Savoring the Scripture

Courage in Times of Deep Water Psalm 69 I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. Psalm 69:2 In our psalm today, David expresses his hardships in vivid language. We can sense his desperation when we read the first few verses that describe his difficulty with phrases like “the waters come up to my neck,” and “I sink in deep mire.” He continues, “I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.” He’s weary with his crying. His throat is parched  because of his continual cries. He is weary with waiting on God. We do not know the circumstances that have brought David to this place where he feels like he is drowning in affliction, but I’m thankful we do not have all the details. In his commentary on the Psalms, Longman says, “The troubles are not specific, which is in keeping with the purpose of the Psalms to provide templates of prayers for later worshippers who have similar, though not identical, issues.” Without specifics, we are able to insert ourselves ...

Protector of Widows Psalm 68 He is…the Protector of Widows. He is so glorious that he rides on the heavens, but so compassionate that he remembers the poor of the earth. How zealously ought his church to cherish those who are here marked out as Jehovah's especial charge. Charles Spurgeon The context of Psalm 68 is God as the Divine Warrior of His people. He scatters His enemies and all those who hate Him flee. The analogy the psalmist uses is that of wax melting before the fire, and so shall God’s enemies be. And because of the great deliverances He procures for His people, He is their Divine Warrior and their Great Champion. He is described as having chariots twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands (68:17). He is the God of salvation, who daily bears up His people, summoning His power on their behalf (68:19-20,28). And in this context, God declares Himself to be the Protector of widows (Psalm 68:5).  “Loss of a spouse is one of the most negative life events, next only to the ...

His Shining Face Psalm 67 The blessing of God’s shining face upon us is an indescribable benefit and guarantees that His Spirit is working among us. The Face of Blessing, Ligonier In Numbers 6:24-26, the Lord instructs Aaron and his sons to speak a blessing over the people of Israel. The blessing may be familiar: The LORD bless you and keep you;  The LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. In Psalm 67, the psalmist uses some of the language of the priestly blessing at the beginning of the psalm. He is requesting for God to be gracious to them, to bless them, and to make His face shine upon them. To have God’s face shining on them meant the near presence of the Lord to impart His life, His blessing, His favor on His people. What joy and security comes to God’s people when His face shines upon them!  At times it may feel that God is hiding His face from us. Several times in the psalms we see a des...

Tested and Tried Psalm 66 The reason the Lord holds you to the fire is not to punish you, but to reveal the splendor of Christ through your life. Mary Kassian  Proverbs 25:4 says, “Take away the dross from the silver and there comes out a vessel for the smith.” The purification of silver happens when silver goes through the process of heating. The dross, the worthless part and impurities, separates from the pure silver and can then be poured off. Through this process the silversmith obtains a useful substance, a vessel fit for the task of its master. Throughout Scripture God uses this analogy to describe His work in our lives. He tests us in the furnace of affliction (Isaiah 48:10). In the afflictions of life, He is refining us, purifying us. Peter tells us that though we are distressed by various trials, it is to show the genuineness of our faith, a faith more precious than gold or silver, tested by fire, to result in praise and honor and glory (1 Peter 1:6-7). And in Psalm 66, th...

The Blessings of His Bounty Psalm 65 This Psalm is filled with so much blessedness. After many psalms of lament where David has cried out to God during his hardships, he now sings a psalm of praise because God has answered his prayers.  Has God answered prayers for you? What I have found in myself is that even when God shows up in a big way and answers my calls for help, I am soon beset by another concern. And in my weakness and lack of faith, I’m worried and anxious again. I forget that the One who answered so many times before has already concerned Himself with my new worry. The faithful One from yesterday is still the same today and will be faithful again. For the forgetful heart and mind, let’s walk through the psalm and rejoice in God’s abundance poured out on His people. 🔳 65:2 “O you who hear prayer”—What a comfort for us to confidently know that He hears our prayers when we cry out to Him. He wants us to bring everything to Him in prayer and to rest in His care of us and o...

The Complaint God Hears  Psalm 64 “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me!” Perhaps we’ve all chanted that phrase on the school yard particularly after something hurtful has been said to us. While we wish words could never hurt us, too often we know the hard reality: words can hurt.  In Psalm 64, the psalmist is being attacked verbally. The enemy's words are being shot like arrows, used as swords, and coupled with evil purposes and secret plots (64:2-5). Their tongues were exactly as James describes, “the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity” (James 3:6). These wicked men thought God would not see. They were unconcerned about justice.  In this context, it would be easy for David to return evil for evil, to give as good as he got. It would be tempting to seek vengeance and exact his own justice. He could rehearse what has been done against him to others and rally people to his side. He could send Joab, the commander of his army, to seek ...

