Posts with the tag “psalms”

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

Daily Devotional from Psalm 132—Verse 8Arise, O Lord, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.In this song, the psalmist is referring to the physical dwelling place of God on earth – the temple built by David’s son Solomon, where God said His Presence, and the Ark of the Covenant, would dwell. The Israelites felt secure knowing that their God dwelt among them because they had s...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 131—Verse 2But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.What’s so calm about a weaned child with its mother? It can feed itself! The child knows that mother is no longer the only source of food. A weaned child has learned to ask for food when they are hungry.We are heading into the holiday season wh...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 130—Verse 5 (NIV)I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.What are you waiting for? A better job? A spouse? A house? A debt to be paid off? Healing? World peace? Our whole existence on earth is as a waiting room. But ultimately, we are not waiting for any of these things or anything else. We are waiting until the day when we are reunited ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 129—Verses 1-2Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth – let Israel now say – greatly have they afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me.Suppose for a moment that the psalmist here wasn’t talking about human persecutors, but something internal. What if it was an addiction, or a negative ‘voice’, or a besetting sin that had afflicted him fro...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 128—Verse 1Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!To “fear the Lord” doesn’t necessarily mean to be afraid of him. It’s more like to reverence and respect him and be in awe of his power, his grace, his greatness – his work on a macro and micro level.To walk in his ways, we have to study his ways, understand how they apply in our culture today, and...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 127—Verse 2It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.Sleep. A blessing which sometimes seems a curse. When I am reading a really good book, I bemoan the fact that I can’t stay awake until I’m done! Yet, at the end of a long and weary day, laying my head down on that pillow is the best fe...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 126— Verse 6He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. One of the things I love about our Lord is that he is close to the broken-hearted (Psalm 34:18). He weeps with those who weep. He feels compassion for us. Of every other world religion, and every other ‘god’ that has ever been worshipped, ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 125— Verse 1Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.People today put their trust in many things. Financial portfolios, sports teams, celebrities, friends, family, careers, hard work, good works….this list goes on. But every one of those things has great potential to let you down. Money can’t buy you love or happiness. S...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 124—Verse 2…if it had not been the Lord who was on our side when people rose up against us…This psalm takes a different perspective when thanking God for His many blessings. I often focus on thanking Him for what He’s done, what He’s provided, and who He is. But this psalm encourages the church to thank Him for everything that did NOT happen! Have you ever stopped to th...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 123— Verse 2Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us.I love the imagery here. A good servant is focused on their master in order to anticipate their needs. A more modern analogy might be an athlete who stays focused on their ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 122—Verse 1I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”I LOVE hangin’ with my church people! The last church we were members of had two morning gatherings back-to-back, and we went to both! I attended one gathering and served during the other. Why?Because I find what I need when I gather with my brothers and sisters in Jesus.When I need healing...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 120—Verse 7I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!Do you know someone who always has to argue every point? They thrive off playing the devil’s advocate, and you feel like you can’t make any statement to them without them counteracting it somehow? I often find it exhausting to have a conversation with people like that. Because I am for peace, as the psalmist ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 119—Verse 18Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things out of your law.Do you know why Psalm 119 is so long? Because it’s an acrostic. Each stanza starts with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The ESV bible, at least, has each stanza labeled by the appropriate letter, starting with “Aleph” and ending with “Taw”. And much of the theme throughout this beaut...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 118—Verse 24This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.Have you read that kids’ book ‘Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day’? Haven’t you been tempted to classify days in that way before? I have. Some days seem Just. Plain. Bad.But if we agree with the psalmist here, then every day is a day made by the Lord, thus it is...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 117—Verses 1-2Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!This psalm is awesome! It’s the shortest of them all, at only two verses, it’s the shortest chapter in the bible, and if you open your bible and turn to the exact center, you’re at Psalm 117. Tha...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 116—Verse 1I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.Ask people what they think some of the most important qualities in a friend would be, and you will regularly get “good listener” in that list. We need sounding boards, to help us process our emotions or work out our faith, or make decisions. Sometimes we need a listening ear as we dig deep ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 115—Verse 8Those who make [false idols] become like them; so do all who trust in them.The verses leading up to verse 8 describe the false idols, how they couldn’t speak, see, hear, smell, feel, or walk. They’re basically dead. And those who make and trust in them become dead too.What are today’s false idols? Success. Power. Money. Relationships. Anything that holds a hi...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 114—Verses 1-2When Israel went out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language, Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion.Psalm 114 is often recited in the church at Easter, because it talks about Israel's deliverance from slavery, which can be seen as a metaphor for our deliverance from sin.The Old Testament tells how God sent Moses to lead h...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 113—Verse 4The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!We’ve probably all heard many of the heart-breaking stories coming out of the Russian-Ukraine war. We’ve seen prices of food, fuel, and imports climb higher and higher each day. We can only imagine how the war will continue to affect third-world nations who already don’t have enough.But don’t...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 112—Verse 1Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments!Now read verses 2-9: don’t you want that to be you? I do! What a list of ways we can be blessed! Up, down, left, right, inside and out! How can we live the blessed life described in these verses? By fulfilling Verse 1.But notice the verb – “delights” – not “obeys”...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 111—Verse 10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!Wait, isn’t God supposed to be a “good, good Father”? Isn’t He “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness…”? Why then should we fear Him?One of the definitions of the Hebrew word for “fe...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 110—Verse 4The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”Melchizedek was the king of Salem, and a priest of God in the time of Abraham. After Abraham won a battle, Melchizedek provided bread and wine for Abraham and his soldiers, and blessed Abraham on behalf of God. The name ‘Melchizedek’ means ‘King of Right...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 109—Verse 31aFor He stands at the right hand of the needy one…If you’re anything like me, you probably don’t like feeling like you are needy. We prefer to feel independent, self-sufficient, in control. But if all our needs are met, then we don’t need God. And if we don’t need Him, why would he hang out near us?The Bible says that the Lord stands at the right hand of tho...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 108—Verse 3I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.Many years ago, as I was getting to know my co-workers at a new job, I learned that one of them had only had one child, and that child had died very young due to meningitis. Moved with compassion and the love of a parent, I asked him, “How did you survive that l...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 107—Verses 6, 13, 19, 28Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.The poetry in this psalm is beautiful. It describes four groups of people: some lost in a wasteland, some sitting in the depths of the darkness of their rebellious hearts, some living a life of foolishness and sin, and some running the rat race of materialism ...  Read More