Author: Jon Green

At first glance, this can be a rather surprising chapter. The author is basically telling God what He should do! He does this all the while maintaining his own personal innocence (very similar to parts of the book of Job). It feels like the roles are reversed from what they should be. One would think that the author should be humble enough to admit his own faults, and then ask the Lord for direction on what to do next, right? This is not the formula for which this chapter plays out. 

When you dig deeper into this passage, however, this psalm is not necessarily declaring that God is in the wrong. Instead this is an example of the author trying to remind himself that God is always in the right! In the middle of frustration, the author begins by reminding himself that God was faithful in the past. Then the very last word of this chapter is a declaration of God’s unfailing love. It’s like the author is saying “God I know your character. You are a faithful Father who loves His children. Because of what I know about you, I’m confused about my situation. Why are you letting your children suffer when I know you don’t want them to?” 

This type of honesty is crucial in our walk with God. If we aren’t willing to be fully authentic with Him, our relationship won’t have the depth it needs. This type of theological struggle described in the passage is exactly the type of “work out” our faith sometimes requires. This psalm is a reminder of the story in Genesis when Jacob wrestled with God (Genesis 32). Sometimes our faith calls for a bit of wrestling. There will no doubt be times when we need to fight to see the faithfulness of God. We will have dark seasons in which we will need to remind ourselves that God is always bringing us closer to His light. So when you don’t like your situation, start telling God about His character. When you do, you’ll be reminded of who He is and what He has promised to do for you.

Like we’ve read in previous Psalms of David, he begins with a prayer request for deliverance (again) and ends with praise for God’s goodness and faithfulness (again). He starts with a plea for rescue and ends with confidence in God’s character. From plea to praise seems to be David’s anthem cry. 

It feels a bit like riding a roller coaster of emotion. One high moment of trust and confidence. One low moment of despair and fear. Yet, God never turns His back on those who ask hard and honest questions. He never turns away from the emotionally unsettled or the ones who in one minute trust and the next minute despair. We simply will never find a story in the Bible that contradicts the character and nature of God being a good Father, a good Shepherd—patient with those who repeat the same prayer request…again. And again. 

It’s not a sin to doubt. Disbelief is a sin. Earnestly and honestly seeking answers and desiring more faith to trust God’s goodness and faithfulness is acceptable to God. We see that wrestle in the lives of Moses, Abraham, and David. They all struggled at times to understand God; yet, their lives modeled total dependence and trust in a God who sustains and holds all things together simply by His powerful word (Heb. 1:3). 

And, so, David appeals to God for deliverance…again. David’s transparency is a good model for us. Note the language he uses to describe how he feels in verses 9-13: consumed with grief, strength is failing, ridiculed, forgotten (not only by enemies, but also by friends). Note that he tells God how he feels, even though he already acknowledged his trust and reliability in God. It’s important for us to remember this truth: Feelings are real, but they are not reliable.

There is no safer shelter than living under the Lord’s covering and care. In spite of all his pain and trouble, David trusts God. He committed and submitted his entire life into God’s hand, into God’s care. And, David anticipated deliverance and protection because of God’s character and goodness, not his own. 

David closes his psalm by encouraging fellow worshippers (that includes us) to love God, be strong and courageous, and put our trust and hope in Him. When trouble and trials come (and they will), where will you place your trust?

Psalm 28 is another one of David’s laments. As you were reading, did you notice the change in tone between the two sections of this chapter? It almost feels like this chapter is missing some verses! In the first half of Psalm 28, David is desperate for the Lord to act. Then in the last four verses, David is declaring the praises of his God. What is interesting about this, is that it seems like nothing has changed! While David’s tone moves dramatically from verse 5 to 6, it doesn’t appear that his situation has been fixed. We don’t read about how God destroyed David’s enemies or even spoke directly to David. All we read is that David went from distraught to delight.

