LORD LET YOUR FACE SHINE UPON US

Proclamation:

“Love The Lord, all His faithful people!  The Lord preserves those who are true to Him, but the proud He pays back in full.  Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in The Lord.”  Psalm 31:23-24 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  This psalm is essentially a long prayer.  As he prays he moves from his problems to praise, from anguish to assurance, and from reproach to relief.  He demonstrates his trust in The Lord by turning over his life to Him (Psalm 31:5) using the same words which Jesus, The Christ, would utter from the cross at Calvary.  He asks The Lord to smile on him and to let His grace shine upon him in the midst of his troubles. (Psalm 31:16)  David ends this psalm by encouraging the people of God to demonstrate their love and obedience to The Lord, and he tells them to keep the faith.

Application:

Whatever our situation in life, we want The Lord God to look down upon us, to smile upon us, and to bless us. (Psalm 31:16)  As we go through the troubles, trials and tribulations of this life, we need to keep our trust in The Lord.  We ought to pray frequently, and pray about everything. (Matthew 21:22)  Some of the things that we want we do not have because we have not asked for them.  “Ye have not, because ye ask not.” (James 4:2)  We need to remember that even in the midst of our storms our purpose is to give God glory.  No one should have to tell us to pray and praise The Lord.

THE LORD'S FAVOR LASTS FOR A LIFETIME

Proclamation:

“For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”  Psalm 30:5 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm is a song which was written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This psalm could be entitled “The Blessedness of Answered Prayer.”  After praying and praising The Lord for blessing him and answering his personal prayers, (Psalm 30:1-3) David encourages the people of God to praise and thank Him. (Psalm 30:4-5)  He tells them that their trouble won’t last always.  David is joyful and grateful because God changed his situation from sadness to singing, from mourning to merriment, from tears to cheers. (Psalm 30:11-12)

Application:

Children often do things which make their parents angry with them.  Occasionally such behavior would result in a punishment but the parent never stops loving the child.  When our Heavenly Father is displeased with us, He simply ignores us for a moment as punishment.  When The Lord God hides His face from us for a moment, we as His children perceive that He is angry with us. (Isaiah 54:7-8)  However, the love of God is always present.  Our chastisement is just a way to get our attention and correct our behavior.  Once we receive the favor of God, we are blessed with it for remainder of our lives.  Our punishment, and our trials, our afflictions and our tears may endure for a brief period, but our joy is soon to come.  Nothing can separate us from the love of God. (Romans 8:39)

GIVE THE LORD GOD THE GLORY WHICH HE IS DUE

Proclamation:

“Give unto The Lord the glory due unto His name; worship The Lord in the beauty of holiness.”  Psalm 29:2 (KJV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David after the tabernacle for the arc of the covenant was completed. (2 Samuel 6:17-18)  David exhorted the people of God to give The Lord the praise, honor, glory, and worship that He deserved.  In this hymn of praise David presents the awesome power of God as the basis for giving Him praise.  When The Lord God speaks, things happen. (Psalm 29:3-9)

Application:

There are multiple ways to praise The Lord and as believers, we should praise Him in more than one way on multiple occasions during each day.  How you praise The Lord is a personal matter between you and God.  However, given all of the things that He has done, there should be no question regarding the praise and worship that He is due.  When we consider the act of creating something out of nothing, the control of the forces of nature, the creation and control of every living thing, plant, animal, and human, we ought to praise Him for the splendor and awesomeness of His holiness and power.

PRAY THEN HAVE FAITH AND BEHAVE LIKE IT IS ALREADY DONE

Proclamation:

“Praise be The Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy.  The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me.  My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him.”  Psalm 28:6-7 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  In the first half of this psalm David prays and petitions The Lord. (Psalm 28:1-5)  In the second half of the psalm he offers thanksgiving to The Lord for hearing him and helping him. (Psalm 28:6-9)  David realized how dependent he was upon God’s help, and he knew what would happen to him if God did not help him so he cried out for mercy. (Psalm 28:1-2)  Then he praised The Lord God for hearing and answering his prayer and for helping him before his situation had changed. (Psalm 28:6-7)  After which he prays and asks for blessings for the people of God, for their safety and provisions.

Application:

In times of crises, as believers we ought to display more confidence in The Lord.  After we pray and ask Him something, we ought to demonstrate our faith in Him by acting as though we know that He heard our prayer and that which we asked for is already done, the blessing is on the way.   As believers we know that our strength and help comes from The Lord, and we ought to be joyful, thankful, and give Him praise.  Only The Lord God can turn the sorrow of His saints into songs of praise, and turn trials into triumph.

BE OF GOOD COURAGE AND WAIT ON THE LORD

Proclamation:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? … One thing I ask from The Lord, this only do I seek: That I may dwell in the house of The Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of The Lord and to seek Him in His temple. … Wait for The Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for The Lord.”  Psalm 27:1-4 and 14 (NIV)

Explanation: 

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  It is believed by most Bible scholars that these words were written after David had been harassed and pursued by King Saul.  David knew that The Lord was the light of grace which was bestrode upon him that gave him his salvation.  Even though he ran from Saul to save his life, he knew that he should not be afraid.  His main focus, desire and prayer was not to return to Saul’s court, or his own home, but to dwell daily in the presence of The Living God.  This was not a reference to heaven, which would be his eternal dwelling place, but in the church house where he could continually worship The Lord.  David knew that if he was patient, kept the faith, and waited upon The Lord that his time would come. 

