“I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and He will hear me. God, Your way is holy. What god is great like God? You are the God who works wonders; You revealed Your strength among the peoples. With power You redeemed Your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah”
Psalms 77:1‭, ‬13‭-‬15

Authorship of Psslm 77 is given to Asaph and it’s entitled “Confidence In A Time Of Crisis”. As we’ve seen time and again through the book of Psalms, this psalm’s author is making a conscience choice, despite how he feels, what he sees or what seems to be true in his life, to trust God. In vs 1, he cries out to God, Whom he’s sure will hear and answer him. Why? Not because of what he sees, not because of how he feels, but based on God’s Word, His power and upon what He’s done in the past, the psalmist is CHOOSING to trust God.
Speaking to God he states to Him, “Your way is holy”–in other words, You’re not going to do an unholy thing or act in an unholy manner. He then asks God (rhetorically) “what (other) god is great like God?” “You’re the One Who works wonders, shows Your strength and redeems Your own people”. The writer is asking for evidence of how another god has acted so benevolently on the behalf of his people. He finds none.
The writer spends the rest of the psalm assuring himself that God has not changed, that He still cares for and will rescue His people, whether they deserve it or not!
Why is it that when we are experiencing the blessings of God, we find it so easy to praise Him, but when we’re experiencing hardships, sometime that are direct consequences for our own poor choices or actions, we become eager to blame God? God’s not changed! He’s Word’s not faltered! Sometimes, just like this author, we have to make the CHOICE to trust God.
In a sense, this psalmist was saying “I’m going to call upon You God to save me based on what I know You’ve done in the past, not based on what I see and how I feel right now!”
Call out to God based on Who He Is!

Think about it

“May God be gracious to us and bless us; look on us with favor (Selah) so that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, God; let all the peoples praise You. Let the nations rejoice and shout for joy, for You judge the peoples with fairness and lead the nations on earth. (Selah) Let the peoples praise You, God, let all the peoples praise You. The earth has produced its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear Him.” Psalms 67:1‭-‬7

Though Psalm 67 is officially annonous, it was probably written by David (based on its synoptic content with his other writings). He wrote it for the choir director and said, “here, sing this sometime”!
He starts with asking God to bless the entire congregation-in his case, the entire Nation of Israel. He asks God to give them His favor-tangible evidence that God is one our side!

Next, he writes “selah” which was a musical pause, allowing the worshippers a time to meditate on the last phrase. So David’s saying, “God, bless us and give us Your favor”, now worshipper, stop and thk about what this looks like in your life”! (I personally believe this was a lyrical pause whr music continued and people personally and sometimes even corporately sang a new song or sang in the Spirit.)

The Psalmist continues, telling God to make His way and salvation known to ALL peoples, not just his.
He then calls all the people of the earth-every nation, to join him in praising God! He continues, “Let the nations rejoice & shout for joy, for You judge the peoples with fairness & lead the nations on earth.” The call is for all to praise and worship God Who judges all fairly. Then there’s another “Selah” . . .

The Psalmist finishes his psalm with another, “let all the peoples, all the nations, everyone on earth praise God”, for God has made the earth to produce food for all and blesses all!

There are MANY things we, the people of the earth hold in common that are straight up blessings from God. As we move thru our daily lives, we should honor God by bringing these things to peoples notice and by willingly and openingly praising God for them.

Think about it!

“Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me, for I take refuge in You. I will seek refuge in the shadow of Your wings until danger passes. I call to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me. He reaches down from heaven and saves me, challenging the one who tramples me. Selah God sends His faithful love and truth. I am surrounded by lions; I lie down with those who devour men. Their teeth are spears and arrows; their tongues are sharp swords. God, be exalted above the heavens; let Your glory be over the whole earth.”
Psalms 57:1‭-‬5

I Samuel 22-24 tells the story from which this Psalm was written. David was running from Saul, the king of Israel who was trying to kill him because he thought David was trying to dethrone him. David had a small army of 400 men and his family who joined him in a cave in Adullam. Saul and his army go out to find and kill him.

Unable to find David, Saul stops to use the restroom and chooses the very cave David and his squad is hiding in! Saul is so close to David, and in a compromised condition, that David actually sneaks up behind Saul as he’s squated down and cuts a corner if his robe off. Still, David refuses to kill Saul and prohibits his men from doing so out of respect for Saul office as “king” and out of respect for God, Who had selected and anointed Saul as the king.

When Saul was funished and had gone down the hill from the cave, David shouted fown to him, “now you have proof that I will not kill you because I had the perfect chance, yet slared you–here’s a piece of your robe to prove it!
Consequently, Saul was convinced and quit chasing David and Saul also realizes that David would some day become the king when he died.

