At a time in my life when I was overwhelmed with anxiety and had difficulty sleeping, I memorized Psalm 127. I'd lie awake at night, trying to remain calm through waves of panic, repeating, "He grants sleep to those he loves" (verse 2, NIV 1984). He always did. That precious phrase is only one of … Continue reading Unless the Lord builds the house, Psalm 127

Harold Camping has nothing on true believers. He may attempt to predict the future, but we have seen the future. And our future is joy. In Psalm 126, God grants us a glimpse of the future by first reminding us of his goodness in the past. When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,    we were like … Continue reading Harvesting joy, Psalm 126

Are you surrounded by stress? Do attacks press on every side? Psalm 125 affirms that you are surrounded, but what surrounds you is the peace of God. Few natural features appear as immovable as the solid rock of a mountain. Pilgrims making their way up to the temple lifted their eyes to see Mount Zion rising … Continue reading Surrounded with peace, Psalm 125

Psalm 123 reminded us of our total dependence on God, who reigns from heaven and will pour out his mercies upon us in his perfect timing. We identified with the psalmist, whose soul had experienced "more than enough" contempt from the proud.  We saw God's promise that he will not allow us to be tempted beyond our ability … Continue reading We have escaped, Psalm 124

In Psalm 123, the psalmist lifts his eyes and a heartfelt cry to the heavens. These four short verses are packed with emotional power. The first two verses convey an image of total dependence upon God as believers pray corporately for mercy. To you I lift up my eyes,    O you who are enthroned in … Continue reading Merciful heavens, Psalm 123

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem," writes David in Psalm 122. "May they be secure who love you!" The phrase "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem" used to make me think vaguely of Zionist desires for the restoration of Israel, but that was before I heard Rev. Mark Vander Hart's sermon "Pray from Love for … Continue reading Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, Psalm 122

During the last few years, our church choir has twice sung in worship my all-time favorite song, Psalm 121. You can (and should!) listen to a marvelous audio recording of the song here. I love the song for its biblical truth and beauty. My help, indeed, comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. The … Continue reading I lift my eyes, Psalm 121

As I've worked my way through Psalm 119, I've been amazed how each section--although they all share many similarities--seems especially appropriate for that particular day. Some linguistic information from the Academy BJE website (which is the Board of Jewish Education for New South Wales) may be helpful. The site states that Shin represents divine powers since … Continue reading The Shalom of Psalm 119, Shin

Every verse of this twentieth section of Psalm 119 begins with the Hebrew letter Resh, symbolizing "wickedness as well as higher conciousness" (BJE.org). Resh relates to the word rosh, which means "head" and is the source of intellect. Jewish oral tradition equates resh with rashah, a wicked person. This meaning fits with the section's content as it contrasts … Continue reading Intelligent wickedness in Psalm 119, Resh

Does this letter of the Hebrew alphabet look a bit like a kneeling person with upraised arms? In my mind, that reflects the meaning of Tsadhe (or Tzade). Normally I visualize a kneeling person as bent over with clasped hands and a lowered head. A bowed posture indicates submitting in humility. But the righteous person represented in … Continue reading The Zealous Humility of Psalm 119, Tsadhe