Psalm 119:17-18 Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your word.

Psalm 119:17-18 Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your word. Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law.

LORD, each morning as I watch the unfolding of the day, I receive a new lesson in how Your Word brings light and life to the world. As the light breaks through to reveal the details and beauty of Your creation, so does Your Son, the Word made flesh, He who is the light of the world. Therefore, I no longer need to walk in darkness, but do have the light of life.

Thank You, my LORD, for these constant reminders of Your grace and mercy to me and to all of Your creation.

Psalm 61:5-8 For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

Psalm 61:5-8 For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations! May he be enthroned forever before God; appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him! So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day.

You have set me as a king and a priest before You; You have promised Your steadfast love and faithfulness will always be my portion. It is Your covenant with me. I have sworn a vow of obedience in all things and accepted You as Lord and Master of my life.

Lord, as I go through my day, let the performance of that vow of obedience be a song of praise to Your Name. Whatsoever my hand finds to do today, let it be done as unto You.

Psalm 61:1-4 Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer;

Psalm 61:1-4 To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. Of David.
Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah

Lord, lead me to the Rock! Lead me to that Place that is far above my feeble and faint heart. Your strength, Your wisdom, Your grace, Your mercy, Your love, Your patience, Your kindness Your power are the stones that form an impregnable tower in which I am sheltered and protected.

Psalm 60:9-12 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?

Psalm 60:9-12
Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? Have You not rejected us, O God? You do not go forth, O God, with our armies. Oh, grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! With God we shall do valiantly; it is He who will tread down our foes.

Oh, Lord, open the eyes of our hearts, give us the sight to see the unseen. To see the unseen is to know your will, to see the unseen is to know that the Kingdom is advancing, to see the unseen is make disciples as we go. To see the unseen is to see You and to bask in Your presence

Psalm 60:4-8 You have set up a banner for those who fear You, that they may flee to it from the bow.

Psalm 60:4-8
You have set up a banner for those who fear You, that they may flee to it from the bow. Selah That Your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by Your right hand and answer us! God has spoken in his holiness: "With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Vale of Succoth. Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet; Judah is my scepter. Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph."

But, Lord, you have called your Body, not as an endless proclaimer of a bitter jeremiad, but as one to declare your Glories to the nations. You have called us to see the unseen and be lifted up by your triumph. To tell all that you are in control, you are advancing the Kingdom, that to have trust and faith in you is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Psalm 60:1-3 O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses; You have been angry; oh, restore us.

Psalm 60:1-3 To the choirmaster: according to Shushan Eduth. A Miktam of David; for instruction; when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return struck down twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.

O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses; You have been angry; oh, restore us. You have made the land to quake;You have torn it open; repair its breaches, for it totters. You have made your people see hard things; You have given us wine to drink that made us stagger.

Lord, we see the seen, not the unseen. So we see all crumbling around us, the Church of Christendom in decay, morals and ethics based solely on self interest, mirroring the culture in which it exists. And as a result, we wring our hands declaring that all is lost, We see the triumph of Satan and the capitulation of the Kingdom; we refuse to live within the borders of the Kingdom; our faith is a weak reed that collapses each Sunday morning at noon.

Psalm 60:1-3 O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses; You have been angry; oh, restore us.

Psalm 60:1-3 To the choirmaster: according to Shushan Eduth. A Miktam of David; for instruction; when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return struck down twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.

O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses; You have been angry; oh, restore us. You have made the land to quake;You have torn it open; repair its breaches, for it totters. You have made your people see hard things; You have given us wine to drink that made us stagger.

Lord, we see the seen, not the unseen. So we see all crumbling around us, the Church of Christendom in decay, morals and ethics based solely on self interest, mirroring the culture in which it exists. And as a result, we wring our hands declaring that all is lost, We see the triumph of Satan and the capitulation of the Kingdom; we refuse to live within the borders of the Kingdom; our faith is a weak reed that collapses each Sunday morning at noon.

Exodus 20.1-2, 15 And God spoke all these words, saying, “...You shall not steal.”

Exodus 20:1-2, 15
And God spoke all these words, saying, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. ... You shall not steal."

My calling is to give out, enhance, buildup, encourage, bless, distribute. You have filled me to a full measure, tamped down and overflowing to be given to others. To the extent that I do not share, I am stealing.

Psalm 119:13 With my lips I declare all the rules of Your mouth.

Psalm 119:13

With my lips I declare all the rules of Your mouth.

You are calling me, my Lord, to teach Your word in the place where You have set me. The rules of Your mouth are the Truth that reveals the well-ordered workings of Your Kingdom. I am to declare that Truth by being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is in me; yet doing it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when I am slandered, those who revile my good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

Psalm 119:11 I have stored up your word in my heart,

Psalm 119:11
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

You have given me a heart to store Your Word. Is that not the difference between man and the other created creatures? That I have a heart that responds to You? A heart that either rejects You or seeks You? How can I know You unless I can know not-you?

