Posts with the tag “psalm”

Daily Devotional from Psalm 38–Verse 15“But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.”In times of discipline, as in this chapter, and in times of sorrow, sickness, pain, suffering, frustration, or lack of understanding, we have only one option available: wait for the Lord. When it comes to waiting on the Lord, is it fun? Not really. Is it easy? No. Is it necessary? Abs...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 37–Verses 23-24“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when hedelights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be castheadlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.”How many times can you fall and still be forgiven? Jesusanswers this question with 70×7 — in other words, too many to count. OUR JOB is to keep trying (He provides resources to help) and never give up wh...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 36–Verse 1“I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes” (NIV).The first point the Psalmist makes about the wicked is that they lack a God-fearing vision. Their eyes dart around, lusting with the possibility to take from any tree they please. Like Eve, they have been deceived. There are trees ou...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 35–Verse 28“And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness and of Your praise all the day long.”It is so important that we proclaim the goodness and righteousness of God throughout our day. In Scripture, we are encouraged to pray continually and praise God at all times. When we fill our minds and mouths with God’s truth, praise shifts our focus from our circumstances t...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 34–Verse 8a“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!”I just LOVE how descriptive this Psalm is. It touches almost all the senses! Taste and see that the LORD is good. Come, O children, listen to Me. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken (touch).It reminds me that our God is personal and involved. He is not distant or removed from the human experience. If any...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 33–Verses 6 & 8“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host. Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.”Have you ever seen something so powerful that it shattered all your paradigms and forced itself to be reckoned with? I never have. I’d like to say that I understand the Fa...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 32–Verse 8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.”I find great comfort knowing that our Savior is giving us knowledge, leading the way, guiding our steps, and that his eyes are always on us. When Jesus Christ comes and makes his home with us, He gives us confidence to do his will and listen for the prompting of the Hol...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 31–Verse 24“Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!”I have been in a season of waiting recently. Sometimes it feels like God is taking FOREVER!!!! The waiting feels like its own torture. But as we read Scripture, we realize that those who are filled with the Holy Spirit have the fruit of patience. The people of God are those who wait. ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 30–Verse 11“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.”I love the imagery of joy and utter abandon this psalm conjures up in my mind! Being able to run, dance, and sing like a carefree child with no stiff joints or balance issues! Doesn’t that sound lov...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 29– Verse 2“Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”That phrase has always stirred my imagination. I picture the splendor of a royal court… the majesty of a King… the dignity of His throne… and the honor of those who minister before Him. That's why I love Scripture's throne room scenes. They remind me that, when we worship, we join something far greater than what we...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 28–Verse 7 “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him, my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.”What wondrous benefits the Lord bestows on us, his children! Strength, shielding, trust, help, an exultant heart and a thankful song are the gifts of belonging to him—and so much more. It would take many lifetimes to discov...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 27– Verse 4“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire inhis temple.”I always thought David was talking about Heaven when he asked the Lord that “I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” But no, he was asking God to...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 26–Verses 1-2“Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind.”In this psalm, King David claims his integrity and his trust in God. He asks the Lord to examine, confirm, and protect him as a result.This is what we expect if we are living a life pleasing to t...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 25–Verse 5 “Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long” (NIV).The Psalmist refers to God as a teacher and a savior throughout Psalm 25. These are ideas we are often familiar with applying to God. However, the inverse should also be applied to ourselves. If God is a teacher, then we must be students. If God is a sav...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 24– Verse 8“Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.” It is important to remind ourselves who is on our side when we are in the midst of a battle. God invites us to bring every circumstance before Him, and He delights in fighting on our behalf. Let’s not forget that God is already victorious. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection,...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 23– Verse 4“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”Have you ever felt like you were walking through the valley of the shadow of death? That’s a pretty intense description, but I’m sure many of us have found ourselves there at some point. In those valleys, peace and...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 22–Verses 1“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.”In the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, Jesus cried out from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He knew that those present would recognize the words he spoke. Jesus was quoting King David, who wrote these words roughly a thousand years earlier from...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 21–Verse 2“You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips.”‭‭God longs to give us the desires of our heart. The Bible tells us it is God who placed them there. That sure puts things into proper perspective. As we wait and walk with God, our answer to prayer takes second place as we realize it is in the waiting that we are able to dr...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 20–Verse 7“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”During this time, chariots and horses were signs of military strength and financial prosperity. The world would like us to believe that we are successful (as a nation or individually) if we have a strong military or abundant resources. Yet, as we see so often in scripture...