David did become king and led Israel to and thru it’s best times in history!
So David writes, “be graceous to me God, for I’m depending on You, trusting in You and hiding in You”! David declares that he will continue to hide in God’s shadow, literally under the “shadow of Your (God’s) wings-symbolic of being in the very presence of God, in the holy of holies, on the ark of the covenant, under the cheribim’s wings, where no one in their right mind would go (because they would die in God’s holy presence)! David literally ran TO GOD in days of trouble!
In vs 2, David calls out yo God, Whom he knew would save him (vs 3).

David knew God would save and fulfill His purpose for him (vs. 2), even though he was surrounded by those, who like hungry lions, wanted to devour him!

David trusted God, so he sings (twice-vss 5 and 11) “God, be exalted above the heavens; let Your glory be over the whole earth.”

Who or what are you relying on to protect you today? Money? A job? Your own ingenuity? Or have you maybe given up on even having a God given destiny?

Just like David, God has a plan for you. Just like David, God will protect you to carry out His plan for you! Just like David, you can hide in God’s presence and trust Him. What will you do?

Think about it!

“Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. For the LORD Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth.
He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.
He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom He loved. God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the LORD amid the sounding of
trumpets. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to Him a psalm of praise.
God reigns over the nations; God is seated on His holy throne.The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.” Psalm 47:1-9

The author of Psalm 47 is one of the sons of Korah. He encourages the congregation to, within the worship setting, CLAP and SHOUT as expressions of joy and adoration to God, Most High, and why not?  When we attend a sporting event whether it’s a professional game or our child’s league game, do we not do these things to cheer our team on or to show our pleasure for what our team has done? Of course we do, yet we feel that we must sit attentively, quietly, almost lamentingly in a worship setting, when Psalm 47 tells us to shout out our praises to God!

The son of Korah then gives us a long list of reason for such radical praise . . .
vs. 2 God is AWESOME and is the KING over ALL the earth!
vs. 3 He’s subdue (brought into submission) the other nations under us (Israel)
vs. 4 He gives us an inheritance

The son of Korah than writes that God “ascends (to His throne) with shouts of joy and the sound of trumpets (sounds like a King)!

We’re then instructed to sing praises to God, our King, and a song of wisdom (maskil—Hebrew song made to provoke thought), to the King of the earth Who reigns over the nations and Who is seated on His Holy throne. (vs. 6-8)
In the psalm’s closing verse (10), we see a word picture of all of the earth’s kings and leaders assembling together to worship God Who is not only the King of kings, but Who literally owns the other leaders of the earth!
Often, when we look at the current events happening on our earth—the oppressions, wars, injustices and wicked leaders, it’s easy to become alarmed. We, like the writer of Psalm 47, have to stop and remind ourselves of Who is in control of earth’s events and Who is worthy of all of our allegiance! It’s Jesus—King of kings and Lord of lords, Who reigns over all the earth.

Think about it!

“My spirit is weak within me; my heart is overcome with dismay. I remember the days of old; I meditate on all You have done; I reflect on the work of Your hands. I spread out my hands to You; I am like parched land before You. Selah Let me experience Your faithful love in the morning, for I trust in You. Reveal to me the way I should go because I long for You. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. May Your gracious Spirit lead me on level ground.”
(from Psalm 143)

King David, who reigned over Israel and who wrote much of the book of Psalms, experienced many great times and yet many tragic times in life. Psalm 143, which became a famous Israeli hymn, calls out to God during significant hardship–here’s just a few verses from it.

In vs 4, David describes very candidly how he feels: My spirit is weak, my heart is overwhelmed and I’m depressed. David is honest with God!

In vs 5, David breaks off his depression, like you break the ice of a frozen pond-“I remember . . .David writes and prays. I remember the old days of hanging out with You God! I reflect and mediate on what You’ve done for me in the past!

In vs 6, I spread my hands out to You, God. By doing so, I choose to praise You in the midst of difficulties, I surrender my will to You and I position myself to recieve blessings from Your hands, for left to myself, I’m parched, empty and dry. I need You to refresh me, God!

In Vs 8 David prays that God will remind him of His faithful love in the morning -because God’s mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3:23), and obtainable to all who look to God for them. David declairs his trust in God and asks God to show Him the way he should go.

