Psalm Nineteen

The heavens declare the glory of God; each day He paints the skies with beautiful sights with just a whisper on the wind.

Morning and evening He speaks to us, teaching us with these visions He has painted within the clouds. There is no people or place on earth where His voice is not heard and His lessons learned in this manner. And so, His unspoken truth is known around the world; it is spoken of in every culture on earth.

God placed the sun in its place in the sky. It appears every morning, reminding us of a bridegroom from ancient days that, when leaving his bridal suite, he runs joyously as would a track star who has broken the finish line and is dashing to accept his award. He runs his course through the skies from morning to night, hiding nothing from his light and his warmth. It is in this way that the whole world has received God’s message.

God’s law is total perfection, it converts the soul. It's testimony, its witness, is confident; for in its simplicity it brings us wisdom, for we are simple.

God’s rules to live by are the right road to travel, for they will fill you with His great joy. The commands He gives are pure truth. This truth gives us true enlightenment for our minds.

The fear and respect of God bring clarity which will last us our whole lives … even throughout eternity. When God judges, His judgments are truly righteous – unlike those of mankind.

All of these are to be desired more than the finest things this world can offer … more than the best food and wines, and even more than all the wealth this world could ever give you.

And by living according to God’s ways there is a great reward – in this life and throughout eternity, therein is your warning to live for God alone.

God, will You wash clean our lives so that we can start anew with You? Will You help me keep from these stupid sins I keep falling into? From thinking that I can replace You in my life and succeed? This is the prayer of my heart each day. Please accept them as I lay them on Your altar within my heart. Then You will be my God, the keeper of my soul … my heart of hearts. And I will be Your servant.

Amen!

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 Nine

Intro:

To the Chief Musician; possible set for soprano voices. A Psalm of David.

A Song of Thanksgiving!

Lord, I give You thanks from a heart filled with gratitude ... it knows no bounds.

While I write a book of Your exploits, I am whistling, laughing, and jumping up and down for the pure joy that it brings. Lord, I sing all of Your songs of praise, from beginning to end. Then I start all over again.

Do You remember the day that my enemies decided to run away from the scene of their crimes? I do! They were running away, watching over their shoulders all the way. They were so busy looking behind themselves that they tripped over their own feet, falling right on their faces. Then You stepped in and set everything to rights once more.

You were there exactly when I needed you. You took charge and everything went exactly as You had planned.

Lord, You are the original '"whistle blower;"  You blow the whistle on the ungodly nations and throw their evil politicians - all dirty dealers and cheating players of all stripes - out of the game, removing their names from the official records. Your actions on the playing field encourages other enemies, that have been sitting in the grandstand watching, to pick up their seat cushions and leave in haste; their reputations in ruins and their names erased from their roll call of recognition ... removing them from their "hallowed halls of fame."

It is God alone, not Atlas, who balances the worlds in His hands. He put everything that is askew in the world back into it's proper place and position. He knows what is best for every thing and every body in His creation, and He gives them each just what they deserve.

My Lord, You are a safe haven for the broken, battered and bruised; a place of refuge especially set aside for when things, times, and people are evil and destructive. When I step within, I am finally able to relax. And I am always glad to be at home within this peaceful place of refuge.

I will sing songs of praise to You, oh Lord ... You who lives within my heart. I will tell all of the stories of Your marvelous works, all of Your awesome exploits, to everybody that I meet: how You track down and pass judgement on all evildoers, yet all the while You watch over every cry of pain and sigh of despair.

Oh Father, please treat me with Your loving-kindness, for I have been pushed around - kicked about - for far too long; but You pull me back from the edge of destruction, from the very brink of death. For this reason I will proclaim Your name, I will shout praises of You from the rooftops! I will give You thanks for Your saving grace.

Lord, look at the ungodly masses; those peoples who have sought their own paths, their own righteousness. They have set traps for the unsuspecting, snares for those they seek to rob; but they have tripped themselves up, they have been caught in their own webs of deceit. They know that there is no excuse for their destructive deeds; for Your ways are well known, Your exploits have been broadcast far and wide. Yet they continue making their evil designs, breaking their own fingers as they go.

Yet, all that choose to be wicked and evil have already purchased their one-way tickets to Hell.

But all of those who are poor will no longer be a nameless, faceless mass of humanity. No more will the humble in spirit be humiliated. For You, my Lord, have had enough, You will no longer allow this type events to proceed, the wicked have reached the end of Your ropes! For I see that you are sick and tired with all of the posturing of these evildoers. You are about to expose them and all of their "grand schemes." Stir up that hornet's nest, Lord, and let them see just how stupid it all is and how silly they really look!

Amen!

Psalm Seven - Again

Intro (same):

This Psalm is a meditation of David which he sang to the Lord. It was written when David was troubled by a man of the line of Cush from the tribe of Benjamin ... King Saul was a descendant of  Cush the Benjaminite. Tradition says that it probably had a wildly irregular and unpredictable beat among its strains.
By this intro we know that David was greatly offended and upset with the speech of a certain Benjaminite named Cush. He was so angry with what this man had been saying that he lifted up this frustration in this song unto the Lord, His God. And seeing that some scholars have attributed this Psalm to the time of Saul's ongoing search and destroy operation against David, I could see this here.

God Almighty, I put all of my hope and trust in You. Protect me from all who speak and do evil to persecute me. Deliver me from those that hunt me down , planning to do me harm, just as you have done before ... and save my life.

But Lord, if I have done this to myself, if I have done any harm to those at peace with me, then let my life be forfeit. Let my enemies trample me down in the dust, extinguishing my life, squelching out my voice and squeezing out my very breath ... I think I will ponder that thought very deeply for a while.

Lord, I know that the actions of wicked men riles Your anger. So rise up in Your anger, stand firm in Your wrath against my enemies and stir up the justice You have planned for my foes.

Gather together the congregation of Your people, Lord. Sit on Your Throne, on the Dias that seats You above them, and judge the peoples. And while You're at it, judge me too, Lord. Give me the justice that I deserve by my righteous - my right standing in You - by Your very integrity within me.

And let all the evil words, thoughts and deeds of the wicked ones abruptly come to and end. Establish Your righteousness, Your harmony, in all who walk uprightly in Your presence. For I know that You see and hear the thoughts, words and emotions of all; You alone understand our very hearts' desires.

Lord, You are my Defenses; the Shield and Fortress of ALL who are upright in heart; our Very Protection! Yes Lord, for You are a righteous judge; the Mighty God, Who becomes indignant with the wicked on a daily basis.

If a person, man or woman, refuses to repent of their wicked ways, I know that You will sharpen Your double-edged sword and cut them off from Your own. I see that You are already prepared for the battles that lay ahead. Stepping on the end of Your bow, You have strung it in readiness for your arrows. The arrows have been dipped in an oily substance and laid on the coals so that they will flame through the air and ignite their targets. All of Your weapons are waiting in preparation.

But the wicked are filled to the bursting point with their evil thoughts and plans. They are about to explode with their mischievous ways. See the huge pit they have dug? they will all fall into it before their plans are complete.  All of their wicked and vile ways will return to haunt them; their violence will fall as rain on their own heads.

And I will sing songs of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord because of His righteousness and justice. I will sing songs of praise to the Lord God Most High.

Amen!

Psalm Seven

Intro:

This Psalm is a meditation of David which he sang to the Lord. It was written when David was troubled by a man of the line of Cush from the tribe of Benjamin ... King Saul was a descendant of  Cush the Benjaminite. Tradition says that it probably had a wildly irregular and unpredictable beat among its strains.
By this intro we know that David was greatly offended and upset with the speech of a certain Benjaminite named Cush. He was so angry with what this man had been saying that he lifted up this frustration in this song unto the Lord, His God. And seeing that some scholars have attributed this Psalm to the time of Saul's ongoing search and destroy operation against David, I could see this here.

