When God Seems Silent | Psalm 13 | Hope in the Midst of Lament
What do we do when it feels like God has turned His face away? In Psalm 13, David gives voice to the sorrow and silence we sometimes feel in prayer. Yet this lament becomes a testimony of trust in the covenant love of God. In this sermon, Pastor Mark walks us through David’s movement from lament to joy, showing us how even the deepest sorrow can be a faithful cry of hope.
Trusting God’s Strength | Psalm 18:33-50 Devotional | Dwell in the Word
As we have worked our way through Psalm 18, we've seen David speak of how God is his rock and his fortress and how God has rescued David even though he was in significant peril. The conflict that had such a deep impact on the life of David was King Saul pursuing him in jealousy. As we saw when we started this psalm, it's a psalm of praise to God for the deliverance that God gave him from this terrible situation. And as we close up this Psalm with verses 33 through 50, we're going to see a repetition of these ideas and we're going to see continued praise to God for the deliverance that he provides. When we wrapped up last time, David was making a statement by asking a question, Who is God but Yahweh and who is a rock except our God? The psalmist was making it very clear that God is in control and that God is faithful to keep the promises that he makes to his people.
Dwell in the Word: Psalm 18:20-32
As I said, this is our third episode in Psalm 18. First, we took a look at David praising God for his rescue with the first 3 verses of the psalm. And then we dug into verses 4 to 19, and we saw a vivid description of the peril that David was in, and we saw that only God could rescue David from this.
As we move on down to verse 20 now, the psalm transitions to contrasting the faithful 1 versus those who are not faithful.
Devotions: Enduring Words
Day 1: The Power of God’s Word
Scripture Reading: Proverbs 30:5-6
Reflection: Today’s reading reminds us of God's word's perfect truth and reliability. Unlike human words, which can be flawed and deceitful, God's words are pure and protect those who trust in Him. As we navigate a world filled with misinformation and deceit, let’s anchor ourselves in the certainty and safety of God’s promises.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the truth and purity of Your word. Help me to rely on Your promises and teachings as my ultimate source of truth. Protect me from the temptation to add to or distort Your words. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
June 16 Sermon: Enduring Words
In our time, there are many things that we take for granted. I've used an example before, but I think about it regularly. We walk into a room, and we flip a switch, and we expect a light to come on. We just expect this. This is what we do. We reach into our pocket, and we can get information from all over the world, and we can communicate with pretty much anyone, anywhere. We just take this for granted. Technology has made our lives pretty simple compared to the way things were in times past. And really, I think we would all agree, it's truly a blessing that we don't have to labor over things at all that once were of a great concern for those who came before us. And arguably, one of the things that we maybe take for granted the most is clean water. In times past, finding good, drinkable water was the most important thing for us. It was difficult.
Dwell in the Word: Psalm 18:4-19
We continue through Psalm 18 and what we read from verses 4 through 19 and what we see emphasized to us and what we read is the way in which David describes the desperate state of affairs that he's in. This is strong language that we see here. The opening of Psalm 18 used great imagery of fortresses and strongholds, and David told us that he was saved from his enemies, but as we continue, he paints a picture of how desperate that situation was.
Finding Unshakeable Strength in Dangerous Times | Psalm 18:1-3 Devotional | Dwell in the Word
Welcome to Dwell in the Word devotionals. Pastor Mark reflects on Psalm 18:1-3, reminding us how David trusted in God's strength as his refuge and fortress. Though David faced relentless pursuit and danger, his confidence was never in himself—it was firmly placed in the Lord. This passage invites us to find that same unshakeable security in God, who delivers His people and points us to salvation in Christ. Watch, reflect, and be encouraged by God's steadfast protection.
Devotions: Rising Above the Storm
Day 1: Trusting in God’s Refuge
Scripture Reading: Psalm 46:1-3
Reflection: Today's passage from Psalm 46 reminds us of God's unshakeable presence as our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Like the psalmist in Psalm 11, we are encouraged to trust in God’s protection when everything around us seems chaotic. Despite the earth giving way or mountains falling into the heart of the sea, our confidence remains firm in the Lord, who is our sanctuary.
Prayer: Lord, in times of turmoil and uncertainty, help me to remember that You are my refuge and strength. When fears assail me and the ground shakes, let my heart cling to You, the unmovable rock of my salvation. Amen.
Rising Above the Storm | Psalm 11 | Finding Refuge in God
In this message from our Summer in the Psalms series, Pastor Mark Groen explores Psalm 11 in a sermon titled “Rising Above the Storm.” This passage points us to the only true refuge in times of chaos: the sovereign, righteous God who sees from His throne. Using the imagery of eagles soaring above a storm and drawing rich truths from David’s confession, this sermon encourages believers to trust in God's protection and pursue righteousness in a broken world. Whether you’re weathering hardship or standing firm in faith, this message will point you to Christ—our refuge above the storm.
