July 7, 2021
SURROUNDED WITH GOD’S SHIELD OF FAVOR David wrote of God’s loving-favor and blessing as a shield that surrounded him, both protecting him from harm without, and comforting him with acceptance within. It may seem unusual to visualize God’s love and favor as a shield, which is a defensive weapon of war. But David felt surrounded
July 5, 2021
THE LORD SUSTAINS US EVEN WHILE WE SLEEP David wrote this psalm after he had to flee from his son, Absalom, who sought to overthrow him and take the crown. Surely he was overcome by grief from this betrayal. Sleep had no doubt eluded him during this time. Yet, he finally lay down and slept.
July 1, 2021
WHY SING A NEW SONG TO THE LORD? The Scripture often instructs that a “new song” be sung to the Lord. In fact, this is in the Bible a total of nine times: six in the Psalms, once in Isaiah, and twice in Revelation. So, why does the Lord desire a new song from his
June 25, 2021
NO ONE IS RIGHTEOUS BEFORE GOD David understood that he could not stand before the Lord as one accused. For he was a sinner, as are we all. So, he called on the Lord’s “unfailing love” (v.8) instead of His judgment. God’s “unfailing love” or “chesed” as it is in the Hebrew, is His covenantal
June 23, 2021
TAMING THE TONGUE David understood that his tongue was beyond his control. We need help from the Lord to tame the tongue. So, David prayed that God would take control of his words and set a guard over his lips. The Spirit inspired the apostle James to write about the same topic saying, “If
June 21, 2021
ARE YOU GLAD FOR GOD’S ATTENTION? The psalmist David wrote of his wonder at God’s constant awareness and attention towards him. He considered it wonderful that God would be so attentive to him. Yet, not everyone wants God to see everywhere they go and know everything they do. They desire a secret life hidden
June 15, 2021
THE BLESSING AND BEAUTY OF UNITY Psalm 133 was written by David and is one of the fifteen psalms with the inscription, “Songs of Ascent.” These psalms (120-134) were to be sung while ascending up to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to worship. In this way, worshipers brought their praise with them to the Temple.
June 9, 2021
WHO IS BUILDING YOUR HOUSE? This psalm of Solomon is apt for today’s One Year Bible reading as the Old Testament reading is about the building of the Temple. Yet although God had given Solomon such amazing wisdom, he failed to apply it to his own house. Isn’t this often the case? We know more
June 4, 2021
LET US GO TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD! One of David’s fifteen “Psalms of Ascent,” to be sung while climbing the steps up to the Temple Mount. It begins by expressing David’s “gladness” at the invitation to go up to the house of the Lord. Such joy for corporate worship should be on every
May 19, 2021
ARE YOU AWARE OF THE LORD’S PRESENCE IN YOUR LIFE? The psalmist wrote of his constant awareness of the Lord’s presence in His life even as he attended to the everyday things of life here on earth. It is a psalm of praise for the Lord’s attentive ear and caring heart, which the psalmist had