you have comments or questions? Call the Lifespring Family Hotline at +1-951-732-8511, or comment via boostagram, or send an email to me at st***@*************ia.com. Tomorrow will be Poetry Thursday and we’ll read Proverbs, chapter 7.

Steve Webb 14:44
Praises and prayer requests. The Lovely Lady LeeAnn continues to recover nicely from her surgery. So praise the Lord for that and we need to pray for the families in Nashville who have lost loved ones at the hand of the shooter. Let’s pray. Our heavenly Father, we thank you that you are the same yesterday, today and forever. Thank you that we can still rejoice in you, no matter what happens around us. You are our rock and our salvation. Our time on planet Earth is short, even Earth’s time is short in light of eternity. And knowing that gives a peace that those who don’t know you can’t understand. Help us, Lord, to rest in your peace and also give us an urgency to share the Good News. Father, I thank you for the healing that you’re doing in LeeAnn and I pray that you’ll bring her quickly to complete health. And we pray for the families in Nashville who lost children or spouses, brothers or sisters or grandchildren. Father comfort them, we pray in Jesus name. We pray for those who suffer from gender dysphoria. I pray that they would get the help they need. I pray that you would show them that you did not make a mistake when you created them. I pray that Satan’s influence on them would be broken, Father, I thank you for the Lifespring family and I ask that you would bless them and encourage them and build their faith as you make each of us into the people that you want us to be. I pray these things in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our next time of prayer together here on the show will be Sunday. And if there’s a praise that you’d like to share with us, or if there’s something you want us to pray with you about, call the Lifespring Family Hotline at +1-951-732-8511 or go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com.

Steve Webb 16:40
Jason Paschall did today’s show art. Thank you, Jason. God bless you. And thanks to Sister Denise, Michael Haner, Scott Snider, and Sister Brittaney, the rest of the team without which I’d not be able to do all the things that happen here on the show. Thanks, guys. And thank you for being with me today. Thank you for inviting me to be a part of your day. Until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb. Bye. Lifespring! Media, bringing the message of hope, love, and good news since 2004.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai