Tag Archives: Psalm

Erupt in praise (Psalm 149), November 14, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Psalms 149

Set – Psalms 149; 1 Corinthians 15

Go! – Psalms 149; 1 Corinthians 15-16

Psalms 149
1 Praise the Eternal!
Write new songs; sing them to Him with all your might!
Gather with His faithful followers in joyful praise;
2 Let all of Israel celebrate their Maker, their God, their friend;
let the children of Zion find great joy in their true King.
3 So let the music begin; praise His name—dance and sing
to the rhythm of the tambourine, and to the tune of the harp.
4 For the Eternal is listening, and nothing pleases Him more than His people;
He raises up the poor and endows them with His salvation.
5 Let His faithful followers erupt in praise,
singing triumphantly wherever they are, even as they lie down for sleep in the evening.
6 With the name of God and praise in their mouths,
with a two-edged sword in their hands,
7 Let them take revenge on all nations who deny God.
Let them punish the peoples.
8 Kings and nobles will be locked up,
and their freedom will be bound in iron shackles.
9 This judgment against them, decreed by a holy God, will be carried out.
It’s an honor for all His faithful followers to serve Him.
Praise the Eternal!

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Sing a new song to the Lord. Let My faithful followers erupt in praise wherever they are… . I like that. I’m listening for that kind of response to My grace and mercy on your behalf. Do you ever stop to think about what I’ve done for you in the middle of the day or when you go to bed at night? Does it make you want to erupt in praise?

I love to the hear the praises of those who acknowledg Me as their Lord. I love to hear the music they make in their heart. I love to see them lift their eyes and their hands to heaven and sound the uncontained joy they feel as they remember the blessings I give them each day, the rescue from the penalty of sin, the new life they have because of the life I gave for them. I love to hear their praise.

So many times, though, the people I died for just go about their lives doing the things they’ve always done. They just live and die without acknowledging the blessings they receive. They never give thanks for the miracles I perform in their lives. They never stop to think about the life I give them each day, the food I provide, the air I give them, the water they drink that comes from Me. They just muddle through each day without thought of the God of creation.

David wasn’t special in any particular way except he worshiped Me. And so I honored him for it. Paul wasn’t special in any particular way except he often erupted in praise. So I honored him for it. Job didn’t have any special traits except he praised Me often and I reciprocated. Those you call heroes in My word didn’t have exceptional traits. They didn’t stand out in the crowd.

The thing all of those Bible heroes had in common, though, they erupted in praise…often. They lifted their hearts to Me in praise. They sang new songs to Me rejoicing in the freedom they enjoyed in their life with Me. They honored Me with their voice.

Don’t be afraid to lift your voice to Me. Don’t be afraid to erupt in praise. Don’t worry about what others might think about you. Don’t worry about the world’s thoughts. Just erupt in praise to Me because of what I’ve done for you. I like it…a lot. I’ll honor you for doing so. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Learn from David’s prayer (Psalm 144), August 27, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Psalms 144

Set – Psalms 144; Revelation 1

Go! – Jeremiah 52; Psalms 143-144; Revelation 1

Psalms 144
1 Blessed be the Eternal, my rock.
He trains my hands for war, gives me the skills I need for battle.
2 He is my unfailing love and my citadel.
He is my tower of strength and my deliverer.
He is my shield of protection and my shelter;
He holds my people in check under me.
3 O Eternal One, what is man, that You even care to know him?
or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?
4 Humans are like a passing breath;
their time on earth is like a shadow that passes over us during the day and soon is gone.
5 Eternal One, stretch out an opening in the heavens, and descend.
Touch the mountains, and make them smoke.
6 Send forth bolts of lightning, and scatter my enemies.
Shoot Your fiery arrows, and rout the enemy.
7 Reach down from Your high place;
save me out of the great waters;
rescue me from the grasp of these foreigners
8 Who speak only lies
and don’t have truth in their deeds.
9 To You, my God, I will sing a new song;
I will sing Your sweet praises to the sound of a ten-stringed harp,
10 For You deliver kings from their enemies
and You rescue Your servant, David, from the sword of evil.
11 Rescue me,
and save me from the grasp of these foreigners
Who speak only lies
and don’t have truth in their deeds.
12 May our sons be like healthy plants
as they grow and mature,
And may our daughters be like the corner pillars
that decorate a palace.
13 May our storehouses be full
with abundant supplies of every crop,
And may the flocks of our fields
multiply into thousands and tens of thousands!
14 May our cattle be strong and productive,
without miscarriage, without loss,
and may there be no riots or protests in our streets!
15 Happy are the people for whom all this is true;
happy are the people whose God is the Eternal!

