OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 56

Psalm 56:1-13

56:1-2 Without God, the world would easily swallow us up. Psalmist from ancient days wrote about fears and weariness we experience today. Then and now, we have a God who enables us to persevere and find freedom.

56:3-4 "Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust I will not fear." Put your fear in perspective by placing it next to your God. Our fears are rendered powerless when we exert our trust in God. We all fear, and our fears vary, but ultimately, God covers all who call on Him. 

56:5-7 While the enemy and fear that restrict us prey and pounce, God loves us fiercely. Intricately. No fear or enemy can come against the ferocity of His love and protection. 

56:8-11 God knows where you are, precisely: Emotionally, Physically. Our steps and tears are counted, saved. Our prayers are heard and their sound turns our enemies away. The Psalmist trusted these truths because he remembered that God is for His child.

As the Psalmist did, repeat the statement in your heart: In God I have put my trust, I will not be afraid. Put your fear into perspective by placing it next to the endless might and grace and compassion of your God. Who can be against you, if God is for you? (Romans 8:31)

56:12-13 Pray to God and praise Him. Consistently. Simultaneously. Express gratitude as He delivers you into peace. As He supports you even when the floors fall in. God enables you to continue to walk in strength and peace; His light is a hearth and guide.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 55

Psalm 55:1-23

55:1-3 Plagued with pain and fear and desperation, surrounded by enemies and oppression, pray. Communication with God is your tunnel out of any place. It is also your tunnel into peace. The Psalmist was restless and afraid but knew that freedom from those things came through his relationship with God. 

55:4-8 When you need wings, when you need escape, you have flight in faith. 

55:9-11 Pray for God to divide and conquer the establishments, the people who harm you. God's wisdom and power have more authority over the situation than you ever will have. 

55:12-15 No matter the source of the pain, the symptom of the problem, God is able to help you bear it. He is able to thwart what is against you.

55:16-17 Though others may neglect or abandon Him, but we will call upon God. We know that He will hear and care and answer in action. Throughout the day, throughout the night if sleep evades, pray. Without ceasing. Keep to connection of communicate alive and honest. 

55:18-19 Our soul is adopted, submerged into redemption and peace though the battle wishes to continue to rage. Pray, give God permission to take over your battle. You cannot bear it without Him; He will instantly win. He will steadily lead you out of the war zone. He will be the balm and map as you walk out of it. 

55:20-21 Unrighteousness cannot expect to maintain a relationship with God. God knows each person's heart; He knows our truest thoughts and intentions and if they are not good, they are against God. That which is against God fails.

55:22 God will sustain you. He can carry the load for you. When you are weak, because of His strength, you are strong (2 Corinthians 12:10). 

55:23 No matter what your sadness or barrier or oppression, remember that God will cause to crumble the house of the wicked and all of its dwellers. End every thought and prayer as this Psalmist did: But I will trust in You. Pray for things and people and places but ultimately, give God's will authority over every prayer. Every element of your life. He knows best and acts, inevitably, in righteousness. Trust. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 54

Psalm 54:1-7

54:1-3 Whatever you need to be rescued from, appoint God as your rescuer. For only He is able. He hears and has the strength to answer in action. The Psalmist felt targeted, trapped... yet believed that even in an impossible situation, God could change the circumstances. The Psalmist knew that those against God, could never prevail against God's child.

54:4-5 Make the declaration over your life and in your soul: God is my helper. Trust in Him, remind yourself. God will support those who support you and disable those who do not. Your trust initiates His power over your precise position within the situation.

54:6-7 Willingly, freely, faithfully devote yourself to God. He devotes Himself and His whole, holy arsenal to you. Praise Him for He is good every day, in every place. He is our helper and hero. He pulls us out of trouble and places us in peace, even when the enemy (the pain, the oppression, the fear) seems to hold us in their sight.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 53

Psalm 53:1-6

53:1 It would be foolish of us to overlook the order in nature. God has orchestrated a efficient, natural system we can observe from the precision of the earth and flora and fauna within it. It would be foolish to ignore the order of righteousness, the law of goodness and mercy. It would be harmful for us to reject it, to deprive the world of our best behavior and intention.

53:2-3 From His place God searches for loyalty and obedience to righteousness. God searches for those who understand the natural righteous order. With those people, He changes lives, families, communities, and nations. God seeks those who seek God; to be found by God is to be rescued, positioned, protection, sustained, established and sent forth. To be found by God is to be blessed, so seek Him.

53:4-5 There were times in history, and there are places and people now, that have no loyalty to God. Without agents of good will, the world suffers. So call upon God, elect to work with Him, for Him. God protects His family, His people; He scatters our enemies as well as our fear. 

53:6 We await God's return, to be gathered back to Him. We rejoice now at the prospect and will rejoice then at the reality.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 52

Psalm 51:1-9

52:1-4 It is fruitless for the oppressor or wicked man to celebrate his wealth and authority. The Psalmist reminds us that the goodness of God endures continually; we can rely on God to inevitably dismantle the kingdoms and institutions of the evil. Because of God, we know we can persist within their temporary reign.

52:5-7 The Psalmist writes to that crooked person as an admonition. The evil can expect destruction, though they are often too proud or stubborn to realize. But as God's child, be aware, remember that evil has been sentenced to death. Shame will overtake the arrogant.

52:8 Those who trust in God, however, thrive. The oil, the love and anointed the righteous receive from God, retains and sustains their life. They grow in wisdom and strength and righteousness. 

52:9 Praise God for His protection and plans over your life. Wait on God for He is good.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 51

Psalm 51:1-19

51:1-4 Take time to request God's abundant mercy. For though He deserves perfection, He chooses the imperfect. He chooses us. The more aware we are of how magnanimous our God, the more aware we are of the elements of ourselves we can improve on. The more aware we are of the elements we can improve on, the more capable we become within God's plan for us.

51:5-6 In 1 Corinthians 15, this idea of being born into iniquity is explored further. The vessels (our bodies) we exist in on earth have tendencies toward selfishness and desire; the psalmist admits that fact. Honestly is our first step with God; admitting our weakness in the rawest, deepest parts of us exposed to God allows Him to change those places with wisdom.

51:7-11 We do not claim perfect; in fact we admit our imperfection and welcome God's grace and discipline into those places. We seek His presence not because we deserve it but because we thrive in His love, are amended by it.

51:12-13 Restoration. Joy. Salvation. Support. Generosity. Instruction. Conversion. An obedient, loyal child of God is a construction zone and He is doing a mighty work. He provides so many tools and scaffolding. We must commit to the work. We must be accept the change and renovation. We must allow Him to rework our lives and lifestyles. 

51:14-17 In Isaiah 1:11 and Hosea 6:6 God made it clear that He does not desire blood sacrifice. He hopes for us to sacrifice our agenda for His. 

The Psalmist speaks of praise and praise shall ever be on our lips because of God's righteousness working in our lives. A child commitment to God will see His hand in the details of their life. 

51:18-19 The Psalmist hoped for God's children to live in harmony with His principles, for a life of gratitude and praise, persistence and loyalty. These details of the Psalms are important applications to our own lives. It is easy to become distracted and even dismayed. But steadfast commitment and hope and praise to God will keep us tethered and afloat. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 50

Psalm 50:1-23

50:1-2 Our God is mighty because from Him we can except light in darkness and strength in weakness. Only His spirit provides such impossible restoration and perseverance. Our God is present and reliable; He is, consistently, all of the qualities we need to survive and hope and love. 