Application:

It is important for believers to pray often and sincerely.  We need to thank God for our blessings and privileges, to tell Him of our concerns and problems, and ask for His help and perseverance.  When we are in the midst of our storms and troubles, we can cry out to The Lord and know that He will hear and answer us. (Psalm 27:7-8)   “Our God is bigger than our problems.” (Author unknown)  As the song says, “He may not come when you want Him, but He’ll be there right on time.  He’s an on time God, yes He is.”  We just have to be patient, be of good courage, and wait on The Lord, and know that our deliverance and our blessing will come. (Psalm 27:14)  We need to cultivate and express confidence in The Lord.

VINDICATE US REDEEM US AND BE MERCIFUL UNTO US

Proclamation:

“Vindicate me, Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in The Lord and have not faltered.”  Psalm 26:1 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm was written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  There are four succinct prayers within this psalm.  “Vindicate me, Lord …” (Psalm 26:1), “Examine me, Lord …” (Psalm 26:2), “Do not gather my soul with sinners … (Psalm 26:9), and “… Redeem me and be merciful to me.” (Psalm 26:11)  David is not clamming to be perfect nor that he has led a sin free life, just that he is innocent of the accusations against him.  Bible scholars believe that this psalm, like psalm 7 verses 1 to 5, refer to King Saul who wanted to kill David when he had done nothing wrong. (1 Samuel 18:5-9)  Saul accused David of plotting against him.

Application:

There will be time when we will be falsely accused and we will not have any witnesses to verify our innocence.  Those are the times when all that we can do is trust in The Lord God to vindicate us.  Some people have to put others down so that they can look good.  They will lie and present false witness against us so that they appear good by comparison.  Those are people that we have to pray for and we will be blessed for not doing unto them as they did to us. (Matthew 5:11 and Luke 6:27-28)  Just as David said, we do not want to be included in that group of people who falsely accuse and intentionally do wrong to their fellow men. (Psalm 26:4-5 and 9-12)  Let us pray to The Lord to help us to walk, talk, and behave in a Christ-like manner, especially when those around us are doing otherwise.

FORGIVE US TEACH US GUIDE US LEAD US AND PRESERVE US

Proclamation:

“Show me Your ways, Lord, teach me Your paths.  Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long.  Remember, Lord, Your great mercy and love, for they are far from old.  Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to Your love remember me, for You, Lord, are good.”  Psalms 25:4-7 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  He begins this psalm by expressing his trust in The Lord. (Psalm 25:1)  However, in this psalm David admits that he is in trouble, distressed, and he is suffering. (Psalm 25:15-18)  He knows that he has many enemies who hate him. (Psalm 25:19)   He also knows that he has committed many sins and transgressions but he is asking The Lord God to forgive all of his sins (Psalm 25:11 and 18) and to have mercy on him and help him.  He prays that God will help him to not be ashamed of Him, will show him His ways, will teach him His paths, and will lead him in His truth. (Psalm 25:2-5)  David ends this psalm by praying for a series of ten personal blessings and then he prays for all of the people in the nation. (Psalm 25:16-22)

Application:

All of us have committed sins that we want The Lord God to forgive us for, and not all of them were done in the days of our youth.  Unfortunately, we cannot “get right” without God’s help.  We need for Him to show us and teach us and lead us in the right way.  We must put out trust in The Lord.  We also, like David, have some troubles that we need God to deliver us from and to keep us from. (Psalm 25:20-22)  Let us pray that The Lord God will have mercy on us and forgive, teach, guide, lead, and preserve us as we continue our Christian journey on earth for we need His help and we cannot make it without Him.

WHO WILL SPEND ETERNITY WITH THE LORD GOD

Proclamation:

“Who may ascend the mountain of The Lord?  Who may stand in His holy place?  The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.  They will receive blessing from The Lord and vindication from God their Savior.”  Psalm 24:3-5 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  Here David begins by stating that earth and everything in it belongs to The Lord.  He created it and it is His. (Psalm 24:1-2)  After stating that he asks the rhetorical question, who is the proper person to be an inhabitant of Zion, the dwelling place of The Lord God?  Then he goes on to answer the question by describing such a person.  One who has “clean hands” and “a pure heart” and has not worshiped idol gods or provided false witness against his fellow man.  This is the person who will receive this special blessing from The Lord.

Application:

The only people who are “worthy” of spending eternity with The Lord are those who are holy in their thoughts, motives, words, and deeds. (Psalm 26:6, Psalm 51:10, and Matthew 5:8)  Those who have been washed in the blood of Jesus, The Christ, believed in Him and accepted Him as their personal savior. (John 3:16 and Revelation 1:5)  This special blessing of eternal life with The Lord is not something that is earned or worked for, it is a gift from God. (Ephesians 1:4-6 and 2:8-9)  For this we should thank and praise God.

