OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 118

Psalm 118:1-29

118:1-4 We live in a permanent state of gratitude for the permanent mercy of our God.

118:5-6 It is truth that God responds to the prayers and pleas of His children. He hears and listens with compassion and then He responds with strength and ability. He stands beside us, removing reason for us to fear. He is our protection against all fear and enemy and anxiety. Through His shield of protection, nothing can disrupt our lives. As long as we are with Him, we are where we need to be. 

118:7-9 God is moving in the word, he makes arrangements for our well-being. He establishes justice in our lives. We do not have to seek vengeance, our God ensures that the balance of justice in our lives is fair. He is generous with us. Therefore we trust in Him, rather than ourselves or any other thing/person. We put our confidence in the God of our faith because He has shown Himself to be just. 

118:10-14 Even surrounded by enemy, pinned by fear, our lives have hope and purpose. God ensures it. He destroys our barriers when we put our trust in Him, when we follow His lead and live as He has taught us to live. As we live committed to His philosophy, we experience that all of His promises are truth. He is our strength and song, our salvation. Salvation from God is new hope, new spirit, new purpose. All steeped in our faith and God's mercy.

118:15-18 Joy in the world comes from the faithful children of God; for we know what true joy is. We know of its eternal nature and elemental light. We know Who provides it. God is valiant on our behalf, upholding the health and longevity our of spiritual lives. We know the joy of the Lord's discipline. He builds us into stronger, wiser, better people. He prepares us for live beyond this life. 

118:19-20 We walk solemnly, eagerly through the gate of the Lord into the kingdom as we commit to this love. We walk through praising, we enter praising. We remain in a state of praise for the one who raised our holy house.

118:21 We praise God because we have an actual relationship with Him. Built on love, communication and trust. We share quality time and thoughts together. We experience life together. We view and hear and smell and touch the same things. We love the same people. We are committed to the same cause. We work the same works. Our relationship is layered. Deep. Long. So we praise Him because we have never experienced a relationship like the one we have with our God.

118:22-23 Our God sent the Messiah. Our teacher, our friend... Jesus. Jesus, the reason the Holy Spirit permeates our lives. Our helper. Rejected once by others, He is marvelous in our eyes. For what He taught. For how He died. For how He lived. 

118:24 We are grateful for God's historical presence in our lives but also for the present: Today is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. As His children, we see the beauty and recognize the miracle in each day.

118:25-28 Save now, I pray, O lord; We consistently pray for God to be the savior in our lives. He is the hero of our lives. Our God who makes the impossible possible. The unlikely, likely. The dead, alive. The weak, strong. The broken, healed. We are blessed who come to the Lord because He reforms us, rejuvenates us. We declare Him as our God for He is God. We declare and we praise the one who gives us light in all shades of darkness. 

118:29 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 117

Psalm 117:1-2

117:1 The Psalmist calls for all of humanity to praise God. The earth and its inhabitants are under His dominion, and if they are willing, His protection as well. Our God is worthy of our praise because He offers love and attention for each person.

117:2 God's mercy and kindness is incomparable. The sheer abundance of His grace is astounding. His truth is established forever: righteousness is the way to eternal life. Therefore we praise the Lord.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 116

Psalm 116:1-19

116:1-2 Our relationship with God is based on a strong foundation. He truly cares about us; He listens to our thoughts and prayers with interest and compassion. Like the Psalmist, we commit our entire selves to Him as long as we live because His love becomes our lifeline. We cannot imagine the vulnerability of life without faith.

116:3-4 From impossible, and impossibly bleak, situations, we call upon God to rescue us.

116:5-7 And out of mercy and love He listens and answers with divine preservation. His strength compensates for all of our weaknesses; His complex and infinite knowledge makes up for all of our mortal simplicity. Once rescued by Him, our souls are able to rest in bountiful blessing. 

116:8-11 He delivers us from all enemies, actual and figurative. He strengthens us, straightens our path, upholds us. The world shows us its ugly side and in response, God shows us His beauty. He offers His righteous kingdom as the alternative to an injust world.

116:12-14 And how could we ever repay God for all that He offers? Like the Psalmist, we come to the conclusions that we never could. We just love Him back and keep the vows we make to Him to show our appreciation. 

