October 7 - Psalm 18

October 7 - Psalm 18:1-50

Do you know that this Psalm is found elsewhere in the Bible? Turn to 2 Samuel 22:1-51.

David has been through battles and fought Saul, and then ran into the Philistines again. Saul died and was buried (2 Samuel 21:14), David's best friend Jonathan had also been killed, and when all this was over, the Philistines showed up over and over until David's men finally dealt with them. When it was all over, David could think of no greater way to thank God for deliverance than to sing these words in praise.

There are many metaphors found throughout this Psalm and I wonder which of them might fit a situation you have recently faced when God stood beside you. Some of them are gorgeous, such as "He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind." (Psalm 18:9-10)

Others show the fury of the Lord, "The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry. Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it." (Psalm 18:7-8)

There are words that show David's complete reliance on the Lord, "He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me." (Psalm 18:16-17)

How do you praise the Lord?

"The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!" (Psalm 18:46)

The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!

The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!

October 6 - Psalm 15

October 6 - Psalm 15:1-5

If you spend any time reading Revelation 4-5, you will glimpse images of the throneroom. Isaiah 6:1-4 shows another peek in God's sanctuary.

David asks who it is that can draw near to God's presence and worship where the Lord resides?

The next verses seem to be nearly impossible standards by which we must live. We must be righteous and speak the truth with no slander. We must not do our neighbor any wrong or speak badly about anyone. We must despise sin, yet honor those who fear the Lord. We are told to keep our oath, even when it hurts, lend money freely (with no interest), and care for the innocent. (Psalm 15:2-5a)

This Psalm points out clearly the difference between the Old and New Testament foundational structure. When Jesus came to act as the atonement for our sins, all of a sudden these standards become tolerable. When David was writing these verses, the only way to escape from the punishment of sin was to go to extreme measures with offerings and acts of penitence. There was never going to be a way that man could eliminate all of the sin in his life, no offering would be good enough, he would always be found lacking.

Until Jesus died on the cross. That was the perfect offering, the act which made it possible for us to stand in the throneroom before the Creator who sat on the throne. No longer will God see us simply as sinners and reject us from His presence. With the covering of Jesus' act of atonement, we are welcomed as children of God.

October 5 - Psalm 14

October 5 - Psalm 14:1-7

Yesterday I wrote about the pain of suffering that happens in the dark of night when all of the stresses of the world seem to press in on us. Yet, at the end of that, we know that the Lord never fails.

In this next Psalm, David begins by stating, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" I guess what he is telling me is that if I deny the presence of God because I can no longer feel that he is taking care of me, I am a complete fool. I'd have to agree.

The fool spoken of in Psalm 14:1 is someone who is morally corrupt. Now, while I may be a fool for ever doubting in God's power, those who are morally corrupt have never made an attempt to know who God is. They would be our modern day agnostics and atheists. They don't seek God, they make no attempt to understand him.

When the Lord looks down on earth, He can't find a single person that does good. The only hope is for mankind to individually turn to the Lord and call on Him.

In the future, David prays that salvation will come from Mount Zion (where God resides) for Israel. This is not something that David sees happening in the immediate future, but far off when the Lord God of all Creation restores Israel to its glory, brings all fo the nations in the earth under His rule and renews heaven and earth.

October 4 - Psalm 13

October 4 - Psalm 13:1-6

I imagine that everyone has faced something similar to the feelings that David is crying out in this Psalm.

O Lord, how long will I be alone while I deal with everything that I'm facing?

Psalm 13:2 shows us the pain of having those thoughts flowing through our minds without any temperance from an outside source. I can remember night after night of staying awake worrying about things at my business, worrying about getting jobs out, bills paid, employees, everything. David cries out, "How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?"

Those nights seem endless and when you awaken in the morning and the worries seem to remain and darken your day, you begin to wonder how long it will be until the Lord hears and answers your cries!

It seems as if David knew exactly what I was feeling when he says, "Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death." (Psalm 13:3) There were nights I wished that I could just fall asleep and let death overtake me - I knew that it would be easier than what I was facing because at least I would be with God in person.

But, like David, I somehow managed to come to the point where I realized that the suffering my poor mind was putting me through was something that the Lord saw even when it didn't feel like He was responding.

Can you say that you trust in the Lord, even in those dark days? Sometimes it doesn't feel as if He is listening or paying attention to what we are going through, but even through that, David says, "But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord for he has been good to me." (Psalm 13:6)

The Lord has been good to me, He has rescued and saved me more times than I can count. And when the darkness presses in on me, though it seems as if I am alone, I know that He has been there in the past, He will be there in the future, and He is with me in the present.

October 3 - Psalm 9

October 3 - Psalm 9:1-20

One of the things that strikes me about this Psalm is the number of times that the nations of the world are mentioned. Psalm 9:5, 8, 15, 17, 19-20. David's line was expected to draw the nations to God. While this doesn't actually occur until the last days, this Psalm then becomes a beautiful song of prophecy.

