Month: December 2024

Psalm 61:4 I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings.

When the enemy is close by and threatening, David responds by entering into the presence of God on the earth and abiding there in His tabernacle. For NT believers the believer’s body is the tabernacle of the Presence of God on earth. “Your body is the temple of God.”.He is in our heart and on our lips: we believe and confess. He is always near and so close to us. We may consciously and purposefully abide with Jesus and live safe and comfortable lives there forever. We sing, “Abide with me.” We are aware of the presence of God within.

When we go to God, give it to God, and live there, we may trust in Him under the shelter of His wings. Wings refers, in the first place, to the overspreading wings of the cherubim covering the Ark of the Covenant, the exact place of God’s residence. That’s where we are, by faith in Christ. We believe and are baptized, and so we are saved, protected, and blessed. Secondly, we believe the presence of His angels sent to minister to us, keeping us safe and protected from our enemies.

Psalm 61:1-2 Hear my cry, O God, attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

David responds to his present overwhelming situation with a cry and prayer to the Lord. He trusts God to lead him to a safe and comfortable place. God was real and present to David at all times, and when in need he knew he could pray and ask for help. He believed that the Lord heard his cry and listened to his prayer. He trusted God to take him to a place that was higher, better, and stronger than he was by himself. He was not ashamed to admit that he was weak and helpless, but that the Lord was stronger and He would bring him to a safe place.

Sometimes for us life is hard, we feel overwhelmed, and our spiritual enemies attack us. Whenever we are burdened, we remember that God is with us to hear our cry and help us. He will lead us to a place that is higher than we. That rock is Jesus Christ, the rock of our salvation. The Holy Spirit leads us to Him through the gospel. In Him we are safe, happy, comfortable, and secure. “Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” We repent, believe, and follow Him where He leads.

Psalm 57:7-9 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. Awake up, my glory, awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.

The heart of David is made up, and he is determined to sing and give praise to God. When he wakes early in the morning he begins the day with a song in his heart and praise on his lips. He has decided to praise the Lord among God’s people, and he will sing to the Lord among the unbelieving world. Everyone will know that his heart is fixed on the Lord, that he loves Him with all his heart, that God is good, full of mercy, and that He is great. He wants the world to know that God is good and His mercy endures forever.

We, too, respond to God’s goodness and mercy with songs and praises upon walking in the morning, and all day long. Praise is always in our heart, and a song is frequently on our lips. We are not ashamed of Jesus and His Gospel, we love to be in church worshipping with fellow believers, and we are bold to let the world know about the God who serves us. The Lord has done everything for us, loved, saved, and blessed us. Our faith response is to live lives of thanks and praise.

Psalm 57:1-2 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performest all things for me.

David sang this Psalm when he was fleeing from Saul in the cave. He asked for mercy and trusted the Lord to save him. He cried to the Lord to save him from the present danger. He knew God had performed all things for him in the past and he believed Him to do it again. What faith it is to say, “God performs all things for me.”

When calamities threaten us our response is to turn to the Lord to save and deliver us for His mercy’s (Jesus’) sake. We trust Him to do it. Jesus has finished all things and accomplished our full salvation at the Cross and the Tomb. Therefore, we can receive mercy and trust the Lord for present help in time of need. Faith is granted by the Spirit through the Gospel, so we pray, cry, and trust.

Psalm 56:19-12 In God Will I praise his word: in the Lord will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee.

Our response to the issues of life and the circumstances we find ourselves in is to praise the Lord at all times, and especially when things get rough. God doesn’t need our praise to be good and great. He always already is. But we need to praise God to make Him better and bigger in our minds. We praise the Lord because we believe, and praise builds faith. We praise His amazing love, which is greater than we can even imagine. We praise His word of promise, which He has already fulfilled in the coming of Christ and His Gospel. His promise never fails, and we are grateful.

The outcome and result of praise and trust is that we will not be afraid of anything other than God’s disappointment in us. It is true: we are not afraid of anything man can do to us. Romans 8:31: “If God is for us who can be against us?” The “if” does not mean maybe, but it means God is for us. He’s by our side, fighting for us, and we are certain and sure. We know. Therefore, we will not fear, doubt, or worry.