50:3 He has made declarations and promises and He follows through with all of them; a hearth to His children and an incinerator of evil.

50:4-6 His return is a reunion and also a new union with His people. Those who dedicate their lives to righteousness will be gathered with Him.

50:7-11 Our righteous lifestyle pleases God; our best sacrifice to Him are the sacrifices of time and resources we make for Him to assist and His children. In ancient generations, people sacrificed animals but Jesus showed us how to sacrifice properly. He taught us to share our blessings, to let God's goodness abound through us.

50:12-15 Since our God is the creator, everything created is His. He does not rely on us for sustenance, we need Him. He chooses to deliver us and for that, we choose to glorify Him.

50:16-21 God has no patience for hypocrites, authoritarians or oppressors. He cannot help the stubborn or proud because of their own resistance to constructive criticism, disciple or training. God does not approve of thieves or liars or slanderers. But rebuke will come to them and God will establish order before them in the place where they once stood.

50:22-23 We do not have to live life by ourselves; we have a powerful, loving Father in God. Praise and glorify, align your life with His principles and salvation will transform your life.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 49

Psalm 49:1-20

49:1-4 The Psalmist called for our attention as he spoke of what he learned from meditation on faith in God.

49:5-9 It would be fruitless to live a life with trust in money or man. It is only the Lord who can save, truly save and establish.

49:10-12 It is senseless to believe in one's own wisdom above God's wisdom. So many people throughout history and in present time live as though this life is it. God has invited His children into an eternal covenant, what we sow everyday establishes that future.

49:13-15 The righteous have dominion over the world because they rely on the strength and wisdom of God. The arrogant and faithless are spiritual dead. They require awakening in order to find purpose and understanding.

49:16-20 We should not be jealous or worried about wealth; wealth is not our source of eternal life. Our true wealth is our faith, for our relationship with God purchases life, love and blessing. The things of this world all end but God's children live forever, loved forever.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 48

Psalm 48:1-14

48:1-3 A Psalm of praise. It is a blessing to the whole earth this faith which began in many ways on Mount Zion. God's presence on earth is our refuge.

48:4-7 Earth marvels at the kingdom of God and the proponents of it.

48:8-11 Meditate on scripture; the presence of the Holy Spirit becomes apparent. The establishment of righteousness, from a Spirit of love and power. Rejoice.

48:12-14 As the kingdom continues through generation, so should the children of God continue to the faith. God our guide, even through the process of death on earth into life eternal.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 47

Psalm 47:1-9

9:1-4 The Psalmist praised the dominion of God and our subsequent benefit from it.

9:5-7 With understanding, praise. We are reminded that God has a plan and a power.

47:8-9 God's dominion is over all the nations and the earth and that should bring us great comfort as we survey the failures and faults of humanity's own temporary control over it.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 46

Psalm 46:1-11

46:1-3 As children of God, we need to comfort, the truth, that is Psalm 46. God is our refuge and strength; He is present and helpful in our trouble. He is vigilant and active in our turbulent world as mountains, that is: nations, around the world experience war and disparity. For while the grand scheme may be in chaos, God's children are blessed with personal peace.

46:4 God's purpose for His children cannot be altered or thwarted. Symbolically, righteousness is the river in the city of God. A righteous lifestyle will always lead to that city, God's kingdom.

46:5-6 The whole earth may toss in chaos but at God's voice the tumult will cease. He will rejuvenate the earth, and heal the land of the pollution caused by humanity's mismanagement.

46:7 We should carry this declaration with us every day: The Lord is with us and He is our refuge. The world may not provide a safe haven, but God ensures we have one in Him.

46:8-9 Contemplate the power and reach of our God; marvel at His orchestration over global and universal events. We are within the grasp and mind of wisdom and truth, righteousness and love.

46:10 "Be still and know that I am God." God wants us to trust in the knowledge that He is Who He says He is; we can have solemnity even in chaos because our God establishes order. 

46:11 And again the Psalmist reminds us: The Lord is with us. God is our refuge.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 45

Psalm 45:1-17

45:1 This Psalm is an expression of adoration for Jesus. The Psalmist was eager and thrilled to express love.

45:2-5 Jesus, unique from any other person. His love for us is differently from anyone else's love for us; He abundantly graces our live with blessing. He and His life are the embodiment of truth, humility and righteousness. His goodness is His majesty.

45:6-9 He is eternal. King of an eternal kingdom. King of righteousness. He has dominion over evil. Jesus has been given dominion over the earth, over the wickedness within it. He is precious and invaluable.

45:10-12 The Psalmist encourages us to spiritually betroth ourselves to the Lord. We are encouraged to reject the secular world's principles and trade them for the wealth that is the philosophy of God written in scripture. 

45:13-15 The spiritually faithful and steadfast shall be like a joyful wife, married to a king in an eternal kingdom. 

45:16-17 God's love for us extends to the good fruit we produce with our lives. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 44

Psalm 44:1-26

44:1-2 As this Psalmist does, we should consistently refer to and contemplate scripture which describes Who our Father is and what He has done for humanity, for His people. He plans and leads, rescues and establishes. He always has. He will always lead, if we will always follow.

44:3 Because of God, we may live a peaceful life. He fights on our behalf; He makes the decisions and orchestrates the outcome. And when we receive His abundant blessings, we must remember that they came from the work of His hands and not our own.

44:4-8 The Psalmist chose God as the authority in his life. He knew that God's presence and power established his life and precipitate the destruction of his enemies and fears. This psalmist placed his trust in God. And as God proved worthy of that trust, he praised; he boasted in the goodness not of himself but of God.

44:9-12 The Psalmist revealed that he was in a season of discipline; he and his people had gone the wrong way. But he began the path to redemption when he accepted God's discipline and trusted that the process of redemption would be restorative. 

44:13-19 The Psalmist did not understand the conditions of his life at the time but he remained with God. He trusted in God's plan. In our seasons of confusion, rather than doubt, we also should be able to sincerely say: I have not forgotten You; nor have I dealt falsely with your covenant; my heart is not turned back; my steps have not departed from Your way.

The outcome of every situation, and inevitably our life, will benefit from those convictions. Steadfast faith in God will preserve us through every, any wilderness.

44:20-26 We never need to mistake God's patience, His precise timing, for silence or inaction. God is always vigilant, watching over us and the earth. He is always active with His plan for humanity and the Kingdom. But in the moments when we forget that, we must pray. We must pray and praise until we remember Who our God is and what He has done. We must remember that He  has plans and He will fulfill them.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 43

Psalm 43:1-5

43:1-2 This plea is made from a place of desperation. The Psalmist prayed for God's presence as well as defense. Many people, in their distress, forget or neglect to realize the steadfast presence and power of God. Pray for God's presence and power in your life and trust that He answers in the affirmative.

43:3-4 To be led by God's light and God's truth is to walk a safe and righteous path. There are so many things in the world that want to lead us but deny them all; let God alone guide you through the decisions and journey of your life. Let your every destination be with the intention of reaching a new, or deeper place of faith. In all things pursue God and praise Him.

43:5 When you are distraught, ask yourself as this Psalmist did: why are you upset? Hope in God. It does not make sense for a child of God to wallow in desperation, He is our hope and the fulfillment of it. He is our hope, our help, our God and for that we always have a reason to rejoice and praise. The more space we give to praise and joy the less ground fear can take.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 42

Psalm 42:1-13

42:1-3 David's ultimate thirst in life was for the living water. David's soul longed for the word and presence of God. He pursued God and a righteous lifestyle with eagerness and loyalty. In his distress, David contemplated the one thing that always persevered him: His faith in God.