116:15 Our souls come newly alive in faith. We say goodbye to the secular world and awake in the kingdom, in the spirit of righteousness, committed to the betterment of our souls and humanity. It is precious to God to have one of His children allow Him to prune them, to instruct, to make new.

116:16-17 With the freedom He arranges for us, we life with His principles for His purpose. We life with gratitude for His blessings. When we are happy or distressed, we call to Him.

116:18-19 We life openly committed to God's philosophy of life. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 115

Psalm 115:1-18

115:1-2 It is so healthy for us to wake up grateful for our God. We are special because we are loved by Him, but we are flawed. We have limitations and shortcomings but God fills in all those spaces with grace and mercy, love and instruction. We give glory to Him because it is due, and also because it reminds us that His mercy and His truth keep joy and productivity in our lives.

115:3-8 Other people trust in idols like wealth and fame. We trust in our God in Heaven. We trust in the works of God's hands rather than the works of men. So much of the way of the world is nonsensical and even harmful. But God sees the justice in every situation. God inspires the compassion that makes life worthwhile. God teaches us to live productive, and spiritually productive lives, while the secular world wastes life with false idols and lame pursuits. To trust in or love an inanimate things is fruitless. God teaches us to value what actually matters.

115:9-11 Therefore trust in God. He is our help and shield; our provision and protection. We fear/revere the Lord because of His graceful assistance and almighty power.

115:12-13 Our God cares about us. He will bless us, small and great, who trust in Him.

115:14-15 A prayer made by the Psalmist that we who love God will be blessed with increase throughout our lives and our children's lives. Jesus taught us to love one another, and to pray for another is an important form of love.

115:16-18 All things belong to God; yet He has given us this beautiful planet earth as a spiritual classroom. Others may do as they wish but we choose to praise God. We are alive in faith, awakened to life's meaning and truth. Forevermore. We praise the Lord.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 114

Psalm 114:1-8

114:1-2 When the tribes of Israel came out of Egypt, it was symbolic. When we come out of enslavement, through the wilderness, we come to God's kingdom. Whatever, whoever, held us back before no longer matters. We have rejected the way of the world and have adopted the philosophy of God. We give Him full authority in our lives; His dominion supersedes all else.

114:3-6 As we journey with God, the world will recognize the power that travels with us. We will not be moved but our barriers with be, or else God will enable us to scale them.

114:7-8 The presence and power of our God is enough to cause the earth to tremble in reverence. Our God rewrites the boundaries and limitations of this earth to make new possibilities... and all of it for our well-being.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 113

Psalm 113:1-9

113:1-3 Fill your life with praise for the One who loves us through each sun rise and sunset of our lives.

113:4-6 Our God cannot be compared to anyone, anything. High and mighty though He is, He cares for the little ones. He cares for us. He gives us His attention and affection.

113:7-9 He reaches for the poor and needy, the wearied, and pulls us up from the dust. He rejuvenates us with His love and care. He gives us an inheritance in His kingdom. He provides a home.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 112

Psalm 112:1-10

112:1 When we delight in God's commandments, we express that we agree with His order of righteousness. We are blessed by our commitment to His commandments because God's leadership always results in blessing. Within the boundaries of what is just and true and kind, is the blessed life of a child of God.

112:2-3 The family of God is mighty and strong on the earth. Our source of strength is God, and therefore is more resilient than anything else on the earth. And the Kingdom of God promises wealth more precious than jewels and money. We have eternal life. We have peace and joy. The sustenance our spirit actually needs to thrive.

112:4 As righteous children of God, we have a light in every darkness, leading us home and into safety. We have the presence and compassion of our Father. We are taught by God to be gracious, compassionate and righteous. We are taught to have honor and discretion and humility.

112:5-6 And such a soul is stabilized by God, unable to be moved by fear or enemy or doubt. We have the promise of God's strength in our life as an everlasting remembrance. No matter what mountains we meet along our journey, God has promised to help us scale them.

112:7-8 We are not afraid because our God is strong and wise and kind. He is vigilant, just and steadfast. We know that God's purposes cannot be hindered or thwarted, and as agents of His righteous purposes, neither can we. 

