The Value of God’s Word

Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You. Blessed are You, O LORD; teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have told of all the ordinances of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts and regard Your ways. I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word. (Psalm 119:11–16)

God’s Complete Control

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah . . . . The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah . . . . “Cease striving and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:1–3, 7, 10)

For Protection and Strength in the Face of Terrorism

“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. (Psalm 46:10–11) O God, as never before in this generation, we are dependent upon You for protection and strength. Though the mountains quake, though bridges fall, though tunnels are destroyed, though ships sink

Truth to Live By, Truth to Die For

See how I love your precepts; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your love. All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal. (Psalm 119:159–160 NIV) Thank You, Father, for breathing out Your Word through men so many centuries ago. Thank You for preserving the message that You revealed through the miracle of inspiration, Father. Thank You for Your Word—the inerrant, authoritative, infallible Word of God.

For Personal Integrity

From the care of the ewes with suckling lambs He brought [David] To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them with his skillful hands. (Psalm 78:71–72) Father, personal purity is never automatic or easily produced. Integrity doesn’t flow from our flesh naturally or freely.

Courage for the Discouraged

I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. (Psalm 40:1–2) Lord, we pray that You would bring relief when we are swamped with the ever-rising tide of discouragement. Grant deliverance for us who are caught in that swamp and start to slide into its slimy waters.

Quietness

It is almost 10:00, Monday night. The children are snoozing and snoring upstairs (or they should be!). Aside from a few outside noises—a passing car . . . a barking dog . . . a few, faint voices in the distance—all’s quiet on the home front. That wonderful, much-needed presence has again come for a visit—quietness. Oh, how I love it . . . how I need it.

The Small Stuff

WE OFTEN HEAR PEOPLE SAY, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” Although sweating the small stuff can occasionally be a drag, there’s another side to that coin. Greatness and the attention to detail, in my opinion, are welded together. A great piece of music is like that—carefully arranged orchestration carrying out a majestic melody blending with the surrounding sound of harmony.

Lifelines

TO ME, BIRTHDAYS ARE JUST another routine realization that I’m not getting any younger. I know that because the cake won’t hold all the candles. Even if it could, the frosting would melt before I’d be able to blow all of them out. One year, my kind and thoughtful assistant reminded me of another approach I could take. She gave me a birthday card showing an old guy standing beside a cake covered with candles.

Taking Time

EIGHT WORDS WERE BRASHLY SMEARED across the dashboard of the speedboat tied up at Gulf Shores, Alabama. They reflected the flash and flair of its owner whose fast life was often publicized in sporting news across America. In the off-season, the left-handed speedster in the Gulf of Mexico resembled a shiftless, beachcombing drifter with his stubble beard, disheveled hair,

Tag Archives: Psalms