Category: Psalm

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.

Psalm 65:1 Praise awaits You, our God, in Zion; to You our vow will be fulfilled.

This time of year, for me, it is especially easy to get sucked into the negative. I am physically and mentally exhausted, those I work for and with are physically and mentally exhausted, tempers are often short, the end is so close but not close enough. It is disastrously easy to overlook the many, many blessings in each moment.

Psalm 65:2 You who answer prayer, to You all people will come.

Psalm 65 reminds me to praise my loving, sovereign Creator, who lavishes me with blessings daily: a crisp breeze, a beautiful sunrise, a kind word, a snuggly dog. THIS, this is the day the Lord has made, this day with all its perfect imperfections. Psalm 65 reminds me to rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24).

Psalm 65:3 When we were overwhelmed by sins, You forgave our transgressions.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for knowing me so well, for understanding that, especially at this time of year, I need to be reminded to praise instead of grouch. Help me to shake off my frustration at my grouchiness and to focus my energy on praising You. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 65:4 Blessed are those You choose and bring near to live in Your courts! We are filled with the good things of Your house, of Your holy temple.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 63:1a You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek You….

Morning has always been the best time of day for me, and I realized early on that I needed to carve out time with God in those early hours, to sit with Him, so that my soul was more at ease once the day got into full swing. For many years this has been my habit.

Psalm 63:b …I thirst for You, my whole being longs for You, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.

I can remember running in the early hours of a summer day, returning home and guzzling ice cold water to try to satisfy my thirst, but no matter how much I drank after those scorching runs, satiation felt just out of reach. I feel like that is the season I’m in currently with my spiritual life.

Psalm 63:7 Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of Your wings.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the understanding that this exhausted, thirsty spell is just another season of life. Help me to seek You more, to not give up on reestablishing our close bond. I know that my connection with You will be restored. I know You love me fiercely. I hope You know how deeply I love You. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 63:8 I cling to You; Your right hand upholds me.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 62:1 Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him.

I am an introvert, a trait that has gotten stronger as I have gotten older. People, even people I love, can be exhausting. Social situations are so uncomfortable. And, of course, I married an extrovert. He loves people, thrives when interacting with others. As you might imagine, we’ve had very different reactions to the social isolation of the past thirteen months.

Psalm 62:2 Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

But David’s prayer this morning brought clearly to mind how I survive difficult social situations, how I survive most any situation where I feel out-of-place, awkward, uncomfortable—God. 

Psalm 62:5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him.

Lord, Thank You for loving me fiercely and unconditionally. I look at myself and see awkwardness. You look at me an see Your beloved child. Thank You for the grace to cling to that fact, regardless of my comfort level in any situation. Thank You for being my rock, my salvation, my fortress. Always. It is because of You, Your love, that I will never be shaken. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

Psalm 62:6 Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, and I will not be shaken.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 61:2 From the ends of the earth I call to You, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

We have a local quarry-turned-park, Rocky Face, that always comes to mind when I think of Psalm 61:2. When I hike Rocky Face and am standing at the bottom, all I can see are the trees right in front of me. Nothing else exists. But as I climb higher and higher, as I get above the tree line, I realize that the trees are only a small portion of what’s there—rolling fields, roads and houses, mountain upon mountain in the distance. It’s all there. I just couldn’t see it for the trees blocking my path.

Psalm 61:3 For You have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.

For me, the park and the verse serve as a reminder of the need for perspective. I have a tendency to worry and fret about all manner of inconsequential things. When I rest on my own strength, all I see are my doubts and fears. It is only when I lean on the rock that is higher than I that I can see from God’s perspective, which is so much more expansive, so much more beautiful than my own limit perspective.

Psalm 61:4 I long to dwell in Your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.

Lord, Thank You. Thank You for being my rock, my refuge, my strong tower. Thank You for helping me gain perspective when life is crowding in, choking my view. Draw me closer. Always. Amen.

Psalm 61:8 Then I will ever sing in praise of Your name and fulfill my vows day after day.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 60:1 You have rejected us, God, and burst upon us; You have been angry—now restore us!

I love that David is not afraid to be real and honest with God about his feelings. That’s sometimes hard for me, and usually it takes some serious, layered defeats—one after another after another—for me to get to that level of honesty where I can admit my anger and say, “Really, God? I don’t understand. Why? Why? Why?”

Psalm 60:5 Save us and help us with Your right hand, that those You love may be delivered.

Thankfully, God never leaves me in that state of despair, and while I’ve never gotten an answer to the question why, He always brings me around to a space where I can honestly say: “I don’t understand this and I don’t like it, but I trust You and know that You love me and mine more than I can even fathom; You are good and loving; You have a plan to work all things for my good and Your glory.”

Psalm 60:11 Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You that You are big enough to handle all of the emotions You gave me. Thank You for the comfort of Your sovereignty and love, even when I don’t understand Your ways. Draw me closer. Always. Amen.

Psalm 60:12 With God we will gain the victory, and He will trample down our enemies.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 59:9 You are my strength, I watch for You; You, God, are my fortress….

David, a man after God’s own heart, gives me hope. The psalms show that he experiences the highs and lows of life. He pours out his heart to God, his hopes and fears. He wants God to save him, but he ultimately wants God to be glorified in the process (though he hopes he is allowed to gloat, I’m certain his gloating would include God’s glorious role). Even when he messes up, and he messes up BIG TIME, he is humbled and returns to God seeking renewal, and God draws him back in.

Psalm 59:10 … my God on whom I can rely. God will go before me and will let me gloat over those who slander me.

I am also one big ole jumble of emotions and feelings. My joys are great, as are my sorrows. I, too, mess up—anger, fear, jealousy, bitterness, messy emotions that seem to separate me so completely from my precious Savior. David’s example gives me hope that even in my mess, I can forge a stronger relationship with my God if I will humble myself, allow myself to be humbled, and return to Him, seeking renewal.

Psalm 59:16 But I will sing of Your strength, in the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

Lord, I pray to You in the words of David: You are my strength, I watch for You; You, God, are my fortress…. I will sing of Your strength, in the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.” Draw me closer, Lord. Give me a heart only for You. Amen.

Psalm 59:17 “You are my strength, I sing praise to You; You, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.”

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 58:1 Do you rulers indeed speak justly? Do you judge people with equity?

Commentary suggests that David is expressing his anger and outrage at corruption, perhaps because he is currently being exposed to the consequences of said corruption. After all, commentary goes on, it is human nature not to care unless we are personally affected. That little bit jumped out at me because I feel the weight of its truth.

Psalm 58:2 No, in your heart you devise injustice, and your hands mete out violence on the earth.

Christian doctrine says that man was born evil, fallen. A close look at the world today and it is easy to see all manner of evil, unjust, corrupt schemes and systems in play. It is also easy to feel overwhelmed in the face of such corruptions.

Psalm 58:6 Break the teeth in their mouths, O God; LORD, tear out the fangs of those lions!

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. It is easy to feel helpless and hopeless in the face of injustice, evil, and corruption, but I know that Your goal is to equip us with Your love, grace, and mercy so we know how to respond to the reality of this fallen world. Help me, Lord, to be Your hands and feet, help me to shine Your Light and show Your heart. Help me to make my tiny corner of the world just a bit better for all who inhabit it. Amen.

Psalm 58:11 Then people will say, “Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth.”

Have a blessed day.