Psalm 85- Rejection Correction

 “You forgave your people’s guilt; you covered all their sin.    Selah 

Will you not revive us again so that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your faithful love, Lord, and give us your salvation. I will listen to what God will say; surely the Lord will declare peace to his people, his faithful ones, and not let them go back to foolish ways.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭85‬:‭2‬, ‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This Psalm is seeking God for a blessing…they are remembering all the ways that God has worked in the past which is encouraging because He has always been faithful, caring and loving.  They desire to be saved from the separation and silence of life which was caused by their own rejection of God.  Not rejection outright, but an ignoring Him and what He desired from them.

Lord, help me to see the ways I have ignored You.  Bring to memory the ways I have run ahead of You and done things my way.  Allow me to recognize when I reject You so that I can repent and run back to You.  In Your presence is the only place I want to be, because it is full of blessing, peace and contentment.

Psalm 84- Gods Presence

 “I long and yearn for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh cry out for the living God. Better a day in your courts than a thousand anywhere else. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than live in the tents of wicked people. For the Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord grants favor and honor; he does not withhold the good from those who live with integrity. Happy is the person who trusts in you, Lord of Armies!”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭84‬:‭2‬, ‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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I wish that I had spent my whole life understanding this truth, but so many times I was drawn away to other things to experience disappointment.  Real, lasting and incomparable happiness is found only in Gods presence…I am so thankful that He loves me and sent Jesus so that I can experience Him every day..

Psalm 83- Seek Him

 “Make them like tumbleweed, my God, like straw before the wind. As fire burns a forest, as a flame blazes through mountains, so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm. Cover their faces with shame so that they will seek your name, Lord. May they know that you alone — whose name is the Lord  — are the Most High over the whole earth.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭83‬:‭13‬-‭16‬, ‭18‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This Psalm was written specifically about the enemies of Gods people.  They were acting wickedly and this prayer was intended to make them stop.  That God would get control of them.  I would expect it to be filled with hatred and a desire for their destruction…and I guess there is a little of that…but then it surprises with their ultimate goal: that they would seek the Lord.  

I think that should always be the ultimate goal…everyone is better when you follow Jesus.  Even people who are mostly good, or those who know how to do kind things…they are still far from how amazing they could be if they were obeying God.

Lord, help me to follow You in every thought, action and motivation.  Show me the way to live around those who need You that causes them to seek You themselves.

Psalm 82- Weak Protected

 “Provide justice for the needy and the fatherless; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. Rescue the poor and needy; save them from the power of the wicked.” They do not know or understand; they wander in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are shaken.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭82‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This Psalm is a defense of the needy against those who are treating them unfairly.  The evil rulers are taking advantage of people who cannot defend themselves…God is wanting to protect them.  God knows that everyone who is following their own way is to be pitied because they are blind and foolish.

Lord, show me how to protect, defend and love those who are unaware of their standing with You.  Give me compassion to patiently point them to You and have the right words that will not offend or demean.  I pray that my words and actions would be attractive so that they desire to know You more.

Psalm 81- Never Forced

 “I am the Lord  your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

“But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel did not obey me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own plans. If only my people would listen to me and Israel would follow my ways, [I] would feed Israel with the best wheat. “I would satisfy you with honey from the rock.””

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭81‬:‭10‬-‭13‬, ‭16‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This Psalm is a demonstration of Gods heart.  He wants to bless His people, but so often we are not listening to what He tells us.  We want the blessing of being His children, but also want to live our own way, make our own rules.

And God is amazing because He could force us to follow Him…but He never does…He wants us to choose to follow Him.  I believe He does this because He is confident in where our own path will lead: destruction, misery, pain and sadness.  Our plans always lead there…it may take months, years or even decades, but the destination is sure when we follow our own plan.

Lord, help me to see your blessings, allow me to confidently follow You even when it takes self sacrifice and patience.  You continue to bless me and enjoy knowing You, even though I often fail to follow you perfectly.  You are gracious, patient, loving and kind…what a blessing to know You!

Psalm 80- Save Me

 “Restore us, God; make your face shine on us, so that we may be saved. Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name. Restore us, Lord, God of Armies; make your face shine on us, so that we may be saved.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭80‬:‭3‬, ‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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It is interesting to note that their salvation is fully dependent on God working in them.  It is not just a simple choice on their part.  The Israelites want to be changed, this psalm is begging God to change them and save them…but they recognize that God is the one who will do the work.

Lord, I need you to continue doing that work in me. It is easy to see, by the work of Your Spirit while I read Your Word, where I still fall short of Your standards.  And I need You to save me from myself... I need You Lord God to continue to chip away at all those areas where I tend toward selfishness and don’t consider other people as more important than myself.  

I want every part of my life to point to You, Jesus!  I need You to save me…

Psalm 79- Storyteller

 “God of our salvation, help us, for the glory of your name. Rescue us and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake. Then we, your people, the sheep of your pasture, will thank you forever; we will declare your praise to generation after generation.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭79‬:‭9‬, ‭13‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This prayer was written well before Christ came, but Jesus was the actual answer to it.  Those who know the salvation of God will talk about it and continue to tell the next generation.

God help me to know how best to share Your marvelous works with the people around me.  I pray that my life and my words would highlight who You are!