“Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”
Psalms 124:8 NKJV
I needed to be reminded of this just now. My help is in the Name of the Lord. Of course the Lord is my help but that is how great my God is – He saves simply through the power of His Name! The whole earth trembles just at His Name!!
“Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us! For we are exceedingly filled with contempt. Our soul is exceedingly filled With the scorn of those who are at ease, With the contempt of the proud.”
Psalms 123:3-4 NKJV
The Psalmist is asking for mercy because the people are filled with contempt for those who have it easy and are proud. It sounds like they are asking for forgiveness for being covetous? Perhaps more so because they are coveting (a sin) those who are proud (another sin) and desire the lifestyle that comes from this.
“I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.” Our feet have been standing Within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem is built As a city that is compact together, Where the tribes go up, The tribes of the Lord, To the Testimony of Israel, To give thanks to the name of the Lord. For thrones are set there for judgment, The thrones of the house of David.”
Psalms 122:1-5 NKJV
This Psalm was written by David. I find it interesting that he refers to going to the house of the Lord, though one had not been built yet (that would be for his son to do.)
Of course he may be referring to the tabernacle, but I think he was referring to Heaven. At this point, he knows that Christ will come through his lineage, and he references the thrones of the house of David.
If I interpret this correctly, David is saying he is glad that the Lord is calling him home.
“The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.”
Psalms 121:8 NKJV
I really needed this today. Of course I know it is true, but it is as though the Lord spoke it directly to me just now – which I believe He did.
“In my distress I cried to the Lord, And He heard me.”
Psalms 120:1 NKJV
This is a recurring theme of Psalms, but also one that bears repeating. Not just in distress we call to the Lord, but that He hears us. The Lord hears us when we cry out!
“I have gone astray like a lost sheep; Seek Your servant, For I do not forget Your commandments.”
Psalms 119:176 NKJV
This is the last verse of the longest Psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible.
What stood out to me is that while the psalmist says he has gone astray, he also says he has not forgotten the Lord’s commandments.
Perhaps this means that while he hasn’t forgotten the Lord’s commands, maybe even then he slipped up (as we all do)?
“The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
Psalms 118:6 NKJV
How true is this? The Lord is on my side! The Lord fights my battles! The Lord is victorious before He even starts! How can I worry about this world?
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples! For His merciful kindness is great toward us, And the truth of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!”
Psalms 117:1-2 NKJV
This is the entire chapter, but it deserves repeating. The Old Testament is mostly devoted to the Israelites, but this is a reminder that the Lord is not only God of everyone, but He is deserving of all praise. And for that matter will ultimately be praised by all “for every knee shall bow…”
“I love the Lord, because He has heard My voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. I believed, therefore I spoke, “I am greatly afflicted.””
Psalms 116:1-2, 10 NKJV
The psalmist was clearly in trouble, but he cried out to the Lord and He heard him. What strikes me here is verse 10 – “I believed, therefore I spoke, “I am greatly afflicted.”” He believed the Lord would rescue him, so he then cried out to the Lord. He had faith, which is what we need in times of trouble.
“The dead do not praise the Lord, Nor any who go down into silence. But we will bless the Lord From this time forth and forevermore. Praise the Lord!”
Psalms 115:17-18 NKJV
Jesus tells us God is not God of the dead, but the living. This is true because through Christ, we live!
