Psalms

[thefightinglamb]

Psalm 49
Hear this, all you people,
listen all who live in this world,
Both low and high
rich and poor alike.
My mouth will speak words of wisdom,
the utterance of my heart will give understanding.
I will turn my ear to a proverb,
with the harp I will expound my riddle.

I love how this portrays the musician/storyteller/psalmest, sitting/standing around a group of people about to play of the truths and wisdom of God...it seems so ancient, and yet it is the heart of the Christian to shout the praises and wisdom of God even Today....

Why should I fear when evil days come?
When wicked deceivers surround me?
Those who trust in their wealth
and boast of their riches?
No one can redeem the life of a man,
or give to God a ransom for Him,
the ransom of a life is costly, no payment is ever enough
that He should live on forever and not see decay.
For all can see that the wise man dies,
the fool and the senseless likewise perrish,
leaving their wealth to others.
Their tombs will remain their houses forever,
their dwellings for endless generations though they named lands after themselves.
But man despite his riches does not endure,
he is like the beasts that perrish.

This is obviously stressing those who have faith in belongings rather than Christ...but it is also seriously asking us to consider the question Jesus asked, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? There is truly only one sacrifice that can set men free, and no blinding wealth of this world matters a cent compared to it.

This is the fate of those who follow themselves
and of their followerers who approve of their sayings.
Like sheep they are destined for the grave,
and death will feed on them,
the upright will rule over them in the morning.
Their forms will decay in the grave
far from their princely mansions.
But God will redeem my life from the grave,
he will surely take me to himself.

Lesson #1 Do not follow yourself
Lesson #2 Do not floow those who do
Or you will find only death and decay, and will not know what has overcome you....

Do not be overawed when someone grows rich,
when the splendor of his house increases
for he will take nothing with him when he dies,
his splendor will not descend with him.
Though while he lived he counted himself blessed
and men praise you ht of life.

when you prosper,
he will join the generation of his fathers,
who NEVER saw the light of life.
A man who has riches without understanding
is like the beasts that perrish.

Lesson # 3 Seek the light of life and not the darkness of this world's praise and dreams...but seek out that which will live on for eternity.


(I thought all of this psalm was important...so sorry I wrote it all)

 

[thefightinglamb]

I post things I meditate on like 2 days late....

Psalm 50

The Mighty One, God, the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth,
from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets.

I love how this shows us that the world and everthing in it is always overseen by God.

Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High
and call upon me in times of trouble,
I will deliver you and you will honor me.

ALl the Lord looks for in those He helps is a thankful heart, and not a bitter, cold, unloving, callous trudging on as if God had done nothing in your life.

But to the wicked, God says,
"What right have you to recite my law
or take my covenant on your lips?"
You hate my instruction
and cast my words behind you.
When you see a thief,you join with him;
You throw in your lot with adulterors.
You use your mouth for evil,
and harness your tongue to deceit.
You speak continually against your brother,
and slander your own mother's son.
These things you have done and I kept quite,
you thought I was altogether like you,
but I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face.

So much of this convicts me...

Consider this, all you who forget God,
or I will tear you to pieces with no one to rescue.
He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me and prepares the way
so that I may show him the salvation of God.

Always remember the Lord's blessings, and like the one out of ten blind men healed, turn back and give a joyful shout to the Lord for what He has done for you.

 

[thefightinglamb]

Psalm 51

(another one of my favorites---I recited this one to a friend I fear is a bad influence on me)

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love,
according to your great compassion,
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and clense me from my sins.

I love how the psalmest is called to remember God love in petetioning the Lord to clean Him, and remember his sins no more.

For I know my transgressions
and my sins are always before me.
Against you, you alone have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight.
So that you are prooved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful from birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Surely you desire truth from the inner parts,
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

Are we sinful from sexual conception in the womb? This suggest so...Also here David has killed and commited adultry, and he realizes his crime against God for giving Him everything, and how He spoiled all the riches the Lord had blessed him with by seeking out a married man's wife.

Clense me with hyssop and I will be clean
wash me and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your slavation,
and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.

