Devotionals on Psalms
Psalms 1
- Psalm 1 – Blessed is the man
Perhaps you have heard of “two ways to live” which is an evangelistic tool for helping people understand their need for Christ. We either live our own way, or God’s…
Psalms 2
- Psalm 2 – Jesus Reigns
Psalm 2 encourages us to give homage to King Jesus, God’s anointed ruler. Like Psalm 1, it serves as an introduction to the wider book of Psalms. Psalm 2 contrasts…
Psalms 3
- Psalm 3 – Save Us, O Our God
In Psalm 3, the first psalm explicitly attributed to King David, we see David cry out to God for help as he flees the rebellion of his son, Absalom (2…
Psalms 4
- Psalm 4 – Finding Peace in God
Psalm 4 is a song written in a time of distress, possibly similar in circumstances to Psalm 3. Psalm 4 expresses confidence in God, in whom we may find peace…
Psalms 5
- Psalm 5 – Lead me in your righteousness
In Psalm 5, another song of individual lament by David, we see this question answered. We can cry out to God in times of difficulty because of God’s character, and…
Psalms 6
- Psalm 6 – How Long, O LORD?
Psalm 6, an individual song of lament intended for corporate singing, is one psalm which appears to confront the suffering experienced from our sin. Known from the days of the…
Psalms 7
- Psalm 7 – God, our refuge
David also suffered misrepresentations and false accusations. While the situation which brought about Psalm 7 is not known to us, it is clear that opponents of David sought him harm…
Psalms 8
- Psalm 8 – Thankfulness for God’s Creation
Psalm 8 gives praise to God for his majesty, reminds us of our comparative smallness, yet gives thanks to God that he has granted us dominion over the world he…
Psalms 9
- Psalm 9 – Praise to the divine King
Psalm 9 presents a song of praise to God, the divine King who rules and judges the whole world. Written by King David, it probably forms a “twin” with psalm…
Psalms 10
- Psalm 10 – The Wicked and the Righteous Judge
Psalm 10 presents a lament at the wicked and their evil deeds, and asks God to intervene. It probably serves as a twin to Psalm 9, since both are written…
Psalms 11
- Psalm 11 – Confidence when everything falls apart
Written by King David when his life fell apart (possibly Absalom’s rebellion – 2 Samuel 15-19), this psalm expresses confidence in God when everything you thought was fixed is overturned.…
Psalms 12
- Psalm 12 – Faithfulness among the faithless
Psalm 12 illustrates the cry and response of the faithful when surrounded by the faithless. Written by King David, it describes a time when it seemed to him that he…
Psalms 13
- Psalm 13 – Feeling distance, knowing nearness
Psalm 13 expresses this tension in a believer’s life, as King David feels neglected and distanced from God. Yet this psalm also expresses the knowledge of God’s goodness and love,…
Psalms 14
- Psalm 14 – The Fate of the Fool
The Bible considers the key sign of foolishness as someone who refuses to acknowledge God and worship him. Psalm 14 expands on this idea, lamenting a world which foolishly rejects…
Psalms 15
- Psalm 15 – Who may dwell with God?
Psalm 15, a hymn sung as worshipers entered the temple grounds, also addresses this question, demonstrating that it is personal character which allows us to enter God’s presence. As we…
Psalms 16
- Psalm 16 – Confidence in God Alone
Read Psalm 16 Summary Many of David’s psalms were written in response to events in his life. Psalm 16 is one of the exceptions, where it simply reflects David’s confidence…
Psalms 17
- Psalm 17 – Where we find refuge
Psalm 17 encourages us to find refuge in God. King David wrote this psalm to express his own need for refuge, and his trust in God to provide it. This…
Psalms 18
- Psalm 18 (Part 2) – Praise for God
In the second half of Psalm 18, King David heaps more praise on God. He offers praise for what God has done for him, the King, on behalf of his…
- Psalm 18 (Part 1) – My God is a Rock
Psalm 18, a Royal Psalm of David, celebrates the deliverance of God’s people from their enemies, inspired by David’s deliverance from his enemies (1 Samuel 22). The psalm is structured…
Psalms 19
- Psalm 19 – The Precious Revelation of God
Though the distance between God and us, the creature, is so great that we could never know of the blessings found in him unless he revealed himself to us, we…
Psalms 20
- Psalm 20 – Trust God in the Battle
Psalm 20 appears to be a psalm written for singing (in prayer) before battle by God’s people. The psalm splits into prayer before battle, praise for God’s anticipated victory, and…
Psalms 21
- Psalm 21 – Victory in God’s Strength
Psalm 21 expresses the praise of God’s people for their victory in God’s strength. God provides the requested help to their king (Psalm 20), and provides the victory. So God’s…
Psalms 22
- Psalm 22 (Part 2) – Praise of the great congregation
The first part of Psalm 22 spoke of the suffering which Christ experienced on the Cross for our sins, from his perspective (as expressed by King David one thousand years…
- Psalm 22 (Part 1) – Why have you forsaken me?