While we can’t know for sure, it appears that the only thing that changed David was time in God’s presence. When he was talking with God, he began to feel joy, protection, and salvation. The simple act of being with his Heavenly Father shifted his mood. 

Most of us have a laundry list of things we’d like to change about our life: our kids, our income, our looks, our relationships. But if we got all that we wanted, it wouldn’t fix what we really need. We don’t need a better situation in order to feel more joy, we need to spend more time with our Savior. When we authentically encounter His presence, the Holy Spirit will often work in ways we can’t really describe. Our mood will change even when our situation doesn’t. So spend time with the Lord throughout your day and ask him to switch your frame of mind. Then watch him do exactly what he did for David in between verses 5 to 6. He delights in turning your pressure into praise, your jealousy into joy, and your doubt into dependence.

Psalm 13 is another example of an honest psalm. David feels distant and abandoned by God–and he tells God that. In the opening two verses, David asks the question “How long?” a total of four times. He wants to know how long it will be before God will remember him, show His face, and rescue him again. David doesn’t hold back. At first glance, we might even think it’s too honest. Are we even allowed to talk to God like that? But such is the beauty of the psalms. They give us permission to voice our feelings to God. Who of us can’t relate to this psalm? At one point or another, we’ve all felt abandoned or forgotten by God. We’ve all wondered how long and we’ve all pleaded with God to show up for us again. David here gives us a template to follow for when we feel like this.

Even though he feels forgotten and abandoned by God, he still approaches God. Even though God feels distant, David still draws near. Even though he probably doubted that God was listening, he still prayed. David knows that he can’t trust his feelings. Feelings are real but they aren’t always reliable. He can acknowledge how he feels, but it doesn’t change the truth of who God is. So, at the end of the psalm, he reminds himself of the truth of God’s goodness, even if he isn’t currently feeling it.

When God isn’t answering our prayers how we want Him to (or as quickly as we want Him to), let’s remember this psalm and follow David’s response. Ask your questions, plead your case, beg God to show up, express your emotions, but then center your feelings in truth. 

Because, as Isaiah 49 says, when God’s people said that the Lord had forgotten them, God responded by saying this: “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you. See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” No matter how you may feel at times, God cannot forget His children. He is good, He is faithful, and He is with you.

Psalms 6 is another individual lament from David. The Psalmists in these particular psalms are expressing sorrow over sin and spiritual failure. In this instance, David is in deep affliction and uses this opportunity to poetically express his weariness to the Lord.

Based on the language that is used, we can conclude that David is feeling not only helpless, but also hopeless in his situation. In verse 2, we learn that his circumstances have left him with physical ailments (“Heal me O Lord for my bones are in agony.”) Then in verse 3, he expresses that he is also agonizing spiritually (“I am sick at heart. How long, O Lord, until you restore me?”) And in verses 6 and 7, we feel the weight of the emotional toll that this is taking on him (“I am worn out from sobbing. All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears. My vision is blurred by grief; my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.”)

Regardless of the details of the situation he is lamenting about, we can conclude that David is desperately appealing to God for relief. It’s important to point out, though, that David’s laments in this chapter are not complaints–he is not placing blame on God for the situation that he has found himself in. Instead, he is pouring his soul out to God and asking for mercy.

As we continue reading in verse 8, we see that David’s tone makes a sudden change from sorrow to a confident expression of joy “…for the Lord has heard my weeping. The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer.” Despite his physical, spiritual, and emotional turmoil, David chose to not stay in that place. He turned his deep felt grief and weariness into a prayer to God and by the time he got to the end of his prayer, he found himself knowing with confidence that God had heard him and would answer him.

The natural human response to hopeless and helpless situations is to complain and to search for someone to blame. As Christians though, we should learn from the pattern that King David established here in Psalms 6. Express your sorrows to the Lord through prayer. Allow your honesty and vulnerability to be an appeal to God for mercy and relief. And then TRUST and know with confidence that God has heard your weeping and will answer your prayer!