42:4-5 David's had an internal struggle: he fought the disquiet in himself with praise with God. It is a skill all of God's children should have and hone: the ability to redirect unproductive emotion into remembrance of God and our relationship with Him.

42:6-8 When his soul was cast down, David dove into scripture. He reminded himself of the power and faithfulness of God as He led His children into better land and safe places. He reminded himself of how God protected as he led.

It benefits us to do the same: to delve into scripture when we start to forget Who our God is and what He has done and promised. We need to be constantly conscious of the journey God has undertaken with those who love Him. 

42:9-11 David repeatedly, doggedly, reminded his weariness to hope in God. Even though our soul may be committed to God, our body has an inclination to fear. In prayer, David fought that weariness with faith. He praised when he was downtrodden as vehemently as he had praised when he was joyful. He knew that hope and praise were the foundation that gave him life and would keep life within him.

From David we learn to cling to God, to hope when it is hardest to do so. To praise God throughout our life, constantly, regardless of how our circumstances seem to be. We must also doggedly fight to keep our soul in command over our body. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 41

Psalm 41:1-13

41:1-3 God loves and supports the people who help people. God blesses people who use their blessings of talents and resources to assist others in their areas of weakness. Our God is an active God, actively philanthropic, and it pleases him when we are as well. God will strengthen such a person because their life has such an instrumental impact on humanity. He strengthens such people because there's a lot to be done and the workers are few, Matthew 9:37-38.

41:4-9 When David was abandoned and rejected by everyone, he was still claimed and loved by God. God's presence and love and power is present, steadfastly, in our lives. He has infinite compassion and mercy. David experienced bone-deep, soul-crushing weariness but God was able to heal Him of it, and support him through it. So will God do for us.

41:10-12 David wanted to rise in strength again, with integrity. He wanted to represent his faith and God properly. He wanted to be with God on earth and in heaven forever. For nothing else did David hope.

41:13 As always, David expressed praise for God. He was constantly awed by God's majesty, but the abundance of His goodness, strength, responsiveness, and character of justice.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 40

Psalm 40:1-17

40:1 David chose to dedicate his life and soul to the Lord, Psalm 40 explains the intimate reason why. As David endeavored in faith, patient for the blessing of God, he found that God heard him. God was attentive to his prayers, empathetic of his emotions. 

40:2 God became active in David's life as well. He heard and cared but God also acted. He lifted David out of emotional and literal distress. He made a path for David to follow, a path of safety and purpose. God guided David with love.

40:3 God reanimated David. God brought David back to life. Our relationship with God begins a lifelong process of healing and restoration, blessing and love. David wrote about it and evidenced its truth. God put a song in David's mouth, his life. He changed the atmosphere from mourning to joy because God loves to build happiness in His children's lives. For this reason, David lived his whole life to praise God. To revere God. To trust Him. For God proved worthy. 

40:4-5 Blessed is the person who chooses God as judge and authority in their life. David learned from experience that when he followed God and submitted to His will, his life blossomed and his soul found peace. A commitment to truth blesses one's whole life and all the relationships and elements of it. Those who seek to please God, rather than to please other humans, find God's wonderful works in their lives. We clear the way for blessings to land in our lives when we clear away the elements of deceitfulness and selfishness.

40:6-8 God never requires anything in exchange for His love and protection. Our relationship with God is based on love, our love for Him and His for us. David delighted in God's will, it was in his heart. We are in God's heart, and He is in ours.

40:9-10 David used his entire life as a stage and microphone for God's love and truth. Although his relationship with God was intensely personal, David knew it would benefit the world to know about it. Through his professions, he could help others come to God.

40:11-12 David prayed for God's tender mercies, loving-kindness and truth to continually persevere him. Because he knew that God could, and he knew that God would. It is a level a trust we must develop with God overtime, throughout life.  It is God's pleasure to provide mercy, love and preservation to His children.

40:13-14 David prayed for God to deliver him, help him, and thwart his fears and enemies. Who else could we ever ask to do the same for us? As selflessly, as efficiently? As compassionately? Our relationship with God is unique. His omnipotence, and omnipresence and inexplicably abundant love for us affords us blessings we could never receive from anyone or anywhere else.

40:15 David prayed that at the end of a situation, the world would see that God had been moving and solving in his life all along. It is a truly beautiful thing to pray for. We trust God and much of the world does not understand why but we do; and we pray that one day, they will too.

40:16 David prayed for all of the pursuers of God. He prayed for us. He prayed that we would rejoice and have gladness in the generosity and mercy, compassion and power of our Spiritual Father. He prayed that we would love and appreciate the salvation our relationship with God provides. David prayed that God would be magnified. Exalted. He deserves it; the Lord is so worthy.

40:17 It astounded David that God would give attention to us, humble and meek as we are. Undeserving as we are. David was so grateful that God would love him, think on him, help him and deliver him. 

"You are my help and my deliverer;

Do not delay, O my God."

David was so eager, so dependent upon God's presence in his life. Let David be our example of an intimate, authentic, steadfast, unbreakable relationship with God.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 39

Psalm 39:1-13

39:1-5 This Psalm teaches us about perspective; it teaches us about ourselves and our problems in the grand scheme. David felt mute; he was so distressed that he was unable to voice his thoughts and emotions. 

39:4-6 But when he did open his mouth to speak, it was in prayer. He asked for perspective. He needed a reminder that this life, and its accompanying strife, is temporary. He wanted to remember that his problems were not the center of the universe. He sought peace, freedom from what felt like an inescapable distress.

39:7-11 David readjusted his aim, his pursuit. God became his pursuit. Not wealth or power but the peace that is God. The hope that is within Him. David had opened his life to God's discipline and in was in a season of it. He was on the journey to peace but it was hard work, learning from his mistakes to obtain it.

39:12-13 David prayed to God, prayed that God would hear him, speak to him, and look at him. He needed God's strength and mercy as he had had it before he went (temporarily) astray. He was desperate for the heat of discipline to turn into the warmth of love. Although those things are aligned when God disciplines us, it can be difficult to perceive that in the midst of discipline.

So David prayed for perspective.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 38

Psalm 38:1-22

38:1-8 There was a time when David resisted discipline. He resisted taking responsibility. He resisted self-awareness. The only thing he did not resist was temptation and his desires. It was the lowest moment of his life. Quickly, however, David learned that life off the course, life away from God, was too heavy. The fear and shame and desire controlled him and nearly destroyed him. But when David finally acknowledged his foolishness, he returned to God. When he humbled himself, he began the process of emotional and spiritual healing. He began healing his character.

38:9-12 Nothing is hidden from God. God knew David's heart and He knows yours. He knows what you want and how desperately. He knows who, what is against you and how fiercely. But as children of God, we must learn to allow How to decide what we should have and when. We must allow God to protect us instead of allowing worry to occupy us. 

38:13-16 David shut his ear to fear. He turned away from the army of enemies and troubles and faced God. He trusted that God would take care of what was behind his shoulder, as long as David remained within the kingdom. From within the kingdom, we have access to all of the kingdom, including its strength and defense. 

