Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 72-77.

The first of today’s psalms says that it is “of Solomon”.  I am unsure if that means it was written by Solomon, or that it was written about Solomon.  In either case, it gives a blessing to rulers who follow its guidance.  If a ruler defends those who suffer misfortune, rescues the children of the powerless, and crushes those who oppress others, good things will come to him and the people over whom he rules.  From there we go into a series of psalms which can build up our hope and faith in difficult times.  In Psalm 73, the psalmist warns against envying the arrogant and wicked who seem to prosper.  It may seem like striving to do God’s will and avoid wickedness serves no purpose, that we suffer doing God’s will to no benefit.  However, the psalmist warns us that the prosperity of the wicked merely masks the fate which God has planned for them.  The good things which God has in store for those who serve Him far outweigh the short term pleasures of the wicked.  The psalmist goes on in later psalms to paint a picture which reminds me of things happening today.  He describes how those who hate God have sought to destroy every place and thing which is used to honor God.  They seek to crush any who worship Him.  However, the psalmist reminds us that God will choose the time when He will judge and make the world quake.  God’s enemies may seek to make us fear them, may seek to cause us to fear worshiping Him, but God alone should be feared, for none can stand before Him when He is angry with them.  In our distress, let us turn to the Lord and remember His mighty acts.  Let us meditate on what He has done in the past when it feels like He is letting us fall.  Then we will praise Him and know that He will save us once more.