Another bad example of me and my life....back in high school I used to read psalms and proverbs like every night, as well as other scripture I believe...and I remember the conflicting emotions of my heart, so clearly portrayed by Augustine when he said, "I want chasity, but not yet..." I would pray and then try to make loop holes in my prayers as I was saying them so that I could still do the evil I found delight in...this is a self-condemning prayer.

But not so was David and must be the soul that seeks the Lord in truth...Hew must view the world's pleasures as filth compared to the joy of seeking the Lord...and no longer bound by iniquity, clensed completely, can truly petetion God for holiness even after sinning...

Then I will teach transgressors your ways
and sinners will turn back to you.
Save me from blood guilt, O God,
the God who saves me,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
O Lord, Open my lips and my mouth will decare your praise.
You do not delight in sacrifices or I would bring them,
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

It is a hard lesson to learn that the Lord often needs to break us down in order to build us the way he wants us...we are like houses with faulty construction...and in order to rebuild, most if not all house to be broken down, the true foundation laid, and then sound construction from the roots/ground up....perhaps even harder to understand that the Lord actually thinks it profound when he breaks our stubborn spirits...we are like "Why does God always do so and so to me? Or what a disaster the Lord has put in my life!" And the Lord sees something worth building with when finally we are completely broken down...

In your good pleasure
built up the walls of Jerusalem,
then there will be righteous sacrifices,
whole burnt offerings to delight you.
and then bulls will be offered on your altar.

A broken down person truly cannot learn to praise unless the Lord rebuilds his heart...he is like a man without breath, or a city besieged without walls...but when the Lord fortifies his City, no enemy can besiege her any longer...

 

[thefightinglamb]

And now for Todays meaning Sundays as I have not slept yet
This is the only psalm I know of a righteous man talking directly to the wicked.

Psalm 52
Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man?
Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
Your tongue is like a sharpened razor,
you who practice deceit.
You love either rather than good
falsehood rather than speaking the truth. Selah
You love every harmful word
O you deceitful tongue!
Surely God will snatch you up and tear you from your tent
He will uproot you from the land of the living.

I have encountered/often live with people that remind me of this...

The righteous will see and fear,
they will laugh at him, saying,
"here is the man who did not make God his stronghold,
but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others."

How they tables will be turned like Jesus did in the temple back in the day....Those who now mock us for having faith in God will find themselves inconceivably poor amonst their worldly pleasures...and like a thief all that they will depended on willbe gone, and they will find themselves naked, without shelter...

But I am an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God.
I will praise you forever for what you have done,
in your name will I hope for your name is good
I will praise you in the presence of your saints.

Unlike the wicked who take refuge in callousness and blindness to the needy in this world, the rightous are a fruitful tree of holiness always singing the praise of their Maker. how extraodinary will it be someday to sing the praises of God with all the saints together...

 

[thefightinglamb]

Psalm 53

One of the first Psalms to almost repeat another Psalm (very similiar to Psalm 14)

A fool says in his heart,
"there is no God;
they are corrupt,
and their ways are vile
there is no one who does good."

This strikes a cord with me because this is precisely what my younger brother by two years has come to, saying that he beliefs the Christian God does not exist....and what he is constantly throwing in my face is the one card that 'Suffering (especially innocence suffering) is incompatible with an "Almighty, loving Father"...hmmm...

God looks down from heaven on the sons of men
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.
Everyone has turned away they have together become corrupt
there is no one who does good,
not even one.

I still wonder about the implications of this saying, can it possible still be true for everyone even after Christ came, for Christians??? I don't know it seems most people I have met have gone astray in some way or other...for example, tonight, afyter being asked repeatedly to play Mario Party for the Game Cube, I played...though it was with someone I have known time and time again to be a bad influence...not in just that he plays video games, but his character seems to seek to warp mine...so I need to pray more diligently that I would be completely separated from this friend/enemy...

How long will you devour my people as men eat bread and not call on God?
There they are overwhelmed with dread, where there is nothing to dread.
God scattered the bones of those who attacked you,
you put them to shame,
for God despised them.

This is a key difference between 53 and 14...Here we see that the Lord tells us there is ABSOLUTELY no reason that the righteous should ever fear the fate of the wicked...and that the fate of the wicked will wither like grass as 37 said....

O that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion,
when God restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice! and Israel be glad...

This just once again causes me to hope, persevere and marvel...that the Lord would defend the destitute and repay the righteous their due....I remember a Christian teacher at my high school, who was mocked for her faith (kids probed to discover what she believed in)...and since many of the students did not like her, they got their parents to call the school, and eventually got the teacher fired...I mean I cannot conceive how great the heavenly prize must be for those who finish and win the race...

 

[thefightinglamb]

Still on time on meditating in my head, just behind in posting...I need to get more with it.

(I memorized this psalm three? years ago on the day I stopped working for Water Country USA--a very memorable day in my life)

Psalm 54

Strangers are attacking me
ruthless men seek my life
men without regard for God.
Surely God is my help,
the Lord is the One who sustains me.

Once again the brave psalmest seeks God when in peril by unknown enemies....and for some reason, the way it replies, 'surely God is my help, the Lord is the one who sustains me.'...as in, I know where my confidence is, and these clouds of doubt and fog will not lower my vision from Him who feeds me--strikes a deep chord in my heart, always has.

I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you,
I will praise your name, O Lord, for it is good.

Freed from sin and the attacke of the enemy the heart is truly allowed to sing a joyful song unto the Lord, for He is good to the righteous soul.

For He has delivered me from all my troubles
and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.

I am reminded of the woman jesus encountered, who he spoke of thus, "He who is forgiven little love little, but her many sins are forgiven because of her great love." Those who have actually seen and felt the chains of sin and darkness being lifted can truly embrace the Lord, always, but those who are mundane and content with 'worldliness or worldy Christianity (if this is possible) love little...and likewise their praises are dray and lifeless...but the shout of a prisoner that has been free is a shout indeed!

 

[thefightinglamb]

Psalm 55

Listen my prayer, o Lord,
do not despise my plea,
hear me and answer me,
for my thoughts trouble me and I am distraught,
at the voice of the enemy, at the stares of the wicked,
for they bring down suffering upon me and revile me in their anger.

How often am I in this state, where my own thoughts seems to be against me and I am confused by the wickedness of the situation.

My heart is disturbed within me,
the terrors of death assail me.
Fear and trembling has beset me,
horror has overwhelmed me.

I have experienced this to a lesser degree than Jesus experienced on the cross, but all the same I have felt this pain as well...some of it psychological--watching my whole family kind of dismiss God and then me one by one and then seeking God alone...and also physical in many ways...

I said, O that I had the wings of a dove,
I would fly away and be at rest.
I would flee far away and stay in the dessert,
I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm.

I do think the proper answer of meaning behind this is the Lord, that with the Lord we can 'flee from the death and destruction' that seeks to overwhelm us. This is the grace we are given to bare the trials/persecutions we are also given.

Confuse the wicked, O Lord, confound ther speech,
for I see violence and strife in the city.
Day and night they prowl about on its walls,
malice and abuse are within it.
Destructive forces are at work in the city,
threats and lie never leave its streets.

I wrote these verse for the last verse that some "catholic saint's commentary" said was talking about actually cities...and that in cities mayhem arises for which countries are often immune...but I don't know if it is that blank of a statement...for before we heard of such a thing as "the city of God" in a psalm, and therefore cities are not of necessity evil, but can be good or bad. Then waht are these verse speaking of? I think exactly what it says, it appears to be a petition to the Lord to confound the individual wicked people and also any wicked nation/government..in Jermiah 10 I remember a prayer that says "Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the peoples that do not call on your name.' It likewise is speaking of yearning for Gofd's wrath to fall on the wicked, to lead them either to repentance and life (the Lord be praised) or to death and decay. But as my brother states, the suffering of the holy innocent beckons God to respond.

If an enemy were attacking me, I could bare it.
If a foe were insulting me, I could hide myself from him.
But it is you, my conpanion, my close friend,
with whom I once shared sweet fellowship
as I walked with the throng at the house of God.

There is nothing/no pain like that which comes from being betrayed by someone who is dear to you...most poignantly, Jesus bleeding on the cross, with disciples that fled, and Judas whom he called friend even as he was betraying him...it evokes memories in my mind of Ceaser and the knives in his back all by "friends"...or my brother when he got jumped, and his friends 'fled'...and to know someone is a Christian and then see them betray the foundation of their belief, is like a choking, or a dagger to the heart.

let death take my enemies by surprise,
let them go down alive to the grave,
for evil finds lodging among them.

those who dwell with evil, dwell in/with death.


