We are all born helpless and defenseless, dependent on our parents to care for us. As we mature, we begin to take care of our own needs but still cry out and complain when we feel the pressure of life. Thank God though, there is more for us than just sharing our misery. Just as we learn to deal with the world around us, we also need to learn about the Lord. He can be seen in creation but much of what we learn comes from the experience of others as in Psalm 145:11–12 (LEB) “They will speak of the glory of your kingdom, and talk of your power, 12 to make known to the children of humankind his mighty deeds, and the glory of the majesty of his kingdom”. It isn’t enough though, to hear about someone else’s experience, we need to learn for ourselves that He does hear us when we cry out as in Psalm 142:5 (LEB) ‘I cry out to you, O Yahweh. I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” ‘ and as we individually experience His loyal love, as we enter into the blessing of the Lord, we then sing as in Psalm 144:9 (LEB) “O God, I will sing a new song to you. With a lyre of ten strings I will sing praise to you”. 

You Are My Refuge

Psalm 142:1-7

We are emotional beings and we feel the pressures of life. When we do we “cry out” and complain to whoever will hear as in

Psalm 142:1–2 (LEB) I cry out with my voice to Yahweh; I implore favor with my voice to Yahweh. 2 I pour out my complaint before him; I declare my trouble before him.

People around us sometimes empathize and may extend a hand to help but often they simply commiserate and sympathize and neither of you is any better for it. Or even worse, it is someone around us that is undermining and trying to make us fall as in

Psalm 142:4 (LEB) look to my right and see. There is no one looking out for me; there is no escape for me; no one cares for my soul.

There is one that is always there. He is always listening. The Lord is our refuge and our deliverer in

Psalm 142:5 (LEB) I cry out to you, O Yahweh. I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”

My Soul Longs For You

Psalm 143:1-6

Cause Me To Know the Way

Psalm 143:7-12

Blessed Be the Lord My Rock

Psalm 144:1-8 

I Will Sing A New Song

Psalm 144:9-15

When we experience victory, when we come out of a problem and have overcome, there is a song of joy and rejoicing that replaces our despair and complaint and pain as in

Psalm 144:9 (LEB) O God, I will sing a new song to you. With a lyre of ten strings I will sing praise to you,

So we cry out to the Lord for him to rescue us as in

Psalm 144:11 (LEB) Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, whose mouth speaks falsely, and whose right hand is a false right hand,

and there is a clear expectation that our children will prosper, that we will have full provision, that our business will prosper, that we will have safety and security and peace in our city as described in Psalm 144:12-14. Having these things in our lives is having blessing and is the reason for the song but it is also true of those “whose God is Yahweh” in

Psalm 144:15 (LEB) Blessed are the people who have it thus. Blessed are the people whose God is Yahweh.

Great is the Lord and Very Worthy of Praise

Psalm 145:1-10 

Your Dominion Endures Throughout All Generations

Psalm 145:11-21

God’s kingdom is not like the kingdoms of men that last a few hundred years or maybe even a few thousand years but then are gone. Since God’s kingdom is everlasting it spans generations in

Psalm 145:13 (LEB) Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

There is though, another truth about humanity, we are all born without any knowledge of this world. Every generation must learn for themselves who God is. This happens as people see the works of God around them and also as those that have come to know God tell of him through their own experience of His power and presence as in

Psalm 145:11–12 (LEB) They will speak of the glory of your kingdom, and talk of your power, 12 to make known to the children of humankind his mighty deeds, and the glory of the majesty of his kingdom.

And what we each learn is that:

• In Psalm 145:14 “Yahweh upholds”
• In Psalm 145:17 “Yahweh is righteous … and loyal”
• In Psalm 145:18 “Yahweh is near … and saves”
• In Psalm 145:20 “Yahweh protects all those who love him”

As the Psalmist closes, he declares what he has learned saying in

Psalm 145:21 (LEB) My mouth will speak the praise of Yahweh, and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.

