Welcome to week four of the Psalms for the Summer series! I’m glad you’re here to read Psalms 22-28 with me. Through the month of July, I’ll be sharing one Psalm a day, 1-31, with encouragement for you to process the Psalm in your own creative way. I share my words and art not to tell you what to think or for you to pray my words, but to encourage you to grow in your own relationship with God.
If you haven’t already you may want to read these posts first:
- Reading the Psalms is Better than Scrolling Social Media
- Nine Ways to Engage with a Psalm
- Psalms for the Summer Week One (Psalms One-Seven)
- Psalms for the Summer Week Two (Psalms Eight-14)
- Psalms for the Summer Week Three (Psalms 15-21)
Each Friday, I’ll share the Psalms for the week ahead. If you’d like to follow one day at a time, you can follow me on Instagram.
You can read the full text of each Psalm below in the CSB version, copied from Bible Gateway.
From Suffering to Praise
For the choir director: according to “The Deer of the Dawn.” A psalm of David.
1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far from my deliverance
and from my words of groaning?
2 My God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
by night, yet I have no rest.
3 But you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 Our ancestors trusted in you;
they trusted, and you rescued them.
5 They cried to you and were set free;
they trusted in you and were not disgraced.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by mankind and despised by people.
7 Everyone who sees me mocks me;
they sneer and shake their heads:
8 “He relies on the Lord;
let him save him;
let the Lord rescue him,
since he takes pleasure in him.”
9 It was you who brought me out of the womb,
making me secure at my mother’s breast.
10 I was given over to you at birth;
you have been my God from my mother’s womb.
11 Don’t be far from me, because distress is near
and there’s no one to help.
12 Many bulls surround me;
strong ones of Bashan encircle me.
13 They open their mouths against me—
lions, mauling and roaring.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are disjointed;
my heart is like wax,
melting within me.
15 My strength is dried up like baked clay;
my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
You put me into the dust of death.
16 For dogs have surrounded me;
a gang of evildoers has closed in on me;
they pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones;
people look and stare at me.
18 They divided my garments among themselves,
and they cast lots for my clothing.
19 But you, Lord, don’t be far away.
My strength, come quickly to help me.
20 Rescue my life from the sword,
my only life from the power of these dogs.
21 Save me from the lion’s mouth,
from the horns of wild oxen.
You answered me!
22 I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters;
I will praise you in the assembly.
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
All you descendants of Israel, revere him!
24 For he has not despised or abhorred
the torment of the oppressed.
He did not hide his face from him
but listened when he cried to him for help.
25 I will give praise in the great assembly
because of you;
I will fulfill my vows
before those who fear you.
26 The humble will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the Lord will praise him.
May your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth will remember
and turn to the Lord.
All the families of the nations
will bow down before you,
28 for kingship belongs to the Lord;
he rules the nations.
29 All who prosper on earth will eat and bow down;
all those who go down to the dust
will kneel before him—
even the one who cannot preserve his life.
30 Their descendants will serve him;
the next generation will be told about the Lord.
31 They will come and declare his righteousness;
to a people yet to be born
they will declare what he has done.
Psalm 22 Notes
Here is another example of lament to hope, or like the title says, “From Suffering to Praise.” And in this Psalm we see a foretelling of Jesus. Did these things really happen to David or is this God-inspired prophecy? I don’t know. But here are some verses that remind me of Jesus, and you may find more:
- pierced hands and feet
- casting lots for clothing
- “why have you forsaken me?”
- I’ve known you from the womb
- Let the Lord rescue him (Let him rescue himself)
- tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth
What’s important for me to remember from this Psalm is this, even though David felt like God had turned away from him, David did not turn away from God. Because he trusted that God was still there. We also must trust that God is still near even when we feel alone or abandoned. We must never stop talking to Him.
The last section of this Psalm, verses 27-31, David is writing in the future tense. Read that section again thinking about Jesus. Do you get goosebumps at David’s inspired knowledge? The last words “they will declare what he has done” can easily become “it is finished” (John 19:30).
I’d love to see anything you write or create while reading the Psalms. Feel free to comment below with your thoughts or a link to your post!
The Good Shepherd
A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd;
I have what I need.
2 He lets me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He renews my life;
he leads me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even when I go through the darkest valley,
I fear no danger,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
as long as I live.
Psalm 23 Notes
Maybe you could have recited Psalm 23 instead of reading it. I encourage you to read it in a translation you are not familiar with and see if the words strike you differently. You can even listen to my favorite podcaster Emily P. Freeman read three different versions right here. I share The Message version in a graphic below.
