John Mark Hicks

Humanity, according to Psalm 12, is filled with people who live with a “double heart,” flatter others for power, and boast of their exploits while asking, “Who is Adonai to us?” They are predators who seek their own prestige and power. “Help” is the only imperative in the Psalm, and it is the first word. […]

How does one ask, “Why, O Lord, do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” and also confess, “The Lord is King . . . and you will hear the desire of the afflicted”? This is Psalm 10 Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks discuss the significance of this Psalm as the voice of the […]

Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks walk through the meaning of Psalm 9, which both remembers God’s mighty deeds for Israel in the past with gratitude and cries out to God to renew those mighty deeds in the present. It is a Psalm of both thanksgiving and lament. The Psalm remembers God’s justice for the […]

The Center for Christian Studies just released a new video series on Psalms, written and presented by John Mark Hicks. Check out the trailer and read about the series here. https://www.christian-studies.org/post/jesus-favorite-book And then, of course, subscribe to get the entire series! Do you know what Jesus’ favorite book was?  A good case can be made […]

Psalm 147, the second of five Psalms in the “Little Hallel” at the end of the Psalter, commands Israel to “praise the Lord” because God’s steadfast love has remembered the covenant with Israel. And because God is the creator who continues to provide sustenance for the cosmos. God is an active agent within the creation […]

Psalm 144 prays for God’s rescue and salvation. The prayer depends on God’s steadfast love and past redemptive acts (Sinai and Exodus) for the victory of God’s king over the nations ruled by lies and evil. This is a prayer warrior Psalm that asks God to defeat the enemies of God’s kingdom. The Davidic king […]

What do you say to God when you are in a cave? Psalm 142 is a classic lament that pours out a believer’s complaint to the Lord, petitions God for deliverance, and affirms a fundamental trust in the God of Israel. Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks discuss the meaning and significance of this Psalm […]

Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks discuss the joy of several creation values in Psalm 128:1-3 (work, intimacy, and family) that are blessings from the Lord who dwells in Zion. Those who fear the Lord and walk in the ways of God are blessed from Zion and experience the peace and good of God’s creational […]

Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks discuss the meaning of Psalm 127. It is a wisdom Psalm about God’s providential involvement in the building, protection, and blessings in our lives. It is a Psalm for workaholics, and a Psalm for everyone who thinks achievement, reward, and rest depends on them alone. Unless God is involved, […]

Living in evil times, we walk wisely as we discern the will of God and seek to be filled with the Spirit. We choose wisdom rather than foolishness and drunkenness. Filled with the Spirit, we gather as people who sing and make melody to the Lord through speaking the Psalms to each other, giving thanks […]