Psalm 35-38
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Per the NIV Study Bible, Psalm 35 today is an appeal to the heavenly King, as divine Warrior and Judge, to come to the defense of his servant David who is being maliciously slandered by those toward whom he had shown only the most tender friendship. I like verse 10 a lot: "I will praise him from the bottom of my heart: "LORD, who can compare with you? Who else rescues the weak and helpless from the strong? Who else protects the poor and needy from those who want to rob them?"" Have you recently praised God from the bottom of your heart? Do you think that anyone/anything compares with God? Do you believe that God has rescued you and protected you? Perhaps many times when you have not even realized it? I think about this on occasion. It is my hunch that God literally rescues us and protects us dozens if not hundreds if not thousands of times each and every day. And I think we typically miss it.... If we knew it, I am sure we would be praising Him from the bottom of our heart very frequently!
Psalm 35 verses 22 & 23 are two very impassioned verses that I think we should take note of: "O LORD, you know all about this. Do not stay silent. Don't abandon me now, O Lord. Wake up! Rise to my defense! Take up my case, my God and my Lord." I think what these verses do is remind me that we don't have to always speak to God in "hushed" tones or in our "church voices". We can interact with God at any moment as we really are. I don't think we should try to hide our emotions from God. We should come before God at any time - as we are - and let Him take us from there... and heal us from there... When is the last time you literally cried out to God?
I love Psalm 36 today! There are some powerful verses in this Psalm... Starting off with verse 1 being a scary & true verse... "Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God to restrain them." Wow. I'll admit - I've been there. I know what it is like to have sin whispering deep within my heart. Thank God for the gift of Jesus - the savior of my world... Thank God for the gift of the fear of God. And thank God for the gift of the Holy Spirit who directs us along the narrow path - the path of life and light. I pray that verse 1 does not ring too true for you today - but if it does, please pray to Jesus to instead fill your heart with Jesus' Spirit, which is the only power that can truly dispel the whisper of sin within.
Psalm 39, verses 5 & 6 reminded me immediately of the Third Day song "Your Love Oh Lord", which borrows nicely from these verses. "Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths." I believe Third Day won the Grammy for their CD "Wire". Great CD. Thanks to TD for their ministry!
Psalm 36:9 just has so much simplicity in it's truth... I love it... I hope you believe this too - "For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see." Are there really any other lights by which we may see? Are there really any other fountains of life?
Today we read Psalm 37, which is most definitely a Wisdom Psalm! It's like we are reading Proverbs! I love verse 5: "Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you." Do you commit everything you do to God? EVERYTHING? Your waking life? Your sleeping life? Your job? Your relationships? Your family? Your finances? Your time? If so, do you trust that God will help you in everything you do in your life? Do you believe what verse 4 teaches? "Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart's desires." I love that thought - take delight in God. Do you take delight in God each and every day? Do you believe that he will give you your heart’s desires? And for Psalm 37 verse 6 we have this lovely image below to meditate upon:
Psalm 37 verse 16 is powerful today - "It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and possess much." I don't know what I can add to this.... I think you probably get it. :) Do you live it? Verse 23 is so amazing... "The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD. He delights in every detail of their lives." I don't mean to infer that I am godly here... but, I will admit that there are times in my life where I really sense that God is directing my steps - and taking care of every detail. And basically, it feels like I am sort of just going with God's flow. Things are just happening beautifully. And I do sense the Spirit often during these times. My sadness in this area is that I don't realize that God is directing my steps all of the time. And that he is delighting in every detail of my life - most of the time... :) I pray you and I will come to a greater awareness of this in our lives each and every moment: "The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD. He delights in every detail of their lives."
Psalm 37 verses 30 & 31 read like amazing Proverbs: "The godly offer good counsel; they know what is right from wrong. They fill their hearts with God's law, so they will never slip from his path." Are you filling your heart with God's teachings? Are you doing this so that you will never slip from His path? Are you offering good counsel to those around you? When others around you see you, do they see someone that clearly knows what is right from wrong? Below is a little Right & Wrong sign humor for you :) -
Psalm 38 is powerful. Verses 4 & 5 speak so much to our human condition - "My guilt overwhelms me--it is a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and stink because of my foolish sins." Does this verse speak to you in any way, shape or form? If so, please consider then verse 18 - "But I confess my sins; I am deeply sorry for what I have done." Will you confess your sins to God today? Will you admit that you are truly sorry for your sins? Will you pray for healing from your sins? Will you make confession of your sins to God a regular practice?
Worship Video: Based on my reflection above in Psalm 36 about "Your Love, Oh Lord" by Third Day, here's a live version below. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP_Q4z0x_Fw
Do you know the Love that reaches to the heavens? Click here and meet the One that created the skies!
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: "Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies." Psalm 36:5 NIV
Prayer Point: Pray that you would worship God for His Love and His Faithfulness every day when you look toward the heaven and look toward the sky. Pray that you would receive God's love and faithfulness in your life today and every day to come.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
God bless,
Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.
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