And this heart, this beautiful heart hears You, it seeks You, it accepts Your Word and applies Your Word to my life. Not through my agency, but through the Understanding working in me.

Praise You, Lord

Psalm 59:14-17 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.

Psalm 59:14-17
Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. They wander about for food and growl if they do not get their fill. But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.

O, Lord, in times of distress, I must turn to you and Your strength. How can I survive when my knees quake from fear, except that You keep me within Your steadfast love. Help me and guide me to turn to You rather than kicking against those who seek my harm. Praise You, my Lord and my Master, as You stand between me and my foes.

Psalm 59:11-13 Kill them not, lest my people forget; make them totter by your power and bring them down, O Lord, our shield!

Psalm 59:11-13
Kill them not, lest my people forget; make them totter by your power and bring them down, O Lord, our shield! For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter; consume them in wrath; consume them till they are no more, that they may know that God rules over Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah

Lord, show Your awesome power to those who would afflict me. Bring judgment down upon them that they may know that they are living in conflict with You and Your word. Turn their cursing and lies back on them so that they may be consumed by their anger. Guide them to turn to You for relief and for healing; bring them to their knees in repentance and sorrow.

Psalm 59:4b-10 Awake, come to meet me, and see! You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Rouse yourself to punish all the nations;

Psalm 59:4b-10
Awake, come to meet me, and see! You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Rouse yourself to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah

Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. There they are, bellowing with their mouths with swords in their lips-- for "Who," they think, "will hear us?" But you, O LORD, laugh at them; you hold all the nations in derision. O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. My God in his steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.

You, my Lord, are a strong wall about me, a hedge of protection against my enemies, both those affections so beloved by the Evil One and those individuals who seek my harm. The Holy Spirit provides the shield and the transforming power to defeat the lures of the old man; He prevents the lies and allegations of my enemies from interfering with my communion with You. I am safe in Your gentle arms.

Psalm 59:1-4a Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me;

Psalm 59:1-4a
To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him. Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me; deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men. For behold, they lie in wait for my life; fierce men stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD, for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.

Lord, it is evil affections that rise up to destroy my peace and joy from you. Cast away from me doubt, lust, covetousness, pride, self-centeredness, anger, slander and gossip, greed, gluttony and all that come between you and me. Deal harshly with those affections to purge them from my heart. Create in me a clean heart, oh Lord.

Protect me from those who speak evil of me, especially those who seek to sow strife and who blame me for their failures. Teach me, Lord, to respond in love, with compassion and without anger or harshness.

Psalm 119:4-5 You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.

Psalm 119:4-5
You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!

Diligence, Lord, diligence and steadfastness. Living, telling, teaching, serving, praying, doing, being one who seeks to follow in Your steps in every aspect of my life. Not a work of my mind but a work of a spirit filled heart. Be ever at work in me, O Lord.

Psalm 119:1-3 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD!

Psalm 119:1-3
Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!

What a blessing this is, Lord, to walk in Your ways, knowing that Your law and testimony guide me. You are opening the eyes of my heart to seek you with my whole heart.

There is a growing sense of the awareness of Your presence, a knowledge that You are with me, that your Holy Spirit is indeed the Guarantor of my salvation and my passport to the Kingdom. Thank you, my Lord, for this incredible and generous gift.

Psalm 58:10-11 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;

Psalm 58:10-11
The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked. Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.”

As the inmates to whom You have sent me are so fond of singing, “It’s the Blood, nothing but the Blood of Jesus.” Not the blood of the wicked but Your Blood, the blood of the Lamb, restores and cures and makes us whole.

Psalm 58:6-9 O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!

Psalm 58:6-9
O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD! Let them vanish like water that runs away; when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted. Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime, like the stillborn child who never sees the sun. Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns, whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!,

But You, the Lord of love, light and mercy, have prescribed a curative and restorative. You, in Your Love, have provided for the ripping of the fangs, the dissolution of the sins, the bringing of light to all who seek the cure.

Psalm 58:1-5 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?

Psalm 58:1-5 To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David.
Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? Do you judge the children of man uprightly? No, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth. The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies. They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear, so that it does not hear the voice of charmers or of the cunning enchanter.

Lord, the hatred of Satan towards You boils over and spews from the hearts and actions of men. It manifests itself from birth; it is characterized by lies and refuses to hear the Word that heals and restores. That hatred is cleverly disguised with honey and perfume, it holds all in its deadly charms. Keep me alert to its influence on me, O Lord.

Exodus 20.1-2, 13 And God spoke all these words, saying, “You shall not murder.”

Exodus 20:1-2, 13
And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery…You shall not murder.”

Lord, since 11 October, 2002 over 4,000 young men and women have lost their lives in the Iraq War; but in the same period, over 7,500,000 children have lost their lives to the Sin of Molloch, as their parents sacrificed them on the alter of self-interest. And the Church is silent.

