Psalm 91

*As I personalize this Psalm, I am going to include a paragraph of insights shared by my pastor today, 03/15/2020, at the end.

1. I, Leigh, will dwell in the secret place of the Most High; I will abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
   
2. I will say of my Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in Him will I trust.
   
3. Surely, He will deliver me from the snare of my fowler and from the destructive pestilence (literally, death of destruction).
   
4. He will cover me with His feathers and under His wings (representative of the tallit or prayer shawl, it speaks of intimacy with the Lord) will I abide; His truth will be my shield and buckler (a buckler is a large shield which protects from three sides).
   
5. I will not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day,
   
6. nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that wastes at noonday.
   
7. A thousand will fall at my side and ten thousand at my right hand, but it will not come near me.
   
8. I will only see the just rewards of the wicked with my eyes.
   
9. Because I have chosen to make the Lord Most High, who is my refuge, my dwelling place … the place where I will live forever.
   
10. In doing so, no evil will befall me, neither will any plague be able to come near my home.
    
11. For He gives His angels charge over me, to keep me in the Way.
    
12. They will bear me up in the palms of their hands so that my feet are kept from being cut upon any stone (This stone is a chiseled stone, cut by men. It represents false, man-made gods).
    
13. Because of this provided safety I can walk on the lion and the adder: I can trample the young lion and the serpent beneath my feet.
    
14. In all of this God says, “because Leigh has set her love on Me, I will deliver her. I will set her on My high places because she knows My name.
    
15. Leigh will call on Me and I will answer her. I AM with her in trouble. I will deliver her and honor her.
    
16. With long life I will satisfy her and show her My Salvation.
    

To dwell within the secret place of the Lord is to live with Him intimately. IT is a “close quarters” dwelling … to live within His arm's length so that He can set His hands upon our head. When the Lord sets His left hand upon our head, He covers us with anointing and His protection. When He sets His right hand upon our head, He covers us with His power … His authority. FYI: this "covering only works while we stay within arm's length He who is doing the covering.  It sounds to me like this “secret place of the Most High” is a place of His grace. In 2 Peter 3:18, we are told to grow in His grace, how better to do this than to dwell within His secret place in a life of total intimacy with the King of kings.

To dwell therein is a choice that we must make. For we have to leave behind everything that would try to separate us from the Lord and His love. And we must enter in with complete and sincere humility. We must place everything at His feet … all of who we are and all of who we ever will or could be, placing all of our cares and trust in Him.

For that place of intimacy with the Lord is an all-consuming fire that burns away all of our impurities and prepares us for total immersion in Him; which is our life in Him for all eternity.

So come, dwell in the secret place of the Most High God and rest within His presence!

Psalm Twenty One

*This is a Psalm of King David written after he had been victorious in battle. We, as Christians, have been made Kings/Queens and Priests unto the Most High God. We find this designation in Revelation 1: 5-7, which reads; "... and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." So I have re-written this Psalm to reflect this as our position in Jesus.

Oh Lord, my God, this king rejoices in Your strength

How great is my joy in the victories You give!

You have given me my heart's desires

and have not kept from me any of the requests I have made.

Selah 

* I will stop and meditate on this! *

You have welcomed me with many rich blessing

and placed Your crown of pure gold on my head.

I asked You to spare my life, to give me another chance,

and You gave it to me. 

Yes, You gave me a new life and so much more.

Through the many victories You have given me, 

I have received the praise and adulation of many.

Great is Your Glory in ALL of this!

And that glory, You have poured out on me.

You have given me Life Eternal and all of its many blessings

and have given me great joy by Your presence within me.

In You ALONE will I trust forevermore!

Because of Your unfailing love, 

I will not be shaken in my faith.

You will find all of Your enemies and all who hate Your name.

With Your mighty right hand, You will capture them.

When You choose to show Yourself, 

Your glory will radiate with such brilliance

that those you have captured will cringe as You if before a great furnace. 

It will swallow them up in Your fierce anger. 

Yes, even their descendants, their very posterity 

will You remove from Your presence forever.

For they had planned wickedness against You and Your children.

They devised these evil plots, but You have made them useless ...

They will never succeed.

They went running away from You and Your presence

when they became aware of their failures.

By Your own Power, In Your own Strength, You are exalted forever.

And I, yes even the whole church, 

will ever sing Your praises because of Your Great Strength!

Amen.

AND WE ALWAYS SHOULD!

Psalm Twenty

*After reading this Psalm, I got the inspiration to use the recent Election Cycle and Inauguration to give a new light into King David's verses.*

Inauguration of President Donald Trump, January 20, 2017 

A Psalm for the US President, by Leigh
For the Worship Conductor on Capitol Hill

May God answer your cries in times of trouble and turmoil. May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob keep you safe from all harm.
May He send you help from His sanctuary - His place of rest - the Heavenly Jerusalem.

