Month: May 2021

Psalm 75:1 We praise You, God, we praise You, for Your Name is near; people tell of Your wonderful deeds.

This psalm seems to divide people neatly into three categories: the righteous, the arrogant, and the wicked. In life, however, the distinctions are not so neat and tidy. One person can by turns act righteous and arrogant and wicked. 

Psalm 75:4 To the arrogant I say, ‘Boast no more,” and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift Your horns.”

And I’m not just casting aspersions. I know I have the capability to run the gambit, depending on subject and my attitude. Maybe that’s why I try to give people the benefit of the doubt (though, admittedly, sometimes I go straight to judgement with no mercy nor compassion in sight).

Psalm 75:7 It is God who judges: He brings one down and exalts another.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for seeing what’s good, what’s redeemable, in all of us. Help me to look at others with love and compassion and not judgment. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 75:9 As for me, I will declare this forever; I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 73:23 Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand.

Today’s psalm puts me in mind of the story of the prodigal son. The prodigal son gets his inheritance and spends it all, living the highlife, and then comes back to beg for a servant’s position but is given a party and welcomed back home. The other son is livid because he feels like he’s done what was right and gotten no reward. 

Psalm 73:24 You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory.

And haven’t we all been there? We feel we are doing everything right, yet those who are cheating the system seem to be getting ahead, getting the praise, getting the reward. This world will tell you to come on over to the dark side. Instant gratification is soooo worth it. But God says trust Him.

Psalm 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for bringing to mind the story of the prodigal son. While he was living the highlife, he was totally cut off from You. He did not have Your peace which surpasses all understanding. He did not have fellowship with You. Help me to be mindful of what’s really important, Lord. Remain the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 73:26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 72:12 For He will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.

I have a confession to make. Trying to read through the psalm and commentary today, it truly felt like things just wouldn’t stick. I’d read the words again and again, but nothing seemed to be sinking in. The words of this psalm are beautiful and powerful. It is so frustrating that they seem to be bouncing off.

Psalm 72:13 He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save them from death.

Of course I immediately began to fret. Have I lost that Divine spark I’ve always felt doing these reflections? Is God telling me to quit writing? To quit reading? I truly don’t think so, and the words that keep echoing in my head are from a book from my children’s childhood, which I never really loved but quote often as an adult: “Some days are like that. Even in Australia.”

Psalm 72:14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in His sight.

Lord, Thank You for this day, this scripture, this knowledge that whatever the cause of this morning’s disconnect, it is not permanent. It is not insurmountable. You are still sovereign, still in control, still on Your throne. You still love me fiercely, still want me to seek You, still are there for me. Help me to hang on and let this feeling pass. Draw me closer, even now. Amen.

Psalm 72:19 Praise be to His glorious name forever; May the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and amen.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 71:14 As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise You more and more.

On my best days, I can hold on to Psalm 71:14 with both hands and not let go. Life doesn’t have to be perfect. I just need hope—that God is in control, that He loves me fiercely, that He can work ALL things  to my good and His glory.

Psalm 71:1 In You, LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame.

I’ll admit, though, that every day is not a “best day”, and there are days, more than I care to admit, where my taking refuge in Him looks suspiciously like hiding from the world. Thankfully, even there, I am able to find hope.

Psalm 71:2 In Your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; turn Your ear to me and save me.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the days when I can easily hold on to hope and praise Your name. And on the tough days, when hope is hard to find, thank You for being my rock of refuge. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 71:3 Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go….

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 70:5a But as for me, I am poor and needy….

Aren’t we all poor and needy in some way? Poor in spirit. Poor in hope. Poor in faith to keep putting one foot in front of the other. And so very needy, needing God to save us, heal us, uplift us.

Psalm 70:5b …come quickly to me, God.

We are conditioned to see poor and needy as a deficit, a bad thing. “Poor thing. She’s sooo needy.” Definitely not a compliment. But God turns everything on it’s head, so what if this condition of being poor and needy is a good thing because it reminds me that I absolutely cannot do it in my own, that I need God’s help?

Psalm 70:5c …You are my help and my deliverer….