THE LORD GOD IS MY SHEPHERD PROVIDER AND PROTECTOR

Proclamation:

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me besides quiet waters, He refreshes my soul.  He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake.”  Psalm 23:1-3 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  During one of his distressing circumstances, David comforts himself by remembering that The Lord God is his shepherd.  God has provided for him, and lead and guided him.  He has no need to be afraid, regardless of his situation, because God is with him. (Psalm 23:4)  Even under the gravest of circumstances, The Lord God protects him, provides for him and blesses him abundantly. (Psalm 23:5)  He knows that he has God’s favor, God’s love, and God’s mercy, which he will continue to enjoy for the rest of his life.  He also knows that when his life on earth is over, he will spend eternity with The Lord God. (Psalm 23:6)

Application:

Like David, we are sheep and The Lord God is our shepherd.  He provides all that we need.  In Him we can enjoy peaceful rest and sleep.  He leads us to places which He has carved out where the water is calm because He knows that sheep are fearful creatures who will not drink from running waters.  After we wander away from His word and His way, He forgives us and restores our soul to His good graces.  If we would follow Him, He will lead, guide, and direct us along the right paths of life.  He protects us from all hurt, harm, and danger, during the storms of life and blesses us with much more than we deserve. (Psalm 23:4-5)  We should rejoice and praise His name for all that He has done, is doing, and will do for us.

KING DAVID'S PREDICTION OF THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST

Proclamation:

“Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet.  All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me.  They divide my clothes among them and casts lots for my garment.”  Psalm 22:16-18 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  He begins by presenting suffering from his personal point of view, (Psalm 22:1-2 and 6-7) from that of his forefathers, (Psalm 22:3-5) and from that of Jesus, The Christ. (Psalm 22:13-18)  Then David changes and presents praise and thanksgiving, and the rationale for doing so, in the second half of this psalm. (Psalm 22:21-31)  However, he begins this psalm stating the words which Jesus would say on the cross. (Psalm 22:1, Matthew 27:46, and Mark 15:34)  Then in verses 16 through 18 he clearly make reference to events which would occur during the crucifixion of Christ on the cross. (Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, Luke 23:34, and John 19:23-24)

Application:

While most believers are aware of the prediction of the crucifixion of Jesus, The Christ, by the prophet Isaiah, (Isaiah 53:6-12) many did not know that King David also predicted it and included it in the words of a song which the people of God sang.  Additionally, because of his long history of reliance on The Lord God, (Psalm 22:9-10) David knew that He would save him and he boldly proclaimed his praise to Him. (Psalm 22:21-22)  Then he exhorted all believers to praise The Lord. (Psalm 22:23)  Hallelujah!!!  Praise The Lord!!!  Praise His holy and righteous name!!!

REJOICE AND PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS STRENGTH AND POWER

Proclamation:

“Be exalted in Your strength, Lord; we will sing and praise Your might.” Psalm 21:13 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm is a song which was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David to be sung by the people after he was victorious in battle.  This is the companion song along with Psalm 20 that was part of the prayer and praise that the people did for their king before (Psalm 20) and after (Psalm 21) the victory in the holy wars.  This is a psalm of thanksgiving and celebration for The Lord God answering their prayer for the victory.  This psalm begins by finding joy and rejoicing in the strength of The Lord and it ends with the people singing, praising, and exalting The Lord because of His strength and power.  It also addresses and anticipates future victories. (Psalm 21:8)

Application:

Jesus, The Christ, said that all power in heaven and in earth was given to Him. (Matthew 28:18)  As believers we know that The Lord God is omnipotent.  He said things that are impossible for men are possible with God, for with God all things are possible. (Mark 10:27)  Given all that He has created and all that He has done, including all that He has done for us, we ought to also sing and shout praises to Him and exalt His holy and righteous name.  For those whom we pray for, afterwards we should also pray and give God thanks for working things out for them and for giving them the victory.   

A PRAYER FOR THE LORD'S POWERFUL PRESENCE DURING TIMES OF TROUBLE

Proclamation:

“May The Lord answer you … May He send you help … May He remember all your sacrifices … May He give you the desires of your heart … May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God.  May The Lord grant all your requests.”  Psalm 20:1-5 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm is a song which was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David to be sung by the people to honor himself when he was about to go to war.  This was part of the prayer and praise that the people did for their king before the holy wars.  They wanted The Lord God to uphold, support, and sustain their king-general during a military campaign.

Application:

A day or time of trouble is an opportunity for The Lord God to demonstrate His glorious power to the world as He comes to the aid of His believers.  As we go through the storms of life, we want The Lord God to hear and answer our prayers, to help us during our struggles, to remember our past service and obedience, and to grant us the victory over whatever the problem.  This is our prayer for ourselves and the prayer that we want others to pray for us.  We want The Lord’s powerful presence with us during the storms. (Psalm 46:1)  We want Him to fight our battles so we know that we will be victorious. (2 Chronicles 20:17)  If the things that we desire and ask Him for gives God glory, then we will receive them. (Matthew 21:22, John 16:24, James 4:3, and 1 John 3:22)

LET YOUR WORDS THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS BE PLEASING TO THE LORD

Proclamation:

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”  Psalm 19:14 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm is a song which was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David to be used and sung in public worship.  David begins this psalm by declaring that the heavens declare the glory of God. (Psalm 19:1)  He states that “the law of The Lord is perfect … the testimony of The Lord is sure … the statutes of The Lord are right … the commandment of The Lord is pure … and the judgments of The Lord are true and righteous …” (Psalm 19:7-9)  Each of these is more precious than gold and sweeter than honey. (Psalm 19:10)  He prays and asks God to cleanse him from his unintentional sins, to keep him from presumptuous sins, and let sin not have rule or control over him. (Psalm 19:12-13)  David ends this psalm by asking The Lord God to let his words and thoughts be pleasing in His sight.

