Psalm 107:23-32

Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of the LORD, His wondrous works in the deep. For He commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits' end. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and He brought them to their desired haven. Let them thank the LORD for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of man! Let them extol Him in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the assembly of the elders.

Lord, I lift up family, friends and neighbors who are still fighting against You, refusing to accept Your offer of refuge and release from all the turmoil of life without You. Bless them, Lord, draw them into Your bosom, Your haven of rest and safety.

Psalm 107:33-43

He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground, a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants. He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water. And there He lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in; they sow fields and plant vineyards and get a fruitful yield. By His blessing they multiply greatly, and He does not let their livestock diminish. When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, evil, and sorrow, He pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes; but He raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks. The upright see it and are glad, and all wickedness shuts its mouth. Whoever is wise, let Him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.

It is amazing, Lord, how Your goodness and love are reflected day by day in so many ways. When I learn to wait upon You, take my needs and concerns to You; then You lead, direct and provide.

Psalm 119:81-82

My soul longs for Your salvation; I hope in Your word. My eyes long for Your promise; I ask, "When will You comfort me?"

He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20) Oh, Lord, I want to cry out and beg for the answer, "When is soon?" Give me the patience to trust and obey, to work as an ambassador of Your reconciliation while I wait for soon to be now.

Psalm 108:1

A Song. A Psalm of David. My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being!

I think, Lord, I need to rephrase this a bit for it is as my heart grows in steadfastness towards You that I am moved to making melodies of praise to You. With all my being, -- every aspect of my life as an exquisitely tuned harp, skillfully playing a song of praise to You.

Psalm 108:2-4

Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your steadfast love is great above the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

If my life is to be the harp, then I need to begin each day by giving thanks and praising Your name. How can I not do so? How can I hold back praising Your steadfast love and faithfulness? Only if I do not fully accept the totality of Your love for me, if I am holding some part of me back from You, if I have not surrendered and submitted to Your Lordship.

Let Your praises be ever in my mouth, a two-edged sword in my hands.

Psalm 108:5-9

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let Your glory be over all the earth! That Your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by Your right hand and answer me! God has promised in His holiness: "With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Valley of Succoth. Gilead is Mine; Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim is My helmet, Judah My scepter. Moab is My washbasin; upon Edom I cast My shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph."

You cry, "Mine" and I must answer, "Yours" for all is indeed under You and is to be used for Your glory. Lord, lead me today to glorify You in every word, thought and action and to see the totality of Your hand in creation and in the functioning thereof.

Psalm 108:10-13

Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? Have You not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, O God, with our armies. Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! With God we shall do valiantly; it is He who will tread down our foes.

Lord, rise up and lead Your people into battle against the forces of evil. Revive Your Church to lay siege against the gates of Hell. Fill us with Your zeal and fervor to carry the message of grace and mercy, the Good News of the Kingdom into the darkest corners of our towns and villages. Help us to grasp that Ambassador of Reconciliation is an active position with great responsibilities for advancing the Kingdom, not a sinecure.

Psalm 119:89-90

Forever, O LORD, Your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You have established the earth, and it stands fast.

The earth stands fast, even in the onslaught of a hurricane. Or man's destructive nature. Your creation endures and displays Your might, grace and love.

Lord, be with us today as we seek to set aside the everyday routine and focus our souls, our hearts, our minds, our strength on Your beauty and grace.

Psalm 119:91

By Your appointment they stand this day, for all things are Your servants.

Lord, I fight against accepting that inclusive "all" for how can evil things be Your servants. So much of my resistance is that I still have far more than a shred of self that insists on dominating my mind and thoughts; I fight against accepting that You are God and I am not.

Psalm 119:97

Oh how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.

Is not this a wonderful and worthwhile goal? To become so filled with Your word, to have Your Law so engraved on my heart that it is the spark that initiates and the light that guides every thought, every action, every action, every word of my day. Then and only then will I truly be able to say, "I have the mind of Christ."

Psalm 109:1-5

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Be not silent, O God of my praise! For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

Give me the strength, O Lord, to keep my eyes focused on You in the face of my adversaries and challenges. Teach me to give myself to prayer continuously; teach me to live according to Your goodness, not according to the lies of the evil one.

Psalm 109:5-14

Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin! May his days be few; may another take his office! May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow! May his children wander about and beg, seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit! May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil! Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor any to pity his fatherless children! May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation! May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out!

Yes, Lord, You were falsely accused and tried before a kangaroo court for my iniquities and my transgressions. Yet You willingly poured out Your soul unto death, and were numbered with the transgressors for my sake and for the sins of the world. Through Your intercession, I am made pure and sinless in God's eyes. Praise You, Lord Jesus the Christ.