Watching an intense sporting event at the professional level, we tend to be amazed by the skills of athletes. Other things in life inspire awe - a beautiful sunrise, a breathtaking view, or an intense storm. Psalm 111 encourages us to praise the Lord for His amazing works. As the psalmist recounts the awesome works of the Lord, he concludes by encouraging us to fear the Lord and obey His commands.

Even if we aren't in charge, we want to know the plan and the timing, and see it go the way we want. But the choice to do what we wanted rather than what God said led to this whole mess from the start (Gen. 3). God plans to set all things right through a perfect human King: Jesus. Many want Jesus to help them with their “kingdom”. But God won’t have it. Here we learn to worship the King of Kings.

Words are powerful, and they can really hurt. In Psalm 109, David has been hurt by false accusations. But rather than using his own words to return the attack to his accusers, David turns to the Lord in prayer. In a raw lament, David entrusts his emotions and desires to the Lord and asks Him to judge his enemy and deliver him. When we face false accusations, we should turn to the Lord in prayer.

Have you ever been weighed down by trouble or felt defeated? Maybe someone mistreated you, and it's looking like justice won't prevail. Maybe you feel defeated by a persistent struggle with sin. Maybe it's just the pervasive evil in the world that seems to have the upper hand. Is there any hope or victory? In Psalm 108, David looks to the Lord. David had learned to trust God alone for victory.

Have you had news you just had to share? Maybe you called a friend or told the next person you saw! Often, news we share has to do with something we really wanted, something we were hoping for, or something really good that happened. But how often is our salvation from sin the focus of our exciting news? In Psalm 107, the psalmist calls the reader to give thanks to the Lord for His steadfast love.

When God warns His people, they don't listen. What could lead to this kind of blatant stubborn rebellion? A slow drift. Samuel's old, his sons are corrupt. Change is needed. So naturally, the people look at the nations around them to see what they're missing - a king! But their look elsewhere has set them on a course - a subtle drift away from the Lord. Has this subtle drift crept into your life?

I fixed the problem; why don't I feel better? We've been in scenarios like this. For Israel, the problem was that the ark had been captured. But God fixed that problem - it's back! And yet, "the house of Israel lamented after the Lord..." Something still wasn't right. Samuel leads the people to understand that the key wasn't getting the Ark back - the key was that God wanted their hearts back.

It's easy to develop a small view of God. We think that somehow, God needs us. We start dragging God around as a lucky "relic" to help us in our endeavors. In this week's section of 1 Samuel, God brings our small theology crashing down. By the end, His people have learned the lesson and ask, "Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God?" No one. All must bow before our holy Lord God.