In vs 10, David asks God to teach him to do His will, “for You are my God!” By Your gracious Spirit (Whom David obviously knew personally, even though Psalms is an Old Testament book) lead me on level ground. I believe David means emotionally when he prays this-he’s obviously experiencing highs and lows emotionally. What struggles do you have today? Do like David-tell God the truth of how you feel! Reflect on what God’s done for you in the past, what He’s brought you through-battles He’s won for you! Position your heart and perhaps even your hands to praise Him, despite the trouble, surrender to Him and recieve from Him! He’s there for you just as He was for David!

Think about it!

Trust in the Lord and do what is good; dwell in the land and live securely. Take delight in the Lord , and He will give you your heart’s desires. Commit your way to the Lord ; trust in Him, and He will act, making your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday. Refrain from anger and give up your rage; do not be agitated — it can only bring harm. For evildoers will be destroyed, but those who put their hope in the Lord will inherit the land. The Lord watches over the blameless all their days, and their inheritance will last forever. I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned or his children begging for bread. Turn away from evil and do what is good, and dwell there forever.
Psalms 37:3‭-‬6‭, ‬8-9, 18‭, ‬25‭-‬25‭, ‬27

Psalm 37, written by David, is more of a summary of life statement rather than a song. He was obviously old and wise when he wrote it and he compares the life of the righteous with the life of the evil-doer.
He begins with the advise to trust in God and do good things. That is synoptic with dwelling safely. In other words, to trust in God and immulate His life is to dwell safely, no matter where you live! I’ve know people who hesitated to do God’s will because doing so looked unsafe. David’s principle would contented that to be a doer of God’s will is the safest place you could live!

Next, David advises us to delight in God and He would give, in exchange, reward us with our heart’s desires! He then tells us to commite our way to God and trust Him and that God, in turn, would display His righteousness (His character displayed in right choices) and His justice (fairness and goodness) through us like a brilliant sunrise or the blazing, noonday sun! In other words, those qualities in us would be unmistakably obviouslol
David then tells us to “give up anger” as the prosperity of the wicked, but rather to wait for God is prosper us!This very statement tells me that no matter how bad life
has been or how meanly people have treated us, it is POSSIBLE TO CHOOSE to lay our anger aside and give it to God! He says in this same verse that our anger will only bring us harm. He plainly states that “evil doers will be destroyed, but that those who trust in God will inherite the land”. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for an inheritance! God further promises that, “The Lord watches over the blameless all their days, and their inheritance will last forever.” (Vs 18)

David then makes a profound statement, “I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned or his children begging for bread.” (Vs 25). David has lived 70 years. He’s ran from his enemies and ruled over his kingdom, but in all that time and experience had NEVER know of God to abandon the righteous! He’s NEVER seen even his off-spring begging! Good advise and incentive for us to live righteously and claim God’s promises!

We, like David did as a young boy, should choose to live life God’s way today! The benefits far outweigh to struggles!

Think about it!

“The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom should I be afraid? I have asked one thing from the Lord ; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking Him in His temple. Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord cares for me. I am certain that I will see the Lord ’s goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord ; be strong and courageous. Wait for the Lord.” Psalms 27:1‭, ‬4‭-‬4‭, ‬10‭, ‬13‭-‬14

Psalm 27, written by David, proclaims his boldness, because of God’s goodness. David says, because God is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? Because God is my Rock-my Stronghold-my hiding place, what reason do I have for being afraid?

He says that there’s only one thing I lack-only one thing I desire from the Lord: to live in His Presence or to live in constant communion with Him. David desired pure, unbroken fellowship with God. He said, “this is what I seek”. He wanted to stay in a place spiritually where he’d never forget God’s beauty. Incidently, that “place” is called gratitude. Those who have a thankful heart never forget God’s goodness and beauty!

David says, “even if mom and dad abandon me, God will stick with me”! That’s something to remember on a lonely day! He then expresses his certainty that he’ll see God’s goodness in this life, and I am certain that we will too!

Finally, David ends with good advice to himself and to us, his readers. He says, “wait for the Lord, and while you wait, be strong and courageous!” In general, when the Bible tells us to wait, it doesn’t mean to hunker down and hold on in fear, it means to continue serving God, like a waiter serves a table, and to have confidence in His ability to move on our behalf. What great advise this is! God’s no different now than He was then. He still loves us! He still protects and provides for us! Cry out to Him with your needs!
Be confident in His ability and willingness to save you, and keep serving Him in the meantime!

Think about it!

