While all of us would like to be loved by everyone, unfortunately, it's pretty commonplace in our world today to feel pushback, opposition, and antagonism by someone or some group of people. The Bible has a lot to say about enemies, surprisingly. Listen in today as we hear one of the "Imprecatory Psalms" and learn how to pray when we feel encircled all around us, like Israel did many times. Instead of praying for destruction, what is Jesus's stunning suggestion?
The God of gods (Psalm 82)
What kind of world do we live in? Psalm 82 is one of the places in Scripture that gives us a peak behind the curtain, to see a world that is more than we usually imagine. But we also discover within this Psalm the profound worth that humans have to God and a potential for real and lasting justice beyond our deepest hopes.
Why the Church Can Work (Psalm 79)
The purpose of the church, or even religion itself, is often discussed in the modern world. As we listen to an admittedly "brutal Psalm" today in Psalm 79, what possible hope can we gather from Israel's defeat at the hands of Babylon in 586 BC? What we discover is a heartfelt reflection on something we admittedly misunderstand about God (his jealousy), something we love about what God can give (his forgiveness), and something we all cry for throughout the ages (his justice). But we learn something even more important - we learn about the community he is redeeming for the world and why it works still even today.