But I call to God
and the Lord saves me.
Evening, morning, and noon,
I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice.
He ransoms me unharmed
from the battle waged against me,
even though many oppose me.

Those who constantly seek the Lord will find their souls unbruised when all the storm has passed.

God, who is enthroned forever,
will hear them and afflict them,
men who never change their ways
and have no fear of God.

Sometimes it appears that those who live in sin are cruising along more 'peacefully' then the righteous with their perserverance to continue in holy living...but this verse affirms that as Psalm 37 said, 'the Lord's enemies are like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish, vanish like smoke. Sinful brutes and oafs will both run dtraight into the brick law of God.

Cast you cares on the Lord,
and he will sustain you,
he will never let the righteous fall.
But you, O Lord, will bring down the wicked
into the pit of corruption
bloodthirsty and deceitful men
will not live out half their days.
But as for me,
I trust in you.

Those who cast their cares and trust on the Lord will be rewarded whereas those who boast in rashly and violently 'claiming what they want or what is theirs' will perish in their pursuits...

 

[imoss]

feels so blessed by the fighting lamb.

 

[thefightinglamb]

this is thursdays
Psalm 56

When I am afraid, I will trust in you.
In God whose word I praise.
In God I trust I will not be afraid what can mortal men do to me?

In fear, turn to the Lord; for the everything is in the Lord's hands, and in persecution, know this: mortal men may be able to torture your body like in the novel 1984 but they CANNOT do anything to your soul...so do not 'shrink back from death' even as the Bible says, but even when facing death bear the confidence of Christ, if Christ is in you............who would fear facing an obstacle with a giant on your team, God is this giant, so do not fear, he sees everything, nothing is hidden from him.

Then when my enemies turn their backs when I call for help,
by this will I know that God is for me.
In God whose word I praise
in the Lord whose word I praise
in God I trust I will not be afraid,
what can men do to me?

This add's the Lord to explain whose word is being praised, but also that important clause that we know that God is for us, by the simple truth that when we call to him, our enemies are not allowed to triumph over us....

I am under vows to you, O God,
I will present my thank offerings to you,
for you have delivered me from death,
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.

What praise is due Him who strengthens wobbling knees? and further more to place us before God always 'in the light of life'--no longer to be pesked by the lure of darkness...as the song says 'he made my sins white as snow.'

 

[thefightinglamb]

Psalm 57
(what I contemplated friday--I am finally back to on the day I meditate I can post, hopefully I will )

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me:
for in you my soul takes refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the disaster has passed.

We ask for mercy because we belong to him, and we are his responsibility when we are constantly looking to and relying on him for guidance.

I cry out to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me;
he sends from heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me,
God sends his love and his faithfulness.

This truth is essential that every Christian understands...God does give us purpose, but it is also God who fulfills the purpose He gives us...If we think we can fulfill our purpose we stray like a toddler in the middle of a street, letting go of her parent's hands...but not so those who cling to the Lord, and let Him fulfill their purpose, God both refreshes and fulfills them with abundance.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
let your glory be over all the earth.

The Lord is more majestic even then heaven itself with its stunning brillance...and the prayer to let God' s glory be over all the earth is a call for the Sovereign Lord to be Sovereign.

My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast.
I will sing and make music.
Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.

These verses make me want to shout for joy; obviously if his soul was already awake, he would not beckon her to WAKE UP! But it is a song/psalm to wake the drowsy heart, and make strong feeble knees, nmuch like John the baptist.

I will praise you, O God, among the nations,
I will sing of you among the peoples,
for GREAT IS YOUR LOVE--reaching to the heavens
your faithfulness stretches to the skies.

The continued praise, to be sung all across this earth, a persistant sacrifice of praise.

 

[imoss]

this isnt a blog. congratulations on being literate, so share your personal revaltions in the miscellaneous forum?