38:17-22 From a place of deep despair, David prayed to God. There was so much on David's mind; some things he caused himself, some he did not. He trusted God to help him manage all of it. He prayed for God's continued presence and power. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 37

Psalm 37:1-40

37:1-2 As children of God, we have a reassurance: God will cut down the workers of iniquity. We have the assurance that our enemies, and the people who disrupt peace in the world, have already lost.

37:3-4 A simple, spiritual formula to life: "trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord,..." and the result of the equation: "...and He shall give you the desires of your heart."

37:5-6 David explained that when we commit our life and spirit to God, when we trust Him with those two things, our life will unfold in joy. He will draw light and righteousness out and into our sphere. When we commit ourselves to peace, He commits Himself to our peace.

37:7-8 Leave anxiety behind. Rest in the Lord; rest in the knowledge and belief that He will provide both what we need and what we pray to have. Our fear and anxiety only causes chaos when Got has already figured the situation out. God always provides an exit when we need it, a restoration, and a redemption. He is our safe haven while we pursue those things.

37:9-11 There is a great inheritance for those who wait on the Lord. To do this, we must trust His timing. We must commit to Him will He designs and organizes, brings into fruition the culmination of His plans. 

37:12-15 It is funny to God, that an enemy of ours would ever think they had power over us. The notion is that absurd! The protection we have from our Father is absolute, impenetrable. 

37:16-20 A humble lifestyle build on a righteous foundation is stronger and more valuable than a prideful life of ill-gained wealth.

37:21-22 A specific outcome has been determined for the righteous: the inheritance of life and love. The outcome for the unrighteous however, is destruction and death. A clear distinction: the unrighteous take; the righteous give.

37:23-24 The life of a committed child of God is ordered; He has planned our steps, steps that lead us directly into blessing. But the wicked are led to their own end. Our anxiety should diminished when we read that our steps are ordered by the Lord! He has determined our path and keeps us on it, no matter what our surroundings suggest.

37:25-26 In his life, David witnessed the truth and generosity of God's promises. The Lord's children are always provided for; our relationship with Him connects us to His storehouse. He always provides enough: enough to live, enough to love, enough to hope. He frequently provides much more than enough.

37:27-29 Choose righteousness and separate yourself from evil. We must work to separate ourselves from elements of evil: greed, anger, lust, vengeance, and deceit. We must choose, daily, honesty and patience, an even temper and kindness. 

37:30-31 A righteous person speaks wisdom because they have been taught by God to listen and observe, to choose justly. Their steps are firm because their foundation is the philosophy of God.

37:32-33 We cannot be trapped by our fears or our enemies. God always rescues us. He is vigilant and responsive. Willing and able.

37:34-36 David experience the might and scope of evil... he always saw it fail. With fear and enemy looming over us, they seem inescapable. But our God parts the seas, He makes a way for us. David hoped that we would take comfort in his experiences; God kept every promise, no matter how impossible it seemed.

37:37-38 We should mark and observe righteous behavior; it is a choice and an art. A lifestyle. It culminates in life prolonged with God. We should be able to distinguish between righteousness and unrighteousness so that we always make the right choice between the two.

37:39-40 Our salvation and our strength is our God. He is our helper and healer and hero. He defends and rescues. Our first step to access His almighty strength and love is to learn to trust Him. To trust that His philosophy is better than all others. To trust that he can fulfill every promise He makes.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 36

Psalms 36:1-12

36:1-4 The first several verses of this Psalm, David dedicated to descriptions of the wicked: pride, hate, deceit, iniquity. Sometimes it is important to highlight the characteristics we should not harbor within ourselves, to ensure that we harbor the right ones. The wicked, David explained, do not listen. They have no self-awareness, and are too stubborn to turn from selfish ways or even to understand that their ways are harmful and thus wrong. 

36:5-6 Yet David describes God as the complete opposite: merciful, faithful, righteous, just, restorative (generous, kind, productive).

36:7-9 It was easy for David to put his trust in God, because God is a safe place. God lives up to His promises; He deserves our trust. God provides life and light for His children. He is an abundant source of compassion, hope, strength and courage.

36:10-12 David prayed to continue in this lifestyle, this faith; and he asked God to help him keep from stumbling. David recognized that he was imperfect, and he asked God to reinforce him in moments of weakness. He anticipated his inability and relied on God's ability.

36:13 Inevitably (it's already scheduled) the wicked fall and never rise again; but those who love the Lord never truly die. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 35

Psalm 35:1-28

35:1-3 This Psalm was David's prayer for God's defense. Like David, recognize that we are not the hero; God is the champion in our life within all of our battles. It is not a practice of humility so much as it is wise surrender; we need Him.

35:4-8 David trusted God to exert and restore justice to his life. David knew that he did not have to seek his own vengeance, because God restored balance on his behalf. God watches the whole earth, and knows each heart intimately; He misses nothing, and we can trust that He will place order in our lives.

35:9-10 David lived in a constant state of worship; with his whole body, he loved the Lord. All of David's energy went to reverence; it amazed him, the magnitude of God's generosity and ability on behalf of His children.

35:11-16 Whenever David felt unjustly attacked, he returned to his heart that loved God. He delved into prayer. Even though the times were difficult, he had full confidence in God's inevitable control over the situation.

35:17-18 David pleaded often; he needed rescue many times in his life. He always looked to God to provide that rescue, and therefore he always received it. He knew that his moments of feeling desperate and cornered, sad and lost were temporary because God was present with him through it all.

35:19-26 David asked God to disallow evil to get away with the victory. God does not allow His children to be swallowed up by the cruel or haughty.

35:27-28 "Shout for joy and be glad," was David's advice to all of us who have placed our hearts and our hope in God's hands. Magnify Him; God loves to take care of His children. Praise Him all the day long.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 34

Psalm 34:1-22

34:1-3 David wanted to worship with others; he wanted to exalt the Lord with many voices, many hearts. As God is our Father, David thought it would be beautiful, powerful to worship together as His children. At all times. To life a life of worship, gratitude and love and awe.

34:4-6 Because when we call to God, He hears. When we seek God, He ensures we find Him. When we are in danger, He rescues. In dark places He shines on us, not with judgement but with mercy. From his lowest states, David called to God and God always answered. 

34:7 David reminded us that God encamps around His children. We are surrounded by His shield of protection. We are guaranteed rescue by His love and vigilance. 

34:8-10 Trust God and see that He is true. Blessed are those who trust Him, for His promises transform their lives. Every need is filled.

34:11-14 Seek peace and pursue it. David implored us to live righteously, to align our lives with God's philosophy. For He knew that those who learned to follow instruction from God would prevail in peace. David experienced it and prayed that others would as well. That others would give faith the reigns instead of fear. Faith the control instead of anger. Faith instead of temptation and impatience.

34:15-16 It is not prudent to live in opposition with God; but smooth and prosperous is the life that joins His course. Because God is listening to the pleas and needs of His children; He is filling them. He is always actively working toward our betterment, our joy.

34:17-18 We are rescued by God from all things, even broken hearts and contrite spirits. He is able to breathe life back into us; He is able to reignite curiosity and wonder and love. He is able to reanimate us, to give us purpose, and the ability and opportunity to fulfill it. 

34:19-22 Life is complex for us but simple for God; with His help, our problems become not just manageable but solvable. He protects us from all sides, including our blind-spots. He guards us. He defends us. He targets and dismantles evil. It seems extraordinary but God's children have experienced the truth of David's statements; his claims are true. God truly is that vigilant and capable in our lives.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 33

Psalm 33:1-22

33:1-3 Authentic praise is beautiful because genuine faith is an expression of love. Therefore we are encouraged to rejoice in God, to lead righteous lifestyles that sing to Him our love and to worship God for His goodness. 

