Psalm 16

You Will Not Abandon My Soul

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. 

I say to the Lord, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you." 

As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. 

The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. 

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. 

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. 

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. 

Dear God, 

What would You have me learn from this passage? Even though at times I feel shaken, I will not be shaken as long as I listen to You. You will not abandon me. There is joy in Your presence. 

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen

Psalm 15

Who Shall Dwell on Your Holy Hill?

O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; who does not put his own money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

Dear God,

What would You have me learn from this passage? The person who does what is right and speaks truth in his heart will dwell with You. On the political front, I cannot see Trump or any other republican residing with You. Yikes. And there may even be some democrats as well. Even more troubling. God, may I only ever always speak the truth.

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name, 

Amen

Psalm 14

The Fool Says, There Is No God

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good.

The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.

They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. 

Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the Lord?

There they are in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous. You would shame the plans of the poor, but the Lord is his refuge.

Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

Dear God, 

What You have me learn from this passage? A fool does not believe in You. May I never be a fool.

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen

Psalm 13

How Long, O Lord?

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed over him," lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

But I have trusted in your steadfast love, my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Dear God,

What would You have me learn from this passage? How long indeed? How long will Americans who are in poverty through no fault of their own but merely because they are disabled or are disabled veterans have to suffer at the hands of arrogant republicans who keep trying to take even more from them with regards to healthcare and the proposed budget? How long will another child have to suffer from hunger because the republicans keep taking from the safety nets? How long will the least of these have to suffer because of greed that has taken hold of D.C.? How long? Lean Your heart toward us, God! 

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen

Psalm 12

The Faithful Have Vanished

Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man. Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts, those who say, "With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us?"

"Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise," says the Lord; "I will place him in the safety for which he longs." The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.

You, O Lord, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever. On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

Dear God,

What would You have me learn from this passage? That people who lie will be punished while You will bring safety to the least of these. God, today I come again with groanings in my heart, praying that You will intervene on behalf of the least of these with regard to healthcare, that You will make sure that the republicans do NOT make things worse than they already are. For as long as insurance is a necessity in order to afford healthcare in this country, everyone should be able to buy it and have full coverage that actually covers them and covers preventive care. No one should have to face losing coverage in the middle of treatments and diagnosis. No one should have to face losing homes or access to food. This country is supposed to be one of the wealthiest. The problem is not the programs that help the poor, the sick, and the veterans. The problem is the republicans who have become so vile and greedy since Mr. Obama. The problem is Trump. Trump who admitted to not paying taxes and called himself smart for not paying taxes when it is just him not being a responsible citizen when he is perfectly capable of doing so. God, there is some comfort in this passage knowing that people like Trump and the other republicans who have done nothing but lie their way into D.C. WILL be punished in the end. But sometimes I pray that it will be sooner than later and that You will make sure to remove the least of these into safety before it happens. 

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen

Take Refuge In God When You Trust in Him

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. - I Peter 5:8

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for on you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. - Psalm 57:1

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! - Psalm 34:8

Dear God, 

It can be so hard sometimes to trust You! Please help me to resist the anxious thoughts that try to creep into my mind. I want to take refuge in You. 

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen

Psalm 11

The Lord Is in His Holy Temple

In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, "Flee like a bird to your mountain, for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart; if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test, the children of man. The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.

Dear God, 

What would You have me learn from this passage? This passage actually gives me comfort. And it also gives me greater respect for You. I am saddened today though to think that there will be some people who may find themselves not where they think they will end up because of their ways. They have been misled and gone astray. They claim to believe in You yet are against anything that helps the least of these. They don't even get their hypocrisy on it either because they will be personally impacted. They just seem to have airs when you confront them on it. I pray for them. I pray for You to bring them back around and save them from their blindness. The wicked will be punished. And the righteous will be tested. It seems we have entered that testing now.

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen