Psalm 23 – Sheep Talk

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

They say; “confession is good for the soul.” Perhaps they might have meant it a different way; but confession of God’s goodness is definitely very good for the soul.
One sure way of countering the pervasive complaining attitude in our world today is to begin to think, and talk about the countless benefits of being a believer.
The more one focuses on the blessings of being His sheep, the more one actually begins to experience it. Faith expels fear; confidence replaces complaining and hope dethrones despair. SURELY GOODNESS AND MERCY SHALL FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE! 

Psalm 20 – Prayer of Blessing

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble; may the name of the God of Jacob defend you; may He send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion; may He remember all your offerings, and accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah

May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your purpose.
We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions. The Psalmist is not wishing some good things upon the recipients of his prayer.
He certainly is not merely mouthing some meaningless verses but pronouncing a prayer blessing.
His prayers are based on his past personal experiences with a faithful God.

Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand.

Often our prayers are powerless because we have a shaky confidence in our petition or intercession. We are trained to depend more on our own strength and knowledge rather than the omnipotence of God

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. They have bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stand upright. Save, LORD! May the King answer us when we call.

Psalm 19 – God Speaks Clearly

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoices like a strong man to run its race.
Its rising is from one end of heaven, and its circuit to the other end; and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

God’s character is revealed in creation order and harmony; everything works like clockwork and is so dependable that we take it for granted.

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.
Along with creation, God has put in place laws and principles. Natural laws like gravity, laws of flight are unseen, yet accepted as fact by humanity. What eludes many are spiritual laws that supercede and will outlast natural laws.
The Psalmist discovered that living by these higher laws will result in higher rewards. Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer. There's more to it than correct actions and righteous deeds; God always searches our true motives, and is more interested in our heart condition than what we offer as peace offerings.

Psalm 13 – “Emo”

How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?
How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
Consider and hear me, O LORD my God; enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

Sometimes life gets the better of us; even the man-of-God succumbs to the constant bombardment on his mind. His emotions are the first to give and he starts resorting to what comes naturally to all of us; griping and complaining.

When that doesn’t work, he calls on the Lord; something he should have done from the start.

But I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD, because He has dealt bountifully with me. It almost seems schizophrenic when you compare the former ranting of the Psalmist with his latter response. That’s the difference when God gets invited into the situation; the out-of-control emotions are brought under control, fear is dispelled and the peace of God prevails.

PSALM 12 - WORDS

Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. They speak idly everyone with his neighbour; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things, who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?” Psalm 12:1-4

The society in which we live in demands freedom of speech. While we are free to speak what comes to our mind; in the end it really is not free because there are consequences and a day of reckoning for careless and evil words.

“For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now I will arise,” says the LORD; “I will set him in the safety for which he yearns. The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. You shall keep them, O LORD, you shall preserve them from this generation forever. The wicked prowl on every side, when vileness is exalted among the sons of men. Psalm 12:5, 6 In the entertainment industry, vileness and harsh speech is passed-of as stand-up comedy; even kids resort to vulgarities because of the influence of their Hollywood “heroes.”

Clothes may make the man of the world, but pure words define the man of God!

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

Psalm 8 - AWESOME

How excellent is Your name in all the earth!
O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, who have set Your glory above the heavens! Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honour. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen—Even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas.

When you meditate on the recurring theme of this Psalm; it seems to be focussed on the mysterious and multi-facetted creation of God. Virtually, every discovered bird, plant, flower, animal and heavenly body in creation has a name. Every human being born is given a distinctive name.

O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!
Though God’s name is not to be found anywhere in this Psalm; it is described as “excellent.”
While it is much easier to describe a flower merely by its name; how can one name fully describe the creator of creativity? How can a human name define the Infinite and explain the supernatural?
It is no wonder that God does not name Himself less we reduce Him to one of us!

Psalm 5 – The Breakfast of Champions

Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I will pray. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up. Psalm 5:1-3

One of the things I’ve changed in my life is how I begin my day, each morning. We constantly hear nutritionists exhorting the virtues of the first meal of the day. They tell us that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

More important than your breakfast, is the attitude of your heart before you launch out into each new day.

According to the Psalmist, God listens in to the meditations and thoughts of our heart. Most of us don’t really consider that prayer, but God is wanting to fulfill the real desires of our heart and meet our daily need. Sometimes, it's not what we verbalize that is our real cry, but what is truly in our heart and thoughts.

“In the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.”
Sometimes, it’s not even about adopting a positive attitude in life than discovering a Godly spiritual posture. It’s about maintaining spiritual altitude – looking up to the one who cares and who can do all things! For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You.
The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; you hate all workers of iniquity. You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; in fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple. Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make Your way straight before my face.
For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is destruction; their throat is an open tomb; they flatter with their tongue. Pronounce them guilty, O God! Let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions, for they have rebelled against You.
But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You. For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; with favour You will surround him as with a shield. Psalm 5:4-12
The Psalmist seems to be suggesting that believers ought to make choices contrary to popular opinion..."But as for me...but let all those who rejoice who put their trust in You."

Such "against the flow" choices make for happy outcomes in life.