Tag: Psalm

Daily Word

Psalm 20

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Read Psalm 20 – I feel as if each Psalm is a brand new gift to open. Other books of the bible tell of an era, while each Psalm is whole and complete on its own. Psalm 20 is a prayer offered before a battle. In King David’s sense it was a literal battle. In Jesus’s sense it was that night in the Garden of Gethsemane as he prepared to lay down his holy life in sacrifice for you, me, and all who call upon his mighty name.

My friend welcomed a new granddaughter into the world yesterday, for the mother, the battlecry was labor… endless hours of pushing her body further than any other day would require, and the victory was so excellent, the pain and exhaustion faded to the background.

For others it could be sickness or family upheaval.

David’s Psalm was for the nation of Israel, and we would be wise to offer steady prayers for our nation as well. No matter how things look, remember: “Some nations boast of their chariots and some horses, but we boast in the name of the LORD our God.” :7 Pray with vigilance for our nation because God is greater than anything in this world!

Beloved, are you facing a battle? What are you trusting in?

Daily Word

Psalm 19

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Read Psalm 19 – The heavens declare the glory of God – I’m visiting my cousin in Northern California and stepped outside to catch the sunset last night. I was awestruck by its beauty.    It was fiery orange and gold.  It declared the glory of God right before my eyes.  I felt very small in the presence of such majestic beauty…as if the very arms of God were holding me tight. I felt safe and protected and loved by the Creator of heaven and earth. 

David speaks of things such as this in Psalm 19.  It is poetic and it draws the soul into the awesomeness of the Lord.   He speaks of the law and the delight of following it with words like perfect, refreshing, trustworthy, radiant and pure. (:7-11)

Verses :11-12 invite one to inventory both the hidden sins and the willful ones – that they do not rule over oneself. By our sin nature we are prone to both. May each of us invite the Holy Spirit to reveal every transgression, that we would confess and be clean. 

“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. ” :14 

With reverent and humble surrender we are invited to approach the throne room of grace.   Hallelujah and amen.

Daily Word

Psalm 18

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Read Psalm 18 – My God is…. How do you complete that statement? Will you spend some time on this? Will you write it down? It’s one of the most important things one can do… have a clear perspective on who God is to oneself, personally.

David says, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” :2

I woke up excited to discover what the Lord has for me today. I opened to our Psalm 18 and read, and read. It is wonderful, this summary of the LORD, His rescue, His promises for the righteous and the wicked. Imagine the scene David paints as God responds to his distress in :6-12! And in :19 we learn why God did this, for His own delight. Wow, right? It’s one giant wow after the next.

I won’t take up any more of your time, as Psalm 18 is one of the longest and a delight the whole way through. Enjoy, Beloved, then finish the sentence, “My God is…”

Daily Word

Psalm 17

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Read Psalm 17 – Marvelous lovingkindness, unfailing love, steadfast loving-kindness, the wonders of your great love… these are the words that appear in different translations on 17:7 “Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways. By your mighty power you rescue those who seek refuge from their enemies.” (That was from my NLT) Bible commentator, David Guzik notes, “Many of us ask for or only expect God’s moderate lovingkindness. We make our prayers, our faith, and our expectations small. David shows us a pattern to expect and ask from God marvelous lovingkindness.”

I am feeling very convicted by this and will be putting the matter to prayer today. Jesus has shown me that he does not answer prayers ‘just a little’; no, he answers prayers in big, undeniable ways! I am wondering where my limits have come from because I need BIG things. I need his full and marvelous lovingkindness to carry me through this life – how about you?

David has the hope of heaven on his heart when he closes this beautiful psalm in :15, “As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.” That alone is a statement of faith far beyond the common man. David did not have Pauls words, “And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.” Galatians 3:27 David had the kind of faith that simply knew.

Isn’t it so true, that the trials and hardships of this life grow dim against the backdrop of heaven and the hope that is ours in Christ? It’s been said – don’t tell God how big your troubles are – tell your troubles how big your GOD is!

Daily Word

Psalm 16

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Read Psalm 16 – Read about pleasure and joy. Do you ever think about eternity? It is that moment when we escape this world and discover what true life really is. It is that moment when time stops, when we see Jesus face to face, when we look upon every earthly trial with true perspective and know the value of what we once thought of as suffering. Oh, Beloved, the best is yet to come, yet here on earth is our only chance to shine for Christ upon those who do not know him, whose eternal destiny might be destruction, but for our impact.

David makes the very most of his days on earth beginning in verse one – asking the LORD to keep him safe and be his refuge. David tells God, “You are my Master. Every good thing I have comes from you.” :2 He speaks of the godly on earth, his true heros, those he is pleased to be with. And he speaks of those who chase after other gods, their troubles multiply. (:3-4) Have you seen how life does not make sense to those who chase after other gods? Be it money, power, spirituality, they seem so on top until trouble comes.

Verse :5 is priceless! It is the one I will be holding on to today because it reminds me that the LORD is with me now and the best is yet to come! Which verse did the Holy Spirit speak to you through? I would love it if you shared.

Daily Word

Psalm 13, 14, 15

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Read Psalms 13, 14, 15 – These are quick reads packed with simple truth.  

Psalm 13 is a roadmap for despair.  Sorrow comes on all of us from time to time and David shows how gratitude to the LORD is the lifeline out.  “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.  I will sing to the LORD for he has been good to me.”  :5-6

Psalm 14 – There sure are a lot of fools running around right now! “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God,’ they are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.”  Life gets so complicated when the LORD is dismissed.  Verse :2 assures the LORD looks down from heaven to see if any understand and seek him.  Beloved, do not be surprised by corruption, but also, don’t feel alone – the LORD is your refuge and he doesn’t miss a thing.

Psalm 15 – Godly standards look for, “Truth, justice and the American way!”  Okay, I’m back on hero’s and that quote is from the Superman comic book series prior to 1993 when they dropped the ‘American way’ part…. interesting, right, but not what we are here to talk about.  And our verses bring another quote to mind, “Be your own hero!” Maggie Mayhem from Whip it!  A lesser known, but pertinent quote.  The point is, we need heroes.  We need godly, courageous standards to aim for and the best place to look is in God’s Word. 

David captures the goal of godly and courageous, “He who does these things will never be shaken.” :5b 

Beloved, guard against the things of this world that corrupt, and your own sin nature that is at war with you.  Examine these points and pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal anything in your life that needs cleaning up.  May your walk be blameless.

Daily Word

Psalm 12

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Read Psalm 12 – There is nothing new under the sun. David’s son, King Solomon, would write those words in the book of Ecclesiastes, yet here we see them shining in truth. David could very well have written this psalm after watching a news broadcast in our day, or that of our parents, grandparents, greats and so on because every generation seems to experience a season where it feels as if the godly are no more.

I can get dismal by what I see happening around me, but then I hold on to the fact that the LORD always has a remnant of his faithful children no matter how bad the culture gets.

There is a handwritten note in my bible from 2007 on verses :3-4 that wonders if this was pointing to a book that was popular at the time. Now it is 2022 and it is still pointing to things as much as 2007 and all the way to when David wrote it.

Today, verse :5 is speaking to my heart the loudest, “Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD. “I will protect them from those who malign them.” Our cry stirs the LORD to action! That is an incredible thing. Verse :8 closes our psalm with, “The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men.” Are we there yet? It certainly feels that way.

Let’s take this psalm as our call to action. There are godless people making abominable claims all around us. Cry out. Let the LORD hear your concerns as you voice your prayers to the courtroom of heaven. Abba, we need you! The wicked are rampant once more; save us with your unfailing love and your righteous right arm. Amen and amen!

Daily Word

Psalm 11

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Read Psalm 11 – Faith changes your line of sight.

Riding a motorcycle on Southern California roads and highways is different than riding in a car. On a motorcycle each lane has many ways out and must pay complete attention to the road, the drivers, the upcoming merges all while taking in the beauty, the birds, the trees, the sky… I’ve never been to war like David, but I do ride a motorcycle. David expresses a level of faith in the LORD that I lean into. The LORD knows the number of our days. If the LORD has more work for us then we have nothing to fear from arrows, distracted drivers or anything that threatens! “In the LORD I take refuge. How then can you say to me: ‘Flee like a bird to your mountain.’” :1

David asks, “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” :3

And he answers his own question with some truth about God. God is on the throne. God sees and examines what the sons of men are doing.

“The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates. On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot.” :5-6

When I read the words ‘his soul hates’, I held my breath without realizing it. There are evil people in this world and the LORD doesn’t miss what they do in secret. It is an overwhelming thing to think of what our righteous LORD will do to the evil he HATES.

“For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.” :7

When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do? They can trust in the LORD, knowing he is righteous, he loves justice and those who walk with him in Jesus will see his face.

And while it is comforting to hold on to this, it also stirs my heart to more mercy, love and truth for those around me who are perishing. Do you know there is not a middle ground? There is heaven for those who are clothed in Christ Jesus; there is hell for all who reject him, and that’s it. There is no place in the middle for what one might think of as the ‘not so bad’, and it’s not a balancing act of good outweighing bad… because “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), Jesus is the only way. Is there someone you need to reach out to today?

Daily Word

Psalm 10

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Read Psalm 10 – It’s hard to watch, isn’t it?  Sometimes wicked people prosper while the faithful struggle.  David observes the arrogance and utter lack of humanity of the prosperous as he intercedes for the afflicted.

As you were reading, was your heart stirred to anger for the lack of reverence for God and man David described?  Or did you find yourself jealous of their success?  Yikes, right, that makes it personal.  Beloved, let those questions hit home.  Let the Holy Spirit open your eyes to your own heart as you read God’s Word.

The psalm closes with, “The LORD is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land.  You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.” :16-18  First of all, whose land is it?  That’s right – the earth and everything in it belongs to God.  And what does God do for the afflicted?  That’s right – he hears, encourages, listens and defends!  Scripture says, “If God is for us, who can stand against us?” Romans 8:31

Daily Word

Psalm 9

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Read Psalm 9 – I had been walking with Christ for just a few weeks when my crew was reassigned one more flight at the end of a long day. The passengers had been waiting for hours as a plane was repaired and flown down from our headquarters 3 states away.  There was no catering on the aircraft,  not so much as a paper cup for tap water.

Upon learning this my colleague asked, “Are you Christian? ”  I said yes.   She grabbed me by the hands and said we were going to pray about this and proceeded to lift our catering delima up to Jesus.

Our competitors soon  came steaming in with snacks and cases of drinks.   We ended up with more than enough. Our inconvenienced passengers were filled with gratitude instead of attitude!

That was the day I learned how much Jesus cares about the little things as much as the big.   Nothing is too hard for him and He never seems to bless ‘just a little’.

There’s a women’s event I wanted to go to tomorrow, but I was scheduled to fly.  The trade box was full and no one seemed to be picking up.   I asked a few of my Sisters to pray for me, remembering what Jesus did way back when. Sure enough, I got the day off.

I’m Psalm 9, David recounts the wonderful deeds of God in answer to his prayers. I pray this sparks your own memories of answered prayers,big and small. Our faith grows when we remember the Lord’s faithfulness.