PSALM 64 4 MARCH 2008
By David

God Is Your Righteous Judge

“Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him; let all the upright in heart praise him!.” Psalm 64:9

People were saying bad things about King David. The things that they said hurt David. They attack David with their tongues and words. They are like arrows and swords that pierce his hearts.
“They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows” Psalm 64:3

In a battle, Arrows and swords were used to kill their enemies. Similarly, the people’s words which David relates as “arrows” and “swords” will hurt your soul or spirit.

David prays to God for protection in verse 1-2. He places his confidence in God’s righteous judgement. God’s righteousness will prevail.

Application:
Have you ever been hurt by words of people? If you have, your soul or spirit could have been wounded. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you remember them. Release the hurts to the Lord and let Him be your righteous Judge. Do not hold grudges towards these people.





PSALM 63 3 MARCH 2008
By David

All I Want Is You Lord!

“Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.” Psalm 63:3

This was the time when David was in the wilderness of Judah. David fled from Jerusalem and into the wilderness when his son, Absalom, took control of his kingdom,
2 Samuel 15 - 16
Although David is in the Wilderness, his heart is filled with praises and adoration to God. We can see in this chapter that there is a great sense of peace in David’s heart.
David expressed his desire of God in
Ps 63:1-2. He knows how sweet and pleasant it is to be in God.

Imagine that you have to leave your house because someone has taken over by force. You have to leave behind every good things, your property, your wealth, your comfort, etc… In times like this, you can either chose to grumble and be unhappy or
Chose to turn to God and find comfort in Him because he is your all sufficiency.

Application:
Can you identify with David’s situation of being in wilderness where you could be in a situation you least wanted?
How would you have felt? Frustrated, angry, lost, confuse, fearful etc….
Praise and give thanks to God despite being in these sticky situations. God protects you and you will be satisfied in Him. Fix your eyes on Jesus and find joy in Him.




PSALM 62 2 MARCH 2008
By David

Put Your Trust In God At All Times

“Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” Psalm 62: 8

In Psalm 62, David commits himself to the Lord when faced assaults by his son who had wanted to dethrone him.

David must be devastated yet he did not allow disappointment to rule in his heart. Instead David placed his confidence in God once again, verses 1 -4.
We can trust God at all times when we place our confident in him.

David finds strength in the Lord when he claims that God is his:
· Rock & Salvation – Vs1
· Fortress & Shelter – Vs 2
· Saftety and Hope - Vs 5


Application:
Do not look to men or material things to meet your needs. Rather look to God and place your trust in Him.
Tell God that you accept his loving kindness. Pour out your hearts to God – verse 8. Do not hide or ignored your emotions, come before God to tell him how you feel.
As you do that, invite God to be your Rock & Salvation, Fortress & Shelter and Saftety & Hope.




PSALM 61 1 MARCH 2008
By David

God Is Your Shelter

“I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings” Psalm 61:4

David, in this Psalm, as in many others, begins with prayers and tears, but ends with songs of praise. Psalm 61 is likely to be written soon after David lost his son, Absalom. Absalom plotted against his father’s throne but his plot failed and he died - 2 Samuel 18:9-15.

Once again, David was deeply distressed and he was shaken. As he prays to God, he was being reminded of what God has been for him, a strong refuge and tower. And he began to long for God’s presence –where there is security and peace.

We can make one observation of David’s prayer to the Lord through Psalms. Quite often, the prayer would start with a depressing or down mood and as David calls onto the Lord and began to proclaim the character of God, his mood changes. Changed from outcast and dejected to being hopeful and confident in the Lord.

Application:
It is perfectly ok to acknowledge how we feel when things aren’t going well. While doing so, we should not allow ourselves to stop there. Most of the time, David did not stop at his depression or discouragement. He would go beyond the feelings of the circumstances to praise God and to declare God’s goodness. There is power in the person God. Learn to profess the character of God everyday, especially when you are facing challenges. Come under His shelter.




