Author: joemarino (Page 1 of 56)

Psalm 76 | Knowing and Making God Known

July 26, 2026 / joemarino / 0 Comments

The Psalms are a treasure chest of songs, and prayers, and proclamations to and about the God of the universe; they are also poems that are full of human emotion and experience. In the Psalms we are given human language to describe God, to draw close to him, and to express our human circumstances on this broken earth.

Psalm 74 | THE MIGHTY KING OF OLD

July 12, 2026 / joemarino

Psalm 74 appears to be a desperate prayer for help; for God to rise up and defend his people, his name, and his cause of righteousness in the world that he created for his own glory. A descendant of Asaph – David’s worship leader – wrote this Psalm on the front edge of the Babylonian invasion and the subsequent enslavement and exile of God’s people shortly after king Nebuchadnezzar utterly destroyed the temple in Jerusalem.²

Psalm 73 | My Portion Forever

July 5, 2026 / joemarino

Psalm 73 begins the third of five sections in the book of Psalms, and it describes the journey of a believer who finds himself nearly destroyed by the confusion and heartache of being surrounded by wickedness. In the midst of his confusion and frustration, he ultimately finds refuge and understanding in the presence of God, whom he says is “the strength of my heart and my portion forever”.

Psalm 72 | The Prayer Of The King

July 2, 2026 / joemarino

The Psalm we are studying today is widely regarded as a prayer of David for his son, Solomon, as David is preparing to draw his final breathe on this earth and hand the reigns of kingship to Solomon.²

Psalm 71 | What To Do When Your Strength Is Spent

June 21, 2026 / joemarino

As we begin our Summer in the Psalms series, studying Psalms 71 – 80, we get to begin with a beautiful Psalm that is meant to guide us in our relationship with the Lord when we are feeling weak, alone, and helpless.

1 Samuel 31 | Death & Shame

June 14, 2026 / joemarino

We are officially at the end of our study of the book of First Samuel. What began with great promise and hope as the Lord miraculously gave Hannah her son, Samuel, who became a great prophet for the Lord, took an interesting turn when Samuel, a young boy at the time, confronted Eli for his failure to confront his sinful sons.

1 Samuel 29 | The Preserving Hand of God

May 31, 2026 / joemarino

As we look at the text in front of us today, I cannot help but to smile a little bit as I think about how this passage has shaped up in light of what has already happened. Though it may not seem obvious, there is something beautiful happening in the background of our passage as the invisible, sovereign, hand of God works to preserve his chosen king from the disastrous situation he has gotten himself into.

1 Samuel 28 | A Very Dark Day

May 23, 2026 / joemarino

We are nearing the end of our study in 1^st Samuel. Ultimately, this story is about the sovereign hand of God as he establishes the kingdom of Israel on earth amidst the ups and downs of a nation that continually turns her back on God. It has been a story of disturbingly dark contrasts between what is holy and what is unholy – between what honors God and what is despised by God.

1 Samuel 27 | There Is Nothing Better For Me

May 17, 2026 / joemarino

Our passage today describes one of David’s great failures as a leader as he flees from Saul, takes shelter with the enemy, settles down to live in the enemy camp, and ultimately earns the trust of one of Israel’s greatest enemies.

1 Samuel 26 | Deja Vu

May 9, 2026 / joemarino

If you have been following along in our study of First Samuel, you might feel a sense of déjà vu when you read this chapter because it is so similar to the events of Chapter 24when David spared Saul’s life in the cave of Engedi.