The Lord led us to begin crafting this heartfelt devotional a few months after the adaptation of our book "Cutting It Straight" to an eBook. So once again, I thank my wife Denise, Niketa Wharton and Brian Craig, for persevering to make sure that the Lord would be glorified in the editing and completion of this devotional.

The Book of Psalms is filled with the lament, praise, faith and hope experienced by various psalmists as they poured their heart out to the Lord in the midst of their difficulties. The more that we meditate upon these psalms, the more precious they become to us. It is in the psalms that God gives us a clear picture of Himself, so they kindle a flame in our heart as we learn what pleases Him as He affirms His faithfulness to us, and they draw us into His very presence, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Most of us know what it is like to live under some kind of pressure in our lives. Sometimes we bring this pressure upon ourselves while at other times it is brought upon us by others. It might be pressure on the job, pressure at school, or pressure at home. It might be pressure within us, pressure all around us, or even pressure from those who are closest to us.

Sometimes we feel distressed, and we may feel the anxiety of that pressure. We may feel the subtle or obvious attempts of the enemy of our soul trying to influence or intimidate us. We may feel the pressure that is brought upon us simply because we belong to the Lord, a pressure that is unlike any pressure that the world experiences.

In Psalm 70, we find that the psalmist David was under great pressure from ungodly men. Even though he was in a critical situation, he still did not seek help from the men and women around him. Instead, he brought his urgent need for help to the Lord, which is the same place that we are to bring our needs.

In his frailty and with great necessity, David asked the Lord to deliver him. He asked the Lord to snatch him away and rescue him from those who had made themselves his enemies. David knew that the Lord had never abandoned those who put their trust in Him, so he continued to look to Him and to cry out to Him day and night. His hope for deliverance was in the Lord alone.

The pressure was almost too much for David to bear, so he asked the Lord to let those who wanted to cover him in shame because he trusted in Him, to be ashamed of their wickedness and to be humiliated. He asked for those who sought to take his life to be covered in disgrace, and for those who relentlessly pursued him to be turned backwards in their confusion and not accomplish their wickedness.

David asked the Lord to dishonor the people who found pleasure in seeing him in the misery of his hurt, and he pleaded for those who sought to turn others away from the truth to be turned back and driven away because of their shameful behavior. David’s enemies were those who barked out their cruel accusations and their abusive lies like wild dogs, the same way that they did to our Savior while He hung on the cross for our sin.

The psalmist encourages the true worshippers of God, all those who truly seek Him and desire to please Him, to greatly rejoice and be glad in Him. Unlike those who do not belong to Him, we have many reasons to rejoice! We have His word in our heart, His Spirit lives within us, and we have Christ Jesus, who is our Savior, now and forever.

For those of us who dearly love His salvation and who glory in His sacrifice for us, let God be magnified in us and let Him be lifted and exalted, because He is our strength in our weakness. He is worth more than all the riches and all the pleasures this world has to offer.

Like the psalmist David, we too might be afflicted. We too might be oppressed. We too might be in need. We too might feel as if we are being crushed by the relentless pressures of this world. So, we ask the Lord to make haste and come to us and to come to our rescue, for He is our God and our defense. He is our help and our deliverer in the very hour of our need. He is our refuge in the middle of the storm. We ask the Lord to not delay, for we belong to Him, and He has forgiven us of our sin. In Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, Amen.

Our eyesight, our ability to see things clearly, is a gift from God which allows us to function in this world and to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation which is all around us.

Some of us unfortunately experience physical blindness from birth, while others might lose their sight from bad genetics or personal injury. Others might lose their sight gradually over time due to age or other factors.

There is another kind of blindness that afflicts many people, which is blindness to the truth. This form of blindness is caused by a lack of judgement or by prejudice, either by ignorance or a lack of integrity.

But the worst kind of blindness is spiritual blindness, because the spiritually blind cannot see God. They cannot see who He is and what He has done for us in Christ. Spiritual blindness is catastrophic because it results in separation from Him forever.

Sadly, many people today are spiritually blind, or at the very least, spiritually near-sighted. And it is with this kind of blindness in mind, that we come to Psalm 123, where the psalmist encourages us to see things clearly with our eyes wide open, looking up to heaven to find our comfort and our hope in the God of the universe.

We may look in many places and look to many people for help, and certainly God can use them in our lives. But in the end, only the Lord God Almighty can give us the answers to the problems that are in our heart and in our lives. Where we look for those answers speaks to the condition of our heart, for only God has the power to solve the deep longings of our soul.

Many people today are blind to the truth of the knowledge of God, the God who is enthroned in the glory of the heavens. Many are blind to His magnificence and to the exceeding greatness of His majesty.

Let us turn our eyes away from the pain and the sorrow, and the confusion of this world. Let us turn our eyes away from the dust of this earth which clouds our vision, and by faith, turn our eyes to Him alone. Let us turn to His mercy which is everlasting. Let us look up to heaven, to Christ, where we can exchange our fear and the guilt of our sin for the peace and for the forgiveness that is found only in Him.

Looking to Christ is the testimony of an obedient heart. It is the testimony of a humble spirit. It is the cry of a thankful heart, of a heart that is devoted to Him. It is the sigh of those who are weary of the disappointment of this world, weary of the disappointment in our own lives.

The psalmist says to consider how the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master for direction and for protection, and how the eyes of a maid servant look to the hand of her mistress for help and for guidance. In the same way, our eyes should look to the Lord our God. We are to wait for Him.

We are to wait upon Him in reverence and in awe and in obedience to Him, continually seeking to please Him until He is gracious to us. He will show us His favor, His mercy, in His time and in His own way.

The psalmist cried out to the Lord to show His mercy and His grace and to intervene, to intercede for them. They were overflowing with contempt from the bitterness of the hatred of those around them. Their enemies dishonored them and disgraced them, and so they disgraced the name of the Lord. Their enemies mocked and demeaned them, like they did to our Savior.

Those who are at ease with no trouble and no pain, no humility and no spiritual insight, are the ones who ridicule us along with the contempt of the proud in heart, even while we weep and while we mourn.

But, we’re told in Isaiah 2:17 that a man of pride will be humbled, and he will be brought down to the ground. And as it says in Proverbs Chapter 16, their pride comes before their destruction. So do not despair. In the end, the Lord will be exalted in us who have been given eyes to clearly see the truth of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Some of us know what it is like to work the night shift, when we’re on the job while everyone else is resting or relaxing. We might even feel like we are on the night shift when we can’t get to sleep at night, and we toss and turn and just lie there with all kinds of thoughts and concerns racing through our mind.

In Psalm 134 we find ourselves on the night shift in the temple in Jerusalem along with perhaps 270 men who were responsible to burn incense on the altar, and to worship and to maintain the temple at night. As servants of the Lord, these men were responsible to watch and to pray and to give thanks to the Lord at night, somewhat like Paul and Silas, who prayed and sang hymns of praise to God at midnight while they were imprisoned in the city of Philippi for their testimony for Jesus.

Psalm 134 is a call for us to offer our praise and our thanksgiving to the Lord day and night. It’s a reminder that our worship should never cease, and that those of us who belong to the Lord should stir up our heart and draw near to Him and lift up His name in adoration, and in deed and devotion to Him. So even in the quietness of the solitude of night when no one else is around that time can become a special and unique time for us.

We are told by the psalmist to be mindful that we are on holy ground as we stand before the Lord our God. So consider how you spend your time. Be diligent and stay on guard. Devote yourself to Him day and night. Give Him the praise He deserves. It is easy to become consumed by the things of this world that fill our time and our minds. In the end, these are things that have no eternal value.

So, we bless the Lord and kneel before Him, with hearts that are overflowing with affection and gratitude for who He is and for all that He has done for us. We must be mindful not to minister to others and lead them to worship, while neglecting our own relationship with the Lord and serving Him out of obligation. Be sure to spend time with Him in the quietness of the night while others are asleep.

It is a sad truth today that it seems like the people of God are asleep day and night. But don’t be discouraged, for even in the darkness of the night, the Lord will bless us as we seek His face. He will bless us as we seek His mercy and His grace. He will bless us as we praise Him for the privilege of serving Him. If we don’t praise Him, then who will?

The psalmist also encourages us to lift up our hands in the sanctuary, to lift up our hearts in holiness, set apart unto Him, determined to give glory to His name, and be committed to Him alone without anger and without confusion. We’re told in 1 Timothy 2:8 to be unpolluted and unstained by the evil of this world in simplicity and in purity in singleness of heart and mind.

Though the darkness of night has descended upon this world, our voice should echo throughout the night and bless the Lord just as the angels of heaven are around the throne of God worshiping Him day and night.

So we wait on Him. We wait on Him to answer our prayers. We expect that He will rain down His blessing upon us, as the day of His return draws near. The Lord will bless us from Zion, for He is near to us. May the sweet fragrance of His presence linger in our hearts while we confidently go forth in His strength, for it is He who made heaven and earth. He is the creator and the sustainer of all things. The One who blesses us today is the One who has all power and all might, so whom shall we fear?

We’re reminded at the end of Numbers Chapter 6, “May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He make His face shine upon you. May He be gracious to you, and give you peace.” Peace with God. Peace that is only found in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

As those who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, many of us know that there have been times in our lives when we have felt alone in the middle of our difficulties and in our afflictions, even while we were struggling under the crushing attacks of the enemy. These were times when those who were closest to us, even those whom we trusted, appeared to have abandoned us.

At times like these we might feel like we have been cut off from God and left on our own. And on our own we are no match for the enemy. The psalmist expressed this very thought four times in Psalm 13, when he cried out to the Lord for help, and he questioned God’s silence.

The psalmist was in anguish. Time stood still as he struggled under the weight of his oppression. He felt like a tree that had been uprooted by the wind of a storm. He realized that the Lord must calm the storm, yet there was only silence from Him. He felt the Lord was hiding His face from him. His nightmare seemed to have no end in sight while his prayers seemed to go unanswered. The enemies of the psalmist were grinding him into the dust.

This all may sound familiar to some of us. As we well know, sometimes the Lord does not act in the way that we think He should act towards us. Sometimes we wonder where He is in our life. Well, He hasn’t forgotten us. We are near and dear to His heart. He was alone on the cross as He paid for our sin, so that we would never be left alone again. We’re reminded of this in Isaiah Chapter 49 where the Lord says, “I will not forget you. Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.” We should hang on to that!

Sometimes He uses those incomprehensible experiences in our lives to purge us of our sins and our impurities. Sometimes He uses them to deepen our faith, and to help us become more and more like Him. Isn’t our spiritual maturity what He desires to accomplish in us after all? So, we must never stop looking to Him for help.

The psalmist asked the Lord to consider his cries, to look in his direction and answer him. He asked the Lord for enlightenment to see things clearly, the way that they really were. But sometimes it is difficult for us to see things clearly in our own life.

Without the Lord’s help, the psalmist’s enemies would overtake him and brag about their victory, openly mocking God. They might even say it was because of his sin, and he is reaping what he has sown in his life. So, he put his trust in God alone, knowing that he would die if left on his own. He rested in His mercy and in His unchanging love towards him.

