What Kind Of Nation Will We Be After This? [Psalm 33]
I have been praying that somehow the Lord would use this crazy pandemic to bring about a spiritual awakening in our country. We are a wealthy country, but we are neither a wise nor good country. I think Psalm 33 offers a challenge and an opportunity to us:
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
All the wealth and military might in the world is not enough to save us if we are spiritually broken. It is from God that we can receive blessing and security, not from the work of our own hands. I like how Psalm 33 puts it:
16 The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
and by its great might it cannot rescue.
Are you putting your hope in the right place today?
Man or Mule? [Psalm 32]
It’s good to confess:
1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
But David knows from personal experience how stubborn we can be in refusing to admit wrongdoing:
3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
So, I like his warning to us:
9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you.
Will you be man or mule today?
Did You Know Jesus Quoted This? [Psalm 31]
“Into your hands I commit my spirit.” Those are the last words of Jesus on the cross—he is directly quoting Psalm 31:5!
Remember, the psalms are there to teach us to pray through our emotions to God.
By the way, when you read the entire psalm, it really changes how you hear those last words on the cross. In some sense, it makes the words of Jesus more hopeful, I think.
What do you think?
"I Was a Fool When Times Were Good" [Psalm 30]
The structure of the psalm is simple, its two outbursts of praise flanking the confession in verses 6-10 of overconfidence and its dire results. David’s unaffected delight at being restores shines through every word, quite undimmed by time.
Psalm 30
A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of the temple.
1 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up
and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
3 O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment,
and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
“For you have drawn me up”—it’s the same word for drawing water from a well.
6 As for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I shall never be moved.”
7 By your favor, O Lord,
you made my mountain stand strong;
you hid your face;
I was dismayed.8 To you, O Lord, I cry,
and to the Lord I plead for mercy:
9 “What profit is there in my death,
if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me!
O Lord, be my helper!”
David has been foolish because he boasted in good times that nothing bad would happen: “I shall never be moved.”
Then, when bad times came, he realized that he needed the Lord more than ever.
11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
you have loosed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness,
12 that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!
David is PUMPED! The Lord has been faithful, and he knows he didn’t deserve it.
What about you?
VIDEO: 15 Minute Bible Study on Psalm 29
I taught a 15 minute Bible study on Psalm 29 this morning; I’ve included the video below.
If you understand one small word, then the whole psalm opens up before you!
I mention:
thunderstorms;
the mountains of Lebanon;
and even the auroch, an extinct wild ox.
I love Psalm 29, and I hope you will, too. Let me know if you find the study helpful.
Why Should I Fear? [Psalm 27]
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
Amen.
Take 5 minutes to sit still, breathe, and listen to “Psalm 27 (One Thing)” by Shane and Shane:
Plaintiff, not Defendant! [Psalm 26]
The psalmists talk about judgement all the time, and they seem to actually want to be judged!
C.S. Lewis has an excellent explanation for why this is—be sure to read the whole excerpt:
The ancient Jews, like ourselves, think of God’s judgement in terms of an earthly court of justice. The difference is that the Christian pictures the case to be tried as a criminal case with himself in the dock; the Jew pictures it as a civil case with himself as the plaintiff. The one hopes for acquittal, or rather for pardon; the other hopes for a resounding triumph with heavy damages. Hence he prays “judge my quarrel”, or “avenge my cause” (35, 23). And though, as I said a minute ago, Our Lord in the parable of the Sheep and the Goats painted the characteristically Christian picture, in another place He is very characteristically Jewish. Notice what He means by “an unjust judge”. By those words most of us would mean someone like Judge Jeffreys or the creatures who sat on the benches of German tribunals during the Nazi régime: someone who bullies witnesses and jurymen in order to convict, and then savagely to punish, innocent men. Once again, we are thinking of a criminal trial. We hope we shall never appear in the dock before such a judge. But the Unjust Judge in the parable is quite a different character. There is no danger of appearing in his court against your will: the difficulty is the opposite—to get into it. It is clearly a civil action. The poor woman (Luke 18, 18, 5) has had her little strip of land—room for a pigsty or a henrun—taken away from her by a richer and more powerful neighbour (nowadays it would be Town-Planners or some11other “Body”). And she knows she has a perfectly watertight case. If once she could get it into court and have it tried by the laws of the land, she would be bound to get that strip back. But no one will listen to her, she can’t get it tried. No wonder she is anxious for “judgement”.