Stop and dwell on this a moment.

May our Lord give you the desires of you heart. May all of your plans be within His will ... totally fulfilled.
And we, the people of this land, will shout for joy when we hear of your success. We will raise a victory flag in His name and fly it high in honor of His successes on your behalf and that of our nation.
May the Lord hear and answer all of your prayers.

I know that the Lord, our God, saves and protects His anointed leaders. He hears them from His heavenly throne room and rescues them by His mighty power. By the awesome power of his holy arm of Righteousness, He brings down their enemies ... dropping them right at their feet.

So, though some may trust in their weapons of warfare - their soldiers, guns, tanks and ammo - they and their allies will fall flat on their faces in the dust of defeat for all of their efforts. But we will rise up and stand in Your Righteousness ... in Your Strength, Lord.

Thank You, Lord, for giving Your President the victory. Thank you for hearing the cries of Your people.
May Your President continue hearing the cries of Your people. Also hearing and carrying out all of Your plans for success in meeting the needs of this mighty nation. May he, with your help, direction and guidance, truly help us Make America Great Again!

Psalm Seventeen

Intro:

A prayer of David.

Lord, I beg You ... listen to what I have to say. Hear my cries for fairness and lend Your help. For my pleas do not come from deceitful lips or a heart filled with lies and deception.

I know that when You judge me I will be found guiltless; for You have examined my heart and see the Truth within. You questioned and tested me all night and found no variance in my answers. I have not sinned by word nor deed. Not only that Lord, but I have heard and obeyed Your orders and have not done as evil people would do. I have not failed You.

I know that when I call on You, You will answer; so hear me now, Lord. Listen to what I have to say. 

show us Your wonderful mercy and loving kindness, You that saves Your children with the awesome might of Your right hand; You protect them from the destruction of the wicked.

So protect me Lord, as You would the very sight of Your eyes, from those who would destroy me. Shelter me as You would a young bird beneath Your Mighty, Sheltering Wings,thus keeping those who would oppress me ... from the enemies of my soul that seek my death, that surround me everywhere I go. 

Look at how selfish they are! They are all wrapped up in their own wealth, boasting for any and all who would listen.*

They have run me to ground, wearing me out completely to aid them in their attack. Look at them, they are like young, crouching lions waiting to attack .... prepared to pounce on me for the kill.

Rise up, Lord, and destroy their plans to attack. Humble them with Your sword - the powerful words from Your lips, as You deliver me from their hands.

Thoughts:

*Verse 10 in the King James Version of the Bible reads,"They are enclosed in their own fat:with their mouth they speak proudly."

This verse didn’t mean much to me, so I did a bit of research. I used the Strong’s Concordance to do a word by word, phrase by phrase study to find a clear meaning. I also looked into the cultural thoughts of the day to know the thoughts of people of that time period in regards to weight. Below is what I learned:

Strong’s Definitions:

• ·        They are enclosed = cagar (saw-gar’) – to shut up; figuratively, to surrender: close up, deliver up, give over to, enclose, X pure, repair, shut (in, self, out, up, up together), stop, X straightly.
• ·        In their own fat = cheleb (kheh-lev) – to be fat; fat, whether literal or figuratively; hence, the richest or choice part: -- X best, fat(-ness), X finest, grease, marrow.
• ·        With their mouth = peh – the mouth (as the means of blowing), whether literal or figuratively (particularly speech); specifically edge, portion or side; adverbially (with preposition) according to: --accord(-ing, as, -ing to), after appointment, assent, collar, command(-ment), X eat, edge, end, entry, file, hole, X in mind, mouth, part, portion, X (should), say(-ing), sentence, skirt, sound, speech, X spoken, talk, tenor, X to, two-edged, wish, word.
• ·        They speak = dâbar (daw-bar) – perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue: -answer, appoint, bid, command, commune, declare, destroy, give, name, promise, pronounce, rehearse, say, speak, be spokesman, subdue, talk, teach, tell, think, use (entreaties), utter, X well, X well, X work.
• ·        Proudly = gê’ûwth (gay-ooth’) – excellent thingfs, lifting up, majesty, pride, proudly, raging.

Point by point, stepping through the definitions I found these phrases can be written as follows:

• They are enclosed = They are closed, shut up, they are delivered, they are repair(-ing, -ed), they are all bound up in, they are enclosed … 
• In their own fat = in their own overweight condition, because of their riches, their vast finery, their wealth … 
• With their mouth = blowing with their mouth, (speaking) out of the side of the mouth … 
• They speak = they talk, they give a speech, they speak … 
• Proudly = exalting, giving majesty, with great pride, proudly …

After reading through these definitions, I looked into the culture. I found that in this time, just like our earlier western cultures, those with wealth could afford to eat more and more often. They wore their wealth proudly in their weight as well as their jewelry and decor. The bigger the body, the more opulent the jewelry, the bigger the bank account, so to speak. Yes, fat was considered beautiful, at least to the affluent.

