Kristi Burchfiel

Need some encouragement? Check out this passage from Psalm 146. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord raises up those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous; Psalms 146:8 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.146.8.NASB The Lord is there for those who seek Him. He does not forget about us and He doesn’t ignore us. He gives us exactly what we need when we need it. Don’t lose hope. God knows your needs and is working to bring about His glory through you!

How would others describe you? If asked about how you relate to others or how you impact others, what would they say? See how the psalmist describes God in Psalm 145. The Lord is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. Psalms 145:8 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.145.8.NASB If we are to be like the Lord, these words should also describe us. God his gracious and merciful and He is slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. As we grow to become more like Him everyday, would others describe us as gracious and merciful? Do others see us as slow to anger and great in lovingkindness? If these do not…

Do you know what you are worth? Many people have either an over-inflated sense of self importance, or they don’t think they are worth anything. Interestingly, the right answer is found in the middle. Read Psalm 144 and see the question below. O Lord , what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You think of him? Psalms 144:3 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.144.3.NASB This question is a great reminder of the balance. We are not the center of the universe and we need to remember that. I we are asking this question, then we recognize that God is greater and more amazing than we are.…

Trust. This small word can make or break relationships. People who are trustworthy are highly sought after as friends and confidants. God is truly the only One who is absolutely trustworthy. See what Psalm 143 says. Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul. Psalms 143:8 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.143.8.NASB Sharing with God and seeking after Him should be a natural impulse, knowing that He is worthy of our trust. We need His lovingkindness. We need His instruction. He is the one who lifts us up and we are to…

Feel trapped? Some of life’s circumstances can give that feeling of no way out. Still, God always has the key to a way out. Read Psalm chapter 142. “Bring my soul out of prison, So that I may give thanks to Your name; The righteous will surround me, For You will deal bountifully with me.” Psalms 142:7 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.142.7.NASB Here the psalmist knows where deliverance comes from. He also knows why God would deliver him. He wants to be able to praise God for doing something amazing. He prays for help, knowing that God’s character will always seek to do what is best. Do we seek Him when we feel…

Ever say something you wish you hadn’t? If you’re like most people, the answer is “all the time!” The psalmist knew that feeling, too, which is why her wrote this is Psalm 141. Set a guard, O Lord , over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. Psalms 141:3 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.141.3.NASB Seriously, I could probably us a small army to help me guard my mouth and the words that come out of it. What we say is a powerful reflection of what we truly think. As we seek to follow Christ more and more every day, the words that we say should be a direct reflection of…

Unfortunately, there are wicked people in the world. There are people who would love nothing more than to see us crumble and fall. Yet, the psalmist prays for help dealing with them. Read Psalm chapter 140. Keep me, O Lord , from the hands of the wicked; Preserve me from violent men Who have purposed to trip up my feet. Psalms 140:4 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.140.4.NASB When we encounter people who seem only interested in our destruction, how do we respond? Do we get angry and fight back, or do we bring it to the Lord? God will defend us and will preserve our integrity through all that He brings us through.…

Do we really want God to search us? We’ve heard the focus of how God knows us better than we know ourselves and many of us have heard the verses from Psalm 139. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way. Psalms 139:23‭-‬24 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.139.23-24.NASB But, do we really want God to search us? Do we really desire for Him to look through every thought that we have and every way that we act? Granted, God already knows that whether we want Him to or not.…

God answers prayer. We may not always agree with how He answered it, but God answers prayer. See what the psalmist wrote in Psalm 138. On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul. Psalms 138:3 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.138.3.NASB Not only did He answer the psalmist, but He gave him boldness and strength. God knows what we need to face the experiences of life and He has everything we need in abundance. Will we ask Him for what we need, to do what He has called us to do?

Sometimes we don’t know what we have until it’s gone. The psalmist expressed that very feeling when he sat down and wrote Psalm 137. For there our captors demanded of us songs, And our tormentors mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.” Psalms 137:3 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.137.3.NASB The song is taken from the days of captivity, after Jerusalem was captured and the people were exported to Babylon. Even while in captivity their captors tormented them by asking them to sing the songs of Jerusalem. What bitter memories that must have invoked! It reminded them of all the wonderful things that they had, but that they had lost because…