Behind this lies an age-old and almost world-wide experience which we have been spared. In most places and times it has been very difficult for the “small man” to get his case heard. The judge (and, doubtless, one or two of his underlings) has to be bribed. If you can’t afford to “oil his palm” your case will never reach court. Our judges do not receive bribes. (We probably take this blessing too much for granted; it will not remain with us automatically). We need not therefore be surprised if the Psalms, and the Prophets, are full of the longing for judgement, and regard the announcement that “judgement” is coming as good news. Hundreds and thousands of people who have been stripped of all they possess and who have the right entirely on their side will at last be heard. Of course they are not afraid of judgement. They know their case is unanswerable —if only it could be heard. When God comes to judge, at last it will.
A Prayer for Suffering People [Psalm 25]
“This prayer is a model for those who suffer, particularly at the hands of others, to call on God to help them. It expresses a fundamental trust that God will indeed answer the prayer, in spite of the supplicant’s acknowledgement of sin. It speaks of an eagerness to learn more from God and to grow in relationship with him, based on the covenant.”
The Return of the Warrior God [Psalm 24]
Remember Raiders of the Lost Ark? The Nazis want to get their hands on the Ark of the Covenant so that they will be victorious in battle, and only Indiana Jones stands in their way.
In real life, however, the Israelites did march into battle behind the Ark of the Covenant, and it seems that Psalm Twenty-Four was used as the victorious armies of Israel brought the Ark back up Mount Zion to the Temple—it is an entrance liturgy.
It’s a great psalm!
Of David. A psalm.
Like most of the psalms, Psalm 24 was used for hundreds of years in Israelite worship. So, though it comes from the time of David (before the Temple was built), it also clearly references the physical building of the Temple on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. A later poet must have adapted David’s original poem for use in Temple worship.
1 The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
2 for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
The claim is total: every square inch belongs to the Lord, because he made it all.
The Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper put it this way: “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!”
Remember that the Israelites pictured Creation beginning with the waters of chaos, out of which the Lord brings order and life, which is what the psalmist is talking about in verse 2.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from the Lord
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
If this Lord—who made everything—is present in the Temple on Mount Zion in Jerusalem (“the hill of the Lord”), then how could anyone possibly come close to him? The psalmist says that the people who should approach the Temple are ones who are morally upright.
7 Lift up your heads, O gates!
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle!
9 Lift up your heads, O gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory! Selah
Now the perspective shifts to a procession entering the Temple gates.
The priest at the head of the procession shouts: “You gates, lift up your heads and be proud!”
The priest who is inside the Temple gates replies: “Who is the King that’s entering?”
The call and response continues until we know the answer:
“The Lord of hosts!”
(Remember, “hosts” is just an old-fashioned word for “armies.”)
P.S. There is a great hymn based on this psalm: “Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates.” [Hymn starts at the 1:00 minute mark.]
If You Memorize Only One Psalm, It Should Be Psalm 23
In nearly every hospital room and deathbed I’ve ever visited, I’ve recited the words of the Twenty-Third Psalm. I’ve found there is great value in the memorization of scripture, and I’d like to challenge you to learn this psalm by heart. Are you in?
[Note: I didn’t end up publishing a post yesterday on Psalm 22—I was just too tired on Sunday. Hope you forgive me!]
P.S. My son and I climbed the Munger belltower a few weeks ago—even children find comfort in knowing these words of David, the shepherd-king.
P.P.S. “Psalm 23” by Shane and Shane.
P.P.P.S. “House of God Forever” by Jon Foreman.
"The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength" [Psalm 21]
I love this opening line of the Twenty-First Psalm:
O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices!
Like yesterday’s psalm, Psalm 21 is also a royal psalm—a prayer for the king.
Can you imagine the Israelite army stretched out for battle, singing and shouting these words? What a thrilling sight that must have been.
Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength!
We will sing and praise your power.
AMEN. Happy Sunday, everyone.
The Ultimate Greeting Card [Psalm 20]
This psalm was a royal psalm, a pre-battle prayer for the king. The first part is addressed to the king directly, and the 2nd part is about the king.
It’s stirring to think of Israelite warriors beating their shields, braiding their fierce beards, and boldly singing out this psalm before going to battle against the Philistines.
So I mean no disrespect when I say that this psalm strikes me as the ultimate source of greeting card best wishes. That is, so many of the lines would be just perfect to use when writing a note or sending a card to someone. To cite just one example (but be sure to read the whole thing—it’s great!):
May he grant you your heart's desire
and fulfill all your plans!
AMEN. Happy Saturday, everyone.
What I Texted My Friend This Morning [Psalm 19]
I texted an explanation of this beautiful psalm in my own words to a friend this morning, which I decided to share with you below.