How many thousands of lives are held in frozen stasis in embryo banks because their parents demanded the satisfaction of owning a child, even if the cost is the sacrificed lives of other of their children? And the Church is silent.

Lord, bring us to our knees in repentance. Force us to be the voices of those sacrificed lives, rising up to prick the conscience of this nation. If we remain silent, let the stones of the walls cry out. It is no wonder that You withhold revival; we withhold repentance!

For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond. “Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity!” Habakkuk 2:11-12

Psalm 119:171-172 My lips will pour forth praise, for you teach me your statutes.

Psalm 119:171-172
My lips will pour forth praise, for you teach me your statutes. My tongue will sing of your word, for all your commandments are right.

Knowledge, true knowledge results in praise, for Your statutes and commandments reveal the right ordering and operation of Your creation. Just as they reveal wrongness to those who do not submit to You, they reveal rightness to those who have sworn obedience to You.

Psalm 119:169-170 Let my cry come before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your word!

Psalm 119:169-170
Let my cry come before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your word! Let my plea come before you; deliver me according to your word.

Draw me closer, closer to Thy precious wounded side. Give me understanding, Lord, that I might walk in Your way, shining in the light of Your glory. Deliver me from the attacks of the evil one; keep me from those guilt trips that he constantly throws at me. Keep me remembering that I am washed in the blood, pure in Your sight, called to be Your servant.

Psalm 57:11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!

Psalm 57:11
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!

I will give thanks to You among ALL the peoples, I will sing praise to You among ALL the nations. I will sing and make melody in my heart from the rising of the sun until I close my eyes at night. I will exult Your Name, I will shout of the steadfastness of Your love to the heavens, I will speak of Your faithfulness to the clouds, I will declare Your Glory over all the earth. I am Yours.

Psalm 57:7-10 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody!

Psalm 57:7-10
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.

I am content, I am secure, I am Yours. Let my mouth be filled with praises and my spirit overflow with worship. Let there be no holding back, no hesitation to declare Your glory and to give You thanks in all circumstances.

Psalm57:4-6 My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts--

Psalm57:4-6
My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts-- the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah

The news is nothing but a gushing stream of disaster; the collapse of the world's financial system, the implosion of societal morals and ethics, and the dissolution of the authority of Your Word among the churches. But You are exalted, You are glorified, You are over all and nothing moves unless You allow it.

Psalm 57:1-3 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge;

Psalm 57:1-3 To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

Lord, part of the joy of my salvation is the knowledge that it is accompanied by Your faithfulness. I have nothing to fear, for You are a shield about me, not only protecting me from those who seek my destruction, but also from those who want only to destroy the relationship between You and me. To know that You know the plans you have for me, for my good and Your glory -- that is joy.

Exodus 20.1-2, 12 And God spoke all these words, saying, “…Honor your father and your mother,

Exodus 20.1-2, 12
And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery…Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.”

Lord, how do I support others and teach them to see the importance of this instruction? Teach them to see that this is a precept of great significance, especially as our society begins to suffer from the ravages of broken families? It’s not just divorce, Lord, but the growing failure to understand the nature, importance, and function of marriage.

How can this precept be lived out by someone who does not know who his father is, or who is not being a father to his children? How am I called to teach this principle?

Psalm 119.161-162 Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of your words.

Psalm 119.161-162
Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of your words. I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil.

There is treasure in your Word, Lord, pearls, nuggets of gold, and precious stones. Great beauty and great utility. Your Word is consistent and coherent, it shows me perfection, it leads me along still waters, and sets a table before me among my enemies. My cup runs over and spills out to slake the thirst of others.

Your Word speaks to me through your creation. The amaryllis on the coffee table, rising in stately majesty to culminate in three crimson trumpets. It grew from a bulb, inch by inch, growing perceptibly each day until it exploded into flame at the top. How could this be an accident? It can only be the loving hand of the Creator God, moving to demonstrate his love through an object of beauty. There is no overriding utility in an amaryllis, it was created for the sheer beauty and for the great satisfaction that comes for that act of creation.

I praise you, Lord God, for the beauty that gives both of us so much pleasure.

Psalm 56.10-13 In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.

Psalm 56.10-13
In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you. For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

Oh, Lord, receive this as my complete statement of reliance on You and a corresponding vow of obedience. To trust You and not fear; to live according to Your Word as a life which is a thank offering to you; to walk in Your light as a soul that has been released from the grip of the Evil One: This is the Kingdom of God brought to earth!

Psalm 56.7-9 For their crime will they escape? In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!

Psalm 56.7-9
For their crime will they escape? In wrath cast down the peoples, O God! You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me.

I know, Lord, that You are for me. You have purchased me with a price and will not abandon me to my enemies. You see my anguish; You care for me in my trouble and all my woe. How good it is to know, O Lord, that You are for me!