Since he is the writer of the thread, and there are those who are enjoying his perspective of the psalms perhaps you should take your attacks elsewhere. Please dont respond to this as you are soiling a beautiful thread. Thank you.

 

[thefightinglamb]

Psalm 55

Do you rulers indeed speek justly?
Do you judge uprightly among men?
No in your hearts you devise injustice,
and you hands mete out violence on the earth.

Again an insistance of the truth that I have "heard" was believed in deeply by most leaders during the dark ages...that God will judge those who rule more strictly than those who are over them...therefore they had a very keen sense and desire to approach what is truly "just".

Even from birth, the wicked go astray,
from the womb, they are wayward and speak lies.

I don't know how many people believe in this, but I know I do...you can say this is unfair or whatever, but I have seen kids that seem to be wicked from birth, and I have also seen those who turn and seek God at an early age...so yes, I do believe that some kids are wicked...I believe kids can and often do loose their innocence very early on...perhaps even from conception? this verse seems to suggest "from the womb"...hmmm...brings up another Bible verse I have looked into when Jesus accuses the Pharisees of not being children of faith (Abraham) and they reply, "We were not born of sexual immorality, the only father we have is God"--I may be linking different sections but it says the jest of this in the gospels...and I got to wondering, perhaps as I have seen preached at the pentecostal church I often attend, there is a strong difference between a child born of two people's lust and a child born out of a covenant and love...I watched a video where a pastor spoke of a young kid being possessed by a demon from conception basicly...

Their venom is like the venom of a snake,
like that of a cobra, that has stopped its ears.
That will not heed the tune of the charmer
however skillful the enchanter may play.

The wicked do not see love, it is a stumbling block to them, refusing to love, they trip over their own feet...it is heart breaking to think of God as He skillful plays for them, and yet their ears have become so blocked that they hear NOTHING....like David playing to an evil-obsessed Saul...

Break the teeth in their mouths, O Lord,
tear out the fangs of the lions.
let them vanish like water that flows away
when they draw the bow
let their arrows be blunted.
like a slug melting as it moves along
like a stillborn child, may they not see the sun.

The first verse reminds me of how evil consciences rest of people's faces...and how the discerning can easily see the heart of someone if they desire to...and also how the fate of the wicked is to be utterly destroyed, to perrish like grass...

Before your pots feel the heat of the thorns
rather they be green or dry,
the wicked will be swept away.

Before the plans and growth of the wicked harm what you rely on for sustenance, rather they be actively seeking to grow and twist what cooks your food, or to dry up and try to rot God's plans for your life; the plans of the wicked will be frustrated and fail.

The righteous will be glad when they are avenged,
when they bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.

Fairly gruesome here, like in Revelations...but there is some rejoicing when wickedness perrishes, either in repentance (the Lord be praised! ) or in the death of the wicked...but the wicked "will NOT stand in the assembly of the righteous....also this verse reminds me of something I thought of bad at the time...I was at a men's bible study where a preacher preached on different vices, and he seemed to 'wish' that all speeders got into horrible accidents for breaking the law...which I am going to contemplate even now...perhaps those who live rashly cannot help but crash in some way or other...

The men will say,
"Surely the righteous still are rewarded,
surely there is a God who judges the earth."

How this psalms writes here reminds me of Psalm 22...the casual observor, who mocks the rightous when God seemingly delays in saving them, but when the righteous recieve their just reward, finally they see and understand that 'yes there is a God." Yet still somewhat secular perhaps, it does not say these people are or become righteous--but being people of this world, they observe, and commentate--"Aha the righteous are rewarded, God does judge." It also reminds me of an old lady/perhaps old wisae man that likes to talk alot, who looking on sees that the rightous and the wicked both receive their due from God...from mnay years of watching...

Only 1 hour 37 minutes behind.

 

[thefightinglamb]

Psalm 59 (the previous one was psalm 58--I have no idea why I wrote psalm 55--must have been tired, sorry)

O Lord God Almighty,
the God of Israel,
rouse yourself to punish the wicked.
Show no mercy to wicked traitors.

I wrote this verse just because I like that name of God--the Lord God Almighty....it gives a sense of the gandeur of God.

They return at evening,
snarling like dogs,
and prowl about the city.
See what they spew from their mouths,
they spew out swords from their lips,
and they say who can hear us?

