Psalm 150:1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty expanse. Praise the Lord I chuckle ... no, I really laugh ... every time I read Psalm 150 (the last in the Psalter). Thirteen times in 6 short verses it says,"Praise the Lord, Praise God or Praise Him".Praising God must be important. To me, praising the Lord means to prize Him and rave a...

Psalm 145:4 One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts. Memories It's Memorial Day. Day for reflection on those loved ones who passed their faith on to us. For Jo Ann and I we remember our parents .. who brought us up in the Lord. Yes, salvation is all the work of God, but there is a certain expectation in Scripture that spiri...

Psalm 119:105 Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path. Moving Forward Reminds me of camp in the Wisconsin woods. A night walk with a lantern in hand and a narrow path ahead. Just enough light to see a few steps ahead. Important to keep my eyes focused on the pathway just ahead of me to avoid the holes, rocks and roots. Reading God's Word daily is like th...

Psalm 118:24 This is the day which the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. A Never Before Day If you have called our landline anytime over the last 31 years, and we are not home ... you will hear the above phrase. I really like it because, to me, it brings to light a new day .. a day I have never lived before. I am anxious to see what God will do with the ...

Psalm 110:1 The LORD says to my Lord; "Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet." King of Kings David's short, but prophetic, Psalm is one that is most quoted in the New Testament. Jesus attributed the fulfillment of this prophecy to Himself. "Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question. 'What do you think...

Psalm 104:34 Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; as for me, I shall be glad in the LORD. Meditation I chose to stay in the Psalms for the month of May because they are such unique and rich resources for contemplation. I intentionally passed over Psalm 1. It truly is more "wisdom" writing (like Proverbs) than it is "praise" (to be sung). But, I can't get through the m...

Psalm 103:1-2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits. Remembering God's Benefits David is concentrating on God and remembering His benefits. forgiveness (verse 3) restoration of health (verse 3) rescue from danger (verse 4) kindness and mercy (verse 4) provisions (verse 5...

Psalm 95:6-7(a) Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Focus A shift takes place from God our creator to God (Jesus) our redeemer. A much clearer focus on who I am ... a sheep brought into the household of God through His Son's sacrifice. God has rescue...

Psalm 91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. The Shadow of the Almighty This verse brings to mind a book Elisabeth Elliot wrote "The Shadow of the Almighty". The story of 5 missionaries, including her husband, Jim, who were murdered in the jungles of Ecuador 55 years ago by the primitive Auca Indians. Verses 14-15 s...

Psalm 90:10 As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away. Reflections A psalm of Moses. I wonder when he wrote the words in verse 10 if he was thinking about the conversation he had with God at the burning bush. Was he thinking, "Why now, when I'...

Psalm 87:9 All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O LORD, and they shall glorify Your name. Let the Nations Be Glad This is, to me, a great missions verse. Jo Ann and I have made many trips to the mission in Costa Rica led by our son Mark, his wife Meg and our granddaughter Melinda. Time after time Mark will ask during our evening devotion, "W...

Psalm 85:8 I will hear what God the LORD will say; for He will speak peace to His people, to His Godly ones; but let them not turn turn back to folly. Listen Carefully From life experiences the psalmist had decided to listen carefully to what the Lord is saying. In those days the Lord spoke through the prophets who also had responded to His call to listen carefully to t...

Psalm 84:7 They go from strength to strength, every one of them appears before God in Zion. From Strength to Strength Maintaining and gaining strength to stay on track in our service to the Lord requires are all. Consider verse 2, "My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God." Thinking about this stre...

Psalm 81:10 I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide and I will fill it. Open Your Mouth Wide The LORD never tired of reminding His people that, "It was I ... who rescued you." He found it necessary to give them stern warnings as found in verses 8 and 9, "Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, if you would ...

Psalm 67:1 God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us. God Bless Us According to Jewish custom, the people recite the above at the end of each Sabbath day. This Psalm is based on the ancient blessing pronounced by Aaron: "May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you His favor...

Psalm 66:13-14 I shall come into Your house with burnt offerings; I shall pay You my vows, and my mouth spoke when I was in distress. Foxhole Faith During World War 2 I often heard ... there are no atheists in foxholes. Some of the men I knew who promised God to serve Him if He would spare their lives ... did just that. But most didn't. Seems that as soon as the "distre...