112:9 God's love is widespread and generous. All who need and ask, receive. Therefore we exalt Him. We praise God for His comprehensive, impartial love. We praise God for His honorable character and its light in our lives.

112:10 We trust that God's justice will confront the wicked. We trust that evil is made to perish by His hand, because He conquers wickedness every day, right before the eyes of His righteous children. We trust in His promises because He has never broken one.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 111

Psalm 111:1-10

111:1 A relationship with God must be wholehearted; we cannot commit our lives to His philosophy if we have not implemented His philosophy into our lives. 

111:2-6 God's children notice His work in their lives; we know our Father well enough to recognize His work in the details of our day. We feel His presence but we also feel the movements He makes that result in large and small blessings. For His work is honorable and glorious and founded in righteousness, and therefore always does result in good things. Every move He makes is born out of a spirit of compassion. He takes care of His family, and upholds an eternal covenant with them. He is powerful enough to bring all of His promises into fruition and He is loyal enough to ensure they happen.

111:7-9 His omniscient perspective always His judgement to be perfect and thus: fair. Our God values truth, He sees truth and perceives all deception. And then roots all reception out. His sense of justice allows for redemption and restoration.

111:10 Our spirit grows in intelligence the day it realizes that wisdom is the will of God; for His philosophy upholds and restores truth and justice in a world that often breeds deception and injustice.

To commit to His commandments is to understand the plan God has for humanity: compassion, truth, justice, mercy.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 110

Psalm 110:1-7

110:1-2 God invited Jesus into the position of spiritual authority. Jesus proved Himself worthy of this role because of His complete embodiment of the word of God; His depth-less well of compassion and indefatigable faith. All enemies, that is, all unrighteousness, is subdued before Jesus. Jesus' reign has been outfitted with the strength of God.

Similarly, we who devote our lives to the word of God are outfitted by God with the strength of His spirit. Not to rule but to serve and to lead in example. We are given wisdom and protection from God, in addition to strength, in order to subdue unrighteousness. 

110:3-4 In beauty, in holiness, Jesus was given and will retain His position as messiah. "The order of Melchizedek" began with Genesis 14 and resurfaces in the New Testament, such as in the book of Hebrews:

Hebrews 5:8-10 "though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 10 called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,..."

110:5-7 Jesus has power and authority against all forms of evil and unrighteousness. He has dominion and justice is in His hand.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 109

Psalm 109:1-31

109:1 Our prayer as children of God should always be for His interjection. We do not wish for His silence; we do not trust in our own roam. We pray for His will; we have gratitude for His "yes"; His "no"; and in His "not yet". 

109:2-5 The Psalmist was surrounded by enemies and accusations. Without gentleness they were challenged. But he did not give himself to fear. He gave himself to prayer. He could not arrange for his own justice but knew that God could. And would. So we make commitments to God's will above our own.

109:6-20 We pray for God's justice to be administered throughout the world. There is so much corruption and disparity that only He can unravel and remove sufficiently. When we are upset it can be easily to wish ill on others; but Jesus taught us to be fiercer in faith than that. To trust in God's will and Hand in our lives enough that we do not need to seek vengeance of our own. Of course we have a justice system in our society that is in alignment with God's will; evil is not allowed to roam freely, unpunished. 

The truly wicked and evil have been condemned to extinction. We do not have to fear that evil will escape justice. 

109:21-25 But as for us, we also ask for God's judgement. Because for His children who a faithful and kind, He is merciful and good. He delivers us from the places and people and emotions that inhibit the light in our lives. We become weary but only until we call out to God.

109:26-29 We pray for help, as the psalmist did; and then we, and the people around us, witness God's Hand in our lives. The blessings that come to the righteous; the curses that go to the wicked. The joy of the kind; the shame of the unkind. 

109:30-31 We praise God because He stands for and by the meek, the poor, the orphan, the weak, the distressed. He saves us from that which wrongfully condemns. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 108

Psalm 108:1-13

108:1-4 Solid and peaceful is the soul that has committed itself to God. To wake in the morning with the praise of God on your heart; to love Him proudly among the peoples of the world. For the mercy of God over His children is immeasurable and thus inspires a joy that cannot be contained. The truth of His word covers the whole earth.

108:5-6 As children of God we choose to exalt Him exclusively. We do not exalt material or power or fame. They are not our idols. Our idol is our Lord who rescues us out of our fears and prisons. He hears and saves. He listens and cares and acts.

108:7-9 God has established righteousness and so we rejoice. All the earth belongs to Him; He has plans for every person. He assigns purpose and judgement to all; and for the righteous: it is good.

108:10-13 Who but God will bring us into strength? Who but God can deliver us from enemies? No one. No thing. No force. He is present with us as we soldier through. He protects and assists and provides in a way that no one ever could. Through God we triumph over impossible enemies and odds; because, after all, He does all the work. We commit to His righteousness and He goes before us, with us into all places and ensures the outcome is victory.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 107

Psalm 107:1-43

107:1-2 We praise God because He is good. We experience His goodness throughout our lives as He merciful. He redeems us; rescues and then restores us. He gathers us, provides for us, protects us, and teaches us along the way. All of it done out of love.

107:3 Our relationship with God is built on trust. On both sides. We dedicate our lives to His philosophy of righteousness and He dedicates Himself to us. East, west, north, south; up, down; sad, happy; strong, weak... not matter what place or position or countenance He finds us in, He comes for us. To share in our joy and to provide it. To strengthen our weakness, hone our self-discipline, to comfort, to teach. He fills every need.

107:4-9 Life without God is a desert. A desolate place. We depend on things that are not constant or necessarily good for us. We have hunger and thirst for soul-deep peace, so seemingly difficult to obtain. Wearied or distressed, He hears and answers to cry. Able and willing to change the circumstances that harm us. He leads us out of the desert and into His kingdom. A garden, a home, a place of spiritual provision. Rest for our bodies and minds. He is a leader, our Shepherd, and only to good and safe places does He lead.

Gratitude for His wonderful works is essential. Our soul longs for it, benefits from it, luxuriates in the space of worship. In many ways, it it our natural, spiritual state.

107:10-12 To walk away from God, from righteousness, is to walk directly into darkness; it is to surrender oneself as slave to the world, and to the greed and vulnerability and anxiety of the human condition. From that desperate place, realization came and the people cried out to God. They wanted to return, and luckily for us, God always welcomes us back.

107:13-14 Indeed they cried out to Him and He heard and cared. He saved. He drew them out of those dark places and broke the chains that bound them there.

107:15-16 Oh that humanity would live in gratitude to God, who has steadfastly broken the gates that trap us within places, relationships, habits, additions, emotions that have held us captive. The Lord the working miracles everyday in the hearts and minds and lives of His children. 

107:17-22 Many people blame their affliction on a flippant or absent god; many in the Bible did the same. But their condition was created through their iniquities and transgressions. They made choices that opposed the word of God, and so it is no wonder that those choices yielded opposite results.

Despite His innocence, God chooses to save. Continually. Even though He is frequently, wrongly blamed, He rushes in to save people from their own mistakes. Therefore He deserves to be praised. We have cause to rejoice and live with gratitude. His wonderful works change and reform and heal our lives. 

107:23-32 God disciplines His children with tough love sometimes. He stirs stormy winds that grow our character and strengthen our faith. We feel off-kilter for a little while, less so if we listen to and trust Him, and then He plants us firmly in peace. We cry out to Him that we have heard and He hears us. The waves still. It's quiet like never before; His guidance is more prominent than ever. Oh, that we would praise Him for His instruction, His discipline, His love. Exalt and praise the Lord precipitates the conditions within which we are made new, wiser, stronger, kinder. 

107:33-34 God has ordered the world such that an evil lifestyle starves and thirsts itself out of life.

107:35-38 A righteous lifestyle drinks and eats and yields new life.

107:39-42 Evil meets destruction. God ensures it. He takes their desert place and removes them from it. He turns the desert into a garden and moves the righteous in. The land yields all His blessings.

107:43 The beginning of wisdom is the fear/reverence of the Lord, Proverbs 9:10. The Lord is understood by the righteous.