Tag Archives: Psalms

Psalms 145-147

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David praises God, writing “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” This really is something to thank God about, since it is only through God’s mercy that David remained alive, and only through God’s mercy can we have a relationship with Him.

Not only is God gracious and merciful, He actively helps those that are in need. “The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down…the Lord is near to all who call on him.”

God provides for all, even the animals, yet He “takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.” So let us “sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre”

Psalms 143-144

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Psalm 143 is a prayer of David. Like many Psalms, this is written in a time of turmoil and trouble, when David’s enemy has crushed his life to the ground, his spirit faints within him.

David longs for God’s comfort, “I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land…hide not your face from me.” He retains his trust in God, “for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”

An encouraging prayer, David turns to God for help and guidance, knowing that God is a rock in which he can take refuge. Although many of David’s prayers are like this, the lesson remains for us. There will often be times in our lives when there is trouble or affliction. It is important for us to remember to rely on God, trust in Him, and seek guidance from His word.  It is equally important for us to praise God and thank Him for the times He has helped us, although I suspect a ten-stringed harp is not essential for this.

Psalm 140-142, Luke 10

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The parable of the good Samaritan is both easy to understand but hard to do. By caring for the wounded man, the Samaritan demonstrated the love that the lawyer knew only theoretically. The same can be true for us, knowing that God is love and that we are called to show that love to others, yet not quite managing to demonstrate it practically.

The empathy the Samaritan showed comes more naturally to some of us than others, but it is a characteristic that Jesus highlights when explaining what is necessary to inherit eternal life.

In Psalms 140-142, David describes his reliance on God, “Deliver me”, “Guard me”, “You are my God”, “O Lord, my Lord, the strength of my salvation”, “my eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord; in you I seek refuge”.  David is once more writing about the trials of his daily life, yet in those difficulties he maintains his reliance on God, doesn’t sever that relationship but seeks refuge in it instead.

 

Psalms 125-127, Luke 5

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“Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever… the Lord surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore.” In contrast to the uncertainty of life in the world, our lives built on the rock that is Jesus Christ are immovable.  We have absolute certainty that God will keep His promises, and that Jesus is coming back to the earth.

Just as Jesus said to Levi, “Follow me”, we’ve been called to leave behind the cares and troubles of this world, and put our trust in God. It’s an incredible blessing we have, to be so sure of the future, the meaning of life, and the friendships we have with others who similarly place their trust in God.

Psalms 120-124, Luke 4

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Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8, “man does not live by bread alone”, but strangely leaves off the rest of the verse, “but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” God’s word is as vital to life as the food we eat daily. It gives instruction, encouragement, and hope. Our lives would be so empty without it.

The Psalmist wrote “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”  Thanks to God’s word, we too have that same help. We’ve come to know God, who “will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.”

It’s easy to take God’s word for granted, but it’s an incredible gift of hope and purpose, without which we wouldn’t even know each other. “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

Psalm 119 part 4

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The Psalm continues with more concepts which can be helpful in our lives as followers of Christ. Contrasts between mankind and God’s ways. The Psalmist is trying to adhere to God’s commandments, “Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them” but is not always successful, “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments.”

Our lives are much the same. Like the Psalmist, we too “rejoice at [God’s] word like one who finds great spoil.”  We find hope and comfort in what God has done for us and what we have been offered, just as the Psalmist did when he wrote “I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words.”

This is what I find most helpful about the Psalms, the heartfelt outpourings of people who have struggled to live a Godly life, yet find hope and comfort in God.

Psalm 119 continued

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The Psalmist writes “This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life”, which I find to be a useful concept.  We all go through affliction in our lives, but fortunately there is more to life than just sorrow and crying. The affliction is helping us develop characters that are more like God’s character, as the writer acknowledges – “it is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes”, and again “in faithfulness you have afflicted me.”

More than that, God has given us a promise of a better future, of eternal life.  Focusing on that promise can help us endure the affliction of daily life, just as it provided comfort to the Psalmist.  “Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant. Let your mercy come to me, that I may live.”

 

Psalm 119

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The Psalmist writes “Blessed are those who keep [God’s] testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart.”  This is our goal in life, to seek God with our whole heart. It’s a goal that comes with an incredible reward.  “My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!”  Through God’s word, we can exceed the dust-clinging limitations of our nature, and find life that doesn’t fade away.

The Psalmist is seeking for God’s help and guidance in life, so that he might better serve God. “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”  We are encouraged to do the same, to seek to “understand the way of [God’s] precepts.”  So let us choose the way of faithfulness, strengthened by God’s word.

 

2 Corinthians 10-11, Psalms 117-118

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Paul writes “though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” This is a powerful reminder that we’re not alone in our battle against the flesh. The weapons we use are powerful and divine. God is on our side in this battle, and He wants us to win.

Similar thoughts in Psalms. “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”; and   “The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” God is on our side. We are never alone in our battle and struggle with daily life. “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”

1 Corinthians 15, Psalms 106

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Paul gives us hope and encouragement of the future that lies before us, in stark contrast to the apathy and darkness of this world.  “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”.

Paul encourages us to “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”  The hope that we have is not a vain hope, but a reality that is only separated from us by time.  “We shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet…the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”

So let’s “give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever”.