Psalm 16 - Trust in the Lord

Psalm 16

David calls upon the Lord to keep him safe. Whatever the situation we should always take refuge in the Lord. David knows that all his hope is in the Lord, and he delights in God’s people. The company we keep is important, if we choose the wrong crowd we can be dragged away from the Lord, conversely if we mix with godly people it can help us in following the Lord.running after other gods is not a wise thing to do, it will lead only to trouble.

The Lord is our portion, He is our provider, and \He is good to us. He instructs us. We are secure only when we keep the Lord at our right hand.

When we put our trust in the Lord we will be glad and will rest secure. The Lord’s will is to look after us and to fill us with joy in His presence.

Psalm 15 - Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?

Psalm 15

For once David is not in trouble., this time he is musing on “who may dwell in the Lord’s sacred tent”. He has known God’s help, but who can ascend the hill of the Lord? The answers he gives sets a very high standard, and not one that we can reach, that is why we need Jesus. Yet it is still worth pondering them, for the Holy Spirit works in us to produce more of the character of Jesus within us. First his walk is blameless, he speaks the truth and is righteous. \he tells no lies, and does no wrong to his neighbour, he does not cast slurs. Notice how much of politics is casting slurs on others. He despises a vile person, rather than honouring him. Instead he honours those who fear the Lord. His word is reliable. He lends freely to the poor, not seeking to exploit them. Such  a person has the approval of God, and so his life is built upon a solid foundation.

Psalm 14 - when society rejects God

Psalm 14

In previous psalms Daavid has been dealing with fairly personal matters, in this one he takes a more general look at society. Those who say “There is no God”are fools. They might claim to be wise, but quite the opposite is true. Their deeds are evil, and they do no good. Our society that rejects God is a poorer society.

While they deny the existence of God , the Lord does exist and He sees all people. He looks to see if there are any who seek God., but all have turned away and have become corrupt. This is the general condition of mankind. A society that rejects God is a less caring society But God does exist and is active. He is present in the company of the righteous, so even if society as a whole turns away from God, we do well to continue to look to Him, and to put our trust in Him. 

Psalm 13 - When it is very difficult

Psalm 13

David is in trouble again. In this psalm we see how he is feeling and how he responds.. It starts with David feeling as if the Lord has forgotten him, and is paying him no attention. He is wrestling with all sorts of troubling thoughts, probably imagining all that could go wrong. Sorrow fills his  heart and it seems as if the enemy is triumphing over him. He does not want the enemy to be able to gloat in triumph over him. His response is to call on the Lord, he still trusts in God and reminds himself that God has been good to him. 

We can feel guilty when we experience difficult and negative thoughts and feelings, this is normal, and we see how David responds to the situation.

Psalm 12 - When all seem to neglect the Lord

Psalm 12

In the previous two psalms David had been praying in response to personal circumstances, in this one David is concerned about the overall state of the nation. We too can be concerned about the nation’s general state. So let's see how David responded. It can seem that there is no one who is faithful, people “flatter with their lips but harbour deception in their hearts”.

David calls on the Lord to silence all flattering lips and boastful tongues”. We should be bold in our prayers. When evil triumphs it is the poor who suffer most. The Lord rises in response. The words of the wicked tell lies, and are not fruitful, but God’s words are flawless. The Lord looks after the needy. He takes action against the wicked.

Psalm 11 - When all seems lost

Psalm 11

David was under pressure. In fact he spent most of his life under pressure of various sorts. Sometimes it was his own fault, as after the Bathsheba incident, at others it was because of others such as Saul. At such times we can think that retreating into “safety”, it can seem as if we are defeated. David is reacting to such a situation. Circumstances tell us to “Flee like a bird to our mountain”, “what can the righteous do?” Then David reminds himself of who the Lord is. The Lord is in His temple, He observes everything, He is not unaware of our situation, and HE hates the violent and the wicked. The Lord will take action. We need to listen to the Lord, not to the voices (even from within ourselves) telling us we are defeated and that our situation is hopeless.

Psalm 10 - When the Lord seems far off

Psalm 10

There are times when God seems to be far off, to be oblivious to our situation, and doing nothing about it. David wrote this psalm in one of those times The wicked seemed to be abounding,  hunting down the weak. The wicked were doing well having no regard for the Lord, boastful in his success.

He was full of lies, waiting for more people to trap. He thinks he cannot be seen by God.

David calls upon the Lord to rise up and do something about the situation. He is convinced that God does see the afflicted, and that “the Lord is king for ever and ever”. Even when things seem dark and God seems to be far off we should still call upon the Lord and trust in Him.