60 PSALMS OF JOY AND PRAISE Part One Psalm 8, 9, 16, 19, 21, 24, 29, 33, 65, 66, 67, 68, 75, 93, 94, 97, 98, 99, 100, 103, 104, 113, 114, 117 April 30 In the following group of 36 psalms, spread out over the next three entries, there is unbounded praise for the Lord of creation and the many wonders he has performed. There is profound gratitude for the many blessings bestowed on man and exultation of the king who rules over all nature. But most importantly, there is thanksgiving for the personal concern this loving God has for each individual and his special needs. (Today s entry covers four days reading.) PSALM 8 We sing at least two songs based on the words of this psalm by King David: "Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. Oh Lord, we praise your name. Oh Lord, we magnify your name, Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Oh Lord God Almighty." And the more stately, "Oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent thy name, how excellent is thy name in all the earth. Who has set thy glory above the heavens, we'll praise thy holy name forever evermore. We will praise thy name forevermore, how excellent thy glorious name. we will praise thy name forevermore, how excellent thy glorious name. We will praise thy name forevermore, we will praise thy name forever more, We'll laud and praise thy holy name forevermore. Forever, and ever we will magnify thy name. Forever, and ever we will magnify thy name. Forevermore, forevermore, amen and amen!" Wow, you can't help but to have energy after that! I love to sing that in my prayer walk, but it draws some strange looks from passers-by when reaching the high notes! Years ago in my bible I have written next to this psalm, "take time to consider God." When I think of how awesome God is and how sinful I am, it is truly a miracle that he cares for and exalts us! What a great psalm to read at the beginning of a P.A.R.T. (Praise, Admit, Request, Thank) prayer time. PSALM 9 David here was praising God again, this time for his justice against David's oppressors. I assume that David prayed this after God had answered one of the many melancholy prayers David had offered up which we read about in the Troubled Soul section. At any rate, this one is full of praise and gratitude. "You have upheld my cause" must have been
sweet music on David's lips. Verse 10 is my favourite: "THOSE WHO KNOW YOUR NAME WILL TRUST IN YOU, FOR YOU, LORD, HAVE NEVER FORSAKEN THOSE WHO SEEK YOU." PSALM 16 Another one of my so-called "fave from Dave" this is a song about the joy of salvation and the joy of the resurrection! "To whom do I look for refuge? GOD! Who is first in my life? GOD! (Karen, live your life in such a way where you can honestly say, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing!") Which people matter the most to me? GOD'S PEOPLE! When I do your will I am happy and secure. If I meditate on your word all day and even when I wake up in the middle of the night, you are at my right hand and I will not be shaken, not even when faced with death. Therefore, your joy overflows in me eternally." PSALM 19 David was meditating on how God revealed himself first in creation and then in his word. And it is all perfect!! This is another psalm that we sing a lot, "The Law of the Lord is perfect..more to be desired are they than gold." If you are having trouble learning how to praise God, take a nature walk and praise him through the first part of this song. And then read the bible and praise him through the second. I have written several prayers next to this psalm over the years: "God, your words are so pure and holy - no one can describe how magnificent they are." "Your words, O God, are the only thing that can really change me and have a lasting impact on me. Only they can change my heart, make me wise, revive my soul, give me joy, show me the way, and bring me eternal happiness." The third section of this psalm is also awesome. Here is the abbreviated version: "Please forgive my hidden faults, but please keep me from willful sins. May they not rule over me.may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O GOD." PSALM 21 David prayed this while he was a king, but we can pray this and talk about how God treats us like royalty! David didn't take his blessings for granted and we shouldn't either. All of our victories come from God. PSALM 24 This psalm is similar to Psalm 15 about living on God's holy hill, but in this one, David focuses even more on having a clean heart and also on making sure that God knows that David knows that God is the only TRUE king. Read this to remind yourself that God desires a righteous life and pure motivation. PSALM 29 This is a beautiful prayer to the God of the Storm. You can almost visualize David standing at the cliffs, witnessing the sea in turmoil and you can definitely "hear" the waves crashing as you read this aloud!
