October in the Psalms: God Bestows and Does Not Withhold Himself From Us
I’ve always loved Psalm 84:11: “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” When I read this as a younger woman, I wondered about all the “good things” I thought God was withholding from me. I realized this: If […]
October in the Psalms: God Hears
In Psalm 77:1, we read this: I cry aloud to God, and he will hear me. What a comforting sentence! Do we believe it? Consider the power of such a statement. God hears you. He listens to whatever it is you are saying to Him now. It’s nearly unbelievable to have an audience with this […]
October in the Psalms: Go
In Psalm 71:3, we read a line of great hope regarding God. The writer implores to God, “Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go.” I love picturing God as a rock of refuge. I love thinking of God’s refuge as a place I can always go, no matter what time of […]
October in the Psalms: God Daily Bears Our Burdens
We wake up with a whole day to live. If you made a list of all the burdens and stress you currently carry, perhaps you’d feel overwhelmed. But consider Psalm 68:19: “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” In a recent prayer meeting, the leader asked us to tell […]
October in the Psalms: Appointed Love
I love praying Psalm 61:7 over my family. David prays this when writing about the king: “Appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!” I underlined that in my Bible and focused on that word “appoint.” It’s such a great verb. I picture God sending out the order, preparing the official decree, and directing […]
October in the Psalms: A Song to Sing
In Psalm 59:16, David sits surrounded by men who seek to kill him. He’s a hunted and trapped man. Can you imagine the hopelessness and the fear? David tells God all about it, but then he writes, “But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.” […]
October in the Psalms: God Restores
Psalm 51:10-12 echoes the cry of anyone ready to return to God’s love after a time of living their own independent way. I will forever love this beautiful prayer: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your […]
October in the Psalms: Be Still
As a high energy (and sometimes frenzied) person, I love the command in Psalm 46 to “be still.” The singers writing this psalm declare that God says, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” When I read this, I remember […]
October in the Psalms: God Inclines
Psalm 40 feels like balm to the soul on hard days. If you read it (and consider memorizing it), you’ll find some marvelous things about God. The very first verse positions David waiting patiently on God. And then? We hear “[God] inclined to me and heard my cry.” God inclines; it’s a verb inviting us […]
October in the Psalms: God Delights in Our Well-Being
I loved the day I discovered Psalm 35:27a: “Great is the Lord, who delights in the well-being of his servant.” As I studied this verse in different translations, I could hardly believe it: God delights in keeping us at peace, content, and prosperous. It pleases Him. He wants to make us whole and right. Had […]