How much the wicked resemble some rabid fox or beast, who brutishly stumbles about looking for something to feel their apetite, and what loud profane boasts caome from their bitter hearts onto their cold lips, as if they forgotten love completely.

O my Strength, I watch for you,
you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.
God will go before us
and will let us gloat over those who slander us.

Just the truth/parable of a servant waiting and watching for their master to come home and straighten out those who would seek to defile his building is profound to me.

But do not kill them, O Lord our Shield,
or my people might forget,
in your might make them wander about and bring them down
for the sins of their mouths
for the words of their lips,
let them be caught in their pride.
For the curses and lies they utter,
consume them in wrath,
consume them to they are no more
then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob.

A strange petition that the wicked be spared alive, yet stumbling, so that people do not forget God and the consequences of sin?

They wander about looking for food
and howl if not satisfied.
But I will sing of your strength
in the morning I will sing of your love.
For you are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.

How the cravings of the wicked cause them despair, while the delight of the righteous brings them nothing but life, light, and joy.

O my Strength, I sing praise to you,
you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.

Blessed is the one who knows the Lord is their strength and not their own mind or hands. But that the Lord is the only fortress anyone has and can have that makes one secure...and how great is this love that we need fear no harm???

 

[thefightinglamb]

Sorry, falling a bit behind...was distracted until now by reading Anne of Green Gables...and at least I can admit it.

Psalm 60

You have rejected us, O God, and burst forth upon us,
you have been angry, now restore us.
You have shaken the land and torn it open
mend its fractures, for it is quaking.
You have shown your people desperate times,
you have given them wine that makes them stagger.
But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner
to be unfurled against the bow.

I like how this directly addresses God bringing people through times of desolation...and not attributing hard times to anything but God who controls all things. I also have time and again looked into this verse that says 'you have shaken the land and torn it open, mend its fractures for it is quaking'...for some reason it reminds me of spiritually when you seem to be broke beyond what you understand, and nothing seems stable, but quaking, and it is a plea for God to be the foundation even in these times.

Save and help us with your right hand
that those you love may be delivered.

hmmm...the Lord loves the righteous...? hmmm...

Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
Is it no you, O God, what have rejected us,
and no longer go out with our armies?

WIthout God how can we hope to have courage or strength to fight the evil forces that are against us? And if God rejects us, in prayer or life, as Peter said "you have the words of life, to whom shall we go." We must petition and beg the Lord in prayer, for if God rejects us we must not choose the acceptance of any other.

Give us aid against the enemy,
for the help of man is worthless.
With God we will gain the victory,
and He will tample down our enemies.

How often have I longed to say this to people...you help is useless, if God be not for me, for only by him will I ever be established.

 

[thefightinglamb]

Psalm 61

Hear my cry, O God,
listen to my prayer.
From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows feignt,
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For you have been my refuge
a strong tower against the foe.

We learn to depend so much on our little perspectives of life, and we forgot to see what God sees happening...such that if we are feeling gloomy, we think the clouds are blocking out every sun with malicious intent, and yet it is sunny outside. But sometimes, obstacles impede so that we see them instead of the path they are blocking.

I long to dwell in your tent forever,
and take refuge in the shelter of your wings,
for you have heard my vows, O God,
you have given me the heritege of those who fear your name.

I wonder over the importance of vows, besides wedding vows, that are so little talked of in almost any church...the joy of the first verse renews my spirit every time I read it.

Increase the days of the kings life,
his years for many generations.
May he be enthroned in God's presence forever,
appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.

Obviously speaking of the Christ...but also that intriguing final verse, that it is the love and faithfulness of the Lord that portects his beloved, and not his strength, or any other attribute especially, his love and faithfulness....which makes me wonder...sometimes I get pessimestic and wonder, "What good is love?" I mean if you love a whore, does that mean she will not go back out into the streets again? I just read 'The Sun also Rises' so that is why that thought occured to me I believe....but the point being sometimes in my life, in seems by loving and being faithful, I have gained nothing but vulnerability instead of protection...and yet it is these things that set the holy apart I would assume...