After weeping and mourning without ceasing day and night, the psalmist noticed a change in his heart. The wind began to blow in a different direction. He believed that the outcome was sure. His sighs turned into songs. His heart began to rejoice in the Lord’s salvation and in his deliverance, so he sang to the Lord because He had dealt fully and abundantly with him, even beyond his expectations. That is the same way He deals with us.

Things were difficult for the psalmist. Extremely difficult. God had not given any answers to his problems yet, but the psalmist chose to put his trust in the Lord. He chose to celebrate his triumph in anticipation of his deliverance and in anticipation of a change in the direction of the wind in his life. A change in the wind is what many of us need today. A change that leads us to an eternity with Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

There is an expression in the English language, that whoever has the last word in a discussion is the one who has the final say in that matter. Many people claim to have the last word when it comes to spiritual matters. They claim to have the last word on life and death, and on what is true and false. But in Psalm 43 the psalmist tells us that God has the last word when it comes to these things, and that in the end, only His word will matter for eternity.

In this Psalm, David declared his desire to worship the Lord. He knew that he belonged to God. He knew that his enemies were God’s enemies, and that those who misrepresented him also misrepresented the Lord. He asked the Lord to help him, to stand up for him and plead his case. Despite his failures, he asked the Lord to judge the motives of his heart. His ultimate desire was to please God and to be obedient to His word.

The psalmist did not fear those who sought to destroy him. Instead, he trusted in God’s mercy to rescue him and protect him from the deception and the wickedness of the people who were plotting against him. He trusted that he would be protected from the deceitfulness and treachery in their heart. He knew the Lord was with him. He was certain that God would deal with these unjust men and women according to who He is.

The psalmist wanted the Lord to strike terror in them because they wanted to trample upon him so that he never rose again. But yet, David didn’t fear them. His conscience was clear before the Lord. The Lord and His word were his strength and his defense. He alone would have the last word in all of these things.

Despite his trust in the Lord, David couldn’t understand the ways of the Lord. He felt in agony at times, because he felt like he had been rejected and discarded by God. He wondered if he had become an offense to the Lord. He couldn’t bear it if God had abandoned him.

Why did it seem like he was so often in mourning and in grief, wandering around because of the oppression of his enemies? He understood that God must be working in him in a way that he just couldn’t understand. The pressure that was being brought upon him was for his good, for his growth, so that he might bring forth the sweet fragrance of his Savior.

The psalmist cried out for the Lord to illuminate his mind and give him understanding. He wanted peace restored in his heart. He asked God to lead him according to His goodness, His mercy, His faithfulness, and His truth. David wanted the Lord to lead him through the mountains and valleys, and through the storms of life, and bring him to God’s dwelling place and into His presence. He desired that his life might be brought into line with God and with His word, whatever the cost.

So, the psalmist decided to surrender his life to God, and he declared that he would play musical instruments and sing songs to the Lord. He understood that God alone was his source of joy. God alone could satisfy the hunger and the thirst that was in his soul.

David wondered why he felt so depressed and bothered at times. How could he murmur and complain? How could he get so agitated and unsettled? It made no sense to him. But still, he hoped in God and waited for Him. He knew that though the storm was great, God’s comfort was greater. God would always have the last word.

God is our help and our deliverer. He’s the one who gives us victory, and will wipe away every tear from our eyes. We can smile again, even in the midst of the storm as we lift up our voice to Him. He will have the last word, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

You’ve probably heard this saying before, a saying that we might not want to hear again. It is that the older we get, the more we realize that life is short. And that there is more of life behind us than there is in front of us, that our time on this earth is limited.

Our time here is affected by many things in our lives, sometimes by our own choices, and sometimes by things that are out of our control. Our life is affected by our genetics and by our lifestyle. It’s affected by sickness and by disease. It’s even affected by the environment in which we live.

Though our time on this earth is limited, the God that we serve is unlimited. He is eternal. If we belong to Him, when our time on this earth is over, He will bring us home to the glory of heaven to be with Him forever. This is our hope. This is our only hope for eternity.

This hope is the underlying truth that the psalmist brings before us in Psalm 93. In the time of the Messiah, when Jesus Christ returns to this earth, He will usher in an eternity where He will rule and He will reign forever. These are prophetic and encouraging words for those of us who belong to Him. These are words that shine in the darkness of this world today.

Psalm 93 begins with this simple statement, “The Lord God reigns.” The arrogance and the opinions of man will not prevail in the end. In the end, they will not matter at all. The Lord God alone is the one who is clothed in majesty. He is arrayed in the beauty of excellence and truth. All things are ordered according to Him, who has clothed and girded Himself with strength. He has surrounded Himself like a fortress with power and with might. We who are in Christ shall not fear, because the enemy cannot be victorious over us! Indeed, our world is firmly established. He alone brings order and stability to our lives, so even in the confusion among the people of this earth, our world will not be moved.

The Lord’s authority has been established and set apart from of old. He is king forever. He is from everlasting. He alone has existed from eternity. It would be foolish for any of us to oppose Him wouldn’t it? Yet, we’re told that those who fight against Him have lifted up and exalted themselves in angry rebellion against Him, even from the beginning of time.

The floods of violence against the Lord and against His Christ have lifted up the thundering sound of their voices. Their threats never cease. They roar and they boast without end. The floods of their wickedness have lifted up their pounding waves of terror on every side, more than even the sound of many waters, more than the mighty breakers of the sea which churn up their foam and their refuse. They break anything and everything in their path into pieces.

But the Lord on high who is in the glory of heaven is mightier than all of them. For in Him we live and move and take our very next breath. The psalmist reminds us that unlike the words of man, His promises, His word is above reproach. His word is true. His testimonies are fully confirmed. They are reliable, just like the rocks on the seashore that remain firm despite the wind and the waves of the sea.

So do not fear. Someday everyone small and great, and young and old, will know that His promises are true. Evil will be removed forever, and only His righteousness will remain. His holiness and His character will prevail. He will remain unchanged forever. All of this will testify of His glory, in His house, the place where we will be if we belong to Him.

Consider these words that the Lord gave us today for these turbulent times, these days of unrest, these last days. Let Him comfort us. Let us rest in the truth of His eternal word, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

The dictionary defines praise as an expression of approval or admiration, to value someone or something in such a way that we choose to exalt that person with our words, our thoughts and desires, and with our very lives.

Psalm 113 is a psalm of pure praise as the psalmist expresses his adoration for the one true God. It is a sacred hymn which magnifies the greatness, the goodness, and the glory of the Lord. It is a psalm that is to be sung or spoken to the Lord as He lifts up our hearts to Him, as He delivers us from the depths of our sin and our despair. It is a song of gratitude for His mercy towards us, for saving our souls from the consequences of our sin, which is an eternity of separation from Him.

It is essential that we wake up and realign our thinking so that we live in awe of the One who has saved us. It is essential that we love Him with all our heart as we seek to live in obedience to Him and to His word. And it’s also essential that we tell of His glory and that we offer Him praise for who He is, praise for what He has done, and praise for all that He has promised to do. If those who belong to God do not praise Him, then who will praise Him? We’re told in Luke 19 that if we are silent, then surely the stones will cry out in praise to Him.

The psalmist tells us to praise Him from the depths of our soul. We owe Him our very lives. We are to offer up the sweet fragrance of praise and magnify the blessed name of the Lord, His character, every aspect of who He is. Though our words certainly fall far short of His glory, still, praise Him. Praise Him for His sacrifice for us, for He died to save us, and has risen from the grave as proof of His salvation. Praise Him now and forever, for He draws us to Himself at the cross. Let our praise rise up to the throne of God every day and every night, no matter what is going on in our lives.

The name of the Lord is to be praised, for His mercy endures forever. Whether the people of this world know it or not, we are reminded that the Lord is high above all nations and all men. He is the absolute ruler over all of His creation. His glory is above the heavens. We’re told in the books of First Kings and Second Chronicles that even the heavens cannot contain His glory.

Who is like the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high? We read in Isaiah 57:15 that He is the high and exalted One, who lives forever. There’s no one like Him. Nothing can compare to Him. He stands above all things. We’re told that He must humble himself to behold the things that are in heaven and the things that are on this earth.

There is no one higher, yet He has regard for His bondservants. He cares about us. He blesses those who have an attitude of brokenness and gratefulness before Him. He raises the poor in spirit from the dust of this earth. He revives us and lifts up the needy from the ash heap of this world, to make us sit with princes. As we’re told in Isaiah Chapter 61, He gives us beauty for ashes.

Not one of our cries escapes His ears. In His divine mercy, He makes even the barren woman who is without child, who is without hope, who is misunderstood and who is ridiculed by everyone, He makes her abide and dwell in her house as a joyful mother of children.

Praise the Lord, for we were poor and without hope, but now in Christ we are spiritually rich. We were in need, but now in Christ, all things of eternal value have been given to us. We were barren and without spiritual fruit in our lives, but now in Christ, our life has meaning. Now we have peace with God. Now we have rest in Christ Jesus our Lord. So let us proclaim His greatness and His goodness and His glory, both now and forever. Amen.

Sometimes our most fervent prayers come from our greatest needs, when we’re being tossed around by the storms of life or in the fire of affliction, when we’re in the pit. During these times we have no resources of our own, and no help or support from anyone except from the Lord.

That is often the time when we cry out to Him. We continue to watch and wait and hope in Him. And then something happens. It is as if we have found buried treasure. We rejoice as the God of the universe answers our prayers. That is the perspective the psalmist expresses to us in Psalm 130 as he anticipates that the Lord will lift him up out of the pit of his suffering and affliction.

The psalmist was in sorrow and felt like he was in a pit with no way out, but he could not keep silent. With a feeble cry, and then with a shout, he lifted up his hands and his voice, and he lifted up his heart to heaven. He acknowledged that his difficult situation did something in him. It drew out deep devotion from the brokenness of his heart, the agony of his soul.

Just like Jonah, the psalmist knew that nothing could separate him from the Lord. He knew that he was in God’s hands. So he looked up and cried out to the Lord, asking Him to take notice of his prayers and offer His favor. But as he thought about his life, he was struck with the fact that he was not worthy of His favor. So he confessed his sin to the Lord, knowing that if the Lord kept a record of his sin and called him to give an account of his failures, he couldn’t stand. No one could.

We all stand guilty before a holy and a righteous God. We cannot stand upon our own righteousness or our own goodness. We are all stained by our sin. As we’re told in Psalm 14 and in Romans Chapter 3, there is no one who does good. Not even one of us.

The psalmist recognized the good news, that through the Messiah, through His sacrifice for us, there is forgiveness with God, that He may be revered and worshipped. We are all in His eternal debt. We owe Him everything. We have done nothing to be saved from His wrath. It is only by His mercy towards us and His grace that we are not condemned to an eternity of suffering because of our sin.

The psalmist eagerly waited for the Lord to deliver him as he waited in expectation of the fulfillment of God’s promises, which are true and reliable. So even in the darkness of the pit in which he found himself, he took God at His word. He put his confidence in Him and in Him alone. He found rest in the Lord. Those who do not hope in the Lord will not wait for Him, so they cannot rest in Him. There is no peace for the wicked.

