'psalms' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?” vss. 3-4 Psalm 8:3-9 Some might think that, of course, the psalmist would be in awe of the creation, he lived well over 2000 years ago and had a relatively primitive understanding of the universe and how it worked. He’d be bound to have…
Daily Devotions
O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.” vs. 1 Psalm 8:1-2 When gospel and praise singers began making records and albums not too many years ago, many received their inspiration from scripture. As a result, phrases from literally dozens of psalms have made it into their catchy choruses and refrains. That’s why this verse from Psalm 8 sounds so familiar. Sandi Patty, one of the most…
Daily Devotions
As for me, I said in my prosperity, ‘I shall never be moved.’ By your favour, O Lord, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed.” vss. 6-7 Psalm 30:6-12 The psalmist had been confident in his relationship with the Lord, and, in his estimation, he had been blessed. Like many people he believed that there was a link between faith and prosperity, and since he had wealth, he anticipated that the good times…
Daily Devotions
For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” vs. 5 Psalm 30:1-5 Most folks don’t consider that their unfortunate circumstances have come because of God’s anger. They recognize that in a broken world there is bound to be suffering, tears, and pain, and that those moments aren’t necessarily connected to our behaviors or actions. The psalmist did believe that God could be…
Daily Devotions
I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.” vs. 17 Psalm 118:17-19 The psalmist had feared that his end was near. We don’t know what kind of crisis he had been caught up in. The context points to a military victory over a longtime enemy, but it could also have been some dread illness, or just one of the many challenges that are faced in the process of aging. At any rate, the prospect…
Daily Devotions
The Lord is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.” vs. 14 Psalm 118:14-16 It’s fitting that a psalm of praise and triumph be assigned to this week following Easter, our great festival of life and resurrection. The psalmist, writing in celebration, loudly proclaims his trust in the Lord. Because of that strong faith he has come to see the Lord as his strength and his might, the source of his salvation. Typically we become conscious of that confidence…
Daily Devotions
Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength is spent.” vs. 9 Psalm 71:1-14 We should not be surprised to see a psalm written by an old person who is not feeling particularly good about having moved into the “golden” years. After all, old people have been around for a long time and pretty much all of them have the same laments about their declining strength and loss of status.…
Daily Devotions
I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you.” vss. 8-9 Psalm 32:6-11 Portions of the psalms, the hymnbook of the Bible, can also be classified as wisdom literature, and are very much like passages found in the book of Proverbs.…
Daily Devotions
Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.” vss. 3-4 Psalm 63 In recent years the writers of praise songs have discovered the richness of the psalms and have used their lyrics in hundreds of their hymns. These two verses from Psalm 63 make up the entirety of the praise song, Thy Loving Kindness, and…
Daily Devotions
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” vs. 8 Psalm 138 We like to believe that we have a purpose in life, and some of us spend a lifetime trying to figure out exactly what that is. Many wander aimlessly as though in a maze, trying first one thing and then another, hoping to perhaps stumble on their reason for being. The psalmist too…
Daily Devotions
I will tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, ‘You are my son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.’” vss. 7-8 Psalm 2 Many of the psalms in the Hebrew scriptures were “Royal Psalms” and were composed for special occasions like the coronation of a king. This psalmist imagines a dialogue in which the Lord promises that the…
Daily Devotions
Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.” vs. 3 Psalm 84:1-7 This psalm was likely sung by believers as they made their way to Jerusalem for one of the three annual pilgrimage festivals of Judaism. It was an exciting time, and everyone looked forward to making their offerings and worshiping in the temple. This was the…