Why does God do things to try and get people’s attention? When we are going through tough times and struggling with people who are not treating us correctly, why do we pray for God to get their attention?  The answer is in Psalm 83. Let them be ashamed and dismayed forever, And let them be humiliated and perish, That they may know that You alone, whose name is the Lord , Are the Most High over all the earth. Psalms 83:17‭-‬18 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.83.17-18.NASB Even after praying that the evil people are humiliated, the psalmist goes on the explain that is so the people will come to know God and fear…

No one wants to be judged. No one wants to have to stand up under the thought that things are not going the way they should be. Yet, God is the one who has the responsibility to judge the people as he is the only one who created them and knows them. See psalm 82. Arise, O God, judge the earth! For it is You who possesses all the nations. Psalms 82:8 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.82.8.NASB Because of who he is and his relationship with us, God has the right and the responsibility to judge us and to hold us accountable to his standards of truth. We will be judged by him…

“Fake it ’til you make it.” This popular phrase has been discused by many as a way to help people move toward being something that they aren’t already. Personally, I am not a fan of this idea. Being genuine is of great importance, see Psalm 81. “Those who hate the Lord would pretend obedience to Him, And their time of punishment would be forever. Psalms 81:15 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.81.15.NASB God values sincerity as well. God knows there will be people who pretend to value him and follow him. He knows that those people are actually not really following him. Since God knows the hearts of everyone, he’s not fooled by any…

What do you need most? If you were asked what you biggest and most desperate need is, what would you say? For the Psalmist in Psalm 80, he recognizes his need for God. O God, restore us And cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved. Psalms 80:3 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.80.3.NASB No matter what we think we need, what we really need is God. We need his mercy and his love and his provision each and every day. Is that what we ask for? Do we seek to find more and more of him every day? That is what we really need.

We all want to belong somewhere. We want to be included and feel like we are part of a team. When we belong to Jesus, we are part of His family. Read Psalm 79. So we Your people and the sheep of Your pasture Will give thanks to You forever; To all generations we will tell of Your praise. Psalms 79:13 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.79.13.NASB We are his people. We are his sheep in hus pasture. We belong in him. That is certainly something to praise God for! It doesn’t matter whether we feel that way or not, we belong when we are in Christ.

Forgiveness. We all desperately need to be forgiven from the sins that we have done. The people of Israel needed that as well, and they also needed to remember all that God had done for them. Psalm 78 is a history lesson complete with the forgiveness of God. But He, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them; And often He restrained His anger And did not arouse all His wrath. Psalms 78:38 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.78.38.NASB Do we take the time to remember the things we have gone through and how God has moved in our lives to be there for us? God is compassionate and he is willing…

Do we stop and consider all that God has done? Do we praise him for it? See Psalm 77. I will meditate on all Your work And muse on Your deeds. Your way, O God, is holy; What god is great like our God? Psalms 77:12‭-‬13 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.77.12-13.NASB God is great and mighty and if we will stop and think about all that he does, we will have plenty to praise him for. God is truly like no other and he is deserving of all our praise and our decision to lift him up and follow him. Will we lift him up and praise him?

God is worthy of praise. See Psalm 76. You are resplendent, More majestic than the mountains of prey. Psalms 76:4 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.76.4.NASB Everything about God is worthy of praise. He is the one who is the most beautiful, the most wonderful, the most amazing that we will ever have the opportunity to interact with. Do we recognize his splendor? Do we praise him for all that he is and all that he does? What does your praise need to look like to him today?

Any decision-makers here?  The ability to make good decisions is often praised by friends, family, and employers alike. Yet what does The Bible have to say about making decisions? Read Psalms 75. But God is the Judge; He puts down one and exalts another. Psalms 75:7 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.75.7.NASB Ultimately, God is the one who makes decisions. He is the one who has the final say over anything and everything that we experience in this life. Do we seek his guidance? Do we respect his decisions? If we find ourselves constantly questioning why God allows the things that he does, we need to re evaluate if we are truly allowing him…

How important is our name? Some people love their name; others hate their name. We give ourselves and others nicknames at times. The Lord also had a name and his name is above every other name, yet not everyone treats his name that way. Read Psalm 74. Remember this, O Lord , that the enemy has reviled, And a foolish people has spurned Your name. Psalms 74:18 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.74.18.NASB We can tell who is a friend and follower of Christ by how they treat his name. Do they curse with it? Do they speak with it in love? Do they drag it through the mud oir use it sarcastically? If…