PSALM 60 29 FEBRUARY 2008
By David

Final Victory Is In The Lord

“With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.” Psalm 60:12

After many Psalms that were written when David was in distress, Psalm 60 was written after David took throne as King

In this Psalm, David reflects upon the bad state of the nation for many years, Verse 1-3. He prays for the deliverance of the nation in verse 5.

Finally, David saw victories. He had numerous victories. Despite the numerous victories, David continues to pray in Hope. In the day of triumph where they defeat many nations, they see themselves in trouble because they are still at war.

David knows that unless God gave them help in the next battle, they might be defeated. Thus prays David,
“Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless. With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.”

Application:
We see the humility of David in his good days. He did not become proud or conceited even when he was wining battle after battle, not by own ability but by the power of God - From the Lord comes deliverance, Psalm 3:8.
Are you in good times or bad times? Whatever it is, do not forget the God of your victories. Speak Hope and blessing of God for the future regardless of how you might feel now.




PSALM 59 28 FEBRUARY 2008
By David

You Can Praise God When Facing Troubles

“But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.” Psalm 59:16

King Saul sent a party of soldiers to David’s house in the night with an order to kill David. It must be a terrifying moment for David. Thankfully, David managed to escape with the help of his family.
1 Samuel 19:11-18 has recorded the event.

David prayed to be delivered from the enemy in verses 1-7. He is in grave danger as the enemy could often return in hope of finding him. (Verse 6) He asks God to take him away from his enemies and make him safe. He pleads to the Lord for deliverance. Once again, we see David placing his confidence in God. He is confident that God will win the fight for him, verses 8 - 13

David know full well who God is, “my strength, my fortress and my loving God” – Ps 59:9. Knowing who God is and being certain of the outcome in God, David could sing praises to God while running for his life.

Application:
We always find it hard to Praise God joyfully whenever we are in distress.
You can praise God when things go wrong.
You can do so by not focusing on what had gone wrong, but rather, focus on who God is – your strength, your fortress and your loving God. Come before Him now to receive a personal assurance from Him.





PSALM 58 27 FEBRUARY 2008
By David

God is your Judge

Then men will say, “ Surely the righteous
still are rewarded; surely there is a God
who judges the earth.” Psalm 58:11

In this chapter, David’s prayer is to God the Supreme Judge. There is corruption of the judicial power from the days of Saul to the end of the monarchy. Even when David was enthroned as King of Israel, he still has to face troubles caused by the corrupt system.

Accusation against the wicked judges was made in verse 1-5. Their mouth, hands and hearts were filled with injustice, Ps 58:1-2.
These injustices were brought before God in prayers.

There was assurance that David has in God that He will surely judge. Psalm 58: 9-11.
Finally, when God had judged, the whole earth will see the righteousness of God rules.

Application:
Are there any unfair or unjust treatments that are receiving? Go to God to be your Judge. Leave the matter to Him. Do not use your own ways to get back your justice. Do not take revenge. Do not repay injustice with injustice. Surrender it to God.
Or have you done any injustice to people around you knowingly or unknowingly? Ask God for forgiveness. Pray to bless these people.





PSALM 57 26 FEBRUARY 2008
By David

Fixed Your Heart To Trust God

“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed” Psalm 57:1

David had fled and hid in the cave. This prayer was birthed out of the cave where David was hiding. From Psalms 54 – 57, David was fleeing from Saul’s attached and pursuit. 3 chapters later, David is still in the run for his life. Yet, he did not give up his hope in God. This is clearly demonstrated in Ps 57. David asked God for help in verse 1-5. He asked to be gracious and merciful. David continues to pray to God to deliverance.

Psalm 57 has two parts: verses 1-5 and verses 6-11. Both end with the words “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.” (Ps 57:5, 11). First part is about David’s complain of the enemy and prayers to God. Yet this is not without his assurance in God that God will help. David’s faith in God increased in second part where he praises God for his saving help.

Application:
In life, there are times where we will feel we are being cornered by the same struggle or fear. And we just want a way out. Sometimes we lost our hope in God when we have yet to see His saving grace. Is there any situation you are facing that is causing your hope to grow weary over time? Do not loose heart. Fix your heart to trust God and to praise God today.