I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 98-104.

The psalmist calls on us to sing to the Lord, to joyfully praise Him.  The New Living Translation translates verse 6 of Psalms 98 as saying, “Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King!”  I much prefer the way the King James Version translates it, “make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King.”  I prefer the latter because that is much closer to what others hear when I sing.  The psalmist is inclusive in his call to praise.  He calls for everyone and every nation to praise God.  He calls for everyone on earth to praise the Lord with gladness because of God’s justice.

After calling on everyone and everything to praise the Lord, the psalmist makes a personal commitment.  He promises to not only praise the Lord, but to refuse to look on anything vile or vulgar.  How much better off would we all be if we did the same?  He vowed that going forward he would seek out faithful people to be his companions.  I want to note that the context makes clear that he meant faithful to the Lord, not just faithful to himself.  As we seek to praise the Lord, let us separate ourselves from those who deceive and lie.  I will choose to associate with those who will encourage me to praise and serve God with all that I am.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 90-97.

Today the psalmist calls us to praise God morning, noon, and night.  Our love for Him, and our knowledge of His live for us, should keep us from fearing the terrors of the night and from dreading the disease which stalks in darkness.  Let us thank Him when He disciplines us and turn from our sin.  The wicked thinks that God does not hear what they say or see what they do, but He that made their ears can surely hear, and He that made their eyes can certainly see.

Let us worship and bow down before the Lord.  God is supreme over all of the earth.  If only the people around us would listen to His voice today, what a difference it would make.  I read this and wonder, am I listening to His voice?  Or have I hardened my heart?  I see how people around me refuse to listen to God and wonder if I am being the example I should be?  I will strive to praise God more in all that I say and do.  And seek out ways in which I can serve Him.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 82-89.

Throughout history God calls on rulers to give justice to the poor and the powerless, to uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.  When rulers heed God’s call, their society has prospered.  Yet, also throughout history rulers have time and again failed to do so, have instead been the oppressors.  When the latter happens people conspire against God’s people, both the descendants of Jacob and those who serve His Son.  They seek to wipe them out completely, but fail every time.  Such things happen when God’s people stray to far from Him.

So, let us cry out to God to restore us once more to His favor.  Let us pray that he teach us His ways so that we may know His truth and live by it.  Each and every one of us needs to remember that there is A truth and that truth is God’s truth.  We live in a society which is determined to convince us that there is no truth, or that there are multiple truths: that the truth is different for everyone.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 78-81.

It is imperative that we teach the next generation what God has done and what He commands.  It is not enough to teach them history, although that is an important first step.  They must be given context and shown how God’s wondrous love brought about His will.  Each generation must choose for themselves to set their hope in God.  If they are not taught history truly and how God brought it about, they will not believe God when He speaks to them and will not trust Him to care for them.  We see this today where parents delegated teaching their children to someone else and thought they could rely on strangers to teach their children what they needed to know.  However, this is not just an obligation for parents, each one of us must strive to teach the generations which follow after us about what God has done, how He has guided history.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

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

It is easy to become convinced that the wicked and proud have it good, to become envious of them and begin to think that living a godly life is pointless.  However, if we take ourselves into God’s presence we will realize that such thinking only hurts ourselves, making us bitter and resentful.  The wicked burn and destroy that which reminds them of God and which calls them to be accountable for their actions, but God will bring them to justice at the time He has planned.

The psalmist speaks of being troubled and hard pressed, of crying out to God and not being comforted, of being unable to sleep and too distressed to even pray.  He felt like God had abandoned him and would never restore his joy.  Then he remembered the great things which God had done in the past.  Doing so reminded him that God does His great works in His time not ours.  God’s plans will come to fruition, His glory will be shown to the nations once more.  If we think on the great things which God has done in the past we will realize that He will do similar things in the future.  Every time I begin to feel like I am in a hole out of which I can never climb, I remember when I felt that way in the past and cried out to God.  My situation may be different today than that which I experienced before, but God answered my cries then and He will answer them now.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 68-71.