Because of the above definitions and the thoughts of the day on wealth and beauty, I came to rewrite the passage as:

“Look at how selfish they are! They are all wrapped up in their own wealth, boasting for any and all who would listen.”

So when you are reading from God’s word and get “stuck in translation,” you can find the meaning by using the free study tools that you can find online at blueletterbible.org. There are a variety of useful tools, including the Strong’s Concordance that I used here.

I hope that I have brought you some clarity in your bible reading. Until next time …

Be Blessed!

Psalm Fifteen

Intro:

Characteristics of the Godly. 

A Psalm of David

Lord, who can abide in Your tabernacle, who can tolerate standing within Your house of Worship? Who has permission to make their home on Your Holy Hill?

Only those who stand up straight and true, those who are clothed in Your righteousness and walk Your pathways. Those that speak Your truths from their hearts. Those who do not speak slanderously, who treats his neighbors with out evil or malice, and doesn't pick up the offense of another against his friends. Those who view evil and wicked people with complete and utter disdain, but who gives honor to all who honor and respect God. Who will make a promise and keep it, even if it causes himself hurt. He will not loan out his money with exploitative interest rates. Neither will he take any bribes in order to pervert justice.

All who can live in this manner will never be moved in their stand for Christ! They are grounded, standing on a firm and solid foundation that will last through eternity.

Thoughts:

David starts off by asking The Lord a rhetorical question ... Who may live with You, Lord? Then he starts describing what a child of God would look like. So I am going to give you my best description of what a child of God looks like to me.

One who follows after God would need to know and love Him, unconditionally. They would be rooted and grounded in His word, and ever striving to know more of Him from it. For it is their firm foundation in Christ. They are able to stand in His presence uprightly and without wavering.

They are so filled with His love toward Him that they would always speak His truths because it would permeate their hearts and minds.

They would never speak falsely against anyone, nor do any wicked or unjust thing against a friend. Nor would they take up another's offense against a neighbor. They would hate the deeds of wicked and detestable people, but show honor and respect for others - especially those of the Body of Christ, those who serve and worship the Lord.

They stand for truth, righteousness and godliness no matter the cost; even if it cost their very lives. for they know that it is just what He would expect of them.

They will not lend money to anyone with an unfair, unjust, interest rate; they would rather give it away, expecting nothing in return, than cause any one hurt or harm.

They will take no bribe, regardless of impending wealth or fame it may bring. For it is unthinkable to them to commit any evil act against any person, especially the innocent.

NO a truly godly person would never knowingly do any of the things that our God hates. And no one, no human or spiritual entity would be able to shake them off their true foundation, or otherwise move them from their godly course of action.

And I am striving to live so that I may be such a one as this!

This is what our spiritual house should look like beneath the facade of our physical being.

• Foundation: 
• Jesus Christ 
• Matthew 16:18
• Colossians 3:11
• Ephesians 2:20
• Psalm 27:4
• Supports: 
• Worship
• John 4:23
• Service
• 1 John 3:18
• Fellowship
• Hebrews 10:24-25
• Evangelize
• Romans 10:14
• Disciple
• Mark 28:20
• Ceiling:
• Unity of ALL Believers
• John 13:34
• Trusses (Roof Supports)
• Spiritual Maturity (i.e. Complete in Christ, Perfected in His Righteousness)
• Hebrews 6:1
• Roof and Attic
• The Fullness of Christ
• Ephesians 4:13

So Grow in His Grace and in your love of and for God!

Colossians 1:3-8 NIV:

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

2 Peter 3:17-18, NIV:

Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! 

Amen!

Psalm Twelve

Intro: 

To the Chief Musician, to be played on an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David ... Man's Treachery and God's Constancy.

Lord Help Me! For it seems like all the godly people have disappeared; those in the faith, who have previously proved faithful, have vanished from the face of the earth.

All those that remain speak only small talk, their words are useless flattery and vain lies. They are double minded, having no firm foundation in truth, they say what those around them want to hear; they change their messages to satisfy their current audience.

Lord, show them the error of their ways by Your destruction of them. Remove their proud and arrogant words from their lips: for they have boasted, "we will rule by our own thoughts, words and ideals. We will reign by all that comes from our mouths. No one else is "Lord" over us, we are our own king!

But I hear You saying, Lord, "I will raise up because of the oppression of the poor and needy. I have heard their deep sighs of agony and distress and I will step in, pick them up and put them in the safe house that they desire; the fortress they so long for."