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 19–Verse 14“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”Half this psalm describes how the majesty of creation glorifies God (the sun, moon, stars, and the innumerable unique galaxies), and the other half explains how perfect and beautiful His Law (the Bible) is! His word is not beautiful only in ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 18–Verse 29“For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.”Listen to David's confidence. He's not dwelling on the problem or imagining the worst. He's looking to God and expecting victory. Troop? Wall? Child’s play. That's the outlook faith produces. As God's people, we're called to move forward with courage, believing that He is able to do ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 17– Verse 8b“…hide me in the shadow of your wings.”David wrote this Psalm while fleeing from the insanely jealous King Saul. Trusting wholly in God, he cries for protection, giving us the picture of a great eagle with wings spread to cover him. Jesus gave us the image of longing to hold Jerusalem close as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings (Luke:13:34).We can rely...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 16–Verse 8“I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.”King David had his priority right. He put the Lord first in his life. Does that mean he was perfect? No, only Jesus lived a perfect life. But David knew that the Lord was his sourceof strength. By acknowledging that God was at his right hand, David was acknowledging t...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 15–Verse 1“O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?”This song gives us a standard by which we may attempt to live — walking in integrity, speaking the truth, not slandering, keeping promises, not taking a bribe. But even if we were able to do all of these things, we are not worthy to be in God‘s presence. It’s only through the filter of...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 14–Verse 5b...God is with the generation of the righteous.It’s easy to read this snippet of verse 5 and think, “Whew. I’m saved. God is with me.” But we have to be careful not to develop a self-righteous attitude. We truly have to examine ourselves and ask questions. Am I walking with God daily? Am I in any way contributing to the corruption of the world? Do I have any ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 13–Verse 1How long, O Lord? Verses 1-2 contain a litany of questions that basically boil down to one big question: “How long?”Many of my high school friends married right out of school. I headed to college, planning to wait a few years to meet my future wife. But after graduation and starting my first job at 24, nothing had happened.As everyone wed, I waited... 25, 26, ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 12–Verse 6The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.The overall tone of this psalm is somber. “The faithful have disappeared,” David bemoans. Everyone on earth speaks nothing but lies to each other. I’ll tell you what, online gossip forums provide space for exactly that today. It takes strong will to stay ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 11–Verse 3…if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?When the foundations around us seem to crumble, our first instinct is often to run. Yet Psalm 11 gently redirects our gaze upward. The Lord has not stepped away from His throne, and He has not overlooked a single detail of your life. What appears chaotic to us is never outside His sovereign care. He ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 10–Verses 14, 17a  But you do see,…Oh Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear.Have you been distressed by the seemingly endless prosperity and power of people who take advantage of others? In their greed and arrogance, they flaunt their riches and devise their schemes against the innocent and downtrodden. Th...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 9–Verse 10 And those who know Your Name put their trust in You. For you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.There was a little boy who had done something he wasn’t supposed to do. When his mom asked him what they should do about his behavior, the little boy said, “Just throw me away.”There have been days when I have done so many things wrong, I’ve felt like Go...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 8–Verses 3-4When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? It is amazing to think that God would care for us. I am always astounded at just how big and how limitless our God is. And even in that vastness He decides we are worthy...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 7–Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous—you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God!King David is asking God for justice for himself and toward his enemies. In fact, this is what he expects from a righteous God, so he gives thanks and sings praises to his name because of these attributes.Often the unjust go unpunished....  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 6–Verse 2Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.David did not hold anything back in this chapter. He came before the throne of God and laid it all out. He wasn’t scared of God’s response; in fact, he seemed pretty comfortable speaking from his heart and grieving with God. That’s because he knew that our God is a God w...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 5–Verse 7But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” It was through the abundance of his steadfast love that we are able to enter into his ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 4–Verse 1Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!    You have given me relief when I was in distress.    Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!There are days when the noise around us is loud enough to make our hearts forget what has always been true: God is still near. In Psalm 4, David doesn't pretend life is easy. He brings his distress honestly before the Lor...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 3–Verse 5I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.In the midst of running for his life from his son Absalom, who had launched a military coup, intending to take the throne from David, it says David lay down and slept. The Lord watched over him, and let him rest.Most of us won’t ever experience running from our lives from a violent mob, but we do go ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 2– Verses 4-6He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” It’s a dangerous place to be when you are against the Lord. The pride of human hearts makes us feel like we can take God, we believe that we know more than G...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 1–Verses 1-2 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law, he meditates day and night.Here is seen the progression of decline in one’s behavior: first walking, then standing, then sitting with those who disregard the Word and wa...  Read More