Psalm 22 clearly divides into two parts. In the first twenty-one verses, King David cries for help and laments his present suffering, fulfilled most perfectly in Christ’s own suffering on…
Psalms 23
- Psalm 23 – The Divine Shepherd
David’s Psalm 23 is so appealing because we connect with the imagery of a shepherd taking care of his flock, even those of us who have spent too little time…
Psalms 24
- Psalm 24 – The King of Glory
Psalm 24, a “temple entry” psalm, talks of the standard needed to meet the King of Glory. It teaches us that Christ as our representative gives us the clean hands…
Psalms 25
- Psalm 25 – Teach Me Your Paths
Psalm 25 focuses on the importance of teaching, of learning to follow God’s ways. It is an acrostic psalm in Hebrew, focusing on a request for preservation and learning from…
Psalms 26
- Psalm 26 – Proclaiming thanksgiving aloud
Psalm 26 appears to be one of those songs sung as worshippers entered the Temple. In it, the psalmist declares their desire to worship God and proclaim his deeds. They…
Psalms 27
- Psalm 27 – Confidence in God
Psalm 27 expresses David’s confidence in God to deliver him from opposition. David expresses confidence in God, confidence in God’s presence in the sanctuary, confidence that God would deliver him…
Psalms 28
- Psalm 28 – A Cry for Justice
In Psalm 28 we read of a king crying out on behalf of his people for justice against enemies from within their own people. After a general plea to God,…
Psalms 29
- Psalm 29 – The Only Powerful God
Psalm 29 asserts that only God is truly powerful and reigns, using themes from the surrounding pagan nations and ascribing them not to their false gods (eg, Baal), but to…
Psalms 30
- Psalm 30 – Joy comes with the Morning
Psalm 30 is a song of thanksgiving for healing from illness. It separates neatly into two stanzas (or verses, if you will). The first stanza generally outlines David’s illness and…
Psalms 31
- Psalm 31 – Into your hands I commit my spirit
Psalm 31 expresses some of the meaning behind being truly, fully, reliant on God. Psalm 31, which again raises themes of lament and thanksgiving we have seen in previous psalms,…
Psalms 32
- Psalm 32 – The Blessing of Forgiveness
Psalm 32 speaks of the free and rich grace of God to forgive us of our sin. The psalm speaks of the blessing of forgiveness with a personal testimony. It…
Psalms 33
- Psalm 33 – God our help and shield
Psalm 33 calls us to praise God, our help and shield. As we celebrate Christmas this year, Psalm 33 reminds us to praise God because of his Word, because his…
Psalms 34
- Psalm 34 – Taste and See that God is Good
In Psalm 34. David encourages us to see God’s goodness to his people, and respond accordingly by blessing God, fearing God, and trusting God as a way of life.
Psalms 35
- Psalm 35 – Asking God to Fight the Battle
Psalm 35 once again cries out in lament at the unjust evils visited on God’s people. But it also encourages us to give thanks to God as well. There are…
Psalms 36
- Psalm 36 – How precious is God’s love
The Bible teaches that fear of God is the true source of wisdom. In Psalm 36, King David picks up this theme and merges it with a description of God’s…
Psalms 37
- Psalm 37 – The Fate of the Wicked and the Righteous
We live in a time in the Western World where it appears that the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer. The vulnerable and oppressed are walked over, God and his…
Psalms 38
- Psalm 38 – I Am Sorry For My Sin
Psalm 38 is a song of lament for the suffering caused by sin. The psalmist, David, suffers under God’s discipline for his sins, affecting his own personal health and his…
Psalms 39
- Psalm 39 – Numbering Our Days
In Psalm 39, King David, perhaps approaching older age, reflects on how short life is. Acknowledging his silent suffering, David speaks out in prayer, asking God to make him aware…
Psalms 40
- Psalm 40 – My Deliverer Then and Now
Psalm 40 speaks very personally of the support that David received from God in his life. The first part of the psalm rejoices in God’s support and deliverance in past…
Psalms 41
- Psalm 41 – God’s love for the righteous and the poor
Psalm 41 describes God’s attitude. God loves the poor, and he loves the righteous who love the poor. This psalm, the last in “Book One” of the Psalms, encourages us…
Psalms 65
- Psalm 65: Another Year of Salvation
As we reflect, and look forward, let’s remember to also thank God for another year of salvation, and look forward to another year of God’s goodness too. Psalm 65 encourages…
Psalms 72
- Psalm 72 – O God to Thine Anointed King
We come once again to the Christmas season, when presents are swapped, barbecues and ovens fired up, and sunscreen liberally applied. Christmas is also the time of the year we…