1 Answer me when I call to you,
O my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
2 How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
3 Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
the Lord will hear when I call to Him.
We really do need God, Only He can make our lives satisfied and complete. When we call out to Him in need, He answers us. In our prayers, He listens. We need His help; we look to other things to make us content, when all we need is Him! The Lord loves those who turn away from sin and idols, those who worship Him. He has even set aside a place for believers in Heaven! In fact, He loves us so much that He will always hear our prayers; whether they are outspoken or silent, small or big, thankful or desperate, He is always there.
4 In your anger do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
5 Offer right sacrifices
and trust in the Lord.
When we are angry, we must take control over it. If we are overrun with anger, then we easily can lose control and sin purposefully. It is important to remember to truth the Lord; when you lean on Him, you become strong enough to withstand the sinful urges that attack you when you become angered.
6 Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?"
Let the light of Your face shine upon us, O Lord.
7 You have filled my heart with greater job
than when their grain and new wine abound.
8 I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, O Lord,
make me dwell in safety.
Many still doubt the Lord. These people worry and are always searching for good, even when it is right in front of them. Followers of Christ can be peaceful in knowing that there is always good, and it comes from God. He fills us up when we feel empty and protects us from all harm, as He truly does love us.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Psalm 3
1 O Lord, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me!
2 Many are saying of me,
"God will not deliver him."
Every day, followers heard words like these. While we hold strong to God, other doubt Him. Here, David is asking for help. The unbelievers overwhelm him, telling him that God will not pull through for him. Even when we feel this way, God always pulls through for those who love and follow him.
3 But you are a shield around me, O Lord;
you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.
4 To the Lord I cry aloud,
and he answers me from his holy hill.
The Lord calls out through the voices of doubt, telling us that he is there and He will save us! We have the choice to call out to the Lord, and He answers our prayers.
5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not fear the tens of thousands
drawn up against me on every side.
The Lord truly does sustain us. Without Him, we would be nothing. With Him, we need have no fear of the unbelievers, even when they threaten to overwhelm us and pull us under. There is nothing God cannot accomplish; defeating those who try to rise about Him are nothing under His power.
7 Arise, O lord!
Deliver me, O my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
break the teeth of the wicked.
8 From the Lord comes deliverance.
May your blessing be on your people.
Here again, David is calling for help. As he is suppressed by the unbelievers, he needs God to support him. The Lord always protects His followers, and He blesses them in their faith.
How many rise up against me!
2 Many are saying of me,
"God will not deliver him."
Every day, followers heard words like these. While we hold strong to God, other doubt Him. Here, David is asking for help. The unbelievers overwhelm him, telling him that God will not pull through for him. Even when we feel this way, God always pulls through for those who love and follow him.
3 But you are a shield around me, O Lord;
you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.
4 To the Lord I cry aloud,
and he answers me from his holy hill.
The Lord calls out through the voices of doubt, telling us that he is there and He will save us! We have the choice to call out to the Lord, and He answers our prayers.
5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not fear the tens of thousands
drawn up against me on every side.
The Lord truly does sustain us. Without Him, we would be nothing. With Him, we need have no fear of the unbelievers, even when they threaten to overwhelm us and pull us under. There is nothing God cannot accomplish; defeating those who try to rise about Him are nothing under His power.
7 Arise, O lord!
Deliver me, O my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
break the teeth of the wicked.
8 From the Lord comes deliverance.
May your blessing be on your people.
Here again, David is calling for help. As he is suppressed by the unbelievers, he needs God to support him. The Lord always protects His followers, and He blesses them in their faith.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Psalm 2
Time for the second Psalm! This one is a little longer than the first one, but it is very short to some later on. I have separated it into four parts, so make sure to look for the red to see where the Bible's words are separate from my own!
~.~
1 Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One.
3 "Let us break their chains," they say,
"and throw of their fetters."
This Psalm tells of how people do not truth the Lord, and consider him their imprisoner rather than the saving grace that He truly is. Those who want power want to 'overthrow' the most powerful of them all: God! They want to be 'free' of the Lord - to do whatever they wish - when he is in fact loving and protecting them all the way, even when they reject Him for their own selfish means.
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then he rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
6 "I have installed my King
on Zion, my holy hill."
When those on earth believe themselves to be better than God, he laughs - verse four even says he scoffs at their high and mighty behavior. They think that they are the best, until the Lord shows them who is really in charge. He can place whomever he wants on the throne, as he has shown many times before. The people believe that they can shed the Lord, when they really have no power over Him in the least; He has all the power in the world, while they hold none.
7 I will proclaim the degree of the Lord:
He said to me, "You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.
8 Ask of me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You will rule with an iron scepter;
you will clash them to pieces like pottery."
God said to the people on earth basically to love Him. He said that he was the Father, and the people are his 'Son' (this is not limited to guys, it is used to describe every person). He promises here and many other places in the Bible that He will protect and provide for his people if only they would lay down their lives for Him.
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry
and you be destroyed in your way,
for His wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.
The only time that we will ever have true peace is in the Lord. Here he tells the earthly kings to love their Lord more than anything else - even power - or risk His wrath. It is often said that our God is a jealous God; this doesn't mean that he wants something he can't have, but rather that He truly wants us. He runs to us and we just need to reach out a hand to receive His love. The people at this time are more in love with power than with the Lord, and this angers Him. He wants them to love Him more than anything else, and all who love Him and take refuge in Him are blessed.
