Day 13 - Psalms 61-65

Psalm 61:

Hear my prayer, Oh  Lord, from the ends of the earth I cry.  Your peace will lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  For you have been my strength in times of trouble, a tower above my enemies.  And Lord, I will abide in you forever, in the shelter of your wings.

The psalms are the basis for many of our hymns as you may have already noticed.  This particular psalm is a cry for security and safety.  When we need assurance that God is with us, where ever we may find ourselves, we can trust that God is with us and will answer our cries for help.  David made a vow to praise God daily through the good times and the bad.  Can you find something to praise God about on a daily basis?  When you do you will find your heart elevated above the daily distractions to a level of lasting confidence.

Try it, and if you have difficulties coming up with something you can always praise him for your ability to read this blog.  


Psalm 62:

In times of emotional stress, prayer has a way of releasing our tensions.  David poured out his heart to God in prayer and reaffirmed trust in God as his rock, his salvation and his fortress.  His entire outlook changed through this process.  When you follow this simple process, your outlook on life will change as well.  No longer will you feel locked into a cell of resentment when others turn against you.  When we fully rely on God (FROG), we rest in God's strength and nothing can shake us.

David warns us not to use the world's benchmark measure the wealth and prestige of a person. Instead, we should focus on God's work and God's will and not be concerned with measuring the value of people.  God values all equally - wealth, power, honor and prestige do not add to our value in God's eyes.  Only our faithful works done in His name and for His glory have any eternal value.  But let's be clear... our works do not gain our salvation.  Accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior is the only way to get to heaven.  Once we receive this gift, we show our appreciation for this gift by staying in the word, and performing God's will in this world.  These task add to our eternal value but do nothing toward gaining our salvation.

Psalm 63:

If the word of God is like a river flowing through a thirsty land, then when we spend time in the word, we give our thirsty souls a refreshing and renewing drink of water.  The satisfaction we get from this "refreshing drink" is something that nothing else compares to.  We thirst for more.  I guess you could say that spending time in God's word is very addicting... but in a very good way.  Since there are so many people that do not spend time in God's word, David refers to them as a parched and weary land.  Their souls thirst for this refreshing drink from God's word.

When the world was keeping David awake at night, he would spend time thinking of God instead of counting sheep.  He would give thanks to God and praise Him for all the benefits that He has bestowed on him.  This gave reminded him that God was always with him and gave him comfort so he could sleep.  This is a comfort that surpasses all understanding by those that don't spend time in His word.  


Psalm 64:

Now that my kids are grown and out on their own, my wife and I love to hear from them as often as we can.  It really doesn't matter what we talk about - it's more about hearing their voice and hearing about their experiences from their perspective.  That's how God feels when we spend time with Him.  He wants to hear from us.  It doesn't matter what you share with Him - remember He knows everything that you're doing already, but to hear it from your perspective is very fulfilling to Him.  Spend time with Him.


Psalm 65:

Access to God was reserved for the members of the tribe of Levi.  They were chosen by God to serve as the Temple priests and had the honor of being the only ones allowed to enter the sacred rooms where God's presence resided.  When Jesus died on the cross, the access to the sacred rooms given to ALL believers through the tearing of the veil.  Believer's today have access to God's presence in every place and at any time.

This psalm is often referred to as the harvest psalm because it glorifies God the Creator as reflected in the beauty of nature.  Nature helps us understand the complexity and beauty of God's character.  The Jews believed that God's care of nature was a sign of His love and provision for them.  Nature shows God's generosity - giving us more than we need or deserve.  God's abundant generosity should make us grateful to Him and generous to others.

Please share your thoughts and comments.



The Shepherd


Psalms 66-70