Category: Psalm

Psalm 97:11 Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. (NIV)

I have always been fascinated with the different wording and the subtle shift in meaning that occurs between different translations of a verse. And Psalm 97:11 really jumped out at me today.

Psalm 97:11 Light is sown like seed for the righteous, And gladness for the upright in heart. (NASB)

The idea of sowing God’s light really captivated me. Maybe it is because it’s spring, the growing season, this image of physically sowing God’s light, tending it, watching it bloom and grow for others to enjoy intrigues me so. 

Psalm 97:11 Light dawns for the righteous, gladness for the upright in heart. (CSB)

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for sowing Your light in my heart and my life. Help me to sow Your love and joy in the lives of all those I come in contact with today. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 97:11 If you obey and do right, a light will show you the way and fill you with happiness. (CEV)

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 96:11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it.

Psalm 96 is a good example of how commentary has helped me understand context a bit more. Psalm 96:13 says that the LORD comes to judge the earth. In and of itself, that sounds a bit terrifying to me. The earth will not come at looking very favorable. Yet verse 13 talks of all creation rejoicing because of Him presence to judge. What am I missing?

Psalm 96:12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

Commentary says most judges at the time were corrupt and required bribing for favorable judgment. If you had money or property, I don’t guess that was a big deal. But if you were poor, you could not afford a bribe. The people rejoiced because they knew God would judge fairly without bribery.

Psalm 96:13a Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for He comes, He comes to judge the earth….

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the understanding that comes with the background of commentary. Thank You for Your fairness and impartiality coupled with Your undeserved mercy and compassion. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 96:13b …He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 95:1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

I have used the same commentary for background information since I began reading the Bible from the beginning back in October of 2019. This is my first attempt reading the entire Bible, and I knew I needed additional background and understanding if I were to truly make sense of what I was reading.

Psalm 95:2 Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song.

I don’t remember how I can across this commentary, but I know there have been several times that my personal understanding of God conflicts with the picture they paint in commentary. Today’s commentary is no exception, but God put a quote by Nadia Bolz-Weber in my path today that highlights the difference in philosophy: “I have only ever been loved into holiness, never shamed into it.” 

Psalm 95:3 For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for revealing Yourself to me more and more as I read Your word. Thank You for the reminder that You are love, first and foremost. Help me reflect Your love into this dark world. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 95:4 In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 93:3a The seas have lifted up, LORD, the seas have lifted up their voice….

I love going to the beach, the sound of the waves pounding the shore. I love, absolutely love, watching the sun rise over the ocean. I feel closer to God as I sit on the deck with a cup of coffee and watch as His world comes to life around me. Sunrise at the beach, for me, is a holy experience.

Psalm 93:3b …the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.

The ocean, the beach, the waves and sand, for me it is all a wonderful analogy for God: His sovereignty and power, His vastness, the inability for me to know every single part, the fact that I learn something new, see something different every time I search His boundless depths. The LORD is infinite, powerful, uncontainable, beautiful, mysterious, miraculous, amazing.

Psalm 93:4a Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea….

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the beautiful analogy I see between You and the ocean. Thank You for the way I feel closer to You on its sandy shores. Thank You for who You are and who You are to me. I love You, Lord, my strength (Ps18:1). Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 93:4b …the LORD on high is mighty.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 92:4 For You make me glad by Your deeds, LORD; I sing for joy at what Your hands have done.

After reading the psalm and commentary and praying about what God would have me see or notice, I am walking away from this text with the idea that our praise of God should remain fresh and new. It should not get stale. 

Psalm 92:5 How great are Your works, LORD, how profound Your thoughts!

It is so easy to slip into a comfortable rut with our prayer life as with anything else. But when I think of the myriad ways my Creator cares for me daily, shows that care specifically, stale praise does not do Him justice.

Psalm 92:6-7 Senseless people do not know, fools do not understand, that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evil doers flourish, they will be destroyed forever.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that my prayer and praise should not be stiff and stale. Help me to praise You with a joyful heart. Help me to show the love and gratitude I feel so deeply for You. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 92:8 But You, LORD, are forever exalted.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 91:1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Lord, Thank You for the ability to dwell in You—in Your safety and love. When the world seems overwhelming and threatening, help me to remember to find rest in Your shadow.

Psalm 91:2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Lord, Thank You for being my refuge and fortress, for the ability to put my trust in You. This is a gift from You. Help me always to remember that it is a privilege granted by You. I am so thankful.

Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture, for Your love and Your protection, for the safety and grace and trust I find in You. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 91:15 He will call on Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 90:2 …from everlasting to everlasting You are God.

Last night I joined in a new book study through my church. We are reading Nahum Ward-Lev’s The Liberating Path of the Hebrew Prophets. One of the concepts we talked about last night was the fact that God calls each of us to an ongoing liberation journey and that that journey is toward mutual relationship.

Psalm 90:4 A thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.

The verses of Psalm 90 remind me of that call to an ongoing liberation journey towards relationship with Christ. There is so much in this life that trips me up, that gets in my way when it comes to my relationship with Christ. These verses help me remember what’s important on that journey (God) and why (because our days are finite and He has a job for us to do).

Psalm 90:12 Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for this new book study to help me along my journey to a closer relationship with You. Thank You for the wisdom to seek, to ask, to knock, so that I may know You better. Draw me closer. Always. Amen.

Psalm 90:14 Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 89:1 I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever (with my mouth I will make Your faithfulness known through all generations.

While all the verses I chose here are positive and uplifting, there is a lot of anguish in Psalm 89. Commentary says that “We think when we are in trouble we get ease by complaining; but we do more, get more joy, by praising.” How incredibly true.

Psalm 89:2 I will declare that Your love stands firm forever, that You have established Your faithfulness in heaven itself.

I noticed as I read this Psalm that just reading the passages of anguish and complaint had a physical effect on me. My breath became more shallow. My muscles tensed. I felt….bad, like fight or flight was kicking in. But when I read and typed the verses of praise, my muscles relaxed and I was able to breathe. I felt safer.

Psalm 89:5 The heavens praise Your wonders, LORD, Your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.

Lord, Thank You for this day and scripture. Thank You for the physical reminder of the power of praise and the danger of complaining. Especially right now, it is a crucial reminder of what I should be doing to combat my fatigue. Help me to praise You always. Amen.

Psalm 89:52 Praise be to the LORD forever! Amen and amen.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 88:1 LORD, You are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to You.

Commentary says Psalm 88 is often considered “the saddest psalm in the entire collection.” They draw parallels between Psalm 88 and Job that had not occurred to me. But while I definitely see despair in this Psalm, what God seems to be laying on my heart this morning is a call to more earnest prayer.

Psalm 88:2 May my prayer come before You; turn Your ear to my cry.

Like everything else in my life, my prayer life goes in cycles. At this time of year, when I am feeling physically, mentally, and emotionally drained, my prayer life feels almost perfunctory. In fact, I would say that at present, my most earnest, most heartfelt prayers come in the middle of the night when I am struggling to sleep and I lift up those whom I know have needs. Since I can’t sleep, I cry out on their behalf. I need to work on bringing that level of passion in prayer back into the light of day.

Psalm 88:9b …I call to You, LORD, every day; I spread out my hands to You.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for laying this issue of earnestness in prayer on my heart. Help me to revive and realign my prayer life, Lord. Help me shake off this exhaustion so that I can lift others up in prayer and lift You higher in praise. Always. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 88:13 But I cry to You for help, LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before You.

Have a blessed day.