~.~
1 Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One.
3 "Let us break their chains," they say,
"and throw of their fetters."
This Psalm tells of how people do not truth the Lord, and consider him their imprisoner rather than the saving grace that He truly is. Those who want power want to 'overthrow' the most powerful of them all: God! They want to be 'free' of the Lord - to do whatever they wish - when he is in fact loving and protecting them all the way, even when they reject Him for their own selfish means.
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then he rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
6 "I have installed my King
on Zion, my holy hill."
When those on earth believe themselves to be better than God, he laughs - verse four even says he scoffs at their high and mighty behavior. They think that they are the best, until the Lord shows them who is really in charge. He can place whomever he wants on the throne, as he has shown many times before. The people believe that they can shed the Lord, when they really have no power over Him in the least; He has all the power in the world, while they hold none.
7 I will proclaim the degree of the Lord:
He said to me, "You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.
8 Ask of me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You will rule with an iron scepter;
you will clash them to pieces like pottery."
God said to the people on earth basically to love Him. He said that he was the Father, and the people are his 'Son' (this is not limited to guys, it is used to describe every person). He promises here and many other places in the Bible that He will protect and provide for his people if only they would lay down their lives for Him.
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry
and you be destroyed in your way,
for His wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.
The only time that we will ever have true peace is in the Lord. Here he tells the earthly kings to love their Lord more than anything else - even power - or risk His wrath. It is often said that our God is a jealous God; this doesn't mean that he wants something he can't have, but rather that He truly wants us. He runs to us and we just need to reach out a hand to receive His love. The people at this time are more in love with power than with the Lord, and this angers Him. He wants them to love Him more than anything else, and all who love Him and take refuge in Him are blessed.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Psalm 1
Yay! It's finally time for the first Psalm! So to help you out a little, here is how it's going to work. The actual verse quoted from the Bible (N.I.V. version if you are wondering) and will be in red text. Following that will be thoughts and what they mean. Please notice that how I read the verses may be a little different than how you do, so to get the full meaning of what God wants you to know, you have to draw your own judgement. This is just kind of a guide to help you all through. So, here goes nothing! By the way, please do not judge my writing skills, as I am still pretty young and not the best at writing things. Hopefully this will not be a problem though, because the Lord's word is what is truly important.
~.~
1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit at the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates night and day.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
These verses, the first three in the first Psalm, describe a basic man, or person, of righteousness. Such a person does not walk with the wicked, the sinners, or the mockers, but instead chooses to walk by the Lord's side. It is not a good thing to be around those who do not strive to be close to God, as it can often lead you astray on your path to Christ. If you choose the right path, the God says that he will provide for you, and whatever you do will prosper. Like a tree, those who truly love the Lord and want to be near him will be firm and strong in their beliefs.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in judgement,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous
but the way of the wicket will perish.
Unlike followers of the Lord, those who do not choose His path will be disappointed. Instead of being a 'tree', firm and steady, they will be like 'chaff'(the leftover part of seeds), easily blown away and led astray. Those who do not choose the Lord will not be righteous, as they refuse the Lord who constantly is calling for their hearts. God will love and watch over everyone, but eventually the 'wicked' will perish, and not be allowed to spend all of eternity with their Lord and Savior.
~.~
1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit at the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates night and day.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
These verses, the first three in the first Psalm, describe a basic man, or person, of righteousness. Such a person does not walk with the wicked, the sinners, or the mockers, but instead chooses to walk by the Lord's side. It is not a good thing to be around those who do not strive to be close to God, as it can often lead you astray on your path to Christ. If you choose the right path, the God says that he will provide for you, and whatever you do will prosper. Like a tree, those who truly love the Lord and want to be near him will be firm and strong in their beliefs.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in judgement,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous
but the way of the wicket will perish.
Unlike followers of the Lord, those who do not choose His path will be disappointed. Instead of being a 'tree', firm and steady, they will be like 'chaff'(the leftover part of seeds), easily blown away and led astray. Those who do not choose the Lord will not be righteous, as they refuse the Lord who constantly is calling for their hearts. God will love and watch over everyone, but eventually the 'wicked' will perish, and not be allowed to spend all of eternity with their Lord and Savior.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Uncovering the Psalms
Hello out there to anyone who may or may not be reading this blog! I am here now to tell you a little bit about this blog itself. As the title of the site itself says, the purpose of it is to uncover the Psalms. Right now you might be thinking something along the lines of "What?", but that's ok. In truth, 'uncovering the Psalms' is really just taking God's word and transforming it into something that we can understand easier. When the Bible says, "Save me from my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of fools, (Psalm 39:8)" our brains do not usually know what to think. When our brains do not know what to think, then we usually give up. I believe that this is the reason so many of us do not read the Bible. If we have trouble easily reading it, then we won't try, or we end up having to force ourselves; neither of these are what God intended for us to do. So for the next period of undetermined months, I will be posting here with a different Psalm almost every day, depending on how long the Psalm itself is. With any luck, I can help more people read the Bible in the way the God meant for us to; with understanding and joy. If we just can uncover God's word in the Bible, then we truly will be closer to him.
And, just as a side not, I may not be able to post every day, but at the end of each week I will be sure to catch up!
And, just as a side not, I may not be able to post every day, but at the end of each week I will be sure to catch up!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)