All that was within the psalmist waited for the Lord, even more than the watchmen on the city wall wait for the morning. In the same way, we wait for the Lord to bring light into our darkness. Indeed, we hunger and thirst for God, more than the watchmen who wait for the morning. We long for Him to answer our prayers.

The psalmist cried out for Israel to hope in the Lord, all those who belong to Him. For with God there is lovingkindness, there is mercy, and there is abundant redemption. Our God is willing and able to help us out of our pit of despair at the right time and in the right way.

God will redeem a remnant of Israel, those who truly belong to Him. He will redeem us. He will rescue us from all of our iniquities, from all of our sin. Our iniquities and our sin testify against us. They keep us in the pit. But praise God, we have been rescued from that pit and released from our sin, through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

We are told that the children of Israel sang Psalm 121 as they were headed towards Jerusalem to celebrate one of their annual feasts. This Psalm is entitled “A Song of Ascents”, or “A Song of Ascending Steps”, because with each verse the psalmist ascends one step closer to the Lord, just as the people were ascending in elevation with each step, closer to the city of Jerusalem.

The Psalm begins with the psalmist taking his eyes off of himself, his sorrow, and his difficulties, and lifting up his eyes to the hills of Jerusalem. He could see the temple off in the distance, the dwelling place of the one true God, a place where God alone is found.

We all need help at times. People seek help from different places, but we, who have an intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, know where our help comes from. Our protection, our direction, and our deliverance do not come from anywhere else except from the Lord, who is the creator of all things. He is the One who made heaven and earth. So in His faithfulness and in His power, in Him alone our help is sure to come.

The enemy will try to misdirect our steps and divert our attention to anyone or anything else except God. The enemy knows that our God is more than able to help us in every situation in life, no matter how difficult or impossible it may appear to be. Just like the psalmist, we must look to God in hope and confidence. We must look to the One who is always faithful, to the One upon whom we can depend, to the One in whom we trust.

Even though there may be some people who want us to fail or to fall, we are told that our God will not allow our footsteps to slip or to slide. We will not lose our footing and fall, never to rise up again. The path of life is full of hidden dangers and overwhelming difficulties, but our God sees all things before we do. We are in His divine, omniscient care. In the same way that eyelids protect our eyes, God Himself protects us and takes care of us in the frailty of this life.

God will not become tired, unresponsive, or unavailable, because the enemy of our soul never sleeps. The psalmist was certain that He who keeps Israel would also keep them safe and secure. Night by night and day by day we are always under the watchful eye of our Lord. We should take great comfort in this!

Nothing catches God off guard, nothing catches Him by surprise. He is the God who always leads us in the right direction, so we can travel the road of this life, the road to glory, step by step without fear. It is the Lord Himself who goes before us. He is the One who keeps watch over us from this day, all the way home to eternity.

It is the Lord who is our shade on our right hand, our shadow of protection, so that the burning heat and the blinding light of the sun will not overpower us by day. And the Lord will not allow the coldness, and darkness, and danger of the light of the moon to overcome us by night. The Lord will protect us from all evil and wickedness. We can continue on our journey through this life with Him as our shield of protection, with Him by our side.

He will keep watch over our soul, by not allowing pride to overtake us, by not allowing the influence of this world to infect us, and by not allowing the error of false teaching to lead us away from Him. We are kept safe and secure in Christ until the day that we see Him face to face.

What can man do to us, since we are kept by God Himself? The Lord will guard and take care of us, the psalmist concludes. He will keep watch over us as we go out during the day among the people of this world, and as we return home to rest at night. This is a promise of our eternal security and safety in Him. Our steps are firmly established by the Lord from this time forth, as we move one step closer to eternity in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Like many of us who know the Lord, King David experienced great difficulty and suffering in his life for his faith. And like us, sometimes he brought those situations upon himself, while at other times those situations were forced upon him through no fault of his own.

We find in Psalm 61 that David was in the midst of one of those situations. We’re told that perhaps this Psalm was written by him in response to the rebellion of one of his sons who had forced David out of the city of Jerusalem and had taken his place as king. This betrayal would have been heartbreaking for any parent to bear. David was on the run and had nowhere else to turn to in his sorrow and in his grief, except to the Lord. The language of this Psalm is the language of those who have been hurt deeply, which resonates with many of us.

David cried out to the Lord. He asked for the Lord’s attention to consider the difficult situation in which he found himself. He wanted an answer according to what was right and good, an answer that would bring honor and glory to His name. Our prayers are not in vain when we direct those prayers to our Father in heaven who is attentive to our cries.

Even while he was an outcast and far away from God’s holy temple in the city of Jerusalem, David pleaded for help. Even from the ends of the earth, as his deliverance seemed to be so far away, even in his sorrow and despair, He drew near to God. He knew the Lord was only a breath away from him.

Perhaps we can understand how he felt, as our extreme difficulties serve to draw us closer to the Lord in prayer. David called out to Him at the top of my lungs, even with his last ounce of strength, when his heart, mind, and spirit were faint. He called out when he was weak and overwhelmed, paralyzed with fear and confusion. And as some of us well know, many times our greatest triumphs have come through our greatest difficulties and afflictions.

David sought the Lord for guidance. He asked to be lifted up to the rock of his strength that is higher than him, the rock that is set apart and is exalted above all things. This is the same solid rock upon which we stand. Christ Jesus is our rock, where we find strength, wisdom, and security. The Lord was David’s refuge, his shelter in the storms of life. Just like her young that take shelter under the protection of a mother hen, he asked to take refuge in the shelter of His wings.

In the past, David made vows to the Lord, which he kept despite some failures along the way. He knew that God had turned His attention to his offerings of praise, and his promises to serve Him and to give Him glory. He knew that in His mercy, the Lord had given him the inheritance of eternal life, the same inheritance that belongs to all those who stand in awe of the Lord, those who have reverence for Him, those who worship Him alone, in Spirit and in Truth. We are blessed beyond measure.

In His mercy to us, the Lord will prolong our life, and we will abide and dwell before Him forever and ever. Our future is safe and secure. It is set in stone.

So, Lord, according to Your grace to us, appoint these things to our account. Remind us of Your lovingkindness and goodness, and Your mercy and truth, so that they might guard us. So that in Your presence we might forever sing praises to Your name. But until that day, continue to preserve us, so that we might pay our vows and keep our promises, to love You with all of our heart and to serve You with all that is within us until we see You face to face in the glory of heaven. This is firmly set in stone in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

In the Psalms, we repeatedly see the heart of David as he lifts up his voice to the Lord with words of praise, worship, and adoration. He had a heart that was overflowing with joy despite the difficulty of the circumstances in which he often found himself.

If Psalm 3 is entitled “A Morning Prayer of Trust in God”, then certainly Psalm 4 could be entitled “An Evening Prayer”. As it says in the third verse of Psalm 113, “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised.”

For those of us who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, after a long day of challenges in our lives, we need to end our day in prayer so that we might get a good night’s sleep and wake up in the morning feeling refreshed and alert, ready to face another day. The quality of our rest is not just about the amount of uninterrupted sleep we get. It is also about entrusting ourselves to the Lord. It’s about letting go of our anxieties, which are weighing us down. It’s about resting in the Lord.

At the end of the day, David asked the Lord to answer him in His mercy. He knew that the Lord is the author and sustainer of his righteousness, even his very life. He could only do what was right because of God. David appealed to the Lord rather than to man. Men and women can be harsh and insensitive, but God is gracious and full of mercy.

The Lord had relieved David in his distress in the past, when he was surrounded by enemies with no way of escape. The Lord had brought him to a place of safety, joy, and comfort before, so he asked once again for God to be gracious to him, and to show His favor and hear David’s cries. We all need the mercy of God, don’t we?

After speaking to the Lord in prayer, David boldly confronted his enemies. He proclaimed that they were great and powerful, and were well connected and successful, but told them that in reality they were just foolish men. He asked them how long they would despise and ridicule him, and continue to love what is worthless and aim at deception as the focus of their lives. He asked how long they would rise up each day and speak lies.

They were heading down the road to their own destruction. The Lord God has set apart and separated the godly man and woman for himself. The Lord Jesus Christ knows those who belong to Him. To fight against those for whom He has died, is to fight against God Himself. We’re told in Luke Chapter 18, He will avenge His own who cry out to Him day and night. That is a staggering thought, isn’t it?

So, pause and think about what you are about to do or say. We should shake with fear before the Lord and change our ways and not sin. We must meditate in our heart and reflect upon our life as we are upon our bed. We need to be still. We need to do what is right, good, and pure before the Lord. And we need to have confidence in Him, in the sacrifice of the Lord. Trust in the Lamb of God, Christ Jesus, for the salvation of your eternal soul.

David tells us not to be like men and women who are never satisfied, those who look everywhere for rest, for peace, and for forgiveness, everywhere except to God in Christ. Along with the psalmist we pray, lift up the light of Your face upon us O Lord and we will be satisfied. For You have put exceeding joy in our heart, more than the riches and blessings of this world. Let us lie down to rest without fear, and sleep in peace throughout the night. You alone Lord make us to dwell and remain in safety. Let our hearts be steadfast and our minds unwavering because we trust in You, Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

For most of us, the term level ground carries with it the idea of stability. For some of us, it speaks to reliability or honesty. We find that this is the focus of the psalmist David in Psalm 26. The people around him were trying to find fault with him, and were slandering and falsely accusing him of sin and compromise, while they were just watching and waiting for him to fall. But David remained calm. He stayed on level ground, and continued to do what was right before the Lord. He continued to have a clear conscience in regard to the integrity of his actions and the sincerity of his life.

The psalmist made his appeal to God for help. He asked the Lord to search his heart and vindicate him. David wanted his life to be measured by the justice of God rather than the injustices of man. Although David had failed miserably along the way, he trusted that the Lord knew his heart even better than himself and that he had walked in his integrity and trusted in the Lord without wavering. His security was in God alone because he knew the Lord was guiding his life, and would fulfill His plan for him. So why would David seek revenge against his enemies when God had promised to protect him? David chose to walk on the level ground of God’s will.

He wanted the Lord to examine him and see if he was genuine. He asked to be put in the fire of affliction to test his mind, motives, and desires, and to refine him and remove the impurity of sin from his life. Who can stand before the fire of His justice? David knew the exceeding mercy of God, and testified that in all of the days of his life he had witnessed His unchanging love, so he entrusted himself to Him. He walked on the level ground of God’s truth and faithfulness.

David didn’t fellowship with the wicked, the enemies of God, and he didn’t sit with men and women who only cared about that which has no eternal value. He also didn’t fellowship with hypocrites who concealed who they really were behind the mask of their lives. He hated the company of the crowd of evildoers, who were leading others away from God along with themselves. David wouldn’t even sit at the same table with them and enjoy their company. He knew it would be better for him to sit with those who knew that they were lost in their sin and needed forgiveness.

David separated himself from the enemies of God, but he did not isolate himself from them so that he might reach them with the truth. He didn’t participate or condone their evil ways, and he also didn’t keep silent. Then with a clear conscience and a life cleansed by God, he would approach the altar of the Lord in worship and praise. David would proclaim the glory of His name with a voice of thanksgiving.

