Psalm 66 "Come And Hear"

“Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what He has done for my soul.” (v.16)

Most Bible commentators believe that this Psalm was written by Hezekiah, king of Judah, after the Lord delivered the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the attack of the Assyrian army. Although the city was surrounded by 185,000 Assyrians, not a single arrow would make its way into Jerusalem (Isaiah 37:33).

As with Hezekiah, when our hearts overflow with thanksgiving for what the Lord has done for us in rescuing us from destruction and from the attack of the enemy, we can’t help but declare His marvelous works, and praise His name. 

The Truth: "My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. Behold, the Protector of Israel will not slumber or sleep.” (Psalm 121:2-4)

Psalm 65 "God's Abundant Favor"

"You who hear prayer, To You all men come. Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions, You forgive them.” (vv.2-3)

Our God is the God who hears our prayers and provides atonement for our sins. The Hebrew word for atonement, kaphar, literally means to cover over, as with a lid. It is found 3 times in the Book of Psalms, and is the word used for the top covering of the Ark of the Covenant. It is also where we get the name for the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur.

In this psalm, it (atonement) describes how God covers over sin and its effects. We find, in this one word, the love of God meeting the holiness of God. God’s perfect holiness requires that the law be upheld by the prescribed payment—death. And God’s perfect love paid that price by Jesus’ death on the cross. By placing our faith in His death and resurrection, His atonement covers over our sin. Hallelujah!

The Truth: "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Psalm 64 "Fear and Declare His Work"

“All men shall fear, And shall declare the work of God; For they shall wisely consider His doing.” (v.9)

Psalm 64 is believed to have been written in the same context as Psalm 63, during the time of Absalom’s insurrection. It is a prayer for deliverance from cunning and malicious enemies, with a confident view of their overthrow, which will honor God, give joy to the righteous, and cause all men to fear and consider their actions.

Here in our text David is expressing that when God brings upon men the schemes they have desired on others, “all men shall fear.” They shall then perceive God's hand in it, and shall be led to declare "God's work." For they shall understand that God is on the side of the righteous, to the terrible discomfiture of the wicked.

This psalm then should remind us to be confident in God’s working to preserve us from cunning and malicious people who may be scheming behind our backs. For as with David, He will turn those schemes back upon them.

The Truth: “He frustrates the schemes of the crafty, so they achieve no success.” (Job 5:12)

Psalm 63 "My Soul Thirsts"

"O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You, in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.” (v.1)

King David was in a very inhospitable environment with disastrous circumstances beyond his control when he composed Psalm 63. After his son, Prince Absalom, instigated a revolt against him, king David fled eastward from Jerusalem through the Judean Desert, most likely at the end of the summer ( 2 Sam. 16:1) to the friendlier region of Gilead on the other side of the Jordan River (2 Sam. 17:24). As we examine this psalm, we will see David’s desire to worship the Lord even though he had been cut off from access to the sanctuary in Jerusalem by those who pursued him.

King David understood that every human being is thirsty for God. Some are more aware of this thirst than others, and some deny that they are even thirsty at all. But deny or admit, every person has this thirst, and those who do not know Him, attempt to quench it with someone or something other than God. We actually need a relationship with God more than we need food to eat, air to breath, or water to drink. We will of course die physically without food, air, and water; but without God, we will experience the death of separation from God for eternity. British pastor F. B. Meyer wrote, “God has set Eternity in our heart, and man’s infinite capacity cannot be filled or satisfied with the things of time and sense.”

This psalm reminds us that, when we find ourselves in a dry place in life both physically and spiritually like David did, we need to "follow hard after God and He will uphold us” (v.8), to rejoice in Him through the dryness knowing that He will protect and provide for us, that we may glorify Him (v.11).

The Truth: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt.11:28) - (God replace our worries with His peace (Philippians 4:6-7).

