Posts by Josh Moody

1 Chronicles 15-16, Psalm 130-131, Luke 8:40-56, Colossians 3:15-25 Psalm 130: De Profundis—out of the depths I cry to you. We think of being “profound” as a state of wisdom or insight. But there is a profundity in despair, and this psalmist is in despair. He cries out to God. And what he declares about God is purest…

1 Chronicles 12-14, Psalm 129, Luke 8:26-39, Colossians 3:1-14 Psalm 129: Oppression and injustice are real experiences for millions of people in our world—some of them also being Christians. The reasons for such oppression and injustice are complicated, and beyond the scope of this devotional to adequately discuss, but the cause is simple, if simply devastating. We live…

1 Chronicles 10-11, Psalm 128, Luke 8:16-25, Colossians 2:16-23 Psalm 128: Almost in answer to the question implicitly posed by the previous psalm (how can you be a person whose life is a house the Lord is building?), this psalm makes it clear where blessing comes from. “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his…

1 Chronicles 7-9, Psalm 127, Luke 8:1-15, Colossians 2:8-15 Psalm 127: The first part of the psalm focuses on work. All hard work leads to profit (Proverbs 14:23), but “unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain” (127:1). There is no ultimate profit, benefit, reward, or point to hard work unless you are…

1 Chronicles 5-6, Psalm 126, Luke 7:36-50, Colossians 2:1-7 Psalm 126: What is it that causes real joy? There are many different theories out there about what makes you happy. The wildly popular Yale psychology course on happiness is online. Any number of self-help books promise happiness through one technique or another. But what is it that does…

1 Chronicles 3-4, Psalm 125, Luke 7:18-35, Colossians 1:15-29   Psalm 125: Some people seem as if they could withstand anything. They have an inner calm and resilience that seems to belie any attacks against them and gives them a rugged true grit that is admirable. Christians are meant to be people who are loving and kind, but…

1 Chronicles 1-2, Psalm 123-124, Luke 7:11-17, Colossians 1:1-14 Psalm 123-124: What do you do when you are in trouble? The key is the eyes. “To you I lift up my eyes” (123:1). It is tempting, and natural enough, to look around at difficulties, to ponder them, and, as it were, focus all your attention upon the hassle…

2 Kings 24-25, Psalm 122, Luke 7:1-10, Philippians 4:14-23 Psalm 122: It is perhaps easy to think of the gathering of God’s people for church as a routine event. We get up, get ready, get the kids in the car if we have a young family, and turn up to church once more. There are some songs. There…

2 Kings 22-23, Psalm 121, Luke 6:43-49, Philippians 4:8-13 Psalm 121: The next step in this journey to joy is found in the psalm in front of us today. It is to call upon God for help. “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who…