Psalm 39

Know the Measure of Human Days

 

Why is this dog wearing a muzzle?  So he won’t bite!  King David used this device as an illustration for containing his own tongue – he recognized how harmful and damaging an unguarded tongue can be!  Have you ever heard the saying:

Three things you can never get back:  spent time, the speeding bullet, and the spoken word.

How hurtful and damaging our words can be . . . like knives, our words cut deep; unfortunately, the wounds caused by words can’t be stitched up!  May we remember this and say with King David, "I will restrain  my mouth with a muzzle!"

David spends much time in Psalm 39 focusing on the brevity of life.  In verse 5, he likens life to a vapor.

Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths,
And my age is nothing before You;
Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.
~ Psalm 39:5

Have you noticed how quickly vapor vanishes?  A puff of steam dissipates in 1 or 2 seconds – it is here briefly, then gone!  Clouds are vapor – as a child, I was fascinated by clouds.  They seem so real . . . that you could really touch them and climb on them if you could ever reach them.  I’ll never forget the first time I flew through a cloud in an airplane . . . it was such a disappointment to realize that clouds are really ‘nothing’ – just particles of water vapor. 

For what is your life?  It is even a vapor that appears for a little time, then vanishes away. ~ James 4:14

 In this Psalm, King David recognizes his mortality.  May we all keep this thought in our minds . . . when compared with eternity, we are only on this earth in this life for a brief time!  David also recognized that, in death, his hope was in the Lord –

And now Lord, what do I wait for?

My hope is in You.  ~ Ps. 39"7

His question is answered by the hope & expectation of the child of God, which is not disappointed. 

 I heard a quote once:  To be truly free is to no longer fear death.

 It seems like Paul was at that perfect peace in this matter – consider his words in Philippians 1:24 

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain . . . for I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.  Nevertheless, to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.

• WHAT CAN I LEARN ABOUT GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• God knows all my days
• My hope is in God alone
• This life is a vapor
• God hears my prayers

HOW CAN I PRAISE GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• I praise the Lord that my anxiety is eased because I know my days and times are in His hand!  What comfort & assurance!
• I praise the Lord that my hope is in Him

 PRAYER:

     Father, how grateful I am that I am Your child!  How you ease my anxious heart.  Forgive me, O Lord, when I trust You so little.  I am weak, yet You are strong.  Bear me up in my frailty.

    Father, if it would please You, grant me length of years to love my family on this earth – to be a wife to my husband and a mother to my sons.  Thank You for these priceless blessings You’ve poured out in my life, and for every member of my family.  May I fill those roles in such a way that brings glory & honor to You.

     When it is my time to die, O Lord, may I not be afraid, but sweetly enter into Your Presence with joy and singing.  The unknown can be so frightening, Lord – give me courage & strength!

     In Jesus’ name I pray ~ Amen

My 50th birthday is tomorrow.  I say with David,
"My age is as nothing before You."  ~ Ps. 39:5

Psalm 38

The Heavy Burden of Sin

For I am ready to fall,
and my sorrow is continually before me.  ~ Ps. 38:17

Do you ever find it hard to apologize for something? The Penitential Psalms remind us of the importance of asking God for His mercy when we’ve sinned, with a true sense of contrition.  In Psalm 38, David acknowledges the sin that has brought physical & mental sickness and social ostracism. There is no one to turn to for help; only God can forgive & restore the psalmist. 

David shows us how to openly and honestly own & confess our sin before God.  Psalm 38 is a heartfelt reminder for us not to despair at those moments of falling into sin, and that the Lord is mighty to save. 

Remember what we read in Psalm 34:18:

  There are no excuses.  There is no trivializing his transgression.  There is no cover-up.  Or placing the blame somewhere else.  A wonderful example of true confession!

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

WHAT CAN I LEARN ABOUT GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• My sin requires confession before God
• God searches my heart and His Holy Spirit convicts me of sin!
• God is my only hope – He hears and will not forsake me.
• God is my salvation

HOW CAN I PRAISE GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• I praise the Lord that my forgiveness is found in Him, that I will not be utterly destroyed but that He will hear and help me, and that He is my salvation.

PRAYER:

      Most gracious & loving Father, I praise You that you help me in my times of desperation.  Father, I need to daily confess my sins, and I long to find your salvation.  May I be like David, and confess my sin with my whole heart - not blaming or excusing.  Thank You for the forgiveness that is in Jesus Christ.