The enemies of God could snarl and growl at David like wild animals, with a voice of hatred, but he would still declare all of God’s wonders, His mighty deeds, and His mercy. David would not be kept silent, no matter what happened to him.

David loved to be in God’s presence among His people, a place where His glory and majesty dwells. He asked the Lord not to take his soul away into eternity along with sinners who refused to turn away from their sin and turn to Him for forgiveness, those who distort justice and truth in order to bring about their own well-being while claiming to be religious.

Knowing God’s redemption, David continued to walk in integrity, even while a flood of evil men continued to sweep over him. His feet continued to stand firm on level ground so that he could testify of God and His work in his life. He blessed the Lord in the congregations of God’s people. Let us also praise His holy name, forever, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

As upsetting as it may be, the enemies of God are sometimes in our own household, those in our own family who we know and love, or even those who we thought were our friends. Through no fault of our own, they may betray us and become our fiercest enemies, just because we belong to the Lord.

We see in Psalm 3 that King David found himself in a similar situation. His son, a son that he loved, rebelled against him and forced him to leave his throne and flee from the city of Jerusalem, to abandon his kingdom. His son had also persuaded the men that David trusted and relied upon to abandon him. These men were political leaders, military leaders, religious leaders, good friends, and even most of his army. David was in deep despair, but we find that he renewed his confidence in the Lord. He cast all of his cares upon the Lord.

David described how his enemies had greatly multiplied. Everywhere he looked and everywhere he turned, many powerful men were rising up to take a stand against him. He could see no end to the extent of the depth of his misery.

Those who sought to destroy him came at him from every direction and in every way. The worst part of his sorrow was that many of those men were saying that there was no deliverance for him in God, that God had abandoned him. They cursed David to his face.

Think about this for a moment. It would be too much for us to bear if God would abandon any of us who belong to Him. But if we belong to Christ, we know that we will never be abandoned by God because Christ was abandoned by God the Father as He became sin for us on the cross. Our sin was nailed to the cross along with Christ, and has been paid for in full by His blood. No matter how fiercely the storms of life rage all around us, no matter how the enemy attempts to use our faults and our failures against us, we are still safe and secure in our Savior.

The Lord was David’s shield of protection that was all around him and within him. God was the source of his honor and strength. God was the one who lifted up his head in joy and in triumph. God alone was the protector of the defenseless, the vindicator of the despised, and the comfort of the afflicted.

In his sorrow and grief, David cried out and wept before the Lord in prayer. The Lord answered him from heaven in his heart, and assured him that all was well. David was still in His hands. After all, what could man do to him other than what the Lord allowed?

We are told in Second Timothy 3 that we can be sure that all those who are determined to live a godly life in Christ will be persecuted and will suffer for their faith. Pause for a moment and think about this. We must put our trust in the Lord.

David slept soundly all the way through the night. He woke up in the morning refreshed and ready to face another day with the Lord by his side. He was confident that it was the Lord who sustained him, supported him, and gave him rest.

Even in the face of the tens of thousands of powerful and wicked men who have set themselves firmly and strategically up against him on every side, David boldly proclaimed that he would not be afraid. He would not be intimidated.

David cried out for the Lord to take a stand for him and deliver him from those men who did not know or value Him. He remembered how God had struck down his enemies on the jawbone and shattered the teeth of the wicked into pieces in the past, so he asked the Lord to defend him once again.

If we are in Christ, we shall not fear! Our salvation, our victory belongs to the Lord alone. He calls us to Himself, and by His grace He saves us and He keeps us safe. We say with David, may the gift of Your blessing forever be upon Your people, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Just as church bells are a call to worship in these days of difficulty and uncertainty, Psalm 95 is an invitation to return to the Lord and to worship Him in the beauty of holiness. It is an invitation to magnify His name with praise and thanksgiving, rejoicing in all that He is and for all that He has done for us.

But church bells are not just an invitation. They are also an alarm that we should not ignore. To ignore this alarm is to ignore the God who created the universe, the same God who created all of us. To ignore Him and His will for our life is to walk in unbelief and disobedience. It is to walk on a dangerous path which will result in eternal ruin.

The psalmist begins by calling for the people to cry out and lift up their voices to God and sing with joy to the Lord who delivered them from the enemy of their souls. Now and forever, their soul is safe and secure in Christ. Why would they let anything keep them from worshipping Him? Why would we?

They were commanded to make a joyful noise and express their gratitude to Him with all that was in their heart, to shout joyfully to the rock of their salvation, their strength and their song, their savior and deliverer. They were told to come into His presence in true worship with an offering of thanksgiving, and songs of praise and adoration for His goodness towards them, for He hears them and knows their heart.

God is a great God who rules and reigns above the heavens and the earth, above all things, even the things that the people in this world worship as their gods. He is the Great King. Little do they know or understand that everyone and everything owes its existence to Him.

He rules in sovereignty and majesty in the high and low places. He reigns over all of the seas and oceans, and over the wind and waves as well, for it was He who made them. His hands formed the dry land. It all belongs to Him. You are deceiving yourself if you can look at all that He created and truly believe that there is no God.

Let us bow with our face to the ground and kneel in worship before the Lord God who is our maker and sustainer. He is the reason that we worship. He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep of His hands. He cares for us like a shepherd cares for His flock. He doesn’t want any of us to perish.

If you hear His voice today impressing upon you, do not harden your heart. The alarm has been sounded. Humble yourself before our God. Accept His offer of salvation through Christ, our Lord. Do not put off until tomorrow what needs to be done today, because tomorrow is promised to no one.

Unbelief, stubbornness, and foolishness all seem to flock together as the children of Israel found out in the wilderness. God was leading them like a flock to the promised land, but yet, they still complained and argued. They tested God to see if He would excuse their unbelief and dissatisfaction with Him. They tried His patience and demanded their way instead of His way. They questioned His motives and reliability even though they had seen His hand upon their lives over and over again for almost forty years.

The Lord loathed that generation. They were like a bad taste in His mouth. He grieved over them, because they were deceived in their heart, mind, and spirit. They did not know the Lord since they did not acknowledge Him or love His ways. Therefore, in His wrath, He promised that they would not enter into the place of His peace and rest.

Since manna and miracles didn’t satisfy the children of Israel in the wilderness and encourage them to trust in the Lord, neither would a land flowing with milk and honey. There is no peace and rest for the one who is in unbelief against God. Unbelief is wickedness.

You know how this story ended. God kept His promise. That entire generation of the children of Israel died in the wilderness. This is an invitation, an alarm, to come back to Christ before it is too late and to live for His glory. Amen.

There are many things in life that are important to us, that put a song in our heart. Sometimes it is finding someone to share our life with, or the quality time we spend with family or friends. Sometimes it is the birth of a child. Sometimes it is finding fulfillment in an occupation, or in recreational activities or hobbies. Sometimes it is travelling and seeing new and interesting places. Sometimes it is the love of the material things we own. Sometimes it is simply when we are in a comfortable financial situation.

As grateful as we might be for these things, there are some who find the most joy when they seek to live each moment for the Lord Jesus Christ. Their lives revolve around Him and His word. They seek to lift up their voices and their hearts in praise and worship in obedience to Him. That puts a song in their heart.

We find that this was the desire of King David as we read Psalm 98. He found his greatest joy in the Lord. And though David lived about a thousand years before the birth of Christ, he spoke as if Jesus had already come to this earth to conquer Satan and to pay for our sins. He spoke as if the victory had already been won, because the victory was sure.

Psalm 98 is a song of triumph, of praise, and of confidence in expectation. David encouraged the house of Israel to sing a new song to the Lord, to make a joyful noise and magnify Him with all of their might and strength. The Lord alone had done extraordinary things that were beyond their ability. He alone gained the victory by scattering the proud in heart by His goodness and by His grace. And He delivered them from the chains of their sin by the sacrifice of Himself. No one could do this except God.

David cried out, reminding them that the Lord had shown them the depth of their sin in order to reveal their need to turn to Christ, their Messiah, for His salvation. We read in Acts Chapter 4 that salvation is found in no one else, except in Christ Jesus. He has revealed His righteousness to us. He has revealed what is right, what is good, and what is necessary in the sight of all of the nations, so that we might all seek His mercy and His forgiveness in Christ. We are all without excuse.

The Lord remembered His promise of lovingkindness and mercy, and His unchanging love and faithfulness to the household of Israel. He will keep His word. He will fulfill His promises. Everyone in the earth, both Jew and Gentile, has seen the salvation of our God. Yet, there are many who still remain in the blindness of their sin.

All of the people of the earth should shout joyfully to the Lord in triumph. We should let go and sing for joy, overflowing with thanksgiving. We should sing praises to our Lord with the lyre and the sound of melody, with the blast of trumpets and horns, and with all kinds of musical instruments. We are to shout joyfully before the King, the Lord of all the earth.

We are to sing in harmony with His creation. The thunderous roar of the sea and everything in it, along with the entire world and those who dwell in it, join the symphony. The rivers clap their hands as their waters crash upon the shoreline in praise to Him. The mountains sing for joy before the Lord with the sounds of the birds nesting in the trees on the hillsides. This music is for real.

His creation brings glory to His name by its worship, but it is also warning us to prepare for the Lord’s return to this earth. All of creation longs for His return when He will judge the earth and set things right. Just as the dawn brings forth the sun in its splendor, so the dawn of our Savior will bring forth joy and peace for those who belong to Him.

He will judge the world and the people, in righteousness and with fairness. That day is coming soon, as we’re told at the end of Revelation in Chapter 22. He is coming very soon! Amen. Come Lord Jesus!

There is an expression that has been stated that goes all the way back to the Greek philosopher Aristotle. It is the observation that the wheels of God move slowly but steadily. Everyone and everything in this world is subject to the wheels of time. God will make all things right over the course of time. He will punish those who have rejected His offer of salvation through His Son, and bring upon them everlasting judgement.

In Psalm 47, we come to the day when God has made all things right. It is the time when the Lord descends to this earth from the glory of heaven, to rule and reign forever. It is a time at the end of seven years of catastrophic tribulation on this earth, when those who have rejected Christ have been removed from this earth, and those who belong to Him will come together. Christ will ascend to His throne in Jerusalem!

The psalmist tells those of us who belong to Christ what to do on that day. We are to clap our hands and celebrate. We are to make a joyful noise and shout to the Lord our God, and praise His holy name with a voice of triumph. We are to cry out to Him and sing songs of rejoicing, for our deliverance and our Deliverer have come. We will be glad, for the Lord our God is the only true God, and now He has been exalted in power, and in majesty, and in strength.

We will fall down at His feet in reverence and in awe. It is only by His mercy and His grace that we have not been cast into eternal darkness forever. No one can stand against Him and triumph over Him, though many people try. May we worship the Lord our God, who is our Savior, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

When He speaks, it is by the word of His power that He subdues the people who are His enemies and casts them under us. He restrains them under our feet, those who have rejected His offer of salvation, His sacrifice for us. He won the victory for us at the cross.

Like a shepherd who chooses the best pasture for His flock, He chooses our eternal inheritance, the excellence of the glory that He promised to Jacob long ago, whom He loved. We can trust in Him to do what is right for us because He loves us. So our mouths and our hearts overflow with awe and with praise.