Psalm 56:3-4 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will nor fear what flesh can do unto me.

When the Philistines took David in Gath, he put his trust in God, praised His Word of Promise, and determined not to be afraid. Whenever we are afraid, we consciously and purposefully put our trust in God, for He promises to deliver us from all our fears. By faith he put his trust in God and let his fear of God replace his fear of flesh and the world of men.

Fear, doubt, worry, and anxiety are common responses when problems arise, but true fear and faith in the Lord overcomes these emotions. “Love casts out fear.” When we fear God properly we are afraid of nothing. But overcoming sin against the First Commandment on our own is impossible. So God loves us to provide a way out, and Jesus is the Way. “But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared”“If God is for us who can be against us?” “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” So what do we do when fears surface? We turn to the Lord and trust His Word.

Psalm 55:16-17 As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud, and he shall hear my voice.

Every day the troubles of life and the problems of living beset us. Our response is to pray and call upon the Lord. He will hear my voice and save me. To signify that we “pray without ceasing” we purposely set aside time for talking to God three times a day, at night before bed, in the morning when we wake up, and at least once during midday we pause to call on God. Whether we are responding to a present need or not, we pray three times a day to also prevent troublous times.

Faith and regular prayer sees us through, for the Lord is always there to hear us and save us. Faith comes from hearing the Gospel and responds to the everlasting gospel with prayer and maintenance of a loving relationship with God. The praying three times a day is a good example for Christians to follow.

Psalm 55:1-2 Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication. Attend unto me, and hear me; I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise.

David speaks this Psalm during Absalom’s rebellion and Ahithophel’s betrayal. The words are also messianic as they describe Judas’ betrayal of Christ. He turns to God in a time of trouble when his enemies are against him. He prays, begs, mourns, and makes noise.The Lord hears him in the day of trouble and comes to his aid.

So also it is for us. When problems overwhelm and spiritual enemies attack, we may turn to the Lord in prayer. Since our enemies are always about us, the Word encourages us to “pray without ceasing.” Make your complaints known to God (even though He already knows), and pray about it in the assurance that He cares, listens, and answers.

Complaining is connected to the sin of unbelief, but the problems of life remind us to turn our complaints into prayers. God hears for Jesus’ sake and the burdens of life are lifted. Life goes better when we “Take it to the Lord in prayer.”

Psalm 54:6 I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O Lord, for it is good.

The response to God’s mercy, deliverance from enemies, and salvation from sin, is to freely sacrifice unto God and praise His name. We do all this because God is good and His mercy endures forever. Since the once-for-all sacrifice, Jesus, has come, NT believers no longer sacrifice animals, which was a visible reminder of the Promise to come. We do not sacrifice to gain God’s favor, for Christ has already finished that for us.

However, because of His finished work, in thanks and praise, we offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. Faith in His finished work responds with a continual sacrifice of praise. In praise and thanks to God we die to self and offer our lips and life for the service of others and the glory of God. We make this living sacrifice of praise every time we give of ourselves, our time, effort, words, money and goods for the lifting up of others and praise to God. We freely and willingly sacrifice to serve, and we praise the Lord all day long. Daily we remember our Baptism in repentance and faith.

Psalm 54:2, 4 Hear my prayer, O God, give ear to the words of my mouth….Behold, God is mint helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.

David prays to God to help him and save him from his enemies. He begs the Lord to be his helper, and he praises the Lord for answering. He trusts the Lord is with those who are helping him, whether they be people or angels.

The Lord hears our prayers and helps us in our need, whether physical, emotional, financial, or relational. We are confidant in Him and we thank Him for hearing our prayer. Faith sees the hand of God, even though He may use other people and earthly circumstances which don’t seem miraculous on the surface. But we see God in the mundane and thank Him for His blessing.

The transition from prayer to praise is a common experience in the life of the believer. We express our needs and feelings, our spirit is lifted, and then we praise God for being our helper, protector, and friend.