The psalmist expresses his despair and cries out to God, but what really strikes me are these lines:

“If only one person would show some pity;
    if only one would turn and comfort me.”

I pray that there is no one in my life who can honestly say this.  I desire to seek out those around me who might feel that way and let them know that they are not alone.  If you are reading this and feel that this is true, I pray that God sends someone into your life to show you His love.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 60-67.

The psalmist writes frequently about how God will provide us shelter and protection from our enemies if we put our trust in Him.  He uses varied imagery to convey how this works.  In today’s first psalm he speaks of God raising a banner to which those who fear Him can rally in the midst of battle.  Such an image is not one of passive rescue.  Rather it is one where those who follow the Lord gather and follow their commander in battle.  The psalmist continues in the next psalm by indicating that God will lead us to a fortress where our enemies will be unable to reach us.

The psalmist goes on to tell us to wait patiently for God, He will bring us victory.  Do not put your trust in either the common man, nor in the powerful.  If we acquire wealth, let us not make the mistake of thinking that will save us.  When God brings us victory and success let us shout His praises to all of the world and call for them to come and see what He has done.  Tell the world what God has done, invite them to see for themselves how great He is.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 52-59.

The psalmist warns us that the real danger for any group, city, or nation is not outside invaders.  No, the real danger is wickedness within.  Sooner or later, every group, city, or nation will have to face the wickedness that it has allowed to infiltrate it.  Sometimes those infiltrators were once dedicated to the good and true.  Our problems and terrors do not come from outsiders, they come from our own failure to faithfully obey God.  If we trust in God, we need not be afraid.  Yes, when we stand up and declare our trust in Him, we will be hounded and slandered by those who refuse to accept His will.  Nevertheless, we must remember that no mortal can bring harm to us that God does not allow.  Our enemies may set a trap for us, but if we keep our eyes on God and do as He directs, it is they who will fall into the traps.  The psalmist calls on God not to end the lives of those who attack him for evil reasons.  Instead he calls on God to let them live defeated so that they and others can learn from God’s judgement upon them.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 45-51.

I have always loved the first couple of phrases of Psalms 46:

God is our refuge and strength,
    always ready to help in times of trouble.
 So we will not fear when earthquakes come
    and the mountains crumble into the sea.
 Let the oceans roar and foam.
    Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!

The psalmist goes on to tell us that God is here among us and tells us to “Be still and know that I am God.”  Let us clap out hands and shout praise to God with joy.

God does not need our sacrifices.  He does not need out material wealth.  He desires that we acknowledge our sinfulness and brokenness.  That we humbly and contritely turn to Him for healing.  If we do so, He will purify our hearts, restore our joy, and make us willing and able to obey Him.  Neither our wealth nor our power will redeem us from death and neither of those things will do us any good when we enter the grave.  Let us teach God’s ways to those who rebel against Him, starting with ourselves, so that they will return to Him.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 38-44.

Today’s psalms have a common theme.  In each the psalmist is suffering from depression to one degree or another.  To some degree his depression in each is a product of some other suffering.  In some of these psalms he responds to his suffering by confessing and repenting of his sins.  In all of them his response to his suffering is to cry out to God and to praise God.  From this we learn that the first step to overcoming depression is to praise God.  I am always hesitant to speak on this because I have never suffered from clinical depression, but I will still offer these psalms as a remedy to those so suffering.  It may not be a complete remedy, but it contains a guide which will set one on the path to recovery.  The psalmist advises us to cry out to God in our suffering and to patiently wait for Him to act.  As the psalmist said previously, repent of your sins, if you can not think of any sins which you have committed, ask God to show you what you need to change.  The psalmist makes it clear in today’s passage that suffering does not necessarily mean that we have sinned, but we should still examine our lives for sin.  Once we have examined our lives for sin, we should review the times when He has acted to redeem us from hardship.  Throughout all of this honor God and sing praises to Him.  Finally, continue to cry out to God, trusting that He will hear and answer your cries for relief.  Do not let the Accuser convince you that God will not, cannot, hear your cry.