“Lord if I fed on your love, grace, and truth, I would not be in any want.”
-Timothy and Kathy Keller, Songs of Jesus
This Psalm always makes me ask, “What kind of shepherd is the Lord?” My answers here are only from this Psalm, but use all your knowledge of God if you’d like a longer list.
And then the next question comes: “What kind of sheep am I?” That’s much harder to answer. I read the book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 a few years ago and it takes this Psalm so much deeper. I used some of the things I learned about sheep from this book to write the poem “Stubborn Sheep” which you can read in the second collage here.
I love verse three of this Psalm. The first collage here uses words from verse 3 in different translations. “He gives me new strength. He renews my life. He keeps me alive. He makes me whole again. He restores my soul.”
The King of Glory
A psalm of David.
1 The earth and everything in it,
the world and its inhabitants,
belong to the Lord;
2 for he laid its foundation on the seas
and established it on the rivers.
3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who has not appealed to what is false,
and who has not sworn deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from the Lord,
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 Such is the generation of those who inquire of him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
7 Lift up your heads, you gates!
Rise up, ancient doors!
Then the King of glory will come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, you gates!
Rise up, ancient doors!
Then the King of glory will come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord of Armies,
he is the King of glory. Selah
Psalm 24 Notes
Everything here on Earth is God’s, because He made it. We belong to God and He wants us to seek His face continually. Clean hands and wholehearted devotion to Him is God’s desire. My words for this Psalm are short, but I have a song to share with you and a collage I made on an index card!
Here is the song I listened to while I created the collage below: “Psalm 24” by The Prestonwood Choir.
By the way, #indexcardart is my new favorite thing. There’s so much less pressure when it’s a tiny canvas!
Dependence on the Lord
Of David.
1 Lord, I appeal to you.
2 My God, I trust in you.
Do not let me be disgraced;
do not let my enemies gloat over me.
3 No one who waits for you
will be disgraced;
those who act treacherously without cause
will be disgraced.
4 Make your ways known to me, Lord;
teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
I wait for you all day long.
6 Remember, Lord, your compassion
and your faithful love,
for they have existed from antiquity.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth
or my acts of rebellion;
in keeping with your faithful love, remember me
because of your goodness, Lord.
8 The Lord is good and upright;
therefore he shows sinners the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
10 All the Lord’s ways show faithful love and truth
to those who keep his covenant and decrees.
11 Lord, for the sake of your name,
forgive my iniquity, for it is immense.
12 Who is this person who fears the Lord?
He will show him the way he should choose.
13 He will live a good life,
and his descendants will inherit the land.
14 The secret counsel of the Lord
is for those who fear him,
and he reveals his covenant to them.
15 My eyes are always on the Lord,
for he will pull my feet out of the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am alone and afflicted.
17 The distresses of my heart increase;
bring me out of my sufferings.
18 Consider my affliction and trouble,
and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider my enemies; they are numerous,
and they hate me violently.
20 Guard me and rescue me;
do not let me be disgraced,
for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and what is right
watch over me,
for I wait for you.
22 God, redeem Israel, from all its distresses.
Psalm 25 Notes
God is the one who saves us when our feet are trapped in a net. He is the God of our salvation who pulls us free, the one we can turn to when we feel alone and afflicted. David mentions God’s “faithful love” three times. It is because of God’s goodness and faithful love towards us that He saves us in our times of need.
When I picture God as my refuge and protector, I imagine a shield over me with arrows bouncing off. Arrows of attack from others and myself. God’s love is like a shield over you. Don’t look at the arrows, look at God’s shield.
Here are some questions for you to consider for yourself:
- What are the arrows that have been shot at you?
- Has your trust in God’s love knocked down those arrows?
- Is the Lord your refuge? What does that look like in your life?
Here is the prayer from Songs of Jesus for Psalm 25:
“Lord, I want to live according to your Word—”your ways,” “your truth” (verses 4-5)—rather than by what will make me popular and powerful. Give me the desire and integrity to live like this. And because this will make me vulnerable, protect me from those who would take the opportunity to harm me. Amen.”
-Timothy and Kathy Keller
For this Psalm I wrote a prayer and created a digital collage. You can see God’s faithful love surrounding me (it’s not really me) and all the arrows that His love has knocked away laying on the ground.
Prayer for Vindication
Of David.