“Lord , hear a just cause; pay attention to my cry; listen to my prayer — from lips free of deceit. You have tested my heart; You have examined me at night. You have tried me and found nothing evil; I have determined that my mouth will not sin. I call on You, God, because You will answer me; listen closely to me; hear what I say. But I will see Your face in righteousness; when I awake, I will be satisfied with Your presence.”
Psalms 17:1‭, ‬3‭, ‬6‭‭, ‬15

Psalm 17 is yet another Psalm where David is crying out to God to save him from his enemies. Before we judge David for seeming being oppsessed about having God rescue him, we should interstand that David really did spend about a quarter of his years being pursued by various people whose intent was to kill him! He had called out to God time and time again to save him and God really had miraculously rescused him every time!
From Philistines to jealous kings to his own obsessive son, David had
hard-core enemies.
Upon his death, David was remembered as a man “after God’s owe heart”. David desired uninterupted fellowship with God. Repeatedly in the Psalms, we find him asking God to seach his heart for sin or for even a trace of an attitude that would offend God (Psalm 139:1, 23-24, Psalm 51:1). Obviously, he’s already asked God for that in this Psalm. He states to God, “my cause is just, my lips have not lied or decieved, for You (God) have searched me”!
David was confident that if he would call on God, God would answer him (vs 6), so he made that his habit. I wonder what would happen if we made God our number1 “go-to” solution, instead of our last resort-how different life might look?
David finishes his psalm by saying “though my enemies surrond me (vs 9), “when I awake, I will be satisfied with Your Presence.” To awake means that he must have had the confidence in God’s protection to lie down and sleep. He also expects God to satisfy his deepest needs. What’s your relationship with God like? Do you rely on Him?

Think about it!

“Yahweh my God, I seek refuge in You; save me from all my pursuers and rescue me or they will tear me like a lion, ripping me apart with no one to rescue me. Let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous. The One who examines the thoughts and emotions is a righteous God. My shield is with God, Who saves the upright in heart. I will thank the Lord for His righteousness; I will sing about the name of Yahweh the Most High.”
Psalms 7:1‭-‬2‭, ‬9‭-‬10‭, ‬17

Psalm 7 is called a “Shiggaion”. Its one of only 2 found in the entire Bible (the other one is Haggai 1). Here, David has been falsely accused of being slaunderous by Cush, the Benjaminite. David, as usual seeks to find his refuse in God. He asks God to save him from these pursuers tear him to pieces (literally).

He asks God to allow the evil to fail and the righteous to be established. He remembers that the One capable of examining our thoughts and emotions is God and he asks Him to make sure his are pure.
His next statement is amazing: he says, My shield is with God, Who saves the upright in heart.” David literally see himself as being hidden in God. God, Himself is David’s sheild-in modern terms, his bullit proof vest, proecting his vital body parts, only his includes his head! HE LITERALLY TRUSTS GOD TO PROTECT HIM!

He finishes his song with, “I will thank the Lord for His righteousness; I will sing about the name of Yahweh the Most High.”

David had a special relationship with God. He had seen God move on his behalf many times before and his expectations of God were very high. He expected God to protect him, to deliver him and to bring him through any difficulty he might face.
What or Who is your shield? Mine is Jesus Christ, Whose blood covers all my sins and protects me from satan’s schemes.

Think about it

“Yahweh my God, I seek refuge in You; save me from all my pursuers and rescue me or they will tear me like a lion, ripping me apart with no one to rescue me. Let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous. The One who examines the thoughts and emotions is a righteous God. My shield is with God, Who saves the upright in heart. I will thank the Lord for His righteousness; I will sing about the name of Yahweh the Most High.”
Psalms 7:1‭-‬2‭, ‬9‭-‬10‭, ‬17

Psalm 7 is called a “Shiggaion”. Its one of only 2 found in the entire Bible (the other one is Haggai 1). Here, David has been falsely accused of being slaunderous by Cush, the Benjaminite. David, as usual seeks to find his refuse in God. He asks God to save him from these pursuers tear him to pieces (literally).

He asks God to allow the evil to fail and the righteous to be established. He remembers that the One capable of examining our thoughts and emotions is God and he asks Him to make sure his are pure.
His next statement is amazing: he says, My shield is with God, Who saves the upright in heart.” David literally see himself as being hidden in God. God, Himself is David’s sheild-in modern terms, his bullit proof vest, proecting his vital body parts, only his includes his head! HE LITERALLY TRUSTS GOD TO PROTECT HIM!

He finishes his song with, “I will thank the Lord for His righteousness; I will sing about the name of Yahweh the Most High.”

David had a special relationship with God. He had seen God move on his behalf many times before and his expectations of God were very high. He expected God to protect him, to deliver him and to bring him through any difficulty he might face.
What or Who is your shield? Mine is Jesus Christ, Whose blood covers all my sins and protects me from satan’s schemes.

Think about it