Thirsting for the Lord Psalm 63 A weary place and a weary heart make the presence of God the more desirable: if there be nothing below and nothing within to cheer, it is a thousand mercies that we may look up and find all we need. Charles Spurgeon This beautiful psalm was written while David was in the wilderness. How vividly he describes his soul’s desperate need for the Lord. In that dry place, he must’ve physically felt the yearning for water to quench the thirst of his body. He then uses the physical, desperate thirst to give us a metaphor for how his soul was thirsting, fainting, and earnestly seeking the Lord. Could these words describe your need for the Lord?  When your eyes open in the morning, are you thirsting for time with the Lord in His Word? When you go about your day, are you fainting for more of Him? Is His presence what you long for? Are you asking Him to give you eyes to behold His beauty and His power? This psalm drives me to ask these questions to myself.  ...

A Severe Mercy for Our Highest Good Psalm 62 You can never learn that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have. Corrie ten Boom In our western culture where GrubHub, over-the-counter medication, Kindle books, 2-day Amazon prime delivery (or same-day, depending on what you order), livestream, and countless other services designed to meet our every desire quickly, it can be hard to imagine an existence where we are left with only one necessary thing. With the surplus of our society, and the quick meeting of every need, how do we come to a place where we understand David’s statements in Psalm 62 where he repeats that he waits for God alone , and only He, the Lord, is David’s rock, salvation, and fortress?  I think the answer to that will be found in the hard places of life. The circumstances that leave us wondering what God is doing and how He could purpose good out of the mess we find ourselves. Those severe mercies: severe because they cause discomfort or hardship and t...

Lead Me to the Rock Psalm 61 Experience is the nurse of faith. From the past we gather arguments for present confidence. Charles Spurgeon  How quickly I can feel faint as a mother. The physical demands of mothering coupled with the weightiness of the task results in tiredness, weariness, and concern. So many demands from my children (I still have 6 at home!), the expectation of those outside, and my own earnest desires can mount up to discouragement and being overwhelmed, if I’m resting in my own strength. But like David in Psalm 61, I must practice daily, “when my heart is faint, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” And what a great Rock we have! His way is perfect. All His ways are just. He is a God of faithfulness and without injustice. Righteous and upright is He (Deuteronomy 32:4). He is the Rock of our salvation (Deuteronomy 32:15), our fortress, and our deliverer (2 Samuel 22:2). He is not deaf to us, and He is the rock of our strength (Psalm 28:1; 31:2). We need this...

The Persevering Valiant Pilgrim Psalm 60 Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear. Franklin D. Roosevelt In Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress , Christian reaches the house of the Interpreter, and the Interpreter shows him many things in order that he may be instructed. Interpreter shows Christian a scene in which is a beautiful castle where he can see people clothed in gold walking there. Christian sees many men who desire to gain entrance to the castle and yet lack the courage, as there are armed men near the entrance who will assail any man who tries to enter the castle. But then Christian sees another man approach, a man Bunyan describes as determined to enter and resolute in appearance. This man, though opposed with deadly force when he tries to enter the castle, does not get discouraged, but rather he applies himself fiercely to the fight. And though he receives many wounds, he also gives many. With courage, this perse...

Watching and Waiting Psalm 59 May God teach us the blessedness of waiting on Him. Andrew Murray  “O my Strength, I will watch for you” (Psalm 59:9).  David writes these words when his life is yet again in danger. He needs the Lord’s help and protection. In confidence, he says, “I will watch for You.” David is keeping vigil, waiting and expecting the Lord’s help.  When our family is expecting visitors, especially sweet friends or family, my younger children like to pull up chairs to the large windows in the front of our house and watch the road for the arrival of our guests. The anticipation of the arrival of guests means my children are watching while they are waiting. They’re eagerly looking down the road to see the first sign of the guest’s car. And to me this serves as a good picture of our posture while we wait for the Lord. These ideas of waiting and watching are connected in the Scriptures.  In Psalm 130, the psalmist cries, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O L...

Little Daggers from the Psalms The Psalms for Fighting the Spiritual Battles And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:17‬ ‭ESV‬‬ A pithy comment or piece of writing is short, direct, and full of meaning (Collins). In the Psalms, we have many such meaningful, short phrases that are excellent weapons to carry with us throughout the day to help us fight those spiritual battles that we face. For some, it may be difficult to memorize and then recite in a moment an entire verse. But what if there was one phrase or one line that could roll off your tongue right in that moment to remind yourself of truth? The Psalms are filled with many of these kinds of phrases that are a cry to Him, reminding you of truth, setting your hope in God, and are exactly the weapon you need in the daily battle.  I have made a list of some of these from the more recent Psalms through which we have prayed. See if there is one that would be helpful fo...