Category: Psalm

Psalm 17:1a Hear me, LORD, my plea is just; listen to my cry….

I am in a bit of a difficult season at present. I don’t know if it is the exhaustion that comes with a year of pandemic living and teaching, the normal exhaustion of this time of year as a teacher and a mother, the grief of the passing of my mother-in-law (as with so many, our relationship was complicated but we loved each other). My default these days is anger, seemingly at everyone and everything. Fun times.

Psalm 17:1b …Hear my prayer— it does not rise from deceitful lips.

David, in this Psalm, is approaching God as one who is blameless. But here is the beauty of my relationship with my Savior: Even though I am not blameless, even though I know that my heart needs to be cleansed and restored so that I can be right with God and the world again, I can still approach Him for help. Thank You, Jesus.

Psalm 17:2a Let my vindication come from You….

Lord, I am a sinner saved by grace. I do not deserve it, but I am so thankful. My wayward heart has strayed again, Lord, and taken me away from Your peace that surpasses all understanding. I do not like this space I’m in—so angry all the time. Cleanse my heart, Lord. Renew Your spirit within me. And thank You that I can come to You always and find Your grace and mercy. Amen.

Psalm 17:2b …may Your eyes see what is right.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 16:1 Keep me safe, my God, for in You I take refuge. 

Commentary calls the tone of this Psalm “settled joy,” and I am in complete agreement. The content is not light and airy by any means, but there is definitely a feeling of settled joy that comes from resting securely in God’s sovereignty.

Psalm 16:8 I will keep my eyes always on the LORD. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

I must confess that I am not currently taking my cues from David’s attitude of settled joy. Sadly, I am more leaning towards outright rage at times. My body, mind, and heart all feel the ill effects of that unfortunate choice. Jesus, help me!

Psalm 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure….

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that settled joy in the midst of turmoil can only come from You. Help me cling to Your peace and Your sovereignty, Lord. Help me let go of all the anger within me. Help me to embody Psalm 16:8: “I will keep my eyes always on the LORD. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” I cannot do it alone, Lord. Your strength is perfected in my weakness. Help me, please, Lord. Amen.

Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 15:2 The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart….

The Psalm begins, “LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent?” David is pondering who is worthy to stand in the presence of God. My modern sensibility reads verses 2-5 and thinks, “Oh. No one is worthy.” To me, this list seems to be a list of perfection, a list I am absolutely unable to fulfill in my broken humanity.

Psalm 15:3 …whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others….

The last verse, 5b, says, “Whoever does these things will never be shaken.” That verse echoes in my head. It is a chorus of a song I know. But the power is not in MY perfection (which isn’t possible), it is in the perfection of my Savior. Because He is worthy, righteous, perfect, I will never be shaken. Thank You, Jesus.

Psalm 15:4 …who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the LORD; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind….

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that because of Your Son, my Savior, I am covered by Your fierce love and unending grace. Thank You for that indescribable and precious gift. Amen.

Psalm 15:5 …who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 14:1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” …

There is such variety in the psalms. Many of the chapters are personal, gut wrenching pleas. In this one, David is praying for his people and for the evildoers who torment them.

Psalm 14:2 The LORD looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

There is just something about this verse that appeals to me. God is looking to see if there are any who understand. Understand what, exactly? His ways? His nature? Or is He looking for those who understand that He is sovereign, those who respect His authority, who seek Him and seek to know Him more?

Psalm 14:4 Do these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the LORD.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for knowing me, knowing my heart, for seeing the ways I seek You daily. Draw me closer to You always. Help me to shine Your light. Amen.

Psalm 14:7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores His people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 13:1 How long, LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?

This Psalm feels very real to me. This is absolutely something I might say as I struggle to wrap my head around grief or trouble or loss. The questioning and deep emotions are real. I’ve been in his shoes. When I get caught up in my emotions, my troubles, when I fix my shortsighted gaze on myself instead of my Savior, things go very poorly.

Psalm 13:2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Interestingly, the beginning of this Psalm is all about the speaker, David. “How long will You hide Your face from ME?” “How long must I wrestle MY thoughts…?” As long as he is in his head, in his emotions, focusing on himself, he’s in a bad way. The moment he switches his focus to God his equanimity and peace and trust return.

Psalm 13:5 But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for Your presence, even when I am too caught up in my mess to pay attention. Help me to move beyond my feelings, always, so that I can focus on You, praise You, and dwell in Your peace. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 13:6 I will sing the LORD’s praise, for He has been good to me.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 12:1a Help, LORD, for no one is faithful anymore….