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Did you notice David’s pattern of prayer in his psalm? He recognized who I am. He asked for protection. He praised Me again. He asked for protection. He gives a blessing to My people. That’s not a bad way to think about prayer. Praise and blessings need to outweigh your petitions. But then, when you focus your attention on Me, it will.

As you walk with Me, you’ll find your prayers turning that direction. It’s not that I’m not interested in your petitions. I am. I’m interested in every aspect of your life. But you’ll find that the closer you walk with Me, you’ll become more interested in My plans than yours. You’ll want to know more about what I want from you than what you want from Me. You’ll begin to see the world around you from a whole new perspective. You begin to see with kingdom eyes.

I told you that you would be in the world but not of the world. You’ll see the world with My eyes. You’ll see it’s needs. You’ll see it’s evil. You’ll see it’s false wisdom. You’ll see it’s idolatry. You’ll see it’s selfishness. You’ll see it running toward hell.

You will see My tears as I cry for My creation and long for souls to listen to My followers. You’ll see My tears as those who say they believe in Me sit on the side lines and watch passively as thousands around them race past them oblivious to the fact that they are destined for destruction. You’ll see why I sorrow as you observe the spiritual state of humankind. And you’ll long to do something about it.

Like David and My prophets you will pray. You will ask Me to intervene and praise Me for what I’ve done for you. You will recognize My power to save and sing praises because of it. You will ask Me to help you stop the flood of people rushing toward destruction and praise Me for using you in whatever way I choose to do so. You will ask Me to bless all who are part of My plan to share the message of salvation and pour out your heart to Me in thanksgiving because of who I am and what I do for you each day.

Walk with Me and watch your prayer life change. David’s did. All My followers change because I won’t let you stay the way you are. I want you to become more like Me. Dig in and learn from Me.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Count your blessings (2 Samuel 22), May 12, 2015

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Today’s Podcast


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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 2 Samuel 22
Set – 2 Samuel 22; 1 Thessalonians 1
Go! – 2 Samuel 21-23; 1 Thessalonians 1

2 Samuel 22
1 David composed the following song of praise to the Eternal because He delivered him from all of his enemies and especially from Saul.
2 David: The Eternal is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
3 He is my True God, my stronghold in whom I take refuge,
My strong shield, my horn that calls forth rescue,
my tall-walled tower and strong refuge,
My savior from violence.
4 I call on the Eternal, who is worthy to be praised,
and I have been rescued from my enemies.
5 The waves of death surrounded me;
the torrents of terror tugged at me.
6 The sorrows of the grave tightly tangled me;
the snares of death met me.
7 In my time of need I called upon the Eternal One;
I called to my True God for help.
He heard my voice from His temple,
and my cry came to His ears.
8 Because of His great anger,
the earth shook and staggered;
the foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked.
9 Smoke billowed out from His nostrils
and devouring fire from His mouth;
glowing coals flamed from Him.
10 He bent the heavens and descended;
darkness is beneath His feet.
11 He rode upon a heavenly creature, flying;
He soared swiftly on the wings of the wind.
12 He placed darkness around Him like a canopy
and made His home in dark watery clouds of the sky.
13 Out from His brightness,
hailstones and burning coals flared forth.
14 The Eternal thundered in the heavens,
the voice of the Most High speaking.
15 He shot forth His arrows and scattered the wicked;
He flung forth His lightning and struck them.
16 Then the deepest channels of the seas were revealed;
and the foundations of the world were uncovered
At Your rebuke, O Eternal One,
at the blast of wind breathed from Your nostrils.
17 He reached down from above me, He held me;
He pulled me from the raging waters.
18 He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from all those who hated me,
for they would have overwhelmed me.
19 When my enemies came for me on the day of my destruction,
the Eternal stepped in to support me.
20 He led me out onto a broad plain;
He delivered me because of His delight in me.
21 The Eternal One rewarded me because I sought righteousness;
He rewarded me because I kept my hands clean.
22 He rewarded me because I kept the ways of the Eternal
and have not walked away from my True God in wickedness.
23 For all His laws were there before me,
and I did not push His statutes away.
24 I made myself blameless before Him;
I kept myself from guilt and shame.
25 That’s why the Eternal has rewarded me for seeking righteousness;
He’s rewarded me because He sees I have remained pure.
26 To the good, You show Your goodness;
to the blameless, You prove to be blameless;
27 To the pure, You show Your purity;
to the crooked, You make Yourself twisted.
28 For You rescue weak people,
but the proud You bring low.
29 You are the lamp who lights my way, O Eternal One,
the Eternal, who lights up my darkness.
30 With Your help, I can conquer an army;
with Your help, I can vault over walls.
31 God has made an upright way;
the promise of the Eternal rings true;
He stands and shields all who hide in Him.
32 Who is the True God except the Eternal One?
Who stands like a rock except our God?
33 The True God who circled me with strength
puts the upright on His way.
34 He made me sure-footed as a deer
and placed me high up and safe.
35 He teaches me to fight
so that my arms can bend a bronze bow.
36 You have given me the shield of Your salvation,
and Your support has made me strong.
37 You taught me how to walk with care
so my feet would not slip.
38 I pursued my enemies and defeated them
and did not stop until all were destroyed.
39 When I eliminated them, they fell down beneath my feet
so they could not rise again.
40 For You equipped me with strength for battle,
and You made my enemies fall beneath me.
41 You made my enemies turn and run,
and all who hated me, I destroyed.
42 They looked everywhere, but no one came to save them;
they asked the Eternal for help, but He did not answer them.
43 I beat them until they were as small as the dust of the earth;
I flung them away and beat them down like mud in the gutters.
44 You delivered me from conflict with the peoples;
you raised me up to rule over nations;
people whom I did not know came to serve me.
45 Strangers came to me, cringing and afraid;
as soon as they heard about me, they obeyed me.
46 Strangers had their courage shrivel before them
and came fearfully to me from behind their high walls.
47 The Eternal One is alive! May my Rock be blessed;
and the True God, the Rock of my deliverance be exalted,
48 The God who avenged me
and tamed the peoples under me,
49 Who rescued me from all my foes.
You raised me up above my enemies;
You saved me from the violent ones.
50 For this, I will praise You, O Eternal One, among the nations
and sing praises to Your name.
51 He is a tower of salvation for His king
and shows His loyal love to His anointed,
to David and his descendants, continually.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

