Psalm Thirteen...

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.

word: “steadfast”
phrase: “How long?”
call: So often I question ‘how long?’ So easily I fall into the ways of this world and selfishly want life to flow by at the rate of which I choose. And yet, when time doesn’t seem to follow the plan that I have made I’m struck with this sad realization that I have so easily fallen away from the truth. My life is planned according to God—according to His timetable. I am reminded that I need to put my full trust in Him and His plan for my life. He knows what He is doing. I just have to trust and have faith.

Psalm Twelve...

Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone;
for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;
with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
the tongue that makes great boasts,
those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,
our lips are with us; who is master over us?”

“Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
I will now arise,” says the Lord;
“I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”
The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.

You, O Lord, will keep them;
you will guard us from this generation forever.
On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

word: “safety”
phrase: “The words of the Lord are pure words”
call: “You, O Lord, will keep them” We live in a world where we are surrounded by the temptation to fall into the patters of the world and not take a stand for what we believe. It’s the easier thing to do, isn’t it? But we have nothing to be ashamed of, because what we hold is ultimate. The Lord will keep us, and He will hold us through.

Psalm Eleven...

In the Lord I take refuge;
how can you say to my soul,
“Flee like a bird to your mountain,
for behold, the wicked bend the bow;
they have fitted their arrow to the string
to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;
if the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”

The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord's throne is in heaven;
his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.
The Lord tests the righteous,
but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
Let him rain coals on the wicked;
fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
For the Lord is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
the upright shall behold his face.

word: “righteous”
phrase: “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven.”
call: “The Lord tests the righteous.” Living the Christian life won’t always be easy. You can’t and won’t feel close to God at all times. The Lord tests us and our faith. As it says in James 1:2-3, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” To be steadfast is to be firmly established and unwavering. We need our faith to be tested by the Lord. Granted, those times aren’t always exactly enjoyable and fun, but through them our faith gains strength in the only true source of power and more firmly establishes what/who we stand for—God.

Psalm Ten...

Why, O Lord, do you stand far away?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.
For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul,
and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord.
In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him;
all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
His ways prosper at all times;
your judgments are on high, out of his sight;
as for all his foes, he puffs at them.
He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”
His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.
He sits in ambush in the villages;
in hiding places he murders the innocent.
His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket;
he lurks that he may seize the poor;
he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.
The helpless are crushed, sink down,
and fall by his might.
He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,
he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”

Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
forget not the afflicted.
Why does the wicked renounce God
and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?
But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,
that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless commits himself;
you have been the helper of the fatherless.
Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
call his wickedness to account till you find none.

The Lord is king forever and ever;
the nations perish from his land.
O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

word: “afflicted”
phrase: "The Lord is king forever and ever”
call: [verses 2-11] No one is immune to him. He comes after everyone. He wants us to suffer. We suffer so much to the point where we believe the suffering will never end. Through that suffering we tend question the existence of God. We question if God is really there for us. We wonder why God isn’t helping us. Why is God letting us suffer? God must not care. God must not exist…and yet we remember. We remember how God has helped us in the past. We remember how God has helped those we love. We are encouraged. We remember that God is the King of all creation, and He will reign forever and ever. And one day, He will return, He will do justice, and that man who is of the earth will strike terror no more. There will be no more suffering, no more pain, no more heartache. We will live forever in peace and unity with God.

Here's My Life...

Sometimes I find myself dwelling in the past and convincing myself that things will never be okay because of the pain I've felt or the things I have done. It's hard to let go. It's hard to put it behind me. But why hold on when I know that I have hope? I've given my life to God, and I strive to live for Him daily. But sometimes you need a little reminder that yes, things ARE going to be alright, and yes, you WILL make it through without getting hurt. God has a plan and purpose for my life that I have yet to discover, and knowing that gives me such an indescribable joy and perseverance to press on. "With God, all things are possible." [Matthew 19:26]

Once again I said my goodbyes
to those I love most
my heart feels that familiar pain
as I long for hope
cause this road is hard
when I feel so far

And God I’m crying out tonight
cause I’ve given you my life
but I’m tired and I’m missing what’s behind
so once more here’s my life

On the day that you called my name
all that I knew changed
I found when I said yes
that I
would never be the same
though the call is hard
you are worth it all

And God I’m crying out tonight
cause I’ve given you my life
but I’m tired and I’m missing what’s behind
so once more....

Even when the tears are falling
when I find I fear the calling you
remind me,
words you've spoken over my life
promises I’ve yet to see
you comfort me.

--song by BarlowGirl

Psalm Nine...

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

When my enemies turn back,
they stumble and perish before your presence.
For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;
their cities you rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.

But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for justice,
and he judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with uprightness.

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion!
Tell among the peoples his deeds!
For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

Be gracious to me, O Lord!
See my affliction from those who hate me,
O you who lift me up from the gates of death,
that I may recount all your praises,
that in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in your salvation.

The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.
The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment;
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Selah

The wicked shall return to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.

For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail;
let the nations be judged before you!
Put them in fear, O Lord!
Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah

word: “sing”
phrase: “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart”
call: “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.” So many times already this semester in school I have become overtaken by stress. I let myself become completely overwhelmed when the homework load seems like it will never end and that I’ll never get everything done on time. But God is my stronghold; He is there for me whenever I need Him. In those moments where I want to quit and give up because I don’t think I can go on any longer, He’s there to give me the strength to push through and come out with a greater confidence. Alls I have to do is come to Him and ask. :)

Psalm Eight...

O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

word: “majestic”
phrase: “You have set your glory above the heavens”
call: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the starts, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” I absolutely love being outside. When I am out in creation, the scientific aspect of my mind comes to life. Creation surrounds us above, below, and around. When I’m surrounded by the absolute awe and beauty of a sunset, the intricacy of the plants from an algae-blanketed pond to the tall trees that seem to touch the sky, to the simple yet complex structure of an ant working so hard to build its home, how could I not declare “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” :)

Psalm Seven...

O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge;
save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,
lest like a lion they tear my soul apart,
rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.

O Lord my God, if I have done this,
if there is wrong in my hands,
if I have repaid my friend with evil
or plundered my enemy without cause,
let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it,
and let him trample my life to the ground
and lay my glory in the dust. Selah

Arise, O Lord, in your anger;
lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;
awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.
Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you;
over it return on high.

The Lord judges the peoples;
judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness
and according to the integrity that is in me.
Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
and may you establish the righteous—
you who test the minds and hearts,
O righteous God!
My shield is with God,
who saves the upright in heart.
God is a righteous judge,
and a God who feels indignation every day.

If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword;
he has bent and readied his bow;
he has prepared for him his deadly weapons,
making his arrows fiery shafts.
Behold, the wicked man conceives evil
and is pregnant with mischief
and gives birth to lies.
He makes a pit, digging it out,
and falls into the hole that he has made.
His mischief returns upon his own head,
and on his own skull his violence descends.

I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness,
and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.

word: “refuge”
phrase: “O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge”
call: “judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness” How am I living my life? Is it in a way that pleasing in the eyes of the Lord, or would He be ashamed? Am I living out the Christian name? If someone were to see me and watch me, would they know what it is that I believe in and whom I live for?

Love Can...

What can move a mountain from the place where it stands?
What can calm the greatest fear with a Touch from it's Hand?
What can turn an enemy to a brother and a friend?
There is only one thing I know
Love Can
Love Can

What can bring a miracle in a moment of need?
What can reach a fallen soul and put him back on his feet?
What can say that nothing is beyond it's hands?
There is only one thing I know
Yes I know

That only love can heal your broken heart
When it's all said and done
And you've had enough
Only love can bring you off of your knees
And back on your feet

What can build a bridge between a Holy God and a sinful man?
I know there's only one thing only love can
What can help a lost soul find his way back home again?
There is only one thing I know
Yes, I know
Yes, I know

That only love can heal your broken heart
When it's all said and done
And you've had enough
Only love can bring you off of your knees
And back on your feet

Only love can move a mountain
Only love can heal the broken
Only love can move a mountain
Only love can heal the broken
Only love can move a mountain
Only love can heal the broken

--lyrics by DecembeRadio

Psalm Six...

