He Crowns the Humble with Victory

I just finished my reading of the Psalms. It's been a great and humble journey. I leave you with this verse, which provides hope for those who believe in Him:

For the Lord takes delight in his people;
he crowns the humble with victory. - Psalm 149:4

Under God's grace and care, His people - Christians - will attain victory. This doesn't mean your life will always be pain-free, full of wealth and prosperity, and without sorrow: Life isn't Margaritaville. But He will care for you and be with you through good times and bad. He promises that he will never leave you or forsake you. Enjoy God's blessings - don't feel guilty that you have privilege that others don't. All things come from Him. But don't hold onto the things of this life too tightly; they can be taken away without a moment's notice. Remember that when the car is running great, the job is going well, the kids are healthy, and the Mets are winning - that comes from God. But also remember that when relationships fail, money is scarce, and your health is marginal - that comes from Him, too. He is always looking out for you and trying to teach you something. Don't miss the lesson. Don't miss what He is trying to teach you so that you might be conformed more and more into the image of His son, Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul in Romans 8:28 writes: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good." Love God and He will give you victory in this life and the next.

Who Do You Trust?

In what or whom do you trust? Who or what is at the center of your life and existence? Do you put your ultimate trust in money, your career, another person, yourself? God places many things in our lives that are good: job, wife, finances, friends, family. But when we love any of these things more than the God who created us and sustains us, then, at minimum, we will be gravely disappointed, and, at worse, they will separate us from Him and lead to ruin. Love the blessings God gave you, but always love Him more.

Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever. - Psalm 146:3-6

Psalm 145:14-18

When life is getting us down, the Lord is there to pick us up and provide comfort.

While other individuals are often sources of comfort that God puts in our lives, sometimes people fail us. We have to live in the promises that God will always be there and care for His people.

The Lord upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
You open your hand;
you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and kind in all his works.
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.

Psalm 141:3-4a

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
keep watch over the door of my lips!
Do not let my heart incline to any evil,
to busy myself with wicked deeds.

Psalm 139:23-24

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!

As a friend of mine commented: "That's a great and dangerous psalm."

There is Forgiveness

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning. - Psalm 130-3-6


With this forgiveness granted to us, can we not find the grace to forgive those who have sinned against us?

The Promises of God for Men and Their Families

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways!
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.

The Lord bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!
May you see your children's children!
Peace be upon Israel!

Where Does My Help Come from?

In times of need - in times of desperation - remember that the Lord is with you. True, lasting help can only come from Him. He never stops watching over His people - the Church. Picture yourself walking along a narrow path on a mountain. You may be anxious and afraid of falling, but He will not let your foot slip: He has you in his grip and He won't let go.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep. - Psalm 121:1-4

Psalm 119:9-16

Wisdom to keep our paths straight comes only from the Lord:

How can a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping it according to Your word.
With all my heart I have sought You;
Do not let me wander from Your commandments.
Your word I have treasured in my heart,
That I may not sin against You.
Blessed are You, O Lord;
Teach me Your statutes.
With my lips I have told of
All the ordinances of Your mouth.
I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches.
I will meditate on Your precepts
And regard Your ways.
I shall delight in Your statutes;
I shall not forget Your word.

Psalm 118 - The Lord is with Me

The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes. - Psalm 118:6-9

You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
- Psalm 119:28-29

Psalm 107:33-43

God gives evil men their due and blesses those who are His and in need. Have faith in his everlasting mercy for His people:

He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the evil of its inhabitants.
He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
And there he lets the hungry dwell,
and they establish a city to live in;
they sow fields and plant vineyards
and get a fruitful yield.
By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their livestock diminish.

When they are diminished and brought low
through oppression, evil, and sorrow,
he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
but he raises up the needy out of affliction
and makes their families like flocks.
The upright see it and are glad,
and all wickedness shuts its mouth.

Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

Hope and Grace

He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust. - Psalm 103:9-14

Do Not Hide Your Face from Me

Hear my prayer, O Lord;
let my cry come to you!
Do not hide your face from me
in the day of my distress!
Incline your ear to me;
answer me speedily in the day when I call!

Help in Times of Trouble

In this Psalm (94:17-19), the writer finds comfort in the Lord and his eternal care. He realizes that without his God, he would be dead and only through God's care was his anxiety moved towards joy. In times of stress and even despair, we have to remember who we belong to and that God will never let us go.

Unless the Lord had given me help,
I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
When I said, “My foot is slipping,”
your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.

Psalm 90:12

In this prayer of Moses, he asks God for wisdom by teaching us to "number our days." In numbering our days, we realize how short and insignificant our lives are if God does not give them value. As we number our days we get a proper perspective on who we are relative to God and through that realization we attain wisdom.

"So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom."

Crafty Plans Against Your People

This is a reminder that the world will always come after God's people; as difficult as suffering is, we should be honored to suffer for our faith in Him (Psalm 83:1-5):

O God, do not keep silence;
do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
For behold, your enemies make an uproar;
those who hate you have raised their heads.
They lay crafty plans against your people;
they consult together against your treasured ones.
They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;
let the name of Israel be remembered no more!”
For they conspire with one accord;
against you they make a covenant—

Hope for the Next Generation

He established a testimony in Jacob
and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;
and that they should not be like their fathers,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
whose spirit was not faithful to God.

Despite their personal failings, Christian parents pray that their children have set their hope in God.