>Psalm 71, the next in this series of meditations, is amazingly appropriate for my family right now. Some of us are dealing with extremely difficult situations to which this Psalm aptly speaks.The Psalm, whose subheading is "Forsake Me Not When My Strength Is Spent," speaks of God as our rock and fortress and seeks His … Continue reading >Covenantal Faithfulness – Psalm 71

>Psalm 70 is like the Reader's Digest condensed version of Psalm 69. Psalm 69 has 36 verses and Psalm 70 has 5, but each Psalm is a plea for God's swift rescue.Psalm 69 begins with a vivid metaphor:Save me, O God!For the waters have come up to my neck.I sink in deep mire,where there is … Continue reading >Make Haste – Psalms 69 & 70

>With 35 verses, Psalm 68 is much longer than recent Psalms in this meditation series so I'll simply highlight some of the things that struck me this morning.With words that are the basis for the rousing lyrics of #124 from the blue Psalter Hymnal, "Let God Arise, and by His Might" (and others in the … Continue reading >God shall arise – Psalm 68

>After years of sporadic work, I'm finally coming down to the wire with my book on early infant loss. I've made and missed many self-imposed deadlines on it, but my prayer now is to submit it before the end of July. It has been an extremely difficult book to write, not only due to the … Continue reading >Blessing and Promise – Psalm 67

>Wow! What a great Psalm! You seriously need to stop reading this, get a Bible, and read the entire Psalm for yourself right now. You can come back to this later.Okay. Finished reading? Isn't that an awesome Psalm? The meter literally rocks. The praise is exuberant.Shout for joy to God, all the earth;sing the glory … Continue reading >High Praise – Psalm 66

>A sliver of moon glimmers in the bright blue above Rocky Mountain National Park. Long's Peak catches the morning sun while shadows lie over the meadow.By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earthand of the farthest seas;the one who by his strength … Continue reading >Established Mountains & Watered Earth – Psalm 65

>It seems more than coincindental that I return from a trip to Colorado to find myself ready to blog about Psalm 63.O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;my soul thirsts for you;my flesh faints for you,as in a dry and weary land where there is no water (verse 1).The Psalmist compares his … Continue reading >Dry and Weary Land – Psalm 63

>For God alone my soul waits in silence;from him comes my salvation.He only is my rock and my salvation,my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken (Psalm 62:1 & 2).Psalm 62 continues the rock imagery of Psalm 61, expanding the metaphor to encompass salvation as well as safety.After the initial confession of God as the … Continue reading >Salvation and Glory (Psalm 62)

>Lead me to the rock that is higher than I... (Psalm 61:2b). Psalm 61 begins with a plea for God to hear the Psalmist's cry and prayer: Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint (1 & 2a). Even … Continue reading >The Higher Rock (Psalm 61)

>When David penned Psalm 59, he was trapped in his house, which was surrounded by men Saul had sent to kill him. Sort of puts one's own troubles into perspective, doesn't it?When he says, "For behold, they lie in wait for my life," it wasn't hyperbole; it was reality.David uses a simile to speak of … Continue reading >Singing When Surrounded (Psalm 59)