Application:

All of the celestial bodies that exist in what we call outer space, are by their existence a declaration to the glory of God.  The existence of that which we call life on earth is also a declaration to His glory.  As great, and as powerful, and as awesome as God is, we ought to do all that we can to please Him.  We should ask for His help with our moral failures and to keep us from willful and intentional sins.  We ought to pray that He will keep us from letting sin rule over us.  As believers we want our words, thoughts, and actions to be pleasing to The Lord.

THE LORD GOD IS WORTHY OF OUR PRAISE

Proclamation:

“I love You, Lord, my strength.  The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  I called to The Lord, who is worthy of praise …”  Psalm 18:1-3 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm is a song which was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David and sung by him after The Lord had delivered him the hands of his enemies and from King Saul. (2 Samuel 22:1)  It is a psalm of thanksgiving which David begins and ends with giving praises to God. (Psalm 18:49-50)  He expressed his love as both a tender intimacy and a strong devotion to The Lord.  He knows that it is God who protects him, and for this he gives God praise.  David sings about his personal delivery by the hand of God. (Psalm 18:16-18)  He also sings about the victory which God gave him over his enemies. (Psalm 18:37-45)

Application:

As believers we love The Lord.  Even though at times we act like disobedient children, we still love The Lord.  It is in Him that we live, move, and have our very being. (Acts 17:28)  Without the breath of life that comes from Him, we would not exist. (Genesis 2:7)  The Lord God is the source of our strength (Psalm 27:1, Psalm 28:7, Psalm 118:14, and Isaiah 12:2) and our shelter in the time of storms.  He has already granted us the victory over our enemies and the evils of this world. (1 Corinthians 15:57 and 1 John 5:4)  Because of who He is and what He has done, The Lord God is worthy of our praise and worship.

KEEP ME AS THE APPLE OF YOUR EYE

Proclamation:

“My steps have held to Your paths; my feet have not stumbled … Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings …”  Psalm 17:5-8 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  This psalm is one of many prayers that David spoke to The Lord God.  David knew that it was The Lord who kept him on the right paths and directed his steps in God’s way.  He also knew that the times when he did not stumble and fall into sin were due to The Lord God upholding him.  He prayed to God because he knew that God would hear him and answer him. (Psalm 17:6)  He wanted God to show His loving-kindness towards him and keep him protected in His tender loving care as He would the apple of His eye.

Application:

If the truth be told, this is how we all would like to be treated by The Lord God.  We want Him to treat us as if we are special to Him, the apple of His eye, which would require that He gives us His special tender loving care and protection.  This would keep us safe from all hurt, harm, and danger, lovingly protected under His wings. (Psalm 17:8, 36:7, 57:1, and 63:7)  When we pray, this is what we want.  We want God’s recognition and response, (Psalm 17:1-2) His rescue and relief, (Psalm 17:6-9) and His retribution and rest. (Psalm 17:15)  Our prayers appeal to God’s loving-kindness.

I WILL KEEP MY EYES ALWAYS ON THE LORD

Proclamation:

“I will praise The Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.  I keep my eyes always on The Lord.  With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”  Psalm 16:7-8 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  He begins this psalm with a prayer because he puts his trust in The Lord.  He knows that all he has comes from The Lord. (Psalm 16:5-6)  He knows that it is The Lord who counsels and instructs him as he leads the people of God.  He states that he will keep his focus on The Lord.  He also knows that if he walks God’s way no harm will come to him and for this he praises The Lord.  He is glad and rejoices because he knows that he is safe and secure in the presence of The Lord. (Psalm 16:9-11)

Application:

We know that as believers we are safely in the hands of God and that He is our refuge and our strong tower.  We trust Him to take care of us now and in the future because He has taken care of us in the past.  If we follow His Word and listen to His counsel and instruction we will never go wrong.  We will only sink into sin when we take our focus off of Him.  We should praise God and rejoice for what He has done, is doing, and will do for us.  For we cannot even begin to imagine the good things which The Lord has in store for us in the future. (Isaiah 64:4 and 1 Corinthians 2:9)

WHO IS ABLE TO LIVE WITH THE LORD

Proclamation:

“Lord, who may dwell in Your sacred tent?  Who may live on Your holy mountain?  The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart;”  Psalm 15:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  In contrast to psalm 14 in which David describes the characteristics of the godless man, in this psalm he describes the characteristics of the godly man.  This man walk blamelessly, does what is righteous, speaks the truth, and does not slander or do wrong to his neighbor.  He honors those who obey The Lord and he keeps his word.  His financial dealings are fair and he does not take bribes.  He is steadfast in the ways of The Lord.

Application:

If we are honest with ourselves, we know that we do not possess all of these characteristics.  These are the traits which we should yearn to have and strive for.  While we know that we are not perfect, most of us think of ourselves as being good people.  “What kind of world would this be, if everybody in it were just like me?” (Author unknown)  We think that the world would be a better place if everyone behaved as we do.  While it is true that a lot of crimes probably would not occur, but it is also true that a lot of good that is currently being done by others would go undone.  We don’t help the homeless, or give to the poor, or donate to all of the charitable causes.  We do not always do that which is righteous or always obey The Word of God.  We do not always tell the truth, and we think slanderous thoughts.  As believers we will be in heaven because of the grace of God for it is by grace that we will be saved, not because of our works or deeds. (Ephesians 2:8-9)  Let us not think too highly of ourselves. (Romans 12:3)  None of us deserves to go to heaven on our own accord, nor have we earned the right to live with The Lord in His holy place. (Matthew 19:17)  We are to walk in His way, not to earn our way to heaven but to show Him that we love Him. (John 14:15)  We will reside with Him in eternity because Jesus, The Christ, died for our sins and we believed in Him. (John 3:16)  We should thank God for this every day.

