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Psalm 14 The fool says in his heart,      “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;      there is no one who does good. The  Lord  looks down from heaven      on all mankind to see if there are any who understand,      any who seek God.   All have turned away,  all have become corrupt;      there is no one who does good,      not even one.   Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people  as though eating bread;      they never call on the  Lord .   But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,      for God is present in the company of the righteous.   You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,      but the  Lord  is their refuge. Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!      When the  Lord  restores  his people,      let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad! - David is giving us a parallel here. We see two people described here. There is the person who says that there is n

Psalm 13 How long,  Lord ? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long will I store up anxious concerns within me, agony in my mind every day? How long will my enemy dominate me? Consider me and answer,  Lord  my God. Restore brightness to my eyes; otherwise, I will sleep in death. My enemy will say, “I have triumphed over him,” and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken. But I have trusted in your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in your deliverance. I will sing to the  Lord because he has treated me generously. - I don't know about you, but I am asking the same questions David is asking here, "how long?" So many of us are sharing up anxious concerns during this time with Covid-19. But look at David's words at the end here. He has trusted in the Lord and will continue to praise him. He acknowledged that he was concerned and scared and anxious. But, at the end of the day,

Psalm 12 Help,  Lord , for no faithful one remains; the loyal have disappeared from the human race. 2  They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts. 3  May the  Lord  cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaks boastfully. 4  They say, “Through our tongues we have power; our lips are our own—who can be our master?”  5  “Because of the devastation of the needy and the groaning of the poor, I will now rise up,” says the  Lord . “I will provide safety for the one who longs for it.” 6  The words of the  Lord  are pure words, like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times. 7  You,  Lord , will guard us; you will protect us from this generation forever. 8  The wicked prowl all around, and what is worthless is exalted by the human race. -  We talk about this a lot in the Warehouse: the importance of reading our Bibles. Look at what this Psalm says, "

Psalm 11 In the  Lord  I take refuge.      How then can you say to me:      “Flee  like a bird to your mountain. For look, the wicked bend their bows;      they set their arrows  against the strings to shoot from the shadows      at the upright in heart. When the foundations  are being destroyed,      what can the righteous do?” The  Lord  is in his holy temple;      the  Lord  is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth;      his eyes examine  them. The  Lord  examines the righteous,      but the wicked, those who love violence,      he hates with a passion. On the wicked he will rain      fiery coals and burning sulfur;      a scorching wind  will be their lot. For the  Lord  is righteous,      he loves justice;      the upright  will see his face(NIV). - Lately, I have been stuck meditating on the rule of God. At times like this, life can feel out of control and chaotic. But, I love that David reminds us tha

Psalm 10 Why,  Lord , do you stand far off?      Why do you hide yourself  in times of trouble? In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,      who are caught in the schemes he devises. He boasts  about the cravings of his heart;      he blesses the greedy and reviles the  Lord . In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;      in all his thoughts there is no room for God. His ways are always prosperous;      your laws are rejected by him;      he sneers at all his enemies. He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”      He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.” His mouth is full  of lies and threats;      trouble and evil are under his tongue. He lies in wait  near the villages;      from ambush he murders the innocent. His eyes watch in secret for his victims; like a lion in cover he lies in wait      to catch the helpless;      he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net. His victims are

Psalm Nine I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you. For you have upheld my right and my cause; you have sat on your throne, judging righteously. You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name for ever and ever. Endless ruin has overtaken the enemy, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished. The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgement. He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the people with justice. The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,  a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has

Psalm Eight O LORD, our Lord,  How majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants  you have established strength because of your foes,  to still the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the work  of your fingers,  the moon and the stars,  which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the  works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,  all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord,  how majestic is your name in all the earth! -  I love this Psalm! It's a Psalm of praise to the Lord. Sometimes, when life fee

Psalm Seven O LORD my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me, or they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me. O LORD my God, if I have done this  and there is guilt on my hands -  if i have done evil to him who is at peace with me or without cause have robbed my foe -  then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground  and make me sleep in the dust. Arise, O LORD, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice. Let the assembled people gather around you. Rule over them from on high; let the LORD judge the peoples. Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High. O righteous God,  who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure. My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteo

Psalm Six Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am faint; heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish. How long, LORD, how long? Turn, LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love. Among the dead no one proclaims your name. Who praises you from the grave? I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes. Away from me, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping. The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer. All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish; they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame (NIV). - I think that one reason why I really love reading through the Psalms is because we can see the realness of David. David was raw and honest. Just look at this Psalm. he cries out with angu

Psalm Five Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing, Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men  the LORD abhors. But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple. Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies -  make straight your way before me. Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit. Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins,  for they have rebelled against you.  But let all who take refuge in

Psalm Four Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer. How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call to him. In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. offer right sacrifices and trust in the LORD. Many are asking, "who can show us any good?" Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety (NIV). - Hanging above my bed is a painting of the last words of this Psalm. "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety". I know that many of us, if our

Psalm Three O Lord, how many are my foes!  How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, "God will not deliver me." But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. I lie down and sleep: I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side. Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people (NIV). - I am sure that many of us feel like David did here. As he wrote these words, he was fleeing from his son who was leading a rebellion against him. David had to flee all that he knew and all that was comfortable. Right now, as we are stuck in our homes, we feel a bit like this. We have had to leave all that was comfortable and routine. People around

Psalm Two Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves,  and the rulers take counsel together,  against the LORD and against his  Anointed, saying, "Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us." He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, "As for me, I have set my King  on Zion, my holy hill." I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and

Psalm One Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the  judgment, not sinners in the congregation of the  righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish (ESV). - I know that you have some time on your hands now and whether we like it or hate it, it opens the door for us to really spend time with God. I think it's fitting that just a few months ago, we talked about the importance of practicing the Spiritual Disciples. Take this time to foster some of the Spiritual Disciplines in your life such as readi