Devotional Thoughts

Psalm 23:4-5    "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.  (5)  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over." We want to keep the connection throughout this Psalm. The Lord IS my shepherd. He provides restoration for me in every situation and circumstance according to His timing and His purpose.  He leads me each day. There are times when He is taking me from one place to another that I must go through the valleys. Ah yes! The valleys of life are a necessary part of living.   Several years ago, a preacher friend and I were returning from a meeting in Indiana. As we made our way westward back into Missouri, we passed through all sorts of terrain. We went through cities, through flat countryside, and through small towns. But we noticed something wonderful as we approached the Mississippi River. As w

Psalm 23:2-3    "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.  (3)  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake." I realize when someone writes a devotion, or a series of devotions, it is impossible not to put his own experience into those devotions.  It is impossible not to write current events into those devotions. But at the same time, I am thankful that the Word of God was given to us in such a manner that it touches us where we live.  The Bible would be just another work of literature if we could not gain personal knowledge, understanding, and instructions from the Word of God. We live in a time when people are in a rush to get wherever they're going.  The highways are filled with people driving cars who are in a hurry to arrive.  When beginning a fitness program, we are in a hurry to see results. When we are not feeling good, we are in a hurry to get better. Maybe that's part

Psalm 23:1    "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want." It is impossible to know exactly how many devotions have been written and how many sermons have been preached about the 23rd Psalm.  I am humbled to even begin to write anything about this Psalm because I too often feel like a wayward lamb instead of that steady faithful one that remains with the flock.  Maybe you can identify in some way also.  I am humbled because the shepherd watches over his entire flock. He isn't just involved with those lambs who remain with all the flock and behave themselves in the most proper way. If you are one of those proper behaving lambs, God bless you. The shepherd is there for you as well. But it seems to me the eyes of the shepherd must constantly be scanning the perimeter of the flock for those lambs who tend to stray. The most common parable that is used to illustrate the work of the shepherd was told by Jesus, Himself. He spoke of the entire flock, but His attention went to

Psalm 22:30-31    "A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. (31) They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this." I want to first say how humbling it is to be able to read God's Word and to know that He had me on His mind as He inspired the writers to pen His Words. "They shall come and declare HIS righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that HE hath done this."  I have no righteousness to merit God's grace and neither do you. I have nothing to declare about my ability or your ability in securing eternal salvation.  I come to "DECLARE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS." For you see, "He hath done this." What did He do and who is He? "A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation." A seed shall serve the Lord. Let us allow the Word of God to answer the question. Who is the seed that served the Lord? "

Psalm 22:26-28   "The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.  (27)  All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.  (28)  For the kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the nations." "The meek shall eat and be satisfied."  Is this talking about the natural food that we put in our bodies?  Well, it could apply to those who have learned to be satisfied with certain sized portions.  But this statement goes much deeper than natural food. "The meek shall eat and be satisfied"... with the blessings of the Lord that are found in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  I asked myself this morning, "Am I satisfied with following Jesus on a daily basis? Am I satisfied with the Spiritual bread that feeds my soul?  What do I seek to give me contentment and satisfaction? Do I look for things in the worl

Psalm 22:22 "I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee." David made many commitments unto the Lord. We know he was not a perfect man by any stretch of the imagination, but his heart was filled with love for God. Many times throughout the Psalms, we read the words, "I will love thee, O LORD." Today's verse tells of another commitment: "I will declare thy name unto the brethren." David certainly fulfilled that commitment throughout the Psalms. No doubt David's love for the Lord has been published and read in every generation since he wrote and declared his love and dependence upon the Lord But this verse, as in all the 22nd Psalm speaks of the suffering of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus the Christ. Even though David wrote these words, they are prophetic of the coming Messiah who would lay down His life for His people. Certainly, Jesus declared the name of the Lord from early in life to the last b

Psalm 56:2-4    "Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High. (3) What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. (4) In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me." I'm finding more and more each day that our peace of heart and mind depends greatly upon what we are focused upon.   If I am focused on my fear, then my fear devours me.  If I am focused on my anxieties, then anxiety devours me.  It's the same for jealousy, anger, or any other negative emotion. What is the answer? We find it in verse 2, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee." Trust the power of the Lord God Almighty.  His grace is sufficient for every need. Call upon His name. Cry out to Him if the need is great. Don't try to carry it by yourself. It will get the best of you. He will indeed lift you up! Trust Him!

Psalm 22:2-4    "O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.  (3)  But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.  (4)  Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them." Revelation 4:11    "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." In verse one, David cried out because he felt God had forsaken him. Aren't you glad our relationship with the Lord God Almighty is not based on our feelings or our emotions?  Let me state one fact of doctrine before looking at the practical application of today's verses.  God is worthy to be praised because He sent His only begotten Son into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.  Our relationship with the Lord is based solely upon the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was indeed forsaken on the cross in order to secure us a

Psalm 22:1    “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” We are not told what was happening in David’s life when this Psalm was written. It seems he certainly felt alone in the world. He was in such heaviness that he felt like God had turned his back on David.  WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME? Why have you removed yourself so far from me? We all know the proper words to respond to the above questions. We know God doesn’t move away from us; rather we move away from him. But have you ever felt like David? Has it ever seemed to you that you are all alone in trying to fight the battle? David surely felt that way. David did not realize that he was speaking the very words that the Messiah would speak while hanging on the cross. Some thousand or so years later, Jesus would be nailed to a rugged cross. Nails would pierce His hands and feet. The people would mock Him. (You can read David’s description of this in the 22nd Psa