THE FOOL SAYS AND BEHAVES LIKE THERE IS NO GOD

Proclamation:

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’  They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.”  Psalm 14:1 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  For some unknown reason these words are repeated almost verbatim in the fifty third psalm.  Most of The Bible scholars believe that “the fool” David is referring to is a group of people who are immoral, wicked and void of spiritual understanding.  In this psalm David describes the characteristics and basic sinful human nature of godless people.  Their deeds and conversations are vile and impure and in their hearts they despise the people of God and righteousness in general.  They treat the poor and the righteous with cruelty and persecute them. (Psalm 14:4)  But The Lord will come to their aid, He is their refuge and He will restore His people. (Psalm 14:6-7)

Application:

Human beings are basically sinful by nature.  Before we condemn “the fool” that David is referring to, let us remember that all of us are sinners. (Romans 3:23)  None of us are righteous on our own, (Romans 3:10) it was imputed to us and not earned by us. (Romans 4:24 and James 2:23)  Before we accepted Christ as our personal Savior, we exhibited or thought about some of these same sinful behaviors.  Thinking sinful thoughts is the same as committing the sin. (Proverbs 23:7)  Judge not, least you be judged. (Luke 6:37)  Rather, we should pray for those who don’t know The Lord God, or who don’t believe in Him.  Let us thank God for helping us and rejoice in His presence, protection, and power.  When we think of that foolish person, remember, there but for the grace of God go you and I.

HOW LONG LORD HOW LONG

Proclamation:

“Look on me and answer, Lord my God.  Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death …”  Psalm 13:3 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  It is believed that David wrote this psalm after his sin with Bathsheba while he was fleeing from his son, Absalom.  Four times he asks The Lord God, “How long …” (Psalm 13:1-2)  He feels that The Lord has forgotten him or is hiding His face from him.  David wants to know how long he will have to counsel himself and how long will his enemy triumph over him.  He is in distress and wants The Lord God to hear him and to answer him.  After he questions God, he prays and asks Him to give light to his eyes that he may see more clearly, that he may understand what is going on and know what he should do.  David goes from lamenting his current situation (Psalm 13:1-2) to rejoicing because he recalls that The Lord has dealt bountifully with him. (Psalm 13:5-6)

Application:

All too often, we tend to forget that The Lord God does things in His time frame and not ours.  When He does not immediately deliver us, or help us, we are ready to conclude that He has forgotten us or has turned His face away for us so as to punish us because of His displeasure with us.  The Lord never stops loving us, and He continues to bless us even though He does not like our sinful behavior.  If we would confess our sins and turn from our sinful ways, He would hear us and deliver us. (1 John 1:9 and 2 Chronicles 7:14)  Our problem is that we want to do what we want to, and that is not usually the same as what He wants us to do.  The question is not how long will God delay in answering us, but how long will we continue to disobey Him.  When Job repeatedly asked The Lord, “How long …” (Job 7:19, 8:2, 18:2, and 19:2) He finally replied by asking Job “Where were you when I …” (Job 38:1-41, 39:1-30, and 40:1-2)  After Job humbly replied that he was not worthy, (Job 40:3-5) The Lord God continued to question him. (Job 40:6-24 and 41:1-34)  The next time that you are tempted to question The Lord God and ask “How long …” you should read these chapters in the Book of Job.  We should also remember what He has already done for us.  Give God the praise, honor, glory, worship, and respect that He is due and deserves.

KEPT SAFE AND PROTECTED FROM HARM FOREVER

Proclamation:

“You, Lord, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked …”  Psalm 12:7 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  He begins by talking of a time when there appear to be no godly men.  He appeals to The Lord God for help because he feels alone and that all of the faithful men have gone through death or desertion.  Only the corrupt men remain who would lie and plot against or take advantage of their fellow man.  Then he prays or prophecies that The Lord God would put an end to all such men. (Psalm 12:3)  In contrast to the vanity and lies spoken by man, (Psalm 12:2) the words of God are true and pure. (Psalm 12:6)  The people of God, who are always in need either spiritually or physically, will be protected by The Lord and kept safe from the wicked who will boldly exalt their own.

Application:

We live in a time when the wicked are prosperous and occupy positions of authority.  True God fearing leaders are hard to find.  Corruption and deception abound in governments, institutions, and in leadership at all levels.  However, believers are not to worry about, be envious of, or try to imitate those evil doers for they will soon be cut down. (Psalm 37:1-2)  We are to trust in The Lord and not depend upon our own limited understanding and abilities. (Proverbs 3:5-6)  The only safe place for us is in the hands of The Lord.  For not only is there safety in His hands, no one can take us out of His hands. (John 10:29)  During the reign of the wicked, only The Lord God can give us the safety and protection that we yearn for. (Psalm 12:5)  

OH I WANT TO SEE HIM TO LOOK UPON HIS FACE

Proclamation:

“On the wicked He will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot.  For The Lord is righteous, He loves justice; the upright will see His face.”  Psalm 11:6-7 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  This untitled psalm seems to address the same subject as the previous two psalms, Psalm 9 and Psalm 10.  It addresses the wicked who are preparing to harm the righteous. (Psalm 11:2)  The wicked will also attack and attempt to destroy the foundations of the believers in Christ. (Psalm 11:3)  David made it clear that his trust and refuge is in The Lord.  For The Lord sees the wicked and those who love violence and He will deal with them. (Psalm 11:4-5)  The Lord will raid down fire and brimstone upon them, and in the end they will burn in the lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 21:8) and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)  However, believers will be rewarded with the pleasure of being with The Lord God and seeing His holy face. (Psalm 17:15)

Application:

The question has been asked, what can the righteous do against the wicked? (Psalm 11:3)  The answer is that we can pray and “kill them with kindness.”  When we treat those who do us wrong with kindness, we “heap burning coals upon their heads.” (Romans 12:20)  The Lord has said that vengeance is His and that He will take care of them. (Romans 12:19)  He will rain down fire and brimstone upon them and they will spend eternity in the lake of fire.  We need not worry about the wicked or the evil doers.  All we need to do is to keep the faith, meditate on His Holy Word, walk in His way, and spread the gospel to others.  If we do this, when our time comes to give an account of our stewardship, we will hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant … enter into the joy of thy Lord.” (Matthew 25:23)  This psalm ends with the phrase, “… the upright will see His face.”  It reminds me of the words of an old spiritual song:

“Oh, I want to see Him, look upon His face

There to sing forever of His saving grace

On the streets of glory let me lift my voice

Cares all past, home at last, ever to rejoice.”

THE LORD GOD IS KING FOR EVER AND EVER

Proclamation:

“The Lord is King for ever and ever; … You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them, You listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere mortals will never again strike terror.”  Psalm 10:16-18 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  This untitled psalm is thought to be a continuation of Psalm 9.  David begins this psalm on a note of despair. (Psalm 10:1)  He spends most of this psalm focusing on the hostile actions, words, and thoughts of the wicked.  He asks The Lord God to raise up His hand (Psalm 10:12) and break the arm of the wicked. (Psalm 10:15)  Then he offers words of encouragement to the believers telling them that The Lord is in control and that He has heard their cries. (Psalm 10:16-18)  This psalm begins with a statement of despair, but it ends with a statement of faith.

Application:

We live in a world full of atheists. (Psalms 10:4, 10:11, and 10:13)  If we listen to them, we will be discouraged.  We need to understand that The Lord God is The King of kings and that He has all power in His hands. (Matthew 28:18)  We are just passing through this world headed to our home in heaven.  Jesus said that, “My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36)  He also said that going to prepare a place for us so that we could be with Him throughout eternity. (John 14:1-6)  We need to know that there will come a time when the heathen and the wicked will be destroyed. (Psalm 10:16 and 1 Corinthians 15:24-26)  When The Lord establishes the new heaven and the new earth, the wicked will no longer exist. (2 Peter 3:13)  The weak and the meek, the fatherless and the oppressed will be avenged.  The Lord knows of our suffering and He has heard our cries.  One day, we will sit at His feet and be blessed.

GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART

Proclamation:

“I will give thanks to You, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonderful deeds.  I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praises of Your name, O Most High.”  Psalm 9:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm is a song which was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  Here David sings and publicly praises God sincerely with all of his heart.  He enthusiastically tells the people about the things which God has done.  David is making a joyful noise unto The Lord as he has encouraged the people to do. (Psalm 66:1, 95:1, and 100:1)  He is thankful that The Lord has saved him from his enemies and for being a refuge, or a stronghold, for him and for the righteous and the oppressed. (Psalm 9:9)  He knows that God has sustained him. (Psalm 9:4)  He knows that The Lord will judge the wicked and He will provide for the righteous. (Psalm 9:5-9)

Application:

This psalm is very personal for David.  He begins by stating “I will …” four times proclaiming his exuberance in worshiping The Lord.  We would do well to do likewise.  No one can tell our story regarding what The Lord has done for us better that we can ourselves.  When we think about where He has brought us from and what He has brought us through, we ought to shout for joy and praise His name.  It was God who maintained us and sustained us through our storms. (Psalm 9:4)  We ought to acknowledge Him for all that He has done. (Proverbs 3:6)  We ought to sincerely thank The Lord and love Him with all of our heart. (Deuteronomy 13:3)

OH LORD HOW EXCELLENT IS YOUR NAME

Proclamation:

“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!  You have set Your glory in the heavens.”  Psalm 8:1 (NIV)  The King James version of The Bible for this verse reads: “O Lord our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth!  Who hast set Thy glory above the heavens.”

