Devotional Thoughts

Psalm 144:9-15    "I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.  (10)  It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword.  (11)  Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood:  (12)  That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:  (13)  That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store: that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets:  (14)  That our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets.  (15)  Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD." I'm going to start backwards with these verses this morni

Psalm 144:3    "LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!" It is so easy to get caught up with the thoughts of being the best, the biggest, the brightest, the most honored, and every other accolade that can be imagined. We have grown up in a competitive world. That's not a bad thing unless taken to the extreme when accomplishments of one are used to tear down the world of another. Or if those accomplishments push out the understanding of our need for God. Quite honestly, I can remember at least one time in my ministry when I went into the pulpit thinking, "I'm really going to bless these people today." I went in like a peacock and came out like a weasel. God allowed me to see what I am capable of doing on my own. After seeing what I am capable of doing, which is nothing, then I come to the place of the Psalmist in asking, "LORD, what is man, that thou takes knowledge of him?" As

Psalm 144:1-2   "Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: (2)  My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me." Read these two verses and think about each word. Which word, or words, speak to you this morning? I am finding that as I read the Word of God, my mind stops at the word or phrase or thought that speaks to me at that moment. When I really stop to think about my circumstances at the moment, it reveals my state of being at that time. For instance, if my mind stops on the words, "my strength," I find I am at a point of weakness and maybe not living up to the place I feel I should be in my Christian walk. If I dwell on the word, "war", I am in somewhat of a battle. Usually my battles are all of my own making. You see what I am trying to convey in this devotion? If He is my high tower and fortress, then quite possibl

Psalm 143:10   "Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness." "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." We pray that each time we pray the Lord's Model prayer. Why do you think Jesus included the words, "thy will be done", in this prayer? I do not pretend to know the absolute mind of Christ, but it seems to me that we need God's help in doing His will. "Teach me to do thy will" for my human will is contrary to the will of God. It is not in the natural mind to know and be able to do God's will in our lives. We would say the two wills are polar opposites. "Teach me to do thy will." I need to incorporate this into my prayers because God is my God. In previous Psalms, we have committed that into our very being. God is my God. There is no other; therefore, I want to do His will that I might live in accordance to His purpose for my life. Secon

Psalm 143:1-6   "Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.  (2)  And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.  (3)  For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.  (4)  Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.  (5)  I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.  (6)  I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah." The Psalms remind us over and over of the goodness and faithfulness of God. When everything in our life is in order, we cry with gladness, "God is great! God is good!" But sometimes, when things of life begin to overtake us, we begin to wonder where God has gone. We could easily think God has forsaken u

Psalm 142:6-7   "Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.  (7)  Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me." Again, David is calling out to God for help. This time through the Psalms, I am sensing the urgency of prayer and seeking God's deliverance each day. I realize that before, my studies would take me to think that the enemies were always someone other than myself. This time as I read the Psalms, I do realize the enemies are not always outward. In fact, more times than not, I am my own worst enemy. "Deliver me from my persecutors." Oftentimes, my persecutors are my own emotions and tendencies that carry me away from fellowship with God. I allow myself to be taken captive by my own emotions. There are so many things that we all deal with on a daily basis that can imprison us. Things such as fear,

Psalm 142:3-5    "When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me.  (4)  I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.  (5)  I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living." The world is filled with turmoil. I find myself humming the first few words of a song by Anne Murray back in the 80's, "I sure could use a little good news today." That's on a world level and then you look at the national level, then to the local. There seems to be so much going on today that drags us down. Then on a personal level, we have circumstances and situations that pull on us, drag us, and drain us of energy. We can easily get to the place where we believe no one knows or understands what we are going through. The Psalmist understood that emotional state of being.

Psalm 141:3   "Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips." The remaining portion of this Psalm expresses David's concern and His prayer that the Lord would watch over him in his actions toward others. This Psalm is especially expressing concern over the manner in which David would treat those who would be against him. We want people to like us. We want people to accept us as we are. I do not think it is the intention of any of God's children to set out that others would not like them; yet, there are those who do not agree with us in all things. "Set a watch, O LORD." Set a guard against me, Father that my words would be right and appropriate. There are so many sayings that remind us to be careful about our words and actions toward others. Sayings such as, "Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates: Is this true? Is this kind? Is this necessary?" There are words that may be true and we may perceive them as