Leave me a comment or send me a message and let me know if my explanation makes sense!
Looking at the skies, it’s as if they are filled with writing that is telling us about the glory of the Lord. All day and all night, you can read “GLORY” written there, even though nothing is actually “written” there. But, no matter where you go, you can still see the message.
In particular, the sun is glorious. It’s like he is a strong man waking up after his wedding day, and he delights to run his race and show his strength as he makes his way from East to West every day. Imagine a man coming out of his tent, stretching his shoulders and rejoicing at the new day.
And the heat of the sun is felt EVERYWHERE, searing every inch that is exposed to it, searching every crevice with its heat. Imagine the noonday heat of the sun in the desert, where there is no place to hide from its burning.
You know, that’s what the teachings of the Lord are like! It is pure and clean and bright. It makes things clear and shows them beautiful.
The law of the Lord is golden like sunlight and golden and sweet like honey.
The law’s light burns into me and shows me the things I had tried to hide.
Lord, please burn up anything dark and rotting in me, and make me clean!
The Warrior [Psalm 18]
I taught a 15 minute Bible study on Psalm 18 this morning, and I’m including the video below. A great psalm!
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who addressed the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lorddelivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:
David spent years living as an outlaw in the wilderness being hunted by Saul. Though Samuel had anointed David king of Israel, it was a long time before that became a reality. This psalm is repeated virtually word for word in 2 Samuel 22, and it is the summary song of David’s life—he faced difficulties, but the Lord delivered him.
1 I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
In the striking list of metaphors David uses for the Lord, the sense is that God is like his mountain stronghold. David spent much of his time on the run among the rocks and cliffs of the Judean wilderness.
“The horn of my salvation” is a common way of speaking of strength—imagine a bull’s horns—and David is saying that the Lord is the source of his power. All of these metaphors are martial in their sense.
These first 3 verses summarize the psalm: the Lord has saved me and been the source of my strength. When I called to him, he answered. The rest of the psalm will describe things in greater detail.
4 The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
5 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
It’s like death itself was trying to pull him under, entangling him and dragging him into its open maw; it was like a great flood was trying to carry him below. (Water was terrifying for the Israelites—they were not a seafaring people—and floodwaters are a common image of death and chaos and destruction in the psalms.)
6 In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
But the Lord heard David’s prayers in the Temple!
7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9 He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.
12 Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
The other night here in Dallas we had one heck of a thunderstorm—the house shook and rattled as it moved through, just before midnight. There are few experiences in life in which you sense raw power in the way you do through a thunderstorm.
When the Lord hears David’s cries for help, his power rolls in like a thunderstorm! The winds are so great that even “the channels of the sea were seen”—i.e., the waters are pushed back and the sea floor exposed.
One quick point: a cherub was the most terrifying mythical animal that the people of the ancient middle east could imagine. They were pictured are guarding entrance to the divine. After the Fall, e.g., the Lord places cherubs (plural “cherubim”) at the entrance to the Garden of Eden, preventing Adam and Eve from returning.
![[A cherub was a terrifying figure.]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d70f59aefca59000162e4e6/1588246272303-YDDNZ80XN6YZACUHADMS/cherub.jpg)
[A cherub was a terrifying figure.]
16 He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
17 He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
The Lord places David in a “broad place”. Makes me think of the “green pastures” and “still waters” of Psalm 23.
20 The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his rules were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23 I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
24 So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
David knows he has been faithful, and he trusts the Lord’s promise: be faithful to me, and you will be blessed.
25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
26 with the purified you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
27 For you save a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
David knows that the wicked and arrogant will get what they deserve.
28 For it is you who light my lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
The Lord shows him the way, even in darkness.
29 For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
30 This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.31 For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?—
32 the God who equipped me with strength
and made my way blameless.
33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand supported me,
and your gentleness made me great.
36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
and did not turn back till they were consumed.
38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made those who rise against me sink under me.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41 They cried for help, but there was none to save;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42 I beat them fine as dust before the wind;
I cast them out like the mire of the streets.43 You delivered me from strife with the people;
you made me the head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me.
45 Foreigners lost heart
and came trembling out of their fortresses.46 The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation—
47 the God who gave me vengeance
and subdued peoples under me,
48 who rescued me from my enemies;
yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;
you delivered me from the man of violence.
David knows that the source of any masculine strength he has or any martial prowess is the Lord. He uses image after image—a sure-footed deer on a cliff, strong fingers to bend a bow, great leaps—to exult in the strength the Lord has given him.
It’s a song of victory in battle—”I thrust them through”—filled with violent images, and throughout, David understands that the Lord is the source of his victories.
