Category: Psalm

Psalm 142:1 I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.

Today’s scripture reminds me of a scrap of a poem that’s rolling around in my brain. I can’t remember why I know it or who wrote it (not me), and I share it here with apologies that I can’t give you more info about it: I shared my burdens with a friend and turned and found them shifted. I shared my burdens with the Lord and turned and found them lifted.

Psalm 142:2 I pour out before Him my complaint; before Him I tell my trouble.

Sharing our burdens with people—spouses, family, friends—can be vitally important for our mental well-being. However, I have found that for me, the only way to relieve myself of my burdens is to take them to God and lay them at His feet. I am SO BAD at doing this—even after decades of practice—but I keep trying to get it right. At God’s feet is the only place we can find relief for the things weighing on our souls.

Psalm 142:3 When my spirit grows faint within me, it is You who watch over my way….

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder of this scrap of poetry from somewhere in my past. Thank You for the truth of the words: people can share the load of our burdens but only You can lift them from our shoulders. Help me to keep laying my burdens at Your feet, knowing that the more I practice, the easier it will be. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 142:5 I cry to You, LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 141:3a Set a guard over my mouth, LORD….

Sometimes it’s hard to stop words from coming out of my mouth, even when I *know* they should not be said, even when my mental filter screams, “Do. NOT. Say. That!!” Lord, please set a guard over my mouth. Let everything pass through Your filter. Help me not to say things unless they uplift others and point them to you.

Psalm 141:3b …keep watch over the door of my lips.

But You know me, Lord. I over analyze everything. What if someone is doing something wrong (like not following directions, breaking the law, or being cruel to others)? Help me know when and how to speak up to protect Your people (ALL Your people) from harm. Help me know how to be uplifting and encouraging, pointing others to You even then.

Psalm 141:4a Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers….

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for these ideas that I ponder in the quiet of my heart. Help me to draw closer to You in every thought, word, and action and to point others to You as well. Amen.

Psalm 141:4b …do not let me eat their delicacies.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 140:9 Those who surround me proudly rear their heads; may the mischief of their lips engulf them.

Commentary taught me a new word today: imprecatory prayer, prayer that calls down a curse. And while part of me chuckles a bit at the imagery and righteousness of calling down a curse of burning coals upon my enemies (which says a lot about me, I’m sure), the other part marvels at the work God has done in my heart over the years.

Psalm 140:10a May burning coals fall on them….

Here’s the truth. I don’t care for mean, rude, self-seeking, aggrandizing people. They annoy me. They make me angry and often indignant. But to see them with burning coals heaped upon them would hurt my heart because I know it would hurt theirs. At this point, what I want for them more than I want revenge is for them to have a change of heart, to change their ways. That is what would lead them to God, not their embarrassment or destruction.

Psalm 140:10b …may they be thrown into the fire, into the miry pits, never to rise.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for this change in me that wants the humility of those who persecute me to bring them closer to You instead of bringing them humiliation in the eyes of the world. Help this desire to become my strong default. Root out the part of the world in me that finds delight in the downfall of others. Help me to fiercely love, just as You do. Draw me closer.

Psalm 140:11 May slanderers not be established in the land: May disaster hunt down the violent.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 139:1 You have searched me, LORD, and You know me.

I am a hot mess, a bundle of contradictions and awkwardness. Aren’t we all? And when I share myself with others, when I am my authentic, awkward self, there is always trepidation that who I am will be rejected, that I will be seen as not worthy of someone’s time, attention, acceptance. 

Psalm 139:13 For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

God knows me. Intimately. He created me EXACTLY as I am—all my quirks, imperfections, idiosyncrasies—for a purpose. My two overarching goals in life are to draw closer to Him and to shine His light for all to see. I am a hot mess, a bundle of contradictions and awkwardness. Somehow, that equips me to better draw near to Him, to shine brighter for Him. I mess it up every. Single. Day. But God knows my heart. 

Psalm 139:23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for creating me uniquely in Your image and for Your glory. Help me to accept myself and others with the same fierce love, grace, and compassion with which you accept me—awkwardness, imperfections, quirks and all. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 139:24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 138:1 I will praise You, LORD, with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing Your praise.

Several days ago I talked about the fact that anything I place in the center of my life, a place where only God should be, then I make if that thing an idol, a god, and doing so is incredibly dangerous. Verse 1 reminds me of the need to keep God as my center, to sing His praises before the “gods” that clamor for my attention.

Psalm 138:2 I will bow down toward Your holy temple and will praise Your name for Your unfailing love and Your faithfulness….