In the NIV, Psalm 9:1 says "I will tell of all your wonders." The word 'wonders' comes from a Hebrew word which means 'things extraordinary or surpassing.' This word is used quite a bit in the Psalms to describe the works of God. Things extraordinary or surpassing. That's just beautiful.

Those first two verses (Psalm 9:1-2), "I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." are a prescription for praise. I love to sing, I will gladly sing with all my heart. I have confidence in my voice and know that generally I am on pitch.

I have a friend who is constantly concerned about his lack of pitch. He has been told over and over that he can't sing, so he doesn't sing very loudly and whenever he sits behind me in church apologizes for the fact that he is singing at all. That breaks my heart! It certainly doesn't offend me. I would rather that he sing with joy because his heart is filled with praise. I don't know that God ever rejected someone's songs of praise because they weren't on pitch and I certainly won't either.

When I am glad, I do rejoice in the glory of God. But, you know ... sometimes I find that I forget to tell of God's wonders. I get so wrapped up in the craziness of my life that I might take a moment to thank Him, but I don't tell the world about Him as often as I should.

In Psalm 9:11, David says, "Sing praises to the Lord enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done."

Psalm 9:14, "...that I may declare your praises in the gates of the Daughter of Zion and there rejoice in your salvation."

We have a God that upholds our cause (Psalm 9:3), destroys the wicked (Psalm 9:5), judges the world in righteousness and governs the peoples with justice (Psalm 9:8), is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble (Psalm 9:9), does not ignore the cry of the afflicted (Psalm 9:12), is known by his justice (Psalm 9:16).

This is our God and we are called to praise Him, to proclaim among the nations what he has done and to declare his praises in the gates of the Daughter of Zion.

Today ... Praise the Lord!

October 2 - Psalm 4

October 2 – Psalm 4:1-8

Hmmm .. the NIV actually has translated this incorrectly. In actuality, the Psalmist is praising God for answering and for offering relief. I checked the New American Standard and a couple of other versions. In fact, the Hebrew says, “you have enlarged me when I am in distress.” In other words, God gave David room when stress hit him.

Now, that sounds wonderful! When I get stressed, it feels like the walls are closing in on me and I can barely function. But, God gave David a larger amount of space so that he could face what was bothering him.

After praying to a righteous God, David begins to deal with those people that are stressing him out. It seems as if everything that he does is being disrupted. There is opposition all around, but David asserts that God has set him apart and reminds those who are dealing poorly with him that the best place to be is in a right relationship with the Lord.

At whatever point David is in his life, there are people who follow him, but are discontent with his leadership. So, they ask “Who can show us any good?”

David responds in Psalm 4:6b with the benediction from Numbers 6:24-26, “Let your light shine on them, O Lord.”

He finishes with beautiful words of praise. Even in the face of the opposition, David knows who will care for him and who has given him the blessings that he has. The great blessings are found within himself, in his heart where the relationship he has with the Lord is fulfilled. And in the face of all of that stress, I find the last verse to be amazing.

“I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8)

I generally write these blog posts before I fall asleep at night. It is one thing to count on the safety of the four walls that surround me to keep me safe from harm, but it is fully a different thing to count on the safety of the Lord’s arms around me to keep me safe from evil.

October 1 - Psalm 2

October 1 – Psalm 2:1-12

Take some time to read through this Psalm. If you are on the web page, you can hover over any Bible verse reference and it should pop up so you can read it right there.

This Psalm is quoted often in the New Testament and as you read it, you will discover why as you uncover its prophetic words. Jews read this Psalm as a remembrance of King David’s coronation, while Christians see it as prophecy regarding the coming reign of Jesus Christ.


It begins with a sense of astonishment as the Psalmist seems amazed that nations and kings think they can gather against the Lord God! Who in the world do they think they are? This is the Creator of the Universe, and He has shown that He will do amazing and powerful things in His anger and when He protects His people.

Now, in Psalm 2:2, we find the first hint of prophecy. “…against the Lord and against his Anointed One.” In Psalm 2:7, we get a little more information about the Anointed One: “He said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father.’” This is an announcement that God intends for His Son to rule over all the nations to the ends of the earth. We will see this come to pass in Revelation 6:15-17 and Revelation 17:14 when the kings and nations of the world submit to the Lamb of God.

Have you ever consider the laughter of God? Sometimes I’m pretty certain that He finds me hilarious. Oh, I definitely hope He does. Otherwise, I’m just pathetic. But, in Psalm 2:4, not only does He laugh at those who think they can come up against Him, but He scoffs and then scares them as well!

This is the Lord who is not limited by time. He knows the beginning and the end. He IS the Alpha and the Omega. He sees the beginning of the kingdoms of earth and knows when they will end. He sees and knows the beginnings and ends of our lives. No matter what man may think as we try to plan and plot our way through to the future, the Lord will still be in control long after nations have come and gone and kings have been born and have died.

The Psalmist tells us all of this and then finishes the Psalm by saying “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” (Psalm 2:12)

We are nothing but specks in the grand scheme of things. Our Creator has all of the power and could wipe us out with a sweep of the hand, but He offers those who trust in Him a place of refuge and hope. This is where I choose to reside.