Psalm 62:1 My soul waits in silence for God only, from Him is my salvation. Waiting Quietly David was good at waiting before God. And, waiting quietly. That takes a long term and intimate relationship to achieve. He learned well from his past experiences. I am still learning even though, unlike most men, I like to shop. When it comes to Mall type experiences, I'll spen...

Psalm 59:16-17 But as for me I shall sing of Your strength; yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your loving-kindness in the morning. For You have been my stronghold and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my strength, I will sing praises to You; for God is my stronghold, the God who shows me loving-kindness. Songs in the Darkness The introduction to this Psalm (part of Scri...

Psalm 57:7-8 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises! Awake, my glory! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. Awaken the Dawn I think David, the poet-king, was the greatest worship leader of the Old Testament. He wrote half of the of the Psalms ( 75 of 150), sang all his songs, chose all his choirmasters and led ...

Psalm 51:2-3 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. And cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Confession After David's adultery, his planned murder and his efforts to hide the truth and chloroform his conscience, Nathan came and confronted him (2 Samuel 12:1-14). Once David faced his guilt, evil, sin and shame, he called on th...

Psalm 50:14-15 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High; call upon Me in the day of trouble;I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me. What God Wants God wanted His people to thank Him (verse 14). Why? Because saying "thank you" is evidence of a healthy relationship with Him. God also wants His people to trust Him. In the latter part o...

Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the LORD, and He inclined His ear to me and heard my cry. Waiting Patiently I must admit that when I pray I would like quick answers. But after many years some of my prayers continue ... especially those of salvation for loved ones who are still breathing. It is interesting to note that David's natural desire for a quick answer was tem...

Psalm 30:2 O LORD, my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed Me. Here's to Your Health How many people do you know that seem to take good health for granted? What happens when illness strikes? I am like David. I CRY out to God. Not only for myself, but for my children, grandchildren, great grandchildren ... friends and neighbors ... the list goes on. Why? Because ...

Psalm 139:13-14 For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Two Births One was my physical birth ... thanks God for making me and thanks Mom for bringing me into this world. The second was my spiritual birth (being born again) ... thanks God for Your love that sent Jesus to die for ...

Psalm 27:7 Listen to my pleading, O LORD, be merciful and answer me! Conversation with the LORD David was invited to talk with the One who had repeatedly shown He was on David's side. Verse 8 says, "When You said, Seek My face, my heart said to You, Your face, O LORD, I shall seek." What was on his mind? Perhaps he remembered what he said in Verse 1, "The LORD is my li...

Psalm 25:5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day long. All Day Long I get up early. I awake refreshed,renewed and ready to meet the day. But, when my night owl friends are getting started, I'm running out of gas.Nevertheless, we, both morning and evening people, need to make it through the day. The middle of ...

Psalm 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. If the Lord is my shepherd, I must be a sheep. That means I am dumb, dirty, timid, helpless and defenseless ... at minimum. Isaiah 53:6 says, "All of us like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way'. So, I am also a self-indulgent individualist. I really do need a shepherd. Jesus said, "I am the ...

Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer. Praising God God gave me His Word. It speaks to me where creation is silent. His Word is "sweeter than honey" (19:10). It is there I find truth that revives and encourages me, warnings that protect and preserve me, instructions that command ...

Psalm 18:35 You have given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand upholds me; and Your gentleness makes me great. Gentleness and Greatness When I look at David's life and the way God worked in it, gentleness is not the first thing that comes to mind. But perhaps David's greatest moments were not when he was triumphant on the field of battle. Let me look ag...

Psalm 15:1 O LORD, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? True Worship David brings to mind the need to prepare my heart for worship in His sanctuary. Only God knows my heart, and He alone can say if I am truly ready for worship in His sanctuary. In the formalized worship of the Jerusalem sanctuary,the people would ask, "Who may worship in your sa...

Psalm 12:1 Help, O LORD, for the Godly man ceases to be, for the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. Endangered Species There once was a large, clumsy bird called the dodo that had a problem. It couldn't fly. This probably led to it's extinction. Now all that's left is the expression, "As dead as the dodo." Before I became a follower of Jesus, I, too, was as ...