Psalm

t-vo definition: (n.) a short encouraging devotional based on the word of God. Psalm 1:1-6 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked or stand around with sinners, or join mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted by the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction. (t-vo) Every person on earth wants the peace and provision described here, but few are willing to make the law of the lord (Bible) their delight. People refuse to delight in the Bible because delighting in the Bible requires time spent in the Bible, and attempting to lead a life based on the Bible. In order to find peace in this life, no matter the situation, Gods Word must be our primary source of delight. Psalm 2:11 Serve the Lord with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling. (t-vo) Heres a major component of our relationship with God that is often missed, respect. God is the all mighty creator of the universe and should be respected. His gifts to us should be cherished, yet He is often treated with cold indifference, or bitter contempt, even by Christians. God longs for a close relationship with us, and He deserves to be respected and worshiped as the all mighty God He is. Psalm 3:3 But you, O Lord, area shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. David understood that God was the source of His protection, which is why David was able to worship God, no matter how dire the situations of life became. It was times like this that Davids faith was strengthened. The take away is this, in times of great struggle we can and should worship God even if we dont see any possible solutions; if we do than our faith in God can become unshakeable. Psalm 4:1 Answer me when I call to you, O God who declares me innocent. Free me from my troubles. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer. (t-vo) Revival is coming! More on that later, but know that God wants to answer our prayers, and relive us from our distress; we just wont let Him. We refuse to give up control, which blocks Him from being able to mold us, shape us, and relive us from ourselves. My prayer for all of you

today is that, you would allow God into your life. To give up your control of self, to Him, allowing Him to change you. Psalm 5:1-3 O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you. Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. (t-vo) I would just like to take this opportunity to thank God, for the simple fact that He hears us and He loves us. The love of God, shown through Christ for us, is at the very center of the Good News; yet somehow when life goes sour we lose sight of this. We get caught up in issues of life and lose sight of the beautiful simplicity of the Gospel: God loves us. In light of the negativity of the politically charged 24/7 news cycle, and the simple fact that life is full of turmoil and pain, which many people are dealing struggling with at a more critical level than many of us can even imagine, dont ever forget the simplicity of Gods word. That is He loves us, and He hears us. In spite of what you may have heard, or the way you may feel right now Gods love is real, tangible, and He is longing to pour it out on you and your situation right now. Allow Him to wash over you today with His love. Psalm 6:1-3 O Lord, dont rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage. Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak. Heal me, Lord, for m ybones are in agony. I am sick at heart. How long, O Lord, until you restore me? (t-vo) Does this sound like you? Heres a suggestion: this Sunday, come/go to Church expecting God to show up in your life, in a big way, not kind of sort of, but a big way. As already mentioned, God longs to move in our lives. Many times He doesnt, simply because we arent expecting it. Expectancy is one of the keys to experiencing Gods move in your life. Thanks to Ben Robbins for the thought starter. Psalm 7:6 Arise, O Lord, in anger! Stand up against the fury of my enemies! Wake up, my God, and bring justice! (t-vo) Right now in our world there are many things that break my heart. Africa, the Middle East, London, the U.S., and throughout the rest of the world people are suffering through unspeakable circumstances. I find myself, as David did here, calling out to God to do something. The problem is He has chosen us to be His instruments of Love, justice, and peace. Psalm 8:1-9 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you. When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers the moon and the stars you set in place what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority the flocks and herds and all the world animals, the birds in the sky,

the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! (t-vo) We serve a God who is mighty, powerful, creative, awesome, and oh by the way loves us like crazy! The prayer for today is this: that we would have the kind of worshipful heart that David expresses here, for that God no matter what the situation may be. Psalm 9:1-2 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High. (t-vo) As we prepare ourselves to worship the Lord on Sunday, let this verse soak deep within you. We worship God, not necessarily because of our circumstances, but simply because He is God. Our worship is not tied to the Stock Market or any other temporary aspect of this life; our worship is tied to the eternal goodness of God. Psalm 10:1-18 O Lord, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide when I am in trouble? The wicked arrogantly hunt down the poor. Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others. For they brag about their evil desires; they praise the greedy and curse the Lord. The wicked are too proud to seek God. They seem to think that God is dead. Yet they succeed in everything they do. They do not see your punishment awaiting them. They sneer at all their enemies. They thing, Nothing bad will ever happen to us! We will be free of trouble forever! Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats. Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues. They lurk in ambush in the villages, waiting to murder innocent people. They are always searching for helpless victims. Like lions crouched in hiding, they wait to pounce on the helpless. Like hunters they capture the helpless and drag them away in nets. Their helpless victims are crushed; they fall beneath the strength of the wicked. The wicked think, God isnt watching us! He has closed his eyes and wont even see what we do! Arise, O Lord! Punish the wicked, O god! Do not ignore the helpless! Why do the wicked get away with despise god? They think, God will never call us to account. But you see the trouble and grief they cause. You take note of it and punish them. The helpless put their trust in you. You defend the orphans. Break the arms of these wicked, evil people! God after them until the last one is destroyed. The Lord is king forever and ever! The Godless nations will vanish from the land. Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them. You will bring justice to the orphans and oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them. (t-vo) When times are difficult, and it seems as if those who ignore God prosper while His people suffer, its easy to allow ourselves to start feeling like David did in the first part of this chapter. David almost seemed depressed, kind of like God had now abandoned him. Be careful not to fall into this trap, take the whole counsel of scripture, and know that God always comes through for His people.

Psalm 11:7 For the righteous Lord loves justice. The virtuous will see his face. (t-vo) This seems to be a bit of a theme here in the Bible. God is close to and cares for those who are hurting, oppressed, broken, and hopeless. So, if thats you, know that you are close to the heart of God; if thats not you right now, then we need to do what we can, through word and deed, to point others toward the ultimate source of hope. Psalm 12:1 Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing! The faithful have vanished from the earth! (t-vo) This certainly feels true, doesnt it? Its easy to start feeling like Elijah, as if there is no one left who serves God, or that there are none who struggle with the things we struggle with. Which leads to another ongoing theme in scripture: we are not alone, in our faith or our struggles. Psalm 13:3 Turn and answer me, Or Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die. (t-vo) How often do we allow life steal the sparkle from our eyes? Maybe God wants us to stop driving ourselves crazy, and let Him restore it just a thought. Psalm 14:3 But no, al have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one des good, not a single one! (t-vo) Apart from Christ none of us are good enough. This fact should do two things: humble us and encourage us. Humble us, because no matter how hard we try it is impossible for us to ever become good enough. Encourage us, because even though we cant become good enough on our own, Christ died to make us more than good enough in Gods eyes! That is good news. Psalm 15:3 Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. (t-vo) There seem to be two types of gossip: overt and subtle. The subtle gossip would be the more dangerous of the two, mainly because overt gossip is easily spotted. Subtle gossip on the other hand is much more difficult to recognize when we hear it, or speak it. When we speak we should speak thoughtfully, being careful not to engage is subtle or overt gossip. Psalm 16:1-2 Keep me safe, Or God, for I have come to your for refuge. I said to the Lord, You are m Master! Every good thing I have comes from you. (t-vo) I love the fact that this verse reminds us of Gods goodness. Every good thing we have comes from Him; as an added bonus He is a stable place of refuge. In a world that seems to become more unstable every day, its nice to be reminded of Gods stability. These are just two of the many reasons, His goodness and stability, to worship Him this weekend.

Psalm 17:3-5 You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night. You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong. I am determined not to sin in what I say. I have followed your commands, which keep from following cruel and evil people. My steps have stayed on your path; I have not wavered from following you. (t-vo) This is one of those times when reading the Bible hurts in a good way. One of the many incredible things that Gods love can do is gently, yet pointedly, makes us aware of issues or areas of our life in need of evaluation and change. So, spend some time reading these verses and ask yourself if you can say of yourself what David was able to say of himself. Psalm 18:4-6 The ropes of death entangled me; floods of destruction swept over me. The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path. But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears. (t-vo) Ever had the wonderfully horrifying sinking feeling that everything around you is falling apart, and there is nothing you can do about it? Kind of like David here, the ropes of death had entangled him. Try and do what David did, and call out to God, but actually take the time to listen after you call out to God. By the way a great way of listening to God is reading the Bible. Psalm 19:12-14 How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Dont let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. May the words of my mouth and the mediation o f my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (t-vo) Heres a good thing to do every once and a while, like a good cleaning. Verse 14 is especially problematic, because most times others dont know the meditations of our heart (so we think we can get away with it), and those who we may cut down with our words (gossip or complaining about others unbeknownst to them) dont hear us. So, spend sometime today asking God to clean up your heart, and mouth. Psalm 20:7-8 Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God. Those nations will fall down and collapse, bet we will rise up and stand firm. (t-vo) What do we boast in? Do we boast in our things, like our relative peace and prosperity we enjoy here; or as the verse states do we put our trust in the name of the Lord our God?

Psalm 21:1-2 How the king rejoices in your strength, O Lord! He shouts with joy because you give him victory. For you have given him his hearts desire; you have withheld nothing he requested. (t-vo) If these verses sound a bit like bragging, its because they are. David is bragging about God, not himself. God had answered a prayer of Davids, so David took the opportunity talk about how awesome God is. The question is do we let God know how awesome He is, for saving us? He is the only one worthy of praise. Psalm 22:1-2 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? Every day I call to you, my God but you do not answer. Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief. (t-vo) Here is yet another glowing example of why the Bible is so incredible. It seems as if David is having one of those days, you know one of those days where everything goes wrong and it begins to seem as God is not there. The depression starts to creep back, the pain won't go away, or the horrible news has just came in; whatever it is, we've all had days like that. David was able to look back at what God had done for his ancestors, and was reminded that in spite of the circumstances, God was still there. If you are having one of those days, let this be your reminder that God is still there. Psalm 23:6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. (t-vo) Ever had that odd feeling that you were be chased? That feeling is essentially what David is talking about here, except its a good thing. The picture this verse gives us is God chasing/pursing us, in order to bless us. Not bless us as in money pouring down from heaven, but bless us as in peace. The very thing we often find ourselves fighting to earn, God freely gives us, if we let Him. How ironic. Psalm 24:1-2 The earth is the Lords, and everything in it. the world and al its people belong to him. For he laid the earths foundation on the seas and built on the ocean depths. (t-vo) In times of turmoil, which we seem to be living in, it is incredibly important to remember this one little fact, The earth is the Lords. When life seems as if it is out of control, it is easy to forget that God is still in control; when we watch the news, and see people protesting here, not in a faraway land, it could be easy to forget that God is still in control. If we do forget this, then it is easy to forget about faith, and if we lose our faith in God then we may find our life to beginning to feel unbearable. So dont forget, God is still in control.

Psalm 25:6 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love, wich you have shown from long ages past. (t-vo) This is not so much a reminder to God, as if He had forgotten the things He has done. This is more of a reminder for us, much like when we sing worship songs about how awesome God is. When God hears those songs its not as if He says, oh yeah, I am awesome arent I. What these songs do, and what this verse does is remind us of Gods awesomeness. Because when we face difficulty, we sometimes forget. Worship God this weekend! Psalm 26:1-2 Declare me innocent, O Lord, for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and my heart. (t-vo) Here is a simple fact of life: we all make colossal mistakes. Heres another simple fact of life: if we ask Him, God forgives. Here is one last simple fact of life: once we are on solid ground, most of us dont publicly praise the Lord; thats a problem. The reason this is a problem is mainly that we miss out on the joy that comes with being actively involved in standing up for the one who saved us. Jesus is worthy of much more praise than we could ever give Him, yet instead of giving it a good try, most dont praise at all. Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me form danger, so why should I tremble? (t-vo) This is a wonderful verse and a wonderful promise for those of us who serve God. The problem is that most of us, even though we have been given the opportunity to not fear and tremble, still spend much of our time fearing (I realize this is bad grammar, but it conveys the point more eloquently) and trembling. I think the main cause of our continued fear and trembling is that we fail to trust God. Sure we trust for some things, like salvation, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty of everyday life we fail to fully trust Him. When our marriages are in trouble, do we as couples trust God? When our children are doing the things that give parents high blood pressure and extra gray hairs, do we trust God? Trusting God doesn't make the problems disappear, but it gives us peace in spite of the problems Psalm 28:6-7 Praise the Lord! For he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. (t-vo) Many of us have had our cry for mercy heard by the Lord, but it seems at times that few of us have bust out in songs of thanksgiving. For some of us, meaning me, the lacking of busting song is based in practical reason like I cant sing. Literally my singing voice sounds a bit like a really bad screaming rock band, or possibly an animal dying a horrible death. The good news is we dont have to sing of Gods praises, at least not in front of others because in my case this may

cause people to not love Jesus, we can tell others our praises of thanksgiving. The question then becomes, will we? Psalm 29:5-6 The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars; the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanons mountains skip like a calf; he makes Mount Hermon leap like a young wild ox. (t-vo) Just a reminder: If Gods voice is big enough to make mountains skip then surely He is big enough to set us free from whatever holds us back from Him. Now I know David is using a bit of hyperbolae here, but the reason a person uses hyperbolae is because normal words and phrases dont do the subject matter justice. God is so big and powerful, that in our finite human languages we need to use hyperbolae every now and then. Psalm 30:1 I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me. (t-vo) Its good to know that we have been rescued by God. By that I mean its good to know that our worth is not tied to what we can or cant do, we arent required to get through life on our own, and regardless of how many protests there may be peace is still ours. Yep, its good to be rescued. Psalm 31:9-13 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress. Tears blur my eyes. My body and soul are withering away. I am dying from grief; my years are shortened by sadness. Sin has drained my strengths; I am wasting away from within. I am scorned by all my enemies and despised by my neighbors even my friends are afraid to come near me. When they see me on the street, they run the other way. I am ignored as if I were dead, as if I were a broken pot. I have heard the many rumors about me, and I am surrounded by terror. My enemies conspire against me, plotting to take my life. (t-vo) Ever had a day or even a long string of consecutive days that felt like this? On those days its hard to remember that God is still on our side. If you find yourself in one of those days, read on to verses 19-24. Our hope is in Him and He hears our cries. Psalm 32:1-4 Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience ins forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in summer heat. (t-vo) David, inspired by God, touched on a pretty significant truth here: great freedom comes after getting junk off our chest. Apparently Davids sin, which could be classified as junk, was starting to weigh him down then once he confessed, getting it off his chest, he seems to feel better. Lesson for us in all of this, you may ask? It is vitally important that we have people in

our lives, with whom we can be completely honest with. More importantly, we need to build a relationship with God, so that we know we can be completely honest with Him. Psalm 33:12 What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen as his inheritance. (t-vo) If God the God of the Bible, or as Francis Schaffer said The God who is actually there is going to the Lord of this nation, what needs to happen in this nation? This raises another question: who or what is the nation? Is the nation solely made up of our elected officials, or is the nation something more? In my humble opinion, the nation (in this case meaning the U.S.) at the most basic level is made up of families. In this line of thinking, calling our nation back to God is far less of a daunting task. We can improve our nation, by improving one family at a time, or by simply improving our own family life. Psalm 34:1-3 I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lords greatness; let us exalt his name together. (t-vo) We should do this more often, praise the LORD that is even when times are not good. If fact, it is during the difficult times that praising God is most important. When we praise Him we gain a new perspective, our praises remind us of how good He is. Psalm 35:9-10 Then I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be glad because he rescues me. With every bone in my body I will praise him: Lord, who can compare with you? Who else rescues the helpless from the strong? Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them? (t-vo) A wonderful Thanksgiving Day verse! We all have much to be thankful for; we just are often too focused on the negative things in our life. So, take a little time to think about Gods many blessings. Psalm 36:10 Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you; give justice to those with honest hearts. (t-vo) Christmas time is officially here. Rudolph was on TV last night, we put up our tree, and a good layer of snow now covers our part of the world as they say its beginning to look a lot like Christmas. As we officially enter the Christmas season, lets not forget what Christmas is all about. This verse is a wonderful reminder of the meaning that lies beyond the chaos of Christmas. It was on that night in Bethlehem, that God begin to reveal the fullness of this verse. Christ is the ultimate expression of love and justice, and Christmas is all about Christ.

Psalm 37:23-24 The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. (t-vo) Talked a bit about this verse on Sunday, but the verse is worth sharing on again. This verse alongside Romans 8:28 are absolutely wonderful! In the former, God reminds us that He is intimately involved in every single detail of our life, and in the latter He reminds us that even when the details of our lives seem absolutely horrible He works it out for our good. I certainly have seen this to be true in my own life. We may not be able to see how our situation can be turned in our favor, be we know the one who turns the situation. Psalm 38:1 O Lord, dont rebuke me in your anger or discipline me I your rage! (t-vo) Ever had an argument with your spouse or someone else you really cared about? I mean one of those knockdown, drag out kind of arguments, when you start out knowing exactly how right you are, but end up realizing how wrong you are? Then after the argument you feel the need to make things right so strongly that you simply cant function until you do? I think maybe thats where David was. He had realized how much he had wronged God, and felt as if he just couldnt go on until he made things right so he did. Heres the big take away: if you are feeling as though there are issues (sin) between you and God that are making it impossible for you to function with Him, dont wait to make things right. Secondly, if you feel there are issues between you and someone you care about, dont wait to make things right do it now. Psalm 39:1-4 I said to myself, I will watch that I do and not sin in what I say. I will hold my tongue when the ungodly are round me. but I stood there in silence not even speaking of good things the turmoil within me grew worse. The more I thought about it, the hotter I got, igniting a fire of words: Lord, remind me that my days are numbered how fleeting my life is. (t-vo) It would seem as if David had a bit of an issue with his temper; he attempts not to speak, but the fire still burned within him. Sound familiar? You dont have to answer that. He goes on to ask God to show him, the number of his days. Why would he do that? Well, because if we realized how preciously short life truly was, we wouldnt let our anger get the best of us. Psalm 40:1-3 I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the point of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me and I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord. (t-vo) Ive never been very good at being patient. As a little kid I can remember feeling like I was going insane waiting for our Christmas gatherings. To be honest not a whole lot has changed I was ready to do our families Christmas yesterday, slow traffic makes me want to drive faster, and long lines cause me much unwarranted stress. So this idea of waiting patiently for God is

difficult for me. However, David wasnt rescued from his situation, until after he waited patiently. Maybe today, you need to be patient with God. His timing is always perfect. Psalm 41:1 Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor! The Lord rescues them whne they are in trouble. (t-vo) This verse serves as a nice little reminder for us this Christmas season. In a time of year that has been turned into rush rush and buy buy we need to remember that ultimately Christmas is about God giving us the ultimate gift His Son. In honor of the gift God give, we give gifts, and who better to give a gift to than someone who really needs it. Those in need are not necessarily in need financially, maybe they just need to know someone cares, or maybe they just need Jesus. Psalm 42:5-8 Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again my Savior and my God! Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan, from the land of Mount Mizar. I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides seep over me. But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to god who gives me life. (t-vo) This passage sounds a bit like David was feeling rather down. In fact it sounds as if hes depressed as if all the struggles which have surrounded him are about to sweep over him. Yet, he chooses to worship God, in spite of the circumstances. Taking time to worship God, for all He has given us, helps us to come out of the depths of our despair. So, if you find yourself feeling down, worship Jesus. Worship may not change the situation, but worship will change your outlook on the situation. Psalm 43:4-5 There I will go to the altar of god, to god the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God! Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again my Savior and my God! (t-vo) Even though David was feeling discouraged, he chose to praise God, regardless of his situation. Why would he do this? When we praise God, even when we dont feel like it, our attitude is changed. Our praises may not cause the difficulties to disappear, but our praises will remind us that God is the one who is in control. More importantly, our praises help remind us that God is in love with us.

Psalm 44:1 O God, we have heard it with our won ears our ancestors have told us of all you did in their day, in the days long ago. (t-vo) As parents, do we do this? Do we share with our children the stories of the incredible things God has done for us throughout our lives? I know that this is an area I struggle with. The reason I struggle with this, and maybe its the same for you, is that I often dont take the time to stop and think about the work of God in my life; in fact I often take the work of God in my life for granted. So how can I possibly share with my children the incredible work of God in my life if I myself dont take the time to praise God for His work? Maybe this is something we all need to work on, because these stories will help grow the faith of our children. Is there anything more important, as a parent, than to point our children towards Jesus? Psalm 45:10-11 Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say. Forget your people and your family far away. For your royal husband delights in your beauty; honor him for he is your lord. (t-vo) This entire chapter can be viewed as metaphor about Christ, and His bride, the Church (us). In that light, sometimes we need to, forget our people. By that I mean, sometimes we need to forget what other people may say or think about us. We serve a King (God) who loves us infinitely, and thinks that we are worthy of the death of His Son, and sometimes we forget the way He feels about us. Instead, we take our self-worth and vision of who we are from the words of others, and not the words of the King. So this year, know who you are from the Kings perspective. Psalm 46:10-11 Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation will be honored throughout the word. The Lord of Heavens Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. (t-vo) This chapter seems to be saying that regardless of our circumstances, we can have peace in God. The hard part of this chapter is, being still. In this fast paced world in which we live, finding time to be still seems nearly impossible, especially when life is going bad. We feel as if we need to work harder, or do more to take care of our problems. God offers a better way; He offers peace, in the midst of chaos. So take the time today to be still with God. Psalm 47:9 The rulers of the world have gathered together with the people of the God of Abraham. For all the kings of the earth belong to God. He is highly honored everywhere. (t-vo) Do we live as if God is honored everywhere? By that I mean do we live a life that shows God is honored in our hearts? There is a way that God has intended us to live, a life worthy of our calling, as the Apostle Paul says. If you find yourself not living a life that honors God, let this encourage you to begin to do so today. If you do find yourself living a life that honors God, let this serve as a reminder to keep up the good work.

Psalm 48:9 O God, we meditate on our unfailing love as we worship in your Temple. (t-vo) This verse uses the word meditate, which basically means to stop and think deeply. With that in mind, have we taken time to meditate on the love of God today? We all know God is worthy of praise, but sometimes it is difficult to remember this, which is why we need to meditate on his love. We think about his love to be reminded of how incredible his love for us is, in spite of what life may tell us. Psalm 49:5 Why should I fear when trouble comes, when enemies surround me? (t-vo) Why should we fear? Good question. We know God is with us, for us, and will take care of us. Yet when troubles come, our first reaction is fear. I think the way to beat this fear is to change our first reaction from fear to faith. Instead of stressing when troubles come, we can go straight to God in prayer. By responding in prayer, our faith will grow, and we will be able to respond in faith instead of fear. Psalm 50:14 Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. (t-vo) God is rebuking the many physical sacrifices from the people of Israel, saying instead He desires thankfulness and obedience. Apparently the people of Israel werent being obedient in their everyday lives (they certainly made sacrifices), and werent really thankful for the many blessings God in their lives. Perhaps they were just going through the motions of doing things for God, without truly honoring God with all their heart, mind, and soul. All of which begs the question, what about us? Psalm 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to be obey you. (t-vo) This Psalm was written after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba then to cover up his sin, essentially ordered a hit on her husband Uriah. Can you hear the passion in his voice as he returns to God? I find verse 12 especially encouraging. Can you remember the joy of your salvation, and how good it felt to know you had been saved by God? Then life happens, and we forget that joy. God wants to restore our joy, let him. Psalm 52:4 You love to destroy others with your words, you liar! (t-vo) We often forget that what we say is vitally important, and we can literally destroy people by cutting them down with our words. Proverbs 18 tells us that we can bring life or death with our tongues; you can speak life, by being positive, or you can speak death, by being negative. Speak life!

Psalm 53:1 Only fools say in their hears, There is no God. They corrupt, and their actions are evil; not only of them does good! (t-vo) Ever read this verse and thought that it only applies to atheist? Because none of us would ever say that there is no God at least not with our words. What about with our actions? Do we live our lives as if there is an all powerful creator God, who desperately loves us? If not, we should try. Living a life that shows we know God, not just that we know about God, would certainly change our lives. So live your life knowing that God is desperately in love with you, because He is. Psalm 54:4 But God is my helper. The Lord keeps me alive! (t-vo) I find it incredibly encouraging to know that the creator of the universe is my helper and sustainer of life! Hopefully we all know that on our own we would be unable to stand against the struggles of this world, and if we were required to put our trust in nothing more than our fellow man we would be lost without hope. So today, PRAISE GOD, even if your situation says not to, because he will be your help in time of trouble if you let him. Psalm 55:10 Its walls are patrolled day and night against invaders, but the real danger is wickedness within the city. (t-vo) To be honest with you, I try not to think or speak too much about politics. I find it often times gets in the way of the gospel and is sometimes used as a way to pass blame on to politicians. But how incredibly timely is this passage? The biggest problems we face as a nation aren't "out there", although we definitely face many problems "out there". The biggest problems we face are right here, right now, and inside of us. Our nation needs to turn back to Jesus! We can help solve the problem of wickedness in the city, by striving to be more Christ like today. Psalm 56:10 I praise god for what he has promised; yes, I praise the Lord for what he was promised. (t-vo) Sometimes we need to praise God for what He has promised. This is tough though, because we don't always know when those promises will be fulfilled. Yet, we can praise Him even when life appears as if His promises have failed us. We praise Him because He has proven Himself, time and time again, and will surely prove Himself trustworthy in your situation. God is always on time, just not always our time!

Psalm 57:6 My enemies have set a trap for me. I am weary from distress. They have dug a deep pit in my path, but they themselves have fallen into it. (t-vo) According to the Anxiety Disorders Associations of America, approximately 40 million adults in America struggle with anxiety, and approximately $42 billion a year is spent on treating anxiety. I think its safe to say that many people are weary from distress. Heres the thing, the message of the gospel is that we can be free from our anxieties. Because of the work of Jesus on the cross, we can put our complete hope and trust in him. Because of that, we can have peace. The world offers nothing but anxiety in the midst of the problems of life Jesus offers peace in the midst of the problems of life. Psalm 58:11 Then at last everyone will say, There truly is a reward for those who live for God; surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth. (t-vo) One day, all the wrongs of this life will be righted and all the pain we have felt will be wiped away in moments time. Until then, we wait. We wait and we hope for the glorious day of Christs return, when all things will be made new. All of creation will once again become what it should be. However, we can do more than just hope and wait. We can take action. Because of Christ, we can begin to work to set things right in the world (aka kingdom work), right now. This starts at home. This kind of work begins when we become the spouse, parent, sibling, child, and overall man or woman of God we were intended to be. With Christs help start there, wherever your there may be. Psalm 59:4 I have done nothing wrong, yet they prepare to attack me. Wake up! See what is happening and help me! (t-vo) Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world; which is a very Christianise way of saying that, we live in world where bad things happen to good people. In the times of the New Testament the Pharisees believed that if a person had some sort of disease or faced any kind of calamity, they must have been a sinful person. This simply isnt true. The fact of life is that we will face hardships on this earth, sometimes for no apparent reason. The hope of life is that one day we will live in perfection, all because of Christ. Psalm 60:4 But you have raised a banner for those who fear you a rallying point in the face of attack. (t-vo)There are, and will be more, times of great trouble in this life, but God gives a rallying point, a place of refuge. There may be times when it feels as if the struggles of this life have pushed you to the breaking point. If that is the case, lift up you head, because God has provided a rallying point. Its the cross of Christ, where we can find rest, hope, peace, and strength. And who knows, after you have been strengthened perhaps God will use you to point others to the place where you found refuge in the midst of the battle. Be strong, in Christ.

Psalm 61:4 Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings! (t-vo) Praise God, we can do this! If we choose to that is. The problem is, we often choose not to. What usually happens is, the struggles of life come our way (and they seem to be plentiful for many people right now), we get focused on them, and lose focus on God. In order to get over this, we need to learn to quickly refocus ourselves, back to God. To do that, go to church and worship with others; spend time in the word by yourself, if you need a heavier devotional check back here later today; pray, by yourself and a group of others, and dont be afraid to be honest with your closest Christian friends they care about you, and you are not alone. Psalm 62:1 I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. (t-vo) Behold the most difficult aspect of trusting God the waiting. We are naturally wired to be doers, by that I mean terms like waiting and patience seem like dirty words to us. Yet, waiting patiently is exactly what God wants us to do. Make it a point to this weekend to patiently wait on God, while you worship Him. Psalm 63:4 I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hand to you in prayer. (t-vo) I love to praise God. I love lifting my hands and voice the one who created and saved me. But sometimes, I dont necessarily feel like praising God. I have found though, that those are the times when I need to praise Him the most, because those are the times when I most need to be reminded of how great He is. Psalm 64:7 But God himself will shoot them with arrows, suddenly striking them down. (t-vo)When others ridicule us, isnt it nice to know that the battle isnt ours to fight. If we know that we are living our lives in a way that is pleasing to God, then if the rumors or gossip start we really have nothing to fear. We can just rest and trust in God to protect us. Psalm 65:3 Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all. (t-vo) Doesnt it feel good to be forgiven? To know that regardless of how horrible your sins may have been, God has forgiven them all. Just breathe it in for moment, feels good doesnt it? Now, dont you think others deserve to receive the same forgiveness from you? If you are holding past hurts against another, let it go. You will feel a whole lot better. Psalm 66:2 Sing about the glory of his name! Tell the world how glorious he is. (t-vo) Ever feel small and insignificant, because havent told thousands of people about Jesus? You may not feel as if you have made an impact on the whole world, but you can make a huge impact on your world. You can make an impact for Christ on the people you come in contact with everyday. No one is insignificant in the body of Christ.

Psalm 67:5 May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you. (t-vo) One day this will come true. One day every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Until that day, we wait. We dont passively wait, we actively wait. By praising, serving, and loving the one who saved us and will one day come back for us. Psalm 68:3 But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in Gods presence. Let them be gilled with joy. (t-vo) The godly that are mentioned in this verse, is us! We can rejoice, be glad, and be filled with joy! All because of what Christ has done for us, and regardless of our situation. Much of whether or not we are filled with these attributes (the rejoicing and such), has a lot to do with our attitudes and our attitudes have a lot to do with our words. So are our words filled with rejoicing? If not, maybe we need to change our words. Psalm 69:5 O God, you know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from you. (t-vo) Now before you say, hey, thats a nice life verse for the pastor, lets remember that this is a nice life verse for marriage, and very fitting for Valentines Day. The truth is we all have moments of foolishness, just some of us more than others, and especially in the context of marriage. So, why do we have such a hard time showing forgiveness? If we know that God has greatly and freely forgiven us, and we know that ourselves are prone to acting foolishly causing pain for the ones we love one would think we would be more apt to forgive. Yet we dont. Instead we hold bitterness and resentment against others, which causes more pain and hurt it is a vicious cycle. Break the cycle of hurt today, and create a cycle of forgiveness. Psalm 70:4 But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you. May htose who love your salvation repeatedly shout, God is great! (t-vo) So many people today are searching for joy and gladness in things other than God. Perhaps in an addiction to drugs or alcohol, a bad relationship, or a false religion regardless of what it is, they will never find joy until they look for joy in God. What about you? Where do you find your joy? Psalm 71:20 You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth. (t-vo) The reason the Psalms are so encouraging, is because they are so real. The truth is, life is difficult. For me, it is encouraging to know that God is overseeing and in control of our lives, even in the hard times. Although we would rather skip the difficult times of our life, God has a plan and a purpose for them and will eventually bring us out of those difficulties into something better.

Psalm 72:1 Give your love of justice to the king, Or God, and righteousness to the kings son. (t-vo) This is a psalm/prayer of Solomon, the king of Israel, and he touches on something that we sometimes bury deep within --we need help. Those of us who lead, whether it be in our places of work, our homes, our churches, or even our circle of friends, need wisdom and guidance from God. We can't lead on our own, and we were never intended to, we are intended to lead as God leads us, but to do that we must be humble enough to allow God to lead us. Psalm 73:1 Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure. (t-vo) Truly God is good to us too! Here on a Monday, after Sunday (which coincidentally is when most Monday's fall) in which (hopefully) we have praised God and been touched by Him, it is a good idea to take some time today and thank Him. Thank him for the many blessings He has given us. It seems that for most people, Monday is not a good day, so lets take Mondays back by praising God for His many blessings. Then lets spread our taking back of Monday movement, by letting those who are blessings to us know that God is using them to positively impact our lives. Whether that be our spouse, friend, or that person who serves us our Monday morning coffee let them know that you are thankful to God, for them. Make it a truly Happy Monday! Psalm 74:10 How long, O God, will you allow our enemies to insult? Will you let them dishonor your name forever? (t-vo) Because we have the benefit of having the entire Bible at our finger tips, we know that Gods answer to these questions is, no He wont be insulted and dishonored forever. One day, all that we know the world to be will end, and we will all be judged by God. At that time will you be judged as one who has dishonored and insulted God, or will you be judged as one who honored and praised God? The only way to truly live a life which honors and praises God is by accepting His Son, Jesus. After taking that initial step of accepting Jesus, we are then able, because of Christ, to live a life that honors God. Psalm 75:5 Dont raise your fists in defiance at the heavens or speak with arrogance (t-vo) Remember that old saying, Actions speak louder than words? I think it applies here. We may not be verbally arrogant towards God and we may not actually defiantly shake our fist toward heaven, but how many times have we done this in our hearts, or by the way we live? When we live our life in a way that ignores God, or refuses to put Him first, then we are living arrogantly. As Christians we must learn to walk humbly before our God, and we do this by living a life that humbly serves our Creator.

Psalm 76:12 For he breaks the pride of princes, and the kings of earth fear him. (t-vo) God breaks the pride of us common folk too, and let me tell you from experience, its not fun. So the wise thing to do would be to take some time this Lenten season to pray, and ask God to reveal to you the pride, and other things in your life that distract you from Him. Then go about, with Gods help, removing them from your life. On a side note, pray for our nation as a whole. We need Jesus, and I wonder if we have become a bit prideful as a nation. By that I mean it seems as a nation we have forgotten that we need God. So, please pray. Psalm 77:11 But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. (t-vo) I wish I could read this to you. The psalmist has just spent 10 verses complaining to God. The words he writes almost seem to say that he is done with God. Then everything changes, because he remembers all God has done. The way I see it is this: his head drops for a moment, as if he is ashamed of all he has just said, but then a smile begins to form on his face as he says the words of this verse. This is what worship does for us. Worship reminds us, in the midst of our messy lives, of all God has done for us. So worship strong this weekend! Psalm 78:32 But in spite of this, the people kept sinning. Despite his wonders they refused to trust him. (t-vo)Here is what I feel is the key verse of this chapter, and perhaps the verse that most realistically describes our lives. In spite of all God has done for us, we continue to live lives focused on ourselves not God. In spite of Gods wonderfully gracious gift of salvation, people continue to ignore Him, choosing instead to live a life of death and decay. Change that today. Live passionately for the God who has saved you. Psalm 79:6 Pour out your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge you on kingdoms that do not call your name. (t-vo) This psalm was most likely written by Asaph after Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Babylonians, so he was probably a bit upset. But you have to wonder where the US would fit in this verse. Sadly, I think we would fall into the category of a nation that refused to acknowledge the Lord. Not saying that God is about to pour His wrath out on us, but we know from the history of Israel that when a nation starts to walk away from God, bad things happen. Pray for a revival in our nation!

Psalm 80:7 Turn us again to yourself, O God of Heavens Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved. (t-vo) So how does God turn us? Sometimes it is through His overwhelming love for us, but most people ignore that. Other times God uses the pain in our lives to turn us back to Him. If you find yourself going through a ridiculous amount of struggle right now, trying turning to God. If you have already turned to God, hold on, it gets better. Psalm 81:5-6 He made it a law for Israel when he attacked Egypt to set us free. I heard an unknown voice say, Now I will take the load from your shoulders; I will free your hands from their heavy tasks. (t-vo) I love hearing that voice, don't you? I love hearing/feeling (hard to tell the difference) God offer me rest from my burdens. In order to hear God though, we need to position ourselves to hear Him. This is the point of Lent. Lent is a time to remind us to slow down, and listen for God so we can give Him our burdens. Take time today, to do nothing but simply know God. Psalm 82:8 Rise up, O God, and judge the earth, for all the nations belong to you. (t-vo) Take a minute and look around you. Do you see the skies, earth, and everything in between? It all belongs to God. We often we think more highly of ourselves than we should. I think we do this because we (us humans) begin to think that we are the ones who are in charge and responsible for making the world go round. We aren't the ones in charge and we don't make the world go round, God does. This means you can relax and trust Him, because He's in charge, and will one day set the world to right. Psalm 83:1 O God, do not be silent! Do not be deaf. Do not be quite, O God. (t-vo) Here in this Psalm of Asaph, Asaph is crying out to God because the situation was very, very, overwhelming. Many nations had gathered together in order to destroy the people of Israel. So naturally, Asaph cried out to God. How often do we do the same thing? Our situations seem overwhelming, bills, sickness, and various other overwhelming things, so we cry out to God begging Him to listen in the midst of our pain. But we never stop long enough to hear His reply. God is not silent and He is not deaf, we just need to stop and listen. Psalm 84:12 O Lord of Heavens Armies, what joy for those who trust in you. (t-vo) Here's a good question for a "where is you trust" test: How's your joy? If your joy level is low to non-existent than you probably need to reassess the placement of your trust. You see, when we are trusting in God than we have every reason to feel joy, because God is worthy to be trusted. When we trust in God things like stress, anxiety, and depression don't really need to be a part of our life, because we know God can handle the struggles of our life. For a heart that is trusting God, joy is easy!

Psalm 85:8 I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to their foolish ways. (t-vo) Maybe its just me, but there seems to be a bit of a trend in these past few e-vos. God must be trying to say something. We live in a chaotically busy world, and in the midst of chaos hearing God is difficult. We need to quiet ourselves so we can hear him, because his voice is the only sound that truly matters. Psalm 86:4 Give me happiness, O Lord, for I give myself to you. (t-vo) If you get a chance today I would strongly encourage you to read this entire Psalm. When you do so, I think you will feel the love and passion David felt towards God. Hopefully you will desire to feel the same love and passion toward God. I wonder how many of us are truly willing to give all of ourselves to God. To hold nothing back from the God who loves us. No pain, desire, or dream just to be completely and totally His. To be able truly say, my life is not my own, but His. This would radically and positively impact every area our lives. Psalm 87:6 When the Lord registers the nations, he will say, They have all become citizens of Jerusalem. (t-vo) This verse isnt speaking of citizens and nations in the same way we do. Because this verse is looking ahead to the city of Jerusalem in Revelation 21, which will be a city of all Gods people. One day, all that divides Gods people will be removed and we will be united as Gods people! Psalm 88:13 O Lord, I cry out to you I will keep only pleading day by day. (t-vo) Sometimes life feels like this. Like we are crying out to God at the top of our lungs day after day after day, and it seems as if God is silent. Like God has forgotten about us, abandoned us, and weakened us. Sometimes life feels like this but it's not. When the struggles of life feel unbearable and God seems to be distant are the times He is right there. During these times God is working behind the scenes to mold us and shape us and provide the strength we need to stand. During these times when our strength grows weak, God will carry us. Trust Him today! Psalm 89:11 The heavens are yours, and the earth his yours; everything in the world is yours you created it all. (t-vo) Its funny, we know this to be true, but we dont live this to be true. By that I mean we dont live our life as if we are loved by the creator of everything. If so, we would view ourselves differently. We would see ourselves as we should sons and daughters of the King, and joint heirs with Christ. If we knew lived this to be true trust, peace, and faith would come naturally. Live this today, the Creator loves you!

Psalm 90:12 Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. (t-vo) We all know life is short, weve all been told this many times before, but its hard to remember this when we are in the midst of our busy lives. But when we realize that life is short we end up gaining wisdom, which Im sure we all could use. How does this happen? Well, I think, that when we realize how finite we are and short our time on earth is we tend to act a little differently. Hopefully, we slow the pace of our lives in order to take time for the important things in life, like God and family. Then through that more peaceful pace of life, we have the opportunity to know God better and enjoy the blessings He has given us. Psalm 91:14 The Lord says, I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. (t-vo) That sounds good, doesnt it? To know that we will be rescued and protected by God and all we have to do is love and trust Him. Especially considering that He has already loved us more than we could ever love Him (think Jesus) and has proven Himself to be trustworthy time and time again (think the entire Bible). Trust and love God today, He can handle your day far better than you can. Psalm 92:4 You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done. (t-vo) Here we are in the midst of the madness of March, and Im sure many people will be thrilled this weekend. But when was the last time you were thrilled by God? When was the last time you let Him know you were thrilled by what He has done and continues to do for you? Praise God this weekend for all He has done for you, by letting the joy He has given you come out in your praises! God is worthy of our praise, lets give it to Him this weekend. Psalm 93:5 Your royal laws cannot be changed. Your reign, Or Lord, is holy forever and ever. (t-vo) In this day and age of Moral Relativism and what some have called Burger King Christianity, we need to remember that Gods ways are just, pure, and unchangeable. We may not always understand, or even agree with the way in which God does things, but we must know they are right. His ways are above our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts, we must be humble enough to simply trust Him. Maybe thats why we refer to Christianity as faith. Psalm 94:9 Is he deaf the one who made your ears? Is he blind the one who formed your eyes? (t-vo) This verse is great, well they all are! But this verse in particular, kind of puts us in our place it reminds us of who serves who. While it is ok to question God, it is best to remember that He is the one who created us in the first place. This brings a sense of security that is unattainable without a proper view of God. He has our best interest at heart, and He knows what Hes doing so we can trust Him.

Psalm 95:11 So in my anger I took an oath: They will never enter my place of rest. (t-vo) This verse is in reference to the nation of Israel coming out of captivity in Egypt. The first generation, the generation that saw firsthand the mighty works of God, was not allowed to enter into the Promised Land (also known as the place of rest). All because they refused to obey God and thousands of years later not much has changed. Take the Sabbath day for example, a day which we celebrate on Sundays, in honor of the Lords Resurrection. God tells us that this day is for us, to rest in Him. How many of us take that day, or any other day for that matter, to simply rest in Him? When we live life Gods way, life is far more enjoyable! Psalm 96:12-13 Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise before the Lord, for he is coming! He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with his truth. (t-vo) The cause of the celebration of the crops and forest (which is a metaphor for all of creation) is that the Lord is coming back! Not only is the Lord coming to earth, but He is coming to earth to judge with justice, which is a major theme of the Psalms. We live in a world that is incredibly unjust good people die of horrible diseases, the righteous struggle while the evil succeed, some live in deplorable situations while others waste their abundance but when Christ returns all things will be set to right. That is a great reason to praise Him! Psalm 97:1 The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice! Let the farthest coastlands be glad. (t-vo) The Lord certainly showed Himself to be King yesterday in our worship service, and hopefully your respective churches experienced the same. There is simply nothing better than to step back and watch God move! Heres a bit of a warning though: the enemy, Satan, doesnt like it when God shows up in our lives. So, chances are the attacks and distractions will begin, if they havent already. For some, it may even be difficult to remember the incredible move of God we experienced as we worshiped Him. Heres a bit of a reminder: God did move, Satan is ultimately defeated, and Christ is king! Continue to worship Him as such! Psalm 98:1 Sing a new song to the Lord, for he had done wonderful deeds. His right hand has won a mighty victory; his holy arm has shown his saving power! (t-vo) Sometimes, when life happens to us, we may tend to forget that God has already won the battle. The struggles and pains of this life can cause us to forget that in the end, we win. Regardless of what battle you may be facing today, lift your praises to God, because the blood of Christ has already won the battle.

Psalm 99:6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests; Samuel also called on his name. They cried to the Lord for help, and he answered them. (t-vo) These men, and many others, did incredible things for God. Even though the odds were against them (a bit of an understatement, Moses and Aaron took on what was at the time, the most powerful nation on the face of the earth), they succeeded mightily. They were able to succeed because they knew it wasnt about them and their ability, it was about God and His ability. They understood that they were tools in the Masters hands. How are you trying to succeed today? Psalm 100:1-2 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. (t-vo) Not really sure where to start with this one! I am just ready to gather this Easter Sunday and worship my risen savior with my church family. I am ready to put everything else far from mind and worship the Lord with gladness. What about you? Is there a craving deep within you to simply spend some time with God? If not, ask God to give you a hunger for more of Him. The glory of God outweighs any distraction or pain you may have experienced this week, and He is about to move. Let's get ready! Psalm 101:4 I will reject perverse ideas and say away from every evil. (t-vo) In this world that we live in, staying away from perverse ideas and evil seems to be nearly impossible. Every day we are bombarded by these things from both news and entertainment. The only way to truly reject perverse ideas and evil is to stay grounded in the word of God. By staying grounded in God's word we are able to reject the falsities of this world, and replace them with the truth of His word. Let your roots grow deep into God's word. Psalm 102:12 But you, O Lord, will sit on your throne forever. Your fame will endure to every generation. (t-vo)In this Psalm, the Psalmist spends the first 11 verses telling us how horrible his life. He eats ashes for food, has been reduced to skin and bones, and his bones are like red hot coals. From the sounds of it, life hasnt been so good to him. Then in verse 12, he remembers God. The Psalmist suddenly remembers that God is still on the throne, and that God will not abandon him. Regardless of how life looks now God is still on the throne, Christ has conquered death, and you are not alone. Psalm 103:1-2 Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. let al that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. (t-vo) Let this be your prayer and the verse of your life today. God has given us so much and so often we neglect to praise Him for it. In the midst of our lives it is so easy to forget the many blessings of God, dont forget today. Praise Him!

Psalm 104:31 May the glory of the Lord continue forever! The Lord takes pleasure in all he has made! (t-vo) I have to be honest; sometimes the second half of that verse is a little hard to believe. Sometimes I look at my life, and the mistakes Ive made and wonder if God could really take pleasure in me. Then I remember that when God looks at me, you, and everyone else who has put their trust in Jesus He doesnt see the mistakes because weve been washed. Because of Christ we are made new, and have been washed of our past mistakes. When God looks at us, He doesnt see a sinner; He sees His son or daughter. And if we knew the depths of His love for us, we would be overwhelmed. Psalm 105:7 He is the Lord our God. His justice is seen throughout the land. (t-vo) Throughout the Bible, justice is an ongoing theme. Unfortunately in our society justice, like many other issues i.e. abortion, have been turned into nothing more than a political football; with some seeming to be opposed and others against, and many followers of Christ being caught in the middle. The truth is, God has always been a just God and His word if filled with a longing to set things to right, and one day that longing will be filled. Not by the manmade structures of this world, but by King Jesus. Jesus will wipe away all the tears, and bring justice to an unjust world! Until then we hope, pray, and spread the message of the Gospel bringing a little bit of Gods kingdom to the here and now. Psalm 106:20 They traded their glorious God for a statue of a grass-eating bull. (t-vo) This Psalm gives an overview of all the times the people of Israel had turned their back on God; yet throughout it all, God loved them amazing! Verse 20 stands out to me. While Im sure most of us have never bowed down to a grass-eating bull, how many of us have bowed at the altar of greed, hate, or fear? Whenever we let anything whether it is an object, emotion, action, or idea remove God from His proper place of importance in our lives we are worshiping in idol. Ask God to reveal to you anything that may be coming between you and Him, and bow down to God and God alone. Psalm 107:1-2 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. (t-vo) Dont forget to honor the gift of salvation God has given you by living a life that points others towards Him. Through our words and are deeds we can be a witness for the One who saved us. So speak up today!

Psalm 108:1 My heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart! (t-vo) Today I am choosing to make this verse my declaration of faith! Regardless of what happens to, or around me today, I am choosing to let my heart be confident in God's faithful protection and love. Secondly, even if circumstances say I should do otherwise, I am choosing to let my mouth be filled with praises to my King and not my doubts or fears. I am choosing to completely and totally put my faith in Him today, and everyday for that matter! Won't you join me! For the next week, let no negative complaint come from you mouth (I understand kids still need disciplined and work problems need solved, but that doesn't mean it has to be negative), and see if your perspective on life changes. I'm saying it's possible, not easy, but will you join me? Psalm 109:5 They repay evil for good, and hatred for my love. (t-vo) In the worlds economy of emotions, this is the standard. Hatred from others is returned with hatred towards others and pain from others is responded to by inflicting more pain this is just the way the world works. However in Gods economy of emotion, hate is responded to with love and disdain in kindness. In our effort to be positive people, by praising God with our mouths and faith in His provision filling our hearts, we must respond to others the way God responds to us in love. To those who continuously project negativity, show them God by projecting positivity. Psalm 110:1 The Lord said to my Lord, Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them footstool under your feet. (t-vo) This Psalm of David is a prophetic Psalm, looking forward to the time when Christ, the Messiah, would reign as King of the earth. It also serves as a reminder to us, that the struggles we face are not to be faced alone, but with God. So that coworker who causes you pain, the child who constantly rebels, the sickness that seems incurable, and the spouse that seems cold and distant are not struggles to be faced alone but with God. Invite God into the situation, and continue to live a life that shows your ultimate hope is in Him (be positive) and show others the love He has shown you. When you do this your attitude will change, and you will find peace in the midst of the struggles. Psalm 111:2 How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them. (t-vo) Depending on the circumstances, the fact that the deeds of the Lord are amazing can be very difficult to remember. It seems like the problems we face take our mind off of the deeds of the Lord. One of the struggles we face as Christians, and one of the keys to staying positive, is to constantly remind ourselves of how amazing His deeds truly are. So take some time today, just to remember Him.

Psalm 112:1 Praise the Lord! How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying his commands. (t-vo) Does this describe you? Joy is something that is promised to us by God and is not dependent upon our situation or circumstances. Rather, joy is dependent upon a choice. A choice we make, each and every day, to let our struggles (and for many of us those struggles are intense) define us, or to let our God and His word define us. Make the choice today to believe God, obey his commands, and be joyous! It's up to you, not your circumstances. Psalm 113:4 For the Lord is high above the nations; his glory is higher than the heavens. (t-vo) Here's the thing with God, the more we get to know Him the more we realize how incredible He is. We will never get to the point that we "know" everything there is to know about God, but isn't that a good thing? I wouldn't want to serve a God who is finite enough for my mind to fully comprehend. I want to serve a God is infinite enough to be trusted, even when I don't understand what is going on. That is the God we serve, the God who is above the nations and whose glory stretches as far as we can see a God who can be trusted no matter what. Psalm 114:1-2 When the Israelites escaped from Egypt when the family of Jacob left the foreign land the land of Judah became gods sanctuary, and Israel became his kingdom. (t-vo) Wouldnt it be great if we could say of our Nation, that is was completely Gods? The problem is there is much that distracts us and pulls us away from being completely and totally His. The only way to make our nation all His is to have our churches be on fire (the fire of the Holy Spirit, Im not talking about literal flames) for God, which will cause our nation to fall in love with God again. And the way to set our churches on fire for Him is through prayer and fasting. Will you join me? Psalm 115:11 All who fear the Lord, trust the Lord! He is your helper and your shield. (t-vo) Trust in God today. Dont allow the burdens or pain of this life to drag you down and pull you away from Him, rather trust in Him. Regardless of what your situation or circumstances may be, God desperately loves you and longs to be your helper and you shield. Put your faith and trust in Him today and experience peace beyond understanding. Psalm 116:1-2 I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath! (t-vo) One of the great aspects of God is that He listens to us. God longs to have a relationship with us, and like any other relationship our relationship with God is built on communication. God has communicated His word to us through the Bible, but He also wants to continue to speak to us through prayer. Many of us go through life not praying, and by not praying we miss out on

communication with our heavenly father. I would imagine that most of us could use some communication with God, so make the time to pray. Psalm 117:1-2 Praise the Lord all you nations. Praise him all you people of the earth. For he loves us with unfailing love; the Lords faithfulness endures forever. Praise the Lord! (t-vo) It will be a wonderfully glorious day, when the whole earth is filled with praises to God. One day that will happen, one day all the nations will praise Him. Until that time, we can do our part. We can make sure that we, the people of God, always praise Him regardless of what our circumstances are. The reason we should always praise Him, is because He always loves us. His love for us never fails or grows weak; therefore our praises to Him should never fail or grow weak. Praise strong this week! Psalm 118:1 Give thanks to the Lord for his is good! His faithful love endures forever. (t-vo) One of the many wonderful things about God is His love. His love for us never fades or grows weak, even when our love for Him does. His love for us can be trusted to bring us thorough anything we may be going through. Rest assured, Gods love for you has not changed, and you can find peace in His love. (1) (Just as a heads up, Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible, so were going to break it up into at least four parts.) Psalm 119:45 I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments. (t-vo) Doesnt everyone long to walk in freedom? If youre not already, dont you long to walk in freedom from worry, stress, anger, and selfishness? Well, I have good news! Freedom is found in the word of God. By devoting ourselves to the word of God, we are devoting ourselves to a life of freedom, spiritually and mentally, from whatever may enslave us. Whether it is sinful behavior negative thinking, we can be set free by Gods word. (2) Psalm 119:71 My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees. (t-vo) This verse offers a perspective on suffering that, for many of us, is contrary to our current perspective. God doesnt always cause bad things to happen to us, but He does always use those bad things to mold us into His image. Maybe you need to focus on changing your perspective rather than focusing on changing the situation. Sometimes the situation is out of your control, but your perspective is up to you. (3) Psalm 119:92 If your instructions hadnt sustained me with joy, I would have died in my misery.