Reading this psalm, I am reminded of Whitman’s great line, which is how I imagine David exulting in the Lord’s victory:
“I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world.”
49 For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing to your name.
50 Great salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his offspring forever.
The word “anointed” is the Hebrew word Messiah.
On the one hand, this is the great summary psalm of King David’s life: the Lord delivered me from mine enemies and gave me strength and victory.
On the other hand, this is a Messianic psalm—it’s about the ultimate King and Warrior, Jesus. He was pulled down into death, but the Father raised him up in the power of the Spirit and gave him victory over the Enemy. AMEN.
(Go back again and read through the psalm with Jesus as the protagonist. Powerful.)
When People Are Lying About You [Psalm 17]
Psalm 17 is a great psalm to pray if folks are lying about you and trying to hurt you with falsehoods. The psalmist knows he is innocent, but he still needs the Lord to fight for him and vindicate him. Sooner or later in life, you will be in that same situation—when you are, pray this psalm.
Feeling GREAT [Psalm 16]
This is a beautiful psalm of confidence and joy, which I think is well-expressed in the video of the Shane and Shane song I’ve included below.
A miktam of David.
We don’t know what a “Miktam” is.
1 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
A refuge is a fortress, a stronghold. What does it mean that God is a “refuge”? It means that no matter where you are, God can be a fortress for you.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.4 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
The psalmist uses the metaphor of receiving land as an inheritance to describe his blessings from the Lord. It’s like he’s received an excellent piece of property, with all the boundary “lines” being exactly where he would want them to be.
7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.11 You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
The Lord is leading the psalmist and gives him guidance day and night. Even death is not to be feared—”Sheol” is the Hebrew name for the place of the dead. (Incidentally, the early Christian writers of the New Testament seized on v. 10 and saw in it a clear prophecy about the Resurrection of Jesus.)
Great Short Description of Integrity [Psalm 15]
After King David recovers the Ark of the Covenant from the Philistines, he eventually moves it to Jerusalem and sets it on Mount Zion, building a tent—the Tabernacle—over it. (You can read about it in 2 Samuel 6.)
Later, his son King Solomon builds the Temple in the same spot.
Psalm 15 is about what it means to enter into the Tabernacle/Temple; it’s a description of integrity.
My favorite part?
A person of integrity is so honest that he is the type of person who “swears to his own hurt and does not change”.
I also like the closing verse:
“The person who does these things shall never be moved.”
The Practical Atheist [Psalm 14]
The practical atheist is not so much a person who flat-out rejects the idea of God, but rather a person who lives as if God doesn’t exist. It is that sort of person the psalmist calls a “fool” in Psalm 14.
For the director of music. Of David.
1 The fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does good.
Because the fools don’t believe God will hold them to account, they behave in wicked ways.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven
on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.
3 All have turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.4 Do all these evildoers know nothing?
The Lord is searching for faithful people in the midst of a faithless generation—don’t these foolish people know that nothing is hidden from the Lord?
They devour my people as though eating bread;
they never call on the Lord.
5 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
for God is present in the company of the righteous.
6 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
but the Lord is their refuge.
People are being eaten up by the wicked, but God has not abandoned the poor and vulnerable—he is with them.
7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord restores his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
Zion is the little mountain on which the Temple was built in Jerusalem, and the Israelites liked to think of it as the Lord’s particular place. Jacob was the Old Testament patriarch who was renamed Israel; thereafter, the entire nation of the Israelites was often called “Jacob” or “Israel”.
Nearly all the psalms end, like this one, on a note of hope.
Be hopeful today! The Lord sees.
How Long, Lord? [Psalm 13]
“Where are you, Lord? Are you even listening? How much longer will I languish here?”
The Psalms help us pray through our emotions to the Lord. Ever felt forgotten by God? Ever been desperate? Psalm 13 comes from a place of desperation. [By the way, be sure to watch the video by Shane and Shane above—it’s a remarkable musical version of Psalm 13.]
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
The psalmist feels utterly alone—no one to counsel him, no one to encourage him. Worst of all, his enemies are thriving while he is suffering.
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
If the Lord doesn’t quickly respond, the psalmist won’t be able to persevere much longer and his enemies will gloat over his destruction.
5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.
Though there are more psalms of lament than psalms of joy—a fact which teaches us something important about the nature of life on this blue planet—almost all the psalms end on a note of confidence and joy. The psalmist knows that the Lord is faithful forever, and that those who put their trust in him will not be disappointed.
How can you rejoice today, right in the midst of your difficulties?