Our Lord and our God has ascended from the grave in triumph, and someday soon He will ascend to His throne with a shout of victory. We will see Him face to face. So let us lift up the Lord our God on high with the sound of the trumpet, for He is worthy of our praise. Let us not be silent or ashamed, but instead, let us sing praises to our God. Give Him the praise that He deserves. He never ceases to be good, so we should never cease to be grateful to Him. Sing praises for our God is the king over all the earth and all people. Sing praises with understanding, for He has not hidden these things from us. In Christ, He has revealed the truth to us.

All people will submit to Him in the end. Even the princes, the mighty men of the people, who know that they too are just men, will assemble themselves on that great day and they will bow down before Him and celebrate His glory. We who belong to Christ will all be one in Him. Just as the people of the God of Abraham believed in God by faith, we are the sons and daughters of Abraham who live by faith, as we’re told in Galatians 3:7.

Just like the light of dawn that shines brighter and brighter, a new day is dawning. And on that day, Jesus Christ will be highly exalted, and He will be given a name that is above every name. Don’t lose heart. Stand firm. Stand strong. Be immovable. Be confident that what we do for Christ, no matter how difficult it might be, has eternal value. So as each day passes by, slowly and steadily we move one day closer to that great day, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Despite the overwhelming evidence that is all around us, many people in this world believe they live in a world that is without the God of the Bible. But the truth is, we all believe in something. We’re told in the Bible that the wise are those who believe in the truth of the scriptures. Everyone else, it says, is just a fool. The evidence of what we truly believe can be seen not only by our words, but also by the way we live our lives and how we conduct ourselves.

Those who do not put their trust in God are foolish. Especially since the Word of God has made it abundantly clear concerning the path that we must follow in order for us to spend an eternity in the glory of heaven, and to avoid an eternity of pain and suffering because of our unbelief.

The Lord says that those who are foolish, those who are senseless, have said in their minds and in their hearts that there is no God. They feel that they are not accountable to anyone or anything except to themselves for the way they live their life. But the Lord hears the language of our heart, whether it is just a faint whisper, or whether our heart screams out our unbelief.

Our unbelief doesn’t change the fact that we are all accountable to the God who has created us to love Him and to obey Him. We may claim to believe in God with our mouth, but our lives betray us, and our lives reveal the truth, because we are all corrupt. We are like withered leaves. And so, our evil nature leads us to commit wicked acts.

Deep within our soul, we have set ourselves up against God. Our lives fan the flames of our destructive nature, so we walk in a path of darkness and deceit. Furthermore, we have all committed shameful acts that we are too ashamed to even talk about. We embrace what is wrong, even as we sin against the light of our own conscience. Our flesh is pleased with our sin. We are pleased with ourselves. What a disturbing picture of us all.

The Lord has gazed down intently upon the sons of men from the glory of heaven to see if there are any who are wise enough to see the truth of who we really are. We are all morally and spiritually unclean as we stand before a holy and a righteous God. He knows if there is anyone who seeks Him, who seeks His forgiveness.

All of us have turned away from the light of the truth. We have chosen instead to run in the opposite direction from what is right, and what is good, and what is true. We have altogether become morally stained. We are spiritually infected by our sin. There is not even one of us who does good. We need help. We need a savior. We need Jesus Christ. We need His forgiveness. We need His sacrifice for our sin.

Those who reject Christ will often seek to ridicule those who belong to Him. Hatred for God and corruptness of life are at the core of these attacks. Believers are persecuted by the attempts of haters to discredit and destroy them. Such attempts are foolish because for the believer the Lord God Himself is their refuge. He is their shelter in the storms of persecution. They have not been abandoned by God. God is with His righteous generation, with those who truly belong to Him.

The psalmist prayed for the Messiah to come and restore His captive people. He prayed for the time of their weariness and oppression to come to an end. There will be time when the Messiah will come to rule and reign forever. Then Israel will rest and be glad when all of those who truly belong to the Lord come together in the fold of the Shepherd of our soul. How blessed are those who wait for Him. How blessed are all those who wait for the return of Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

During the course of our lives, many of us have endured all kinds of pain. And though some pain is more intense or more prolonged than other pain, there is perhaps no pain like the pain of betrayal. When those whom we have loved and cared for, those whom we have trusted with our lives, have taken advantage of us and thrown us under the bus. They tried to destroy us or discredit us in some way, and didn’t value us at all.

The pain of betrayal can be so devastating at times that our thoughts and our emotions can just swirl around inside of us. We may go from hurt to hopelessness, or from grief to anger and then back to grief again. We find David in the midst of that kind of pain as we read Psalm 54.

He was in the midst of betrayal. Even though he had done nothing wrong, he was on the run from King Saul, who wanted to take David’s life. David was hiding from Saul in the hill country of Judah, just west of the Dead Sea in the region of the people of Ziph, who were from the same tribe as David, the tribe of Judah.

We read in 1 Samuel Chapters 23 and 26 that two times, the people of Ziph went to King Saul and told him where David was hiding. That was devastating to David. It was a hurtful betrayal that cut David to his heart, because these were men from the same tribe, from the same family.

The first thing David did was to cry out to the Lord in prayer. He asked to be delivered from the hands of these wicked men, to be rescued by the exceeding power of the name of the Lord, the name that is above every name. He asked God to execute judgement upon his enemies who were all around him, and to let the truth be known. His situation was urgent, because he was once again on the edge of disaster.

The psalmist pleads for the Lord to listen to his cries for help. David had nowhere to go except to God. Only He could see the danger that had come upon him, as he was being unjustly treated by these men and thrown under the bus.

Arrogant and disobedient men had risen up and taken a stand against David. Violent, bloodthirsty men sought his life. They had not set God before their eyes, so they do not seek what is good in His sight. Think about these things. Think about your situation, and think about the One to whom we belong.

We may look everywhere for help, but in the end, God is our only answer for safety. The Lord God is our helper. He is the One who supports and protects us, no one else. The Lord is the sustainer of our soul, so we lean on Him. The opposition of our enemies might be upsetting at times, but it is no match for the defense of our God. Nothing takes Him by surprise or overpowers Him. No one can resist against Him, so don’t give up. Don’t lose heart.

David found comfort in knowing that a day would come when God would recompense the evil of our foes and pay them back for the misery that they have caused us by their betrayal. The psalmist prays for the Lord to silence them and put an end to their wickedness against him. They have run after evil. Now let evil run after them and overtake them.

With all that was within him, the psalmist offered a sacrifice of praise to God. He surrendered his life to God for His glory. He vowed to never cease to give thanks to God’s holy name. He trusted that God is good, and all that He does is good.

He was confident that God would deliver him from his trouble, either by life or by death. By faith, David rested in Him. We’re told in Hebrews 11 that our faith gives substance to our hope. It makes us confident of the reality of what we do not yet see. So we live in hope, a living hope. We live by faith. We live in triumph in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Life is full of ups and downs. There are victories and there are defeats. There are times of inexpressible joy, and there are times of overwhelming sorrow. Psalm 146 reminds us that through the good times and the bad, we should remain consistent with praise for our God. We can count on Him in every season of our lives. Therefore, we should glorify our God and praise His name with everything that is within us regardless of our circumstance. He is worthy of our praise now and for all eternity.

The psalmist says that we are to offer our adoration and worship to Him in awe and reverence because we are dependent upon Him for our very lives, even our next breath. And each breath that we take brings us one breath closer to eternity.

The psalmist acknowledges that he too must praise the Lord from the depths of his soul. He needed to practice what he preached to others. It is sad when we seek to stir up the hearts of others around us so that they might lift up the name of the Lord to praise Him, when we are not stirred up within ourselves. We too must come to Him so that we might also glorify His name.

Our time on this earth is short, so we must make the most of our time in joyful adoration of the One who has saved our soul. We must praise the Lord for as long as we have left to live, and set ourselves apart unto Him for His glory. This is what brings praise to His name. Not just our words. Let us praise Him until the day that we close our eyes and are home with Him in the glory of heaven, where we will bless His name for all eternity.

Do not put your confidence in people with positions of power who seek to occupy the place that only God can occupy. They are all mortal, sinful men, so eventually they will disappoint us, just as we will disappoint them. There is no salvation, deliverance, or victory over sin in any of them. In the end, everyone’s spirit will depart from their body and their flesh will return to the earth with the dust from where it came.

Our thoughts will perish with our flesh when we die. All of our plans are cancelled. Death rules over our ambitions and desires. Without Christ, we have built our lives on nothing eternal, but instead we have built our lives upon sinking sand. We’re told in Ecclesiastes Chapter 1 that everything is vanity, so in the end, our life goes up like a puff of smoke.

The psalmist gives us hope in light of the brevity of life. He reminds us how blessed beyond measure are those whose help comes from the mighty God of Jacob. From the one true God, from the living God who promises eternal life to those who place their confidence in Him. That same God reaches down from heaven to save us in Christ. While others all around us are in despair and confusion, we can rest safely and securely because we have the assurance of eternal life.

His promises to us will never fail. He is true to His nature and to His word so we can confidently put our trust in Him. He executes justice for the oppressed and lifts up the crushed and the broken-hearted. He satisfies the hunger of our soul. He opens our eyes so that we can see the truth and be released from our spiritual bondage. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down in despair, and in pain and suffering.

He dearly loves those who seek to live in obedience to Him and to His word. The Lord protects those who have been rejected and abandoned by everyone. We’re told in Proverbs Chapter 20 that many claim to have unfailing love for us, but it is difficult to find one who is faithful. No one may truly care about us, but the Lord deeply cares for us.

He is the God of Zion to all generations, so cry out with all that is within you. Shout Hallelujah! Praise the Lord, because if we truly know God then it will result in high-pitched praise to Him. Our only hope is in Him, Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

In Psalm 142, we come to a time in the life of King David when he was reflecting upon a time when he was relentlessly being pursued by his enemies. It was a time when he had been abandoned by his closest friends and perhaps even by his own family. David found himself hiding in the caves and caverns in the wilderness in isolation and desolation. It was a time of disappointment. He was alone, except for the presence of God.

This Psalm has been written for our instruction, our encouragement, and our benefit. It has been written as an example for us to follow. It displays how we are to pray in our times of loneliness and despair, and even of betrayal. It is a reminder of what is essential for us to remember, and what brings results. David wrote this Psalm from his own personal experiences that remained etched into his mind and heart for years to come.

What the enemy intended to use for evil against him, God used for good. David knew that in the solitude of those caves, in the darkness of his situation, he was not really alone because the Lord was with him. He focused on God and cried out with a voice that only He and David could hear. As his voice echoed and resonated throughout the walls of that cavern in the darkness, he pleaded with God for His compassion so that he could stand firmly and confidently.

Even though the Lord knew his thoughts and fears, and even though He saw David’s wounds, still, with heart-felt cries, he declared his trouble and his affliction openly and honestly before the Lord. He expressed in words the pain that was deep within his soul.

While some people show indifference or contempt for us in our pain and suffering, and others might show sympathy and compassion, only the Lord can help us in the end. Only He can bring results at the right time and in the right way. So we pray, not so much so that He might hear us or see us, because He always hears and sees us, but so that we might see Him act with mercy, and compassion, and grace towards us in response to our prayers.

