Psalms 34: What an uplifting time it is to read Psalms 34! It’s packed full with reminders of Who God is, His powers, His mercy, His justice—all of the good things about God, and the comfort it is to have Him. My favorite verse is Psalms 34:18a—“The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart” (NKJV). Thank you, God, for being near us when we are at our lowest. Thank you that we don’t have to face this life alone!
Psalms 35: I can’t imagine being in David’s situation—running and hiding for my life, watching a whole group of people laughing at me and waiting for my downfall. This is literally one of my worst nightmares! I love that David speaks so plainly to God, asking Him for victory, and also asking “How long is it going to take for you to come rescue me?” I think it’s okay to ask God “Why?”. Maybe I’m wrong—I’ve heard a lot of opinions on both sides. But he already knows our hearts, right? He already knows that we’ve been wondering why about a stuff. We can’t hide from God. Why not just speak plainly? I used to think I had to have the exact right words to approach God, to pray, etc. But the more I read the Bible, the more I see evidence of people, and even Jesus Himself, just praying out of the emotion of the moment. Next time you are trying to pray, try talking to God as you would a friend, or a parent, because He’s both of those things. We don’t have to hide our true selves from Him. We can’t if we wanted to!
Psalms 36: Another great psalm about God’s power, wisdom, and faithfulness overcoming everything in our way! I especially love verse 6b: “O Lord, You preserve man and beast” (NKJV). I think you can learn a lot about someone from how they treat animals. Here, God shows His love for all of His creation, including both humans and animals. I have prayed for my pets before, and we need to remember that these requests are great to bring before God, because He does care. My dear friend Nellean, a member of this church, said to me one time after my cat died, “God cares about this. He loves what you love.” I had never heard it put that way before, but maybe that is part of what the incarnation was, when God became Man. Did Jesus ever lose a pet? Did He experience the pain of that kind of loss? I think he may have as part of the human experience, but maybe not. What I’m positive about is that he cares about each pet we bring into our lives, and the pain we feel when we say goodbye is His pain, too. Isn’t that a comfort for you pet people that God cares about animals?
Psalms 37: I feel like I could write a page about every single verse in this psalm. Wow. In general, David is comparing the life of the evil with the life of the righteous. It seems unfair that the evil prosper and the righteous are barely getting by. But that’s just what we see on the surface. The reality is, the small amount of whatever we have is so much better than the plenty of the wicked. If we delight in the Lord and rest in Him he will give us the desires of our hearts. I have seen this come true in my life time and again. As someone who is not particularly righteous but is genuinely trying to do the right thing, I am so grateful for His mercy and provision. I know I don’t deserve the life I have, but God gives abundantly and blesses me anyway. I just LOVE this psalm.
Psalms 38: David spends a lot of time admitting he is a sinner and has gotten into a trouble he made up for himself. I will never forget the humility of Melinda, a recent Tabitha House graduate, who stood before the church and talked about how her life had gone in the wrong direction because of choices she made. It was such a challenge to me to also own up to when I am in a bad situation of my own making, like David is here. But again, God doesn’t give us what we deserve. He gives us so much better, and when we come to Him with a humble heart, confessing our sin, He forgives us every time. When we are living in sin, we do feel far from God, but when we call on Him, He always answers. You are never too far gone to ask for God to be near to you!
Psalms 39: This is an unusual psalm in many ways, but it’s a psalm I relate to. David is trying not to say anything that makes God look bad. I can’t remember a time since becoming a Christian where I’ve been ashamed to say I’m a Christian. But it’s an extra weight. You can’t drive with a church bumper sticker on your car and then cut someone off in traffic and expect them to join you at church. So when I’m hanging out with non-Christian friends and they know I’m a Christian, what if I say something that makes me look like a bad person, and that reflects on God? Yikes. It’s a responsibility to carry the name of Christ.
David says he doesn’t want to even open his mouth because if he complains, it makes it sound like God isn’t caring for him. But that silence burns inside of him until he opens his mouth and it becomes a prayer. I love verse 7, when David says, “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you” (NKJV). He asks God for some perspective, and what he concludes is that life is super short, and he’s just stopping here on earth for a short time. The perspective he comes to? God controls our circumstances, and we should just follow Him as much as we can.
Let’s all focus on following God this week, waiting patiently on Him. The Christmas holiday can be difficult for many, but you are not alone. He is near you. Cling to Him.
Blessings to you.
Alexandra Shloss
