Psalm_61
Scripture
Psalm 61:1-8
“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 faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. For you, God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. Increase the days of the king’s life, his years for many generations. May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever; appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him. Then I will ever sing in praise of your name and fulfill my vows day after day.”
Observation-What does it say?
David does a few things in this Psalm. He cries out to God acknowledging his weakness in light of God’s strength; remembers that God has been his refuge in times past; and cries out for strength in order to continue singing praises to Him and fulfill his duties and calling as king.
Understanding-What does it mean?
Run to God for strength and encouragement instead of our own.
David was able to encourage himself out of situations and distress, in the strength of the Lord. King David runs and cries out to the Lord and as a result of His surrender and obedience, he finds peace, comfort and joy.
As the Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:9, after asking God 3 times to take away a thorn in his flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment him and keep him from being conceited, God said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Then Paul said, “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
Basically, through all the opposition and weaknesses we face in this world, God’s grace and strength will always be enough to get us through. Needing comfort from the King of kings is not what makes us weak, but rather what makes us strong.
Life Application
I will draw comfort and strength from the Lord in order to pour out that same comfort to others.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV
King David and the Apostle Paul were 2 great men of the Bible with amazing testimonies of the Lord’s love for them. Their greatness is not what God was impressed with. It was their acknowledged weaknesses—their humility and surrender that God used to uplift them to the status of leadership that they were in.
Dear Lord, I choose to draw strength from You alone. It inspires me that You never chose to work through perfect people, but those who were imperfect, yet dependent and reliant on You. It was amazing what the Holy Spirit was able to do in and through them as a result. I pray that I would always seek to be a woman after Your heart, always remaining humble and submitted to Your will Jesus. Amen.
-Michelle Gaddi
Psalm 60
Scripture
Psalm 60:11
“O give us help against the adversary, for deliverance by man is in vain.”
Observation - What does it say?
This Psalm was written during David’s reign as king. It is quite possible that this was written during a time when the Israelites were at war with the Moabites. This particular Psalm can be broken down into three parts; complaint for defeat (vs 1-4), a promise of victory (vs 5-8), and rekindled hope in God’s word. The Psalm seems to show the result of turning away from God is the realization of being dependent on Him.
Understanding - What does it mean?
I heard someone say once that if you need to make a decision about something and one of the choices is something that will be to the detriment of your ego, choose that one. The point was, we are ultimately put here to bring God glory and not ourselves. Therefore, if we are struggling to do something because of the way we perceive it will make us look, we act in the way that God will get the glory and not us.
I came to the realization, recently, that I have a tendency to only pursue things that I perceive will promote me. Especially when it comes to work. I want to follow the plan that will bring me the most positive attention. I do this without taking the time to prayerfully consider the path that God might have intended for me instead. I am essentially leaning on the wisdom of man to determine my path and future rather than God. Then, without fail, come crawling back to God wondering, “why is everything going wrong?”
When I take time to look around in moments like these, it’s easy to see that it would be better for me to have asked for God’s direction in the first place. I also get a look at the wonder of God’s amazing grace. I do something dumb (read: I walked away from God), when my life is in shambles I run back to the one who can fix things (I repent), God in turn accepts us with loving arms (forgiveness). And this is generally when God redirects my actions to serve others.
In Galatians 6, Paul talks about our ability to help one another through the tough times. He reminds us that our life here is short, and it is with perseverance in doing good that we will find eternal life. Much like the Israelites, we need only to seek God for direction in life and he will be our salvation.
Life Application
Jesus, I want to spend all of my moments working towards sharing your glory. Even if that means that I don’t look good in the process. I want to trust in your path for me, and not in the wisdom of men. Most of all, I want to be enamored with your salvation
- Tyler Galloway
Psalm 59
Scripture
Psalm 59:16-17
But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength; Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, For You have been my stronghold And a refuge in the day of my distress. O my strength, I will sing praises to You; For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness.
Observation-What does it say?
As the title suggests, this psalm was authored by David. The subscription of this psalm indicates that it was written when David was being pursued by Saul (1 Samuel 19:11-17). David uses the imagery of night and day in this psalm, comparing the danger he faces to the darkness of night followed by the morning of deliverance. In verses 13-15, David prays for God’s wrath to come down upon his enemies. In verses 16&17, this is contrasted with the vow to praise God for his wonderful love and faithfulness, which is the cause for David’s confidence and peace.
Understanding-What does it mean?
I work shifts that vary on a pretty regular basis. Sometimes I wake up way before a majority of society does and I get started with my shift when a lot of people are just getting their first cup of coffee. Other times I am working through the night and get to see and experience the things that go bump in the night. When I work during the day and am getting ready in the dark, I try to leave as many lights off in the house so everyone can stay asleep. But this comes with its own set of hazards. I have kicked many, many hard items in the darkness. When I work at night, I have been scared right down to the bone when I hear something make a loud noise that I cannot see, eventually to find out it came from an animal that was small or from the wind. Not to mention, working at night destroys any type of normal sleep pattern. Needless to say, I look forward to day shift as soon as my night shift begins.
Darkness, whether it be actual or metaphorical, gives us the impression of danger and increases our perception of fear. But, God did not intend us to live in fear. As Paul wrote to Timothy, “This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:67). When we feel like we are lost in the darkness, we need to look to God, who is our salvation. When we are calling out to Jesus, we must remember that He hears us and gives us the desires of our heart. But, our desires must be aligned with the heart of Jesus (James 4:2-3).
Life Application