Psalm 41- Powerful Peace Balm

 ”But you, Lord, be gracious to me and raise me up; then I will repay them. By this I know that you delight in me: my enemy does not shout in triumph over me. You supported me because of my integrity and set me in your presence forever. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and amen.“

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭41‬:‭10‬-‭13‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This Psalm is hard to read because David has someone or a group of people who don’t want good things for him.  They seem to be ganging up on him and David is feeling discouraged…so he turns to the Lord.

David’s confidence in the Lord is obvious in the last few verses.  He is reminding himself of truth, while he is experiencing unfair treatment, or at least anxiety about things out of his control.  This is something that I must do at times as well!  Remember all the ways God has blessed me, and what He thinks about me and most importantly who He is.  Being with Him drives away all fear, anxiety and fear…His presence is a powerful peace balm!

Lord, help me to run to You at all times.  I need to experience You for comfort rather than be distracted.  I want to run to You at the first sign of fear or joy. God I love You and am so thankful that You desire to be with me and even invite me to be with You!

Psalm 40- Unending Love

 ”How happy is anyone who has put his trust in the Lord and has not turned to the proud or to those who run after lies! Lord my God, you have done many things — your wondrous works and your plans for us; none can compare with you. If I were to report and speak of them, they are more than can be told.“

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭40‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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Many may consider this an exaggeration as David is proclaiming how incredible God is.  Some may think this is because God protects them from facing hard times, but the reality is, God walks with us through the inevitable trials.  He rescues us from terrible lies and reminds us of the truth.  There is no inflation of truth, rather God is better than can be described.

Lord, You are eternally faithful through every season and demonstrate Your love for me in a million different ways. Reminds me of who You are, even in the worst circumstances.  Help me to live like this passage is true and I pray the my life would point everyone back to You !

Psalm 39- Freedom to Choose

 ”“Now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you. Rescue me from all my transgressions; do not make me the taunt of fools. I am speechless; I do not open my mouth because of what you have done.“

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭39‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This Psalm is talking about how short life actually is.  That is truly a perspective that is most relevant as you get older.  These three verses David is speechless because of what God has done for him.  David understands fully that only God can remove his sin.  Only God can give real hope.

Lord, you are so good to me!  You have pulled me out of sin where I had only the ability to choose what sin to accomplish next.  You gave me a life of freedom and for the first time the ability to choose to say “no” to sin.  By Your Spirit, You have given me the power to opt for righteousness rather than sin…right over wrong.  Without You, I don’t have a choice!

Lord, let me choose righteousness more often today, than I did yesterday.  Let me be transformed by Your strength, by Your power.  Let me love you intensely and let everyone see Your love in me…

Psalm 38- Self Inflicted Hopelessness

 ”Lord, do not punish me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has pressed down on me. 

For my iniquities have flooded over my head; they are a burden too heavy for me to bear. 

For I put my hope in you, Lord; you will answer me, my Lord, my God.“

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭38‬:‭1‬-‭2‬, ‭4‬, ‭15‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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In this Psalm David is remembering a time where he was overwhelmed by the intensity of his own sin.  He is recognizing just how impactful his sin was in his own life and likely to other people.  He is giving God credit for bringing him to this place of understanding, but he also sees that God is the only one who can help him.

I have felt this same way and this whole Psalm ministered deeply to me.  I had no idea how much pride was woven throughout my life and the way it impacted other people.  Foolishly, I was blind to it, and I had no one or nothing else to blame…this Psalm comforted me, because I knew other people have felt the same way, but also it helped me to stay focused on the One who could change me.

Lord, these Psalms seem hard to relate to, until they align with our experience.  Thank you for writing this as part of scripture so that we can see You working even in the hardest places of our life or the most hopeless scenarios.  Even if it is our fault, You still have compassion and a way of escape.  Help me to trust You always, even when You are the only hope.

Psalm 37- Person of Peace

 ”A person’s steps are established by the Lord, and he takes pleasure in his way. Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, because the Lord supports him with his hand. Watch the blameless and observe the upright, for the person of peace will have a future. But transgressors will all be eliminated; the future of the wicked will be destroyed.“

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37‬:‭23‬-‭24‬, ‭37‬-‭38‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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Gods provision is discussed over and over in this Psalm.  The frustration of how people who reject the Lord are sometimes successful and it seems like they get away with their sinful behavior.  That can be confusing for the one who is sacrificing daily to follow the Lord.  Gods protection and guidance for His people is clear.

What stands out to me is the statement about the person of peace…what is meant by the person of peace?  I love this name because how they live their life is their nickname.  This person is at peace with everyone around them.  They are not often stirred up by their circumstances or by the trials of life.  They live confidently in every decision and rest in Gods promises.  I don’t know about you, but that sounds amazing!

Lord, You tell us that You will produce in us most of these qualities as we depend on the Spirit.  Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness and self control.  If I live this way, I will definitely be know as a man of peace.  Give me the strength to surrender to You so that I can produce these qualities and exude peace in every area of life!

Psalm 36- Wrong God?

 ”Lord, your faithful love reaches to heaven, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your judgments like the deepest sea. Lord, you preserve people and animals. How priceless your faithful love is, God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They are filled from the abundance of your house. You let them drink from your refreshing stream. For the wellspring of life is with you. By means of your light we see light.“

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭36‬:‭5‬-‭9‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This Psalm is powerful at comparing the one who is perusing self, while the other is looking at who God is.  This section is taken from the description of God…What an incredible visual description of who God is:

”Lord, your faithful love reaches to heaven, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your judgments like the deepest sea. Lord, you preserve people and animals. How priceless your faithful love is, God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They are filled from the abundance of your house. You let them drink from your refreshing stream. For the wellspring of life is with you. By means of your light we see light.“

‭‭If this doesn’t sound like the God you are following, you need to realize that you are not following the God of the Bible.

Lord, help me to worship You because You are amazing!  Highlight for me when I have wrong beliefs about You, and remind me of the truth.  You are so good, we don’t deserve Your love…yet You give it to us.  I surrender to You!!!

Psalm 35- Devine Protection

 ”Let those who want my vindication shout for joy and be glad; let them continually say, “The Lord be exalted. He takes pleasure in his servant’s well-being.” And my tongue will proclaim your righteousness, your praise all day long.“

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭35‬:‭27‬-‭28‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This Psalm is from David and is full of requests that God would save him from his enemies that are trying to kill him.  For David this was actually his son attempting to Kill him and take his kingdom, or possibly Saul trying to kill his so that he wouldn’t take over as king.  He had a rough life with all kinds of turmoil cause by his own sin or others…

Thankfully, I don’t know of anyone trying to kill me physically…but I know the enemy is working to assassinate my character and drag me into sin.  I know my flesh is working to lure me into pursuing selfish desires.  And I feel the worlds pull to conform to its ways.  Everywhere I turn, destruction is lurking, ready to pull me into the darkness….

Lord, thank you for caring about me and desiring what is good for me.  What a blessing to know that you actually take pleasure in protecting me and giving me what is best…not just the least necessary for me to get by.  You have blessed me immeasurably and continue to protect me.  I echo David and praise you with every step, all day long.