 

[thefightinglamb]

Psalm 62

My soul finds rest in God alone,
my salvation comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

This strengthened me today (I still am not asleep yet) when I was reading a silly classical book 'Crime and Punishment' and I felt my heart floating all over the place...and it accused/convicted me that the only reason I am reading classical books write now is because I think they may help me write/straighten my life out, and instead of focusing on the Bible so that I have the psalms I have memorized down and then can continue, I am floating there as well...while reading less scripture daily then I have in a long time...and I believe it has turned me back to the Bible, the Lord willing, we shall see.

How long will you assault a man?
Would all of you throw him down?
This leaning wall, this tottering fence?
They fully intend to topple him from his lofty place,
they take delight in lies,
with their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse.

Words are SO important to anyones spiritual life...they are basically the spiritual food you give others and yourself each day...but feeding someone a good word, while hiding malice therein, is like putting hot sauce on your brothers saindwich when he goes to the restroom...except not funny...just really nasty, perhaps like somebody spitting on a perfectly good meal and then feeding it to you...because we are ALL vunerable, because we are all seeking life...

My salvation and my honor depend on God,
he is my mighty rock , my refuge.
Trust in him all times, O people,
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.

The Lord knows everything...so you might as well 'keep it real' with him as the saying goes...no dressing up your desires, frustrations, and clueness...but just laying it before the thrown.

One thing God has spoken,
two have I heard,
that you, O God, are strong,
and that you, O Lord are loving,
surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.

We will be rewarding according to our actions, somehow? I believe...God being strong, stresses that he can do all things, that he is loving, means he desires to do them for you.

 

[imoss]

hee hee on the hot sause in your brothers sandwich! Do not be discouraged brother in Christ, you are a good and faithful servant!

 

[carpetmanswife]

yeah i really enjoyed todays reading myself.....especially the hot sauce comment, spoke volumes to me , made me think about bitterness in a new way

 

[OreoSoleil]

I have to say-- I really love this post-- I have absolutely fallen in love with Psalms again-- God's really been speaking through it, it was great to see your posts. : )

 

[thefightinglamb]

Psalm 63
This is one of the ones I recite in my head a lot....

O God, you are my God
earnestly I seek you,
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land where there is NO water.

Why does God put us in places where there is No water? I don't know, perhaps because we go off his course for our lives, and he has to reshape our hearts to what he wants...what does it mean to earnestly seek? Am I? I love all of the verses in this psalm...

I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory,
because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied
as with the richest of foods,
with singing lips,
my mouth will praise you.

Remember this psalmest has NO water, and yet he still is incessantly drawn to declare, that in famine he will still seek to praise his Creator and Restorer.

On my bed, I remember you,
I think of you through the watches of the night.

How unlike foolish romances, how profound is the soul that beckons for God, kept awake thinking of his mercies, and praise. Unlike people who fall in love with idols and become dead to everything but that person or thing, loving God both gives and spreads life to everyone. I know that sometimes I have melt girls that keep me awake witht hinking of them, like a foolish schoolboy, and how if this fountain is rightly directed at the Lord instead of 'crushes'--how bright the light it brings...

Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
My soul clings to you,
your right hands upholds me.

Even in famine, the Lord supplies a refuge for those who stick to him ever closely...

They who seek my life will be destroyed,
they will go down to the depths of the earth;
they will be given over to the sword
and become food for jackals.
but the king will rejoice in God
all who swear by God's name will praise him
while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

Be assured the wicked CANNOT succeed, and their end is the grave, and like a forest haunted by wild beasts, so the hearts and souls of the wicked, are prey to every loathesome desire satan plants, and unless they repent, nothing but destruction awaits...

After thoughts:
This Psalm, like all the psalms, strikes me for its purity, even in reading you feel a certain righteous, integrity, and wonder from how this worshipper bows before God Almighty. It reminds me when I felt God turned my heart to the psalms years ago, I was memorizing useless stuff like poems, and I actually wanted to memorize all of Les Miserables...not very successful there...anyways, I started reading the psalms and the purity of them "STRUCK" my wicked heart with pangs...it was like that thing when you wake up after a deep sleep and cannot bare to see the light turned on in your room...

ps.thanks for the comments, maybe sometime somebody else can post on the psalm of the day as well?