1 Vindicate me, Lord,
because I have lived with integrity
and have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
2 Test me, Lord, and try me;
examine my heart and mind.
3 For your faithful love guides me,
and I live by your truth.
4 I do not sit with the worthless
or associate with hypocrites.
5 I hate a crowd of evildoers,
and I do not sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in innocence
and go around your altar, Lord,
7 raising my voice in thanksgiving
and telling about your wondrous works.
8 Lord, I love the house where you dwell,
the place where your glory resides.
9 Do not destroy me along with sinners,
or my life along with men of bloodshed
10 in whose hands are evil schemes
and whose right hands are filled with bribes.
11 But I live with integrity;
redeem me and be gracious to me.
12 My foot stands on level ground;
I will bless the Lord in the assemblies.
Psalm 26 Notes
“Vindicate me, Lord.” What a request for an imperfect person to a perfect being. How is vindication possible when we are all guilty?
It’s by Jesus. It was his act of redemption for us and it’s his continual washing of his graces over us. Thank you Lord for Jesus—in His name we are declared innocent.
Today, I meditated on verses 1-3. Can you list the characteristics of a Godly life vs an ungodly life based off of this Psalm?
My Stronghold
Of David.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom should I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
whom should I dread?
2 When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh,
my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army deploys against me,
my heart will not be afraid;
though a war breaks out against me,
I will still be confident.
4 I have asked one thing from the Lord;
it is what I desire:
to dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
gazing on the beauty of the Lord
and seeking him in his temple.
5 For he will conceal me in his shelter
in the day of adversity;
he will hide me under the cover of his tent;
he will set me high on a rock.
6 Then my head will be high
above my enemies around me;
I will offer sacrifices in his tent with shouts of joy.
I will sing and make music to the Lord.
7 Lord, hear my voice when I call;
be gracious to me and answer me.
8 My heart says this about you:
“Seek his face.”
Lord, I will seek your face.
9 Do not hide your face from me;
do not turn your servant away in anger.
You have been my helper;
do not leave me or abandon me,
God of my salvation.
10 Even if my father and mother abandon me,
the Lord cares for me.
11 Because of my adversaries,
show me your way, Lord,
and lead me on a level path.
12 Do not give me over to the will of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing violence.
13 I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart be courageous.
Wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27 Notes
With God as your stronghold, you can move through fear confidently:
- whom should I fear? (verse 1)
- whom should I dread? (v. 1)
- my heart will not be afraid (v. 3)
- I will still be confident (v. 3)
David was called a man after God’s own heart and verse 4 gives some ideas of what that could mean. David desires to dwell with the Lord, to gaze at His beauty, and to seek Him. Can I say these things about myself? Am I a woman after God’s own heart?
There’s so much in these 14 short verses, God’s protection (v.5), grace (v.7), strength (v.1), beauty (v. 4), care (v. 10). I think this may be my new favorite Psalm.
My Strength
Of David.
1 Lord, I call to you;
my rock, do not be deaf to me.
If you remain silent to me,
I will be like those going down to the Pit.
2 Listen to the sound of my pleading
when I cry to you for help,
when I lift up my hands
toward your holy sanctuary.
3 Do not drag me away with the wicked,
with the evildoers,
who speak in friendly ways with their neighbors
while malice is in their hearts.
4 Repay them according to what they have done—
according to the evil of their deeds.
Repay them according to the work of their hands;
give them back what they deserve.
5 Because they do not consider
what the Lord has done
or the work of his hands,
he will tear them down and not rebuild them.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
for he has heard the sound of my pleading.
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
Therefore my heart celebrates,
and I give thanks to him with my song.
8 The Lord is the strength of his people;
he is a stronghold of salvation for his anointed.
9 Save your people, bless your possession,
shepherd them, and carry them forever.
Psalm 28 Notes
What is your motivation for kindness? According to David, the wicked speak to their neighbors in friendly ways but actually hold malice in their hearts. David says, repay them according to their actual works and not according to their flattering words. Let’s not produce deceptive fruit that looks good on the surface but is rotten on the inside. May our motive be love.
The last verse gives me the image of God, like a shepherd carrying his sheep, carrying His people on His shoulders. That is the picture of loving, tender mercies. Amen.
Share Your Thoughts with Me!
I hope you have enjoyed reading a Psalms 22-28 with me. May these words be a blessing and deepen your communion with God and others. I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of these Psalms. Share in the comments or tag me on social media!
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