PSALM 33 This psalm praises God for his creation, his power, his strength, and emphasizes the realization that there is NO HOPE outside of God! In verse 16, all of our worldly security blankets are shown to be rubbish: "No king is saved by the size of his army but the eyes are on those who fear HIM." PSALM 65 David was in a grateful mood when he wrote this one - it is all about acknowledging that everything good comes from God - spiritual blessings, the workings of nature, and our physical blessings as well. PSALM 66 This is THE JOY PSALM!! You can't read this one aloud and stay in a bad mood!! We have so much reason for joy in our lives - God forgives us and hears our prayers! The imagery of this is awesome! Verse 18 is the well known "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened " implying that we must not be living in a state of willfully sinning but constantly trying to be righteous, and when failing, being open about it (with safe people who will lovingly help us). PSALM 67 Praise for God's blessings and a desire for all nations to praise God! PSALM 68 This Davidic psalm praises God for being a God of power who cared about individual problems. It celebrates with beautiful imagery a triumphant, loving God. Picture all of this - our problems being blown away as smoke in the wind, God riding on the clouds, God being a father to the fatherless, defending the widows, setting the lonely in families, leading forth the prisoners with singing. It is really like a celebration! PSALM 75 This is a psalm of Asaph that praises God as the Judge of the earth! PSALM 93 This song praises God for his majesty and holiness. It exalts God as the one who reigns supremely, even speaking through the ocean. PSALM 94 The message here is that justice will be bad news for the wicked but good news for the righteous, especially since God knows our hearts! Also, God's love supports us in times of trouble and anxiety. PSALM 97 This is another psalm celebrating God's righteousness and justice. Again, great imagery! You HAVE to read this aloud and almost act it out. God is so awesome! The message here is that when we see God in his greatness and power, we can more easily have faith in his deliverance, which leads to joy!!
PSALM 98 Using imagery again, this psalm beautifully describes God's love for us and his gift of salvation. I particularly love the visual of the rivers clapping their hands in praise to God. PSALM 99 "The Lord reigns - let the nations tremble," cries this song in exultation of the God who is holy and just. PSALM 100 We can learn to worship God by reading these few short verses: Shout aloud, sing with joy, come to his temple, enter his courts, praise and thank him And don't forget, HE is God, and we are not! We are his people and we should follow him joyfully because he is a good shepherd whose love endures forever. PSALM 103 I've had this particular bible for a long time, and there is a note next to v5 (he satisfies your desires with good things) which reads, "In one week I will be married to John Louis!" I guess I wrote that in Sept 1987! Almost 20 years ago! At any rate, this is another of my favourites, with so many insights that I can't begin to write them all. This psalm begins with a "Soul Talk" - "Praise the Lord, o my soul". David was reciting so many of God's blessings here. What does God do for us? He forgives our sins, heals our diseases, redeems our lives from the pit (amen!!) crowns us with love and compassion, satisfies our desires with good things, and renews our youth like an eagle's. Wow!! And that is not all David wrote many more lines on God's blessings! Again, you can't read this without getting fired up!! All of our Christian lives, we will navigate the waters of truth and grace, of love and reverent fear, and it is important that we do. If we go too far to one extreme, we have lost the truth of the gospel. This psalm captures both concepts well - Please read every verse slowly and out loud! It is awesome!! PSALM 104 This psalm uses descriptive language to help us see God's beauty. Read each verse and close your eyes to see God wrapping himself in light as a garment, etc. This psalm praises God in detail for his creation and helps us to see him in all of his power and splendor. It is reminiscent of the end of Job when God is reminding Job of his power. The psalmists conclusion? "I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him as I rejoice in the Lord." AMEN!! PSALM 113 The writer of this song praises God not just for the "big things", like creation, but the "small things", like helping the poor One writer called it "Praise for the Lord of heaven who is sensitive!" God stoops down to see us and raises the poor up from the heap. I bet Mary the mother of Jesus was thinking of this psalm when she wrote her song to God found in Luke 1. PSALM 114
This psalm helps us to be acutely aware of God's power and tells us that even nature trembles before God!! Again, the imagery is awesome: "the mountains skipped like rams" I love it! If even nature trembles before God, how much more should I!!! PSALM 117 This tiny psalm is beautiful in its simplicity: "Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord." This entry ended with the shortest psalm and the next entry will begin with the longest psalm, 119. Until then (next entry on May 4) karenlouis@seachurches.org