Psalm 62 "Wait For God Alone"

“Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” (Psalm 62:8 NIV)

To live the Christian life, we need “God alone.” It’s remarkable what God can do if we don’t interfere with his plans but allow him to receive the glory.  It’s easy to be like Jacob and pray for help and then make our own plans (Genesis 32:6-21). Trusting is living without scheming, and we aren’t smart enough to make better plans than God.

In the original Hebrew text of Psalm 62, the world translated “only” or “alone” is used in verses 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 9. When Jesus announced his coming death, Peter interfered with his plans (Matthew 16:21-23), and in the garden, Peter drew his sword and tried to deliver Jesus (John 18:1-11). To interfere with God’s plans is to rob ourselves of the best blessings he has planned for us.

Warren Wiersbe wrote, “This entire psalm tells us to focus entirely on the Lord, for he is our rock (vv. 2, 6, 7), our refuge (vv. 7-8), our salvation (vv. 1, 2, 6, 7), our defense (vv. 2, 6), and our glory (v. 7). Jesus is the Lord of "our time", so be patient and wait on him. He is the Lord of "our speech", so be silent and don’t advise him. He is the Lord of "our plans", so let him have his way."

If you’ve been trusting God and hanging on, but you’re starting to run out of patience, be still and continue to wait for the Lord!  He will see you through in your trial, he will provide that guidance you need, he will meet that financial need you have, he will bring back your wayward child. And as God’s peace is reestablished in your soul, you will be able to say, “It is well with my soul!

Therefore, do not take this thing into your own hands, do not rush or get into a panic mode. Instead continue to wait on Him, for God’s steadfast love for the church does not fail (vv.11-12).

The Truth: "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him." The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the LORD. (Lamentations 3:24-26)

Psalm 61 "Lead Me To The Rock"

“When my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to “The Rock” that is higher than I.” (v.2)

The term rock is often used to describe God in the Scriptures. When Jesus told the parable of building our house on a rock, He was speaking of God. The parable symbolizes that when we build on Him, no matter how overwhelming our lives may feel, we will stand firm. David expressed his reliance on the God here in our text when he wrote, “the rock that is higher than I.” This ties in with his realization from psalm 60 that he should not trust in his own strength, but look to the Lord, for his help comes from Him.

When we think of David, many things come to mind; a writher, a warrior, a king. This prayerful man after God’s own heart fought a bear, a lion, a giant, led troops into battle, and took on 300 Philistines, and yet we see him cry out to God. Even this powerful, strong, and confident king knew there was someone stronger, someone greater, and higher than he - Jesus, the “Rock” of our salvation.  

The Truth: “The LORD is my rock and my or tress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust: My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:2)

The Journey Begins

Today my son will get married to a very special lady, Megan Kearon. I thank God for bringing her into his life and filling him with so much joy and vision for the future. We (Lori & I) love you so much and can't wait to see you both begin your lifelong journey together. God Bless you. See you soon in your beautiful dress and handsome tux. 

Psalm 60 “Look To The Lord, Not Man”

“Give us help from trouble, for vain is the help from man.” (v.11)

This verse (and the one that follows) shows us that David realized the source of his success and the secret of his strength, did not lie in the might of his armies but in the Lord. David realized his armies were just as vulnerable as his enemies, unless there were empowered, and directed by God. Unfortunately later in his life, David would forget this great truth and suffered the corrective hand of God for his pride (2 Samuel 24).

Pride can easily get us all off track from our first days in the Lord, when we walked in total dependency upon Him. And, insted of bathing our steps in prayer and looking to be guided by His Spirit, we begin to depend on our own abilities and strength. Then like with David, it becomes a recipe for troubled waters. The good news is, there is a course correction we can take to navigate back to a safe haven - simply “looking to the Lord” for his help and direction.

Just as Peter who in faith stepped out of his boat and onto the water and began walking toward Jesus, but got his eyes off the Lord and on to the circumstances around him, the the wind and the waves and began to sink - So shall we all if we walk in our own strength. Therefore look to the Lord, present your needs to Him, and like both Peter and David, He will help you.

 The Truth: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6)