David tells us that the threats to his life weighed down on him so much that he felt as if he was about to suffocate. He was confused and overwhelmed. The burden of his oppression was almost too much for him to bear. At that point he was not even sure of the path that he should follow, so he looked away from his problems and looked to God. God knew that his enemies had hidden a trap for him. The only thing David could see was danger all around him.

There were some who said that they cared for David, but they were not there to help him. No one who really understood his situation could or would come to his defense. Maybe some did not want to identify themselves with him for fear that they too would be forced to flee from the city of Jerusalem.

There was no escape for him, so where could he go for help? He was at the end of his rope. The Lord was his only refuge and his confidence, so like a child, he cried out for God to pay attention to his feeble attempts to articulate what was in his heart. He asked to be rescued from those who were hunting him down like an animal. David was weak, and they were strong, but they were not stronger than the Lord.

David trusted in God to bring his soul out of exile in the wilderness, so that he might give thanks to His holy name among His people once again. God answered his prayers so that those who seek to live for Him could surround David and rejoice with songs of thanksgiving and deliverance. They could see that it was God and God alone who dealt bountifully and graciously with him.

This Psalm is our prayer as well. Sometimes we are called upon to stand alone as a testimony to our Savior. But like David, we are not really alone as we stand in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

One of the more unsettling experiences in the life of a believer is when we become the target of lies and slander, when we are unjustly accused of things that we didn’t say or do, or of impure motives for what we have said or done. What can be even more unsettling is that these accusations reflect upon our Lord and Savior since we belong to Him. Sometimes no matter what we say or do, the tension continues to rise as those malicious claims are believed by others and spread like wildfire.

As we read Psalm 120, we find the psalmist in the midst of this type of situation. He gives us the path that we are to follow when we are confronted with false accusations. We need to bring that situation to the Lord in prayer and place it in His hands, and leave it there, because only there in His hands will we once again experience His peace. Only there will our lives be brought back into balance, even as the stress and strain of the attacks of the enemy of our soul swirl all around us.

When there did not seem to be any solution to his affliction, even when his supposed friends lashed out against him, the psalmist didn’t post a message on social media. He didn’t send out an email to his distribution list or a text to everyone that he knew. Instead he cried out to the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth, because in the end, only He can deal with those who have no honor. Only He can deal with those who have no integrity or shame, with those who have no truth within them.

Though this was not a situation of his choosing, it accomplished one good thing in the life of the psalmist. It drove him closer to the Lord. Our God hears the cries and prayers of His children. He cried out for the Lord to rescue him by His might and by His strength, and by His mercy. He wanted to be snatched away from the grip of his enemies, whose tongues were stained with the blood of the innocent. Even though they flattered with their words, their intentions were only for evil.

What will the outcome be for the men and women who fight with weapons of darkness? Their repayment will be swift and sure. It will be deadly, like the sharp arrows of a warrior, piercing their heart. Their punishment will be like the burning coals of the juniper tree, which retain their heat and their intensity for a long period of time.

The psalmist found himself sojourning as a stranger in his own land. He knew that everyone who was against him belonged to the enemy of his soul. We also, like the psalmist, dwell among unbelievers who blaspheme the name of our Lord everyday by their words and by their lives, those men and women who ridicule us and persecute us.

Sometimes we can grow weary as we experience the shameful slander of unbelievers, and even of those who claim to be believers. Sometimes we struggle as we are influenced by their wicked ways. We struggle with the weakness of our flesh. We struggle with those around us and so we long to fly away in the glory of heaven.

This world is not our home, but it is the place where we are to shine for our Lord. We suffer for the sake of Christ. We suffer for the sake of His name in order to reach those who are lost in their sin. We testify of the salvation that is offered to all of us who will believe. We are under obligation to reach the lost, since we have been rescued ourselves.

It can be exhausting to dwell with those who hate peace, who hate Christ, who hate the Prince of Peace. We are for peace, but they are for war and attack us from every side and in every way. We who know the Lord live with that tension, even as we come to bring the message of peace with God, through the blood of the cross of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Like many of us who belong to the Lord, King David experienced many times in his life when he was relentlessly pursued by the enemies of God. We read about one of those times in Psalm 56 as he describes the waves of fear, and the waves of faith that swept over him at that time. This Psalm gives us a glimpse into the spiritual insight that the Lord gave to David, insight that we need today.

David cried out for the Lord to be gracious to him. Even though he didn’t deserve it, he asked God to show him mercy and to help him in this time of distress. Those who were being led by the enemy of his soul had crushed him under their feet. They sought to tear him to pieces so that he would never rise again. They put pressure on him and were attempting to squeeze the life out of him, just as the enemy of our soul might use people against us, even those who are close to us.

The enemies of David fought without mercy and without fear of God, like a pack of wild animals. But David’s enemies were also the enemies God, and our God is more powerful than all of them. Our God is in the heavens. David turned to the Lord in his weakness, when he was terrified, and found peace in his heart because of God’s faithfulness to him. He trusted that he would be safe in the hands of God. He rested in His integrity and in the promise of His word. David would sing songs of praise, even while he was in the lion’s den, even while he was in the fiery furnace of affliction.

He put his trust and confidence in God alone. He would not be afraid of the attacks of the enemy. After all, what can mere men do to him? His mind and his heart were fixed on God, even while they continued to twist his words into lies, and while all their intentions were against him for evil. David knew that they were waiting to ambush him.

They watched his footsteps as they followed close behind him, like hunters who stalk their prey. They were waiting for the right opportunity to take his life, because of the wickedness that was in their heart. So David cried out again, for the Lord to trample upon them in His anger because they had no regard for Him or His word.

In reality, they were waiting for their own destruction. They were waiting for their own blood, just as many do today. The Lord has stretched forth His hand in love, offering salvation to the people of this world. But many have refused Him, and so they will reap the whirlwind of His wrath.

The Lord sees all things, and He knows all things, so David knew the Lord kept an account of his difficulties. God had collected David’s flood of tears in a wineskin. The Lord keeps the number of our tears recorded on a scroll in heaven. He knows every detail of our life. He is God Almighty. Though we do not always see how the Lord is moving in our lives, He is still moving for our good and for His glory.

The psalmist knew that all of his enemies would turn back and run away when he cried out to God. He knew that God was for him, so no one could stand against him. He stood on the solid rock of His word. He stood on the Judge of all the earth, whose word he praised. He put his trust in the God of all mercy.

The promises of God are sure. They do not change. We can take God at His word. We owe Him our very lives. We must not forget His mercy towards us. In full agreement with the psalmist, we cry out to the Lord, we will repay Him with songs of thanksgiving, for He has delivered our soul from death. Indeed, He has delivered our feet from stumbling, so that we might walk before Him and devote our lives to the glory of His name, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

In many languages, words can have different meanings depending upon the time in which we live. For example, if we say that someone is well-preserved, we are saying that over the years that person shows a minimal amount of aging despite the years that they have been on this earth. If we say that food is well-preserved, we’re saying that it is unspoiled and safe to eat. But in the Old Testament, the Lord often uses the word preserve to say that He is defending someone and protecting that person from harm.

That is how the psalmist David used that word in Psalm 140, where he was in a very difficult and dangerous situation, with many people who were stirring up hatred all around him. The Lord was preserving him and keeping him from being destroyed by his enemies.

David turned to the Lord in his distress and asked to be delivered from the fierce, unrelenting attacks against him by ungodly men who sought to destroy him just because he belonged to God. Even though his defeat seemed to be imminent, he looked to God. David knew that He would give him victory over his enemies. Those who are ungodly seem to continually stir up confrontations and disagreements, designed to do the most harm to the children of God.

Our enemies are like an army, who are totally committed to achieve their objectives. They sharpen their tongues and twist the truth, and with stinging effectiveness they lash out with words that are like the fangs of a serpent. They attack with the venom of a viper under their lips, causing us pain and sorrow by their slander.

Let us reflect on those words for a moment. Are we guilty of that kind of behavior and of that kind of hatred that inflicts pain and suffering on others?

Sometimes the attacks against us are subtle. Sometimes they are obvious and come in like a flood. At other times, only the Lord can see the evil that is in the hearts and in the minds of those who seek to destroy us.

Those who exalted themselves had secretly hidden a trap for David, so that without warning, he might fall into it and be held captive by their lies. They spread a net for him near his friends. They set traps with bait that were designed to entice him. They were ready to distort his words and question his motives, to condemn his actions, to flatter him, to deceive him and to deceive others concerning him.

We need to be on guard for the same attacks, and to turn to the Lord for help, and to turn to the Lord for wisdom. David acknowledged that the Lord was his God and his master. His hope was in God alone. He knew the Lord was the strength of his salvation and his deliverance. His victory would come through God alone.

David remembered that the Lord had covered him with a shield of protection in the past. He asked for God to stop his enemies in their tracks so that they might not be exalted in triumph in their sin, and become even more confident and arrogant in their ungodly ways.

Consider the God whom we serve. He will not allow the ungodly to go any further than He decides they should go. And what He allows in our lives is in the end, for our good, for our growth, for our correction, for our direction, and for His glory.

So, David prayed that the unjust words of their lips would overwhelm them, that they be cast into the fire that they have kindled, into the deep pits of their own making from which they cannot rise again. May the slanderer whose tongue torments the people of God on this earth not be established and give the impression that their words are reliable and true.

David was confident that the Lord would maintain the just cause of the afflicted, for He was their defender. He would vindicate them from their enemies’ lies and bring justice for the poor. God will slay the wicked and save the oppressed people who belong to Him. This is the confidence that we have in Christ.

Along with David, the righteous in Christ will give thanks to His holy name. The upright in heart will dwell in His presence forever, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

We are not left on our own to understand who the psalmist David is speaking of in Psalm 16. He speaks of himself, and speaks of those who belong to the Lord, and of those who have rejected Him. But in Acts Chapter 2 we are told that this Psalm also speaks of the resurrection of our Messiah, Jesus, from the dead. It is a Psalm of prayer that Jesus might have lifted up to His Father in heaven just hours before He was crucified.

The Psalm begins by reminding us that God is our preserver and our protector, a promise that was made to the Messiah by God the Father in Isaiah Chapter 49, where it says that God would keep and preserve Him. And through Him, God would bring salvation to the ends of the earth.

Just as Jesus was preserved, God also preserves and protects those of us who belong to the Father. We can take refuge in the Mighty One, the One with all power. We can put all of our trust in His strength and find shelter in the shadow of His wings.

The Messiah declared to God the Father, that He was His Lord and His Master. He submitted to His Father to accomplish what was needed in order to secure the salvation of those whom God had given to Him. In the same way, we must also submit to the Father. Our sufficiency is found in Him alone. As we are told in Psalm 73:25, “Whom have I in heaven except You, and besides You I desire nothing on earth.”

As for the godly ones who are on this earth, they are the majestic ones, the glorious ones, in whom is all of His delight. And now, from the glory of heaven, Christ Jesus intercedes for us. He speaks with God the Father on our behalf since we are now clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

We might be persecuted and ridiculed by the people on this earth for now, but someday we will have everlasting joy, joy without measure and without end. And we will live with Him in the glory of heaven forever. That is our future and our hope. That is what we are assured of because of the suffering of Christ.