Study Verses

• Psalm 142:1-7 You Are My Refuge
• Psalm 144:9-15 I Will Sing A New Song
• Psalm 145:11-21 Your Dominion Endures Throughout All Generations

Today’s Reading

• Psalm 142:1-7
• Psalm 143:1-12
• Psalm 144:1-15
• Psalm 145:1-21

When we look at the world around us, we find 7.8 billion people with 6,500 spoken languages in 193 countries and every one of us is unique. It is easy to see how we could get caught up in the complexity of things around us and religious people sometimes do. Yet, the Bible offers us a simple truth about life in Psalm 133:1 (LEB) “Look, how good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity” and then tells us why in Psalm 133:3b (LEB) Yahweh commanded the blessing—life forever. It is good for us to enjoy the life God has given us. And, in the midst of all of creation, we are each Psalm 139:14 (LEB) “fearfully and wonderfully made”. God has written a plan for us in Psalm 139:16 (LEB) Your eyes saw my embryo, and in your book they all were written—days fashioned for me when there was not one of them. Sadly, we fall short because there are forces against us. But, sometimes our enemy is simply our own stubborn will. So, here is another simple truth; we sometimes need correction. While we may not like to hear it, we need to receive the truth when it is spoken to us in love as in Psalm 141:5 (LEB) Let a righteous one strike me in kindness, and let him chasten me. 

Look How Good and How Pleasant

Psalm 133:1-3

People sometimes make Christianity very complicated by adding rules and demands and traditions. There are though, places like this that remind us that it was God that called us to himself and it is God that blesses, as it says in Psalm 133:3 “Yahweh commanded the blessing – life forever”. And what does that blessing look like? It is in

Psalm 133:1 (LEB) Look, how good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity.

It looks like unity. It looks like brothers, families, dwelling together in peace. It also though, looks like oil running down as it says in

Psalm 133:2 (LEB) It is like the fragrant oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, the beard of Aaron, that runs down upon the edges of his robes.

The blessing is fragrant, you can smell it and it smells good, but it is a bit messy, you can’t control how it flows or where exactly it flows, it flows where it will in a way that religion can’t prescribe. You must simply let the blessing flow where it will so let it.

Because of Your Loyal Love

Psalm 138:1-8

You Know It Completely

Psalm 139:1-12 

I Am Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Psalm 139:13-24

How do you think about yourself? Have people demeaned you? Have people told you that you are worthless? Have people discounted or belittled your ideas and refused your input? If so, they are missing something valuable because you are God’s creation in

Psalm 139:13 (LEB) Indeed you created my inward parts; you wove me in my mother’s womb.

This idea that God wove us implies intricate hands-on care, that we were handcrafted by God in

Psalm 139:15 (LEB) My frame was not hidden from you, when I was created secretly, and intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Even more than this, God wrote His perfect will and plan for your life from the very beginning in

Psalm 139:16 (LEB) Your eyes saw my embryo, and in your book they all were written—days fashioned for me when there was not one of them.

Think about this, there is a perfect and blessed path that God has for each of us and it is there for us to discover and walk as we commune with Him from day to day in

Psalm 139:17 (LEB) And to me, how precious are your thoughts, O God; how vast is their sum.

There is though, an enemy, the thief, that will rob us, kill us, destroy us if he can and how much have we lost to him? But Jesus Christ is come to fulfill God’s plan of blessing for us in

John 10:10 (LEB) The thief comes only so that he can steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and have it* abundantly.

Rescue Me From Evil Men

Psalm 140:1-13 

Strike Me In Kindness

Psalm 140:1-13

Have you ever had to tell someone to listen to you? Have you ever wondered if God is listening? He is. But what is it that you are saying? Are your words as incense as in

Psalm 141:2 (LEB) Let my prayer be set before you as incense, the lifting up of my palms as the evening offering.

The reality is that not everything that comes out of our mouths is good and sometimes it isn’t even what we want. This is why he says in

Psalm 141:3 (LEB) Set a guard, O Yahweh, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.

There is though, a surprising comment here. Are you willing to hear what a righteous friend has to say? Will you listen to correction? Correction isn’t always pleasant, in fact as it says here “strike me” in

Psalm 141:5 (LEB) Let a righteous one strike me in kindness, and let him chasten me. It is oil for my head; let not my head refuse. For still my prayer is against their evil deeds.

