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Read Psalm 89:30-37 There is one thing that God cannot do--He cannot lie. When He makes a covenant, He keeps it, and we can hold on to His Word forever. This is what God said concerning David and his family: "If his sons forsake My law and do not walk in My judgments, if they break My statutes and do not keep My commandments, then I will visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him, no

Read Psalm 89:38-45 God did wonderful things for the people of Israel, and He gave them wonderful promises. We would expect the Israelites to be loyal followers of God, but they were not. They turned their back on Him and sinned, so God had to discipline them. This passage depicts His chastening. What really happens when God disciplines His people? "You have renounced the covenant of Your servant; you have profaned his crown by casting it to the ground" (v. 39). God wants us

Read Psalm 89:46-52 "How long, Lord? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath burn like fire?" (v. 46). These questions come from the broken heart of a man who wondered why God's people were going through so much trouble. Several times we see the word remember in these verses. "Remember how short my time is; for what futility have You created all the children of men?" (v. 47). What could the psalmist possibly remind God about? He reminds Him that life is short. God did

Read Psalm 90:1-6 First there were sundials. Then came water clocks, hourglasses and mechanical clocks. Now we have digital clocks and watches that split time into hundredths of a second. Our culture certainly is concerned with time. That's why it's good to read what Moses says: "Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God..

Read Psalm 90:7-11 Life expectancy in the United States is up to 75 years. That's good news; 25 years ago it was only 70 years. Perhaps it will keep going up, but in comparison to eternity, the human life span is short. That's why we read, "The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away" (v. 10). That sounds like a rather doleful statement, but it's

Read Psalm 90:12-17 "So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (v. 12). Moses' words summarize what we need to know if we want to make our lives count. We live a day at a time. Usually, we don't number our days; we number our years. When you have a birthday and someone asks how old you are, you tell them your age in the number of years. But we'd better number our days, because we live a day at a time. "Give us this day our daily bread" ( Matt. 6:11 )

Read Psalm 91:1-8 I wonder what the safest place in the world is. A bomb shelter? A bank vault? Perhaps a prison surrounded by an army? According to Psalm 91, the safest place in the world is a shadow. "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty" (v. 1). "He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler" (v. 4). What does this mean? The psalmist refe

Read Psalm 91:9-16 "For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways" (v. 11). This is the promise Satan quoted to Jesus when he tempted Him in the wilderness. This promise speaks about our security. We can't see the angels. But they are God's messengers, servants sent to help us. If we are in the will of God, we have the protection of His army. He is called the "Lord of Hosts" (the Lord of the armies). The hosts of the heavens are under His control-

Read Psalm 92:1-6 As we begin each day, we trust we'll still be around at the end of the day. What happens in between depends on how we start in the morning and how we end in the evening. Verses 1 and 2 describe an ideal day: "It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night." That's how we ought to live each day. When you wake up in the morning, remember His

Read Psalm 92:7-15 Someone has said that there are three stages in life: childhood, adolescence and "My, you're looking good." We can't stop aging. But no matter how old we grow, we ought to continue growing in the Lord. "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing" (vv.

Read Psalm 93:1-5 While I was ministering at a Bible conference in the Pacific Northwest, I watched the ocean as it moved in. The last day of the conference was rainy and stormy. The ocean waves looked as though they were right at our back door. The scene reminded me of verse 3 in today's passage: "The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves." What do you do when you find yourself threatened by the floods of wickedn

Read Psalm 94:1-10 "Lord, how long will the wicked . . . triumph?" (v. 3). I'm sure you also have asked that question. This sentiment is expressed many times in Scripture. The great saints of God cried out, "O Lord, how long?" When David was being chased by King Saul, many times he said, "How long, O Lord, before I get my throne? You've promised it to me." The psalmist tells us that God has His plan. He hears our prayers and sees our need. He knows exactly what is going on. T

Read Psalm 94:11-23 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?" (v. 16). I wonder what kind of an answer we would give to these questions. There are times when we only pray about a problem. There are times when we wait. There are times when God says, "Not now--I'll take care of it later." But there are times when we must act, as when Moses had to stand up and lead the people out of Egypt, or when David had to perfo

