During 2025, Peachtree Church is focusing on the Book of Psalms with a series called Dwell, through which we seek to deepen our conversation with God and open ourselves to hearing his response. The practice of praying three times each day will unite the voices of our hearts and souls as we seek the day when we will see the full realization of the Kingdom of God, promised in Revelation 21:3: “…Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”
We will email devotionals twice weekly with Monday’s providing an overview of the Psalm as a whole, and Wednesday’s focused on that week’s Daily Dwell.
Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain?The one whose walk is blameless,
who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from their heart;
whose tongue utters no slander,
who does no wrong to a neighbor,
and casts no slur on others;
who despises a vile person
but honors those who fear the Lord;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
and does not change their mind;
who lends money to the poor without interest;
who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.Whoever does these things
Psalm 15
will never be shaken.
Devotional
When I began my tenure at Peachtree, I quickly learned that one of the other pastors had a knack for ensuring that the rest of the staff knew when we were in a spot of trouble. He would preface any request to speak with us with the phrase, “You’re not in trouble.” I hadn’t realized just how much of my life I had held this constant belief that when someone—anyone in a position of even perceived authority—asked to speak with me, it was because I was in fact in trouble. That was the lens through which I so often viewed our Psalm for this week.
“Who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain?” I would immediately answer the question in my mind by saying, “Not me! I’m not good enough!” I would read through the list of requirements that the Psalmist gave as to who was worthy, and I would see that while none of the sins listed were ones that I (consistently) committed, what they were all pointing to was a place where I was lacking, as I can truly struggle to “do what is righteous.”
But as I’ve spent more time with the words of this Psalm, I’ve come to grasp something that my own sense of perceived guilt had blinded me to: none of us can say with honesty that we follow all of the requirements listed out by the Psalmist. Each of us has places within the list given in verses two through five where we actually do a fairly good job of following through (I cannot think of a time when I have ever accepted a bribe), but we each also have those places where we struggle.
The beautiful aspect of reading these words with the reminder that “You’re not in trouble” is the realization that we do not have to be worthy on our own. Rather, each of us has been made worthy, has been remade, as one who may live on God’s holy mountain through the grace that we have been offered in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
For Reflection
- As you read the words of Psalm 15, do you read them through the lens of guilt or of grace?
- Of the attributes that the Psalmist lists, which ones do you feel that you possess? Which ones do you still need to work on more?
Prayer
God, none of us is worthy to approach you and your dwelling place in and of our own actions; we all fall short of the righteous lives to which you have called us. Thank you that by your grace, we have been washed clean. Thank you that through Jesus Christ, we can draw near to you. Help us to remember the blessings that you provide to us each day and to offer thanks to you for it is in Jesus’ name that we pray; amen.
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Devotionals