Tag Archives: Psalms

Psalm 92

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Psalm 92 is “a song for the sabbath”. It is designed for reflection and meditation on all the things that God has done and given to us. “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name… at the works of your hands I sing for joy … how great are your works, O Lord! … you, O Lord, are on high forever.”

The Psalm concludes by describing characteristics of the righteous. They are like a palm or a cedar tree, living in the house of the Lord, flourishing, healthy. They “declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock”.

This psalm really emphasises God’s exalted position, how powerful He is, and the need for us to plant our lives close to His influence, to be nourished and built close to Him.

Psalm 90-91

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Psalm 90 was written by Moses, begins the 4th book of Psalms. He reminds us about the eternal existence of God, “before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God… a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past”. By contrast our lives are short, “you return man to dust… the years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone”.

The reason for this contrast becomes apparent. “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom… make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us”. We only have a short life in contrast to God’s eternity, but it is up to us to make the most of it, learn from God’s wisdom and develop our relationship with Him. “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.”

Psalm 91 continues the theme. “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust”.

Psalm 88, Exodus 30

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Psalm 88 is a prayer to God for help, a desperate plea, “For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol.” It’s interesting that we read this prayer on the same day we read Exodus 30, a description of the altar of incense. Incense, representing prayer, was to be burned morning and evening, “a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations”.

The author of Psalm 88 prays regularly too, “Every day I call upon you, O LORD; I spread out my hands to you”. In this particular prayer the Psalmist feels abandoned by God, “O LORD, why do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me?” Yet he doesn’t give up hope, he still cries to God in prayer for help, confident that even in this desperate hour God will hear the prayer.

Psalms like this are one reason I love this book, the raw emotion of this pleading prayer reminds us that it’s ok to struggle in life, that there are times when even the strongest will feel helpless. We are reminded not to give up, to turn to God for help, confident that He is in control.

Psalms 83-84

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Psalm 83 and 84 present an interesting contrast; Psalm 83 is a prayer for the destruction of Israel’s enemies, while Psalm 84 is a song of joy about being in God’s house. Like Psalm 1, this focuses on the future outcome of choices we make today. Are we acting as God’s enemies, like the Midianites, or are we dwelling in God’s house?

“My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God”. The Psalmist paints an incredible picture of the future we can be part of. “For the Lord God is a sun and shield … no good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly … O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!”

Psalm 81

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In Psalm 81 we find another Psalm of Asaph drawing on lessons from Israel’s history. Speaking from God’s perspective, he writes “In distress you called, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah”.

The Israelites called to God in their distress, God heard and delivered them, answering their prayers. But the process didn’t end there; the Israelites were then tested.  Deliverance wasn’t sufficient to develop Israel’s faith and character, they needed to be tested too.

Sadly Israel failed the test, “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me”, but there is still a valuable lesson for us. God follows the same sequence in our lives.  He listens when we cry to Him for help, and helps us in our time of distress.  But He is also interested in developing and strengthening our characters, so we too are tested.

Psalm 77

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Psalm 77 commences with an expression of doubt and uncertainty, “I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted…I am so troubled that I cannot speak“. We all feel this way at some point in our lives.

The Psalmist reflects on the way to resolve these doubts, “I will remember the deeds of the Lord… I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples“. The God we worship “works wonders“; the waters are afraid of God, the earth trembles and shakes. Our God has total control of His creation, He will not forget to be gracious to those who call on His name.

Exodus 22, Psalms 75-76, Mark 8

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In Exodus 22, we read of the consequences of actions; details of restitution under the law. Israel were God’s special people, “you shall be consecrated to me”, and God would hear the cries of the poor, “if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate”.

Psalms 75-76 recount God’s judgement, “I will judge with equity. When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars… it is God who executes judgment”. Asaph alludes to the victory over Egypt, when horse and rider perish in the water. “But you, you are to be feared!
Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused? From the heavens you uttered judgment; the earth feared and was still”.

God judges justly, but He is also compassionate. He hears the cries of the needy, and takes care of them. He is interested in our lives, and will take action to help us. We see this compassion mirrored in Jesus’ actions in Mark 8. After speaking to the multitude for 3 days, they had nothing left to eat. So Jesus performs a miracle, feeding them before sending them on their way.

Psalm 74

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Psalm 74 is a song calling God to action, to judge the enemies of Israel, “Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs, and a foolish people reviles your name … They set your sanctuary on fire …  they burned all the meeting places of God in the land” Possibly this refers to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.

Asaph expounds God’s control over the world, almost as though he doesn’t understand why such a mighty God hasn’t taken action to defend Israel. “You divided the sea by your might… yours is the day, yours also the night; you have established the heavenly lights and the sun. You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter.”

Although not impacted by the events this psalm alludes to, it does serve as a reminder that God works on His own timescale. Events can seem unjust or unnecessary, yet they form part of God’s plan. We can be comforted by the knowledge that God is in control, that He is a powerful God working towards a future where we can rejoice with Him for eternity.

Psalm 73, Mark 6

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In Psalm 73, Asaph writes of his struggle to understand the prosperity of the wicked, “when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.”

Often life can seem unfair, unnecessarily difficult. To assuage these doubts it is important to spend time in God’s sanctuary, where we can be reminded that “there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

In Mark 6, Jesus reinforces this idea, “after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray”. After a busy day healing and teaching the multitude, he spends time with God to be encouraged and grow his relationship with God, a great example for us.

Exodus 16, Psalms 70-71

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In Exodus 16 we’re introduced to the manna that fed Israel throughout their time in the wilderness.  An amazing miracle every day, especially on the 6th day when the manna lasted for two days.  Yet the Israelites get sick of it later on, grumbling for meat instead.

It’s easy to have that same attitude as the Israelites in our lives today.  We can dismiss their mistakes as those of a faithless generation, but when we look in that mirror at our true face, we have many of the same problems. Contentment in this age of consumerism is difficult to achieve. It’s natural to covet what we don’t have – there’s a reason covetousness was identified in the Law of Moses as being a problem.

The Psalms are helpful in putting things into perspective.  David writes “In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame! In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me, and save me! Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.” There is no need to covet this relationship or refuge, it is offered freely, as much as we want.

Whatever our struggles, God is a strong foundation in which we can trust, turn to in times of difficulty, content in the knowledge that He will always listen.