     Forgive me, O Lord, for my pride, greed, covetousness, for lying, for exalting myself, for loving the praise of men more than I should, for spiritual neglect – Father, you know my heart.  You know the endless list of transgressions.  Wash me, O Lord, whiter than snow.  Do this for the sake of Your son Jesus Christ, who paid the price for my sins.

          In His precious name I pray ~ Amen

Psalm 37

Rest in the Lord

 

 

 

This collection of wise sayings in Psalm 37 is often compared to the book of Proverbs.  Its basic theme is to commend trust in God for everyday living in the face of wickedness & temptation because, despite temporary prosperity, the wicked must ultimately fail.

 

2 of my favorite verses are in Psalm 37:

Do not fret – it only causes harm. ~Ps. 37:8

Are you a worrier?  So why not fret?  Because GOD IS IN CONTROL!  Fretting takes our focus off of God and onto our circumstances . . . the events of which He is perfectly aware and able to manage!  There – feel better?  Another reason to not fret are the consequences we reap from this senseless activity - how often we try to take matters into our own hands, with dismal results!  May we commit this verse to memory and glean from the peace it brings!

  Verses 3-6 provide a four-part prescription for anxiety and envy:

Trust in the Lord and do good

Dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness

Delight yourself in the Lord

Commit your way to the Lord

 Another one of my favorite verses is

We know that this verse is not a prescription to get God to give us whatever we want!  God is not a “great Genie in the sky” who will grant our wishes if we rub His lamp.  This verse is not part of a “name-it-and-claim-it” theology.  If you delight yourself in the Lord, He will become the desire of your heart, He is the one you long for, He is the reward you seek. What can be greater than the very presence of God?  As we saw back in Psalm 16:

 As we learn to delight ourselves in the Lord,  He will change our desires and give us His desires.  As we commit our way toward the Lord, He will bring us into His righteousness. The Lord can change what we love and hate so that we now love and hate what He loves and hates. 

In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. ~ Psalm 16:11



God is not a magic genie in a lamp!



WHAT CAN I LEARN ABOUT GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• God grants the desires of my heart ( but not always my heart’s desire)
• God brings my way, committed to Him ,to pass
• God laughs at the wicked
• God upholds the righteous
• God knows the days of the upright
• God orders my steps
• God is every merciful
• God loves justice
• God does not forsake His saints
• God is my strength in times of trouble

 

HOW CAN I PRAISE GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• I praise God that I DO NOT HAVE TO FRET!
• I praise God for HIS TIMING, and that all the rewards of waiting on Him are great
• I praise God that He upholds the righteous
• I praise God that my inheritance with Him is forever
• I praise God that He knows my days
• I praise God that He is ever merciful, and is my helper!

 

PRAYER:

     Father, may I always trust in You, and  never misplace my trust to another person or a savings account or any other thing.  I praise You for the wondrous attributes You possess . . .may my mind be able to expand and envelope You as much as possible.

     I ask You, O Lord to bless me with that future of peace . . . that You would impart this to me and my family.  Would you free me from the sin of worry, and grant me the discipline of not fretting over my situation or circumstances.  In every trouble, may I rely on Your strength.  May I not seek comfort from an empty source.

   Order my steps, O Lord!  And delight in my way.  May I only follow the path You have for me.  May those in my family also follow in Your way for each of them.

     May I depart from evil and do good al the days of my life, and dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

    Help & deliver me, O Lord, according to Your mercy and lovingkindness.

     In Jesus’ name I pray ~ Amen

Psalm 36

PSALM 36

"The Excellent Lovingkindness of God"

  

Photo taken by Gloria Statham at Shiloh Military Park, site of the bloody 1862 battle
More that 110,000 soldiers fought at Shiloh and 23,746 of them became casualties

Your mercy O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.           ~ Ps. 36:5

Isn't that photo above amazing?  Do you see the "angel" figure in the cloud formation?  This photo was taken by a friend of mine from church at the Shiloh Military Park in the "Cloud Field" area.  It reminds me of the verse above that we read in today's Psalm 36 - the Lord's faithfulness reaches to the clouds!



Your righteousness is like the great mountains. ~ Ps. 36:6



• WHAT CAN I LEARN ABOUT GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• God is merciful, faithful & righteous
• God is our Preserver
• God is full of lovingkindness
• God is worthy of our trust
• God’s fullness is our satisfaction
• God is the fountain of life

O Lord, Your preserve man and beast.  ~ Ps. 36:6

• HOW CAN I PRAISE GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:
• I praise the Lord that He is merciful to me, and faithful to me even when I am so unfaithful to Him. 
• I praise the Lord for abundant satisfaction in Him
• I praise the Lord that He is the fountain of life – He is life’s source
• I praise the Lord that He is the one who preserves me!