33:4-5 The Lord is so deserving of our praise because He is justice. He is truth. He delights in righteousness and all that it encompasses: love, mercy, justice, truth.  And God offers His goodness to the whole earth; there is no partiality to His love.

33:6-7 He gave us life and surrounded us with life. Our planet and its solar system; our solar system and it's universe. All that is between and within and around; more than we know. 

33:8-9 Marvel. Revere. Express awe in God's creation and in His righteous character. He is unique. Ultimate, and unlike any other force.  Take time to observe His creations; take time to delve into His generosity and love, and marvel. Notice Him while so much of the world neglects.

33:10-12 Blessed are the people and the nations that willingly, gratefully, put themselves under God's authority. With wisdom and love, God orchestrates the best possible scenarios and outcomes for His children. 

33:13-15 From His place, God's keen eye observes and plans for and molds the hearts and life of His children. How blessed are we that He takes such intimate notice! How blessed are we that He is vigilant and compassionate and strong. The Lord is involved in the intricate details of our lives, able to heal and fix and create while destroying fear and enemy.

33:16-19 Our hero, our only hero, is God. Only He is capable of rescuing us from all things, from anything. Anyone. The prudent put their trust in His protection and leadership. The faithful follow Him into safe havens. 

33:20-22 Faithful children of the Lord wait for Him. We wait for His timing, His answers. We trust in His path and His purpose. We rejoice in the journey of our relationship with Him as we live our life. We have peace and joy because we trust in His holy name; we smile because He is merciful and generous and our eternal source of hope.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 32

Psalm 32:1-11

32:1-2 This is a Psalm expressing the joy of forgiveness. We are so blessed to receive fresh starts when we require them.

32:3-5 David took responsibility for his mistakes, but dedicated himself to reformation. Because of that, he readied himself for restoration.  Self-awareness and ownership of our mistakes is not easy; it is, as David described: heavy. Yet God's forgiveness helps us to deal with that weight and ultimately reduce it as we enter into new seasons of life and spirit and character.

32:6 David anticipated that many people would seek God when they needed him most. Whenever we begin a relationship with God, no matter what precipitated it, we should cling to it. Grow it. We should remain with Him in joy and sorrow, confidence and doubt. 

32:7 David sought God all his life. His dwelling place was God. God surrounded David with deliverance and David surrounded God with praise. They were constantly connected. 

32:8-9 God invites us to be receptive to His instruction and leadership. To be productive and willing within it.  If we are, He will change our situation, our life and the elements of within us that need reconstruction. 

32:10-11 Proffered to a child of God is mercy, rather than sorrow. Redemption rather than shame. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 31

Psalm 31:1-24

31:1-2 So much of this Psalm is a profession of the love and trust David had for God. God: his fortress. Our fortress. Our safe place; the haven to which He delivers us when He rescues us. A place of peace and understanding. A place to regroup, rebuild. A place we are swiftly taken to when we call to Him, our refuge. 

31:3-5 Because he had so much trust in God, David asked the Lord to lead and guide him. It did not matter to David where God led him, only that he did. We can have complete confidence that God will always lead us to good places. Places that fill us, and places we are able to fulfill His greatest purposes for us. 

31:6-8 Like David, we must train ourselves to reject useless idols. Worldly materials, possessions and status actually drain us. Only what God provides fills our souls and gives us life. Actual life: strength and wisdom, peace and justice. Only His truths give and fulfill purpose.

31:9-13 From the lowest place in his life, in his heart, in his will, David called to God. He was broken, forgotten, weak, grieving, wasting,  scared, hated and sinful and yet still God heard. Still God cared. Still God helped.

31:14-18 From the depths, from the last dregs, God heard David's plea. Just as David knew, trusted He would. The weight of all his tribulation lifted, dissolved, at David's remembrance of God. David remembered that his life was held in God's hands, and was safe in them. He knew that God's mercy and light would restore him, protect him.

31:19-20 And David marveled at that, God's willingness and ability to breathe life back into him, and to arrange peace back into his life. Inside God's hands, David knew that he was hidden from death, from the wasting in the depths.

31:21-22 God was loved so deeply by David; David fell in love with His kindness. When David did not feel safe, when he did not feel like rescue or restoration were possible, he still believed that God would care, would act. And He did. God heard David's cries and He hears ours, too. 

31:23-24 David implored us to love the Lord.  He preserves us, restores us, provides justice and protection; therefore have strength of faith in Him. Hope in Him and be strengthened by Him.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 30

Psalm 30:1-12

30:1-3 When David felt defeated and spiritually dead, the Lord revived him. David marveled at the rescue. God is able to bring us from the brink, from the pit, and onto heights, life as we never experienced it before. Our God is a hearer and a healer. He does not just find empathy within Himself, He finds solutions around us. 

30:4-5 David encouraged us to remember God and to remember to be grateful to Him for all that He is and does. God's generous and productive character constantly saves and plans for us. Even in moments of discipline, our best interests are His goal. He is always working for the betterment of our lives and character.

30:6-7 God made David strong; He made the peace and joy in his life sturdy, strong, immovable. Without God, David knew it would all disappear. For God is a our peace and joy.

30:8-10 David prayed for mercy; he felt that the loss of his life would only be a loss because he would not be there anymore to praise God. The intention of David's heart was to express love, reverence and gratitude to God. Loving God was David's favorite thing to do.

30:11-12 God is able to arrange complete reversals of the difficulties in our lives; He did so for David. He turned impossible situations into possible and prosperous ones. For that reason, David proclaimed that he would not go silent; he would praise God forever. His voice would endlessly reverberate, abound, his love and awe for God.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 29

Psalm 29:1-11

29:1-2 Because He is deserving, David implored us to give God due worship. Many times in David's life, his most vehement pursuit was to stir proper love and worship for the Lord. It was so important to him that humanity recognized and appreciated God's love and mercy, justice and power. God dotes all of it on us,  and that generous, magnanimous decision makes Him so worthy of our devotion.

29:3-4 God is everywhere, glorious and strong, everywhere. Over all of humanity. He is powerful everywhere, full of majesty in every place.

29:5-7 God dismantles the fiercest of our enemies and fears.

29:8-9 His voice creates lives and souls and universes. He blesses His creations with His glory.

29:10-11 He gives His blessing and His strength to us; He was with us then, with us now and will be with us forever as eternal King. Praise with David.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 28

Psalm 28:1-9

28:1-2 David knew that the quality of his character and the survival of his soul was dependent on his relationship with God.  Not only did David listen for God's instruction, he was obedient to it.

28:3-5 David trusted God to administer justice; he did not seek his own vengeance or order. It was the will of God that David welcomed into his life and over the world he lived in. He knew that God's justice was perfect and impartial, fair and just. As we develop our faith, it becomes easier to relinquish control and allow God to operate.

28:6-7 We can rejoice with David because God is our strength and shield, our rescuer who hears our calls for help. We live with gratitude because God will never betray or fail our trust.

28:8-9 The Lord is our strength and refuge, our savior and Father and shepherd. His love covers us completely, the details of our lives comprehensively. Forever.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 27

Psalm 27:1-14

27:1-3 David understood that as a child of God, he had no reason to fear. He was confident in both God's strength and His promises. He could and would fulfill what was promised. The concept might seem abstract until we apply it to our own present situation; like David, we must learn to trust God fully with whatever battle we are waging. 

