Category: “Listening to God” Devotional

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Psalm 145 English Standard Version (ESV)

Great Is the Lord] A Song of Praise. Of David.

145 I will extol you, my God and King,
  and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you
  and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
  and his greatness is unsearchable.

4 One generation shall commend your works to another,
  and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
  and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
  and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
  and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

8 The Lord is gracious and merciful,
  slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The Lord is good to all,
  and his mercy is over all that he has made.

10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
  and all your saints shall bless you!
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
  and tell of your power,
12 to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,
  and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
  and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

[The Lord is faithful in all his words
  and kind in all his works.]
14 The Lord upholds all who are falling
  and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
  and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand;
  you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
  and kind in all his works.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
  to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
  he also hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord preserves all who love him,
  but all the wicked he will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
  and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

Reflection

• This is an acrostic psalm: we might call it “Praising God from A through Z”, as each letter brings to mind a different reason to praise the Lord.
• David resolved to praise the Lord daily and forever. And urged parents to declare God’s great acts and awesome deed to their children. And praise the Lord for his greatness, goodness, and righteousness.
• God’s grace is his favor and divine enablement to those who do not deserve it. He is merciful to those who deserve his wrath. He is patient with those who arouse his anger with sinning. His loyal love is amazingly strong and long-lasting. He is good to everyone, even sending rain and many other blessings on the unjust as well as the just. God consistently sustains the fallen, uplifts the oppressed, and provides for all. He cares for his creatures faithfully and lovingly all the time.
• God is attentive to those who pray to him sincerely. He will grant the petitions of believers and will deliver them in times of need. He will protect those who love him, but destroy those who do not. For these reasons, David said he would praise God, and all people will bless Him forever.
• How do you retell God’s awesome deeds and praise the Lord for his greatness, goodness, and righteousness among fellow-believers? Among your non-Christian friends and relatives?

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Psalm 144 English Standard Version (ESV)

My Rock and My Fortress

Of David.

144 Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
  who trains my hands for war,
  and my fingers for battle;
2 he is my steadfast love and my fortress,
  my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield and he in whom I take refuge,
  who subdues peoples under me.

3 O Lord, what is man that you regard him,
  or the son of man that you think of him?
4 Man is like a breath;
  his days are like a passing shadow.

5 Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!
  Touch the mountains so that they smoke!
6 Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;
  send out your arrows and rout them!
7 Stretch out your hand from on high;
  rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,
  from the hand of foreigners,
8 whose mouths speak lies
  and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

9 I will sing a new song to you, O God;
  upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
10 who gives victory to kings,
  who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.
11 Rescue me and deliver me
  from the hand of foreigners,
whose mouths speak lies
  and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

12 May our sons in their youth
  be like plants full grown,
our daughters like corner pillars
  cut for the structure of a palace;
13 may our granaries be full,
  providing all kinds of produce;
may our sheep bring forth thousands
  and ten thousands in our fields;
14 may our cattle be heavy with young,
  suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;
may there be no cry of distress in our streets!
15 Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
  Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

Reflection

• David began this prayer by praising God for training him to be a successful warrior and for granting him victories in the past. He piled image upon image to describe his loving God as my rock, my fortress, my stronghold, my deliverer, my shield. David is confident that God would be all this for him, and God would be all this for us, too!
• The psalmist described God’s intervention—in the present battle David faced—in terms of nature. In the past, God had used rain, thunder, lightning, and hail to give His people victory (vv5-8). And David appealed for similar deliverance from his enemy army.
• The outcome of deliverance is peace and prosperity. David cried, “Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall! Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!” (v15).
• God saves us from all our troubles and he intends to bless.
• Are you a blessed person? Where do you see God’s salvation and God’s blessings in your life?

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Psalm 143 English Standard Version (ESV)

My Soul Thirsts for You

A Psalm of David.

143 Hear my prayer, O Lord;
  give ear to my pleas for mercy!
  In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
2 Enter not into judgment with your servant,
  for no one living is righteous before you.

3 For the enemy has pursued my soul;
  he has crushed my life to the ground;
  he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit faints within me;
  my heart within me is appalled.

5 I remember the days of old;
  I meditate on all that you have done;
  I ponder the work of your hands.
6 I stretch out my hands to you;
  my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah

7 Answer me quickly, O Lord!
  My spirit fails!
Hide not your face from me,
  lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
8 Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
  for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
  for to you I lift up my soul.

9 Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord!
  I have fled to you for refuge.
10 Teach me to do your will,
  for you are my God!
Let your good Spirit lead me
  on level ground!

11 For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life!
  In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!
12 And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies,
  and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,
  for I am your servant.