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  In this psalm David reflects upon the greatness of God and puts his thoughts into a song.  He considers the things which God has made, the heavens, the moon, and the stars, and then he wonders why God even gives a thought to man. (Psalm 8:3-4)  God created man and gave him the honor of having dominion over the things which He created and placed on earth. (Psalm 8:5-8)  As he continues to reflect on the awesomeness of God, David ends this psalm the way that he began it, “O Lord our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth.” (Psalm 8:9)

Application:

Man has struggled for a long time trying to “figure out” how the earth, and life upon the earth, came to exist.  Man cannot explain the stars in this galaxy or the other galaxies which he can see.  The problem is that man refuses to believe in God.  As logical as he is about most things, in this regard he is totally illogical.  Patterns do not just randomly repeat themselves, where there is a design, there must have been a designer.  The pattern of our solar system and others, with planets revolving around a sun, is repeated on a grander scale with galaxies.  It is also repeated on a microscopic scale with atoms having electrons revolving around a nucleus.  As David pondered the planets and the stars, he reflected on the awesomeness of God.  If we think about these things, we should also be impressed with the awesomeness of our God.  The fact that we began our life as one cell, a zygote, which was formed by the union of two cells, a sperm and an ovum which is a miracle in itself, which then grew into a mass of cells with differentiation and specialization that made us a functioning human being.  We should all praise God for our very existence, and for giving us the capacity to even think about the planets and the stars.  Without the breath of life that we received from Him we would be nothing but the dust of the earth with dominion over nothing. (Genesis 2:7 and Ecclesiastes 3:20)  Our God is an awesome God, praise His holy and righteous name.  Oh Lord, how excellent is Thy name!

BRING TO AN END THE VIOLENCE OF THE WICKED

Proclamation:

“Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure; You, the righteous God who probes the minds and hearts.”  Psalm 7:9 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  In this psalm David sang to The Lord asking Him to save him from his enemies and to destroy them.  He tells The Lord that if he has done any wrong to his enemies then let them persecute him. (Psalm 7:4-5)  If not, then he wants The Lord to let the wickedness and mischief of his enemies return unto them. (Psalm 7:12-16)  David knows that he is a sinner, but his sins were against God and not his enemies. (Psalm 51:3-4)  He begins this psalm stating that he will put his trust in The Lord, (Psalm 7:1) and he ends it by saying that he will praise The Lord. (Psalm 7:17)

Application:

There is apparently a lot of needless violence and wickedness in the world today.  People are destroying one another for no good reason.  People are killing innocent people who have done them no harm.  Here David prays to The Lord to bring an end to the violence of the wicked people to make this world a more secure place for the righteous people.  However, God did not promise us a peaceful world.  In fact The Bible teaches us that every man born of a woman will live but a few days and those days would be full of trouble. (Job 14:1)  Jesus said that His followers would be hated because the world hated Him. (John 15:19)  It would be nice if the world were free from violence, but that is not likely to happen.  It would be better for us to pray for God’s protection during the storms of life than to pray that there were no storms.  But, there will come a day when the wicked shall cease from troubling God’s people and the weary believers shall be at rest. (Job 3:17)  The Lord will deal with the wicked individuals. (Romans 12:19)  The wicked people and the evil doers will soon be no more. (Psalm 37:1-2)  One day, there will be a new heaven and a new earth where only the righteous will dwell. (2 Peter 3:13)  So, for the time being, let us keep our trust in The Lord and continue to praise His holy and righteous name.

PLEASE LORD HAVE MERCY ON US

Proclamation:

“Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath.  Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.  My soul is in deep anguish … Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of Your unfailing love.”  Psalm 6:1-4 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  This psalm is a plea for mercy and David begins this psalm by asking The Lord God not to punish him when He is angry.  He is suffering and he asks The Lord to have mercy upon him.  David also asks The Lord God to heal him, deliver him, and to save him because of God’s unfailing love.

Application:

We all know that we have sinned and done wrong repeatedly.  We know that we deserve to be punished for our sins, however, we do not want The Lord God to punish us when He is angry or upset.  We want Him to have mercy on us, to withhold our deserved punishment and grant us unmerited favor.  We want The Lord God to heal our bodies from our afflictions, to save our souls from our sins, and to deliver us from our troublesome situations.  We ask this of Him because of His endless, steadfast, and unfailing love because we ourselves are unworthy.  Because we are believers, we can be confident and know that when we pray this prayer that The Lord hears us and will intervene on our behalf. (Psalm 6:9)

LORD MAKE YOUR WAY CLEAR BEFORE ME

Proclamation:

“But I, by Your great love, can come into Your house; in reverence I bow down toward Your holy temple.  Lead me, Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make Your way straight before me.”  Psalm 5:7-8 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  He begins this psalm by asking The Lord God to hear his prayer. (Psalm 5:1-2)  David states that the first thing that he does every morning is to pray to The Lord. (Psalm 5:3)  Then he begins to expound upon some of the things displease God. (Psalm 5:4-6)  David then states that by the love of God, and by the multitude of His mercy, he can enter the house of God.  He bows down in reverence and worship even when he looks upon or faces God’s holy temple.  Then he asks The Lord to lead him in His righteousness and to make His way clear before him.

Application:

Like David, we should begin every day with prayer.  We should hold The Lord God in reverential awe, and we should even respect His holy temple.  In addition to thanking God for His grace and mercy and blessing us with one more day, we should ask Him to guide us throughout the day.  We should all walk in the way that The Lord God would have us to walk.  Our prayer should be that The Lord will make His way clear to us, so that it is easy for us to discern, and that He will guide us and help us as we walk in His way. (Psalm 23:3)  We want The Lord to order our steps. (Psalm 37:23)  We want The Lord to clearly tell us what to do, and to show us the way to go.

SEARCH YOUR HEART AND REFLECT ON YOUR BEHAVIOR

Proclamation:

“Know that The Lord has set apart His faithful servant for Himself; The Lord hears when I call to Him.  Tremble and do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.”  Psalm 4:3-4 (NIV)

Explanation:

This is a psalm of King David which was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This psalm was designed to be sung publicly by the people.  David told them to be assured that The Lord God had set him apart and that He hears him when he calls Him.  He told them the stand in awe of God and to stop committing sins.  He said when they lie on their beds at night, they should meditate and reflect upon the actions of the day and examine their own hearts.