We are to be honest with one another and always speak the truth, but in love as in

Ephesians 4:15 (LEB) But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow into him with reference to all things, who is the head, Christ,

Study Verses

• Psalm 133:1-3 Look How Good and How Pleasant
• Psalm 139:13-24 I Am Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
• Psalm 140:1-13 Strike Me In Kindness

Today’s Reading

• Psalm 133:1-3
• Psalm 138:1-8
• Psalm 139:1-24
• Psalm 140:1-13
• Psalm 141:1-10

We are born into the world needing someone to care for us and soon learn to communicate our needs. This time should become an important life lesson where we learn to soothe and quiet our soul. It is from this place that we can begin to seek and understand God as He reveals himself to us. David understood that there was a covenant promise associated with the ark of God that had not been fulfilled and he sought to secure that covenant for himself and the nation of Israel by bringing the ark to Jerusalem. All of this though was just the fulfillment of God’s plan. David was the channel, the blessing of God flowed through David because in Psalm 132:13–14 (LEB) For Yahweh has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation. “This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it. Today, we don’t need to go to Gibeah or Jerusalem to find the ark of God, we simply accept Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is available to us to teach us and empower us to fulfill God’s will. And His will for our generation is what Paul said to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:1 I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom, 2 preach the word, be ready in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all patience and instruction.

God Gives Rest to His Loved Ones

Psalm 127:1-5 

I Have Soothed and Quieted My Soul

Psalm 131:1-3

Here is one of the shortest Psalms, yet it contains one of the most important lessons for life. This lesson is presented using the example of a nursing child. When we are born, we only know we are hungry, we have a need, but no language or communication skills except to cry out. As we grow, we begin to understand how to communicate our needs. We learn that we can live through a short delay between feeling hunger and eating because we understand delayed gratification. Finding this ability to soothe and quiet my soul is a key to a peaceful life in

Psalm 131:2 (LEB) Rather I have soothed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother, like the weaned child is my soul with me.

But this is not just about learning to communicate or learning to wait. This is based on our knowledge of God, that is for us and is with us. We can put our future our hope in him in

Psalm 131:3 (LEB) O Israel, hope in Yahweh from now until forever.

Let Us Go To His Dwelling Places

Psalm 132:1-9

There was a time when the ark of the covenant was taken by Israel’s enemies. When it was returned, it rested in “the house of Abinadab in Gibeah” in 1 Samuel 7:1 for twenty years in

1 Samuel 7:2 (LEB) From the day the ark stayed in Kiriath Jearim, days multiplied and became twenty years while all the house of Israel mourned after Yahweh.

Then David restored the ark to its rightful place in Jerusalem in

1 Chronicles 15:3 (LEB) And David gathered all Israel to Jerusalem to bring up the ark of Yahweh to its place that he had established for it.

They all went to the place where the ark was and the priests carried the ark as commanded by God and with great celebration along the way, brought the ark of God to Jerusalem where it belonged as described in

Psalm 132:8–9 (LEB) Arise, O Yahweh, to your resting place, you and your mighty ark. Let your priests clothe themselves with righteousness, and let your faithful sing for joy.

The Lord Has Chosen Zion

Psalm 132:10-18

God gave David a promise and generations are reminding themselves that this is an eternal promise for the throne in Jerusalem in

Psalm 132:11 (LEB) Yahweh swore in truth to David; he will not turn back from it. “One from the fruit of your body I will set on your throne.

This promise is not because of who David was, but because of what the Lord has chosen to accomplish in

Psalm 132:13–14 (LEB) For Yahweh has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation. “This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.

These promises are given as the conduit for blessing, a channel to prepare an environment that God can inhabit. These promises will create a place where holiness and righteousness reign and are seen in overflowing blessing and joy in

Psalm 132:15–16 (LEB) I will bless its provisions abundantly; I will satisfy its poor with bread. I will also clothe its priests with salvation, and its faithful will shout exuberantly for joy.

Study Verses

• Psalm 131:1-3 I Have Soothed and Quieted My Soul
• Psalm 132:1-9 Let Us Go To His Dwelling Places
• Psalm 132:10-18 The Lord Has Chosen Zion

Today’s Reading

• Psalm 127:1-5
• Psalm 131:1-3
• Psalm 132:1-18

As we read through the Psalms we find events commemorated in the history of Israel where God has demonstrated His love and saving grace for them. Who hasn’t heard about the parting of the Red Sea or the water that sprang out of the rock as God delivered Israel from Egypt? But it isn’t just events in history that point to the faithfulness of God, it is also the creation itself, the very geography of Jerusalem, that is a reminder that God is always there as it says in Psalm 125:2 (LEB) As mountains are round about Jerusalem, so Yahweh is round about his people, from now until forever. But God’s people are not just the children of Israel, but all that have accepted Jesus Christ. For all of us, there is one message we can take from Psalms and that is that God is for us. So, let us be thankful as in Psalm 115:18 (LEB) It is we, we will bless Yah from now until forever. Praise Yah!

