Psalm 92- Faithful Love

 “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praise to your name, Most High, to declare your faithful love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, For you have made me rejoice, Lord, by what you have done; I will shout for joy because of the works of your hands. How magnificent are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts!”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭92‬:‭1‬-‭2‬, ‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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Having spent so much time in nature, Gods creation, this week has made me think about all the other things that God is doing. His love is unshakable and unending, not because of what we do, but it is because of His character.  His blessings are innumerable and His discipline perfect.  He knows perfectly what I need to become more like Jesus.

Lord help me to love you and serve you like You deserve!!!

Psalm 91- Protected

“Because he has his heart set on me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows my name. When he calls out to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will rescue him and give him honor.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭91‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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What a privilege to know that God is my protector, and that He is watching over me.  He doesn’t have to do this or even care about me…but He does.  He loves us!

Psalm 90- Gods Work

 “Satisfy us in the morning with your faithful love so that we may shout with joy and be glad all our days. Make us rejoice for as many days as you have humbled us, for as many years as we have seen adversity. Let your work be seen by your servants, and your splendor by their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us; establish for us the work of our hands — establish the work of our hands!”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭90‬:‭14‬-‭17‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This phrase has been our prayer for the last few months…Lord help us to trust You, even when we don’t see what You are doing.  “Let your work be seen by your servants” is such a  perfect follow on prayer.  

And what a great reminder that God is the only one who can make our efforts matter.  I must leave it all in His hands!

Psalm 89- Discipline Unveiled

 “Happy are the people who know the joyful shout; Lord, they walk in the light from your face. They rejoice in your name all day long, and they are exalted by your righteousness. My hand will always be with him, and my arm will strengthen him. 

If his sons abandon my instruction and do not live by my ordinances, if they dishonor my statutes and do not keep my commands, then I will call their rebellion to account with the rod, their iniquity with blows. But I will not withdraw my faithful love from him or betray my faithfulness.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭89‬:‭15‬-‭16‬, ‭21‬, ‭30‬-‭33‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This psalm was written about David and the kings of Israel, but since God is unchanging, it tells us how God is toward us too!  

Following Jesus leads to joy, peace and blessing…it always has.  If we ignore Him, God finds a way to get our attention…sometimes it is with trials, but most often, He allows us to experience the natural consequences of our choices.  Emotional suffering, loneliness, frustration, anxiety and depression…that is what the discipline of God often looks like.

Lord, help me to follow You and experience your faithful love.  Let my life be flavored by your peace, contentment and delight in You!

Psalm 88- Depression

 “Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out before you day and night. May my prayer reach your presence; listen to my cry. You have put me in the lowest part of the Pit, in the darkest places, in the depths. Your wrath weighs heavily on me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.  Selah 

You have distanced my friends from me; you have made me repulsive to them. I am shut in and cannot go out. My eyes are worn out from crying. Lord, I cry out to you all day long; I spread out my hands to you.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭88‬:‭1‬-‭2‬, ‭6‬-‭9‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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What a sad and heavy psalm…I love how this is in scripture!  Feeling so far from God and feeling like He is the one who is causing our pain seems like something that would be hidden, but it is not!  It is right out in the open, because sometimes, this is how we feel, and God can handle it.

Thankfully, He doesn’t leave us there…He always restores us to relationship and shows Himself to be present, listening, caring and transforming.  He uses even these hard time to shape us into the people He wants us to be.  Most of these periods of depression help us to see ourselves more clearly and know Him more deeply.

Psalm 87- Source of Joy

 “Singers and dancers alike will say, “My whole source of joy is in you.””

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭87‬:‭7‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This is an interesting psalm, it is talking about Jerusalem and how it is the best city.  That sounds really weird to us because cities don’t mean much to us today in America, where they are just a place to live. For Gods people however, Jerusalem (Zion) was the location of God.  He chose to have His temple there and expanded the city by making it victorious in so many ways.

What stood out to me however is that the people were rejoicing because they knew God.  That is how I feel and I wish everyone could experience the unfashionable joy and delight in knowing God intimately.

Psalm 86- Faithful Love

 “Be gracious to me, Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to your servant’s life, because I appeal to you, Lord. For you, Lord, are kind and ready to forgive, abounding in faithful love to all who call on you. Lord, hear my prayer; listen to my cries for mercy. I call on you in the day of my distress, for you will answer me. Lord, there is no one like you among the gods, and there are no works like yours. All the nations you have made will come and bow down before you, Lord, and will honor your name. For you are great and perform wonders; you alone are God. Teach me your way, Lord, and I will live by your truth. Give me an undivided mind to fear your name. I will praise you with all my heart, Lord my God, and will honor your name forever. For your faithful love for me is great, and you rescue my life from the depths of Sheol. But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭86‬:‭3‬-‭13‬, ‭15‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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