Psalm 34  David's psalms have one main theme and one purpose - to exalt the Lord! We are told that David wrote this psalm after he went to Abimelech for help and then pretended to be crazy so that he wouldn't be killed.  He was driven away.. and consequently wrote this hymn of praise.  

"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth."   David gave all the credit to the Lord .. for every escape, for every blessing, for every battle won, for every enemy conquered, and for every sin forgiven.  " O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together."  David calls for all to join him.. for all to know the greatness of God, to trust Him.. to serve Him.. to find refuge in Him alone. 

David offers to teach others the ways of the Lord.. "Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord."  And there is the secret of David's life - fearing the Lord.  David tells us that:

"The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him." v7

"O fear the Lord, you His saints; for to those who fear Him, there is no want."v9

David tells us what that looks like in verses 13-15 "Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ear open to their cry."  To fear the Lord is to revere Him.. to live according to His commands.. to order our steps in His ways.  It is a relationship that comes out of a correct understanding of Who God is.. The One who saves those who trust in Him, the One who judges those who turn from Him.. The One who delivers the "brokenhearted.. and the crushed".. but condemns the evil of the wicked. 

David pleads with his readers to have this right understanding and knowledge of God "O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!"

We all have to make this decision.  Will we trust in God, fear Him, obey Him, and find Him to be all that David has claimed?  Or will we continue to live in our own ways, with no fear or reverence for Him.. and be lost, condemned, and forever separated from the One who has made us?

Father in heaven,  You are good. You are worthy of all our praises.  We exalt Your Name above every other name.  We are thankful that You have redeemed us and made us Your own.  We thank You that we can call on You and You will answer.  We thank You for being our refuge and our strength.  May we live  for You, abiding in Jesus, the True vine.. as fruitful branches, to the glory of Your Name.  We commit ourselves into Your hands... each and every day!   May Your will be done! Amen.  

Psalm 32 "How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven..."   This truth should flood our souls with praises and thanksgiving!  It is by God's grace.. because of His great love and compassion.. that we can even begin to contemplate such a marvelous gift.. the gift of salvation.  Our sins are "covered"! The Lord does not "impute iniquity" to us! Our spirits are no longer deceived! v(2)

Transgressions are forgiven.. in Christ.. taken away. The Hebrew word is nacah- to lift;  O hallelujah! Thank You Jesus! Our sins are "covered"... clothed.. filled up.  God removes the iniquity from our account. It is gone. Fully forgiven, to no longer be held against us.  

How can this be?  David shows us by his own example - "When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away..."  Sin corrodes and rots away the soul. It drains the life out of us. David says, "Thy hand was heavy upon me"  Our God allows the agony of sin.. He ordains the corrosion of sin.. that we might turn back to Him.  David learned that he could not ignore his sin because God would not ignore it. 

"I acknowledged my sin to Thee, and my iniquity I did not hide;"  When David confessed his sin to the Lord.. then he received forgiveness.  Repentance is essential.  David does not want anyone to miss this truth!  "Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to Thee in a time when Thou mayest be found." 

The writer of Hebrews repeats this message with urgency.. "Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.." This is actually a quote from Psalm 95.  The context tells us about God leading His people from Egypt, and how they hardened their hearts at Meribah and Massah.. testing God.  "..they are a people who err in their heart and they do not know My ways.. " God said of them, and because of this they would not enter His rest.

Isaiah also wrote " Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord." 

Yes, there is such blessing in acknowledging our sin, repenting and finding forgiveness from God.  In right fellowship with Him we find safety and deliverance. We find that He will instruct us and teach us His ways. When we trust Him, we will be surrounded by His Lovingkindness. 

"Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones, and shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart." ( v11) 

Father, how can we thank You enough for this great gift of salvation ?  You have forgiven us our sins and covered us with the Righteousness of Jesus, Your Beloved Son.  We seek You today, forsaking all sinful thoughts and ways.. considering ourselves crucified with Christ and risen to new life in Him.  We pray for those who are struggling, those who are wasting away because they have hardened their hearts, O Father, grant them repentance.. may Your Spirit convict of sin, death, and judgement , that they might turn their eyes to You and find You are near, You will forgive, You will heal, and free them from the "sorrows of the wicked".  May any who hear this good news today, receive it with joy, turning to Jesus the Savior.. for it is in His Name we ask it. Amen. 

 Psalm 31  David's continual song is one of praise and thanksgiving. David is a man of prayer.. and this shows us why he was called a man after God's own heart..   Over and over again he proclaims his faith in the Lord.. " In Thee, O Lord, I have taken refuge..."  It is in the Lord our God that we find protection and hope. He is the One we can trust in every situation. This is the Truth that we stand on!

David's prayer is that he would "never be ashamed".  Dare we ask the same?  Lord, may we not be delayed or disappointed.. may we not fail You. Let us not be ashamed of You and may You not be ashamed of us...