(t-vo) Most people live their lives as if joy is dependent upon outside circumstances. They may say, if my finances were in order, if I didnt have a problem with (insert problem here), or if God would just (insert request here) then I could have joy. This verse tells us that God sustains us with the joy that comes from His word. That means your joy is dependent on the world around you, but on you learning Gods word and trusting in Him to sustain you. (4) Psalm 119:114 You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope (t-vo) Many people waste their time and energy putting their hope into other things, thinking that these other things can and should be trusted. Some put their hope in their job, some in their bank account or retirement fund, some in their relationships, and four years ago some put their hope in a politician. Yet all of those are not sources of true hope, they are sources of false hope. The only place of true hope we have is in God, through his word. If you find yourself in need of hope, dont look to the things of man look to the things of God. In case you are keeping score, Gods word/regulation is our source of hope and joy. Both of which are good reasons to read our Bibles. (5) Psalm 119:125 Give discernment to me your servant; then I will understand your laws. (t-vo) Every so often I come across people who are having difficulty understanding particular passages of the Bible, so as a Pastor I sit with them and explain Gods word as best I can. To be honest, even after years of continuous studying of how to study the Bible there at times I have difficulty fully understanding Gods word. The Bible is to some a big intimidating book, and was written by an infinite God for finite people. But the cool part is we can understand Gods word, through prayer. The book of James tells us that if we are lacking wisdom we should ask God to give to us, and He will! God can give you the wisdom, or as the Psalmist says discernment, you need to understand Gods word. So dont give up, keep seeking God. (6) Psalm 119:136 "Rivers of tears gush from my eyes because people disobey your instructions." (t-vo) Our world seems to moving further and further away from God's word. The "religious" section of most bookstores is filled with books that claim the Bible is a lie; many claim that the Bible's teaching on morality no longer applies, because our nation has evolved and advanced beyond that. But do we care? Do "rivers of tears gush from our eyes or do we approach the disregarding of the Bible with passive indifference? We need to care, because our nation needs to hear God's word.

(7) Psalm 119:149 In your faithful love, O Lord, hear my cry; let me be revived by following your regulations. (t-vo) The only thing on this earth that is powerful enough to restore the broken is Gods word. The broken individual, family, or nation can only be restored by the word of God, and any other attempt at restoration will be ineffective. So if you find yourself in need of restoration spend some time in Gods word today, and make sure you gather with other believers this Sunday to hear the word of God preached. The word of God is more than powerful enough to restore a person, a family, or a nation. The question is will we let it? Psalm 120:7 I search for peace; but when I speak of peace they want war! (t-vo) Ever felt like this in your relationships? You may be trying so hard to make things right with another individual, and all they seem to do is try to keep things wrong. The temptation is, to go ahead and give them what they want. Gods way offers something better though. Gods way tells us to keeping loving the un-loveable and to bless those who may curse us. Gods way is reconciliation, and in order to have reconciliation there needs to be peace. Psalm 121:1-2 I look up to the mountains does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. (t-vo) Where do we look when we are in need of help? Do we look to the proverbial mountain of earthly wisdom, or do we look to the creator and giver of that wisdom God? I would suggest that if you are in need of help that you start by seeking God, and His wisdom. All other wisdom is foolishness when compared to the glorious wisdom from the Creator of all things Psalm 122:1 I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord. (t-vo) I know to some this may sound like crazy Pastor speak, but Im ok with that. There is something special about gathering together, whether it is Sunday or Saturday, with fellow believers to worship our God. There is an almost miraculous sense of encouragement that comes with lifting our voices in praise and digging into the Word with gratitude, as brothers and sisters in Christ. If you have felt a bit down lately and not quite sure why, let me suggest that you may need the encouragement that only comes from fellowship. Psalm 123:1 I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven. (t-vo) This is the source of life. Our God is our everything! He is our joy in the midst of depression; He is our peace in the midst of chaos; He is our hope in the midst of hopelessness; He is our strength in the midst of weakness. God is our everything! So why do we look in other places for these things? Why are we surprised when the systems of this world fail to meet our needs? The only way to truly live life, is to constantly lift our eyes to God, whose throne is in heaven. Look to Him today, and trust Him to supply all your needs.

Psalm 124:1-3 What if the Lord had not been on our side? Let all Israel repeat: what f if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us? They would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger? (t-vo) Good question. Where would you be if God hadnt been on your side? Many times we question God during the struggles of life, but slow to praise Him for His many blessings. This week think about where youd be without God, and praise Him for not leaving you alone. Psalm 125:2 Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, both now and forever. (t-vo) We often think of salvation as affecting our eternity, and it does, but salvation also affects our lives right now. Jesus said that He came to give us an abundant life. This doesnt just apply to our lives after death, but to our lives right now. The question is do we trust God for the here and now? Sure we trust Him to save us for all eternity, but do we trust Him with our everyday lives. The only way to truly know peace is to trust God. Psalm 126:4 Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert. (t-vo)The past few months have been filled with desert like times. Bad (make that horrible) things have happened, that dont make any sense to me whatsoever, in my life and in the lives of my friends and family. However, in the midst of that, the streams of Gods love have begun to renew the desert areas. Gods love is changing lives, even in the bad places of life, and revival is stirring in the hearts of His people. Are you ready for revival? It starts with you. Psalm 127:1 Unless the Lord builds a house the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. (t-vo) Whats the foundation of your life? This simple yet profound question stopped me in my tracks today. I know what the foundation of my life should be, but there are times when my foundation seems to shift. My (our) foundation should be God, and God alone, but how many times (just this week) allowed my foundation to shift? How many times have I allowed the stresses of life become the basis for life, rather than making the peace of God the basis for my life? Set your foundation on Him and Him alone today, everything else is a waste of time. Psalm 128:1 How joyful are those who fear the Lord all who follow his ways. (t-vo) Fear God? Yep. Now some may be asking, I thought we were supposed to be able to boldly go before the throne of God? Yep. Yes we should have a loving relationship with God in which we can make all of our needs, and wants, known to Him. But at same time, we should fear God by showing Him the respect He deserves. As a child shows respect for a father by trying not to disappoint Him, we should live our life in such a way that we attempt to never disappoint our Heavenly Father. Then we will have joy, because our life will be focused on the King.

Psalm 129:2 From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me, but they have never defeated me. (t-vo) Here is a great truth of the Christian life: You cannot be defeated by outside forces. Regardless of how difficult life is or how persecuted you feel, in the end we overcome. In the end Christ returns and the ultimate fulfillment of Gods word, the reign of Christ, is fulfilled. The only way you can be defeated is if you choose to stop trusting in God. Trust in God, and know that you are safe and victorious in Christ. Psalm 130:5 I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word. (t-vo) To put our hope in anything other than the Word of God would be foolish. Everything and everyone else will at some point, if they havent already, fail us. In fact, even putting our hope in ourselves and our own strength will eventually disappoint us. In this incredibly unsecure and unstable world, there is only source of stability and security and that is in the Lord. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us, will you hope in Him today? Psalm 131:1-2 Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I dont concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mothers milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me. (t-vo) Have you learned how to calm and quiet yourself in the midst of our chaotic world? The only way to do so is to relax and spend time with Him. If you find yourself feeling a bit overwhelmed by your life right, spend some with the great soother of the soul Jesus. Psalm 132:7 Let us go to the sanctuary of the Lord; let us worship at the footstool of his throne. (t-vo) This weekend we have an awesome opportunity to gather together, and worship the creator and savior of all things. Whether it is in a traditional Church sanctuary, a high school, under the stars, or an old barn the location is not the important thing. The important thing is your heart. Will your heart be ready to put everything else, the stress and worry of the week, aside and connect with God? This weekend, God desires to speak to you, and personally Im looking forward to a big move of God, make sure you are ready to receive what He has in store for you.

