Category: Psalms (Page 3 of 4)

The twenty-third Psalm is perhaps one of the most well-known passages in the entire Bible. It is often recited at the bedside of loved ones who are in their final days of life on this earth, it is typically recited again during the funeral and sometimes it is recited before bedtime with children or memorized during extremely difficult seasons of life.

This Psalm has been referred to by many writers as the Psalm that is beyond all others, the Psalm of the cross.² As we read it we should envision Jesus crying out for help as he is being crucified (vv. 1 – 21) and then we should envision him making a proclamation of praise to the ends of the earth immediately following his resurrection (vv. 21 – 31).³

I grew up in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s on a farm in the country by Lincoln, NE. The only music that I was allowed to listen to was good old-fashioned country music. Real country music from the likes of Jonny Cash, Willie Nelson, Alabama, Waylon Jennings, Chris LeDoux, George Straight, Charlie Daniels, Merle Haggard, Lorretta Lynn, Dolly Parton.

When was the last time God spoke to you? One of the earliest memories I have of God speaking to me was at the end of the bumper on a Toyota Forerunner in June 2000.

Psalm 18 is one of my all-time favorite Psalms. I have found great strength and encouragement by turning to this Psalm in the midst of some of the most difficult seasons of my life.

When I read this Psalm, I envision a man who is at the end of his rope. He’s had enough, he feels alone, he thinks God has abandoned him, he wonders if his enemies are going to get the last laugh. It’s almost as though he’s having a hard time seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. You’ve probably faced some of these seasons in your life.

Psalm chapter 12 is a really dark chapter; it’s gritty and it’s raw and it’s almost repulsive to read at first.

Where is God when it hurts? Where is he when bad things happen? Is he far away? Is he hiding? These are the questions that the Psalmist wrestles with right out of the gate in Psalm 10.

Music is moody. Even for the most unemotional of people, music has a way of moving our emotions. Genre matters too. Country music can emotionally move you to the bank of a stream with a fishing pole and a cooler of drinks. Pop and rap music can put you into a dancing mood. Blues music can move you to inner reflection.

Charles Spurgeon said that this Psalm teaches us to approach God with our troubles before going to other men and women with them. He reminds us that the God we serve will not help us in the midst of six troubles and then leave us wanting in the seventh trouble. He reminds us that God does nothing by halves and he will never cease to help us until we cease to have a need.