Psalm 141:1-2   "LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.  (2)  Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice." I make no bones about it, I love the book of the Psalms. I think there are many reasons for which I love them, but one of the main reasons is that it shows the side of human nature that shows myself. It shows the reality of the unconditional love of God; in that, He moved David and the other Psalmists to show their real sides, including their weaknesses. I am in no way indicating the rest of the Bible is not real. I am simply saying that as I read the Psalms and their cries unto the Lord, I can say, "I know that feeling." Most of the Psalms are songs of prayers. "Lord, I cry unto thee." Not every prayer is one of desperate pleas, but can you identify a time when you literally felt a cry coming from deep within you to ask God for His

Psalm 140:12-13   "I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor.  (13)  Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence." "I will get even, if its the last thing I do." Have you ever heard someone make that statement? Have you ever made that statement, or one similar to it?  There is within us the thought that we must try to maintain our own cause and keep the record even with others. Esau said it concerning his brother, Jacob. King Saul had that thought concerning David. But Saul's thoughts were based upon his jealousy when the people sang a song unto David concerning his bravery in going against Goliath. The Pharisees actually had that thought when they went against Jesus, seeking to rid the world of that man. We even see that they went so far as to crucify Jesus, thinking that would make them on a more even standing with the people. In all these situations, we see

Psalm 140:4-6   "Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow my goings.  (5)  The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set gins for me. Selah.  (6)  I said unto the LORD, Thou art my God: hear the voice of my supplications, O LORD." As we read these verses, no doubt our minds go to other people. We may know them personally. We may know of them through the news. We may know them in our own minds and imaginations. But as I read them this morning, I ask are these wicked, violent, and proud found in me? "What do you mean?" you ask. I'm glad you asked. Because of the sin nature with which I was born, I have to realize that I have the full capability of having wicked thoughts. I do not want to think I am violent; yet, within me are those thoughts of anger, envy, and other carnal matters. I am fully capable of setting the traps for myself. I m

Psalm 140:1-3   "Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man;  (2)  Which imagine mischiefs in their heart; continually are they gathered together for war.  (3)  They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah." In the world, there are those who are self-seeking, self-serving, and self-exalting. They seek their own good, even at the expense of others. This is a fact. It's an absolute. We do not like to think on these type things, but at the same time we must be armed and ready for the assault that could come. While armed and ready, we cannot go around on the defensive all the time. That is to our detriment and we rob ourselves of blessings. David understood that not everyone was walking with him; yet, his greater understanding was in the grand truth that the Almighty God of heaven and earth walked with him. Instead of thinking the battle was only his, he took it too the Lord. How do we do th

Psalm 139:23-24   "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:  (24)  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." What a prayer! Search me, O God, and know my heart. Do we realize how deceitful our heart can be? Sometimes, we can fool others? Sometimes, we can even fool ourselves. But I assure  you, we cannot fool God. Search my heart, O God. Look deep inside me to see what my heart truly holds. Lord, please search deep in those back folds of my heart where I seldom go. When I ask God to search those places, I am in essence asking Him to look, find, bring to the surface, and cleanse from my heart. Help me Lord to be clean deep inside my being. Help me Lord to turn from those ways that are opposing to thee. See if there be any wicked way in me. Lord, I know I tend to place into compartments those things which I know to be wrong. But Lord, I truly know that there are things which I tend to overlook because I do not

Psalm 139:16-17   "Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.  (17)  How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!" We cannot see God with our eyes. Jesus taught us that God is a Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. Our minds are pulled in so many different directions by so many different pressures placed on us, that we might very well find ourselves not having the proper thoughts concerning God. We may not think about Him as often as we should. But I assure you that though these things are true of us, our God sees us and His thoughts are always upon us. God saw us in our imperfections and still He wrote our names in the book of Life. He saw that our sins placed so many blemishes upon us in our character and our attitude toward life; yet, He wrote our name. Do not stop wit

Psalm 139:13-14    "For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.  (14)  I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." Life is a miracle, no matter how you look at it. The wise man, Solomon, spoke these words: "As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all." (Ecclesiastes 11:5)  Today's passage, along with the words of Solomon, speak to us of life having its beginning before the actual delivering of a baby from its mother's womb. How can any growth occur, if there is no life? Yet, the weakest scientist will agree that the "fetus" grows in its mother's womb. Why would there be a need of covering in the mother's womb, if there was not growth and nurturing that took place during the 9 month gestation p