27:4-5 The most important prayer David had was that he would be welcomed into the Kingdom. Whenever David prays, it is for some manifestation of the Kingdom or God's character to appear in his life. We should ensure that we are also prayer for the right things, for one thing, for God's presence in our lives (and thus ours in His). For God and His kingdom, encompass peace and safety, justice and compassion.

27:6 Before his enemies, David chose to worship and to thank God. While his enemies were in sight, he never unfixed his eyes from God. That is faith. 

27:7-10 David reveals that God told him to "Seek His face." And David did. Above all else, David sought God and to serve Him. That decision resulted in a beautiful, purposeful life and relationship with God. For David, if he only ever had God, he considered himself a wealthy, blessed man.

This verse reminds of Matthew 6:33. We are told that to seek the kingdom is to seal our lives with God's love and provision, mercy and justice. Advice from God, reiterated by Jesus, cannot be ignored! We are encouraged to seek God. Exclusively. Consistently. Constantly.

27:11-13 David realized that without his relationship with God, he would have lost heart. He would have surrendered in every battle. Our relationship with God provides us not only the wisdom and opportunity to be victorious over our enemies and anxieties but also the strength. His reinforcement, His strength channeled into us through our relationship of faith perseveres us through all things.

27:14 Final advice from David: 

Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!

Our trust and patience in God transforms, saves, strengthens our souls and lives. Endeavor to trust Him more everyday; endeavor to trust His timing and His choices more every day. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 26

Psalm 26:1-12

12:1 David sought freedom, spiritual, physically, and emotional freedom in his life; he did so through his faith, and righteous life.  He chose to trust, and firmly, wholly, without any deviation. 

12:2-5 He asked God to examine him, to prove him, to try him as the righteous person he endeavored to be. David wanted to be genuine, if there was a place that needed correction within him, he asked God to correct it. A bold and brave request, because applying God's instruction to our life requires steadfast effort, self-awareness and long term commitment. 

12:6-7 David vowed to be clean, honest and sincere and with good intentions, as he approached God in life and spirit.  David's mission was to tell everyone, anyone, of his gratitude toward the God who had done wondrous works in his life.

12:8 David loved God's presence within him and his life, he loved being in the kingdom. From within the dwelling of the Lord we receive a peace unknown to the secular world. We are loved beyond the bounds we believe we deserve. 

12:9-10 He asked for separation from sin and violence and deception. He had learned a new way of life, the philosophy of God, and he wanted to adhere to it, unmarred by the fear, anxiety, and grime caused by evil and selfishness and mistrust. 

12:11-12 David trusted God to protect him and separate him from what might harm him, but for his own part, David promised to put in devoted effort as well. He promised walk in integrity, to live with peace and kindness and active faith. Knowing he would be flawed, he asked God to be merciful with him on his journey. Blessed are we that God chooses mercy and distributes it widely, abundantly!

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 25

Psalm 25:1-22

25:1-3 David gave his life and soul to God; that meant that David trusted God to exert His will over each. Yet even when we trust God, we are still human and prone, at times, to feelings of fear and vulnerability. So David trusted God, but to soothe himself through the strength such complete trust requires, he also asked God to help him against internal and external conflicts. David knew that tribulation would exist, it is God's will that right now, on earth, tribulation does. He accepted both God's will and it, but asked for help as he endured.

25:4-5 David's faith was leaps and bounds ahead and deeper than anyone around him, but he knew that he still had space for growth in his faith. Like David, we should always ask God for His instruction and leadership. We should be patient within His lessons.

25:6-7 David asked for forgiveness and mercy; he was self-aware enough to know that he needed those things. His faith was big but he was still imperfect. He constantly humbled himself before God as a student, servant and repentant child. It is when we remain those three things that we are least likely to become ignorant and workers of worldly things.

25:8-11 God is a good and just teacher and leader. His will is truth and mercy and steadfast loyalty. When David thought of himself juxtaposed God, he knew that he needed a lot of that mercy. When we think about God's characteristics, we see that we also need a lot of mercy. That self-awareness is crucial to the quality of our character and spirit.

25:12-15 The life of a person whose eyes are fixed on God is glorious, full and bursting with prosperity arranged by God's hands. We are both saved and led by Him. 

25:16-21 David needed rescue and forgiveness; he was wise enough to attain those things from God. The danger around him and the distress within him would have destroyed David if not for his faith. David acknowledged that his commitment to integrity and righteousness preserved him. His wait for God persevered him.

25:22 And David prayed for more than himself; he prayed for the land and the people around him. It's a huge prayer and one only God could ever answer. Only He has that ability and willingness to rescue one and all.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 24

Psalm 24:1-10

24:1-2 The earth and all that, all who, fill it belong to God. If we observe nature, we can see how precise and purposeful God is with His creations. That which bends to His will is cared for, arrayed in beauty and love.

24:3-6 Only a wholehearted pursuit will find God; but all wholehearted pursuits do. Intentional righteous behavior is able to receive blessing from God and perceive the understanding that He gives.

24:7-10 David, in this Psalm, called for us to open our gates... our hearts and lives to God. He encouraged us, emphatically, to open ourselves to His mighty precepts. He encouraged us to open up exclusively to God, our King of glory.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 23

Psalm 23:1-6

23:1 The Lord is our shepherd; He protects and leads His flock. His provision is so complete, when our trust is complete, that there is nothing we need that He does not provide. 

23:2 Because of His protection, we are able to rest peacefully and with wisdom. 

23:3 By Him our weary souls are restored, our life's path is corrected by its alignment with His. And He does all of this because He has claimed us; we are His.

23:4 And though the world is a difficult place, at times, children of God need not fear. His power and love is present with us wherever we go; He comforts us through the difficulties.

23:5 Our enemies may at times be fierce, but they match not the ferocity of our God. They cannot overpower His will. We are anointed by Him, chosen and blessed. Our life and soul are filled by Him abundantly, more comprehensively than anything or anyone else ever could.

23:6 We can be confident that His presence will be with us in every act, moment, thought, relationship and circumstance. Like David, we choose to dwell in the house of the Lord forever. He is our home.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 22

Psalm 22:1-31

22:1-2 This Psalm is special in that it is the Psalm of David Jesus chose to recite on the cross. This Psalm expresses the journey of faith: un-trust to trust; doubt to understanding; fear to peace; weakness to strength, independence to dependence, danger to safety; indifference to praise; irreverence to worship.

Jesus chose this Psalm because it is the journey all children of God are able to take when they choose Him. The journey reveals that we are not forsaken but chosen, not alone but advocated for, not unheard but answered. 

David learned patience and trust. Desperate situations, early in his faith, caused him to make desperate proclamations of doubt and accusation against God. He misinterpreted his impatience as God's silence. But over a lifetime of steadfast growth in faith, David began to understand God's quiet, timely movements. As His prayers were steadily answered, safety attained and provision received, he learned that God had been listening. More than that, God had been answering, "Yes," all along. 

We learn that Jesus spoke this Psalm in Matthew 27:46. We must not misinterpret these words as Jesus' own; indeed these were the words of David. Likely, Jesus recited this entire Psalm. The entire Psalm would have encouraged others in their journey of faith as it moved from fear to peace, and doubt to trust. By the end of the Psalm, all of God's goodness is revealed and therefore the fear at the beginning rendered moot. It is a Psalm that teaches us not to fear, not to feel unheard or unloved, even though we have desperate moments, perhaps confessions, just like David had.