Psalm 21:5-6    "His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.  (6)  For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance." In these verses, we see the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.  "HIS glory is great!"  When in the New Testament did we first hear the word, great, as it concerns the Messiah, Jesus the Christ? The angel speaking to Mary said, "For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord." (Luke 1:15)  In that same conversation, we hear the angel saying, "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David." (Luke 1:32)  Then Mary speaking to her cousin Elizabeth said, "For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name." (Luke 1:49)  At the birth of Jesus, we hear the angel saying to the shepherds, "And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for,

Psalm 21:1-3    "The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!  (2)  Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.  (3)  For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head." Do you ever find yourself knowing what you want to say, but the words seem to fail you to be able to express your thoughts?  As I read these three verses, my thoughts turn to a lofty height (not to try to sound poetic). My thoughts turn toward the very throne of God where He sits in majestic greatness.  I'm just going to say what I think now... I do not intend to offend anyone.  It seems too often that man tries to bring God down to our level.  Even in the church, we find men trying to humanize God. At some point in our study of the Psalms, we will read that "God is not a man."  The problem with trying to humanize God is that we begin to e

Psalm 20:5-7    "We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.  (6)  Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.  (7)  Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God." We can easily see in the first 20 Psalms that David was a man of trouble and sorrow.  He was a man who felt the pressure of life, much less the pressure of being the king of Israel.  Remember his resume consisted of being the youngest son of Jesse and a shepherd. He had no experience at leading people, but he did have the experience of leading sheep. Maybe he did have much experience after all.  But it seems the most important training that David received in his early years was the experience of trusting and depending upon the Lord. The first few verses of this Psalm speak of the true strength that each

Psalm 19:13-14     "Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.  (14)  Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer." "Keep back thy servant... from... sins."  Sometimes it seems that my prayers are directed toward my wanting the Lord to just be like our Mommas when we were little. If we were close to something that would hurt us, they would put their arms in front of us to prevent us from going any farther.  For many of us, we lived in a time before car seats. We would even sometimes stand up in the front seat to see where we were going and what we were passing by.  This is not advisable, but there were not as many cars on the road back then and quite honestly most people drove sensibly on the highway. But if the brakes had to be hit, the first thing we felt was Mom

Psalm 19:1-3    "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.  (2)  Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.  (3)  There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard." I love to step out at night and just look up into the heavens.  The view up into the sky at night shows me without a doubt that God's glory is all around us. As I look up at the stars, I try to remember that God, in His infinite wisdom, strategically placed each star and planet.  The Prophet Isaiah spoke it in this manner, "Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth." (Isaiah 40:26)   He calls each star by name. Think about that. I cannot even count them, but He knows them all by name.  Now we get into the personal aspect of that part of creation wh

Psalm 18:48-50    "He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.  (49)  Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.  (50)  Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore." "He delivereth me."  This is such a beautiful and wonderful statement. In all of life's struggles, He delivers me. From my own negative imaginations, He delivers me. When I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders, He delivers me.  Think about that. Think back on your life, can you remember a time, or times, when you know without a shadow of a doubt that the LORD delivered you? Certainly David could think back on those times. Humanly speaking, the lion was stronger than David. Humanly speaking, the bear was stronger than David. Humanly speaking, Goliath was stronger and la

Psalm 18:36    "Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip." Psalm 18:46    "The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted." May I ask a very blunt question?  Do you believe in the god of luck? Do you believe that it is because of luck that you got through some difficult times?  When asked in this way, most people would say, "No, I do not believe in the god of luck." Yet so many times, we hear someone say, "I sure was lucky to get out of that mess."  May I tell you there is no such thing as luck?  When we asked the doctor what could have caused the mass to form on my wife's brain, he answered, "It's just the luck of the draw." Without hesitation, she looked him in the eye and said, "There is no such thing as luck." I include these two verses today because they fit together perfectly. David is writing verse 36 as he looked back at one or more particular insta

Psalm 18:31-33    "For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?  (32)  It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.  (33)  He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places." For a long time, I wrestled with the question in verse 31. "Who is God, save the LORD?" I kept thinking that is speaking of the same person, isn't it?  The answer, of course, is yes it should be speaking of the same person; however, we should examine ourselves in that question?  "For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock, save our God?"  To truly answer these questions, we must be settled in the truth of the beginning statement of this Psalm.  Remember David's opening statement in verse one, "I will love thee, O LORD, my strength." Who is God in my life? The answer must lie in the very core of my heart. Who, or what, is the ultimate love in my life?  Who is God? Who is the very One upon whom I have

Psalm 18:28-30    "For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness  (29)  For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.  (30)  As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him." Have you ever laid at night, wishing for the dawn? The darkness of night brings out noises that are not heard during the daytime. Sometimes, we can even hear our own hearts beating in the nighttime. Imaginations tend to run wild in the darkness.  Time seems to come to a standstill. I go back to a phrase from yesterday: "But the LORD was (is) my stay." (Psalm 18:18) In a later Psalm, we will see this thought expressed in another manner, "If it had not been the LORD who was on our side..." (Psalm 124:1,2)   What does the Lord being our stay and being on our side accomplish for us? That answer cannot be expressed in one sentence, but in the context of today'

Psalm 18:16-19    "He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.  (17)  He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.  (18)  They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.  (19)  He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me." I encourage you to read verses 7-15. In those verses, you will find a vivid word description of God coming to deliver David from the situation in which he found himself.  As I read those verses, my mind goes back to the movies when the Cavalry would come to the rescue or in war when air support was given to help a platoon that was trapped by the enemy. David was describing the Lord's behind the scenes response when His children call to him in their deep need. If the Lord did that for David, you can be assured He still does it today. Our God never changes. After giving such great descriptions of how David perce