Psalm 139:3-6    "Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.  (4)  For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.  (5)  Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.  (6)  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it." "Thou compassest my path." I do love the King James Version of the Bible, but I have to keep my concordance dictionary handy. When I read the word, "compassest", I had to look up the original meaning of the word. According to the Strong's Concordance, the word means to winnow or thresh. God separates our actions from our hearts. God knows where we are, what we are doing, and WHY we are doing it. God looks beyond our words and actions to see our motives. But thank God, He looks beyond our faults to see our needs. He is acquainted with all our needs. He knows our victories and He knows our defeats. He hears all

Psalm 139:1  "O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me." The theological term for this verse is "sovereignty". God is sovereign. I'm searching how to say this in the shortest, most direct manner. God is able to stand alone without any outside help whatsoever. God knows all things. He sees all things. He is in all places at all times. He has all power. He answers to no one; yet, every one answers to Him. God is God. I'm thankful. This 139th Psalm speaks of God's sovereignty and His loving grace toward us. As I read this verse of Scripture, I can say: "God knows my deepest, most innermost thought. He knows everything about me. He knows more about me than I know about myself. Do you want to know what, to me, is the wonder of it all? He knows everything about me and He still loves me. What wondrous love is this, O my soul!   Be thankful for the Almighty God who is higher than the highest, greater than the greatest, the authority of all author

Psalm 138:2-3  "I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.  (3)  In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul." Again, we see the resolve of David in making the determination that He would worship toward the holy temple of God. He did not say that he would praise and worship God when things were going his way. He did not say that he would worship God IF God first met a condition. His determination was in every thing, he would give praise and his heart would be set in the position to worship God. No matter where his physical presence may be, his heart would be turned toward the holy temple of God. In verse three, we see David making a declaration concerning God. We have seen in other Psalms that David was set to worship God for the very fact that God is good and His mercy endures forever. In this verse, David is ackn

Psalm 138:1  "I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee." This is the time of year when resolutions are made (and broken). Although many times, the idea of making a resolution is the butt of jokes, there is much merit in seeking to have control over our bodies. This is not something that is done automatically, nor is it an easy thing to accomplish. The wise man, Solomon, had much to say about keeping control. Paul spoke of keeping under his body. This gives the idea of maintaining a balance in our mental and spiritual approach to life. There is a reason that I introduce today's verse with the thought of making resolutions. David was resolved to do something in his life. He was resolved to praise the Lord. The first two words speak of our resolve: "I will". We often say that we are going to do something, but for some unforeseen reason, we are unable to keep our word. David resolved to praise the Lord with his whole

Psalm 137:1-4    "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.  (2)  We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.  (3)  For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.  (4)  How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land?" To me, this is a very sad Psalm. It was written while in captivity. The captors were mocking the people of Israel as they were in such a state of sadness. They would sit by the river. To me, sitting by a running stream of water gives such a sense of peacefulness. Quite honestly, if I lived beside a running stream or river, I would want to spend all my time just sitting under a tree and listening to the water quietly run by. For the people of Israel, these rivers of Babylon were not a source of peace. They were a constant reminder that they were not in their homeland. This was not the

Psalm 136:1-4    "O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.  (2)  O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.  (3)  O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.  (4)  To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever." It has been said that grace and mercy are sisters. I'm not certain that is the proper analogy, but the two are definitely parts of God's attributes and actions toward us. It was by God's grace that He sent His Son to the cross to die in my place to pay for my sins. It was by God's grace that He brought me from being dead in trespasses and sins into life in Him. It was by God's grace that I can say I am a child of God. It was by His mercy that He chose to reveal that fact to me and give me peace through that knowledge. There is one fact that is stated in every verse of this Psalm and is worthy of our attention: God's mercy endure

Psalm 135:13   "Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations." This short verse of Scripture holds a very valuable fact for us to hold onto. It is something that we may take for granted. We probably already know it to be a fact. Yet, we may tend to forget the importance of the truth of this verse. Fact one states the name of the LORD endures for ever. We understand Him to be the eternal God. We understand that the Bible teaches us that He does not change. The writer of this Psalm reminds us of that fact. When He says the name of the LORD endures forever, He speaks more than just to say we remember the name of God. History teaches us of the names of many people, such as Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Peter, James, John, Paul, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and many many others. These names endure in memory of history, but the men are dead. When the Psalmist says the name of the LORD endures for ever, He is saying o