Here, David prays for strength and he prays for guidance.  He prays for grace and for deliverance.  He prays for healing and for courage.  He prays for his prayers to be heard.  All of these things.. we bring to the Lord also.  And, like David we can be assured that He hears us!

Praise to the Lord!

Our God IS a rock and a fortress.(v3)

Our God is the One who ransomed us. (v5)

Our God is trustworthy.(v6)

Our God is loving and kind. (v7)

Our God sees our afflictions and knows our troubles.(v7)

Our times are in His hands. (v15)

"How great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast stored up for those who fear Thee, which Thou hast wrought for those who take refuge in Thee, before the sons of men." (v19)  He hides "them in the secret place of Thy presence..." (v20)  He has stored up "goodness" for us! He hides us.. you and me.. in the place of His presence!  This brings to mind an old and wonderful hymn.. the chorus goes -

"He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,

That shadows a dry, thirsty land; 

He hideth my life in the depths of His love,

And covers me there with His hand, 

And covers me there with His hand,"

" O love the Lord, all you His godly ones! The Lord preserves the faithful, and fully recompenses the proud doer. Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the Lord." ( v23-24)

Father, thank You for loving me, for saving me.. for paying the ransom for my soul.  I rejoice and am glad in Your love and kindness, and praise You for being a rock and fortress for Your people... for me! We put our trust in You and find help in times of trouble. Keep us abiding in Christ.. keep us faithful in prayer.  May Your word abide in us and us in Christ.. hiding in Your secret place.. in Your Presence. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 

 Psalm 30  The "Preacher" wrote in Ecclesiastes 3 "There is an appointed time for everything."  In verse 4 he wrote.. "A time to mourn and a time to dance."  This psalm takes us to that point in David's life.  

Twice he mentions this here.. v5 "For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning."  and v11 " Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing." 

David's life .. like our own.. was filled with ups and downs. We all have faced times when we have felt great sorrow.. loss of loved ones, loss of dreams, loss of hope.  We have mourned and wept.  But, we have also found that we can turn our eyes to Jesus.. and find help.  That is how David returned to such great joy that he could dance! He looked up and worshipped!  His change in posture preceded his change in circumstances... 

"Sing praise to the Lord, you His godly ones, and give thanks to His holy name."  (v4)  Psalm 100:4 tells us "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise."  In the ancient tabernacle the worshiper would bring his sacrifices and offerings to the wide gate where the priests would receive them and bless the people.  In the courtyard stood the bronze altar where the sacrifices would be offered and the bronze laver where the priests would cleanse themselves before entering the tabernacle itself.. the place of God's presence.  The psalmists are teaching us how to  come into God's Presence.. with praises and thanksgiving. 

 How often we rush into prayer with our needs and requests.. instead of taking care to align our souls with the One who said, " I am the gate ( door); if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved.. " John 10:9    Jesus taught his disciples to pray, "Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name."  We come to Him in awareness of Who He is ( Our Father - the One who called us and has adopted us through the sacrifice of His Son) where He is( in the great glory of Heavens courts, seated on the throne!).. and we "hallow" honor and revere His holy Name...for He is worthy!

We come to You , our Lord, our gracious and loving Savior, with praise on our lips. We join with David, extolling You, exalting Your Holy Name.. for You have lifted us up from sin and death and despair.  You have set our feet on the Solid Ground.  You have turned our mourning to dancing.  You have made us Your own by the blood of Christ who died for us.  May our souls sing praise and not be silent.  We give You our thanks, offering it with hearts of surrender and obedience, for You have opened the way for us to enter into Your Presence.  Hallelujah! Amen. 

 Psalm 29  "Ascribe to the Lord, O sons of the mighty, Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength."  

This word  "ascribe"..means more than just to give.. it can mean much more.. to apply, to appoint, to cast, to consider.. to direct or distribute.. doubtless and without fail.. to pay... to restore.. to recompense..  to show.. to thrust.. weep.. yield.  ( Strong's concordance). 

David commands the "sons of the mighty" to give to the Lord the honor and glory that is rightfully His.. to worship accordingly.. to "worship the Lord in holy array"... to worship Him in "the majesty of holiness".  We come to a place set apart.. a place that is sacred,...when we come to worship our Holy God. 

David proclaims the greatness of the Lord who is due this glory:

 He says we hear the power of His voice "upon the waters"; in the "thunder" of "many waters". Perhaps that is why we love to walk by the ocean and hear the pound of the waves and watch in wonder as the sea continually rises and swells and washes into the shore.  There is an eternal rhythm in the ocean waves. It is indeed "powerful" and "majestic"... and beautiful.  This gives us a picture of God's voice.  It draws us in and touches our souls. 

God's voice "breaks the cedars".  It makes Lebanon "skip like a calf". It "hews out flames of fire".  It "shakes the wilderness."  Mountains or valleys, forests or plains.. the voice of God is sovereign over every place and every thing, David proclaims.  "The voice of the Lord makes the deer to calve, and strips the forest bare... "  All of nature.. all of creation is His.  He is intimately involved in every part of life... in the bounty and in the devastation. In all of life.. we can hear His voice.. if we learn to listen. 

"And in His temple everything says, 'Glory'!"  For "The Lord sat as King at the flood; Yes the Lord sits as King forever."   God is on His throne!  Hallelujah!  Glory! Glory!

We often pray for the Lord to move.. or for His hand upon us.. but today, the Shepherd draws our attention to His voice.. the same voice the said, "Let there be light.. "; the same voice who John wrote about with these words.. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 

David says, "The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace."  And Jesus said, "He who has ears, let him hear.." ( Matthew 13:9)  

Father in heaven, by Your great power and grace, let us hear Your voice today.  May we hear with our ears and understand with our hearts.. and return to You so that You can heal us. ( Matt. 13:15)  May our hearts not remain dull, our eyes blind, and our ears without understanding.  Father, we ascribe to You  glory and strength.. the glory due Your Name.  You are our King forever and we worship You in spirit and in truth, with "holy array".  Thank You for drawing us closer today, through Your Word.. through Your majestic voice.  We praise You, Father, Son, and Spirit. Amen. 

 Psalm 28  David experienced the ups and downs of life, just like we do.  One minute he is standing on the solid rock with faith to fight a giant.. and the next he is crying out, desperate for the Lord to just hear his call.  He seeks to be in the hidden place of God's sanctuary.. and then he wants to conquer his enemies and see them pay for their evil deeds.  This psalm is another prayer for help.. 

"To Thee, O Lord, I call; My rock, do not be deaf to me."  There is no other name that David will call upon. There is no other One in whom he will can find help.  His hope is in the Lord.. "I would have despaired unless I believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."(27:13) David testifies.. "My Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped;"(28:7)

It is not the answer to the prayer that brings David out of his despair... it is the assurance that God hears him, loves him, and will meet his every need. 

There... this is what our Shepherd says to me today.. His love is without limit.. His power is without end.. His goodness is sufficient.. available.. certain.  What I cannot see... His hand at work in the world.. in my family.. in me.. I can believe and trust.  For when He is my strength and shield, my light and my rock.. when I trust in Him.. I am helped. 

Open our eyes Lord.. that we might see You, high and lifted up. Fill us with the knowledge of Your Presence with us.. that we might be filled and overflowing with Your love and goodness. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. 

 Psalm 27: 1-5  This psalm is a mixture of praise, a proclamation of faith, and a petition for help.  David puts his trust in the Lord's faithfulness and power.  He is waiting for the Lord to rescue him.. deciding to be courageous in the face of the enemy.  This is a great example of having a heart that keeps seeking after God. 

When fear threatens to overwhelm.. when "dread" begins to push us down.. we need to follow David's example here... reminding ourselves that "The Lord is my light and my salvation".  He is "the defense of my life."  We cannot rescue ourselves, but we can wholly lean on Jesus' name!  That is what David is doing.  "Though a host encamp against me.. "  No matter how impossible the situation might be, "My heart will not fear;"  Lord, help us to proclaim this truth.. to stand in faith and not in the lies of the enemy... to have a fearless trust in You.

Instead of dwelling on the troubles around him, David looks toward the Lord.. "One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek; That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to meditate in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me." ( v4-5) 

Andrew Murray says this about this verse.. " When God's desire becomes our desire, these words become our words; to dwell in His house, to gaze upon His beauty, and to seek Him in His temple.The more we realize God's desire to give rest and peace in our heart, and the more the desire is quickened to dwell with Him and behold His beauty, the more the spirit of intercession will grow upon us to claim all that God has promised in His New Covenant."   God desires "to find His home and His rest in the hearts of men. "  Murray challenges us to realize this high calling.. to pray for God's purposes to be fulfilled.. that He might dwell in us.. in our lives.. in our church.. in our country. 

We are quite aware of the chaos and trouble in our world. Like David we need to be courageous and not afraid.  We stand on the Solid Rock.. "Whom shall [we] fear?"  Let us be people of prayer.  Let us know the desire of God's heart.. that He desires to reign in every heart... and may  we be in ceaseless prayer for His purposes to be fulfilled.  May our earnest prayers begin with our own desire to dwell in His house all the days of our lives. May we behold His beauty and find rest in Him. Then we will be equipped to be the prayer warriors that He calls us to be.. for the sake of His Holy Name. 

Father in heaven,  hallowed is Your Name. May Your Kingdom come and Your will be done, on earth.. in us.. right now.. as it is in heaven. Amen.