From the Rising of the Sun

Psalm 113:1-9 

At the Presence of the Lord

Psalm 114:1-8

The children of Israel lived in Egypt for four hundred years. In the beginning, they were highly favored with Joseph second in the land only to Pharoah. But after the seven years of famine, everyone was in Pharaoh’s debt and in

Genesis 47:20 (LEB) So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for each Egyptian sold his field, for the famine was severe upon them. And the land became Pharaohs.

The economy of the whole nation changed and everyone became sharecroppers for Pharaoh in

Genesis 47:23-24 (LEB) And Joseph said to the people, “Look, I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Here is seed for you so you can sow the land. 24 And it shall happen that at the harvest, you must give a fifth to Pharaoh and four-fifths shall be yours, as seed for the field and for your food and for those who are in your households, and as food for your little ones.”

For the Israelites, this arrangement that had saved their lives changed over several generations and became oppressive to the point that they were enslaved. In Joseph’s day, there was a Pharaoh that listened and responded to the wisdom of God. But now, there is a Pharaoh that has hardened his heart toward the people and to God. And now, we find that God is still with them and His power is demonstrated as they leave Egypt in

Psalm 114:1–2 (LEB) When Israel went out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of a strange language, 2 Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion.

The sea, the mountains, the earth itself responds as the presence of the Lord moves with the children of Israel and protects them and provides for them in

Psalm 114:7 (LEB) At the presence of the Lord writhe, O earth, at the presence of the God of Jacob,

Our God is in the Heavens

Psalm 115:1-8 

The Lord Remembers Us

Psalm 115:9-18

When the Lord established Israel through Moses he gave the people an inheritance of land that was to be theirs through generations but he also set apart Aaron and his descendants as priests to God. The priests did not have any land, only the tithe that was for the Lord. Now, Israel, the house of Israel, the twelve tribes and their descendants that need protection from their enemies and fruitful produce from the land are reminded to trust the Lord in

Psalm 115:9 (LEB) O Israel, trust Yahweh; he is their help and their shield.

Then, the priests, the house of Aaron, who depend on the faithfulness and prosperity of the people of the land are also reminded to trust in the Lord because He is also their help in

Psalm 115:10 (LEB) O house of Aaron, trust in Yahweh; he is their help and their shield.

We sometimes experience fear about provision and sometimes fear about our safety and we are reminded that the Lord remembers his covenant in

Psalm 115:12 (LEB) Yahweh remembers us; he will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron.

Though there are very real enemies and very real dangers in this world, we are to trust in God but even more than that, rather than giving in to fear and doubt, we are to speak His praise in

Psalm 115:18 (LEB) It is we, we will bless Yah from now until forever. Praise Yah!

Our Help is in the Name of the Lord

Psalm 124:1-8 

The Lord is Round About His People

Psalm 125:1-5

West of the Dead sea, which is below sea level, is the West Bank where Jerusalem sits covering one of the highest points around, Mt Zion. It is this location that is prominent in the geography of the region that is described in

Psalm 125:1 (LEB) Those who trust in Yahweh are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.

and there are other high points around the city, one of the most well known is the mount of Olives that are used to describe God’s presence and faithfulness to His people in

Psalm 125:2 (LEB) As mountains are round about Jerusalem, so Yahweh is round about his people, from now until forever.

It is here, that we understand the most basic and enduring truth, that God is good and does good for the righteous in

Psalm 125:4 (LEB) Do good, O Yahweh, to the good, and to those upright in their hearts.

Study Verses

• Psalm 114:1-8 At the Presence of the Lord
• Psalm 115:9-19 The Lord Remembers Us
• Psalm 125:1-5 The Lord is Round About His People

Today’s Reading

• Psalm 113:1-9
• Psalm 114:1-8
• Psalm 115:1-18
• Psalm 124:1-8
• Psalm 125:1-5