Oh Lord, my God, in You do I put my trust; save me from all those who persecute me; and deliver me. Lest they tear me apart like a lion, rending me in pieces while there is no deliverance.

Oh Go, if I have done this; if there is any iniquity in my hands, if I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me ... or have plundered mt enemy without a cause, let him whom I have wronged pursue and overtake me. Yes, let him trample my life into the earth, laying my honor in the dust forevermore. Selah (.... I will sit and ponder this deeply).

Rise up, My Lord, rise up in Your fierce anger; lift Yourself up because of my enemy's rage and bring Your judgement against them for my sake ... the judgment that You have ordered!

Then let the people assemble all around You as You return oh high over them.

The is the Righteous Judge, He alone shall judge all the people. Judge me, Oh Lord! According to my righteousness ... according to the integrity within me.

Yes, and let the wickedness of the evil ones come to an end and establish the just! This is totally within Your character, Lord, for You are THE righteous God. You test the hearts and minds of all. You are my defense, for You alone can save those who are upright of heart.

You, Lord, are the Just Judge. You are angry at those who choose to do evil everyday. If the wicked ones do not repent and change his ways, the Lord will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow, making it ready. God has all of His weapons of warfare, His implements of death, prepared for battle. His arrows have been dipped in accelerant  so that when He shoots they are fiery shafts of Light. 

Behold, the wicked travails ... he labors in excruciating pain as he conceives trouble and produces lies and deceit. For all of the trouble he produces shall fall on his own head. He digs a pit for those he chooses to destroy, but he alone will fall into it. And he shall be crowned by all of the violence that he has called forth upon others.

But I, along with the other believers, shall praise the Lord, because He alone is totally righteous. Yes, I will sing praise to my God, for He IS God Most High!

Psalm Six - Another View

I see David here as being full of grief. David is begging God not to discipline him while He is angry. As I read through David's prayer, I see that he is in great despair. Thoughts of his flight from Jerusalem with his family and his army. Running in fear of his life from his own son, Absalom. How horrendous it must have been for this warrior king, fleeing in abject fear from own to whom he gave birth.

Desperate for relief from God, David pours out his heart, heavy with a growing agony, with many tears. So many that he has turned his mattress into a deep, dark pool; deep enough that one could swim in it. His eyes are red-rimmed and swollen from all of his cries. So many tears that David is finding it difficult to see; his sight dimmed by the tears to the point that his sight is as dark as his heart feels.

In his grief, David screams at those who have haunted his heart; all of his enemies who are seeking to harm him. As he confronts them there on his bed, David remembers that it is God is listening, He has heard the cries of David's heart. And David also remembers that God rebukes his fears, demanding that all of his enemies turn aside and become ashamed at their exploits against him; and that very quickly.

I see so much of humanity, of myself, in David's prayer. We all have the same doubts and fears. Conversely, we also have the same Lord. So I say with Job and a popular hymn, 'I know that my redeemer lives' ... and He is able to keep that which I - and you - have committed unto Him ... until the day that He comes again on that day; 'The Day of His Glorious Appearing,' when He returns to claim His own and dwell with us for eternity.

Amen!

Psalm Six

Oh Lord, don't punish me in your fierce anger, or discipline me while you are so terribly displeased. Show me  Your tender mercy, for I am weak. Father, heal me, for I am troubled to the bone, to the very core of my being; how long must I wait patiently? -- How Long!

Come and deliver me now, Lord! Save me because of Your great mercy. For if I die, who will remember you? When we are put in the ground, who will Give You thanks?

Oh Lord, how weary I am from my moaning. All night long I water my bed with my tears, making it into a swimming pool. My eyes grow dim because of all my grief; they go blind because of the terror my enemies instill in me by their many attacks.

All who are evil in though and deed, leave me NOW! For my GOD has heard my cries in the night. He listens when I pour out my heart in intercession with great sorrow and weeping, and He has received my many prayers. He will make all of my enemies ashamed. He will give them the trouble that they deserve. So much so that they will turn away suddenly, filled with shame at their words and deeds.

And I will give Him ALL Praise!

Amen!