Reflection

• Once again, fears drove David to the Lord. Again he was helped. He meditated on God’s past works, and ultimately reached a clear understanding of how he must deal with his trials.
• No one likes to feel helpless. David probably felt like this when he wrote this psalm. He cried out to God for mercy and relief. He realized he had no right to expect God’s help. Yet his desperate situation filled him with dismay. David recalled what God had done and reaffirmed his trust in the Lord.
• We may be helpless to improve our situations. But there is still something we can do! “Make me know the way I should go” (v8b) and “Teach me to do your will” (v10). Each day, each hour, as we wait for God to deliver us, we can concentrate our attention on doing God’s will for that day, for that hour.
• What a sense of relief comes over us as we make David’s discovery. We are not helpless after all. There is something we can do. The most important thing of all. We can do God’s will. So, when you can’t change your situation, make it your priority simply to do each hour, each day, what God wills.
• What is God’s will for you for this day? For this hour?

 

 

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+142

Psalm 142 English Standard Version (ESV)

You Are My Refuge

A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer.

142 With my voice I cry out to the Lord;
  with my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord.
2 I pour out my complaint before him;
  I tell my trouble before him.

3 When my spirit faints within me,
  you know my way!
In the path where I walk
  they have hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see:
  there is none who takes notice of me;
no refuge remains to me;
  no one cares for my soul.

5 I cry to you, O Lord;
  I say, “You are my refuge,
  my portion in the land of the living.”
6 Attend to my cry,
  for I am brought very low!
Deliver me from my persecutors,
  for they are too strong for me!
7 Bring me out of prison,
  that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
  for you will deal bountifully with me.

Reflection

• The setting of this psalm was the cave in which David hid from Saul’s pursuing army. Troubled and discouraged, David cried out to God for rescue.
• One of the most important lessons we learn from the book of Psalms is that, like David, we can “pour out our complaints” to the Lord. We can tell him every trouble, share every dark and distressed emotion. When no one else is concerned about us, we have in God one who truly cares.
• Sharing our fears and pain with the Lord reminds us of who God is. He not only listens, he is able to help! Our enemies may be too strong for us, but they are not too strong for the Lord.
• We come to the Lord with our fears and our pain. And we come away in peace, with a renewed sense of hope. At last we can see ahead to a time when “The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me”.
• Tell God what is causing your fears and pain. Pause, and allow God to respond and to fill you with his presence, his peace and wait for his deliverance.

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+141

Psalm 141 English Standard Version (ESV)

Give Ear to My Voice

A Psalm of David.

141 O Lord, I call upon you; hasten to me!
  Give ear to my voice when I call to you!
2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,
  and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

3 Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
  keep watch over the door of my lips!
4 Do not let my heart incline to any evil,
  to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with men who work iniquity,
  and let me not eat of their delicacies!

5 Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;
  let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;
  let my head not refuse it.
Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.
6 When their judges are thrown over the cliff,
  then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one plows and breaks up the earth,
  so shall our bones be scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

8 But my eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord;
  in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!
9 Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me
  and from the snares of evildoers!
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
  while I pass by safely.

Reflection

• David sought help from God, first to live a righteous life, and then to be delivered from evil-doers he expected God to judge.
• Life is built on character and character is built on decisions. This psalm reveals David making a number of wise decisions as he faced the attacks of the enemy.
• We who are God’s people should pray regularly for our own sanctification, and for protection from the evil individuals who oppose us, as we seek to walk with God.
• Is there any person who is making your life difficult right now? Pray for God’s help and deliverance.

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Psalm 140 English Standard Version (ESV)

Deliver Me, O Lord, from Evil Men

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

140 Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men;
  preserve me from violent men,
2 who plan evil things in their heart
  and stir up wars continually.
3 They make their tongue sharp as a serpent’s,
  and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah

4 Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
  preserve me from violent men,
  who have planned to trip up my feet.
5 The arrogant have hidden a trap for me,
  and with cords they have spread a net;
  beside the way they have set snares for me. Selah

6 I say to the Lord, You are my God;
  give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord!
7 O Lord, my Lord, the strength of my salvation,
  you have covered my head in the day of battle.
8 Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
  do not further their evil plot, or they will be exalted! Selah

9 As for the head of those who surround me,
  let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!
10 Let burning coals fall upon them!
  Let them be cast into fire,
  into miry pits, no more to rise!
11 Let not the slanderer be established in the land;
  let evil hunt down the violent man speedily!

12 I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
  and will execute justice for the needy.
13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
  the upright shall dwell in your presence.

Reflection

• David’s enemies were evil, violent men who were stirring up trouble for him and his kingdom. He asked God not to permit his enemies’ evil intentions.
• David called on God to rescue him, confident that among his works is protecting his people from men of violence, and securing justice for the poor.
• This psalm encourages God’s people to call on him in distress when wicked people oppress them.
• Bring all your troubles and difficulties to God right now and ask God to rescue you!

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+139

Psalm 139 English Standard Version (ESV)

Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

139 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
  you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
  and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
  behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
  and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
  it is high; I cannot attain it.

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
  Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
  If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
  and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
  and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
  and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
  the night is bright as the day,
  for darkness is as light with you.

13 For you formed my inward parts;
  you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
  my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
  intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
  the days that were formed for me,
  when as yet there was none of them.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
  How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
  I awake, and I am still with you.