22:3-5 While his faith and trust in God was still under development, David relied on scripture; he relied on God's history with His people. David trusted in the reputation God had earned. His ancestors had trusted in God and were saved because of Him. Like any relationship, our relationship with God is a process, and God understands that. He knows that we take steps, lifelong, into deeper trust. 

22:6-8 David was attacked and vulnerable; insecure and humbled by his enemies. They did not believe in him and he did not believe in himself; his internal mindset was fragile, desperate, weak. So many in scripture experienced emotions we still have today; their experience should bolster our fortitude in faith. God was able to rescue David from that despair. 

22:9-11 Steadily David came to the realization that God had been present in his life; God was the reason he existed at all. He realized that he could request God's help in his tribulation, and that only God's help would be enough. 

22:12-18 He felt surrounded, and nearly devoured. He knew he could not climb out of his situation on his own strength. His only hope was divine intervention, the compassion and intervention of God. It is fitting that Jesus would speak this Psalm on the cross; for often it is in our most desperate times that learn to put out hope and trust in God. 

22:19-21 David asked God to be near, to strengthen him, to rescue him and God answered. Our call to God results in an immediate change of course. Our life takes on new direction and higher quality. Just like David, God's can change us from trapped to free; weak to strong; lonely to comforted, directionless to purposeful. There are so many transformations God makes in our lives when we put our faith in him; this Psalm is David's personal account of that truth.

22:22-29 Rescued by God, David expressed gratitude. He boasted of God's goodness and strength and compassion. His relationship with God changed forever; he had learned that it was safe, and even prudent, to trust in God. David sought God and then praised him, because in finding God, he found life. David knew that one day, the whole world would marvel at God. All the earth would worship.

22:30-31 The relationship with God, continues, as David knew it would. For God is absolute, steadfast, omnipresent. David knew that new generations of people would continue to come and learn to love God. That their lives would be transformed and lighted by God when they put their trust in Him. He is worthy of perpetual worship. Jesus spoke this Psalm on the cross and wisely; for the event of God-With-Us was not a  merely moment, it began a forever.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 21

Psalm 21:1-13

21:1-2 David was filled with gratitude and joy for the strength, salvation and answer to blessing He provided him with. King David always ensured that his relationship with God went both ways. God was generous and gracious, David was obedient and thankful. It was God's strength that powered him through life and the joy of God's love that lighted his days.

21:3-4 God provides life: life that is full and purposeful, steady and progressive. The children of God who serve Him are loved by Him, cared for by Him, as royalty. Our provision from Him is abundant; we receive both what we need and the good things we wants us to have. 

21:5-6 God's own glory, honor, and majesty is placed upon the life of His children; for that reason, we live differently than does the rest of the world. We rest on God's peace; we benefit from His orchestration of both personal and universal details.

21:7 A relationship with God must have a relationship of trust. David received comfort and mercy from God because he trusted God to provide it. Fear and worry dissipated because of that deep trust; God's adept orchestration in difficult situations proved to David that God could be relied on. 

21:8-12 Moreover, we can trust, as David did, that God can handle His enemies. And God's enemies are the people who antagonize you. So we can trust that His light will pierce the darkness that tries to infiltrate our life. 

21:13 David exalted God, praised Him and sang of God's power and strength. He marveled at God's characteristics: supernatural mercy and grace, undefeated power and strength, abundant love and  impenetrable defense. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 20

Psalm 20:1-9

20:1-3 David makes several prayers for us:

May the Lord answer you.

May the Lord defend you.

May the Lord help you.

May the Lord remember you.

May the Lord accept you.

And truly it is a blessing at we can count on God to do each of those things: He listens and answers, watches and defends, supports, remembers and accepts. He has made us His priority; and as His children, we have access to that which so much of the world neglects. We do not rely on things or people or substances to ensure our happiness, or ability to endure. Our reliance is on our Provider, our Savior, our almighty God who knows our needs and fills them expertly, consistently, fully.

20:4 David's intercessory prayer for us continues:

May He grant according to your heart's desire

May He fulfill all your purpose.

When we commit ourselves and our life to God, our heart's desire and our purpose align. God ensures that both are fulfilled. When He is our treasure, our heart's desire and He is our purpose and destination, we can be sure that the path of our life and everything that comes onto it is known by Him and under His authority. 

20:6 Be confident, as David was, that God will save His anointed (the children who chose Him and who were thus chosen for great purpose). We have God's ear and from His place He will answer what needs and questions we speak into it. Powerfully, deftly. 

20:7-8 Regardless of what others, or the world in general trusts in, we choose to remember that only God is worthy of our trust. Others have bowed down to the material world, to temptation, to self-serving interests, but we have risen in faith. We stand in righteousness. 

20:9 David closes his prayer with a request: save, Lord; answer, Lord. We need His rescue and His voice. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 19

Psalms 19:1-14

19:1-4 The connection between God and the earth extends beyond humanity. David perceived that the skies and mountains, the atmosphere and physical earth responds to its creator, express acknowledgement and obedience to Him. In every corner, every place. The kingdom of heaven is both universal and atomic. To love God, to acknowledge him and obey Him is to meld, spiritually, into the whole of life. 

19:5-6 He has made this earth a beautiful and hospitable place. A place of warmth and survival, extending all around. 

19:7-11 The word of God is instructive and instrumental in our life. He transforms the quality of our soul, enhances its better qualities and gives us wisdom beyond our boundaries. His justice is purer than any system we come up with on our own; he helps us to adhere to and rejoice in the way and fruits of justice and enlightenment. 

19:12-13 David recognized that he would need God's assistance in becoming and remaining pure in faith.  He knew that he needed God to restrain him sometimes from worldly tendencies. To cleanse him from the results of worldly pursuits. David set God's authority to dominion over his life because he knew that something else, something tainted, would take over if he did not. David committed himself and his life to God; he understood that God's ownership of his life meant nothing else could steal or tempt him away. 

19:14 David wanted to ensure that what he spoke was righteous and sincere. God is our power and savior and we should strive, also, to please Him, to adhere to the philosophy of life he designed for us. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 18

Psalm 18:1-50

18:1-3 David proclaimed that he would continue to love the Lord. He listed his reasons, and more specifically, the offices God filled in his life: his strength and foundation, fortress, protector and deliverer; the most faithful, trustworthy force in his life; his shield and salvation and stronghold. For all of the places God filled with strength, love and provision, David knew that God was worthy to be praised. David praised God who made him safe from all of his enemies, within and without. 

God's love and protection is comprehensive. He fills all of our needs and delights in providing additional blessing. David proclaimed that he did not just love God in the present moment but that he would continue to. We must be as steadfastly loyal to God as God is to us. 

18:4-6 David experienced fear and sorrow, and captivity to distress but God rescued him from all of it. God heard his voice. If God is listening for us, we have the opportunity to speak to Him; we have access to God's arsenal of power we need only to ask for it. 

18:7-12 God came into David's love as a storm, the storm of storms, against his enemies. Never doubt that God can rush into your live with forces strong enough to dispel whatever plagues you. In ways that cannot anticipated He sweeps in to change and rectify, indignant on behalf of His beloved child.

18:13-15 For David, God scattered the foe. The Lord did not arrive swiftly and powerfully in David's life because David was perfect. David was not perfect. Yet his unyielding love and obedience to his faith initiated the power of God in the circumstances of his life.  