But in contrast to those who belong to Jesus, there are those who are in rebellion against Him. The fact is they are all around us. There are those who worship and value anything and everything except Jesus. In their greed they have run after fame and fortune, self-satisfaction, and many other gods. The Messiah will not accept their worship, because it is not true worship. It is poison on their lips. Neither will He take their names upon His lips, but instead He will say to them, “I never knew you. Depart from Me, you who act wickedly, and who disobey my commands.”

Even in His suffering for us the Messiah declared that God is the portion of His inheritance. God was His cup that was full and overflowing with blessing, though for the moment it was filled with suffering. God Almighty sustained Him. God had orchestrated every detail of the Messiah’s life on this earth.

In obedience to the will of His Father in heaven, the Messiah affirmed His trust in Him and believed that the path of His life and His heritage was beautiful, even in His suffering. His future looked bright. He delighted to do His Father’s will, so all that He spoke and all that He was came from the Father.

Jesus confidently and continually set God Almighty before Him. He would not be shaken. God would sustain Him. Therefore, His very being rejoiced in God, His Savior. He would rise from the grave and be seated by His Father in heaven. He would not be abandoned in the place of the dead. Death could not hold Him in its grip. And because our Savior lives, we who belong to Him will live with Him forever. He is the first born from the dead. He is the One who leads the way.

The Lord God Almighty will open up and make known to us the path of life, the way back from death to life, the only way to eternal life. And in His presence there is an overwhelming abundance of joy and gladness. There is joy without measure, joy without end. Amen.

The dictionary defines the word servant as someone who is set apart and devoted to someone or something. Though we may believe that we are free, the fact is that we are all servants to that someone or something. Some serve themselves, while others serve those who exercise authority over them. Some serve their passions, and some serve their desires or their addictions, while still others serve their families or their friends. Some even serve their religion.

But in the Bible, in Romans Chapter 6, we are told that we are all servants of sin. We are all slaves of unrighteousness until we come to Jesus Christ for the salvation of our soul. We read in Galatians Chapter 6 that after we come to Christ, we become His bondservants. We are to serve Him.

In the title of Psalm 36, the psalmist David is called the servant of the Lord. In this Psalm he compares and contrasts those who are the servants of the enemy with those who are the servants of God.

David tells us that rebellion against God speaks to the ungodly, deep within his soul. Although he hears God’s voice, he measures what is right by his own standards of behavior and not by the standards of God, so he rejects what God has to say to him in His word. He does not want to be brought under the authority of his creator. He has no concern that he might be displeasing to the Lord.

Even though God sees everything that we do and He knows our every thought and desire, those who do not belong to the Lord live as if they are not accountable to Him. And so, an unrighteous attitude and behavior are the result of their rebellion, with no fear of the eternal consequences of their sin.

The psalmist tells us that the ungodly man is blind to the truth concerning himself. He doesn’t see that he is full of deception, full of lies, and that he has ceased to be wise. He doesn’t see himself for the way that he really is because he has no understanding. He has no desire to please God, so he ceases to do what is good before the Lord.

The ungodly man plans a course of action while he is lying down at night, so instead of rest and prayer, his bed becomes a place of poisonous intentions. And so he persistently sets himself upon a path that is against God. In his heart he does not reject evil, but instead he embraces it, thinking that his actions are justified.

In contrast to the wicked, the servant of God seeks to honor the Lord and lift up his voice in praise to Him. He sings praises of His lovingkindness and mercy, His unchanging love that extends to the heavens. He glories in His faithfulness that reaches to the skies. God never falters. He never fails.

The justice of the Lord is solid like the mountains. It is dependable and immovable. The winds of wickedness cannot alter the truth of His word. His judgements, how we are to live before Him, are like the great depths of the oceans. They are beyond our ability to fully comprehend, but by faith we trust in Him. He cares for all the creatures on this earth, even their very next breath.

His lovingkindness is more valuable than silver or gold. We take refuge in the shadow of His wings, where He protects us like a mother hen protects her young. Those who put their trust in Him will drink their fill and feast in the abundance of His house in the glory of heaven. He will give them to drink from the river of His delight. Like in the Garden of Eden, we will dwell in never ending joy in heaven. Being with the Lord is the fountain of life.

Let not the pride and arrogance from others or even from within ourselves come upon us, and let not the hand of the wicked drive us away from God. The doers of iniquity will fall to the ground because of their sin and never rise again. The defeat of those who have rejected the salvation that is found in Jesus Christ will be final. It will be fatal. While all those who trust in the Lord will rejoice with Him in the glory of heaven forever, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Perhaps it was while King David was in the southern part of Judah, while being hunted down by his enemies and he didn’t know if he would live to see another day that he wrote down some of his thoughts and prayers in songs of praise to the Lord. Some of those hymns can be found in the Bible in what we know today as the Psalms. And though David was in the wilderness, there was no wilderness in his heart, for the wilderness that was all around him had become a place of worship for him.

Even when we feel alone and abandoned by everyone, even when those who we loved and trusted have abandoned us, even when our enemies are all around us, we are never really alone if we belong to the Lord. We are never really in the wilderness.

Times of adversity and solitude can become an opportunity for us to draw closer to the Lord as He stands with us through it all. Psalm 63 reflects on one of those times. David begins this Psalm by acknowledging that the Lord God Almighty was his God, and that he belonged to Him. He had no one else that He could count on except for Him, so He would seek Him eagerly.

Even as David opened his eyes early in the morning before the pressures of the day began to attempt to consume him, he would bow down before God and praise His holy name. He had an unquenchable thirst for God and God alone. His flesh longed for Him in that dry and weary land where there was no water for his soul. The Lord sustained him in the same way that water sustained his health and well-being.

He remembered the times, when by faith, he looked upon God in His holy sanctuary in Jerusalem. Even beyond the ceremonies, he was aware of His power and glory. One of our greatest losses in this day and age is that we thirst for many things, but we thirst very little for the things of the Lord, for the living God. We thirst very little for His presence and for His glory.

The psalmist said that His lovingkindness, His mercy, and His unchanging love towards him were more precious to him than life itself. Acts 17:28 tells us that in Him we live and move and exist. Without Christ, we will find ourselves in the wilderness, in the shadow of death.

But the psalmist declared that by his words and his life he would praise the Lord. And even thinking of his death, he would still continually kneel before the Lord and bless His holy name in adoration of Him for as long as he lived. David knew God was good and would always do what was good. He was satisfied with an abundance of blessings from the Lord.

David even remembered the Lord as he lay awake on his bed meditating upon Him in the quietness of the night watches with a sacred song in his heart, just like those in Jerusalem who kept watch in the temple throughout the night. In those hours of solitude, he recounted the numerous times when God had been his support and deliverance. Even while in the wilderness, he remained under the protection of the shadow of His wings. He knew that His hand of power would never let go of him. The source of our strength and our stability is the strength of God, the strength of Christ within us.

The mouths of those who speak lies and deception and who lead people astray will be silenced and held fast in the true wilderness, where they will become food for animals. They will go down into the depths of the earth to the place of the dead, delivered over to death by the power of the sword, in the wilderness of judgement in a lake of fire, forever without hope, without God.

King David concluded that he would rejoice and be glad in God alone, and that everyone who submits to God would flourish and sing praises to Him forever. Perhaps it is time for you to get more serious about your relationship with the Lord. It is time for you to come to Christ for the salvation of your soul before it is too late, and you find yourself in the true wilderness forever. Amen.

In Psalm 74, the psalmist cried out to God because of the misery that had come upon him just because he belonged to the Lord. The pressure of that situation became too much for him to bear and he felt as if God had abandoned him and his people. But he called upon the Lord to remember those who belong to Him and to rescue them, because they were just like helpless sheep among ravenous wolves.

At that time, the people of God who once sang songs of praise were no longer singing those songs. There were godless men who polluted the purity of the worship of the one true God. Those men deceived the people and defiled the name of the Lord because their hearts were far from Him.

The psalmist asked the Lord how long his enemies who blasphemed His holy name would prevail, before the children of Israel would be vindicated. He wanted God to show them how foolish they were to rise up against Him.

We see God’s answer in Psalm 75 where the psalmist gave thanks to the Lord God Almighty. He acknowledged that it was God alone who delivered them from their enemies. His heart was overflowing with gratitude, for His name was near to them. In God’s infinite goodness and in His lovingkindness, He was strengthening them in their darkest hour. We are reminded in Psalm 46 that God is our refuge and our strength. Men and woman who truly know the Lord can testify to His wondrous works in their lives.

God responded to the psalmist’s thankful heart and said that everything in this world had an appointed time, just at it says in Ecclesiastes Chapter 3, that there is an appointed time for everything under heaven. So when the time is right, God will bring forth the appointed time of deliverance. We are not at the mercy of ungodly men and woman. We are still in His hands. It is God who judges the people of this world according to what is right and what is good. Though it may not seem like it while everything is falling apart around us, all things are unfolding according to His divine plan.

It was the Lord who firmly set the pillars of the earth in place. It is He who sustains us so that we can weather the storms of life that threaten to drag us down and keep us down. We should pause and reflect on this for a moment. We can rest in the Lord, in His strength.

The Lord warns those who ignore His words not to foolishly boast in themselves, for they are just men and are only one breath away from eternity. He warns them not to rely on their strength or their good looks, or their power, or their bank account, or even in their abilities… in their arrogance. He tells them not to speak and assert themselves with pride, for true exaltation comes from God alone. God alone is the judge over all things. He reduces one man, one nation, and He exalts another man, another nation, for all power belongs to Him alone.

As we well know, we must face consequences for our actions and for our decisions. The ungodly have freely drunk their fill from the cup of their sin, but they will drink from the cup that is in the hand of the Lord, the cup of His wrath. And in that cup the wine bubbles up and overflows with His anger. It has been prepared and it is ready. The Lord God Himself pours out His anger and justice from that cup, and surely, all of the wicked on this earth will drink it down to the bottom.

The warning is clear. There will be bitterness and there will be heartbreak forever for those who reject the Lord. But the psalmist declared his obedience to the Lord. He chose to magnify Him forever and sing praises to the God of Jacob who delivered him from his afflictions. All of the power and might of the wicked will be cut off and broken into pieces, but the power and might of the righteousness will be lifted up and exalted by Him. So take heart and take courage. Eternal bitterness is theirs, but eternal blessing is ours, in Christ Jesus our Lord, forever. Amen.

The bow and arrow has been around throughout the course of history. We are told that some bows with a high draw weight are capable of shooting arrows at speeds of up to about 400 feet per second, around 150-200 miles per hour. So at the time that the Psalms were written it’s not difficult to understand why the bow and arrow was one of the weapons of choice for serious warriors.

Psalm 64 pictures two confrontations with a bow and arrow. The first confrontation was between the wicked and the righteous. In this battle, the psalmist David was opposed by a multitude of enemies. He had no arrows, but his enemies apparently had a quiver full of them. Although he didn’t have arrows, David did have two secret weapons. He had the Word of God and he had prayer, so he spoke to the Lord and clung to the promises of God. This is the same God in whom we are able to stand.

