May 13 - Psalm 68-70 | Psalm 86 | Psalm 101

Good morning everyone,

Wow! More great psalms this morning. I am loving going through these, I love that David journaled, it allows us such good insight as to what he was feeling as he went through the different stages and trials in his life. David, when he was poor and needy as well as when he was the wealthiest man of the land, revered God and knew his position with God. It is encouraging and so awesome for me to read of how while all through David’s roller coaster ride of a life he knew God was where true peace and joy were to be found and that God would never fail him. Even when David made poor choices or wandered a bit, he quickly sought to be back with God and our dear Abba was always right there to waiting for him when he came to his senses. God’s mercy is boundless and new every morning. Romans 5:20 tells us, “But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” 

Now, Psalm 68, a totally incredible psalm by the way, is a psalm of dedication. It is thought to be written for when the ark was brought from Obed-edom’s house, you recall him, right?, to a tent David had set up for it in Jerusalem after conquering the Jebusites. It begins with “May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him.” Do you remember from Numbers that these were the first words Moses spoke each day before Israel marched during the wilderness period? Coincidence? I think not.  As Moses spoke, the ark of the covenant would be raised to lead the procession. This is exactly how we should all be starting our days. Lifting everything we do up to God. Personally, there is a major difference in the way people and unexpected challenges effect me when I don’t first start my day with God. When I begin my day with prayer and reading my Bible I am a much happier person, the enemy isn’t able to push my buttons, so to speak. It is my armor, and I have grown to depend on it. It is so freeing to not have to shoulder every little burden Satan tosses at me. Chris Tomlin wrote in lyrics to a song, “You hear me when I call, You are my morning song. You crush the enemy underneath my feet, I know Who goes before me, I know Who stands behind, the God of angel armies, is always on my side.” Always by our side! Can you see it friends? Can you close  your eyes and feel it? There are armies of God’s angels all around you, all around us, all of the time protecting us guiding us helping us get through life, that’s their job. So much comfort in that if you, if we will just rest in it. Right? I believe so!

Verses 4-6 speak to praising God and that He is “a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing.” When I read this again today my heart went immediately to a woman named Hannah Overton who in 2007 was wrongly convicted of capital murder in the death of her foster child Andrew Burd. The trial was a mockery of judgement, riddled with inconsistencies. Evidence was over looked, well… I am not going to go into all that now, you can look it up on freehannah.com if you choose, but what struck me is how much encouragement she can, we too can, take from these verses. Hannah does not sit in prison brooding about her unjust treatment, instead she is emboldened by her faith in Jesus Christ, she hears His is singing within her, leading her to share His Word through Bible studies and exhibit his love in her behavior. She is thriving in God, through God. Friends, that is so beautiful, and while we may not be locked up behind iron bars, we all have prisons of sorts. It could be times of loneliness, addictions that keep nagging at us, or areas in our lives that can just plain leave us feeling orphaned, but be encouraged, our God, our Abba father is never far off, quite the contrary, He is always a prayer away,  a whisper or just a thought and he is instantly there to comfort, lead, provide wisdom, or strengthen. Believe it, it is true. Psalm 16:8 says, “I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” And all God’s people said … Amen!

Have a great day and to God be the glory!

God bless you all …