One sentence in the commentary on this chapter really gave me pause: “It is important to praise God for who He is more than for what He’s done.” I feel like this is an area I need to work on. I feel like I praise Him more for the things than I do for His presence, His steadfast love, His fierce mercy. 

Psalm 138:7a Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve my life…

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder to place You before anyone and anything else in my life. Thank You for the reminder to praise YOU and not just Your abundant blessings in my life. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 138:7b …You stretch out Your hand against the anger of my foes; with Your right hand You save me.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 137:4 How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land?

When I get grumpy and petulant because of my circumstances, I feel like I am forgetting Jerusalem, forgetting all that God has done for me and does for me every single day. For me it is a precarious balance.

Psalm 137:5 If I forget you, Jerusalem, May my right hand forget its skill. 

How do I remain mindful of His abundant blessings (air in my lungs, a roof over my head, people who love me) and still react to the daily annoyances (chores that aren’t done, meds that weren’t taken, attitudes that shouldn’t have been given). To blithely smile and ignore it seems inauthentic. To get totally bent out of shape over it seems inappropriate. Jesus, Help me.

Psalm 137:6a May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you….

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that balance is crucial in life. It’s also something I’m terrible at doing. I am so thankful for You. Help me to balance that thankfulness against all the annoyances of life and respond appropriately. Draw me closer. Amen. 

Psalm 137:6b …if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 136:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His love endures forever.

The last half of every verse in Psalm 136 is identical. The NIV translates it: His love endures forever, though other versions translate it as faithful love, steadfast love, loving devotion, mercy, faithfulness, and lovingkindness. The CEV translates the line as: God’s love never fails. For me, regardless of translation, this psalm is a reminder that no matter what is going on in my life or life in general, God is with me.

Psalm 136:2 Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.

I think God is like a car’s GPS, but instead of routing me to a specific address (or career), my destination, always, is God, to draw closer to Him. No matter what road I’m on, even if it is a horrible detour because of my poor navigation, God’s love never falls. He never abandons me or gives up on me. He always shows me how to draw closer to Him regardless of my circumstances.

Psalm 136:3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for Your steadfast love and mercy. Thank You for being my destination always. No matter what road we are on, continue to draw me closer to You and help me remember that You are always with me. Amen.

Psalm 136:4 …to Him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 135:15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands.

Commentary pointed out that this section of verses is an extended quote from Psalm 115. And I hear echos of verse 17 in the gospels, where the refrain “he who has ears, let him hear” is repeatedly used in at least three of the gospels if not all four. 

Psalm 135:16 They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see.

But what spoke to me most, I think, is the fact that when we put anything in the place of God as our center, we are creating of it an idol. And when we turn something or someone into an idol, we become like that person or thing. In a world where it is so easy to lose sight of God as my center, these verses are alarming and cautionary.

Psalm 135:17 They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder of the dangers of putting anything in a place of importance above You in my life. Help me, always, to keep You as my center. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 135:18 Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 134:1 Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD.

Commentary speaks of not serving God out of compulsion but blessing Him as we serve. Summer, for me, is a time of renewal and reflection, and I can say in all honesty and humility that I need to work on my attitude of praise during my day job. 

Psalm 134:2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD.

Sometimes, especially when we get to the dregs of the school year and everyone is exhausted, praise instead of compulsion is definitely not at the fore of my mind. The truth is, especially in the short rows leading to summer, it does often feel like a compulsory grind. However, I am definitely thankful that God calls me to serve Him as He does. Now I need to work on bringing that sense of praise for Him with me, even in the short rows of the semester and year.

Psalm 134:3a May the LORD bless you from Zion….

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that You call me and equip me to serve You daily. I am so incredibly grateful. Help me to be mindful of praising You for that gift ALWAYS. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 134:3b …He who is the Maker of heaven and earth.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 133:1 How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! (NLT)

This verse has often made me chuckle because it seems rare that my children “live together in harmony.” However, I’m coming to realize that conflict, and working through that conflict, is an important part of development in life in general. 

Psalm 133:1 How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! (NIV)

I don’t think the purpose of this verse was to inspire Christians everywhere to just smile and nod, agreeing, carte blanche, with everything. I think as Christians, part of our responsibility is to challenge each other’s thinking, encourage each other to think deeply and broadly about issues, taking the time to hear opposing views and try to understand them. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen.

Psalm 133:1 It is truly wonderful when the people of God live together in peace. (CEV)

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that living in harmony means having rich, full conversations, not getting so entrenched in our positions that we treat each other with contempt instead of with Your fierce, forgiving love. Help us, Lord, to be more like You. Draw us closer. Amen.

Psalm 133:1 How wonderful it is, how pleasant, for God’s people to live together in harmony! (GNT)

Have a blessed day.