Psalm and Praise, Day 89 Through God’s name. Read Psalm chapter 89. God is speaking here and as he shares what he plans to do for those people who love him, we see that He will lift them up. God’s name is now he chooses to lift the people up. It is only through his name that we are worthy. It is only through his name that our actions mean anything. Are we seeking God and allowing him to lift us up through his name.

Psalm and Praise, Day 88 Is it all a bad April Fool’s joke? Read Psalm chapter 88. Here recently, with a lot of things going on in my life, this was my thought as I read this psalm. The psalm was exactly the type of feelings that I’m experiencing. I could have chosen every verse from this psalm as our focus verses. Even in the midst of all the sorrow and frustration and hopelessness, the psalmist still cries out to God. Even in our darkest hour and even when we don’t understand, we can still cry out to God. Our situation is never hopeless because God is our hope not…

Psalm and Praise, Day 87 Happy resurrection Sunday! Read Psalm chapter 87. This short hymn of praise is designed to share the glory of the city of God. We know that God himself is glorious and as a result, anything that he puts his name on is also glorious. As the writers are singing praises about the city and about God, we are reminded of just how worthy of praise is anything that God’s name is on. Are we giving God the phrase he’s due. Are we seeking to share his glory with others? As we celebrate his resurrection and the actual reason for why we have hope, we can…

Psalm and Praise, Day 86 An undivided heart. Read Psalm chapter 86. We have to learn how to follow God’s way. We need to be taught. It is a great reminder that if we aren’t careful, we will have a divided heart. So many things in this world are vying for our attention. We have to be intentional about what fills out heart. Are we willing to choose Christ and Him alone? Will we keep a single-minded heart?

Psalm and Praise, Day 84 What is good? Read Psalm chapter 85. How do we know and understand what is good? When I read statements like this and I see that God will give what is good, it makes me stop and think: how do I define what is good and how does God define what is good? Sometimes I think our definitions are very different. We have to remember that everything God gives us is good. We see that in James chapter one. When God gives us something, even if we don’t understand it and even if we don’t agree with it, we still have to recognize that it…

Psalm and Praise, Day 84 Better. Read Psalm chapter 84. Today was a rough day. Lots of emotional highs and some challenging lows. Reading this psalm tonight I am reminded that life is full of frustration, unfairness, and problems. One minute things can be going well and the next I find myself questioning whether I should even bother “keeping on.” The ups and downs of this life are challenging. The question I end up asking myself after a day like today is, “Why does God have me right here, right now?” I know that there is purpose in everything that God does and what I am going through is with…

Psalm and Praise, Day 83 God demonstrates who he is. Read Psalm chapter 83. As we read this psalm, we come to understand that the people are going through difficult times and the psalmist wants God to demonstrate and show his glory. He wants God to bring judgment on the people and he wants them to fully understand the depths and breadth of the power of God. When we take a look at who God is, do we truly understand his power and his glory. As we continue to work through all that God has done for us, we can glorify him for who he is.

Psalm and Praise, Day 82 What “gods” do we choose to follow? Read Psalm chapter 82. As the psalmist writes, we can almost feel his frustration that the evil in the world persists. Yet, we are oftwn the ones that choose those “gods” to follow instead of following the one true God. What are the other areas of priorities that we place ahead of God? What are the things we value more than God? It can be unintentional, but we need to stay focused on how we can make God first in every area of our lives.

Psalm and Praise, Day 81 Sometimes God gives us what we ask for. Read Psalm chapter 81. As we read this chapter, we see the rebellious people who are disobeying God. How does God respond? God allows the people to get what they asked for. As we think about the things that we pray for and the items that we ask God to give us, are these things praising God? Are they part of what God’s plan and design is for our lives? As we ask God to give us things, sometimes we need to understand that he may tell us no because we really don’t need what we are…

Psalm and Praise, Day 80 We need God’s restoration. Read Psalm chapter 80. As we read this chapter, we see that the people are asking for God to restore them. They have sinned and fallen short of everything God has for them and as a result, God has brought judgment. However, the people are now begging for his restoration and forgiveness. It’s an interesting reminder that we actually cannot restore ourselves. We can ask for forgiveness and we can seek restoration but we are not able to actually restore our relationship with God. Only God can do that. When we look around us, we have to understand that our relationship…