Category: Psalm

Psalm 122:1 I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”

Over the course of the pandemic, my definition of “the house of the LORD” has broadened and deepened. At the beginning of the pandemic, our church worshiped digitally with another local church of a different denomination because they did not have the technology to broadcast online at that point. I found that experience, which lasted about a year, to be incredibly enriching to my faith life.

Psalm 122:2 Our feet are standing in your gates, Jerusalem.

Also during the pandemic, I started meeting via Zoom with a weekly book study group made up of folks from my church and others. That group changes a little with each book we study, but it has become a rich community of faith for me as well. I’m thankful that my definition of “the house of the LORD” has become more expansive over the past year and a half. 

Psalm 122:4 That is where the tribes go up—the tribes of the LORD—to praise the name of the LORD according to the statute given to Israel.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the growth and enrichment of my faith and my faith community over the course of the pandemic. Help me always seek to grow closer to You through my life of faith. Amen.

Psalm 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love You be secure.”

Have a blessed day. I love you.

Psalm 121:3 He will not let your foot slip—He who watches over you will not slumber….

I don’t sleep well. I often wake in the middle of the night and have trouble going back to sleep. The best use of my middle-of-the-night time is prayer. If I can remember to fill that time with prayers for those in need, I will typically end up drifting back to sleep peacefully. When I don’t remember to go to God in prayer, I usually end up tossing and turning and fretting about my inability to sleep.

Psalm 121:4 …indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

I have decided, though, that it is a gift to be able to lift people in prayer in the middle of the night. When I am sick, struggling, or in pain, it is usually worse in the middle of the night. So as I find myself awake in the middle of night, I try to lift up to God, who never slumbers, those who are struggling and feel alone, afraid, abandoned. 

Psalm 121:7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—He will watch over your life….

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that You are always with us, that You never slumber. When I struggle with sleep, help me to turn to You and lift those who are struggling, too. Draw us closer. Grant us Your peace. Amen.

Psalm 121:8 …the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 120:1 I call on the LORD in my distress, and He answers me.

The truth of verse one takes my breath away. Whenever I call on the Lord, He hears me, He answers me, He is there for me. He does this, not because I am somehow worthy (I’m not), but because I am His beloved child.

Psalm 120:2 Save me, LORD, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.

He doesn’t come in waiving a magic wand that makes everything better. He draws me closer and reminds me that His strength is perfected in my weakness, that I am His deeply, fiercely loved child, that He has already won the war, regardless of the current raging battle, that all I need is to cling to Him. Thank You, Jesus.

Psalm 120:3 What will He do to you, and what more besides, you deceitful tongue?

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that You are my core, my center, my refuge and strength. Thank You for hearing me when I cry to You for help and for answering me with Your unending love. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 120:7 I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

I slept in this morning. Truly, I don’t know when the last time is I have slept so late. Unfortunately, it’s also the only day this week I have an obligation necessitating leaving the house at a specific time. No worries. I’ll tear through my reading, prayer, and reflection time. What’s today’s chapter? Psalm 119. The longest chapter in the Bible. Literally. God definitely has a sense of humor. 

Psalm 119:147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in Your word.

But God’s humor is never to laugh at me. He drove home an important point this morning. As I read (and read and read) chapter 119, fretting about the time, the length, and my obligations, God kept asking me what my purpose here is. This morning that purpose felt more like checking a box. Bible read? Check. That’s not what I want from my morning time with Jesus. I want to be still in His presence. I want to listen and hear. I want to know Him more.

Psalm 119:175 Let me live that I may praise You, and may Your laws sustain me.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that my morning time with You is a gift, not a chore, not an item on a checklist. Help me, always, to be still in Your presence, to listen to Your words, to hear Your voice. Draw me closer. Always. Amen.

Psalm 119:176 I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your commands.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 117:1 Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol Him, all you peoples.

This psalm is only two verses, but there is a lot packed into them. For me, this psalm is another reminder that my focus, my perspective, matters. No where does it say that I am to praise the Lord for all He has given me or for the smooth, easy path on which He has placed me. That’s probably because those are NOT primary reasons for praise.

Psalm 117:2 For great is His love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.

I am reminded to praise the Lord because of His great love for me, a love that I do not deserve and can never earn. It is His gift of grace to me. I am reminded to praise Him because of His enduring faithfulness. Even when I am unfaithful–grumpy, selfish in thoughts, words, and deeds, He is still faithful to me, a gift that I do not deserve and can never earn. It is His gift of grace to me. Thank You, Jesus.

Psalm 117:1 Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol Him, all you peoples.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for Your great love and enduring faithfulness, for the gift of Your undeserved grace. Help me to praise You, always. Even when my circumstances are not what I wish them to be, You are still with me, Your grace if sufficient. Thank You for Your fierce love. Amen.

Psalm 117:2 For great is His love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 115:1 Not to us, LORD, not to us but to Your name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness.

I do not consider myself a “glory hog,” but I know there is definitely a streak in me that seeks recognition for the things I have done. It is this streak that causes anger and bitterness if I feel my contributions aren’t acknowledged. But I have noticed that when I seek only to glorify God, I don’t struggle with anger and bitterness because I don’t care whether humans recognize my contributions.

Psalm 115:4-5 But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see.

Verse 8 (see below) strikes a cord with me. Fame and recognition are shallow, fleeting, insincere. I do not wish to be like that. Ever. I also don’t wish to seek the recognition of this world. That will never fulfill me. Ever. Being mindful of Psalm 115:1, always seeking to give God the glory, will help me avoid that trap.

Psalm 115:8 Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that recognition and acknowledgment from this world will never satisfy me. Help me, always, to seek to glorify You alone. Draw me closer. Amen. 

Psalm 115:12-13 The LORD remembers us and will bless us….He will bless those who fear the LORD—small and great alike.

Have a great day.

Psalm 113:1 Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, you His servants; praise the name of the LORD.

The book of Psalms, and especially the psalms of the last three days, are a vivid reminder that I was created to praise my Creator. I can say with absolute certainty that while I am better than I was, I do not praise Him as often as I should. 

Psalm 113:2 Let the name of the LORD be praised, both now and forevermore.

I do not want my praise to feel stiff and forced, but I know unequivocally that I have so many reasons to praise Him, to thank Him, to tell others of all He has done in my life. I want to get better at expressing my thanks and praise as part of my daily routine.

Psalm 113:3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that I was made to praise, that I have so many things for which to praise You, that I need to do a better job of infusing my life with Your praise. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 113:4 The LORD is exalted over all the nations, His glory above the heavens.

Have a blessed day.