19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
  O men of blood, depart from me!
20 They speak against you with malicious intent;
  your enemies take your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
  And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
22 I hate them with complete hatred;
  I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!
  Try me and know my thoughts!
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
  and lead me in the way everlasting!

Reflection

• David probed the nature of his relationship with God, and traced that relationship back to the Lord’s creation of his “inmost being”. However, David was not troubled by the paradox of a transcendent God who is also imminent. He acknowledged God as one who fills the entire universe, yet saw the Lord as constantly, pervasively present with his people. God was near, observing every act of David, conscious of his every thought. God is transcendent, far above the highest heaven. Yet God is also totally present in our here and now, giving each of us his undivided attention.
• God does know us even when we try to hide from him. And when we consciously open our hearts, and become totally honest with God and ourselves, he tests our hearts, cleansing us from “offensive ways”.
• David realized that God is bending close to express his love, not to catch us in some sinful act. He stays close to guard us, and to guide us into his best. When we sense him near and realize that what we feel is love, we, with David, will invite him to, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”
• Why not invite God right now with the above verses 23-24?

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+138

Psalm 138 English Standard Version (ESV)

Give Thanks to the Lord

Of David.

138 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
  before the gods I sing your praise;
2 I bow down toward your holy temple
  and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
  for you have exalted above all things
  your name and your word.
3 On the day I called, you answered me;
  my strength of soul you increased.

4 All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
  for they have heard the words of your mouth,
5 and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
  for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
  but the haughty he knows from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
  you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
  and your right hand delivers me.
8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
  your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
  Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Reflection

• David called us to focus thoughts of God on his “name”, and his “word”. When we do, we learn to trust his love and faithfulness. And when the word uttered in the name of the Lord, it should stimulate even the kings of the earth to praise him.
• David had personally experienced God’s love and faithfulness as the Lord preserved him in many troubles. What David understood, and we need to appreciate, is that each of us is important to God. His love has made our lives meaningful by linking it to his eternal plan. We may not know now what his purpose in us is. Yet God does have a purpose to fulfill in the lives of each of us. To him, we do count!
• Will you say with David the following verse as your prayer to God?

 “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+137

Psalm 137 English Standard Version (ESV)

How Shall We Sing the Lord’s Song?

137 By the waters of Babylon,
  there we sat down and wept,
  when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows there
  we hung up our lyres.
3 For there our captors
  required of us songs,
and our tormentors, mirth, saying,
  “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

4 How shall we sing the Lord’s song
  in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
  let my right hand forget its skill!
6 Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
  if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
  above my highest joy!

7 Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites
  the day of Jerusalem,
how they said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare,
  down to its foundations!”
8 O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed,
  blessed shall he be who repays you
  with what you have done to us!
9 Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones
  and dashes them against the rock!

Reflection

• The psalmist mourned the plight of the exiled Israelites. He expressed strong love for Zion and strong hatred for Israel’s enemies.
• In Babylon, far from their ancient homeland, the Jewish people felt crushed and isolated from God. Only when God acted again, to crush their oppressors and restore them to the Holy Land, would songs of joy again spring from their lips.
• It is only when we see God at work, in history and in our present lives, that we know real joy. Jesus put it this way, “Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete” (John 16:24). Christ did not imply that receiving the thing we pray for will bring joy. His point was that in the answer to prayer we will sense God at work, and this – God active in our lives – gives us joy.
• Have you enjoyed this kind of joy – knowing God was active in your life and working for you? What was the situation? How did you feel about that? Find a chance to share it with another person, and the joy you experienced.

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+136

Psalm 136 English Standard Version (ESV)

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

136 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
  for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
  for his steadfast love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;

4 to him who alone does great wonders,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;
5 to him who by understanding made the heavens,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 to him who spread out the earth above the waters,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;
7 to him who made the great lights,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;

10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;
11 and brought Israel out from among them,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;
12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;
13 to him who divided the Red Sea in two,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;
14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;
15 but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;

17 to him who struck down great kings,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;
18 and killed mighty kings,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;
20 and Og, king of Bashan,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;
21 and gave their land as a heritage,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;
22 a heritage to Israel his servant,
  for his steadfast love endures forever.

23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;
24 and rescued us from our foes,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;
25 he who gives food to all flesh,
  for his steadfast love endures forever.

26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
  for his steadfast love endures forever.

Reflection

• Many scholars believe that the Israelites sang this psalm at Passover when they celebrated the Exodus. This psalm is unique because it repeats the same refrain in each verse. The Israelites probably sang this song antiphonally, with the leaders singing the first part of each verse and the people responding with the refrain. With this song, the Israelites praised God for His great acts and His loyal love that endures forever. It is a good one to read when we need to be reminded of God’s mercy.
• Do it with your family, or your cell group. Choose one person to read (or sing) the first part of each verse, and the rest of the people responding with the refrain, “for his steadfast love endures forever”.
• What do you think of praising God together like this?
• How did you feel when you were praising God with the others in this way?