Psalm 3 is a psalm of lament, where the psalmist is lamenting the current state of the world and is pleading with God in the midst of sin, sorrow, danger, persecution, or hardship (or all of the above). Throughout the psalms we see both individual laments (on behalf of a particular person) and communal laments (on behalf of a group of people). This one is an individual lament written by David.

In Psalm 3 we see a transformation take place. David begins by explaining his current circumstances: he has many foes, many are rising up against him, and many are saying that God will not deliver him. From the outside looking in, David has every reason to be terrified—he is totally alone, with no ally in sight, enemies surrounding and encroaching in from all directions. But then something happens. He remembers who he’s talking to. David says “but You… are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.” After remembering who God is and setting his mind on truth, David’s perspective changes. He declares that he will not fear no matter how many thousands go against him. David’s circumstances didn’t necessarily change, but his mindset did. The transformation wasn’t external, but internal.

The process we see David go through in this Psalm is something we see taught and modeled throughout the Bible. Scripture encourages us often to take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) and to think on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable (Philippians 4:8). We’re directed to set our minds on things above. Focusing on truth allows us to view our circumstances here on earth with a Christ-centered perspective. When we do that, while our circumstances may not change, our attitude about them does. 

Maybe we need to take a lesson here from David. What are your foes? Who is rising up against you today? What situation are you in that seems downright impossible? Take it to God. Give your circumstances proper perspective, frame them in the lens of truth, and allow God to remind you of who He is and what He can do. Your situation may not change overnight, but perhaps you’ll be changed in the process. 

Editor’s Note: We’ve had some issues with MailChimp in the past 24 hours. Our apologies if you’re receiving this late and thanks for reading along! 

Psalm 136 is a beautiful depiction of the love of God. It compels the reader to zoom out, see a glimpse into the sovereignty of God, and be led into a posture of worship as a response to His love toward us. The psalmist uses repetition as a means to demonstrate how everything that God does is an outpour of His steadfast love towards us. Even the things that we would deem “unloving” in our own eyes, like striking the first born of Egypt (v. 10) or killing mighty kings (v. 18), was still done in love by God for the sake of displaying His majesty on earth and enacting His sovereign rescue mission. The psalmist recounts many stories of the Old Testament, including the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt (v. 11) and the splitting of the Red Sea (v. 13), in order to show that the story of Scripture is one of God pursuing His people by love even in the midst of man’s sin and rebellion.

God has a perfect track record of faithfulness; it’s just who He is. Therefore, anytime we begin to judge what is loving and unloving of God, we begin to make God into our own image instead of being conformed into the image of God. We like to define what is good and evil, instead of allowing the One who created all things (v. 5) to define it for us.

This passage is an invitation for us to rest in the love of God and allow it to move us to a place of worship and obedience, for He has invited us into a love-struck relationship with Him. He has rescued us and set us free, and now we get to love and obey as a response as we fix our eyes on Love Himself. The author of love, the perfecter of love, Who has written a love letter to us in Scripture.

Editor’s Note: We had an issue with MailChimp, so you’re receiving this a day late. Our apologies and thanks for reading along!

Psalm 124 is a psalm of thanksgiving in the midst of brokenness. Some days, this fractured world that we live in seems like too much to bear. Too much hate, too much pain, too much loss, too much conflict…it can all feel like just too much. This is not a new condition for humankind and will not be an old condition until the eternal restoration of heaven on earth. So what are we supposed to do in the meantime? How do we cope with the chaos and conflict?

David and the people of Israel offer guidance in Psalm 124. The nation of Israel understood conflict. They endured pain and loss (see enslavement in Egypt and the aftermath in Exodus). They had been at war with their neighbors for generations and had kings in conflict with each other (see 1 and 2 Samuel). They lived in fear of famine, invasion, and deadly illness daily. Yet, they sang Psalm 124.

This psalm begins with an introduction and call to community worship. Can’t you hear the piano’s low and slow start of melody as the worship leader steps to the microphone and gratefully sings “If the Lord had not been on our side…” Everyone knows this song; we were raised on it, sang it at church camp, heard our grandparents sing it, and the intro ushers all the trials, triumphs, and trust in God that comes from His faithfulness to bring us through the brokenness of this world. The tears swell in our eyes and the peace pours over us as we let go of controlling the things of this world and grab hold of the joy of the Lord that can come only from the Holy Spirit.

“Let all of Israel say” the worship leader calls to us. This is not an isolated request; it is a group effort to share the stories, claim the promises, and demonstrate the Holy Spirit to a tired and broken nation. This is a call to us when this world is too much. The psalm describes how God saved Israel from the perils of this world. It ends with the joint proclamation, “Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” May we find peace and comfort in making this same proclamation together with our community, “Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

We often look to anything and everything around us to find a sense of security. We look to our jobs, the amount of money in our bank account, the items we own, the relationships we’re in or want to be in, or our own abilities to determine how secure we feel. Psalm 118 speaks of God’s character and causes us to reexamine the source of our security.

David reminds us that attempting to find security in earthly things will only disappoint us (v. 8-9). We are told throughout Scripture that this earth and everything in it will fade away (Isaiah 40:8, Matt. 24:35, Hebrews 13:14). We can count on that.

We can also count on the promise God has given us – the promise of Himself. Because He is with us, we do not have to be afraid (v. 6). We are reminded throughout this chapter that, “His love endures forever.” His love will not fade like the things of this earth. From generation to generation we can count on His love toward us. God is our helper, and He alone is our strength (v. 7, 14). He is good (v. 1), so we can trust that what He does is good, even when we do not understand. In His goodness and love, He has secured our salvation by becoming the One who saves us. His promise is not simply to rescue us from our current, temporary situations, but to give us eternal security through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the cornerstone of our salvation, the One on whom our faith rests (Psalm 118:22, Ephesians 2:20, 1 Peter 2:4). Our only true and lasting security lies in the enduring love of our Father and the plan He has laid out since before the beginning of creation to bring us salvation.

We can walk in confidence today because we know that this life is only temporary, and our security lies in the One whose promise is unfailing. When we feel overwhelmed by life’s circumstances, may we look up and remember God’s enduring love and give thanks because of his goodness. We praise Him because His love endures forever.

This psalm is an account of the psalmist calling out to the Lord in a time of great distress, but also with glimpses of gratitude. He is overcome with sorrow and close to death. Then he calls out to the Lord, and God hears his cry. God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our paths (Psalm 119:105), so we can look to this psalm as a guide and an encouragement when we find ourselves in a dark place.

Even in the midst of despair, this psalm begins with a declaration of love for the Lord. Deuteronomy 6:5 commands us, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart.” But what if we struggle to love Him? How does this psalmist love God even in the midst of such sorrow? What causes the psalmist to boldly declare his love for the Lord? Verse 1 says it was because the Lord heard his cry for mercy. Verses 6-8 tell how God saved and delivered him. Charles Spurgeon writes, “Answered prayers are silken bonds which bind our hearts to God. When a man’s prayers are answered, love is the natural result.” So, maybe the way to strengthen our love for God is to return to the Lord again and again in prayer asking for help, confident He hears us. 

The psalmist’s prayer is not long or wordy or eloquent. He simply says, “Lord, save me.” That’s it. All he did was ask for help. Then a remarkable thing happened. The God of the universe, the one who made the heavens and the earth, “turned His ear” and heard this man’s cry for mercy. We won’t experience answered prayers unless we pray. First Thessalonians 5:17 says to “Pray continually.” Call out to Him. Our God is full of compassion.

The lyrics of an old hymn say:

“What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear.
What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer.
Oh, what peace we often forfeit, oh, what needless pain we bear.
All because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer.”

As we consistently come to the Lord in prayer with our needs, we will experience the Lord “turning His ear” to us. As the psalmist shows us, this will cause us to love God more, regardless of our circumstances.