Application:

As believers we know that The Lord God has set us apart from the rest of the world to be His faithful servants.  As such, we should hold Him in reverence.  When we come to our senses after we have been wronged, we should not let our anger take control of our emotions and cause us to surrender to sin.  At the end of each day, we should examine ourselves, reflect upon our thoughts, words, and actions, and ask God to forgive us for all of our sinful behavior.   

I SLEEP AND I WAKE AGAIN BECAUSE THE LORD SUSTAINS ME

Proclamation:

“But You, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, The One who lifts my head high.  I call out to The Lord, and He answers me from His Holy Mountain.  I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because The Lord sustains me.”  Psalm 3:3-5 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm of King David was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This psalm deals with David’s predicament, his peace, and his prayer.  It is thought to have been written when he was fleeing from his son Absalom.  David knew that he had many enemies. (Psalm 3:1)  He also knew that The Lord God was his protection.  In his times of trouble David turned to The Lord. (Psalm 3:3-4)  He knew that God heard him cry out, and he knew that God would answer his prayers. (Psalm 3:4)  David knew that he could lie down at night and sleep in peace because The Lord God would watch over him, sustain him, and wake him in the morning. (Psalm 3:5)  David knew that from The Lord God comes deliverance and blessings. (Psalm 3:8)

Application:

We can learn a lot from David.  He was far from perfect, but he was a man after God’s own heart. (Acts 13:22)  We know that it is The Lord that shields us and protects us from our enemies, and from all forms of hurt, harm, and danger.  The Bible states that The Lord is “my shield” six times. (Psalm 7:10, Psalm 18:2, Psalm 18:35, Psalm 28:7, Psalm 119:114, and Psalm 144:2)  Six times The Bible states that The Holy Spirit of God “lifted me up.” (Ezekiel 3:12, Ezekiel 3:14, Ezekiel 8:3, Ezekiel 11:1, Ezekiel 11:24, and Ezekiel 43:5)  The Lord can lift us up in many ways, including physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially, socially, and intellectually.  There are so many ways in which He can and does bless us.  It is The Lord God that sustains us and delivers us.  We know that The Lord hears and answers prayers. (Psalm 120:1)  We can have peace in the midst of a storm.  It is only by the grace and peace of God that we can go to sleep each night and wake up the next morning.  God grants a peaceful night’s sleep to those that He loves. (Psalm 127:2)  We ought to thank Him each morning for watching over us as we slumbered and slept, and for blessing us to see a new day.   

BLESSED ARE ALL WHO PUT THEIR TRUST IN THE LORD

Proclamation:

“Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.  Serve The Lord with fear and celebrate His rule with trembling.  Kiss His Son, or He will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for His wrath can flare up in a moment.  Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.”  Psalm 2:10-12 (NIV)

Explanation:

The human author of this psalm is unknown but it was clearly written under the influence of the Holy Spirit of God.  The author may have been King David as he is said to have spoken the words in verses one and two of this psalm. (Acts 4:25)  This psalm also serves as an introduction to the psalms.  Whereas psalm 1 refers to “two different ways” for individuals to respond to The Lord, psalm 2 follows it with an application to nations and their leaders.  It begins with human rebellion, (Psalm 2:1-3) followed by God’s reaction (Psalm 2:4-6) and His divine decree. (Psalm 2:7-9)  It ends with a statement of individual human responsibility.  The leaders of all nations are warned that all of the people must serve, worship, and submit to The Lord or they will incur His wrath.  Those who put their trust in Him will be blessed. (Psalm 2:10-12)  Those who don’t will be destroyed.

Application:

The Lord God is the sovereign ruler of all and we are instructed to obey His commands.  The message to us is that those who do not obey Him will perish. (Psalm 1:6 and Psalm 2:12)  This psalm deals with the triumph of The Messiah and His rule over all.  It offers us a warning that all those who oppose Him will be broken into pieces like fragile pottery. (Psalm 2:9)  Only those of us who trust in The Lord will find refuge, peace, and a safe haven in Him.  Blessed are all of those who put their trust in Him. (Psalm 2:12)

EMBRACE THE WORD OF GOD AND BE BLESSED

Proclamation:

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of The Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night.”  Psalm 1:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

The human author of this psalm is unknown but it was clearly written under the influence of the Holy Spirit of God.  This psalm serves as the gateway to all of the psalms.  It depicts the way of the righteous man and contrasts it with the way of the wicked man.  It stresses that those who worship The Lord must embrace His Holy Word.  Those who do so will be blessed. (Psalm 1:3)  Those who do not will be destroyed. (Psalm 1:4-6)

Application:

If we want a deep-seated joy and contentment in The Lord, and to be truly happy because we enjoy God’s favor, then we need to embrace The Holy Word of God, delight in it, and meditate on it daily.  We ought to begin and end each day with The Word of God.  It we do that, He will bless us in such a way that our efforts are fruitful and prosperous. (Psalm 1:3)  Jesus, The Christ, said, “If you love me, keep My commands.” (John 14:15)  Let us show Him that we love Him.  Let us read, internalize, and obey His Holy Word.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!