“I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness.”
Psalms 101:3-4 NKJV
This Psalm of David reminds me why he was a man after God’s own heart. Not only did he strive to live for the Lord, but he made it a point not to be around anything that wasn’t for Him.
“Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”
Psalms 100:3 NKJV
In this short Psalm of praise this verse stands out. I feel like we as a generation need to be reminded of this – that God made us, and not the other way around, and that we exist in His pasture as do sheep. He provides for and protects us, the way a good shepherd does.
“Exalt the Lord our God, And worship at His footstool— He is holy.”
Psalms 99:5 NKJV
In Isaiah 66:1, The Lord refers to Heaven as His throne and the earth as His footstool. I believe the Psalmist was referring to us, here on earth, worshiping God, since we are at His footstool now. Our purpose, while on His footstool, is to worship God Almighty. Of course it doesn’t stop there, but it is easy to forget while we are here…
“Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.”
Psalms 98:4 NKJV
Yes! What is stopping me from making a joyful noise? What is praise but a joyful noise?
“Let all be put to shame who serve carved images, Who boast of idols. Worship Him, all you gods.”
Psalms 97:7 NKJV
What are our idols today? Could it be the device which I am writing this on?
The Lord created all things.
“Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples, Give to the Lord glory and strength. Give to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts.”
Psalms 96:7-8 NKJV
Our offering, our gift to the Lord, is to give Him our strength and our praise. This is what we should bring when we enter His presence. How can we come to Him empty handed?
“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.”
Psalms 95:1-2 NKJV
This is my purpose! To praise God for eternity, and to enter into His presence with Thanksgiving! And all I have is His, this includes my praise.
“In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.”
Psalms 94:19 NKJV
This hits home. I have what might be called a multitude of anxieties right now, but even so, the Lord comforts my soul. My hope resides with Him.
“Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O Lord, The floods have lifted up their voice; The floods lift up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier Than the noise of many waters, Than the mighty waves of the sea.”
Psalms 93:2-4 NKJV
I read this and think of what the write of this Psalm must have thought of as the most awesome thing on earth – and for him it was the waves of the sea in a storm. To him nothing could withstand it! Nothing but God.
If I put this into my own context, I think of the mightiest, most powerful thing I can think of – the thing that terrifies me the most, and I am reminded that My God is greater than that!
“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,”
Psalms 92:1-2 NKJV
I think this is a good daily routine: start the day thanking the Lord for another day in the morning, and reflecting on what He has done every night.
The Lampstand 