The Psalms

In this month of January, I have started re-reading The Psalms. My most recent Blogs have been about praise, worship, and fellowship. In the Psalms, we find so very many passages about Praise and Worship.

I found some Psalm facts in the daily devotional, The Portals of Prayer.
I would like to share them with you:
1) The Psalms include the shortest (Psalm 117) and the longest (Psalm 119) chapters in the Bible.
2) Psalm 118 is the center point of the Bible.
3) The Psalms are quoted more frequently in The New Testament than any other book of the Old Testament.
4) Jesus' last words were from a Psalm (Psalm 31:5) “Into Thine hand I commit my Spirit”.
5) Colossians 3:16 indicates that by singing Psalms we are dwelling in The Word of Christ.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord”.

The Psalms can be used as a book of prayer. Whatever you are going through; whatever emotions you are feeling; or what ever your need might be; the Psalms can supply you with the necessary thoughts and words as you pray scripture back to The Lord. During the many times in life when we just don't know what to pray or how to pray, we can turn to the Psalms. He will direct us, teach us, comfort us, guide us, speak to us, and give us His assurance and peace. God hears our prayers as we praise and worship Him by lifting up His own words back to Him in prayer. Try it!

The Psalms show us that God was David's refuge and hiding place. David cried out to God in his trials, and also came to God giving the Lord his worship, praise, and thanksgiving throughout the Psalms. God asks us to come to Him in Spirit and in Truth just as David did. David knew that God's power was with him and he knew that God heard his prayers. God has given us the gift of faith and He wants us to be as certain of the knowledge of His presence as David was.

When I think about God being our refuge and hiding place, as so often is stated in The Psalms, I think about Corrie Ten Boom and her book “The Hiding Place”. God never left her, and her faith never wavered, even when imprisoned in a Nazi death camp. Her faith was incredible. God used her life, and her courageous testimony, in the lives of so many during and after the second world war. Her hidden Bible and the comfort of God's promises in the psalms and scriptures gave her the strength to survive during a time of suffering that we could not even imagine.

I also remember my friend, Heidi, when I think about the Psalms. When she was fighting her battle with cancer, God comforted her with His Word. When she cried out to the Lord, she experienced God speaking to her through scripture. I recall the evening when she telephoned me. She wanted to tell me how God had revealed himself to her and spoke to her spirit as she read Psalm 66. I have her name written by that Psalm in my Bible.
Psalm 66:16-20 says:
“Come and listen, all those who fear God, and I will tell you what He did for me.
For I cried out to Him for help, praising Him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, my Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer and did not withdraw His unfailing love from me”.
Heidi did not win her physical battle but she won her spiritual battle. She knew without a doubt that God and His love were real. She knew Him more dearly, she saw Him more clearly, and entered into a deeper relationship with Him. She and her Savior were walking together through her time of trial and suffering. God doesn't always take away our trials or answer our prayers as we would have wanted them to be answered, but when we meet Him, we know that we are never alone. This, He has promised in His Word.
Heidi died two years ago on February 14th, Valentine's day. She is my friend. My family and I loved her dearly. She is with The Lord and is waiting for us on the other side of eternity.
If you would like to read a little more about her journey of faith, I did post her testimony in my Blog last February.

The 23rd Psalm is a Psalm of comfort and promise. It is a Psalm which most of us have heard, read, or recited. It tells us that God is our Shepherd. Therefore, we are His sheep. He gives us rest, leads us into peaceful places, renews our strength, and guides us on to the right path. We are to recognize that following Him brings honor to His name as our God and our Shepherd. We are not to be afraid when we find ourselves in a valley experience of trial or even impending death because God is with us. His word is our rod and our staff. God's word is to us as a shepherd's hook is to a lost or hurting sheep. It is used to protect us, help us, guide us, and provide a refuge of safety as it directs us.
When we find ourselves in a valley or trial we must know that God knows where we are and He knows what we are going through. He does allow valley experiences. God wants our spirits to grow when we are in the valley's of life. The valley is a passageway, not a tunnel; we aren't to get stuck there. The journey through the valley, with God at our side, will lead us back to the mountain top. All things DO work for good (Romans 8:28) when we let God refine us, renew us, clear our vision, and teach us when we walk through the valley with Him. He will then accomplish His purpose and plan for our lives.
The Psalm ends by telling us that He will protect us from our enemies. He will anoint us, bless us, show us goodness, and show us His unfailing love for the rest of our lives into eternity.

Let us read the Psalms and pray the words of the Psalms back to our Lord. As we read them and pray them may we feel God's presence in our lives.

Psalm 25:8-10 says, “The Lord is good and does what is right;
He shows the proper path to those who go astray.
He leads the humble in what is right,
teaching them His way.
The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
all those who keep His covenant and obey His decrees”.

Psalm 27:1 says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation-
so why should I be afraid?”

Psalm 27:8 says, “my heart has heard you say, 'Come and talk with me.'
And my heart responds, 'Lord, I am coming.'”

Psalm 37;25 says, “I have never seen the godly forsaken.”

Psalm 150:6 says, “Let everything that lives, praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!”