Read Psalm 95:1-7 "For the Lord is the great God, and a great King above all gods" (v. 3). That's a great affirmation of faith the psalmist wrote as he looked at the heathen gods of other nations. In his book Your God Is Too Small, J. B. Phillips affirms the greatness of God. If you have a small God, you'll have small faith; if you have a great God, you'll have great faith--not great faith in your faith but great faith in a great God. If God truly is a great God, then how sho

Read Psalm 95:7-11 We find a warning in today's passage. "Today, if you will hear His voice: Do not harden your hearts" (vv. 7,8). The context is the nation of Israel in the wilderness. From Egypt to Canaan, they saw God at work. He led them out of Egypt, through the wilderness and into the Promised Land. And what did they do in return? They hardened their hearts. How do we harden our hearts? It's a process that occurs gradually as we complain about God's work and ignore His

Read Psalm 96:1-6 Early one spring morning I walked out the front door of my home and saw a spiderweb. It was beautiful, but it wasn't strong. Before the day was over, the web was gone. Some things are beautiful but not strong. And other things are strong but not beautiful. A concrete slab is strong, but you're not likely to want one in your living room. Similarly, a steel girder exists to support, not to be seen. There was a beauty about the tabernacle and temple. "Honor and

Read Psalm 96:7-13 Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!" (v. 9). God desires holiness for His people. "Be holy, for I am holy" is repeated several times in the Old Testament. And the apostle Peter used it in one of his letters ( I Pet. 1:16 ). It means to be separated, unique and distinct. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit work together to lead us into a life of holiness. The cross of Jesus indicates that God wants us to be holy. On the cross Jesu

Read Psalm 97:1-12 A friend of mine likes to quote a beatitude that he has either invented or borrowed: "Blessed are the balanced." It's a good point. We can't easily walk unless we're balanced. When I was learning how to ride a bicycle, my parents put me on one and gave me a push, but I could not keep balanced. To roller skate, ice skate or ski, you've got to maintain balance. This is also true of the Christian life. That's why the psalmist says, "You who love the Lord, hate

Read Psalm 98:1-9 One of my seminary professors was a missionary in Africa for many years. When he first arrived on the field by riverboat, from the banks of the river he could hear screaming and wailing and the beating of drums. But 25 years later, when he went down to the river to leave the field, people lined the banks and were singing, "All hail the power of Jesus' name, let angels prostrate fall." What a difference! The Christian faith is a singing faith. Christians ough

Read Psalm 99:1-9 One of the greatest joys in the Christian life is the joy of answered prayer--to be able to say to someone, "God answered my prayer today," or to hear someone say, "Thank you for praying--let me tell you what God did." The psalmist writes about this: "Moses and Aaron were among his priests, and Samuel was among those who called upon His name. They called upon the Lord, and He answered them" (v. 6). Moses called upon the Lord many times when he had the burden

Read Psalm 100:1-5 The next time you sing the doxology in a worship service, remember that you are singing Scripture, a version of Psalm 100. This psalm is a digest of instructions on how to worship the Lord. Who should worship the Lord? "Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!" (v. 1). God wants the whole world to worship and give thanks to Him. Why are we to go into all the world and preach the Gospel? So that all the world will one day be able to make a joyful shou

Read Psalm 100:2 Joyful noise leads to joyful service. If we are to serve the Lord joyfully, our words must become deeds. Jesus warns against hypocritical worship ( Matt. 15:8 ). How are we to serve the Lord genuinely? First, we serve willingly. We are redeemed to do what God wants us to do. This verse was meaningful to Old Testament Jews, because they knew about servitude. God delivered them from slavery in Egypt so they might serve Him. Second, we serve exclusively. We cann

Read Psalm 100:3,4 Psalm 100 is God's instruction sheet for praise. Praise is both an action and an attitude of the heart, and one way we praise God is to submit to Him. This passage suggests three acts of submission that bring praise to God. First, we submit as creatures to the Creator (v. 3). Satan wants us to think he is God. Some people behave as though they are God. But only Jehovah is God ( Isa. 46:9 ; Ps. 46:10 ; I Chron. 16:25 ). A man once said to his girlfriend, "I'

Read Psalm 100:4 In Old Testament days, God's people brought animal sacrifices to the altar. Today, instead of bringing the Lord dead sacrifices, we present living sacrifices to Him. The Bible speaks of several sacrifices that praise God. We have the sacrifice of praise ( Heb. 13:15 ). When our lips thank God for what He has done and for who He is, our praise pleases Him. We have the sacrifice of a broken heart ( Ps. 51:17 ). We are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice