Psalm and Praise, Day 144 Is the Lord your God? Read Psalm chapter 144. As we see in this chapter, so many different ways that the Lord leads and blesses his people. He helps to defend them. He defeats their enemies. He gives them purpose. God blesses them. Are we placing God first in our lives? Is he the only thing that truly matters in our lives?

Psalm and Praise, Day 143 Teach me. Read Psalm chapter 143. If God doesn’t teach us how to do his will, then we have no hope of being able to accomplish it. When we look at all that God has commanded us to do, we realize there is no way we would be able to fulfill everything that he has asked. God’s desire is perfection and we are far from that. We are to come to him and submit, and then allow him to teach us what needs to happen. God teaches us to do his will and God works through us to do his will. We must drop the…

Psalm and Praise, Day 142 Set me free. Read Psalm chapter 142. What does it mean to be set free? Do we really understand the concept of freedom as defined by God? Our freedom in Christ can sometimes feel different than freedom as defined by the world. Our freedom in Christ gives us the ability to rejoice and to praise him regardless of the circumstances that we are in. Whereas freedom in the world may mean that we are lacking restraints, but that we have limited purpose. Freedom in Christ is much more about a mindset than it is about a location or a circumstance. We need to be able…

Psalm and Praise, Day 141 What does it take to keep our mouth in check? Read Psalm chapter 141. I’m not sure that having a guard keeping watch over my mouth would keep it from saying the things that it shouldn’t say. My opinions can be pretty strong in my own head sometimes and the urge to share those can be equally strong. However, just because the thought enters our heads doesn’t mean that we should utter it to others. We must filter our thoughts through the lens of Jesus Christ and make sure that the words that come out of our mouth have been guarded and approved and that…

Psalm and Praise, Day 140 Frustration. Read Psalm chapter 140. I love reading the raw emotions that are on display throughout the psalms. People haven’t really changed much over time. We still are excited and angry, joyous and devastated, peaceful and vengeful. God knows all this about us, so it’s no surprise that when I am going through tough times, I find comfort that I’m not alone. Many of the psalmists felt all those emotions and shared them with God. He is not too big or too small to handle our feelings. He understands our feelings and can help us work through them. We are not perfect, but even when…

Psalm and Praise, Day 139 The quest to be known. Read Psalm chapter 139. For many of us, the desire to feel truly known and understood is a desire that can become overwhelming and burdensome. People want to feel that others know them. We can rest assured that God knows us. He actually knows us more than we know ourselves. We don’t ever have to feel misunderstood. God knows us.

Psalm and Praise, Day 138 Am I ever not walking in trouble? Read Psalm chapter 138. It seems like no matter where I step, I’m in trouble more often than not. Thankfully, God sees and he helps to preserve and guide me into the steps that I need to be taking. If we are believers, then we are constantly surrounded by enemies and every step we take will be one that is criticized and ridiculed. We must continue to follow through, knowing that God will honor his word and he will preserve and protect us.

Psalm and Praise, Day 137 This is such a sad song of being defeated. Read Psalm chapter 137. Reading the words of these captive Israelites reminds us that we are only victorious in Christ and that even in the difficult times, God is ther one who is there for us. We rejoice in him. We rest in him. Are we keeping that in mind as we praise him?

Psalm and Praise, Day 136 His love endures forever. Read Psalm chapter 136. This phrase is repeated in every verse of this chapter. A constant reminder of God and how he impacts our lives. HIS love endures forever – God’s love, not any ine else’s. The Creator, the Holy One, it is his love that we experience. His LOVE endures forever – we can know that he loves us and cares for us. His love ENDURES forever – it lasts. His love cannot be shut down or turned off. It doesn’t change with the passing of time or flight of fancy. It endures. His love endures FOREVER – His love…

Psalm and Praise, Day 135 Pleasing God. Read Psalm chapter 135. Today was a good reminder that it is not about me finding ways to make myself happy. God is going to do what pleases himself, not what makes us happy. We have to be seeking after his happiness above our own happiness. His pleasure is what matters. Are we praising God and seeking to please him?