It’s easy to grumble about life and belly-ache about the way life treats you. But life David, every once in a while it’s important to just stop and count your blessings. Then remember where they come from. Remember all good things come from Me. I like to pour our good gifts on My children. I also like you to stop and give thanks for them every once in a while. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

The shepherd speaks (Psalms 23), Feb 20, 2015

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Today’s Podcast


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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Psalms 23
Set – Psalms 23; Acts 27
Go! – Numbers 7; Psalms 23; Acts 27

Psalms 23
1 The Eternal is my shepherd, He cares for me always.
2 He provides me rest in rich, green fields
beside streams of refreshing water.
He soothes my fears;
3 He makes me whole again,
steering me off worn, hard paths
to roads where truth and righteousness echo His name.
4 Even in the unending shadows of death’s darkness,
I am not overcome by fear.
Because You are with me in those dark moments,
near with Your protection and guidance,
I am comforted.
5 You spread out a table before me,
provisions in the midst of attack from my enemies;
You care for all my needs, anointing my head with soothing, fragrant oil,
filling my cup again and again with Your grace.
6 Certainly Your faithful protection and loving provision will pursue me
where I go, always, everywhere.
I will always be with the Eternal,
in Your house forever.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

The passages in My word that are most familiar to you, like Psalms 23, are familiar because you learn them as children. They are comforting. They provide promises to you. They give you an assurance that I’m with you in the darkest times of your life and in the richest times as well. The psalms echo your circumstances in life whether good or bad. But those familiar verses can become so familiar that you just race through them in your mind without thinking about their meaning. John 3:16 races off your tongue and you pass by its richness and awe. So it’s good to occasionally take those familiar passages and read them from different translations to capture a different view of different scholars.

David took some time to write his song about Me. He thought long and hard about the covenant I had with him and the support I gave him each day. As a shepherd, taking care of helpless flocks of sheep, he likened men to sheep with Me as their shepherd. The sheep need the shepherd to take care of all their needs. Food. Water. Shelter from the storms. Caring for injuries. every aspect of life requires the intervention of the shepherd to keep them healthy and safe from harm. So it is with mankind.

David saw the relationship with Me in his life and in the lives of the God-fearing men around him. He saw what I did for My children and summed it up in this short poem. All your needs, I will supply. I’ll provide protection from the storms of life. I’ll make a way through them for you. I’ll be there and never let you face life’s battles alone and in the end, you’ll find peace and rest from your journey.

Try reading some of your favorite passages in other translations if you have them. If not, slow down and meditate on them for a while. Let them soak into your mind and heart until their message becomes a part of you. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.