 PRAYER:

     Father, how I pray that You will continue Your lovingkindness to me.  Let not the foot of pride come against me – may I never boast of anything apart from You.

     Lord, I want to know You in all Your fullness.  I want to know You in the beauty of Your holiness.

   Thank You for Your mercy.  For Your faithfulness that reaches to the clouds and Your righteousness that is like the great mountains.  O Lord, You are our abundant satisfaction. May my heart turn from the things of this world and seek You and those things that are other-worldly.  Thank You, Father, for the security that You are our Preserver.  There is none like You.

     My mind is so small – stretch my thoughts around You.  I ask in Jesus’ name  ~ Amen

    

Psalm 35

PSALM 35

"Petition for God's Intervention"

"Plead my cause, O Lord . . . " ~ Ps. 35:1

An "Advocate" is someone who speaks on behalf of another person, or stands alongside them, especially in a legal context.  In verse 1 of this Psalm, the words "plead my cause" is the language of the legal system.  David sees the Lord as his Advocate, the One who will fight his foes.

The word advocate is translated from the Greek word parakletos, which means an intercessor or consoler. As our intercessor, we see Jesus in a role similar to that of an attorney, standing alongside his client before the bar of justice.   One of the greatest blessings we have as Christians is that we have Jesus as our Advocate with the Father.  Jesus’ advocacy for us continues as he proceeds to apply on our behalf the sufficiency of His own merit to cover our sins.  His righteousness for my unrighteousness - how glorious is that!  Jesus has become my go-between, my Champion, before the holy & awesome God.

There are many Psalms in which David is seeking God's help for deliverance from his foes.  As King of Israel, David had many foes, and thus, many times to turn to God for deliverance.  May we all learn from David's example of dependence solely upon the Lord.  Even though he was a mighty king, with armies and valiant men to protect him & fight for him, David believed that the Lord was his only hope for deliverance.  He was not haughty in his powerful position.  Like David, we should seek salvation and deliverance from the Lord and the Lord alone. May we not seek it from the world or from ourselves, but from the One who is able to save us from any situation.

WHAT CAN I LEARN ABOUT GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

A buckler is a small shield
"Take hold of shield & buckler
and stand up for my help." ~ Ps. 35:2

• God pleads my cause!
• God is my shield & buckler
• God fights for me!
• God is my salvation
• There is none like the Lord
• God always sees
• God is my vindicator
• God brings evil to confusion
• God is to be magnified

 HOW CAN I PRAISE GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• I praise the Lord because HE SEES!  He is in control, even when I seemed to be surrounded by evil.
• I praise God that I can leave my enemies to Him - He will vindicate me and strive for me
• I praise the Lord that He is my salvation

PRAYER:
     O righteous Father - I magnify You, O God!  May Your ear hear my praise and my prayer - may it be a sweet sound in Your ear.
     Father, my sins are many.  They overtake me at times.  Bear long with me, O God, and forgive my sins.  Thank You with a full heart that you have granted forgiveness through Your Son, Jesus Christ.  What an unspeakable gift!  How I consider it such a privilege to be Your child.
     Lord, please be my protector!  Be my guard, and don't allow my enemies to touch me.  Please plead my cause with those who strive against me.  May You always vindicate me. 
     May my tongue speak of Your righteousness and of Your praise all of my days - in Jesus' name I pray ~ Amen
    

Psalm 34

PSALM 34

Yesterday in Psalm 33, verse 18 said that the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him.  In today's Psalm, the fear of the Lord is mentioned again in verse 9:

Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!

There is no want to those who fear Him.  ~ Ps. 34:9

So what does that mean?  It sounds good, doesn't it?  And it's a command of the Lord . . . I don't see a question mark in that sentence.  So then - how do we do it - how do we "fear" the Lord?

 Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.  ~ Ps. 34:11

There are actually 2 types of God-fearing mentioned in Scriptures.  One is the Hebrew word pachad, which indicates a terrified dread.  This is descriptive of the abject terror of an unrepentant sinner before the justice of God.  This is not the fear to which David is referring in the verses above.

The fear that David mentions in the Psalms is the Hebrew word yirah, which denotes piety and reverence rather than terror.  This fear is something virtuous, and involves these elements:

• Reverence & awe.  We saw this in yesterday's Psalm 33:

Let all the earth fear the Lord, and let all the inhabitants of the world be in awe of him. ~ Ps. 33:8

• Hatred of evil.

