Psalm 49:16 - You can't take it with you

Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
     when the splendor of their houses increases;

Verse 17 completes the thought above "for they will take nothing with them when they die, their splendor will not descend with them." (I just saw the word "descend", hmmm) Sometimes I have trouble with jealousy. By the standards of the world, I am rich. By the standards of America, lower middle class. For a while I felt rich, we were out of debt and even had a pretty big emergency fund. Now we are back in debt again, Yuck. It is hard to not be overawed and jealous of those with more than you, but we have to remember, this earth is temporary. It will all go away. It is our relationship with God, not our possessions which will determine our eternal destination.

Lord, thank you for reminding us of the temporary nature of this world. Please help us to not be overawed when others grow rich. Amen.

Psalm 48:8 - Security in the city of God

As we have heard,
     so we have seen in the city of the Lord Almighty,
     in the city of our God:
God makes her secure
     forever.

Psalm 48 describes heaven. It describes heaven as Zion, the city of God, and remarks mainly on the security and strength of the city. This vision of heaven is a powerful one for anyone who does not feels safe and secure in this world.

Lord, thank you for the assurance of safety and security in your city. Please help us to follow your will and come to know you so we can rest in that security. Amen.

Psalm 47:6 - The power of music

Sing praises to God, sing praises;
     sing praises to our King, sing praises.

Music is a powerful thing. We remember songs long after we have forgotten spoken words. Even if we are not a good at singing, we still love to try and love to hear music. And there is nothing like the power of joining a group of hundreds of Christians singing to the Lord!

Lord, thank you for the gift of music. Please help us to always sing your praises. Amen.

Psalm 46:10 - Exalted above politics

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
     I will be exalted among the nations,
     I will be exalted in the earth.”

I know some people have very strong political views. It is a great privilege for us to get to take a part in our political system, but we have to remember God is in control. He is over all. No one political figure or even political party exudes more power than God. Verse 8 says, "Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, and the earth melts." I think it is good for us to care who governs our nation and participate in the political process, but don't allow our passions to cause us to sin or be angry. On the eternal scale of things, our politics are nothing.

Lord, thank you for being in control. Please help us to put our politics in proper perspective, Amen.

Psalm 45:4 Jesus, the King

In your majesty ride forth victoriously
     in the cause of truth, humility and justice;
     let your right hand achieve awesome deeds.

Psalm 45 had me stumped.  It sounds like praise to a man, maybe King David, but David wrote the Psalms. I checked with an on-line commentary and got some insight. This is probably a prophetic message referring to the Jesus. When I reread it with that thought, it made much more sense. There is always something new for us to learn in the Bible!

Lord, thank you for your word and it's mysteries. Please help us to read and understand. Amen.

Psalm 44:3 -Win or loose, it's in God's hands

It was not by their sword that they won the land,
     nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand, your arm,
     and the light of your face, for you loved them.

In this verse, David is talking about the success of his ancestors. The majority of Psalm 44 is about how their armies are losing. If we succeed or if we fail is in the hands of the Lord. God's purposes do not always include our success. And just because we fail, doesn't mean we are doing anything wrong or against the Lord. It may feel like God has abandoned us, but he is always there. We can ask God where he is or to wake up and listen to us, David did. He knows what is going on and he continues to love us. Our job isn't to win, it is to put our trust and hope in God.

Lord, thank you for your guidance over our lives. Please help us to put our trust and hope in you, regardless of our successes or failures. Amen.

Psalm 43:3 - Light and care

Send me your light and your faithful care,
     let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
     to the place where you dwell.

Such a beautiful verse. I ask the same thing David did in this Psalm.

Lord, Thank you for sending us light, your faithful care, and leading us here on earth and to your holy dwelling place. Amen.

Psalm 42:5 - Are you downcast?

Why, my soul, are you downcast?
     Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
     for I will yet praise him,
     my Savior and my God.

It is so easy to let the troubles of the world get us down. There are a lot of things to be disturbed about, personally and on a global scale. But these things do not have to keep us down. God is our hope. He is the solution for all troubles, the salve for all wounds.

Lord, thank you for giving us hope. Please help us to rely on you in times of trouble. Amen,

Psalm 42:1 - Desire for God

As the deer pants for streams of water,
     so my soul pants for you, my God.

There is something inside each of us that desires God. We may try to fulfill this desire with lots of other things, but nothing will satisfy like the one true living God.

Lord. thank you for giving us a desire for you! Please help those seeking to find you. Amen.

Psalms 41:1-2 - Thank you to those who serve the weak

Blessed are those who have regard for the weak;
     the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.
The Lord protects and preserves them—
     they are counted among the blessed in the land—
     he does not give them over to the desire of their foes.

Are you a healthcare worker, social worker, minister, police officer, fireman or in another role where you serve the weak? If you are, thank you for your service. As our son is headed off to college, this verse has helped me to remember all the people who have served our family over the years. The Lord has special blessings for you. Thank you again.