And I know that You will do just that, my Lord. For You are me God. You are a promise keeper; You never break Your promises. All of Your words are 100% pure truth, as if tried in the fire seven times - like silver - to remove all of its impurities. You have kept them constant and consistent from the beginning. And You will continue to preserve them throughout all generations.

Yet, the ungodly still sneak about wrapped up in their darkness; they still exalt their evil ways, expounding on and glorying in their very wickedness of thought and deed.

Psalm Eleven

Intro: 

For the Chief Musician or Choir Director. A Psalm of David

Jesus is my protective defense system, in Him alone do I place my full trust; for He is worthy ... His ways unbeaten!

I see my enemies preparing for the coming battle, his evil troops load up their rifles, mortars and grenade launchers in readiness. They will be ready to attack when night falls. When darkness looms they can shoot at the righteous, picking off the warriors of the Lord in secret. Hidden in the shadows they try to destroy us.

So how can you tell me to run away and hide? It was for this very battle that He has been preparing me.

See now the Lord is in His tabernacles; His very dwelling places. He sits upon His heavenly throne within the hearts of His warriors! I see Him watching over the children of men, the movements of His eyelids tries them, testing them for their upcoming conflicts, strengthening and preparing them. He proves all of our abilities to obey.

But upon the wicked, the evildoers ... all of the unbelievers of the world, He rains down judgment; He pummels them with fiery coals and burning rocks, all the while He is setting traps for their feet and arms to snare them while allowing the burning winds to scorch them in the process. And all of this is their reward for their thoughts, words and deeds, it is the very portion that He has filled each of their cups with.

For my God is True and Total Righteousness. He loves and blesses the righteous acts of His Children. And all of His Children, the precious Children of God, have the privilege of seeing His face as He holds them .... holds us ....  securely in His arms.

And I am Blessed to be counted among His Children!

Lord, I give you all thanksgiving and praise for ALL of Your Marvelous Ways!

Psalm Eight - Twice!

Intro:

To the Chief Musician; set to a Philistine lute, possibly to the melody of a particular Hittite tune. A Psalm of David.

Oh Lord, my Lord, how majestic, how totally awesome and out of this world, is Your name in all of the known universe!

You have show us Your glory everywhere, even in the very clouds. From the very praise of the children, of toddlers and infants, You have built a fortress against your enemies ... to silence all who have aught against You. When I think about the heavens that You have created, the very works of your fingertips. The moon and stars that you set into place ... what is mankind that they would even enter Your thoughts; the lowly human beings that You would actually care for them?

You made them a little lower in status than your messenger spirits (angels/pastors) and have crowned them (us) with Your glory and honor. You made us rulers over all that You have made; told us to take dominion over everything on earth that Your hands had created. All flocks and herds and wild animals roaming the earth and creatures that fly through the skies ... and everything that teems throughout the oceans and seas.

Oh Lord, my Lord, how majestic, how totally awesome and out of this world, is Your name in all of the known universe!

My Thoughts:

Easter Sunday, March 28, 2016, in our Easter Celebration the Holy Spirit spoke to us. He said that we don't see ourselves as He sees us. We don't know our true identity, our real position, within Him and His Kingdom. And here in this Psalm He tells us once more.

This is an area that I have been struggling with my position in Him, who I really am.  So Here are a few thoughts that I have on this subject.

I see this as a Psalm - a song - of Praise and Worship that David sang in his private times of worship. A shout of joy after their victory over the Philistines. The intro leads me to believe that spoofing one of their war ditties as an act of worship to the Lord. Singing it in reverent fear and honor of His King.

I also see David as remember His own position - and by extension, ours - in the Lord. 

So I think that I will follow David's example:

Psalm 8 - Again

Oh Lord, my Lord, how totally awesome You are! Your very name is more majestic than any other. It's divine interpretation is more wonderful than any human can comprehend.

From the mouths of mere children spew forth tales of Your strength; exploits of Your victories over all Your enemies. You have silenced them ALL.

When I look over all that You have done, When I deeply ponder Your marvelous creation, my breath is taken away; Your glorious heavens and all their intricate details, I am taken totally aback.

So what is mankind, that You thoughtfully consider their existence? What is humanity, that You lovingly care for them?

For You created them (us) in Your very likeness, yet not exact copies of Yourself. You have made us just lower in rank than the heavenly beings You made; a little lower in standing than Your holy angels.

And You gave us dominion over the rest of Your creation; over fish and fowl, beasts and dragons, everything that walks on four feet and two, that fly and/or has the breath of life within them ... including Satan and his evil minions.

I thank and praise You for my position in Your Kingdom, Your Family, and Your Army!

Oh Lord, my Lord, how totally awesome You are!