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the deep awareness of my need for You. You are my help and my deliverer, Lord. Come quickly to me. Do not delay. Draw me closer. Always. Amen.

Psalm 70:5d …LORD, do not delay.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 69:1 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.

Lord, Thank You that I can cry out to You for help as easily as I can lift Your name in praise. As Your beloved child, a title I don’t deserve but am so thankful for, I can cry out to You always—in praise, in thanksgiving, in need. Thank You for that gift.

Psalm 69:5 You, God, know my folly; my guilt is not hidden from You.

Lord, Thank You that I don’t have to be sinless, blameless, to call on You, to come to You. It often feels like even when I try, I fail. Thank You that perfection is not a prerequisite for Your grace and mercy.

Psalm 69:16 Answer me, LORD, out of the goodness of Your love; in Your great mercy turn to me.

Lord, Thank You for the gift of Your goodness—a gift I don’t deserve and can never earn. Thank You for Your fierce love, deep compassion, and unerring grace. Help me to treat others the way that You treat me. Help me to praise You as often and as faithfully as I call for help. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 69:29 But as for me, afflicted and in pain—May Your salvation, God, protect me.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 68:1 May God arise, May His enemies be scattered; May His foes flee before Him.

The imagery in this section is striking. Smoke, which can be thick and dominating, pouring from a fire, is blown into non-existence with a bit of wind.

Psalm 68:2a May You blow them away like smoke—

Wax, which is solid when cooled, melts to puddle with a little heat. These things that can seem so formidable are so easily scattered. God is good like that.

Psalm 68:2b …as wax melts before the fire, may the wicked perish before God.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for Your presence and protection. Thank You for the winds of Your love and the heat of Your mercy. Draw us closer. Always. Amen.

Psalm 68:35 You, God, are awesome in Your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to His people.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 67:1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine on us—

The heart of my religious philosophy is: “Love God. Love others.” A billboard once summarized it as: “Just love everyone. I’ll sort them out later. ~God” Perhaps I espouse this idea so strongly because I’ve felt the sting of rejection, of not belonging. My God, the God if all creation, is not exclusionary. He would leave the 99 to save the one. He would not say, “Well, if you hadn’t said this, done this, looked like this, loved in this way….” God wants all the peoples to praise Him.

Psalm 67:2 …so that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.

Commentary says about verses 3 & 5, “Do we have the same heart? Or will we write off some peoples, instead of having God’s heart for all the peoples?” Sadly, in this judgmental, partisan, divided, divisive world we live in, all peoples tends to mean only the peoples who look and feel and think exactly like us, peoples whom WE deem worthy. Oh friends, it’s NOT about us, about our opinion, our estimation.

Psalm 67:3 May the peoples praise You, God; May all the peoples praise You.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for Your love and mercy. Thank You that You are holy and righteous, that You are loving and good. Help us to see others with Your eyes, to love others with Your heart. Help us not to write others off because we deem them unworthy. May all the peoples praise You, Lord. Amen.

Psalm 67:5 May the peoples praise You, God; May all the peoples praise You.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 66:1 Shout for joy to God, all the earth!

At my heart, I am an optimist. I try to look at the bright side because if I give myself over to negativity, things get very dark. There are those who would say I have slipped into the realm of toxic positivity (the attitude of “It’s fine, I’m fine. Everything’s fine.” as the world is on fire and I’m bleeding to death), but I wholeheartedly disagree. Being optimistic doesn’t mean ignoring the negative. It means focusing more on the positive instead.

Psalm 66:8-9 Praise our God, all people’s, let the sound of His praise be heard ; He had preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.

A line in commentary on Psalm 66 struck me: “The main end of our life is not to do but to become….” (Meyer). Become what? More hopeful? More optimistic? More thankful? More prayerful? More loving? More compassionate and merciful? More like Christ? I think yes to all!

Psalm 66:10-11 For You, God, tested us; You refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the ability to focus on the positive, on Your presence, even when times are difficult. Help me–with every breath, ever prayer, ever action–to become the person You created me to be. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 66:12 You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us to a place of abundance. 

Have a blessed day.