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...