This Psalm is a prayer of blessing to the King of all the earth. He has rightful authority. Our hearts burst with gratitude for undeserved kindness. For personal blessing and grace that reaches the nations, we are drawn to praise him more and more.
The blessing of God sought here reminds us of Numbers 6:24-26.
Read More worship, God’s blessingPsalm 69 is a lament. David is in a place of deep desperation. No human strength is left. Crying has left his throat aching and his sight blurred. He is going down for the last time. Yet, in the face of his enemies, he praises His faithful God. In similar moments of despair many have cried out gut-wrenching prayers for God to save them. We stand in the line of the faith-filled who have called upon the Faithful One.
Read More desperation, hope, rejectionThere are times in life when we feel pressed into a corner with no way out. That was the experience of the people of Israel with the Red Sea in front and Pharaoh’s army behind. In those moments there is only one thing to do; scream for help! In Psalm 70 David is pressed by his enemies. His life is hanging by a thread. He needs God’s help, now! David cries to God to rescue him (v 1), to turn the tables on his enemies (vv 2-3), to bless the faithful (v 4) and finally to save him in his needy state (v 5).
Read More desperation, prayer, faith, trialsPsalm 32 addresses the deepest and most severe of human conditions; our sinfulness. We all like sheep, have gone our own way (Isaiah 53:6). We know the painful consequences of our choices. We live as our own gods, rebelling against the rule of our Creator, and our behaviour shows it. All of us, like Adam and Eve, our first parents, attempt to conceal our sinfulness.
Read More sin, mercy, forgivenessDavid was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), but he was a man who also followed after the “lusts of his flesh,” or as we would say, bodily appetites and sexual desire. Psalm 51 is David’s confession after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and was confronted by Nathan the prophet (see 2 Samuel 11:1- 12:25).
Read More prayer, forgiveness, adultery, sex, confessionAs we read the life of David, we are made aware that he was often attacked by his enemies and often on the run for his life. Psalm 86 is David’s prayer in a time of great trial. His violent enemies have conspired to kill him. While many of us may never know this level of threat, still we have times of desperation and can discern much from him. What do we do when we are hard pressed, threatened or under attack?
Read More strength, weakness, refuge, dependenceI have to go. I should go. I want to go. I can’t wait to go. Which of these phrases best describe your attitude towards your worship gathering? For David it was, “I can’t wait!” You can hear his overflowing joy for corporate worship. He exclaims, “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem (Psalm 122:1-2)!”
Read More worship, expectationWe enter into a song in a deeper way when we know the story behind the song. King David wrote this song when he fled from his son Absalom (see 2 Samuel chapters15-18). One author calls this a “morning song of one in distress, but confident in God.” We might call this song our calm in the storm. Are you in stormy season? If so, learn to experience God’s peace through this psalm.
It was a painful chapter in David’s life involving his son’s rebellion, a political coup, and ultimately the death of Absalom.
Read More crisis, trust, distress, faithNighttime can be difficult time for many people. At night we are more susceptible to anxieties and worries. Some suffer insomnia because of the unbearable weight of burdens. Others wake up in the middle of the night finding themselves in a vicious fight with fearful thoughts. The night can confront us with threats that scare us or situations that overwhelm us. We must fight with these anxious thoughts on our own or trust the Lord to come to our rescue.
Read More protection, safety, peace, rest, sleepEver feel out of step with the world? You should. We are counter-cultural people. Our citizenship is in heaven. As such it can feel like we are swimming against the current. David laments this fact when he cries out to the Lord in Psalm 12:1, “Please help me, Lord! All who were faithful and all who were loyal have disappeared.”
In our culture talk is cheap.
Read More faithfulness, word of God, counter-culture