How Long Can You Wait? Read Psalm 13:1-6
Have you ever been impatient with God? Impatience is one of my big problems. I always get into the wrong lane on a toll road. Someone's in front of me with foreign currency, trying to buy his way through the tollbooth. I get into the wrong line at the airport, thinking, This line is a good line; it's going to move. But it does ...read
How Near is God? Read Psalm 10:1-11
As we read the Book of Psalms, we find that David was constantly in and out of trouble. Some people say that Christians who really love the Lord will never be in difficult places. But that wasn't true of Moses; it wasn't true of David; and it certainly wasn't true of our Lord Jesus Christ! Our Lord ended up in the most diffi ...read
In His Time Read Psalm 9:13-16
Have you ever looked at a beautiful rose and watched it slowly blossom day after day? Have you ever tried to help it open? If you try, you might kill it. God makes everything beautiful in His time. He causes everything to straighten out and line up according to His schedule. If you have a problem in your life with a person or a ...read
Live Like a King Read Psalm 8:1-9
Psalm 8 deals with sovereignty. "O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, You who set Your glory above the heavens!" (v. 1). The first Lord means "Jehovah," the covenant-keeping God, the God who keeps His promises. The second Lord means "the Sovereign," the One who has not only the ability but the auth ...read
Not All Storms Are Bad Read Psalm 18:7-15
These verses present one of the greatest descriptions of a storm found in the Bible. It is a graphic picture of the way God works when He comes to the aid of His children. David was saying in these verses that God the Creator, God the Deliverer, used everything in nature to come to his aid. The earth shook, down to its foundati ...read
Preface To God's Hymnal Read Psalm 1:1-6
Have you ever read the preface to the hymnal used in your church? Few people ever do. The preface to God's hymnal (the Book of Psalms) is Psalm 1. It begins with a word we often use--blessed. Nowhere does Scripture tell us that God blesses programs or promotions. But it does teach that He blesses individuals. He blessed Abraham ...read
Pure Words Read Psalm 12:1-8
When you feel deserted, alone in standing for what's right, read Psalm 12. The emphasis in this psalm is on words, on speaking. First, David speaks in prayer (vv. 1-3). Where are the godly? People today don't want to take a stand for the truth, but David stood for what is right.
Sometimes we feel the faithful have disappea ...read
Rejoice In The Word The secret of Christian joy is to believe what God says in His Word and act upon it. Faith that isn't based on the Word is not faith at all; it is presumption or superstition. Joy that isn't the result of faith is not joy at all; it is only a "good feeling" that will soon disappear. Faith based on the Word will produce joy that will weather the sto ...read
Request, Reason and Response in the Midst of Trials Read Psalm 5:1-l2
What do you do in difficult situations? Many of the psalms were written during difficult, often painful, experiences. In Psalm 5 we find two sequences concerning trials. In the first sequence (vv. 1-7), David is experiencing difficulty and makes his request--"hear me." (v. 1-3). Meditation here means "sighing, murmuring, groa ...read
Rest In The Midst of Trials Read Psalm 4:1-8
David was experiencing great difficulty. He was in a "tight corner." God permits tight corners (II Sam. 12:10). He forgives but disciplines, and we reap what we sow (Ps. 25:17).
Psalm 4 is encouraging because it tells us that God cares for us and gives us several blessings in the midst of our trials. First, He gives us the ...read
Safest Protection in the World Read Psalm 9:7-12
This passage teaches a great truth: The safest and strongest protection we have is the name of the Lord. "And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You" (v. 10). As I read those words, I'm reminded that God forsook His Son for us. Jesus said from the cross, "My ...read
Separated and Saturated Read Psalm 1:1,2
Two of the most popular words in the Christian vocabulary are bless and blessing. God wants to bless His people. He wants them to be recipients and channels of blessing. God blesses us to make us a blessing to others, but He has given us certain conditions for receiving blessings.
First, we must be separated from the world (v ...read
Tested in a Tight Spot Read Psalm 7:1-9
This psalm was born out of a sad experience David had with Cush, a Benjamite (see I Sam. 24-26). Cush was one of Saul's spies. And because of what David did, Cush caused the deaths of innocent men.
Whenever David had a problem with persecution or with people, he would run to God. "O Lord my God, in You I put my trust; save ...read
The Elijah Complex Read Psalm 12:1-8
Whenever you get the idea that you are the only one left who is godly, beware. That's how David was praying in Psalm 12. He said, "The godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men" (v. 1). I call this the Elijah complex. You will remember that Elijah had this problem (I Kings 19). He left his place ...read
The Heart of the Problem Read Psalm 10:12-18
David cried out and said, "God, You've got to take care of the situation." For several years Saul had been pursuing him. At one point David compared himself to a flea that was being chased. Saul's problem was that he was listening to liars in his court. Those who wanted Saul's favor were saying, "David wants your crown. ...read
The Question Read Psalm 10:1-13
"Why?" is the easiest question to ask but the hardest to answer. David asks why three times in this psalm. The atheist's answer to this question is that there is no God; the rationalist says God is unable to act or doesn't care; and the legalist says this is punishment for personal sin. The truthful answer comes from David. ...read
The Question 'Why?': Part 2 Read Psalm 10:14-18
In Part 1 we dealt with concern--the first stage of asking the question "Why?" In this segment we will cover the last two stages.
The second stage involves commitment--God is helping. Man's sinful condition leaves him helpless, so David turns his attention from the wicked to God. We can be encouraged by knowing that God ...read
Walking in Fear of the Lord 'The fear of our God' is not the servile dread of a slave toward a master but the loving respect of a child toward a parent. To fear the Lord means to seek to glorify God in everything we do. It means listening to His Word, honoring it, and obeying it. 'The remarkable thing about fearing God,' wrote Oswald Chambers, 'is that when you fear God, you ...read
Want to Run Away? Read Psalm 11:1-7
Have you ever felt like running away? "In the Lord I put my trust; how can you say to my soul, 'Flee as a bird to your mountain'?" (v. 1). All of us have days when we feel like quitting. We throw up our hands and say, "That's it. I've had it, and I'm leaving."
At times we do need to get away to rest and regain our p ...read
What is Man? Read Psalm 8:1-9
What is man? Charles Darwin said man is an animal. Sigmund Freud taught that man is a spoiled child. Karl Marx believed man is an economic factor. But the Bible says God has a much higher calling for man. God wants us to be kings; He wants us to reign in life. In Psalm 8 we see three different kings exemplified in Adam, Jesus and ...read