Lord, thank you for offering special blessing for those who serve the weak. Please help us to remember them and be thankful. Amen.

Psalm 40:5 - Praise

Many, Lord my God,
     are the wonders you have done,
     the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
     were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
     they would be too many to declare.

When I pray, I begin my prayers with praise. Sometimes I struggle with what to say, I seem to repeat the same phrases of praise over and over. This verse says there are too many wonderful deeds done by God to declare, so there is unlimited praise material here! When I am not sure what to say next when praising God in my prayers, I will begin to list his deeds and the wonders he has done.

Lord, thank you for all the wonders you have done. Please help us keep our prayers fresh and meaningful, Amen.

Psalm 39:5 - Everyone is but a breath

You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
     the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Everyone is but a breath,
     even those who seem secure.

Life moves so fast. We are sending our son off to college. I can hardly believe that time has already come. Not only does life move fast, but we never know when our life will end. We have to make the most of our days, using all of our time and energy to bring glory to God.

Lord, thank you for the time you have given us on Earth. Help us to use that time to bring glory to you. Amen.

Psalm 38:15 - Waiting

Lord, I wait for you;
     you will answer, Lord my God.

Psalm 38 is a chapter full of woe, pain, sickness, defeat, enemies, and sorrow, Yet in the midst of this trouble, David says he will wait. God loves us and intends good for us, but we will have to go through pain and sorrow. We must wait upon the Lord.

Lord, thank you for bringing us through our troubles. Please help us to wait for you. Amen.

Psalm 37:37 - Observe the upright

Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
     a future awaits those who seek peace.

Psalm chapter 37 has been a powerful chapter. A relative commented about how this chapter was her and her mother's favorite. Kathy Repppart Hameister said, "One of my favorite Psalms... & one of mom's! Here's the Nellie Reppart condensed version: "Fret not, Trust in the Lord, Delight in the Lord, Commit to the Lord, Be Still before the Lord, Refrain from anger, Wait for the Lord, Salvation for the Righteous is from the Lord" Aunt Nellie was one of the great examples of faith in my life. Look around you and find people who are blameless and upright. Follow their example and allow them to inspire you.

Lord, thank you for great examples of faith in our life. Help us to allow their example to bring us closer to you. Amen.

Psalm 37:7-8 - Do not fret

Be still before the Lord

     and wait patiently for him;

 do not fret when people succeed in their ways,

     when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;

     do not fret—it leads only to evil.

Fret is an interesting word. It means to be constantly or visibly worried or anxious. This passage gives us why we might fret, the solution for fretting and the result. Anger and jealousy are two big reasons we fret. These may be the examined root cause of our worries, We can avoid fretting by being still before the Lord and waiting patiently for him. If we do chose to fret, the result will lead to evil and destruction (v. 9).

Lord, thank you for giving us a solution for our fretting. Please help us to be still, wait patiently and keep us from evil. Amen,

PS-Thanks Kathy Reppart Hameister for sharing about your mom's take on this verse. I think I would have passed right over the word fret.

Psalm 37:3-4 -The good life

Trust in the Lord and do good;
     dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord,
     and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Do good and good will come to you.

Lord, thank you for being so good to us. Please help us to trust you an do good. Amen.

Psalm 36:5 - God is big

Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
     your faithfulness to the skies.

God is big. He is bigger than me and my problems, bigger than America and it's problems, bigger than the world and it's problems. God is omnipotent, all powerful. He is omnipresent, everywhere. He is omniscient, knows everything. But with all this bigness, he still cares about me and my problems. He loves each and every one of us. Amazing!

Lord, thank you for being so big. Please help us to know that you love us no matter what. Amen.

Psalm 35:3 - Reassurance

Brandish spear and javelin[a]
     against those who pursue me.
Say to me,
     “I am your salvation.”

Footnotes: [a]  Or and block the way  (I left in the footnote because I like this phrase better than "and javelin".)

In previous posts I have suggested that the enemies David refers to in the Psalms can also be thought of as sin. Sin is my enemy and pursues me, especially the sins I personally struggle with. I love that David asks God for reassurance in this verse. He wants to hear God say, "I am your salvation." We have this assurance. In Isaiah 45:22 God states, “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other." And  Jesus states, "I am the way..." in John 14:6.

Lord, thank you for your strength and reassurance. Help us to turn to you when we are facing our enemies. Amen.

Psalm 34:19 - Troubles

The righteous person may have many troubles,
     but the Lord delivers him from them all;

Everyone has troubles. The difference is when we are following God, we are promised deliverance from them. Without God, our troubles may just hang around.

Lord, thank you for promising to deliver us from our troubles. Please help us to wait on your deliverance. Amen.

Psalm 33:18 - The eyes of the Lord

But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,
     on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

God sees me. He knows my thoughts, my struggles, my opportunities. I fear him and hope in his unfailing love, so I trust him. Sometimes I think I have to beg him for his attention, but I don't have to, he sees me.

Lord, thank you for seeing us. Please help us to trust you. Amen.