Focus before you read. . .
Who is responsible for passing the good news of the gospel to the next generation? Is it a collective (corporate) responsibility or individual?
As you read. . .
“O my people, hear my teaching…We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done…he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God”
Prayer after reading. . .
Lord, help me honor this command to tell the next generation of your deeds, power, and wonders. Through the Holy Spirit alive in me, direct me to opportunities to show and tell of your love for the children you put in my path today.
Focus before you read. . .
Some of the toughest spiritual battles we face involve loneliness. The devil would like to turn our thoughts totally upon ourselves and away from God’s powerful deliverance through an overwhelming sense of isolation. I love the relevance of scripture to our human experience. For example, when describing Satan’s tempting of Jesus, the scriptures are careful to point out the isolation Jesus experienced in the wilderness immediately preceding his test. In Psalms, 77 David was clearly feeling isolated, separated, maybe even forgotten by God.
Questions to ask as you read. . .
What important decision did David make in the midst of his FEELINGS of loneliness and isolation?
77:7-12 “Then I thought…I will remember the deeds of the Lord…I will meditate on all your words”. Jesus, likewise, remembered the words of the God and quoted scripture to counter Satan’s temptations.
Prayer after reading:
Lord, when I FEEL lonely and isolated in the trial, empower me though the Holy Spirit to turn my thoughts to memories of your faithfulness and meditate upon your word so that I may guard my heart and stand firm.
Focus before reading:
“Faith is an abiding duty, a perpetual privilege. We should trust when we can see, as well as when we are utterly in the dark. Adversity is a fit season for faith; but prosperity is not less so. God at all times deserves our confidence. We at all times need to place our confidence in him. A day without trust in God is a day of wrath.”
“To wait upon God, and for God, is the habitual position of faith; to wait on him truly is sincerity; to wait on him only is spiritual chastity.” Charles Spurgeon
Meditation After reading:
Psalms 62:5-8 “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out you hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”
Focus before you read. . .
As has been the case throughout the Psalms, chapters 57-59 richly depict our relationship to God clearly depicting His roles and ours. Our roles as prescribed by the Psalmist and consistently throughout the Bible stand in stark contrast to our modern America Humanistic ethos.
As you read . . .
Consider our roles and God’s roles:
Man God
take refuge have mercy
cry out fulfill His purpose in me
sends and saves me
rebukes
confidence in God be exalted, O God
suffer injustice judge & avenge the righteous
deliver & protect
sing of God’s strength my strength & fortress
Prayer after reading:
“O my Strength, to You I sing praises, for You, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.” Ps 59:17 NLV
Focus before you read. . .
Today the psalmist continues to emphasize the centrality of trust in our relationship with God. 54:4 “Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me”.
What can test the limits of our trust in God? Fear? What about betrayal?
Questions to ask as you read. . .
In Psalm 55:12-13 David, like Jesus, is clearly betrayed, “If an enemy was insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend.” And yet, David resolves, in his great pain, to trust God for deliverance and justice “Cast your cares upon the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall…But as for me, I trust in you (God)” Psalms 55:22-23
How about fear? In Psalms 56 we once again find David in mortal danger. His response: “When I am afraid I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?”(3-4)
Prayer after reading. . .
Lord, grow my faith. You are sovereign and trustworthy in ALL things. Strengthen my resolve not only to declare but to act in such a manner that shows that I trust in you.
Focus before you read. . .
Psalm 51 is a powerful, poetic expression of a sinner in need of a savior. David, after being confronted with his sin by the prophet Nathan, uttered a plea for forgiveness to the only God with the power and grace to stand between his guilt and justly deserved punishment.
Questions to ask as you read. . .
Where does a desire to sin come from?
When I choose to hurt others, who am I sinning against?
What price is sufficient to compensate for sin?
What sacrifice does God desire from me?
Prayer After reading:
Join David and pray aloud Psalm 51 to your Lord. Recite the deep truths of the unfailing love of God, the source of sin, your desperate need for forgiveness and transforming power of the Holy Spirit in your life.
Focus before you read. . .
How far in the future have you planned? What is your resource for your future? Where are you putting your confidence?
As you read, consider. . .
Ps 49:8 “the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough”
Ps 49:6 “…wise men die; the foolish and senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others”
Ps 49:13 “this is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of the followers who approve their sayings.”
Ps 49:15 “But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.”
Prayer
Lord, help me to plan beyond the future I can see, walking by faith and not by sight. Set my sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. I want to think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. Since I have died to self, my real life is hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:1-3). I know you alone have paid a sufficient ransom for my life and that “when I call upon you in the day of trouble; you will deliver me and honor me.” (Ps 50:15)
Focus before you read. . .
Psalm 45 opens today’s reading with a lavish, poetic description of a wedding. On first glance one may regard it simply as a historical account; however, upon deeper study most Christian scholars regard it as a metaphorical description of the ‘wedding of the lamb’ wherein the bride groom represents Jesus and the bride represents the church.
Also of great significance is Psalm 46. Through the ages saints such as John Wesley and Martin Luther have reportedly drawn courage from “Luther’s Psalm.” This psalm serves as the foundation of Luther’s powerful hymn, “A Mighty Fortress.”
As you read, reflect on. . .
Ps 45 – How precious is the church to God – “He is enthralled by your beauty”
Ps 46 – How near and ever-present is our God
Ps 47 – How great is our God – “King over all the earth”
After you read. . .
Meditation: “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth”
Focus before you read. . .
“Why am I so discouraged? Why so sad?” We all experience low moments in our lives. Often times we know the answer; external circumstances and events, unmet expectations, failed relationships, etc. Sometimes, however, our melancholy goes unexplained. Perhaps it is spiritual oppression/warfare. Whatever the cause, in today’s reading we find David battling with these very questions.
As you read. . .
Three separate times David returns to the refrain…”Why am I so discouraged? Why so sad?” Each time David willfully confronts the emotional storm with a solid declaration of resolve, “I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again – my savior my god.” God can handle our emotions; what he won’t tolerate is us seeking our hope in someone or something else. “Not by strength, nor by power, but by my spirit says the Lord” (Zechariah 4:6).
Application to make after you read. . .
David sets a fine example of resolute determination to find his hope in God and praise him regardless of his circumstances or emotions. Jesus goes one better for us in John 16:33 where he states, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Focus before you read. . .
Life is difficult. The ‘human condition’ can leave one in a state of despondence after meditating on its brevity and apparent futility. The Psalmist certainly expresses such sentiment in Psalm 39 today. In the midst of his gloom, notice the repeated, resolute statement repeated in Psalms 39 and 40.
Verses to focus on as you read. . .
Ps 39:7 “And so Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.”
Ps 40:11 ”…My only hope is in Your unfailing love and faithfulness”
After you read. . .
Meditate on Ps 40:1-4, “I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what He has done and be astounded. They will put their trust in the Lord. Oh, the joys of those who trust in the Lord, who have no confidence in the proud or in those who worship idols.”