The second confrontation was between God and the wicked. In this battle, God Himself confronted the wicked, but He only needed one arrow to defeat them, the arrow of truth in the Word of God. The lies from the enemies of God will always be brought down by the truth.

David expressed his thoughts and his attention to God Almighty. Prayer was David’s weapon against the lies of the enemy, prayer that was in line with the Word of God. Prayer is a powerful arrow in our quiver and a powerful resource in our defense against the enemy. We are reminded in the sixth chapter of Ephesians to pray at all times with the power of the Spirit of God.

So David asked the Lord to protect him from terror and panic from those who sharpened their tongue with words that cut deeply like a knife. He asked to be hidden from the secret counsel of evildoers as they plotted together against him with plans that only God could see. By faith, he placed himself in God’s hands.

The enemies of David aimed their bitter words in their fierceness like poisonous arrows as they bent their bow to shoot insults and sarcasm with lies, in order to inflict anguish and pain. They were waiting to ambush those who were innocent and unsuspecting from the concealment of their hiding places.

Without warning and without mercy, our enemies shoot at us without fear of God or man. They strengthen themselves for their evil purpose. They talk to each other and secretly set snares, attempting to trap those who belong to the Lord. They want the people of God to become discouraged and give up. Many who belong to the Lord have already given up. Some might be on the verge of giving up today.

David pointed out that those evil people gave the appearance of those who belonged to the Lord. Only God could see who they truly were, that they were weeds among the wheat. They distorted the truth so that what was right appeared to be wrong and what was wrong appeared to be right. They were prepared with a well-conceived plot with a hidden agenda, sharpened by the enemy himself. We are no match for their wickedness on our own.

God Himself will shoot at our enemies with the arrow of truth and mortally wound them without warning. By their own words they will stumble and fall. Their own tongue will be a witness against them, and so by their own weapons, by their lies, and by their wickedness, they will be defeated by the Lord. All who see their defeat will be filled with awe and amazement, and they will acknowledge that it is the work of God, because no one else can do the things that He does.

The sin that was conceived and committed in secret will be exposed and brought to light by God for all to see. Followers of Christ will be glad and rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in Him, for it is He who avenges us. The battle belongs to the Lord.

All who belong to Him will glory and sing praises to God our Savior. This is an encouraging message for those of us who belong to Him. Our enemies will be defeated by the arrow of truth. They will be defeated by Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Like all of us who belong to the Lord, King David had his share of pain and grief because of his faith. Sometimes he fell short as he had his share of sin and failures, and like us, at times the Lord needed to correct David in order to get him back on the right path. As we are reminded in Proverbs Chapter 3 and in Hebrews Chapter 12 that it is only those whom the Lord loves that He disciplines, the same way that a father corrects his children, and those whom God does not discipline are not His children at all.

We who belong to Jesus are the children of God, and as His children, the Lord will only do what is good for us and what will make us more like Him. But let’s face it, sometimes we just don’t see the good through the pain and hardship that the Lord has allowed in our lives.

Sometimes we do not see the hand of our loving heavenly Father working all things in our lives for our good and for His glory. He disciplines us in order to refine us, not to hurt us. He uses a variety of people and circumstances to accomplish that goal, even some very unlikely people and circumstances.

Correction from God can be a rather painful process, but we’re told in Isaiah 63 that He is afflicted in our affliction. He feels the pain that we feel. He grieves over us. Sometimes His correction seems to be more than we can handle, so it is by faith that we submit to Him and trust in our loving heavenly Father.

In Psalm Chapter 6 we find that David was in a similar situation as he was under the weight of the discipline of God. David didn’t question the need for his correction and he didn’t question the value of that correction, but he was concerned that he would not be able to survive the intensity of the correction of a holy God who is all-powerful and all-consuming.

David asked the Lord to not correct him in the heat of His anger and crush him in His fury. He asked for discipline with a rod of correction rather than a sword of destruction. He pleaded for God to be merciful and gracious to him, to show compassion to him. David felt weak, like he was wasting away.

He prayed for the Lord to heal and purify him. He was willing to accept correction from God, but he was terrified. In Ecclesiastes 3 verse 1, we’re told that there is an appointed time for everything under heaven. David wanted to know how long he would need to endure it before God would deliver him.

David knew that he didn’t deserve to be rescued, but he also knew of God’s unchanging love. He was concerned that he was about to die, and in the graveyard there is only silence, for only the living can give thanks and praise to God on the earth. So he cried for the Lord to let him live so that he might glorify His name on the earth.

David was worn out with his grief. The pillow of his bed and his couch were drenched with tears of sorrow. His eyes had become weak and grew dim because of his tears, because of the intensity of his grief. How much more hardship could he endure?

But, despite the hardship, he was certain the Lord would vindicate him. So, David rose from his bed and confidently addressed his enemies and told them to leave him alone, for the Lord God Almighty heard the sound of his weeping. Weeping is a language that needs no translation. It is the language of grief and of suffering for us all.

The Lord heard David’s plea for His favor and accepted his prayer, so there would be victory. There would be rest and peace for David. He concluded this Psalm, this prayer, by asking for his enemies to be covered with the disgrace they deserved, and to be dismayed and ashamed and run for cover.

We pray that those who persecute us will turn away from their wicked ways and turn to Christ for the salvation of their soul before it is too late, before they are greatly dismayed and suddenly ashamed when they experience the wrath of God, forever. Amen.

Like the prophet Jonah, for many of us there have been times in our lives when we have felt like we were in the darkness of the belly of a great fish, and there was no way to escape from the trouble we were in without the Lord’s help. In Psalm 57, we see the psalmist David experiencing one of those times. But at the conclusion of this Psalm, he emerges into the light of day and rejoices and praises God who rescued him even from death and brought him into a place of safety and peace.

The psalmist began this Psalm by asking for God’s mercy and compassion, recognizing that his very breath is in His hands. So even in the intensity of the severity of this situation, he took refuge and found shelter in God. He put his trust in God alone. He knew he would remain safe and secure in the shadow of His wings.

David confidently took refuge in God until the fierceness of the storm passed him by. Someday, the ever-present threats and relentless attacks of the enemy of our soul will cease, and we will remain in the everlasting arms of Jesus, our Savior, forever. This is our hope. This is the promise to those of us who belong to Him.

Our God is high above the heavens, yet He reaches down and takes care of us. God alone accomplishes His divine purpose in our lives for our good and for His glory. He will stretch forth His hand from heaven and save us. He will deliver us from the slander and lies of those who fight against us and seek to swallow us up like a great fish. He discredits our enemies and puts them all to shame.

David cried out to the Lord as he found himself among enemies like ferocious lions who sought to devour him. He was living among the sons of men who did not know God and did not want to know Him, and who did not desire to worship Him. The teeth of those men and women were like spears, whose tongues were like sharp swords. But as it says in Isaiah 54:17, no weapon that has been formed against us will triumph over us, and every tongue that accuses us will be condemned.

In the end the Lord will be exalted above the heavens. Though David’s enemies were just waiting to trap him with their deception, and though he was vulnerable to their attacks, by God’s grace, it was well with his soul. Eventually the enemies of David fell into their own trap. Their evil came back upon them.

David’s heart was steadfast. He was confident of his safety in God. So even in the midst of difficulties, even in the belly of a great fish, even the evil that was ever-present and all around him, still, he sang praises with all that was within him to the everlasting God, making melody in his heart to Him. In every season of his life, he chose to celebrate the goodness of God towards him. Perhaps, it is time for us to stir up that kind of praise to Him as well.

The psalmist determined to let all that was honorable and true, all that was in his mind and heart, to be stirred up in praise to His name. Even for all of the musical instruments to be brought into line with praise to His holy name.

So at the beginning of each day, even before the sun rose, he began with songs of hope, praise, and worship. He testified of the Lord, by giving thanks to Him among His people, and singing praises to Him among the people of the nations of this world.

He spread the glory of His name to the ends of the earth for His mercy and His unchanging love towards us is great. It is deep and wide and beyond measure, even reaching to the heights of the heavens. And His faithfulness reaches even to the clouds, even beyond our understanding.

Let all of heaven and all on earth cry out for the Lord to be exalted above the heavens. Victory and deliverance belong to Him alone, so let His glory be exalted above and beyond all of the earth, even from everlasting to everlasting, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

During the 1940’s and 1950’s a term was coined that we still use today to describe an unexpected and unintentional interruption of an audio or a video signal during a radio or television broadcast. That time of silence is known as dead air. The term has also been used to describe a buildup of carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide in an unventilated room, which could result in unconsciousness or death. Also, this term has even been used to describe an uncomfortable time of silence in a conversation or situation.

In Psalm 28 we find the psalmist experiencing a time of dead air in his life, a time when God was silent and wasn’t answering his prayers. It was an unsettling time for him because his safety and stability depended upon God alone. He pleaded for the Lord to not remain silent, but still felt as if his prayers were going nowhere, driving him deeper and deeper into despair. He was concerned that if the Lord remained silent, then he might become overwhelmed by the sin that was all around him and become like those who do not know the Lord, and disgrace His name.

Many of us know how easily the ungodly in this world can influence us and drive us away from our commitment to the things of the Lord, and many of us are exposed to this influence every day of our lives. We are in danger that our testimony for the Lord might become silenced because we fear the ungodly and tolerate their wickedness and selfishness more than we love the Lord.

The Apostle Paul pointed out in Philippians Chapter 3 that many people walked according to the pattern of this world. Although they professed to belong to the Lord, they were really enemies of the cross of Christ. Their God was the pursuit of their fleshly desires, and their glory was their shame, because they set their mind on the things of this world and not on the things of Christ. We are also told in James Chapter 4 that by our love of the things of this world, we choose to make ourselves enemies of God.

We pray that the Lord would hold onto us and keep us from falling into the ways of the world and becoming entangled in sin, for with Him there is victory over sin. Every morning before we go out into the world, we long to hear His voice as we look to Him in His word and get His perspective on life. The Lord will prepare us for the battles ahead.

The psalmist cried out and lifted his hands towards His holy sanctuary in the glory of heaven and asked the Lord to not drag him away with the ungodly, with those who speak peace and friendship, but in reality, have evil in their hearts.

He asked God to repay the ungodly by giving back to them according to their conduct and according to their practices, by giving them what they deserve. They do not value the works of the Lord or the deeds of His hands. They do not see His goodness, or His wisdom, or His perfection, or His love.

We see in the book of Revelation that angels worship the Lord before the throne of God in heaven day and night in holy fear and in adoration. But the ungodly have no fear of God, and so in the end, He will tear them down like a building that has been condemned, and not build them up again.

After praying, the psalmist knelt before the Lord and cried out, blessing Him, because in his mind and heart he knew that God heard his prayers. He could testify that the Lord is and had always been the strength of his heart and his shield of protection, as well as the strength of all of His people.

Along with the psalmist we ask the Lord to save His people and give them victory over sin. We pray for those who are struggling, that they will be lead through the wilderness of difficulty and gathered into the fold. We ask for Him to unite our hearts through the truth of His word to fear His name. May we shine brightly with the truth in the darkness of this world, until the day that You carry us home to the glory of heaven, forever, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

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