Pastor's Ponderings: Old Testament bible study of Psalm 31 (September 18, 2025)

September 18, 2025:  Thursday Bible Study on Old Testament of Psalm 31

Blessings and Peace to you as we embark on today's study of the 31st Psalm. For prayers, please keep prayers for peace in your constant thoughts. Today, the leader cabinet in Israel said that they saw the Gaza Strip as a real estate Bonanza. These kinds of comments seem to me to hardly be an entreaty for peace in the Middle East. And of course, we must also pray for the seeming growing aggression between Russia and the NATO countries of Europe. I worry that this all may progress into a third world war when the aggressive nation begins to accuse the injured of being at fault.

If we read today's Psalm carefully, we will see how it was that David approached the LORD giving thanks to Him for historic aid for the Hebrews and coming before the LORD with Prayers of confidence in how He will answer David's pleas for help in the future.  It kind of seems like the very same circumstances that we too, as the people of faith in Jesus Christ see as we look back at God's care during WWII, and now as we all continue to pray for God's help today so that peace may be found in these so difficult situations.  In fact, I think that the Church of the 21st century is in the same boat. We all can remember the truly great growth of Christianity after WWII and into the 1950s and 60s this last century. That growth held, and even continued into the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Congregations thanked God for His abundant blessings and resources through those decades, but what a difference in the church today! Congregations and their resources are shrinking. So, like David in the Psalm today, it is not wrong to lament today's circumstances, to feel like somehow, the churches have been overlooked and left by God to decline. HOWEVER! We remember the presence of God through the times of our immigrant families arriving to build churches in their ethnic neighborhoods, and expanding ministries for mission, youth, and hospitality, all the while proclaiming their thanksgiving to God for the gift of the Savior and His mighty blessings, when many with few resources were still able to be good stewards helping the message to get received in the communities around them.  We should be praying to God for our congregations to grow once again, and on into the future beyond our seeing. And we should be praying constantly with confidence in God's desire to do exactly that. We should not be discouraged, our trust in the LORD should be like David's. Even when he felt despair, David turned to the LORD in confidence and prayer giving thanks for the coming blessing of God! Do you find that hard to do? It is kind of tough some days. Like so many years ago as new people settled into our nation coming from persecution, famine, and poverty, faith did not founder, instead it was the strength, courage, and confidence in the LORD'S presence to help His children do the work of the Gospel.  So here we are today. Please reread this Psalm thinking about the things which may have been discouraging and then give thanks for what we know our faithful LORD will do through us and those who follow us.

Thanks for being with me this morning. Please also continue to pray for Larry and Joyce with thanksgiving for Larry's improvement, and his likely discharge to go home this coming Tuesday.

With Christ's Love, Pastor Kim