O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath.
Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.
My soul also is greatly troubled.
But you, O Lord—how long?

Turn, O Lord, deliver my life;
save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
For in death there is no remembrance of you;
in Sheol who will give you praise?

I am weary with my moaning;
every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.
My eye wastes away because of grief;
it grows weak because of all my foes.

Depart from me, all you workers of evil,
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
The Lord has heard my plea;
the Lord accepts my prayer.
All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;
they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.

Word: “troubled”

Phrase: “the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping”

Call: “The Lord has heard my plea, the Lord accepts my prayer” There are many things in life that I tend to question “why?” Things that just don’t seem to make any sense and leave me in a pool of confusion. But what an encouragement that I have a God who desires to have a relationship with me and wants me to come to Him with my questions, worries, and fears! He hears me, and He comforts me.

Psalm Five...

Give ear to my words, O Lord;
consider my groaning.
Give attention to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you do I pray.
O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil may not dwell with you.
The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers.
You destroy those who speak lies;
the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
in the fear of you.
Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me.

For there is no truth in their mouth;
their inmost self is destruction;
their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongue.
Make them bear their guilt, O God;
let them fall by their own counsels;
because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may exult in you.
For you bless the righteous, O Lord;
you cover him with favor as with a shield.

word: “refuge”
phrase: “Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness”
call: “For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you.” So many times in my life I have been lead astray, hurt by promises that could not be kept, stepped on by someone’s words, and left in pieces when someone walked out. But what an encouragement to know that evil cannot dwell with the Lord! God will never leave me hurt or broken. He loves with a steadfast, unfailing love that will never end. How could I not rejoice and sing for joy? :)

Falling...

Father it remains to me a mystery
Why You still love me
When You see the bad in me
You show me mercy
You show me grace
You call me Your own

Day by day I'm finding out, just a little more
Just exactly what the journey is for
It is to love You, hold You, touch You,
to call You my own, my own

And I trade treasure, I trade fame, just to hear You speak my name
I've been touched by You and I will never be the same
I will never be the same for

I am falling more and more in love with You my King
My heart sings a song that even angels cannot sing

Father it remains to me a mystery
Why You still love me, when You see the bad in me
You show me mercy
You show me grace
And You call me Your own

Day by day I'm finding out, just a little more
Just exactly what this journey is for
It is to love You, hold You, touch You, to call You my own, my own

And I trade treasure, I trade fame,
just to hear You speak my name
I've been touched by You and I will never be the same
I will never be the same for

I am falling more and more in love with You my King
My heart sings a song that even angels cannot sing

--song by Pocket Full of Rocks

Give Me Jesus...

In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
Give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus.
You can have all this world,
Just give me Jesus.

When I am alone,
When I am alone,
When I am alone,
Give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus.
You can have all this world,
Just give me Jesus.

When I come to die,
When I come to die,
When I come to die,
Give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus.
You can have all this world,
Just give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus.
Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus.
You can have all this world,
You can have all this world,
You can have all this world,
Just give me Jesus.

--song by Jeremy Camp

Hallelujah...

Close my eyes
Falling on my knees
The hope that’s inside
An overwhelming peace

As time’s slowing down
Your soft spoken words
On my heart left a stain
Though no one’s around
And everything’s broken
Your beauty remains
And I realize the reason You came

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Shedding a tear
The taste becomes stale
‘Cause this is why I’m here
The scar of a nail

Heaven has the pleasure of having You here
Nothing can measure the love that You share
Angels sing welcome home
Welcome home

And this is what I’ll sing for You
And this is what I’ll sing for You
Oh

--lyrics by Krystal Meyers

Psalm Four...

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have given me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.

Be angry, and do not sin;
ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the Lord.

There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”
You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.

In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

word: “joy”
phrase(s): “the LORD hears when I call to Him”
"put your trust in the LORD”
call: “for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety” We have a deep confidence in God to be our protector and guide when we call out to Him in our times of need.