Month: March 2021

Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.

My husband is a wonderful cook. Often when I come in from work, he’ll be whipping up something that smells amazing. But no matter how good it smells, the only way to know for sure if it’s good is to taste and see.

Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.

I see the same principles in today’s scripture. David is praising God for His goodness and provision. Metaphorically, he’s got the kitchen smelling really amazing. But he tells the reader, essentially, “Don’t take my word for God’s goodness. Experience it for yourself. Taste and see.”

Psalm 34:19 The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all….

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that we have to experience You personally, to experience Your goodness in relationship to our lives in order to truly understand. Help us, daily, to experience Your glory for ourselves and to praise You in such a way that invites others to taste and see, to experience You personally. Draw us closer. Amen.

Psalm 34:20 He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 33:18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love….

I can endure a lot as long as I can hold on to hope—hope that God is who He says He is, hope that He will do what He says He will—never leave me, never forsake me, use all things for my good and His glory. Hope also allows me to break the worldly narrative that life is all about me and infuse it with a truth that is so much bigger and more worthy—life is about God and His kingdom work.

Psalm 33:20 We wait in hope for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.

The nature of hope is fragile in that it can seem so fleeting and fickle. I choose to try to be mindful of the little everyday moments of God’s presence and provision in my life, to magnify those moments in praise to God. The ability to see His faithfulness and to thank Him with my praise gives me hope.

Psalm 33:21 In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for the hope that can only come from You. Thank You that hope begets hope and praise begets praise. The more we seek Your presence, Your hope, the more we see it. The more we praise You, the more grateful we become. Help us to be an extension of Your hope to others—in our words, actions, and deeds. Help us to shine Your light. Amen.

Psalm 33:22 May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in You.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 32:1 Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

Commentary speculates that this psalm could well have been written after David’s transgression with Bathsheba and the resulting murder of Uriah, which brings to my mind the nature of sin and forgiveness. To the world’s way of thinking, David’s sin is huge—way more serious than many other transgressions. It’s hard to imagine that God can truly forgive that level of sin. (Humans are so good at putting ourselves in a position to look down on each other.)

Psalm 32:3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

I once read that humans see sin from the side—like stories in a building. David’s sins with Bathsheba and Uriah would be a towering skyscraper, where as my general grumpiness with my family would be a split-level ranch. God, however, sees sin from the top—it’s just sin. It separates us from God. There is no ranking, no “well, his sin is much worse than mine”. God sees that separation, and it pains Him; therefore, He made a way for each of us, regardless of the transgression, to repair our relationship with Him. Thank You, Jesus.

Psalm 32:5 Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And You forgave the guilt of my sin.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Forgive me for wanting to rank sin so that I can smugly say my sin is not so bad relative to others. Anything that separates me from You is unacceptable, Lord. Thank You for Your ability and willingness to forgive me and draw me close. Help me to remove every obstacle that separates me from You. Amen.

Psalm 32:7 You are my hiding place; You protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 31:1 In You, LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame….

Sometimes the Psalms get a bit dizzying in that they are all over the place—prayer, praise, depths of despair, heights of hope. But isn’t that life, REAL life? One minute, one second we are on top and the next , we have to look up to see bottom (OR one moment we are so far down we can’t imagine how we’ll make positive progress and the next we are filled with such hope we can hardly contain ourselves).

Psalm 31:5 Into Your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, LORD, my faithful God.

So how can I handle the incredibly ridiculous ups and downs of life? Commit my spirit to God. Put my soul, my life, in His hands. But what does that mean exactly? To me, that means trusting that God’s got me, no matter what I’m slogging through, that He can and will use ALL things for my good and His glory.

Psalm 31:14 But I trust in You, LORD; I say, “You are my God.”

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Help me, always, in all situations, to put my trust in You and You alone. Give me the sense and discernment to make wise decisions. Help me to commit my spirit into Your hands. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 31:24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 30:1 I will exalt You, LORD, for You lifted me out of the depths….

One of our chief calls as Christians is to praise God. I used to really struggle with that idea, wondering if God’s ego was so fragile that He needed mere mortals to puff Him up. (In hindsight, I’m thankful that God understands my questioning as a way of drawing closer to Him. I’m also thankful that my faith is in a much different, much stronger place.)

Psalm 30:2 LORD my God, I called to You for help, and You healed me. 

Here’s the truth: This life is not about me. (Spoiler Alert: It’s not about you, either.) Praising God is a way for me to recognize His presence in my life, in both the good times and the tough ones. When I make a concerted effort to notice and praise His presence and provision, I see it EVERYWHERE—the traffic backup that kept me out of harm’s way, the waffle sent by A Friend when I was struggling with perspective. Praise begets praise (at least for me), reminds me of His steadfastness (so important when things are tough), and points others to Him.

Psalm 30:4 Sing praises of the LORD, you His faithful people; praise His holy name.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for creating me to praise You and for the many benefits that I receive when I live faithfully into that call. Help me to remember that this life is not about me. Help me to praise You. Always. Amen.

Psalm 30:11-12 You turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing Your praise and not be silent. LORD my God, I will praise You forever.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 29:3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.

One note jumped out at me from commentary: “The commentators tell us that in the early church this psalm was often read to children or to an entire congregation during storms.” I can imagine the comfort this Psalm brought as it was read during a raging storm. The flashing lightening and crashing thunder became reinforcements of God’s might, majesty, and presence.

Psalm 29:7 The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.

I remember as a child being consoled in a storm (maybe by my sisters, I have no idea) with the thought that storms were just God bowling or taking pictures. Even now, the thought makes me chuckle. “That thunder isn’t scary. It’s just God bowling. Wonder what His bowling shoes look like?”

Psalm 29:10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever.

Lord, You are holy and majestic, sovereign and compassionate, fiercely loving and unerringly merciful. Thank You. We don’t deserve Your mercy. We can’t earn Your love, and yet You lavish these things on us simply because we are Yours. Thank You for Your presence in uncertain and frightening situations. Thank You for the peace and comfort that can only come from You. Draw us closer. Amen.

Psalm 29:11 The LORD gives strength to His people; the LORD blesses His people with peace.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 28:1 To You, LORD, I call; You are my Rock, do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if You remain silent, I will be like those who go down to the pit.

It is hard for me to read the Psalms without thinking of David’s transgression with Bathsheba and the murder and mayhem that followed. David is often called “A Man after God’s Own Heart,” but he is also deeply human and flawed. But God doesn’t abandon David when his humanity shows through. There are consequences, but He doesn’t turn His back and utterly forsake him.

Psalm 28:2 Hear my cry for mercy as I call to You for help, as I lift up my hands toward Your Most Holy Place.

And so it is with us. We are human, fleshly, flawed. We have and will make mistakes and missteps. But we can still cling to our Rock and our Salvation to help us get back to the right path.

Psalm 28:8 The LORD is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed one.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for loving us in all of our flawed humanity. Thank You for not turning Your back when we mess up, for allowing us a way back to You. You are my Rock, LORD. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 28:9 Save Your people and bless Your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?

I have turned to Psalm 27 for comfort before. Just repeating verse 1 in my head slows my breathing and brings me peace. This psalm is not about the absence of trouble but about the presence and power of the LORD, even in times of trouble.

Psalm 27:4 One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple.

I know the comfort and safety I feel in my own home. At its best, it is a place of refuge and respite, protection from the elements, a place where I am loved completely, where I am safe from harm. I can only imagine those feelings of safety, love, and protection are magnified exponentially in the house of the LORD.

Psalm 27:13 I remain confident in this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the hope of seeing Your goodness in the land of the living. Help me to shine Your light. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 26:1a Vindicate me, LORD, for I have led a blameless life….

The opening of this psalm shows me how incredibly different David’s attitude and posture are from mine. He seems very confident in his blamelessness while I know that I am not blameless, that I have made dumb choices and stupid mistakes. I also know, thankfully, that I am covered by the grace and mercy of my Savior.

Psalm 26:1b … I have trusted in the LORD and have not faltered.

Again I am struck by David’s assurance bordering on cockiness. I assume this is before the incident with Bathsheba, so however blameless and unfaltering he may be currently, I know there are grievous missteps in his future and yet, he still finds his way back to God. 

Psalm 26:2 Test me, LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind….

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. I have not lived a blameless life, Lord. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve acted foolishly. I have faltered. I’m sure I will again. But if You examine my heart and my mind, You will see my deep love for You, my fierce need for You. Help me to seek You more deeply and to know You more fully each and every day. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 26:3 …for I have always been mindful of Your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on You faithfulness.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 25:1 In You, LORD, I put my trust.

Sometimes the Psalms just really connect, I just really FEEL them. I think it is the constant up and down of emotion, one Psalm praising and the next one raging (or begging). That constant roller coaster of emotions I absolutely understand. But through it all, the ups and downs, the highs and lows, I put my trust in God. Always.

Psalm 25:3 No one who hoped in You will ever be put to shame….

I put my trust in God because, by doing so, I will never be put to shame. If my trust is in Him, that means I am seeking Him, leaning into Him, learning more of Him. Always. That doesn’t mean He makes sure I get my way. It means I seek to become more like Him, to trust Him more and more each day. 

Psalm 25:4-5 Show me Your ways, LORD, teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the the trust that I have in You. Help me, every day, to draw closer, to love more strongly, to be more compassionate and more merciful. Help me to be more like You every day, Lord. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 25:20 Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in You.

Have a blessed day.