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil . ~ Prov. 8:13

• Obedience to God

That he may learn to fear the Lord his God by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes.  ~ Deut. 17:19

Rosemarie Scott makes this note:

Love for God and holy fear are complementary.  If we love God we must reverence and worship His awesome Divinity.  The more we love Him, the more we will hate that which is contrary to God. 

 WHAT CAN I LEARN ABOUT GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

A magnifying glass gives us a bigger view of things.
To magnify the Lord is to declare how GREAT He is!
Do I magnify Him in my deeds & thoughts?

Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together. ~ Ps. 34:3

• God is to be magnified & exalted
• The Lord hears me & delivers me from all my fears
• God's protection is all around me
• There is no want in those who fear Him
• Those who seek the Lord shall not want for any good thing
• The Lord is good!

HOW CAN I PRAISE GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• I will bless the Lord at all times - may there never be a time that I don't have that heart attitude
• I praise the Lord that He hears me and delivers me from all my fears
• I praise the Lord that there is no want or lack to those who fear Him
• How I bless God that His ears are open to the righteous



The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him.,
and delivers them.
Psalm 34:7

• I praise the Lord that He is near to the brokenhearted - to those who are contrite and broken over their sin

PRAYER:
     Father, there is so much promise & assurance in this psalm of David!  I praise You that You have revealed Yourself to us in Your word - may You be pleased to continue to further reveal Yourself to me in all of Your glory & beauty.  May You find favor with me, O God.
     Lord, how I praise You for the safety that is found in You - that Your angel encamps all around those who fear You!  Keep Your angels around me & my family always, and hold us in the palm of Your hand.
     Father, what a sweet promise that those who seek You shall not lack any good thing.  O Lord, Your provision is so sufficient & gracious, and Your bounty is perfect.  Thank You for the wonderful majesty of Yourself.
     Lord, like David, I do desire life & love, many days that I may see good.   I bless You that my times are in Your hand, and I can never be snatched out of it.  Your unchanging nature is too wonderful for words, and eases my anxiety.  I love You, Lord!  I magnify You & exalt Your name ~ Amen

Psalm 33

PSALM 33

"God Considers All Human Works"

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.  ~Ps. 33:6

When you gaze up in the night sky, are you stirred in your soul with awe & amazement?  Do you recognize your "small-ness" and God's "big-ness?"  Can you truly see the hand of God in His creation?  It's glorious, isn't it!!!  King David sees God's handiwork and recognizes that God spoke the universe into existence as the expression of His divine will.

He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;
He lays up the deep in storehouses.  ~Ps. 33:7

WHAT CAN I LEARN ABOUT GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• The Lord is worthy of all praise!
• The word of the Lord is right
• God loves righteousness & truth
• The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord
• God's word is mighty
• The counsel of the nations is as nothing to the Lord
• The Lord sees
• The Lord is our help & shield
• The Lord is our hope
• The Lord has fashioned our hearts individually.  In Hebrew, this translates as "The One who forms their heart together."  The sense is that because God created human personality, He understands exactly why we do what we do and is able to judge rightly.

HOW CAN I PRAISE GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• Praise from the upright is beautiful!  I praise the Lord that His word is right and all His work is done in truth.  What wondrous security!

Hummingbirds are some of my favorites of the Lord's handiwork!
This photo was taken on my patio.

• The Lord's handiwork in creation is wondrous! 
• The Lord is worthy of the awe of all the earth!
• There is no power equal to the Lord - in any nation of the earth.  GOD IS IN CONTROL!
• I praise God that He fashions our hearts individually

 PRAYER:
     Father, my soul waits on You (but sometimes quite restlessly, I confess!) I rejoice in You and praise You that You are  my help and my shield.  Your holy name is worthy to be trusted, and I pray for Your mercy upon me and my family.
     Father, it is such assurance to know You deliver my soul from death and that You keep me alive in "famine."  I am grateful that even the most powerful & terrifying people & leaders in the world are nothing compared to Your power.  They don't control the universe - YOU DO!  Father, what great assurance to know there is no shadow of turning with You.
     Lord, I love knowing that You fashioned my heart individually, of all the millions of Your creation.  I bless You that I am Your child.  May I live a life pleasing to You, and see Your face one day!
     "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" - O God, may it please You to be the God of the United States.  Please never take Your presence from us.  Guard our country with Your legions of angels.
    My heart rejoices in You, O Lord - in Jesus' name I pray ~ Amen