18:16-19 In the way that only He can, God reached down and lifted David out of his troubled waters. He plucked David up from people and situations which were more powerful than he was. And though David was confronted on all sides by enemies, God was his support blocking each of them. He rescued David and then delivered him to a broad place, a safe place of joy and opportunity... a place to express his love for God without toxic distraction. 

18:20-24 As long as David's intentions remained good, his love for God pure, God's power was active in his life. God has laid out careful, simple instructions for us on how to live righteously. David followed those instructions and a righteous lifestyle results in peace. Peace upheld by the hand of God. A righteously lifestyle disallows the infiltration of unrighteousness, there are no cracks through which it can enter when your relationship with God is solid. 

18:25-27 Our relationship with God is what we put into it. We fill our own basket; we reap what we sow. What we put into the world is what we build around ourselves. 

18:28-30 Light and power. God illuminates the darkness, expels the monsters. He is our wall and army. Our springboard out of old places and into new ones. Our God is perfect therefore our trust in Him should be secure.

18:31-34 David marveled at the uniqueness of our God. Nothing compares. He makes us able and eloquent, deft and raised. He instructs and comforts, prepares and leads and protects. 

18:35-36 God's support is firm, His touch is gentle. He is a patient father, tenderly teaching us the way through new or difficult things. Present and beaming in our happiness, resilient and wise in our sorrow.

18:37-42 God made David strong enough to conquer his enemies. Whether our demons are internal or our enemies external, God will empower us to be stronger. He pulls the weeds in our lives up from the root, the dissipate as dust and ashes in the wind. 

18:43-45 Even though so many people and nations were against David, none of them prevailed against God. God made a seemingly impossible dream a reality for enemies to balk at and his children to marvel within.

18:46-49 David reiterates that God is worthy of praise. The beginning and end of everything should be praise for our Father, who does for us as He did for David. Ultimate, impenetrable protection. Abundant provision. Lasting peace. Perfect justice. Swift rescue. Safe haven. 

18:50 God is good and merciful to His children. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 17

Psalm 17:1-15

17:1-2 Though he was not perfect, David dedicated himself to God, to life as a child of God. He put a focused, dedicated effort on living as a righteous soul and he trusted that the culmination of such a life would result in the presence of God.

17:3-5 David made his best effort to remain on a holy path, this is, he tried his best to be honest and fair and kind. Yet David recognized that he would make errors. He called upon the help and support of God to keep him from straying off the path, to prevent him from slipping.

It is realistic that we should expect error from ourselves; in fact it is crucial that we do, because we must be prepared in those moments to call on God to save us from ourselves, from temptation and other stumbling blocks.

17:6-9 David had spoken to the Lord, and had promised the Lord that he would hear even more from David. Make the same pronouncement to God: that you know Him and will continue to; that you have said His name and will keep saying it. David knew, wholeheartedly, that could would hear him. And that by being heard by God, he would receive a haven and a savior.

Are you as confident in God as David was? 

17:10-12 David had enemies and problems not just in his line of sight but surrounding him; but none of those enemies or problems could penetrate the shield of protection his relationship with God placed over his life. The will of God would persevere through their plans, despite their plans.

17:13-14 Instead of trying (and failing) to orchestrate his own solutions, David called to God. He called on the thorough power of God to sort out, heal, fix, and change the details of his life that needed attention.

17:15 David decided that his satisfaction came from becoming more and more like God in spirit and character. David's wealth and joy was his relationship with God. David recognized that other people had different treasures but his would always be the Lord.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 16

Psalm 16:1-11

16:1 David's ability to endure was dependent entirely on God. No matter what or who tried to tear David down, he knew that his faith would enable him to withstand. The comfort and the strength of the Lord is absolute.

16:2-3 He knew that the goodness in him was God and was because of God. He delighted in the work God had done in the world and in himself. He appreciated the workers of God who put His philosophy into action among humanity. 

16:4 So many people place their love, trust, desire and reliance on things outside of God. On money, power or pride. There are so many ways we could dump our devotion out on unworthy things. David refused to do that; it is a lifelong effort, steadfast devotion to God.

16:5-6 The will of God over David's life had saved him, provided for him, protected him and planned for him. It was not David's own action that built a beautiful life, it was God's. With awe and gratitude David recognized the work God had done in his life.

16:7-8 David appointed God as his sole counselor. As such, God counseled David's soul. He comforted it. David put God in front of him always. He put God's philosophy at the forefront of the decisions he made. His solid faith made him solid in life, unmoved by his enemies or fears.

16:9 David had gladness; he rejoiced and rested in God because of God's goodness covering his whole heart and life. No love or strength or wisdom is as comprehensive as God's. Those who trust in God have a comfort the rest of the world cannot even fathom. 

16:10 David knew that God would rescue and protect him.

16:11 In David's own words:

You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

God leads His children through life, and through the details of it. He provides joy and hope interminable. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 15

Psalm 15:1-5

15:1 David asked: Who is welcome in the House of the Lord?

15:2 The person who lives honorably, humbly before the Lord. The person who does righteously. The person who speaks sincerely. 

15:3 The person whose words are kind. The person who is fair to people. The one who is peaceful with his friends. 

15:4 The person who rejects evil. The person who loves and encourages the faithful. The person who is steadfastly true to his/her word.

15:5 The person who does not financially abuse others or deal deceptively, crookedly for self-interest.

The person who lives in such a way will not be moved. That person will be established and sustained by God against all winds and waves, enemies and fears. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 14

Psalm 14:1-7

14:1 David lived as a pioneer; through his faith in action and obedience to God, he established the kingdom of Israel against its adversaries. He was taunted by fierce enemies for his faith yet he held onto it. 

14:2-3 David knew that God is vigilant for people with emphatic faith. God finds the people who are searching for Him. It occurred to David that no one was searching; each generation feels that way. 

14:4-6 Yet it was ridiculous to David that so many were not in acknowledgement of God because God would be the one to defeat them. They chose unrighteousness instead of righteousness, and that decision would ruin them. Concurrently, the righteous would find a haven in Him.

14:7 David also knew that the people of the tribes of Israel would undergo discipline and captivity. It was necessary to restore their faith and character, but Israel would be glad for it. Their return to God would make that process, that at-times harrowing journey meaningful, and productive.

Sometimes we need to be reminded of our values. That difficult process of remembering brings us back to God. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 13

Psalms 13:1-6

13:1-2 David experienced moments when he interpreted God's silence as absence. God's nature is solemn. Quiet but always active. We must remember that. He does not abandon us; He does not turn His eyes from our life; He does not turn is heart from our cause. The stronger our relationship with Him, the lighter our soul shines in the darkness. And in the darkness, we need a light. We need that hope and strength and endurance. It comes from our relationship with God. We need the light that is His quiet counsel and model of patience. 

13:3-4 David felt cornered and attacked in an impossible situation. Darkness shrouded him. He envisioned the victory of his enemy rather than the presence of His God. We all do it sometimes. 

13:5 Like David, we must refocus. We must trust in the promised word of rescue God has given us. We must rejoice in His goodness and truth that He always prevails.

13:7 Ultimately David decided to praise God; he shook off the darkness and started putting light into his heart and situation. He remembered God's faithful generosity and trusted that He is steadfast. A steadfast defender, provider, healer, and Father. We stamp the enemy, the pain and depression into the dirt with every word we speak to praise our God.