Dwell in the Word: Psalm 17
Here in Psalm 17, we find a prayer of David and we again see a psalm where the psalmist is in distress and this psalm is a psalm of lament. These tend to unfold in a very similar way when we come across them. These types of psalms generally open with crying out to God. This is then followed by the psalmist declaring innocence in that situation, the one that's causing this distress that is making them cry out to God
Dwell in the Word: Psalm 16
Psalm 16 starts out with a powerful prayer. The psalmist cries out asking for God to preserve him. This is a prayer that each of us has probably said at some point, we may not have used those exact words, but we have come to a point where we feel as though we can't make it on our own, and so we cry out to God. And we see why David is crying out to God in the circumstances that he is facing here in Psalm 16. It is because he understands that God is his refuge.
Devotions: From Questioning to Trusting
Day 1: The Reality of Evil and Suffering
Scripture Reading: Job 1:13-22
Reflection: Job’s response to overwhelming tragedy is a profound example of trust in God’s sovereignty, even when life seems chaotic and unjust. Like Psalm 10, Job’s story challenges us to acknowledge the reality of evil and suffering while holding fast to the belief that God remains just and good despite our circumstances.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, in the face of suffering and loss, help me to trust in Your sovereign care. Teach me to respond with faith, knowing that You are just and all-knowing, even when I do not understand the reasons for my trials. Amen.
June 2 Sermon: From Questioning to Trusting
A theme that regularly comes through in the Psalms is the idea that it's one thing to intellectually ascend to the idea of God, and it's an entirely different thing to live consistently with that idea. Now last year when we looked at several different Psalms during the summer months, we saw the statement, the fool has sin in his heart, there is no God. And we'll see that statement again this summer. But we saw when we looked at that, that the idea that came through as we worked through that statement, was that a denial of the existence of a deity was not really what David was talking about there. There weren't a bunch of materialistic atheists running around in David's time.
Dwell in the Word: Psalm 15
In light of what we looked at last time in Psalm 14, we see an interesting question here at the beginning of Psalm 15. O Yahweh, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? Well considering that we just saw in the previous Psalm that there is none who is righteous, not even one, This is an important question. Is anyone worthy?
Dwell in the Word: Psalm 14
All right, as I mentioned, we are reading Psalm 14 today. It's a very familiar Psalm. Hear the word of the Lord. The fool says in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt. They do abominable deeds. There is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand who seek after God. They have all turned aside together they have become corrupt. There is none who does good, not even one. Have they no knowledge.
Devotions: The Lord Reigns
Day 1: The Righteous Judge
Scripture Reading: Romans 2:5-11
Reflection: Today's passage reminds us of God's impartial judgment. He rewards each one according to their deeds, showing no favoritism. Reflect on how this understanding of God as a just judge influences how we live our lives, striving to act righteously in His sight, knowing that He judges fairly and righteously.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your justice and fairness. Help me to trust in Your judgment and live a life that seeks Your righteousness, knowing that You will reward each according to their works. Amen.
May 26 Sermon: The Lord Reigns
The news the past several weeks has been filled with stories of extreme weather. Now, the videos and images that we see can cause us to feel empathy for those affected, and it can cause us to be very thankful that we were not affected by it. And there are many in our congregation and in our community who have been deeply affected by events like this in the past, and with this comes a heightened sense of fear about this stuff. And part of the reason for this is because these type of things are not only unpredictable, but these type of things do not discriminate. It can happen anywhere, at any time, to anyone. Now, whether you've been personally affected by a storm or not, when you know that bad weather is coming, you're going to try to find a place to be safe. The better your refuge, the more confidence you have of the safety that you have when the winds and the rains beat against that place where you've chosen to flee for safety. Now, in my years of doing youth ministry, many years ago, I experienced some very interesting shelters between camps and music festivals.
From Prophecy to Reality | Acts 2:1–21 | 5 Devotions on the Spirit’s Global Mission
Pentecost was more than a dramatic moment—it was the launch of a global movement fueled by the Holy Spirit. In our sermon on Acts 2:1–21, we explored how the events of Pentecost fulfilled ancient prophecy, reversed Babel’s curse, and inaugurated the church’s mission to proclaim the gospel to all nations.
These five short devotions will help you reflect more deeply on what Pentecost means for us today—from God’s promise of the Spirit to the global vision of the church.
From Prophecy to Reality | Acts 2:1–21 | The Gospel in Every Language
At Pentecost, the Spirit came with power—but more importantly, with clarity. In this sermon from Acts 2:1–21, Pastor Mark Groen shows how the outpouring of the Holy Spirit fulfilled the promises of both Joel and Jesus, bringing the gospel to every tribe, tongue, and nation. Far from being chaotic, the miracle of Pentecost revealed God's deliberate plan: a global, unified Church proclaiming one message in many languages.
The signs were real, but the deeper miracle was that God spoke—and people understood. This sermon reminds us that the same gospel that was heard in Jerusalem that day is still being heard today, and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Devotions: Receive Your King
Day 1: The Sovereignty of God
Scripture Reading: Colossians 1:15-20
Reflection: Today’s scripture reminds us that Christ’s sovereignty extends over all creation. As the firstborn of all creation, Jesus holds preeminence in everything, including His authority and power over the universe. His ascension into heaven and seating at the Father's right hand mark the ultimate affirmation of His divine sovereignty.