Psalm 133:1 How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! (t-vo) Amen! There is nothing better than a church, family, or group of friends who are at peace and harmony with each other. Unfortunately though, we all know that this doesnt always work out. Sometimes people do and say things that wound us or anger us, making it difficult to live in harmony. Paul tells us in Romans that as far as it depends on us, we should live at peace with all. That means we need to forgive, let go of the bitterness, and seek reconciliation with those who have wronged us. Today ask God to give you the strength to forgive, youll find that your own life will be much more peaceful. Psalm 134:2 Lift up holy hands in prayer, and praise the Lord. (t-vo) I know that you are probably really busy today with errands, meetings, deadlines, and the general chaos of life and you probably are feeling a bit rushed/stressed. But I want you take a few minutes out of your day. Just few minutes to thank God, praising Him, for the many things He has done for you. Then see if the way you feel changes. Sometimes praise doesnt change the situation, just our perspective on the situation. Psalm 135:5 I know the greatness of the Lord that our Lord is greater than any other God. (t-vo) In the Old Testament (OT) days people worshiped statues made by men that they had set up as gods. Here in the States people generally dont do that anymore. In our context a god would be anything we focus our thoughts on and is used as a basis for our decisions (much like the gods of the OT). This verse reminds us that the Lord, the one True God, is greater than all of these things. That means God is greater than your fear, career, financial system, bitterness, and the list of things we worship goes on and on. Worship God today, and nothing else. Because nothing else is worthy of your worship, and will only steal your joy. When we worship God, we receive joy. Psalm 136:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. (t-vo) Gods love for us continues even when we dont love Him; Gods love endures when we are sick; His love endures when we are without a job; His love endures when we are discouraged. The point of this chapter is, regardless of what happens to us, or around us, Gods love for us never goes away. Psalm 137:4 But how can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a pagan land. (t-vo) All of us who serve Christ, regardless of which nation, live in a land that is not our home. The Bible tells us that we are strangers, foreigners, and citizens of another land. Yet, we can still sing the praises of the Lord because we have the hope of salvation. Regardless of how horrible the economic climate is, or how corrupt our politics becomes, we have the sure hope that one day Christ will return, and make this place His home.

Psalm 138:8 The Lord will work out his plans for my life for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Dont abandon me, for you made me. (t-vo) God knew you while you still in your mothers womb, and before you were born He knew that the struggles you are facing today would be a part of your life. With that, He knows exactly how it will all work out. Because He knows the problem and more importantly the solution, we can trust Him. Even when the circumstances of life give us good reason to doubt, we can choose to trust. He has shown Himself time and time again to be faithful, and we know He wont abandon us. Even now, you can trust Him, because He knows you and your struggles. More importantly, He loves you and wont leave you. Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. (t-vo) I dont personally know all of you, but Im guessing you dont want to live with a separation between you and God. Im guessing you would love nothing more than to feel the arms of God wrap around you and protect you. I do know God, and I know that He would like the same. The problem is that sometimes our own sin keeps us from obtaining the thing we want most. To say it another way, sin keeps us from feeling the peace of God. Ask God to search your heart for anything that may be coming between you and Him. Life is too short to live separated from God. Psalm 140:7 O Sovereign LORD, the strong one who rescued me, you protected me on the day of battle. (t-vo) Did you catch that? God protected on the day of battle, not from the day of battle. Often times we seek after God to protect form any hardships, and are upset or even doubt Him when we face hardships. But God never promised us a life without struggle; He promised us peace and protection during the struggle. Even if you are currently going through a difficult time, keep trusting Him. God will faithfully protect you on the day of battle.
Psalm 141:3 Take control of what I say, O LORD, and guard my lips. (t-vo) If were being honest, all of us at one point or another have said things we wish we could take back. I know there have been times when mid-sentence, I find myself wishing I could take back the words that had literally just left my mouth. Unfortunately, we cant do this. Just like board stretchers dont exist, neither do spoken word erasers. What if, instead of wishing we hadnt said what we just said, every morning we asked God to take control of what we say? That would surely be better than constantly apologizing for what weve said. As an added benefit, if we let God control our words we would be more likely to praise Him throughout the day, which will cause us to experience more peace. Its worth a try, right? Of course it is its from Gods word!

Psalm 142:3 When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn. Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me. (t-vo) Feeling overwhelmed? If so, be sure to turn to God and seek after His wisdom not the wisdom of the world. As good and helpful as the wisdom of the world may be, it pales in comparison to the wisdom of God. Only He knew you before He formed you, only He knows the number of hairs on your head, and only He loves you with a love that is unexplainable. Seek God and His wisdom, anything else is partial wisdom. Psalm 143:8 Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. (t-vo) The best way to start any day is by being reminded of Gods unfailing love for us. We can do this by spending time with Him, through the Bible and prayer, at the beginning of the day. This makes us more willing to trust Him to guide and protect us throughout the day. Its much easier to trust someone who we know has our best interest at heart. By reminding ourselves of Gods love we are assured that He can be trusted. Psalm 144:12 May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nurtured plants. May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace. (t-vo) In my opinion the only way to truly bring revival to our nation, then our world is by bringing revival to our families. When husbands and wives make this verse their prayer and their purpose, our families will begin to change. Our sons will become strong men of God, ready to lead our families, churches, and nation into the next generation. Our daughters will become strong women of God ready to impact our families, churches, and nation with the love of Jesus. Revival comes when families are revived. Psalm 145:8 The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. (t-vo) Its a good thing too, because we all mess up. At some point or another, all of us will say or do something we wish we could take back. Maybe our temper will get the best of us, and we will say some hurtful words. Maybe we will ignore a prodding from God to give or encourage the needy. Whatever it is, we will mess up. The point is not whether or not we mess up, but whether or not we come back to God. Most people seem to be afraid that God will be mad at them, as if God was looking forward to punishing them. God doesnt desire to punish, God desires to love. Most people wont let God love them. Turn to Him, let Him love you. Youll be happy you did.

Psalm 146:5 But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God. (t-vo) Is your life joyful? (you dont have to answer that here) The Bible tells us that joy is one of the fruits of the spirit, or marks of a Christian. Yet many Christians arent living their lives with joy. There could be a number of reasons for this, but the one mentioned in this passage is hope. Many people claim to have placed their hope completely in Him, yet few live their life as if their hope is completely in Him. For example, when things dont go your way (economically, familial, political, or at work) what do you do? Do you stress because of the change and uncertainty around you? If so, maybe youve been placing your hope in those things instead of God. Because God never changes, and if our hope is in Him our level of joy shouldnt change either. Psalm 147:2 The Lord is rebuilding Jerusalem and bringing the exiles back to Israel. (t-vo) For the Jewish people who were living during the exile (when this Psalm was written) it must have seemed impossible that God would ever bring His people back into the Promised Land. Yet, the return to the Promised Land is exactly what God had promised, so its exactly what God did. What about you? There may be things in your life that seem absolutely impossible right now. It may seem that the entire world is crashing in around you. If so, keep hold on and keep trusting God. One day, Christ will return and wipe every tear from our eyes (Rev. 21:4). Psalm 148:14 He [God] has made His people strong, honoring His faithful ones the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the Lord! (t-vo) After reading this chapter, Ive come to realize that God desires to hear the praises of His people. Thats obvious, but did you notice the first part of verse 14? If you are a child of God, a Christian, then you are strong. Not because of anything you have done, but because of what He has done. God has made you strong, most likely stronger than you think. Face the world with confidence today God is on your side, and He has made you strong. Psalm 149:4-5 For the Lord delights in his people; he crowns the humble with victory. Let the faithful rejoice that he honors them. Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds. (t-vo) Most people have a tendency to always think the worse of ourselves. They tend to think they arent smart enough, strong enough, and overall just not good enough for a whole lot of anything. The major danger in all of this is that we begin to limit what God can and wants to do through us. Because we constantly think we arent good enough, we dont step up for Him. God says something different. Yesterday we saw that He makes us strong. Today we see that He delights in us and honors us, if we follow Him. We need to begin to view ourselves as God views us strong, honorable, and loved.

Psalm 150:6: Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord! (t-vo) I think God wants us to praise Him. Regardless of the situation we should be people who praise the Lord. One reason is salvation. Christ has saved us from eternal separation from God in Hell, which alone is reason to praise Him continuously. Another reason is that while praising God may not always change our situation it will change our perspective on the situation, and many times our perspective creates our reality. By that I mean if we view our situation thorough the understanding that God is for us and with us, then the situation suddenly becomes less oppressive. The once impossible situation becomes just another opportunity for God to prove Himself to be worthy of praise! Praise the Lord!