As I read the first verses of this chapter, I am struck by the hyperbole. No one is faithful anymore? Really? This type of exaggeration is often born of frustration or fear. As one of the faithful, David feels alone, abandoned. That’s hard.

Psalm 12:1b …those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.

Again with the hyperbole. In my mind’s eye, I picture a version the rapture—everyone going about their business, while the faithful just vanish from the scene. The feeling I get is incredible loneliness. David feels there is no one else like him, faithful to the LORD, there is no one to support him. And why does he think this? Probably because he is the target of their cruelty.

Psalm 12:2a Everyone lies to their neighbor….

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the understanding of David’s situation that I can glean from these words. He is frustrated, lonely, afraid. He feels he has no other believers to support and comfort him during this time. Thank You for the community of believers that we have today, Lord. Thank You that we do not have to go this world alone. Draw us closer. Amen.

Psalm 12:2b … they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 11:1 In the LORD I take refuge. How then can you say to me: “Flee like a bird to your mountain.”

Once again, I have a hard time reading the commentary on this chapter. It used to be a rich source of history and background for me. Now, in the Psalms, it seems to be more opinion based. As I mentioned yesterday, I don’t want to know what man has for me in this chapter. I want to know what God has for me to see, to learn, to understand.

Psalm 11:2 “For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.”

The one little nugget of wisdom I am holding on to is that, just like Job’s friends, the advice of David’s friends comes from a place of fear. David, however, just like Job, responds from a place of faith. David’s faith is different, however, in that he knows God is with him. Job had faith in the fact that he had not sinned against God, even though he did not understand why he was suffering and could not feel God’s presence.

Psalm 11:3 “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for Your wisdom and presence. Thank You for a rock solid faith in You—Your sovereignty, Your presence, Your love, Your mercy. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 11:7 For the LORD is righteous, He loves justice; the upright will see His face.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 10:1 Why, LORD, do You stand far off? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?

Once again I find myself unable to read all that commentary wants to say about this chapter. While there are some interesting and poignant statements, there is much human certainty which leaves no room for me to hear what God is trying to say to me. If I have to choose between listening to God or man during my morning prayer time, that’s a laughably easy choice.

Psalm 10:12 Arise, LORD! Lift up Your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless.

This chapter puts me strongly in mind of the Book of Job. I see a very similar arc—Where is God in my suffering? Don’t forget me, God, in my suffering. You DO see me in my suffering. Your presence alone in my suffering, God, gives me hope. 

Psalm 10:14 But You, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; You consider their grief and take it in hand….

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the wisdom to focus on Your message for me each day. Thank You that You are with me, always, and that my hope is found only in You. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 10:17 You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them, You listen to their cry….

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 9:1a I will give thanks to You, LORD, with all my heart….

In order to write today’s reflection, I did two unusual things. The first unusual thing is that I didn’t read all of the commentary on the chapter. It sort of droned on and on, when the point, to me, seemed very clear—praise God. Rejoice and be glad in Him. Tell others of His wonderful deeds.

Psalm 9:1b … I will tell of all Your wonderful deeds.

The second unusual thing is that I moved to the porch to write this reflection. I noticed when I let the dog out this morning the symphony of birds, definitely God’s handiwork. On the porch I can still feel the chill of winter and the tentative rays of the morning sun. It just seemed like the right place to be to write this one.

Psalm 9:2a I will be glad and rejoice in You….

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the simplicity of choosing to love You. Thank You for the birds and the porch and the sun and the chill in the air. Help me, always, to choose You, to rejoice in You, to tell others of Your wonderful ways. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 9:2b …I will sing the praises of Your name, O Most High.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 8:3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place….

There is a saying that I’ve seen many places on the internet that goes: “How cool is it that the same God who created mountains, oceans, and galaxies, looked at you and thought the world needed one of you too?” This Psalm puts me squarely in mind of that saying.

Psalm 8:4 …what is mankind that You are mindful of them, human beings that You care for them?

It’s easy to get bogged down in the muck of life. There’s plenty of muck to get bogged in, but does God say of the mountains or the valleys or the oceans, “Oops. That wasn’t what I was going for”? I don’t think so. And He doesn’t make mistakes with humans, either. We are uniquely created for a purpose, just as lovingly created as the most beautiful mountain vistas and ocean sunrises. 

Psalm 8:5 You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the loving care that You put into creating each one of us. Help us to see ourselves and each other with Your loving, compassionate eyes. Help us to fulfill Your purpose for us. Help us to point others to You. Draw us closer. Amen.

Psalm 8:9 LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Have a blessed day.